Thank you to Quercus Books, Adrienne Young and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The Unmaking of June Farrow" by Adrienne Young is a beautifully crafted novel that leads you into the mysterious world of the Farrow family in the small town of Jasper, North Carolina. This story unfolds with a sense of impending destiny and a deeply rooted curse that haunts the Farrow women through generations. As June embarks on her quest to uncover the truth about her family's history, her character resonates with complexity and vulnerability, drawing you into her journey of self-discovery. The novel's atmosphere is masterfully built, creating an eerie and captivating backdrop for the unfolding mystery. Adrienne Young's writing is captivating, and her ability to convey the characters' emotions is truly remarkable. The book is a fantastic blend of atmospheric mystery and heartfelt emotion, and it's a story that lingers long after the final page.

However, while the majority of the book is filled with rich descriptions and a growing sense of anticipation, the ending might feel somewhat rushed and overly neat, considering the complexity of the narrative. Despite this, "The Unmaking of June Farrow" remains a memorable and enchanting tale, making it a must-read for anyone who enjoys stories with a touch of the impossible and a profound sense of fate. Young's ability to create an immersive and emotionally charged world in this novel is truly praiseworthy.

Wow Adrienne Young's writing is so unbelievabley beautiful. This book was stunning, so Atmospheric and such an amazing plot. Such a beautiful story a real page tuner!

"Every woman in the Farrow family was different, but the end was always the same."

Words cannot describe how much I loved The Unmaking of June Farrow. I really didn't know what to expect from it but as usual Adrienne Young has written a phenomenal book.

The Unmaking of June Farrow has a fantastic vibe to it, a small town family mystery with a hell of a lot of suspense.

The book begins with the death of June's beloved grandma, Margaret.

"When Margaret Anne Farrow died in her sleep on June 10, 2023, I became the last living Farrow on earth. "

It is clear from the beginning that her gran's last years were not easy for any of them, references to Gran losing her mind are frequently made.

"There weren't many things that were clear, especially in those final years when Gran's mind had all but slipped away, but a burial on this hill at sunset with a fiddle playing in the wind was one of them."

The Farrows have been outsiders in the small mountain town of Jasper for as long as anyone can remember,. The Farrow women are known to be unnusual and to suffer from a curse, a mysterious sickness of the mind.

"To the town of Jasper, I was first known as the Market Street Baby, words made eternal the day the Chronicle put them on the front page.Just before daybreak on October 2, 1989, Clarence Taylor was on his way to open the cafe when he heard the sound of a baby's cry coming from the alley. It took only hours for the whole town to hear about the baby girl in the basket with the birthmark beneath one ear and the locket watch tucked into her blanket."

June is haunted by the legacy of her mother, who disappeared after abandoning her in alley, and whose declining mental health was well known before this event.

"It had almost been fourteen months since my mother disappeared. There was no shortage of theories on the matter, but no real answers. Susanna had simply walked into the woods one day, her belly swollen with child, and never returned."

June's gran has always been reluctant to discuss her mother with her, leaving June to go to other members of the community for answers.

"The easiest and most widely accepted explanation for my mother's strange disappearance was madness the same affliction to befall every woman in my family for as far back as anyone could remember. We were cursed - the Farrow women."

Adrienne Young is excellent at writing about small towns and the communities. She sets the scene so perfectly you could swear you were actually there.

"There were things that made this town what it was. The secret of honeysuckle blooming along the black tar roads and the rush of the Adeline River, which cut through the land like the scrape of a knife. The various gazes that followed me and gran on the street and the rumours that skipped in the air no matter how much time had passed. Their stories were nothing compared to the ones gran had regaled me with when she tucked me in to bed as a little girl. The town of Jasper had no idea just how different and strange we were."

The disappearance of June's mother is not the only mystery haunting the small town of Jasper.

"Decades ago, the town's minister had been brutally murdered at the river, though I wasn't sure what truth there was to the grisly details I'd heard murmured over the years. There were still people who still left flowers on his grave and his picture hung in the cafe like the patron saint of Jasper, still watching over his flock.

