How great is it when one of your most anticipated reads for the year turns out to be all that you expected?! I loved this book from the cover to the very last page.The plot of this book was so intriguing and setting added to the entire story so much.A book which you won't be able to put down!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

The premise of this story sounded very intriguing and I have heard great things about Adrienne Young's writing. I read Fable last year and absolutely adored it, so I thought an adult novel by her would be right up my alley.

I found the writing style to be magical and it whisked me along through the book's mysterious start. Unfortunately I found the story to begin to grow slow around the 40% mark and didn't see a lot of character development in the second half of the story. I felt like the pacing of the story just felt off and the book didn't wrap up in the most satisfying way. I continue to love her magical and imaginative writing and hope to pick up her next book too.

4.5 stars

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a fast paced & captivating read that will keep you on your toes...just when you think things are starting to make sense or you've got it all figured out there's a new twist added that enhances the confusion and curiosity as you continue through the story trying to put all the pieces together.

This book was certainly unpredictable - the ending threw me for a loop, I was not expecting things to turn out the way they did and I was delighted by the satisfying surprises that Adrienne Young created through this piece of literature.

June Farrow is part of a cursed lineage living in a small town - she has a deep desire to figure out what happened in the past leading to her mother's disappearance...which means traveling through time to find out the truths of her family history. Nothing is as it seems in this novel - and at some points the time line is confusing that you just have to go with the flow and trust the process as the story unfolds.

Adrienne Young writes in such a captivating way - you don't want to put the book down and for me it never gets boring. There's no overwhelming world building or too many characters to keep up with - there's a great balance between painting a beautiful picture of the setting we are in and moving the story along with great dialogue between the characters, newspaper articles, and flashbacks to help fill in the gaps without being so detailed that it takes away from the in the moment enjoyment of the piece.

You will be completely immersed in June's world from the very start - it's impossible not to fall in love with her and all the characters that she connects with. June is a relatable character trying to get a deeper understanding of her own identity. I highly recommend readers who enjoy spooky mysteries and the supernatural with a touch of romance add this book to their TBR and grab a copy once it hits the shelves - I'd even suggest pre-ordering it so that you can read it as soon as it comes out.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to reading more from Adrienne Young, she's consistent with her beautiful writing and never disappoints me with anything she has put out.

This is one to savor. My heart was really in the story with June, trying to piece together why and how this curse existed to make her family line fall ill. She's faced with many impossible decisions, but carries on beautifully. I connected to Margaret, Esther, Birdie as if they were my own. I can't wait to buy my own copy when this is released.

Adrienne Young has created the most atmospheric small town setting with The Unmaking of June Farrow. I finished this book a few days ago and have not been able to stop thinking about it. The characters and setting are so rich and detailed that they'll stick with you long after.

I've always loved time-travel stories even though I tend to get lost in the details and this was no exception. Young's explanation of how the time travel works and why June did what she did was fascinating even if it was a little muddy for me. This book really had everything- magical realism, mystery, romance, historical fiction, even thriller elements. Even though it's set in summer, this was the perfect fall read.

Adrienne Young has an ability to pull you into a world of story building and make you never want to leave and The Unmaking of June Farrow is a beautiful example of her magic.

June is tethered between two worlds after the passing of her Gran and she needs to figure out the mystery of her life ad it unfolds around her.

𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 • 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 • 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯 • 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳
𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘍𝘪 • 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢 • 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴

This book has blown me away.

An affliction that is a blessing and a curse
An unsolved decades old murder
A love that transcends distance and time

This story is told in beautiful, poetic prose that transports us instantly. Nestled into the cozy, picturesque hills of the Blue Ridge Mtns in small-town USA, Jasper is a town where everyone knows everyone, where the annual midsummer faire is a main event, and where June Farrow owns and operates her family's flower farm.

This is a tale of family and a love story and it’s also a mystery/thriller. Young deftly blurs the lines between literary genres, obliterating the normal boundaries. Her words are smooth like butter & made my multi-genre-loving heart sing.

This is a story of 5 generations of women, of the choices they make to keep each others' secrets to avoid persecution, bringing strong witchy vibes. Combined with repressed memories, premonitions, hallucinations, a curse affecting only Farrow women, and an unsolved cold case - this is the perfect spooky fall read.

I loved how we get to unravel the mystery alongside June. Young is the master of the slow reveal, balancing predictability against complexity, employing amnesia to allow June to remember things over time, and utilizing visions to make us question her reliability.
This book made me 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙.

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅! 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝑶𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝟏𝟕𝒕𝒉
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 - 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.

Adrienne Young has been a top favorite of mine for quite a long time. I was mesmerized by the Fable world, but I can honestly say that her venture into the adult genre has just absolutely blown me away. The Unmaking of June Farrow knocked me off my feet in the best way. It is truly one of those books that I would give anything to be able to read for the first time again.

