A mind bending murder mystery with a lovely dose of love story. I don't want to describe this story too much as I don't want to give anything away.

I've really enjoyed Young's venture into adult lit but I think her YA is outstanding!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Adrienne Young has become a go-to author when I’m in the mood for a cozy fantasy with immersive imagery and a bit of romance. The Unmaking of June Farrow is all that with a side of small town politics, a mysterious disappearance to be solved and a family curse!

This is definitely one of those books where I would encourage the reader to go in blind to more fully enjoy the experience. But I will say this much, The Farrow women are cursed! June Farrow was left to be raised by her grandmother who works their family flower farm in Jasper, North Carolina. Years ago, June’s mother Susanna was seen walking into the forest, never be seen again. Her mother’s unexplained disappearance is still the talk of the town. The town’s people all speculate that she went mad, just like all the other Farrow women as far back as they can remember.

The Unmaking of June Farrow Is the perfect Fall read with enough mystery and intrigue to fit your October mood! Bonus if you love a book set in the mountains of North Carolina!


My genuine thanks to the author @adrienneyoungbooks, @NetGalley and @DelacortePress for the gift of an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.

June Farrow has spent her life knowing that all of the Farrow women will eventually fall to the same mental illness. What she hasn't told anyone is that it has already started for her.

Wow! Young is one of my top authors now. I ate up Spells for Forgetting last year and went into this one expecting greatness, and that is what I got. This book is so well laid out with characters that you feel for immediately. This book bridges magical realism, fantasy, mystery, and romance so skillfully. And it really is all of those genres. As with Spells, this book has a magical quality to the prose that makes it feel otherworldly as you read.

I don't want to give too much away because this is one of those books you should go into blind. Don't let anyone spoil it for you! Just be prepared for a magical ride.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

I was totally entranced by this book! I loved every part of it! It is a story following the life of June Farrow. The Farrow women all have a curse where they lose their mind. June is dealing with the death of her grandmother when she begins to show signs of this madness. This story shows you that love will conquer all! This was such a sweet mystery that will have you asking so many different questions! I could picture the small town of Jasper, NC in the past and present! I just cannot say enough about how much I just loved this book!! Also it’s a BOTM!! I highly recommend it!!
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Read this book if you love witchy vibes, small town atmosphere, a true love story, time traveling and a mystery that will have you turning those pages!

Adrienne Young’s writing is truly fantastic. I haven’t read a book of hers I didn’t adore! I really don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away but I have never read anything like this.

This book is nothing like what I expected; there is so much more fantasy and wonder and complexity. I love the way Adrienne Young blends magical realism with mystery. Everything was so unpredictable and the story as a whole was so unique.

The vibes are immaculate. It’s seriously the perfect read for this time of year. I really recommend this as a cosy, autumnal read as we begin to leave the spooky season behind.

I Instantly fell in love again! I mean I love Adrienne’s work and knew this wasn’t going to be short of amazing, so I instantly fell in and was hooked. The imagery and imagination that comes from this author just has me hooked from the get-go.

The Farrow women are cursed… or to be exact they are claimed by a madness of seeing and hearing things. June Farrows mother left as a baby to be raised by her grandmother and work their thriving flower farm. On the day of her grandmothers funeral, she sees a mysterious figure of a man. She knows the family curse is happening to her; the curse she hopes no one notices so she isn’t considered mad herself. But she soon discovers clues that could lead her to her mother and her disappearance. But the more she digs the more she can’t tell what’s real or part of her imagination. All June knows is that the curse has to end with her.

Take Practical Magic meets The Witching hour and I felt I’ve read a whole new take on magic that courses through oneself. This story has time travel, that fun red door we shy away from in our dreams, and a mix of sci-fi and fantasy. The characters and the depth just make it that much more.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Adrienne’s Fable, but this might be my favorite of hers yet. You have so many things mixed into such imagery and imagination. My heart felt for the Farrow women and the depth of family and relationships. I think I like her take on the mystery aspect as well. It definitely was a fresh voice.

As I stated before, this book was hard to put down once it was opened. From page one you’re immersed into June’s world and it didn’t disappoint! Perfect for the little magic we have in all of us!!!

4.5 ⭐️ stars!
The Unmaking of June Farrow was completely a whole new world of its own and I am here, captivated, easily attached and enjoying every second of every page!

A story of revenge, of family secrets and of trust. A tale of a magical time changing fantasy of Farrow women over the years. A mother’s love and married couple’s commitment that crosses timelines. This book was unpredictable, unique, unbelievably stunning that grip my emotions all the way through! The characters, specially June- were so easy to love and to root for. The conflicts were at the right blend and the ending was sweet!