My missing mother, on the other hand, had barely warranted a search party."

As the book progresses June's worries about her mental health increases, we learn she has been hearing and seeing strange things with increasing frequency.

"It came for my grandmother, as it came for my mother, and now it had come for me.

For years, the town of Jasper had been watching me, waiting for the madness to show itself. They didn't know it was already there, brimming beneath the surface.

My future had never been a mystery. I'd known since I was very young what lay ahead, my own and always so sharply visible in the distance. That was why I'd never fall in loveWhy I'd never have a child. Why I'd never seen any point in the dreams that lit the eyes of everyone else around me. I had only one ambition in my simply built life, and that was to be sure the Farrow curse would end with me.

It was as good a place as any to end a story. I wasn't the first Farrow, but I would be the last."

There is so much to talk about in this book but I don't want to spoil anything so all I will say is that I won't forget about this delightful book for a long time.

I’m a huge fan of Adrienne’s writing and I’m never disappointed. She’s an excellent and atmospheric storyteller.

The Unmaking of June Farrow takes place in a small mountainside town in America where we follow the woman of the Farrow family. Women of the Farrow family are known for two things: 1. The stunning flowers which they grow at their families flower farm and 2. none of the Farrow woman are 'quite right' plagued by visions and driven to madness.

I wont say much else about the plot as I honestly, like I have seen others say, believe it's so much better to go into this one completely blind (which is exactly what I did!!). Adrienne Young the author has the most beautiful writing style, full of emotion, magic and vivid imagery and I honestly I just had such a lovely time reading this.

Fully recommend to anyone to give it a read and just perfect for the autumn season I think.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. I'll certainly be reading more of this authors works in the future.

This book is just so much wow. I flew through the book and adored it. June was such a loving character and I felt an instant connection to her. Her whole life was a mystery and that drew me in so quickly. June's grandmother passes away and now June has to figure out how to live without her. Also being told she has the same disease her mother and grandmother have. June receives a letter that unfurls her whole world and she feels like she is losing her mind. This story was beautiful and breathtaking, and it was the perfect autumnal read I just loved every moment. A story about finding yourself when your whole life was a lie. Young yet again delivers an emotional rollercoaster with so much hope.

I really enjoyed The Unmaking of June Farrow!
Though that isn't a very big surprise as I'm a big fan of Adrienne Young and enjoyed all of her books that I've read.

The writing as expected was really good! I swear Adrienne Youngs writing seems to improve with every new release.
The story was really unique and I was really invested in it and it left me guessing till the end.
June was also such a good character, I really liked her!

I definitely highly recommend this book!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

Going into this book I resisted the urge to read what it was about. I am glad I did, because it allowed the story to unfold for me as I read.

I've been a long time fan of Adrienne Young, and the progression of her talents, as a writer, are clear within the pages of this book. I was swept up in June's story, as she puzzled over what was happening with the female members of her family and her grandmother resisted answering her questions. Learning about June's experience, following in the steps of the Farrow women who came before her, felt like a bit of a homecoming for me.

I felt the impact of her experiences and decisions on her choices, and her frustration and puzzlement as June tried to work out what she did not yet know herself, but felt the people around her knew and were keeping from her. Her pain made my own heart ache as she puzzled to recall why she made a choice when she can't figure out why she ever would have chosen to do what she did.

As some of the puzzle pieces fell into place, and memories started to blossom, where none had existed before, June's fear of what it all meant slithered through me. Did she have to protect someone she loved, without realising she had to?

I really enjoyed the journey this story took me on and the clever way June found to solve the curse of the Farrow women, before it could bleed into another generation.

4.5/5 ⭐

My only regret is that the book ended so soon, as I could have happily spent more time with these characters.

Thank you to Quercus books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advance readers copy in exchange for my impartial review. The pleasure has been all mine.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a beautifully written novel, with a unique plot. It kind of reminds me of the children’s book Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. They’re quite different stories, but they have a similar vibe to me.

