This book was amazing. As an avid fantasy reader who has consumed 40+ fantasy books this year, The Unmaking of June Farrow is one, if not the, fantasy book of the year for me (2023). The premise of the book is so imaginative and captivating. The character development was so good and I loved how the book came full circle for every single one of the main characters. I can already see myself thinking about this book for a long, long time.

If you are a fan of Addie LaRue, you’ll love June Farrow.

Thanks @netgalley for the e-arc of this book! It was fantastic! Five stars!

If you are a lover of fantasy set in the real world, then this unique book is for you. June Farrow works on her family's flower farm near Jasper, North Carolina, one that they have had for generations.

The Farrows have always been a little reclusive, for good reasons. They have a secret, an affliction that has been visited on the women in the family. June had hoped that it had passed over her, but lately she has been seeing and hearing things that aren't there and fears that it is her turn. Her turn to walk through the mysterious door to - where? Imagine being transported to a different place and time where you look like someone these people know - but it's all new to you and you can't explain why.

I received an e-arc of this book from Ballantine Books via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Adrienne Young has become one of my must-read authors. In both The Unmaking of June Farrow and Spells for Forgetting, there was something about her writing that felt soothing to me. Even during intense scenes, there’s a quiet calmness in her storytelling. Maybe it’s because the magic in those books is subtle - secondary to the characters.

The women in the Farrow family have a strange affliction causing them to lose touch with reality. June watched her grandmother become more and more distant before her death. And the whole town knows the story of how her mother Susanna disappeared, leaving baby June on Market Street.

June grew up knowing that one day, she too would be afflicted. But the expectation didn’t make the hallucinations any less terrifying. Or dreams that felt so real, like a memory, any less disturbing.

After her grandmother’s passing, June receives a photo and an address that reveal unbelievable family secrets. And a mysterious red door opens to the past.

Like Spells for Forgetting, The Unmaking of June Farrow includes a murder mystery and some shady town characters, mixing danger into the otherwise bucolic farm setting.

I don’t think I’ll spoil anything by saying that The Unmaking of June Farrow employs one of my favorite tropes - time travel. But the way the different time loops function in this story make me cross eyed with a headache. Best not to think about it too much and just enjoy the story.

his story was absolutely beautiful. Especially the cover, but Adrienne Young always has such amazing covers.
June Farrow is from a long line of woman who are cursed. Every woman in the family tends to descend into madness and June is determined to not have a fate like the woman before her. A solution to her is to not have any children so it doesnt pass. There are heavy family orientated vibes in this book especially between the woman at first and thats something I very rarely enjoy but I thoroughly enjoyed it here. The mystery was super good also. And the aspects of time travel I liked. I'm a sucker for time travel in books. At times this book had me crying and I'm super glad I could read it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Delacorte Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

As always Adrienne Young weaves a wonderful world that draws you in. Unfortunately, this one just did not do it for me at all. I could not connect with any of the characters and felt that, even though this is magical realism, things were a little too much of a reach. It was enjoyable, but it was just there for me.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine for an ARC of this book.

How is it possible that I was confused throughout this entire book and still don't understand most of the logistics of what happened, but I still absolutely adored it? Adrienne Young's writing is incredibly beautiful - I'd read a phone book if she wrote one.

I felt like I was right in the book with the way the settings were described, right alongside the characters that were so vividly explained so that they felt like long lost friends. There were many themes with this book but it didn't feel overwhelming or disjointed at all - just a twisted, weaving story of mystery, love, family and the choices we make. Absolutely beautiful.

My head hurts. To fully appreciate this book you need to concentrate, focus and pay attention to each timeline and even then I got confused. This is a brilliant lesson in the possible consequences of crossed timelines. The writing is beautifully descriptive of a Blue Ridge mountain community in Western North Carolina. Young captures the multigenerational demise of the Farrow women into not quite dementia but a fading away. But there is an alternate explanation and that is where things get very interesting, posing so many “what ifs”.

Love, loss, strong familial ties, insanity and curses, insular communities that breed antagonism and worse, a precarious line of what may be revealed and what has to stay hidden, so many things going on, all woven like a piece of twine which is finally unraveling. Amazing thought processes and writing and worth every minute.

Thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for a copy.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a captivating mystery that I could not put down. This book had me thoroughly stumped, grasping for clues with every page I turned. I have been a long-standing fan of Adrienne Young's work, but this has been my all-time favorite.