I am loving Adrienne Young, its my third read of her work and I can’t wait to explore this author more. Special thank you to Adrienne Young, Random House/ Delacorte Press via Netgalley for both advance e-copy and audio book to review. Brittaney Pressley is one among the best narrators in the audiobook world and she was the perfect voice to give June life! This was a perfect read for October.

This is not just a story of a very peculiar family of women, this is four generations of women's sacrifices as mothers, home makers and caregivers. This is the ties that truly bind and the connections we make in our own little worlds and our seasons of change. A unique and yet relatable story of accepting your choices and working through your seasons. I laughed and cried and it made me ache to hug my mother and grandmother. I can't stop thinking about this book. It was fun, fantastical and truly emotional. Add to that the fact that June finds true and honest love that supports her in the midst of her "losing herself". The comeback was epic and this was in my opinion a story that needed to be told and needs to be read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fantastic! I have read all of this authors books and I have liked them all. But this one! I think this is Adriennes best work and my new favorite book!
Beautifully detailed and poetic. There is so much packed in this book! Mystery, fantasy and a whisper of romance wieved into a story of parellels and time travel. I hung on every word!

I'm going to be the really odd one out on this-because I dnf. I tried twice to finish it, the second time after reading all the positive reviews. I was so so confused and then June's grandmother (?) Esther explained what happens to women in the Farrow family and it made absolutely no sense to me. The basic idea- that the women exist in more than one space and that they can go back and forth in time by walking through a red door that appears in the middle of a field (woods, etc) isn't hard to comprehend. It was the other stuff, the idea that the women can cross only so many times and that June had- I just got lost in the explanation. If June had been better fleshed out in the early pages it might have been different but she wasn't. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I know others think this is terrific but it didn't captivate, entrance, or engage only annoyed.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Spells for Forgetting, but this wasn't my favorite.

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young is an adult magical realism novel. 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 plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors. It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own. After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’s decades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

I think it's safe to say that Young is good at writing books with magical realism, as it perfectly matches her bejewled writing style. But at time, it was a little too over the top and caused confusion in what exactly was happening. Which is what caused me to be pulled out of the story when all of the story's strings were supposed to be tied up at the end. I think I just wasn't in the right mood for this, but it was still a solid read.

Have you ever read a book and felt completely satisfied? The Unmaking of June Farrow was like that for me. It is magically created, with strong characters, and an astonishing story. That will grab your attention and rivet you to your reading spot. Not allowing you to stop no matter what is occurring around you. The descriptions and the details allow your imagination to fly. Taking in the smell of the dark, rich earth, the sunlight bouncing off blonde hair, the scent of flowers filling your nose, the rushing water reaching your ears. Adrienne Young is a wizard with her pen, and I am here for all of it.

June Farrow has just lost her Gran. It is a crushing blow that has led her to push through the days. Her friends and family are there for her. But something is missing and something has been occurring that she has hidden. The Farrow women are cursed. They go mad, and June believes her time has come. She keeps hearing and seeing things that are not there. What is going on with her? Is this what happened to her mother before she disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again? There is a red door that appears out of nothing. What is with the door?

I do not want to tell you too much, just know that you need to read this book! You must read this book. It will fill you up with so much love. The mystery of what is occurring will have your mind whirling a million miles an hour. You will be transported to Jasper, North Carolina. You will be able to take in the trees blowing in the wind, the ladybug's slow walk, the smell of smoke gently on the breeze. Thank you to Adrienne Young and Delacorte Press for this phenomenal read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review. And boy am I beyond glad that I got to have this ARC--the Unmaking of June Farrow is one of the best books I've read this fall. While it has a bit of a slow start, once the ball on the mystery gets rolling the plot is propulsive. Young's hand at moving through timelines is unparalleled, and the relationships between characters are beautifully rendered. An absolutely fantastic October read!

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young is one of the most whimsical time travel stories I've ever read.

Set in the small town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is the last of her family name, or so she hopes. For generations, the Farrow women have been plagued by madness and she knows it's only a matter of time before she joins her ancestors in the cemetery on the hill. We meet June in 2023 at the end of her Gran's life. Her Gran raised her and ultimately succumbed to the family illness. When June starts to feel her own grip on reality slip away, she gets a package from her Gran that quite literally begins (or undoes?) her unmaking.

Without giving too much away, June follows a metaphorical trail of breadcrumbs across space and time to uncover who she really is and where she really comes from. She'll have to answer for the sins of the past before she can figure out what comes next. And which side of the century she stands on may determine the future of the entire Farrow line.

