June First

By: Jennifer Hartmann

Narrated by: Neill Thorne, Stefanie Kay

Want to know what happens to a man who barely claws his way out of a tragedy, only to fall right into the arms of the one girl in the world he can never have?

Another tragedy, that's what.

When I was six years old, my father made a choice that altered the course of my entire life. Because of what he did, the only girl I ever loved became the only girl I couldn’t have.

In a lot of ways, I did have her; I had her first steps, her first words, her first smile. I had her milestones, her heartbreaks, her dreams. I had her heart so woven in with mine, I didn’t know where she ended, and I began.

Only, as the years pressed on, lines became blurred—and the blurrier the line, the easier it is to cross.

They say tragedy comes in threes. For me, that was true. The first one changed me, the second one broke me, and the third one healed me.

But at the center of all that tragedy, there is a love story. And at the center of that love story, there is June.

©2022 Jennifer Hartmann (P)2023 Podium Audio

Critic reviews

"Jennifer Hartmann penned an exceptionally unique story with every emotion digging its claws into your heart. June First is an unforgettable masterpiece!" (Jewel E. Ann, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author)

"A touching coming of age story that oh-so-slowly kindles, and when it ignites, hold on tight because oh baby, this forbidden love burns. The angst and steam alone will overfill your taboo-loving heart. Such a beautiful, unforgettable book." (Pam Godwin, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author)

First half of the book is challenging to put up with.

While, overall this is a decent read, especially if you love stories filled angst and taboo relationships, a good portion of the book is told from first-person POV of children, and it just does not work.

The author chooses to have a 6 year old pronouncing “uterus” as “luterus,” but also describing in detail the way the “midwestern sky,” looks and the complex emotions it invokes, as if a 6 year old knows the sky above him is the “midwestern” one and has the vocabulary to describe his feelings in the way the author chooses to write them.

My eyes were frequently rolling with the painfully unrealistic, age inappropriate style of writing, but if you can get through that, it hits in all the angsty feelz just right, and the sentimentality is much easier to swallow when the characters are older.

The tears just wouldn't stop!

This should be a movie. the writing, the characters, the story.... its tragically remarkable. STANDING OVATION! It was in no way boring or slow, it wasn't cringey or gross. I seen someone say the fmc was in a patriarchal world but I strongly disagree. This was a tastefully executed taboo romance if there could be any such thing lol 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Sobbing from chapter 1

the narrators brought this to life. I have never cried so much from reading a book in my life. This book had so much tragedy, but so much healing ! It had me screaming at times just why did Brant go through so much ! He is probably one of my favorite MMC’s written. He goes through so much but still wants the best for everyone around him. This is an emotional story but don’t let them deter you from reading. It has been my favorite read of 2025 thus far!

Potential wasted by performance.

Wow. This is the most dramatic reading I’ve ever listen to. I want to finish it to find out what happens, but the female narrator makes it almost impossible. She reads so dramatically that it ruins the entire thing. I can stand listening to it. It’s hard to describe. The story has a lot of potential. I’m halfway through. If it was just the male narrator, I’d rate it way higher. But it’s so unbelievable and annoying with how she is reading her parts. The story is also super drawn out. Like it goes on and on about the same thing forever, to where you want to fast forward. Also lots of weird stories that are unnecessary. Like the dream about June’s wedding. I also don’t like how the author tries to make it normal how they fell in love over time, while in all reality, he’s so much older than her that it’s actually grooming and super inappropriate. Romanticizing a relationship where a man takes advantage of young girl. It’s 2024 and as a society, we are all aware how wrong and weird this is. I wanted to love this, but I don’t. I have seven hours left and plan on exchanging the book for a different one. I just can’t finish it.

Must read/listen

The twisting of events was exciting and thrilling. I finished listening in 2 days thats how fun I had.

My fav book of the year!

5/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️

If Jennifer writes it, I’m reading it. I’ve been working through her books and they never disappoint.

This book had me in tears for at least 20% of it. I was a mess from chapter 1. If you want a heartwarming and heartbreaking book all in one then this book is for you. It does have a beautiful happy ending so just know the heartache is worth it.

Brant and Junes relationship was so beautiful from the moment they met and he gave her his little stuffed bunny to soothe her tears to the multiple tragedies that occurred in their lives. The pure love and devotion that man had for her was amazing to read. I love the way he loved her unconditionally from a young age until adulthood. Their story was pure and I loved every minute of it.

I also really loved the narrators in this book. They made the story so enjoyable and I cried so hard during the sad parts. Love love love this book!

THIS BOOK HURT AND I SOBBED MY EYES OUT.

5⭐️
1🌶️

Tropes
Forbidden
Angst
Tragedy
Slowburn
Dual pov
30 yr time span

Thoughts
If you like a good sad book, this is for you. Jh is the queen of heartbreak and this is the most painful yet. This book was so sad I had to take breaks while reading it because my eyes hurt from crying. This was absolutely phenomenal and I loved it. But please make sure to look up tw for this book as it might not be for you.

5 stars!

5 Stars!

This was so emotional and so good! … and fine I did tear up, but if you read this you absolutely will too.

Different, Good Read

I really enjoyed listening to this as it was a totally different story, a new type of theme. The narration was great.

*REMARKABLE*

This book is tragic, endearing, inspiring, and expertly written. Hands down best I've ever experienced.