This is a lovely, twisty novel, in the vein of 'Practical Magic' but with way more plot and layered speculative elements. It's the perfect summer/early Fall read, to me.

Adrienne Young has knocked it out of the ballpark again! I adored the Fable series as well as last year’s Spells for Forgetting, so I definitely did a happy dance when I got my hands on this latest release.

Expect generational timelines, a bit of mystery and romance, and strong female characters.

The familial love is this novel’s shining point, as well as its exploration of mental health.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are entirely my own.

✨ Review ✨ The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young, Narrated by Britney Presley

Even though this book takes place in the summer, it felt like the perfect fall read. The women in June's family have always suffered from hallucinations...and with June, it's just beginning. Her grandma, who had raised her, has just passed away and June's grappling with the start of her own decline.

But then, the mystery she's investigating about the disappearance of her mother seems to be generating some new clues. What if there's more to this mental unmaking than June previously thought?

Things have a slow start but the story truly evolves in the middle of this book. Once I got to the middle I could barely put it down. Family, rural NC life, and a series of mysteries dominate this book, in which the Farrow women do what's necessary to protect each other.

I LOVED the audio. Britney Presley does a brilliant job narrating, and while I felt a little bit of a drag while reading, the audio felt better paced for me. Her accent also is fabulous and really brought the story to life!

Minor spoiler & critique below:

🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

The time travel component of this was super fascinating but also kind of confusing? I think I understood it all in the end but not without some confusion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: contemporary fiction, magical realism
Setting: rural NC
Reminds me of: her first book but better!
Pub Date:

Read this if you like:
⭕️ multigenerational family stories
⭕️ flower farms & rural settings
⭕️ mysteries in history
⭕️ Fall ambience

Thanks to PRHaudio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Adrienne Young does it again. This book is filled with time travel, adventure, and mystery. A great quick read!

Another beautiful novel from Adrienne Young! I've enjoyed all of Young's YA novels and was also a big fan of her adult debut, Spells for Forgetting. The Unmaking of June Farrow will check a lot of the same boxes for those who enjoyed Spells—female protagonist trying to find her place in the world, a strange mystery to unravel, and some magic woven throughout. Young's characters always feel so real, and the relationships between her characters are the true stars of her stories.

hat a mind-bender of impeccable perfection. Adrienne Young blew me away with this one. It is no secret I am a huge fan of her books, however, The Unmaking of June Farrow was not what I was expecting and I loved it even more because of that. It is small-town, witchy, time-traveling, mystery, and thrilling all wrapped up into one and I needed to binge-read to unravel things while June did.

Yes, June Farrow is our MC and we follow the story through her but all the characters truly make up this book. Margaret, Eamon, Ester, plus others all help build this story into one perfect thrilling tether. Also, the way Adrienne Young crafted the world-building and time travel was so meticulously thought out. I really enjoyed the way she made my brain twist while trying to figure it all out.

“You may have ruined my life, June. But first, you gave me one.”
Adrienne Young. The Unmaking of June Farrow (Kindle Location 3965). Kindle Edition.

It is funny because I say I wasn’t expecting the story that unfolded, but I also am not sure what I actually expected. However, I was not expecting to be SO invested in what June was going through and what she was trying to solve. I simply could not put it down. I won’t say much more because I do not want to spoil anything, but please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. I promise it’s worth it.

The premise of this book is such an interesting take. We have a woman who is grappling with a family curse and trying to keep the madness away so she can live a normal life. She hears things, she sees things, and a red door seems to be haunting her every step. What happens when she is prompted to go into the door? Lots of unraveling.

Okay, based on my previous comments you would think this book would be a slam dunk for me. Unfortunately there were some aspects where I felt like this story struggled. Mainly with developing the characters and the setting.

I never really felt like I connected with any of the characters in this story. June is telling us what is happening and she feels those connections but I never felt like they translated to me. I wanted to feel the bond between her, Eamon, and Annie but I never felt her motivations for being around them besides “she was supposed to”. None of them really jumped off the page and made me feel anything for them, which is a shame.

The setting for the story was written really atmospheric but if she didn’t say the story was set in the 1950’s I’m not really sure I would have picked up on it. I wanted to imagine and create it all in my head but the details on the location (mainly the town but also the farm) left a lot to be desired and I wanted a lot more information here.

Lastly, the ending was rather abrupt. There was this really tense buildup happening and it just dwindled away over the course of a few pages. Again, I could have done with a lot more going on there to help me really immerse myself in the story.