The writing was absolutely gorgeous. This is my first Adrienne Young novel, but now I can’t wait to pick up another (next will be Spells for Forgetting). She created such a rich and vivid atmosphere - I could really picture the setting well and the first half had such an eerie, sinister feel to it. I also thought she did a great job conveying the characters emotions and she was able to pull on my heartstrings.

The reason I’m knocking this down a star is because I feel like the ending really let the book down. It wasn’t that it was bad, but it was a bit lacklustre, especially after such a compelling start to the book. The last 25% was a bit too quick and tied up too neatly.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable, beautifully written, atmospheric read, that I would highly recommend.

This is billed as a Young Adult themes but there is a thread of violent assault and murder so bear that in mind.
June Farrow lives on the family flower farm in Jasper, North Carolina. She comes from a family of women who are different. They hear and see things and even go missing for periods of time.
If you like time slip between places stories, with a little mystery and some romance, then this is for you.

EXCERPT: I fished the stack of photographs from one of the sections and clumsily spread them out on the floor beside me, my eyes searching the many faces of Susanna Farrow. A baby in Gran's arms. A toddler in a pair of overalls, chest bare beneath the sagging straps. A young girl blowing out birthday candles. A teenage with wide, wire-rimmed glasses in the fields at the farm. My frantic hands finally stilled when I found the one I was looking for - a Susanna who was in her twenties, I guessed.
She stood beneath the dogwood tree in the front yard, one hand absently reaching for the low-hanging branch beside her. Her hair was long and down, face turned to the street as if the picture was snapped the moment she saw someone coming down the sidewalk. So ordinary in the kind of way I'd always longed for. No hint or shadow in her eyes of what was to come.

ABOUT 'THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW': In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm - and the mysterious curse that has haunted them for generations.

The madness that led to Susanna Farrow's disappearance left her daughter, June, to be raised by her grandmother. Everyone in Jasper is certain it's only a matter of time before she finds the same end, but June has kept secret that her unravelling has already begun.

After her grandmother's death, June follows a series of clues that link her mother's disappearance to the town's dark history, leading finally to a mysterious door.

Behind it may lay the answer to the mysteries that have always lingered like a dark shadow. Upon crossing the threshold, June embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but entangle her fate and her heart in a star-crossed love.

MY THOUGHTS: I really loved the premise outlined in the synopsis of The Unmaking of June Farrow; however, I wasn't at all prepared for the time travel/slip trope that is the basis of this story. What I was expecting was a story of generational mental ill-health, but what I got was something very different. I doubt that I am the target audience for this book, but blame that on the synopsis.

However, it's not all bad. Adrienne Young writes beautifully. Her prose is atmospheric and I felt compelled to continue reading, even when I had no idea what was going on. I was totally confounded by the strange rules surrounding where June could travel and how many times, and how the same characters were in different time periods at different ages than they should have been. It made absolutely no sense to me, and I am still confounded even after finishing.

I adore the cover, and I'm quite sure that this is a wonderful book for those who like a whole lot more depth to their fantasy novels than I do.

⭐⭐⭐

#TheUnmakingofJuneFarrow #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: When she’s not writing, you can find Adrienne on her yoga mat, on a walk in the woods, or planning her next travel adventure. She lives and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Quercus Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Unmaking of June Farrow for review. All opinions expressed in this review are totally my own opinions.

I absolutely adored this book! It’s a mystery novel with a hint of romance, a sprinkle of magical realism, suspense, and a dash of romance
The Unmaking of June Farrow tells the story of June, a 34-year-old woman who risks everything to end her family's centuries-old curse, solve her mother's disappearance, and find love

One of the things I genuinely adore about Young’s work is that I always wind up thinking about her books when I’m done reading them and considering them from different angles. I can’t say that I do that with any other author, so I really appreciate the fact that her books always make me think. I’ll put down her book, then find myself thinking about the story and the elements and how I feel about it. Her books are always easy-reading in the moment, but I rarely come away from her work without analysing the story, her characters, and what she’s trying to say underneath it all. I love the complexity of this. I love the kind of reader that her books turn me into.

