I was absolutely captivated by Erin Crosby Eckstine's Junie. This book was powerful and the themes of racism, misogyny, and dreams for a better future are just as applicable for 2025 as they were for the two main characters, Junie (a teenage enslaved girl on an Alabama plantation) and her teenage mistress/"friend" Violet. This book explores family, friendship, love, and charting your own course, despite the constraints around you. While most of the action throughout the book focuses on Junie's challenges and growth as she copes with the death of her sister and the reality of slavery as she grows, Violet's courtship and marriage to a cruel man gains a focal point as the book progresses. The last third of the book was very fast paced as both girls (women, really) make choices that have lasting implications on their futures.

There were elements of this story that I was not expecting. One element that I grew to love was the introduction of Junie's sister, Minnie, as a spirit. The supernatural/magical realism element really endeared me to the book and to Junie. I could tell just how much she adored her sister and how that loss affected her. There were a few other plot points, namely involving Violet and her mother, that came as a surprise too. I have mixed feelings about those... both their reality/truth to the time, but also how much those aspects could be hidden in that era.

Overall, I loved this story. It is a great read -- very layered and complex, with nuanced and delightful characters. This book shows the reality and the horrors of slavery... even with mostly kind owners. I am so glad to have read it!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books from Penguin Random House for this ARC. Although it was just published, let me tell you about this wonderful book. A compelling and heartbreaking historical fiction story about Junie, an enslaved girl in pre Civil War Alabama, where she has to fix the unresolved issues her sister had. With some paranormal elements unexpected to me, because I didn't pay much attention to the book description, it will hook you up from the beginning. Lovable characters, as well as hateful ones, I recommend this book. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content warnings: depictions of enslaved people, domestic abuse (verbal and physical), physical and psychological abuse of enslaved people, grief, death, loss of a loved one, familial trauma
Thank you to Netgalley for providing this digital book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
One of the more compelling and heartbreaking books I’ve read for a long while. What began as a story about two sisters broken apart by death transitioned into the lessons learned from grief, despair, guilt, and the everlasting abundance of love in a cruel world. The supernatural aspect of the book was also very well-done. I adored the way the ghost was portrayed – light and fire and frailty and rage. The complex emotions behind Junie’s relationship with her grief was devastating. I found Junie to be a well-rounded, astute character. Her life as an enslaved person was hard to read, especially when the author wrote that she didn’t include every aspect of life as a slave on a plantation, such as a portrayal of the field workers. The focus on Junie as a maid and house slave was horrifying on its own, the careful intricacies and stressors and whims of the white family she had to balance every single minute of her day would be debilitating and exhausting to any person, but she handled it all with astounding strength and bravery. I highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end of the book, where she details her intentions telling Junie’s story and why she chose the plot in the book.
Junie’s story is heartbreaking but filled with resilient hope and strength of will. She makes mistakes, she submits to the anxieties of her mind, feels paralyzed by her devotion and fear that her family will suffer because of her actions. But through it all, I felt such kinship with Junie. She was afraid, she tried to hide it all inside and work to make everything right for everyone she loved. Ultimately, it’s an effort we all fail to make because it’s an impossible task. Junie’s awakening to this truth broke my heart.
And Caleb, oh sweet Caleb. A beautiful character and just the kind of love Junie deserves. I was so grateful for his presence in her life. Because while the love wasn’t always smooth and often Junie was overcome with her duty to her family and her belief that she deserves nothing good, their relationship was so tender and lovely.
The ending was not exactly what I hoped for, but it left open the possibility of what I most desired. In my head and heart, that ending is made reality. I choose to believe nothing else.

4.5/5

This book is a GMA Book club pick but before that it was an early ARC book for me. I really enjoyed this book so see why it was chosen as a pick. It revolves around the title chatacter Junie who is a slave on a plantation. Her sister dies and she thinks she's somehow at fault and then she invites her sisters spirits to come and help her out. The issues of slavery is obviosly a part of the story but you meet other characters who arent typical stereotypes that you usually get in novels about this issue. The trauma from slavery stills exists today and is something that our country truly hasn't come to to a true reconciliation with. This novel will help people understand that they were individuals and not just some unknown group of people. The author says that this story is based on her family history. I highly recommned this book especially in today's time where we like to forget history and pretend that bad tings didn't happen. It's a great read so you won't mind the journey. Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for the read.

I did not care for the ghost aspect of this story. The story felt predictable and I had to force myself to finish it. Not for me.

Junie, a historical fiction novel, has challenged my perceptions of how slave stories can be narrated. The novel follows the life of Junie, a young slave girl on the Bellereine plantation, who is ill-suited for her time. Amidst navigating her emotions, including her complex relationship with her sister Minnie and her love for a slave boy named Caleb, Junie also grapples with family secrets and the harsh realities of slavery before the Civil War. The book also subtly touches upon colorism and homosexuality during that era. Overall, I found the story compelling. It forced me to recognize that the diverse ways slaves survived during that period were all valid and effective, as any means of survival was preferable to none.

