What's a book that will always stay with you?

The Unmaking of June Farrow by @adrienneyoungbooks is one of those books for me. It publishes next week, so take this as a sign you need to read it, if Adrienne Young is not already an auto-buy for you 😊

This book is about a curse, and a secret, and a murder mystery- and all of these will have you turning page after page until morning (ask me how I know). But deeper than that, it's about relationships. About old friendships and new loves. About a grandmother and granddaughter whose love defies time and distance. I had such a relationship, and I know how it leaves a mark and never truly ends.
Deeper still, at its core, this book is about the choices June makes when she's 34, and when she's 38. How in between those ages, something shifted in her heart. I know how this feels, too, and I've never seen it play out in a book right before my eyes. Thank you, @adrienneyoungbooks , for shining a light on this inflexion point of life.

I've read a decent amount of time travel books recently and was wondering if this book would stand out... It did! We follow along with June as she travels through time and unravels the mystery of her life and timeline. I wish there were a bit more character development and exploration hence the 4 stars. Overall, I found it engaging and heart-warming.

I was very bored reading this book and sadly DNFed it at 40%. I absolutely adored Spells Forgetting but I could not get into this story, it’s very slow.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a stunning and beautiful story of family and love in an enchanting setting.

The Farrow women are different, at least that is what the town of Jasper, North Carolina say. June Farrow was raised by her grandmother after she was found to be abandoned by her mother, Susanna, where the town rumors are that she went a little mad. June has vowed that she will not let this madness that curses the Farrow women continue, even if it means sacrificing her happiness. But soon June starts seeing mysterious images and remembering lost memories, and June knows that it might be too late.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is definitely at the top of my favorite reads this year. The writing is beautiful and flowed seamlessly. The plot was interesting and entertaining, I read this so quickly I was immersed in the story and the characters. I felt a connection to all the characters and the setting. The only drawback for me is that at times I needed to really comprehend parts of the book and to really concentrate on what timeline we were in, that did take me slightly out of the story.

Adrienna Young never misses, and The Unmaking of June Farrow is another win for her! This book had such subtle nuances of magical realism that I was hanging on every word. I loved the way the plot unfolded, the characters, all of it! I was just so good.

I’m always a sucker for timey-wimey nonsense, so while the time travel rules here didn’t make any sense, I went along with it. The plot itself was interesting, and I liked June a bit more than Emery from Spells for Forgetting. But like in Spells, I had trouble connecting with the love interest here. I think with both of these we don’t see enough of the couple’s initial love story and are only being told how powerful it is afterward. I just needed a bit more.

This book destroyed me a little - but in a good way. There were so many layers on June but also in the Farrows as a whole. I wish we got to meet Susanna.
🚨 Spoiler 🚨
I was forreal mad at June but 2024 June. I felt awful for 2023 June. Here she was minding her own business and got thrown into a whole new world and life that she didn’t plan on. At the end, am I happy that happened? Yes. But it also felt weird because poor Eamon! Like I get that she’s technically the same person but not really! 2023 June didn’t have a choice until she was already fully committed to her family. Her memories like a parasite and she’s the host. THAT BEING SAID - all these emotions are 💯 percent the reason why this book was so good!

This book was kind of slow for me. I thought once I got to a part where she went back it would pick up but it never really did. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I’m not usually a fan of time travel because it feels overdone and can lack originality. This story felt so unique and it’s been awhile since I’ve been unable to put a book down. The characters were dynamic and the plot line was super interesting and immersive. Loved this book!

I this was one of my most anticipated releases in 2023, but to be honest, I was a bit disappointed.

What worked for me:
-the time travel aspect was super interesting (and sometimes gave me a bit of a headache thinking about)
-the relegation ships amongst the farrow women; they all knew each other in different time periods, Andrew important at different periods throughout each other’s lives. I think that was incredibly well done.

what didn’t work for me…
-the conflict/murder mystery had this incredible build up, and it was solved in about two pages. I wanted a bit…more, I think.
-the romance. It took me about 50% to figure out who we were supposed to be rooting for. And once I did, I didn’t feel the connection between June and the man she ends up with. Something was missing for me in the romance department.

actual rating: 3.5

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of The Unmaking of June Farrow! I fell in love with Adrienne’s books when I first read Fable and I have been in love with her books ever since! The Unmaking of June Farrow is no different. The writing and atmosphere and storytelling are amazing. All the stars, all the time. Adrienne is an auto buy author! Thank you again for the ARC!

