While this wasn't the book for me I want to acknowledge that it isn't due to the setting or topics discussed that I disliked this book. I felt that outside of the setting, the characters felt like they were flat throughout the story. The beginning of the book set up the characters well but as it progressed there was no development in the personalities of most characters which I read as the book missing a bit of depth in some places. As the story reached its conclusion it was right at the end that I felt the depth of what the story could have been shined through. It is for this reason I rated the book how I did.

The author's note at the back of the book would have been a great introduction at the beginning of the story. I loved how the author spoke and wished It was put in a place it would be seen more.

Of course, this one hurt. But I shouldn’t have expected anything less. Great story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted arc.

4.5
The novel captivated me right from the start. The character development was outstanding, making me feel as though I truly knew the characters. Junie's relationships with her family and others were portrayed with such sharpness.

Junie, a sixteen-year-old who has been enslaved since birth, has faced numerous heartaches and difficulties throughout her early life. Despite her circumstances, she strives to find her place in the world.
One night, Junie encounters the "ghost" of her deceased sister in the woods, sparking a gripping mystery.
The author vividly depicts life on the plantation, illustrating the harsh dynamics between the landowners and the enslaved. The treatment described can be hard to read, as it evokes deep empathy for the well-crafted and lifelike characters.

Another amazing reason to read this novel is that at the end of this tale we learn that the story was based on the author's grandmother's life.

Description
A young girl must face a life-altering decision, navigating love, friendship, and her sister’s ghost as the Civil War looms in this radiant debut.

Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie spends her days on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter—her oldest friend, Violet. In the daytime, she entertains herself with poetry and imagines grand romances and faraway worlds. She fills her nights with secret explorations through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie.

When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act—one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark secrets that can no longer be ignored.

With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?

My Take:
Discussing the cover, it's indeed beautiful. I had hoped the book's content would reflect the whimsical nature of its cover, but it doesn't. The craftsmanship of the book is evident, yet it sometimes feels protracted and monotonous. Nonetheless, I don't foresee these aspects preventing the book from being celebrated or included in Black History Month recommendations. It's important to note that the book details the life of an enslaved girl, complete with triggering language and events. Although this narrative shares similarities with other novels about enslaved women in America, it distinguishes itself by not portraying Junie as particularly likable, and not for the expected reasons. In summary, if the synopsis piqued your interest, trust that instinct, but remember, the whimsy is limited by the harsh reality of enslavement.

As a Black Historical Fiction lover, I was immediately engaged emotionally in Junie’s story. My favorite books tend to be those that draw the whole gamut of emotions out of me, and Junie did just that.

Things I liked about the book:
The story was paced very well throughout the book, giving just the right amount of suspension and reflection.

Since I’m not a huge fan of magical realism, I liked that the supernatural aspect didn’t overshadow the story.

I also appreciated the author’s explanation of her inspiration in the author’s note.

The only drawback to the book for me is at times I did feel that the language was a bit “modern” for time period that it was set in.

I love books that you don’t have to exert energy into reading - the ones that are so descriptive, rich with detail and skilled dialogue, that the words fly off the page at you. Junie was a novel that satisfied my every requirement for a five star read, and it did so with the first fifty pages. Erin Crosby Eckstine has curated a masterpiece that follows a young girl who has spent the entirety of her life enslaved. Yet, she still wrestles with the desire to want more for life despite the conditions she is faced with. The emotions and storytelling are SO vivid within this that I was eating it up like a piece of my favorite tiramisu. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this one.

Preorder now!!

- Book Blurb -

A young girl must face a life-altering decision, navigating love, friendship, and her sister’s ghost as the Civil War looms in this radiant debut.
 
Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie spends her days on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter—her oldest friend, Violet. In the daytime, she entertains herself with poetry and imagines grand romances and faraway worlds. She fills her nights with secret explorations through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie.
 
When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act—one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark secrets that can no longer be ignored.
 
With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?

Junie was a well written book that pulled you into the pages and made you feel like you were taking every step and experiencing every moment with her.

The characters were well developed and the plot was consistent and well developed.

I recommend this book to people that enjoy historical fiction and don’t mind supernatural elements. I personally didn’t care for that part. However, I understand the author’s use of such in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

A masterpiece. I was so sweep up in this book and could not put it down. I cannot wait to get a physical copy when it releases and reread it.

Junie is a novel that drew me in quickly and made me tear through it quickly. The cast of characters are well-written and interesting. Witnessing Junie struggle with the dynamics of her 'friendship' with Violet, the grandparents who raised her, even the memory of Minnie was powerful.

This might be me being pedantic but the author's use of 'herding cats' jarred me enough to make me stop reading and Google when the phrase came into existence. It seemed out of time with the story.

All in all. - a great read.

(Thanks to net galley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.)

I am legitimately at a loss for words. Junie is the most vibrant, brilliant character I’ve come across in a long time. Her relationships, both with her family and beyond, are so sharp and dynamic. The way she juggles her role as an enslaved woman with her role as a strong-willed, kind hearted, caring human being is beautifully detailed and absolutely heartbreaking. I have never seen such determination and will to survive as I have in Junie. A truly life changing novel, I can’t wait to recommend it a million times over.

