“I’m not sick, honey. I’m just in two places at once.“

I picked this as a #botm pick.

The quote I selected had this book really grabbing my interest.

However, I don’t think I’m this book’s target audience and I’ve come to the conclusion magical realism / fantasy just isn’t my jam.

The timelines, years and ages just let me confused and a bit lost in the sauce so to speak. I got the overall storyline but the details were lost on me.

I never really felt drawn to any of the characters except maybe Birdie towards the end. The characters just felt flat to me.

The book itself was very atmospheric and the setting was described beautifully.

The pacing was consistent throughout but I did find my attention waning a good bit in the middle of the book. I liked the italicized flashbacks. That really added a lot to the story and was necessary for the progression of the story. I prefer books with a faster pacing.

While this book wasn’t as interesting as I had hoped, overall it was ok. I think it would make a really cool movie.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I really liked this book- its a time traveling story with a bit of mystery and romance thrown in - ala time travelers wife. I did find myself a bit lost at times with the timelines and explanations of what was happening, but I just rolled with it and found I still could enjoy the story. The romance fell a bit flat as it seemed June was reacting to ghost memories rather than actual feelings and falling in love. The mystery was a good one- not a huge surprise but a logical conclusion.
Spoliers below
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Margaret died and lost her mind from time traveling- but when and where did she go? Or with the healing of the timeline- she didn’t go back in time so maybe she kept her facilities? Im confused

I can see why people like this! June's story is part time travel, part murder mystery, and part magical realism.

The atmosphere of the book was definitely the best part, as June's memories all come together.

However, I'm not sure I really *got* it or understood everything that happened. Recommended if you are okay with some ambiguous plot elements and sci fi logic. If you get annoyed by time travel paradoxes, maybe skip.

This was a heartachingly beautiful story about love, and family, and figuring out which path is the one we're supposed to be on.

I had no idea what to expect going into this story. I read somewhere that it would be a better experience not to look up many details about it, and so I didn't. I didn't know if it was going to be fantasy, or speculative, or any of that. I loved how when June first starts seeing and hearing things, you don't know if she's imagining it or if there is really something to it. I thought for a little while this would be a story about mental illness. But it was so much more. As the mother to young children, I found this story especially moving. I don't want to spoil anything by giving too much away, just know that you should READ THIS BOOK.

Thank you the publisher and netgalley! I loved Adrienne Young’s previous book which I felt was a cozy magical story. This one felt the same. Set in a small town with a family secret and a mystery wrapped into one!

I am absolutely in love with The Unmaking of June Farrow and it has quickly become one of my favorite reads of 2023. This book was addicting from start to finish and was a twisty, wild ride.

It follows June Farrow who has been raised by her grandmother after her mother’s mysterious disappearance, which was believed to be caused by the madness that has cursed all the women of their family for generations. When her grandma dies and June starts experiencing the first bouts of the inevitable madness herself, she discovers some clues to her mother’s disappearance which lead to the chance to end this curse once and for all.

Adrienne Young does it again with this book. Her storytelling is always spectacular, but I think this one is next level. It was atmospheric, engaging, suspenseful, and romantic. Time travel can be such a difficult concept to write well, but she manages to do it beautifully while grasping the full complexity of it and still making it understandable. All of the details were so smartly crafted to tie everything together and made the twists in the plot, of which there were many, that much better. I adored the characters and watching their relationships develop and change throughout the story and how they navigated these complicated situations. This story had so many layers and I could not put it down. These characters haunted me long after reading and left me with quite the book hangover.

I am so close to turning my 4 stars into 5 but I am just not sure as magical realism is a tough genre for me to get 100% swept away. But this author never fails and though this book was different from Fable, it wasn't bad different. It is wonderful when the author can do that.

This was the perfect fall read. There were times it was a bit confusing but it all made sense in the end. To me it was part mystery part fantasy. What a unique story that had me captivated from the start.

Time travel books are usually not my jam, but I really enjoyed this book. I absolutely loved the character development. It was so well done and gave me all the feels. I did find parts of the book a little confusing, so some editing would have been helpful to flesh out some of these details, but all in all, a solid read. Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.

I really loved this book! I went in without reading too much of the synopsis which was a smart move.
This was beautifully told and gently suspenseful. I think this is a crowd pleaser and would make a great gift.