Wow!! What did I just read! I don’t understand how I will ever be able to read sci-fi again!!! This book was so complex and beautiful. Holy s*** Adreinne this is my Roman Empire!!

OMG I read this book in one sitting, that is how addicted I was.

This unique and unpredictable read is full of time travel, a swoon worthy love story, a compelling mystery, and so much more packed into one book. This novel discusses so many important issues like identity, family, and the strength of women.

I adore the small town atmosphere and magical realism that gives this novel a very enchanting vibe.

Overall, this is one of my favorite books of the year and cannot recommend it enough!!

3. 5 stars rounded up.

A lush, imaginative story that re-frames what it means to love even when facing internal doom. June Farrow takes us on a mystery that spans decades, filled with wild twists and turns and characters that are fiercely loyal. This book at times felt like 2 books in 1: the before and the after, one life in black and white and the other filled in with technicolor. When we are presented with the past, that is where we feel like our main character, June, really blooms.

For her second adult book, Young really delivered for those that never read fantasy or are new to the genre. It's very much more "magical realism" here. There were elements that shadowed sentiments I felt while reading Addie LaRue and I feel like, that is what a lot of readers will relate to as well. The imagery was so visceral, surpassing the way it felt a little flat in her previous book, Spells for Forgetting.

If you are looking for a brain boggling, but still highly devourable read- I highly recommend The Unmaking of June Farrow.

June history / family has been cursed. Atleast she thinks that. Suddenly her grandmother dies which she believes lead her to insanity possibly. The grandmother is leaving clues behind for June to follow. Or is it her grandmother? June is learning if she can break this curse? This was a great fall read. Can June break this curse that has been possibly following her family.

June, Margaret, Annie. Three characters whose lives a suspended by a curse. The Farrow curse, is all June has known. It has kept her from allowing love into her life. It's curse has followed the females of the family , made them descend into madness. June is sure her time has come. She no longer finds comfort in the flowers that only her family can grow. June believes she is seeing and hearing things, unexplained, disconcerting and her grandmother refuses to give her the answers she needs. The death of her grandmother leaves her grieving and confused. Annie her grandmothers best friend is oddly quiet. June receives strange clues from the passing of her grandmother, clues which terrify Annie. June is determined to end the curse, at any price. Happy reading

What a great story and book!!
I love books that make you feel right there in the moment with the characters and this one was exactly that for me. I loved the setting and since I live in North Carolina-this one hits really close to home.
There is so much little detail and things that I had to think about after finishing the book-I almost need to reread it to catch it all.
Loved!!
4.5 stars

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press for the ARC.
I went into this book not really knowing a lot about it. All I knew was that Adrienne Young wrote it, which meant I would read it.

This book has my heart! Even better than her last, Young has woven a story of love, loss, and intrigue that caught me from the very beginning.
June is such a great character. I felt her emotion as her story unfolded and undid her. I felt her frustration when she didn't understand what was going on. The characters surrounding June are just as vibrant - Margaret, Esther, Aemon, Annie...all of them got me in my feels!
And then, a twist near the end of the book made me gasp and tear up all at once.

This book has solidly cemented Young as an auto-read author for me.

Very rarely have I ever felt my heart breaking while reading a piece of fiction. This book is so heartbreakingly beautiful. I have a love for books that have duel timelines where people can travel through time and space especially through a door. The idea has always intrigued me. This book was fantastically and uniquely written. This quite possibly will be my favorite book of 2023 and may be an all time favorite. I will be buying a copy of this book for my personal library. Thank you Netgalley for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

By the end of the book, I really enjoyed reading this story. However, I was bored until 60% of the way through. I loved how the author wrote Eamon, and how much love the Farrow women have for each other. Spoilers ahead.

<spoiler>Finding out Birdie's identity wrecked me. That was a perfect "oh sh!t" moment. Outside of wishing there was more going on in the beginning of the book, the only other thing I would have wished for was closure for Mason. I wish it mentioned June writing a letter or note to Mason for Birdie to give him in the future, after she disappears from her original timeline. He wouldn't have gotten closure, at least not from her and I think that he deserved it.</spoiler>

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.