While I had quite a few criticisms for the book it was still an enjoyable read. I definitely preferred her first foray into adult fantasy writing but this is still a book I would recommend to someone looking for a fall read without gore. I could see this being really popular in all the book club books.

3 stars

I honestly don't know what to make of this one. I love Adrienne Young's style of descriptive writing and her ability to weave a fall-style tale. Spells of Forgetting was to die for and that was a five-star read for me. This one kind of fell a little flat.

The beginning had me intrigued at the mysterious illness that affects all the women in the Farrow family and the disappearance of her mother was even more interesting. Once June realizes she is getting the same illness and is seeing things that aren't there she goes on a hunt to find out what happened to her mother.

Well then things start to unravel bit by bit and we discover this whole time-traveling style plot that takes us back in time to the 1950s when we find out June had a whole different life and has been there before. Honestly, the whole aspect of the traveling had me entirely confused - I felt like there were SOOO many plot holes when it came to this.

But I did enjoy hearing about her life and watching it unfold as her memories returned of her husband and daughter. The mystery was pretty straightforward in this one and I pretty much knew what had happened once things started going. I was actually more interested in her relationships in the past and how she was going to fix things. The whole Mason sub-plot seemed so irrelevant in the end. I hoped for a reunion of some sorts with them just so she could clear things up.

Overall, it was a 3-star read for me. It kept me interested but the plot was just okay. Maybe this isn't the Young book for me since I am not a fan of time-traveling stories. I will still continue to pick up her newer works though!

Adrienne Young has very quickly become an auto-buy author for me. Everything I've read by her has been beautiful and enchanting. I loved every single thing about this book and simply cannot recommend it highly enough.

thank you @delacortepress for the #giftedbook - The Unmaking of June Farrow was a perfect fall read!

I really enjoyed this book! Some bits at the end got a little confusing but it might be because I was reading so fast to find out what happens! I’m a huge fan of magical realism when it’s written well, and Adrienne Young has it truly mastered!

The Farrow women have been cursed for years, and June wants to end it for good. Earlier, June’s mom disappears and leaves infant June to be raised by her grandma. June starts seeing signs of the curse (seeing and hearing things that aren’t there, including a red door). After her grandma dies, June receives a note and a photograph that make her wonder…and she realizes she can go through the red door. Once she does, she starts piecing clues together and solving the mystery of the curse and how to break it - but to what consequences?

If you are a fan of magical realism, I definitely recommend this book! I didn’t want it to end!

Equal parts achey and immersive and unique, this novel is Young's best yet. From the prose to the mystery to the rich atmosphere she always draws, I was engrossed until the very last page. This one will stay with me a very long time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this e-book copy!

I am a little late with my review but I finished this recently and it was a very good read. June's journey throughout this book is to stop this curse afflicting her family and learn the truths of her past and future. As the book went on, things got complex and it left audiences not sure how it would end. Overall, I had fun reading this and highly recommend going into it with minimal knowledge for better enjoyment.

Full of magical realism about a family of women who end up being “cursed “ with a touch of madness. June takes on the task of finding out what happened to her mother to cause her disappearance and breaking this generational curse placed upon them. A part thriller, part magic, and part romance it has something for everyone and is definitely worth the read!

I think I liked this book... I know that sounds strange, but I'm having a hard time pinning down my feelings on it. Similar to Adrienne Young's first adult outing, "Spells for Forgetting" I can tell you all about how much I enjoyed the vibe and energy of the book, but after that things fall apart. The plot in this novel doesn't feel particularly unique and is fairly loose in structure at times. But... I wanted to be in that cottage and on that flower farm early in the morning. If you were a fan of "Spells for Forgetting" I am certain you will enjoy this one too.
5 stars for setting and descriptions, 2.5 for plot.

The Farrow women have long been thought to have been cursed and many have disappeared without a trace. June Farrow is the last of the Farrow women and is determined to note let the curse get her. As she’s grieving the loss of her grandmother sets in though, the signs of ‘madness’ start slowly creeping in. Not only is she starting to see things that shouldn’t exist, but a man seems to be watching her. It’s not until she receives a note in the mail from her recently deceased grandmother that June starts need answers to truth of the Farrow women curse might be. When she starts seeing a red door, it’s this need for answers which compels her to walk through. As she embarks on this journey to find answers, everything she’s ever known to be true will be challenged and her faith in herself will be tested.