I absolutely LOVE a time travel story. Throw in a little romance, a little danger and a lot of mystery and you've really got me. This book captured all of that -- and more. June was such a complete character. Her relationships with the many women in the Farrow family were deep and often searing. Her love interest(s) only deepen our understanding of June as a person both then and now (though what really is "now"). For me, this story comes down to choices.

There were so many twists and turns and I must admit I lost the thread of the time travel more than once. I started to write down a little time line for myself because I was getting lost in time myself. Again, without the risk of spoiling things, the ending felt a little murky to me. I'm not entirely sure if timelines end or merge or fray forever -- and maybe that's ok!

All in all, this book has my own timeline looking a little less certain. When will my red door appear and who (or what) is waiting for me on the other side?!

I loved this book! This was my first Adrienne Young novel, and it was phenomenal. I was immediately invested in June and her family’s story of the Farrow women’s curse. It was a beautifully crafted story full of tension, love, time travel, family, and mystery. It was woven together so well. Every twist and turn had me wishing I could read faster to learn more about what happened and if/when June will remember it. I keep trying to figure out the right word to describe this book, and I keep coming back to the word romantic. I was enthralled to the story of Eamon and June with Annie, Margaret, etc. All of the familial love and ties. All of the longing and tethering together of June and Eamon. All of the connections. All of the mystery around the murder of Nathaniel. All of it. Stunning.

Wow am I so thankful I received an ARC of this novel! When I say I was enthralled by this spellbinding tale—I mean ENTHRALLED! Young has the most captivating way of bringing you into a story and flowing through a woven tale in a beautiful way. The mystery of the Farrow women, the secrets that slowly unravel, the revelations, and the beauty that comes from it all was just lovely, mysterious, and captivating. I enjoyed every minute of this book, trying to figure out the truth along with June, and, without any spoilers—absolutely falling in love just as she did. A wondrous tale I believe I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Well done!

This was my first book by this author and I am honestly so impressed by it. The way she took romance, mystery, magical realism and some thriller and wove them all together to work seamlessly was just amazing. I’ve never read a book quite like this- with multiple time loops involving only the females of the Farrow family. I wasn’t sure about it at first, I honestly thought June was just delusional and grieving her Gran’s death. But once I got around the 40% mark, I was hooked and needed to know what happened. So much is explained and the ending does not disappoint. This was a great fall read.

I was lucky enough to be able to read an advance copy of this book.

It had all of the elements I love in a book and kept me interested from the first page. Mystery, sci-fi, and romance.

The way you have to keep reading, because you can’t wait to figure out what’s happening and how it happened.

This book is a perfect fall book to snuggle down with if you’re looking for a great read!

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t even fully read the synopsis before starting this book. I had really enjoyed Spells For Forgetting last year and was excited to jump into Young’s 2nd adult book. Because I went in completely blind, the plot really shocked me (in a good way!) This book WENT THERE with the impossible and I really encourage others to go in blind as well.

I don’t want to say too much and give anything away, but I really like how this played out. It was a little messy and confusing but so so fun. There’s a mystery, some romance, and memories play their part as well.

At first, I was feeling a little bit the same about this book as I did about Spells For Forgetting - that it felt YA and I had a hard time believing the character was as old as they are stated to be. But once the big shift in the story happens, those feelings vanished and I was able to sink into the story.

A great, unique, entry into this in-between genre of light fantasy in a real world setting, mystery, and romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel. This was the first book by this author that I read and I absolutely loved it. Young's writing is very evocative. Every time an author makes me feel like I am inside the book (smelling, seeing and touching the same things the characters are), it is a mark of an incredible writer. Young is such an author. I was also amazed by the level of detail that she uses in describing the life on a farm in the 1950s - from farming techniques to the daily life of a family. It was fascinating. I also really liked the main character. Oftentimes, when a novel is written from the point of view of one character, I get frustrated with the decisions they make (or their indecision), and this was not the case for me with June Farrow - she was very relatable, and I could understand her choices in every single instance.

In terms of the overall plot, this is part historical fiction, part fantasy, part murder mystery and part romance. So I think it will appeal to a lot of readers. We follow June Farrow who lives on a flower farm in North Carolina. Everyone in town knows that there is something not quite right about Farrow women. First of all, each woman always has just one daughter, and all the Farrow women eventually succumb to some sort of "madness" or mental illness where they see and hear things that are not there. Now, I do want to give a trigger warming, if someone in your family suffers from a mental illness such as dementia, schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder, in the beginning of the book, it very much looks like this is what is going on. However, the plot quickly makes a turn into the fantastical and we realize that it is not a mental illness that we are dealing with.

Without giving any spoilers, I thought the plot was great, I also liked how the book ended. It is a bit mind-bending at times. I highly recommend it and am looking forward to reading more from Adrienne Young.