This book is so powerful! Junie is a slave in Alabama just before the Civil War, working as a maid for Violet, the daughter of the McQueen family who owns a plantation. She’s struggling with the grief of losing her sister, feeling responsible for her death. One day, Junie sees her sister’s ghost, and the mission she’s given sets off a chain of events with huge consequences.

Junie’s story broke my heart. She’s such a strong character, and I just wanted her to find peace and happiness. This book is a great reminder of our country’s painful history and the fact that no one should ever have to live under someone else’s control. The mix of historical fiction with a touch of magic was so well done.

What I loved even more was learning that Junie is based on the author’s actual ancestor. That little historical twist at the end made the story even more impactful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction—it’s definitely worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book tells the story of Junie a 16 year old enslaved girl on an Alabama plantation. Junie’s mother was sold when she was an infant. She’s and her older sister Minnie had been raised by their grandmother, grandfather aunt and bossy cousin Bess.

Junie’s always felt as though her sister Minnie was better than she was- probably because everyone kept telling her so. Minnie had died shortly after rescuing Junie and Junie was plagued with guilt. Still she was rather lucky though, and is given a good bit of freedom to goof off. She was a playmate and best friend of Violet young daughter of the master. Violet has taught Junie and her sister to read. Junie wanders off often to dream or write poetry.

I really like the way the author captured Junie’s essence - it was noted that she was modeled after the author’s great great grandmother, who was an enslaved person in Alabama . The character that she created is at once kind, intuitive, thoughtful but also human she can be lazy and selfish and just a tiny bit-self-absorbed. I think that the overall message is that even in the very best of circumstances for enslaved people their life was still never their own. It was always just a whim or a small change of circumstance that could have them shipped off, whipped or killed. So though they were able to find joy in some things in their life until they were able to live their life on their own terms, it was just a shadow of life. There was always something missing.
Interesting, Violet doesn’t have it much better- though luxurious and polite on the outside she is “sold into marriage” and there brutalized, and silenced. Her life is at the whim of her father and then her husband. She really has no choice either. Its a white mans world and he can do whatever he wants.
Lots to think about here. Reccomend

🌾 Book Review 🌾

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: Out now!

Rating: I liked it!

I love historical fiction and when I see that the topic is something different from WW2, I pounce on it! This debut follows 16 year old Junie while she is living as a slave.

This was a solid debut that I liked reading. I loved the historical detail for the time period and how unsettled the South was during this time.

A few things that didn’t work for me as a reader is how slow things moved and that the characters seemed to be missing something.

Overall, I look forward to Eckstein’s next book!

For fans of:
🌾 Third person POV
🔑 Single POV
🌾 Civil war era
🔑 Southern plantation
🌾 1860s Alabama
🔑 Slavery
🌾 Young adult
🔑 Coming of age
🌾 Magical realism (a touch)
🔑 Slow moving
🌾 Debut novel

🌟 What to Read Next 🌟
✨ Anything by Ruta Sepytus (late teens navigating a changing world throughout history)
✨ The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (same time period)

I am very conflicted writing this review, because I had very different feelings about the first and last halves of the book!

The first half is a solid three stars for me: I appreciated the writing, but I was a little bored and wished there was more plot.

However, as soon as the second half (which I would give almost five stars) began, I had trouble putting the book down! It was a page turner, and I felt so many emotions as Junie’s story unfolded.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially if you love:

💭 complex characters
🌅 beautiful writing
⏳historical fiction

60/100 or 3.0 stars

I was hoping this story would suck me in and keep me engaged, as the synopsis sounded interesting and like a good YA story for people to read. It didn't work out that way for me. I always aim to be honest in my reviews here, because I know NetGalley is looking for honest feedback and not just people giving out 4 and 5 stars or 1 or 2 stars just because. I thought I was going to like this, but as I read, I felt myself losing interest, and the writing wasn't really working for me either. I didn't want to push through and read a book I was not interested in just to finish it. I also don't want to have to post elsewhere with a review when I could tell it would just be a three star read for me. This book is covering difficult topics, and so I wanted to give the book the respect to DNF since it was not working and did not grab my interest, over finishing it because I feel like I had to and giving it a neutral or negative rating.

"What's on the other side of sublime? What happens after you see it? Youre supposed to just go back to your old life, sneaking around and cleaning up after white folks? You're supposed to accept that a view is the closest you'll ever get to being limitless?"

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine introduces the readers to Delilah June, "Junie", as she works as the handmaid for a plantation owners daughter, Violet. Throughout the novel, the reader sees Junie grow in her understanding of the evils of the world while at the same time, never losing the fight or hope for a different life.