Adrienne Young is amazing at writing imaginative and magically atmospheric stories. The have this lightness to them that completely transport readers into another realm entirely.

**SMALL SPOILER**

Time travel books are often hit or miss for me as I found that authors either don’t do a great job of distinguishing the various timelines or they get to in the weeds with how the whole phenomenal works, which in turn detracts from the storyline. Young though, did an excellent job of both blurring the lines between realities, while also just letting the reader simply believe in the impossible.

I adored our characters and found this to be a surprisingly beautiful love story with themes of family, sacrifice, and willpower. I wasn’t in love with the initial pacing of the story and found that it wasn’t until about 25% into the story that I was truly drawn in. While that impacts my overall star rating, I 100% know why Young chose to go that route and found it laid excellent groundwork for the rest of the story. I also would have liked to have a better understanding of how and why this ‘curse’ came around, but ultimately, I truly enjoyed reading story. Definitely my favorite from Young so far!


The Unmaking of June Farrow is out now. Huge thank you to Delacorte Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

This book was incredible. INCREDIBLE. I was totally hooked by the end of chapter 2. I think this is by far Adrienne Young’s best book… it is unique and a breath of fresh air after feeling like I’ve read a lot of books with the same vibes and tropes lately. The writing was so well done and atmospheric, and the sense of mystery kept me utterly engaged for the entire book. There are so many twists and turns that I did not see coming and I was screaming/crying/smiling the whole way (no really, I was trying to finish the last 10% of this book without crying the entire time). I love that the romance was passionate yet sweet and genuine, and it was a good balance to the murder/mystery plot line. I also like that the ending wrapped up everything it needed to, but also left me with a sense of hope for the characters and their futures because we don’t get every single concrete answer (sorry I can’t be more specific without giving away spoilers!)

I am really glad that I went into this book without knowing much about it. Now that I’ve read it and I look back over the synopsis, I don’t think it does it justice for how spectacular this book was. One of my most favorite reads of the year!

This was lovely. Adrienne Young isn’t always my cup of tea as I prefer epic fantasy, but she is an incredible writer and always weaves great stories. This was no exception.

And this was definitely more my speed. It had all the twists and turns, a very unique flavor of fantasy, and really interesting and captivating characters. Truly a must read and perfect for fall.

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

FIRST THINGS FIRST, I DO RECOMMEND THIS BOOK EVEN THOUGH MOST OF THIS REVIEW FEELS LIKE I DON’T

Second things second, although I really liked reading this, there were things that could have made it stronger.

Similar to other books by Adrienne Young (Fable, Saint, Spells for Forgetting), there are a lot of references to things that have happened in the past that could have had a lot more impact had their been (more) flashbacks, or even dual timelines / diary entries, something. I’m being SHOWN things that are happening in the current story, but I’m being TOLD about things that have a lot of bearing on what’s currently happening and that disconnect keeps me from ever being fully invested in the story, if that makes sense?

Also, in the name of all things Aslan, can we please please please stop using “I can’t tell you the answer to the direct question you’re asking me because it’s too dangerous” when it is, in fact, not too dangerous and makes literally zero sense because you’re now putting the character in more danger because they have literally no idea what’s going on?

(Also also, at a certain point I legitimately just stopped trying to make the fantasy aspects make sense because they didn’t and it made me happier just to pretend I understood and keep reading.)

But all of that being said - I loved the idea of this book and even if it’s not going to be a forever favorite, I still really enjoyed reading it and there were one or two things that were legitimately jaw dropping moments and I LOVE having that in books!

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the free eARC. This is my honest opinion.

I loved the premise of this book, I was a little confused at parts but given that June was confused as well, this tracks. I liked the mystery of what the Farrow curse is/was, and the other multiple mysteries of murder and disappearance is also fascinating.

The characters were interesting, but the driving force behind this story were the mysteries. The little bit of magic was kinda cool.

4 out of 5 stars, open door but nothing explicit, focusing more on emotion and feelings.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review

Rating: 5 stars

I've never read any of Young's work before but this one caught my eye long before it came out. I'm so glad I was able to enjoy this not once, but I read it twice. Both times, I loved it through and through. I'm now a huge fan of this author and the stunning writing in this novel. I absolutely need every book from this author from the past and all future releases. I just have no words other than stunning and perfection. Favorite of 2023, probably a favorite of all time.