Ultimately, this is a gorgeously written book. Young’s prose/voice are always cinematic and it’s so easy to become engrossed in this novel. It was one of those books that I read compulsively and found hard to put down, which I attribute entirely to Young’s prose. I LOVE the female-centric plot of this novel. With the exception of one husband, one friend, and the two “villains” of this tale, everything was focused entirely on the Farrow women. It reminded me very much of Practical Magic, not because of the plot/storyline, but the tone, mood, curse-element, and the focus on the female storyline. It also reminded me of the Time-Traveller’s Wife, with the back and forth timelines.

I went into this one without a real understanding of what it is was about, so I definitely approached it with a fresh eye. On the one hand, the slow-burn nature of the story and the twisting storylines might not be for everyone. I had to read back certain parts to make sure that I understood what was happening. There were a couple of elements I didn’t connect with, namely the plot device of no one talking to each other. There’s a lot of, “We can’t tell you that,” and secrecy for the sake of moving the plot along. I also didn’t really get a sense of who June (the MC) really was, outside of her Farrow curse. However, that could have been stylistic device to highlight the fact that June’s life (lives) have been entirely constrained by the knowledge of her family’s curse. Until the secondary part of the book, I don’t know that June ever entertained the idea that there could be a life outside of her family’s curse. (This is what I mean about Young always making me think about what I’ve just read….)

I always have high hopes for Young’s work and this did not disappoint. While I preferred the spooky element of Spells for Forgetting, this was elegant, lyrical, and a really beautiful story about choices, how we define ourselves, and the legacy of women. If you like Alice Hoffman, Audrey NIffenberger, or Geraldine Brooks, I think you will love this one.

Headlines:
Time
Unravelling
Melancholy

I'm going to be as vague as possible in this review because the mystery of this book is exquisite and it shouldn't be spoilt. The Unmaking of June Farrow is incredibly clever in its crafting and execution; I've found a 2023 favourite and I am not surprised.

The first part of this book I found rather melancholy and sad; it's supposed to be. June's connection to her family was strong and her family was unconventional. The things June thought she knew about the family 'curse' and the truth of it was a slow and shocking reveal.

The mystery within this book just built and built. Where June found her life going was unexpected and yet it felt right to me as a reader. The way family pervaded that space was reasurring and scary in some quarters. I loved what June found for herself but it felt insecure and I second guessed what decisions might be around the corner.

"We shared a fate that ran in the blood. It flowed through her veins like it flowed through mine."

This story had me guessing till the finishing pages and although one of the big reveals I suspected, it was such a sweet revelation all the same. I loved every page of this book, from the melancholy to the joy and back. Another superb book from Adrienne Young, I hope she continues to write this kind of genre because I have adored what emerges.

Thank you to Quercus Books for the review copy.

This book could be a good read if it stayed with the family issues and an unsolved murder. It takes place in the fictional Jasper in North Carolina. Unfortunately, added to the basic story is a complication about crossing time lines with one damaged family coming and going decades apart. As that is clearly imagination not reality, it doesn’t work. Pity because without that there could be a passable story. I cannot recommend it for that reason.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book - a lineage of women who all fall prey to madness throughout their lives.
Adrienne Young was fantasy at building a setting that was atmospheric and gripping. The tense watching eyes of the small town combined with the pressures of farming and harvesting was the perfect place for this novel. I really enjoyed the slow reveal of what was affecting these women, and putting the pieces together was the highlight for me.
The second half felt like a bit of a let down for me. There is no explanation as to why this family of women have been affected, nor how they received the implements (the watch) or see the doors. I wanted more explanation as to why it was happening to them, rather than the mysteries surrounding this new world.

Another amazing book by Adrienne Young, who is slowly becoming one of my favourite authors, I am looking forward to every new book by her. This book is about June Farrow, last of her family, travelling through time, to a place where she can change future. It is a complex story with elements of fantasy, science fiction and romance. The language is beautiful, as in all the other books by this author.

You know a book is good when you're crying so much that you can hardly breathe.