The main character is stubborn, but in a way that coincides with the plot. I felt like I was unraveling the story as June was. The dynamic between each of the characters was unique and well-developed. There was enough room in the novel for everyone's story, without anything feeling too overwhelming.

Overall, this has been one of my top reads for the year. Combining historical, fantastical, and mysterious aspects, Young builds a well-developed story that leaves readers wanting more.

As expected, I LOVED this book. It took a while for me to understand the time lapses but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment at all. My favorite part of the story is June herself. She was such an interesting character and I loved getting to live this through her view.

This was a well-written, mind-bending time travel story. I had trouble totally understanding the timing of the travel thread, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and read it in two days. 3.5 stars, rounded up

This was beautiful, a bit heartbreaking and a bit magical and overall had the perfect fall vibes. I tend to always enjoy magical realism and this one added some mystery to that which I found I really enjoyed. While I still have a lot of questions at the end from a how does this "system" work angle, I also have come to see that is not the point of many magical realism stories. Its more about the journey and the feels than the how of everything. I couldn't put this book down and I found it super engaging. The writing was beautiful and so descriptive that I felt I could see the scene unfolding before me. I have read 4 other books by this author and while they were totally different genre (pirate fantasy) I can say that I will read whatever she writes. She has a way of getting me invested in her main characters and making me feel like I am going on the adventure with them. I would highly recommend this book and its one I will keep thinking about and making up my own theories.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love that Adrienne Young branched out into Adult fiction instead of staying in YA and I enjoyed this one!

This is one of my favorite authors! Her books are so engaging and I loved the story. Thank you @netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this ebook!

This was a delight! I loved following the Farrow women and this novel had me questioning everything from start to finish. June is determined to find answers and the unfolding story about mothers and daughters was so heartwarming.

The small-town, fall vibe of this book is impeccable. I loved June’s relationships with her grandmother, her daughter, basically all the women. I will say I didn’t really buy her romance with Eamon but I didn’t mind the two of them together.

The time travel was a wild ride but Young did a great job explaining it! Overall I loved this one a lot more than her previous adult book and look forward to whatever else she writes.

This was just a gorgeous, complicated, compelling story - magical realism time-travel story wrapped around a mystery and will just twist your brain as you follow along. Young's writing is gorgeous and imaginative. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that this is a must-read.

What….. what did I just read? In the best way possible. My brain is still reeling trying to formulate this review. Young kept me in my toes with this one, for sure.

I don’t feel like there’s a good way to review this story without spoilers. The synopsis takes you up to, I want to say, 50%. But there were so many twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting. At all. At times I felt like I needed to take notes to try to map it out, but June was just as confused as I was so it worked. I do have questions I would love to ask the author, pertaining to the end of the story. There’s one piece I can’t wrap my mind around/can’t figure out.

Sidebar: I was getting “No Body No Crime” by Taylor Swift vibes. Slightly different take on it but literally was singing it along in my mind while reading.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves romance with a twinge of mystery. Fans of Outlander for sure would enjoy The Unmaking of June Farrow!

Thank you netgalley for providing this arc.

4.75 stars. This is a really well written mystery/murder mystery. It was all so interwoven in the best ways 🙏🙏🙏 at first all I wanted was for her to go back, but by the end I was hoping to ze gods she wouldn’t. Annie🥲🥲. Yeah, this was a really good book☹️☹️ Mason though😪 I feel so bad for him☹️

Adrienne Young has created a beautiful story about motherhood, love, and life’s difficult choices that I could not put down. Adrienne’s signature stunning prose is present, and this book dove into complicated family relationships in much more depth than any of her previous books.
For risk of spoilers I won’t discuss specific plot points, but if you enjoyed movies such as The Age of Adeline or The Time Traveler’s Wife, you will love this book. Also recommend to fans of magical realism, slow burn romance, and family dramas. One of my top favorite reads of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the earc.

This was my first Adrienne Young book, and I am obsessed! I absolutely loved it. Her writing style is amazing, I was not able to put this down once I started reading. I love when the writing style itself even has you enchanted by a book, and Adrienne Young did just that for me.

The setting of this book is also one of my favorite things. It was so beautiful and cozy. The very beginning of this book had me a book confused and worried, time-travel is always a concept that throws me off a bit, but it did not take long for me to become obsessed with this book.

I love when a book combines sci-fi and fantasy and this was so well done!

Adrienne Young never disappoints, and neither did The Unmaking of June Farrow. Young expertly weaves a tale of women stuck between two worlds and it's a very mind bending experience to read along. It's been awhile since I've read a book that left me feeling that way. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this book.