This book has easily become my favorite of 2023. Although I had never read anything by Adrienne Young before, her storytelling completely captivated me. The character of June was so relatable that I found myself attached to her right from the beginning, which is a rare occurrence for me. The world-building and magic in the book were so well-written that I couldn't put it down. June's frustration at not knowing her past was palpable, and the twists and turns of her journey to uncover it were absolutely mesmerizing.

This was such an interesting and heartbreaking story. I definitely couldn't zone out while reading because there was so much important information. I loved it. June was so strong and all the other Farrow women worked so hard to keep secrets and keep each other safe.

Thank you very much to Random House- Ballantine, Delacorte Press, Adrienne Young and Netgalley for the E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of the most unique books I've read in 2023! An emotional love story mixed with elements of magical realism, science fiction, and mystery, this book kept me engaged from beginning to end.

June Farrow comes from a long line of women that seem to be cursed. June was raised by her grandmother after her mother abandoned her as an infant and disappeared due to mental illness, never to be heard from again. Following the death of June's grandmother, who descended into her own world of mental illness, June's own hallucinations that she has been experiencing magnify to a point where she can no longer ignore them. When her Gran's best friend, Birdie, presents her with information that her Gran left for her after her death, June embarks on a time traveling journey that not only forces her to face her hallucinations but also transports her to a completely different life she had no idea she had lived. The mysteries that unfold during this time travel cause June to face her biggest fears and discover answers to long held questions in her life.

This was a beautifully woven tale full of family, heart, emotion and hope. Every time I thought I had a twist figured out another turn came my way, keeping me guessing and compelling me to rapidly read the book. This was a magical story that showed there are no boundaries that can hold back love.

4/5 stars ⭐️

Absolutely read this! Her writing is so beautiful and her stories are always so unique. Primarily mystery, but with intriguing family dynamics and whimsical magic. I especially loved the female family dynamics in this one!

Of course there is a love story, and I really enjoyed it, but I appreciated that it wasn’t the sole focus. June was such a fleshed out character because we got to learn so much about her through her platonic and familial relationships as well.

I genuinely find myself thinking about this all the time since finishing it! Adrienne Young is becoming an auto-buy author for me.

A generational story with the twist of time travel. Adrienne Young always writes such captivating stories with such unique and woven characters.

The story follows June Farrow who lives in a small town in North Carolina. She begins to see and hear things and following her grandmother's death, decides to investigate the disappearance of her mother from thirty years ago. As she looks into the disappearance, she begins to learn more about the curse that all the Farrow women have. She makes new discoveries about a part of her life that she never knew existed.

For me, the story started off a bit slow, but picked up a few chapters in. I typically don't read magical realism, but the questions of the story kept me interested enough that I often found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next. There were times when I was confused as to how it was all coming together, so I found myself having to reread certain parts. I enjoyed reading about June and how she was coming into herself. I wish she had closure from one part of her life, but I can understand why that didn't happen. Even though it was a bit slow and confusing at times, I enjoyed the story for the most part.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is an addictive mystery with elements of fantasy and magical realism thrown in to the mix. The atmospheric writing and the immersive story line make this book hard to put down. The Farrow women have been cursed for many years and now June finds out once and for all what is really going on, forcing her to make a choice for her future. Time travel and romance for the win.

June Farrow comes from a long line of women who run a successful flower farm but are considered cursed by their community, cursed to be alone, and cursed to descend into madness. After June’s grandmother passes, June starts to put together clues to her family’s past but then finds herself in 1951, trying to balance finding a way back to 2023 and getting to the root of her family’s secrets.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is one of my top reads of 2023!!!! I could not put this book down as it had me guessing until the very last page! When I read, I see the story play out in my head, but no story is quite as vivid as those written by Adrienne Young!

Thank you, @netgalley and @randomhouse for the digital ARC of this book; this is my honest review.

The Unmaking of June Farrow was an amazing book with great twists and turns. Definitely enjoyable and unexpected. Adrienne Young had outdid herself yet again!

Wow, Adrienne Young can write a beautiful, emotionally compelling story!

June Farrow comes from a long line of women who, at some point in their lives, succumb to madness. She was left in tiny Jasper, North Carolina, as a baby wearing a strange locket around her neck by her mother, who then disappeared. Now June is sensing her own mind beginning to unravel. How else can she explain seeing things that aren’t there or hearing the man’s voice that sometimes whispers to her, and what is the mysterious red door that randomly appears to her every so often?