READ IF YOU LIKE:
°Magical Realism
°Family curse
°Small town
°Beautiful & lyrical writing
°Some sort of time travel (if you're not into time travel like myself, also read this, I just don't wanna give any spoilers of this kinda weird situation because I feel like If I get into too much detail then the plot can get ruined).
°Second change romance we may say
°A little bit of mystery

Where do I even start with this book??? Of course I gave it 5 stars because I was no able to put it down (the only reason it took me three days was because I was very busy, otherwise I would have finished it in one day)

We start this book with June Farrow, according to her, the last of the Farrow's heritage. The book begins at the funeral of Margaret, June's grandmother. And immediately we are introduced into this new dynamic in which June narrates how her family has this curse that for some unknown reason all the women in the family begin to have problems with their mind to the point of going crazy, which was the reason her grandmother fell ill in the first place.

Then we jump immediately to the conflict of this book. June has been having the first symptoms of this curse for a year, but she has not said anything to anyone in her inner circle, because she doesn't want anyone to feel pity for her, and also because she doesn't want to have her life cut to a limited time. And from here we are going to get into the whole discovery that June makes about her family's curse, like where it comes from and if there is any way to stop it. Because of course she wants to live like everybody else, even if she has grown up knowing that she was different than the rest.

I feel like this is a very character kind of book, like yes the plot plays a huge part in this book, but you just get so attached to the characters and their development that it's almost impossible not to get emotional.

And the romance, yes there's romance in this book. And I think that the perfect way to pitch the romance plot of this books is with a Taylor Swift song:
“And somehow I know that you and I would've found each other
In another life, you still would've turned my head”
“'Cause I believe that we were supposed to find this
So, even in a different life
You still would've been mine, we would've been timeless”
So yes, we get a "timeless" love story. I don't think that this book is very romance heavy, but the romance does makes a huge difference in the development of the book.

I absolutely adored this book, I feel like the story was very original and unique in some ways. Adrienne Young has a beautiful writing style and if you loved Spells for Forgetting you're probably gonna love this book as well. They're very similar in writing style, that atmosphere of a cozy small town that's perfect for the fall season.

My first book by this author. I have to admit I was a little confusing initially, but as the book moved on and I understood what was happening, I became hooked into June Farrow's storyline. June is such an interesting character. Her grandmother has just died and with her mother leaving her years before, she is left to deal with the grief with just the support of the local community and her two best friends. June comes from a long line of Farrow women who appear to suffer with mental health issues, and when she begins to experience hallucinations she thinks the same is happening to her.

Without giving away too much of the storyline, the plot twists into an emotional time jump mystery, with June's story switching between the years. The storyline was captivating, although sometimes I felt like I really needed to concentrate on what was going on. Overall, I enjoyed June's story but I definitely preferred the second half of the book and found it absolutely gripping! It was an mesmerising read with lots of themes of family, friends, love and drama running through the book. It was very atmospheric and settings and locations were portrayed beautifully. Would definitely recommend.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a beautiful and thought provoking mystery with more than a hint of romance, and is probably one of the most charming and mind bending books I have read this year.
The story centres around June Farrow, who was raised by her grandmother after her mother disappeared while pregnant with her , and then apparently only returned for long enough to leave baby June in an alleyway in the town of Jasper, North Carolina. The Farrow family have a certain degree of notoriety in the town, not just because of their thriving flower farm with its range of rare and exotic blooms, but more notably because of a so called curse that afflicts the women in the family , a madness that strikes slowly but inevitably. June is determined that the curse will end with her, she will never marry or have a daughter to carry it on. When her grandmother dies, June decides to try to learn more about her mother's disappearance, prompted by a very strange photograph that she finds and which seems to show an impossible link between her mother and the darker side of the town's history. Her investigation will take her through a door that opens onto the most unexpected revelations, not just about June and her mother, but also about one of the oldest unsolved crimes in the town.
This was a book that really had me hooked, and I genuinely think that the less you know about it going in , the more you are likely to enjoy it. It is perfect for fans of magical realism or for those who like a sense of fated to be in their love stories. I really cared about June as a character, and was invested in her uncovering the truth about her family, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of spinning out the mystery to keep the reader engaged. There was at least one moment in the book that I never saw coming, and I absolutely love it when a book can take me by surprise in that way.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.