I adored Spells for Forgetting and went into The Unmaking of June Farrow blind because of it. I enjoyed the setting of the Blue Ridge mountains in Jasper very atmospheric and I felt like I was there. June was a great character and I enjoyed the story the plot was good I did feel a bit lost at times but I figured it out. All this to say if you told you more I’d be spoiling the book. I feel the ending was a bit rushed or maybe that was the point? Overall I enjoyed the concept and will continue to read other works by Adrienne Young as she creates magic.

This book was truly incredible! I loved the atmospheric setting and was instantly drawn into the characters. I especially loved the sensory details which immediately immersed me into the world. I also loved all the twists and mysteries revealed in this setting. I typically shy away from books about time travel, but I didn't have any difficulty following the logistics of the multiple timelines in this story. I devoured it as quickly as possible!

This book has easily become my favorite of 2023. Although I had never read anything by Adrienne Young before, her storytelling completely captivated me. The character of June was so relatable that I found myself attached to her right from the beginning, which is a rare occurrence for me. The world-building and magic in the book were so well-written that I couldn't put it down. June's frustration at not knowing her past was palpable, and the twists and turns of her journey to uncover it were absolutely mesmerizing.

This was such an interesting and heartbreaking story. I definitely couldn't zone out while reading because there was so much important information. I loved it. June was so strong and all the other Farrow women worked so hard to keep secrets and keep each other safe.

Thank you very much to Random House- Ballantine, Delacorte Press, Adrienne Young and Netgalley for the E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of the most unique books I've read in 2023! An emotional love story mixed with elements of magical realism, science fiction, and mystery, this book kept me engaged from beginning to end.

June Farrow comes from a long line of women that seem to be cursed. June was raised by her grandmother after her mother abandoned her as an infant and disappeared due to mental illness, never to be heard from again. Following the death of June's grandmother, who descended into her own world of mental illness, June's own hallucinations that she has been experiencing magnify to a point where she can no longer ignore them. When her Gran's best friend, Birdie, presents her with information that her Gran left for her after her death, June embarks on a time traveling journey that not only forces her to face her hallucinations but also transports her to a completely different life she had no idea she had lived. The mysteries that unfold during this time travel cause June to face her biggest fears and discover answers to long held questions in her life.

This was a beautifully woven tale full of family, heart, emotion and hope. Every time I thought I had a twist figured out another turn came my way, keeping me guessing and compelling me to rapidly read the book. This was a magical story that showed there are no boundaries that can hold back love.

4/5 stars ⭐️

Absolutely read this! Her writing is so beautiful and her stories are always so unique. Primarily mystery, but with intriguing family dynamics and whimsical magic. I especially loved the female family dynamics in this one!

Of course there is a love story, and I really enjoyed it, but I appreciated that it wasn’t the sole focus. June was such a fleshed out character because we got to learn so much about her through her platonic and familial relationships as well.

I genuinely find myself thinking about this all the time since finishing it! Adrienne Young is becoming an auto-buy author for me.

A generational story with the twist of time travel. Adrienne Young always writes such captivating stories with such unique and woven characters.

The story follows June Farrow who lives in a small town in North Carolina. She begins to see and hear things and following her grandmother's death, decides to investigate the disappearance of her mother from thirty years ago. As she looks into the disappearance, she begins to learn more about the curse that all the Farrow women have. She makes new discoveries about a part of her life that she never knew existed.

For me, the story started off a bit slow, but picked up a few chapters in. I typically don't read magical realism, but the questions of the story kept me interested enough that I often found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next. There were times when I was confused as to how it was all coming together, so I found myself having to reread certain parts. I enjoyed reading about June and how she was coming into herself. I wish she had closure from one part of her life, but I can understand why that didn't happen. Even though it was a bit slow and confusing at times, I enjoyed the story for the most part.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is an addictive mystery with elements of fantasy and magical realism thrown in to the mix. The atmospheric writing and the immersive story line make this book hard to put down. The Farrow women have been cursed for many years and now June finds out once and for all what is really going on, forcing her to make a choice for her future. Time travel and romance for the win.

June Farrow comes from a long line of women who run a successful flower farm but are considered cursed by their community, cursed to be alone, and cursed to descend into madness. After June’s grandmother passes, June starts to put together clues to her family’s past but then finds herself in 1951, trying to balance finding a way back to 2023 and getting to the root of her family’s secrets.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is one of my top reads of 2023!!!! I could not put this book down as it had me guessing until the very last page! When I read, I see the story play out in my head, but no story is quite as vivid as those written by Adrienne Young!

Thank you, @netgalley and @randomhouse for the digital ARC of this book; this is my honest review.