One of the things I enjoyed most was the element of the unknown, so my recommendation for this one is to go in blind, enjoy the ride, and be swept away into the story. Lean into those questions you have as the story unwinds. I promise it is worth it.

Think small town, magical realism, rich family history, a long unsolved mystery, an unconventional take on second chance romance, and so much more. I loved every minute of it!

Young has this way of transporting you into her stories that is just something special. I can’t wait to see what she is working on next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random
house Ballantine for this eARC.

Adrienne Young is just it for me. I am consistently enamored by her stories, her characters and her created worlds.

June Farrows story is no different. It’s one of love and impossible choices. Magical realism at its finest for me. Superb.

What do you get when you take a small town, add a family curse, and sprinkle in some fantastical elements? You get Adrienne Young's The Unmaking of June Farrow.

Young painted a world where what you may think is a curse could truly be the key to finding ALL of your answers. She also showed us, the reader that love can be tested but can survive the test of time and distance.
Through June's self-discovery and family search, she finds things she didn't know she needed but did.
This story is about heartache, loss, and above all else, second chances...with a heavy dose of mystery mixed in there.

This book needs to be added to your TBR this fall.

I received this arc to read for an honest review.

The Unmaking of June Farrow
by: Adrienne Young

⭐5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Unmaking of June Farrow follows the curious family of Farrow women who are cursed to lose their minds to an unknown illness in the small town of Jasper, North Carolina. June is determined to be the last of the Farrow women to suffer from this affliction by never falling in love and never having children. After her grandmother succumbs to her illness after many years of living in “two places at once”, June is forced to face her greatest fear; falling into the Farrow madness herself.

The Farrow curse, however, is not what it seems. June discovers that her mind is not the issue. The Farrow curse is actually the ability to cross into a different time. The Farrow women have been traveling between years for generations, but something is off when June is transported to the early 1950s. And as it turns out this is not the first time she’s arrived in this era. June is forced to uncover mysteries of a life that she doesn’t remember, the past of her mother who abandoned her as a baby and disappeared without a trace, and the murder of a local beloved minister.

This book was beautiful. I was sobbing by the end. The Unmaking of June Farrow is a story of love and sacrifice. I would highly recommend it.


Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book!

“There was a quiet in the mountains, even when the cicadas and the crickets were singing and the wind was howling. It was the sight of those rolling blue peaks in the distance that made me feel like maybe the earth wasn’t really spinning.”

“But the human brain was like the uncharted depths of the oceans. Science was still wading around in the shallows.”

“I was trapped in a museum of another life.”

“There was nothing that could have prepared me for a love like that, to sit and watch a dying thing grow. The fate of the Farrows was Annie’s fate, too. Maybe I’d risked everything to change it.”

“I’d never felt fear like that. Not ever. And I didn’t think there was any way to ever come back from that explosion of light that had birthed a universe inside of me when she said that word. Mama”

“There was a life on the other side of the door. A history. A strange disappearance. But in this life, I had something that I’d never had before.”

“But this aching love that was breaking ground inside of me didn’t feel selfish. It felt brave.”

“All that time, she remembered me. She was just waiting for me to remember her.”

“It was such an easy thing – that choice. I’d already made it.”

“She was a prism that colored me and my world with a story. We were the limbs of a broken tree with poisoned roots.”

We stood there, four generations of Farrow women, cursed to live between worlds. But in that moment, in the valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we existed only in one.”

“And then I spoke my vows into the summer wind. That I’d love him forever. That I would always, always come back. That no matter what, I would find him.”

In the Unmaking of June Farrow, by Adrianne Young, June comes from a long line of women, who all seem to lose their minds before they die. She realizes she is showing the same signs and symptoms as the other women in her family had and decides to go on a journey of self-discovery to figure out how and why this happens - and see if she can stop it. She soon finds herself looking into the mysterious death of a beloved town minister as well.

This book is an absolutely mind blowing read including themes of fantasy, time travel, mystery, and even romance. I honestly had to take a few days to process what I just read before I could write this review. There were so many twists and turns that it became pointless for me to try to guess what was going to happen…and I mean all this in a good way. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, audibly gasping with each twist, and wanting to know what was going to happen next and where June’s journey would take her.

I was provided the digital ARC to read and plan to buy the physical copy as soon as it comes out on October 17 so I can read it again and again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for sharing this ARC!

I am not lying when I say that I absolutely devoured this book. I am not even sure I can come close to describing how The Unmaking of June Farrow made me feel. This book is part mystery, part time-travel, part thriller, part romance, and a million other things in between. It explores the way fate and our choices can intersect and provides a captivating story about love and loss and family. This is one of those stories that I think the less you know, the better going in. Trust me when I say you will not want to put this book down!

Huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

This was one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2023 and it did not disappoint.

This is a story of family, motherhood, love, and perseverance.