This book was written so thoughtfully, so beautifully, and very concise. I was able to envision everything as it played out thanks to Erin’s writing. I’ve never been to Alabama but her writing literally sent me there.

The book does a great job of showing just how evil slave owners were. I mean, I wanted to just jump through the pages and strangle all of them. It was infuriating to see Junie and her family treated so horribly, but as stated in the author’s note, she focused primarily on the psychological abuse so there was much worse during these times. Which—again—is infuriating.

I loved the sweetness of Junie’s romance with Caleb, it added much more depth into her character and showed how strong (and sometimes stubborn) she could be. This was also proven through her relationship with Violet.

Overall wonderfully sad but triumphant story. Would definitely recommend to all Historical Fiction lovers!

Junie, by Erin Crosby Eckstine was a very good read for me.

I have, personally, always had an interest in the "old south" so I was excited to receive this book as an ARC.

I was pulled in to this story immediately, as we are introduced right away to Junie.
Her adventurous personality, sometimes even rebellious, drew me right in.
She has had her share of heartache and difficulty early in life and is doing the best she can with her circumstances to find her place in her world.

The "friendship" she had with Violet started out as a precious one that I was happy she had, considering each of their stations in life. They seemed to be very good support to each other.

When Junie encounters the "ghost" of her deceased sister in the woods one night, a mystery begins.
I will admit that it took me a few pages and putting the book down a couple of times to wrap my brain around this supernatural element of the story, as I was not expecting this.
Once I embraced this, I forged forth and enjoyed all aspects of the story.

Erin Crosby Eckstine can weave a tale!
I very much enjoyed her writing style.

As Violet's lot in life changes, so does Junie's.
At times, this inevitability was heart breaking.
Unfortunately, the author accurately describes what life was like on the plantation between the land owners and those enslaved. The treatment described was hard to read at times, as one feels for each of the characters the author has built and breathed life into.

I would like to say that all turned out well in the end.
However, I was saddened by some of the broken relationships, but completely understood the reason for the fractures.

Junie was a strong young lady with a lot of determined spirit.
The supporting characters were well fleshed out and believable.

A final bonus for me at the end of this tale was the fact that the story was based on the author's Grandmother's life.
This brought tears to my eyes and as I read all about her grandmother, I was even more impressed by Junie's perseverance.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a book where one can settle in and get to know the characters and cheer them on in their adventures and grieve with them through their losses.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am feeling slightly torn on this one. I loved the historical fiction element and I thought the writing was very strong - so strong that the story could have held perfectly good ground on its own without the supernatural element. I really enjoyed all of the elements of the story, except for that one. It felt pretty unnecessary? Just my opinion. This book had so much potential and felt Kristin Hannah-esque but it just didn't completely hit the mark for me.

Beautiful story! Thank you netgalley for my copy.
HOW HEARTBREAKING... every one deserves freedom. I am left feeling somewhat hard about life/the world. Very well rounded characters and plot.

You deserve more than a pretty view. You deserve to take all the beauty of this world and hold it in your hands. You deserve to bite it like a peach and let the juice drip ’til your fingers get sticky."
All I can say is wow!! Such a heartbreaking story! How awful! I have no words except this book deserves more than 5 stars!
Everyone deserves a chance at something even freedom.
This is definitely a book that will leave you thinking long and hard about life.
I almost didn't finish this book because of the big "secret" I don't approve of.
But I liked how the author has kept it discreet shall we say and didn't rub it in. I appreciated it and I also liked how the author has added the romance in too. I really wanted to cry for this kind of love.
I'm so glad that I decided to finish it.
Wow! Very well written and each character was well rounded out too.
I sure didn't like old Taylor or his mama. Ugh!
Karma does come around eventually.
I.stayed up all night to read this because Junie wouldn't let me sleep but eventually I had to.
While with an eye made quiet by the power Of harmony, and the deep power of joy, We see into the life of things.
I just had to share this thought.
Be sure to read the author's notes at the end. I had a feeling that it was based off those notes and I was right after reading them thoroughly.
In my opinion, this is what made this an excellent story and that is why I loved it.
I will be adding this to my shelf of favorite books.
I highly recommend this book!
My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book.I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own

Thank you so much Netgalley for approving me for this ARC.
This book centers around a young slave girl named, Junie. Of course this is a novel that centers slavery so if you're someone who is triggered by those themes this is not the book for you. I will say compared to other slave narratives that I've read Junie has a more "comfortable" existence than you would imagine a slave to have.
I devoured this book in two sittings, I think that the author should teach a masterclass on character study. Each character felt real and all had personalities and distinction. The way grief is depicted and how it can impact decisions you normally wouldn't make is also well done. There were some pacing issues towards the middle that made the story lag a little but by the ending everything came together and it was one of the most enjoyable reads I had this year!