Major Characters:
- Hannah Lynn - Hannah the main character of the book, has been taking care of herself since she was 5, even though her dad is around. After her mother passed away when she was 4, her house turned into a big mess. Hannah ends up being the one who has to work, and she learns to take care of herself and works at the Evans Beach Department of Public Work (DPW) in order to maintain the house.
- Larry Lynn - Larry, Hannah’s dad, is a baseball legend in his hometown and home of Evans Beach. He does his best to be a good dad, even though he messes up pretty badly after his wife’s death.
- Henry - Henry, the son of Hannah’s sister Pauline, is sent to live with Hannah and her dad because his mother has to get her personal life together in order to be a sufficient mother. His temper and bad habits make him lose control a lot during his stay at the household.
- Simon - Simon, Henry’s brother, gets sent with Henry to live at the Lynn household. His learning disability makes it hard for him in school, and he also accumulated bad habits because of the poor mothering from Pauline.
- Richard Greene - Richard, Hannah’s chemistry tutor, ends up playing a big role in Hannah’s life, not just in her school life but also her personal life.
The book starts with Hannah on her way to Sol’s diner, a diner that she goes to quite often in her hometown of Evans Beach, she knows that the news that awaits her from her dad has to do with her sister, but she doesn’t realize just how much it will change her life. As she and her father talk, she learns that her sister, who usually ends up drinking and messing something up real bad, has really messed up this time. She was found passed out in a snowbank by the cops with her 2 kids alone at their apartment. The conditions at the apartment were bad too with no electricity or food. As her dad continues to tell her what happened he finally gets to the part where the kids have to go to foster parents where they could be separated. Hannah’s dad has been given an offer where he can keep the kids until Pauline is fit to be a parent again. The only way he’ll accept is if Hannah agrees, and even though she doesn’t want to do it, she accepts because she knows that her dad needs this.
As Hannah prepares for the kids’ arrival with some tips from Richard, she tries to make everything in her small, messy home seem comfortable and keeps memories of her mom away. Finally the kids arrive and she soon finds out that neither boy has basic hygiene habits, and she realizes that she and her dad will have a lot of work to do. Besides that, Henry’s anger issues and Simon’s disability make it a little more difficult to get the boys in the right direction. She soon finds herself taking care of the boys, teaching them, and somehow, acting like a mother. After a few months, she finds them making progress.
Meanwhile, Hannah, being in junior year, starts thinking about her dreams for her future, including going to her mom’s college, Tuft’s University, and leaving Evan’s Beach for good. Lucky for her, Richard was there to help not only with her dreams but also with her new family. Even though he was just her chemistry tutor, they end up having a close bond.
Even though the boys were only supposed to stay for 3 months, it ends up being a lot more than that. Hannah and her dad make it to the point where the boy can now do chores, not have anger issues, and have good hygiene habits. Henry decides to take on baseball, his grandfather’s sport, which he ends up being very good at. Hannah and her dad also find out that Simon is good at art, and they sign him up for art classes. Because of his learning disability, Hannah and her dad put Simon in a special class.
As Hannah and her dad get into a good rhythm with the boys, and just as life is getting good, Hannah’s dad has a stroke. Hannah ends up having to do a lot of work to make sure the boys are getting what they need and that her dad is getting good care. She gets a lot of help from Richard with the boys and with the household.
One day, when she goes in to check on her dad, her life changes. Her dad passed away, and now, she has to take care of the boy on her own. She realizes that if she wants to go to college, she’ll have to let go of the boys. What will happen to the boys? Will Pauline ever come back? What will happen between Richard and Hannah? What path will Hannah take? Read Just Until to find out.
I think this book portrays many important ideas such as child welfare or how one choice can affect you. The author did a really good job of adding romance, dreams, and suspense all in one book. I would recommend it for teenagers that want to read realistic fiction. It explores the difficulties that some adults, children, and teens have. Just Until has many heartfelt things that I’m sure you would enjoy reading.