We follow June Farrow, a 30s woman born to a line of women suffering from a terrible curse: they all go mad.

We watch as June's last living relative passes and she descends into the curse she's known was coming her entire life.

When a mystery starts to unfold, we are transported to a time of new beginnings and second chances.

This has:
Murder mystery
Second chance love
Strong female family ties
Magic and whimsy
Farming (cozy)

I highly recommend The Unmaking of June Farrow be added to the top of your TBR.

I received the ARC from Net Galley, thank you so much! I have had multiple Adrienne Young books on my TBR list for awhile now and just haven’t gotten to them so this was my intro to her books. What a wonderful introduction it was! I have Fable on my shelf currently waiting for me to start and I cannot wait. For me the story started out a little slow but once I got into it… I devoured it. The plot was wonderful and all of the twists and turns of the story were 10/10.

Thank you for the ARC!

The latest book by Adrienne Young, a new YA fantasy, though it read more like a mystery/thriller to me maybe more toward magical realism again. so in this book we follow June, the most recent of the Farrow women and every generation there is this curse that follows them but June is determined to break it because it has plagued her family. She sees things that aren’t there like this random door that she’s never gone through but what happens if she does? That there is definitely the hook. A fun spooky read for sure! Super glad I gave it a chance. It was addicting and had me flying through to find answers.

The Unmaking of June Farrow was a thought provoking book. It held my attention until the very end. I enjoyed the journey of the book and it ended well. I found myself getting a bit confused with the timeline because of the time traveling, but it wasn’t enough to deter the story.

I had the incredible privilege of reading an advance copy of "The Unmaking of June Farrow" by Adrienne Young, and I am utterly captivated by this remarkable story. With her lyrical prose and masterful storytelling, Young has once again delivered a narrative that resonates deeply and lingers long after the final page is turned.

Set in a richly crafted and immersive world, "The Unmaking of June Farrow" introduces us to the unforgettable character of June, a young woman whose journey of self-discovery is both poignant and empowering. Young's writing breathes life into June, endearing her to readers and making her struggles and triumphs all the more relatable.

The world-building in this novel is nothing short of spectacular. Young's ability to transport readers to a vividly realized and culturally diverse realm is a testament to her skill as a storyteller. The intricate details of the world, its customs, and its inhabitants add depth and authenticity to the narrative.

What sets this book apart is its exploration of themes such as resilience, identity, and the enduring power of hope. As June faces numerous challenges and adversities, her unwavering determination and inner strength serve as a source of inspiration. Her character arc is beautifully rendered, and her evolution throughout the story is a testament to Young's ability to craft multidimensional and relatable characters.

The narrative is filled with tension, intrigue, and a touch of magic that keeps the reader eagerly turning pages. Young has a gift for pacing, and the story unfolds with just the right amount of suspense and revelation to keep you hooked from beginning to end.

The supporting cast of characters is equally well-developed, each contributing to the richness of the story. Relationships and alliances, both familial and romantic, are explored with nuance and authenticity, adding layers of depth to the narrative.

In conclusion, "The Unmaking of June Farrow" is a masterpiece of storytelling that seamlessly weaves together elements of adventure, fantasy, and personal growth. Adrienne Young's writing is nothing short of enchanting, and her ability to create characters and worlds that resonate with readers is unparalleled. This is a five-star read that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone seeking a captivating and emotionally resonant tale of transformation and resilience. Prepare to be swept away into a world where hope and inner strength shine brightly even in the darkest of times.

4.5 stars

What a beautiful story! Adrienne’s work just gets better and better. The story is so captivating - the Farrow women are cursed and eventually all go mad, and June is afraid that it’s already begun for her. After receiving a mysterious photograph, June begins to dig deeper into her family history and discovers that the curse is more complex than she could have ever imagined.

Similar to Spells for Forgetting, this has a gorgeous cozy small town setting infused with magic and mystery. It’s full of strong female characters and the lengths they’ll go to for each other, and a beautiful love story that defies impossible odds. The only reason I’m not giving this a full 5 stars is that the timeline and logistics confused me at times, but it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment.

Thank you so much to Random House for the ARC!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press.

This is one of those “what did I just read?” twisty, emotional, absolutely breathtaking books. Adrienne’s writing drew me in from page one and I just didn’t want to put this down. I was constantly wondering what would happen and consistently surprised - this book is really a level up. It’s complex, has elements of fantasy/magical realism, mystery, contemporary and historical fiction, and romance. You’ll be immersed into the town of Jasper, feel all of June’s emotions, and want to be in a giant group hug with all of these characters. I will be thinking about this book for a LONG time and can’t recommend it enough.

Read if you:
- need to be completely absorbed into a story
- enjoy Shea Ernshaw’s writing
- are cool with magical realism and mysteries that aren’t scary
- want an emotional love story
- are looking for a book with fall vibes