Junie combines historical fiction with some paranormal facets that are both a nod to the spiritual beliefs of Black Slaves while also personifying eternal hope. In the author's note, Eckstine writes "I wanted to explore what it would look like to see a character with dreams, ambitions, love, grief, and flaws in the same way every human has; not as a way of diminishing the horror, but instead shining a light on the individual humanity of a group of people many have grown to perceive monolithically." With Junie, she is absolutely successful in her mission.

A powerful and beautiful book. I fell in the love with the story & the characters. 5/5

Side note: for the love of heck PLeASe do not put a GMA sticker on the beautiful cover and if you don’t wanna, make it removeable. Thanks.

Junie, by Erin Crosby Eckstine, was released earlier this month and was a great read. Set during the Antebellum period in the deep south, Junie is enslaved on the Bellereine Plantation. Most of her life, Junie has been a maid to Violet, but things will suddenly change when Violet marries. Haunted by her sister who died several years ago, Junie sets her heart on being free as her sister suggests in her frequent appearances. Faced with love, hate, anger, violence, and conflict, Junie will eventually make a life altering decision about her life.

I requested to read and review this book for free from Ballantine Books an Imprint of Random House Publishing Company. This is the third book I have read by author Erin Crosby Eckstine. Junie is a slave who has big dreams and sometimes unrealistic expectations. When you have your freedom taken away sometimes you are left with is dreams. Reality can be a wonderful for some but also a cruel and unhappy place for many others. True family is made up of the ones that love you and want the best for you no matter what. How do we know if someone really loves them? Who can you trust when someone you thought you knew breaks that trust? Is it gone forever? Is freedom ever a possibility for some. This is a book for a mature audience and can be read anywhere.

This was a heavy read but the writing is really good. I liked the fantasy element of this book. I also like the banter between Junie and Caleb. Junie is the FMC in this historical fiction and is a slave grieving her sister. We go on a journey with the FMC as she uncovers secrets and navigates life. Thank you Random House Publishing- Ballentine for the digital arc. All views here are my own.

This was a moving novel of an enslaved girl in Alabama right at the cusp of the Civil War. This story explores how slavery impacts all her relationships, with her slavemasters and her family and the man she falls in love with. As a girl with plenty of smarts and dreams, but who has learned to keep to herself, she slowly understands the horrors of what she was born into and learns to live for herself against all odds. The story is a little slow at first but really gets going about midway through. I loved how the relationships revealed their complexity over time and how she analyzes and responds to situations where difficult moral calls must be made. I thought the supernatural element was unnecessary and came off as an afterthought. The novel reads as young adult. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc of this novel.

Junie has spent her entire life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. However, Junie is wracked with guilt over her older sister’s, Minnie, death.

Junie is such a great character. She struggles tremendously against, well, everything. But, she truly stole my heart. She loves big. She is smart. And when she discovers information about her family, including Minnie, she does not let it go!

There is a lot in this story. The author did a fabulous job weaving this tale together to create a novel you won’t soon forget.

And you do not want to miss the secrets and the twisted ending!

Need a southern, historical fiction that is full of love, hate, guilt and friendship…and full of secrets…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

Junie is a young slave girl who has encounters with her dead sister’s ghost. Minnie’s vision requires things of Junie when they meet in the “ in-between” in the forest. Junie is not much for careful work and escapes a lot to the woods to explore and be alone.

Otherwise, Junie is the maid and somewhat companion of Violet, the master’s daughter who has taught Junie to read. The rest of Junie’s family have their roles with the McQueens.

Young Violet is of marrying age now and is introduced to Beauregard Taylor, an eligible bachelor whose family would like to make a match with Violet’s. Junie meets Caleb, Beau’s stable boy, and a relationship begins.

The reader begins to understand Minnie ‘s demands of Junie and by the end, it all falls in place. While a kinder slave story than some, meanness is still front and foremost. Junie is constantly “curling to her knees,” a way overused expression used by the author. All in all I rate this story four stars.

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine
Genre: Historical fiction, magical realism
Themes: oppression/slavery/history, grief, hope, love, liberation

Sixteen-year-old Junie has spent her life enslaved on Alabama’s Bellereine Plantation, tending to the master’s daughter, Violet, while grieving the loss of her sister. Esteemed guests arrive at the estate and change the course of Junie’s life, leaving her to discover dark secrets and consider escaping to a better life.

Do you ever finish a book and immediately want to reread it? That’s me with Junie. I cried and cried and cried. The writing, the characters, the dramatic scenes, the everything — chef’s kiss. It is powerful, heartbreaking, inspiring. (And the Author’s Note is required reading.)

Thank you to #NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy of #Junie.