Furthermore, why does she have a photo of a man whose unsolved murder is still the talk of Jasper standing with her mother? Did they know each other?

All these mysteries bubble under the surface as June and her best friend Mason prepare for the end of her life as she’s known it. What she doesn’t know is that in many ways her story has just begun, and it’s even MORE complicated than she ever imagined! She finds out just how true that is after her Gran dies and Gran’s best friend Birdie hands June a letter and offers an urgent word of advice: “The next time you see the door, open it.”

What follows is a story of mystery, unexpected peril and suspense but, more importantly, a story of new beginnings, hope, family and true love. Young’s prose is gorgeous, vividly painting the scenes of the farmland, small town, historical details and characters in a way that transported me there in my mind. There’s nothing better than feeling like you’re part of the story, instead of passively watching it!

My one issue with the book, and this is a “me” problem - the story involves a time travel aspect that I just could NOT wrap my brain around, no matter how many times it was explained. The fact that I never quite made sense of it didn’t ruin my enjoyment, but I do think it was more complicated than it needed to be, and I suspect some may find it confusing as well.

The bottom line: if you love a beautifully written, immersive, atmospheric story with mystery, magical realism, a touch of romance and a time travel element, you may want to give this a try!

★★★★ ½

The Unmaking Of June Farrow is magical realism at its finest! This is my second novel by Adrienne Young and definitely not my last!

Ok so this book felt v familiar to me because I just read another similar time travel, magical realism type of thing but this one wins. Loved our main character and the romance (and I kept thinking things were going to go wrong eek!). There’s an adorable twist that totally sent my head spinning!

Adrienne Young has delivered yet another incredibly immersive tale of a young woman unraveling a larger question and finding love and herself along the path for answers. it poses many questions to the reader, the greatest of which being "what would you do for your family?"

I walked away from this story with a new appreciation for the women in my life that have shaped me into the young woman I am today, both in constructive and destructive ways. while the plot pacing was not perfect, it was still such a binge-able and beautiful read!

Another delightful, cozy, magical story from the brilliant mind of Adrienne Young. I loved the exploration of generational relationships, and internal reflection. I'll be thinking about this one for some time to come.

A beautifully written story about family, love, and magic. We don’t always get to choose the world we live in but Adrienne Young makes it feel like you do.

Twisty and beautifully written, another phenomenal book by Adrienne Young. I’ll never get over this magical side of asheville NC and how this book felt like reality while I read.

i don’t understand the timeline thing, like is it a cycle now? someone explain it to me. i just know that i wanted to cry the whole time reading this. it was somehow simultaneously heartbreaking and wholesome. and the romance!! it was different, it was broken glass, it was everything.

i did not enjoy spells for forgetting, but this book and the characters redeemed adrienne young for me. i wish we had more of the ending tho. i need eamon’s reaction, please.

anyway, i love this book and i still want to cry :(

and thank you netgalley for the arc!! ahhhh

The last I read of Adrienne Young's work was her Fable series, like many others. This novel's cover and title were very intriguing to me. By the time I'm writing this, the book has actually been released for a while but I only recently got around to writing this. The story had the same atmospheric writing as Fable but I felt the lovable characters and fast plot were left behind. It's not a bad book by any means, I'm just not sure I would ever go out of my way to recommend it to someone.

This book is magic and vibes and atmosphere and I loved every second!

Every woman in June’s family eventually goes mad, and June has come to accept this fate for herself. She copes by keeping everyone at arm’s length. But when visions and a mysterious door won’t leave her alone, she finds herself in the middle of a mystery that only she can solve.

This book started kind of slow for me but when it picked up, IT PICKED UP. I could not put this down. The beautiful writing paired with compelling characters - utter genius and beauty. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I put it down!

5/5 atmospheric stars!

Can I just tell you that THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW completely swept me away? Let’s keep things vague so you can be swept away too. The story begins with more questions than answers and a mystery was beautifully braided throughout these pages.

Here’s what you should know:
-Adrienne Young plays with time in a nostalgic and clever way
-The generations of unique Farrow women will utterly captivate you
-Like all great stories, there is a love of a lifetime

This story is completely original yet taps into age-old themes of sacrifice, womanhood, and the meaning of a life well lived. The audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley is truly something special and elevated my reading experience. Don’t sleep on this unforgettable story!

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)

Join Chapters & Chats for a virtual book club and author discussion with Adrienne Young on Thursday, January 18!