Wow, this was great. I haven't read a time travel book that actually had me guessing like this in a very long time. I would rank this up there with The Time Traveler's Wife in terms of genre, though it's a very different book.

June Farrow has grown up knowing the women in her family suffer from a mysterious illness that seems to drive them mad. No woman in her family has escaped its grasp. After her grandmother dies, and June's symptoms begin, she ends up on a journey to uncover her family secrets and learn the truth.

I think this book really benefited from me not knowing too much about it, so I would encourage you to pick this book up if you're looking for a good mystery, a book about family dynamics, small town politics, and farming (why am I so invested in farming now??). There is a romance element but I wouldn't shelve this as a romance. I really liked the romantic element, but I wasn't propelled along by it the way I would be when the romance is central to the novel. It's truly about June finding a way to reconcile with past mistakes (hers and her family's) and how to break her family's curse.

This was a page turner to the last page. Once I got going, I couldn't put it down. I liked Young's duology Fable/Namesake very much, but TUOJF was a tightly written story from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Delacorte Press for a free digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

It’s wonderful to have a new Adrienne Young book to read. Her latest is very much like “Spells for Forgetting,” and I’d be happy to see an adult magical realism novel from her every fall, although this one doesn’t hit quite as high a note.

There’s a cozy small town that has a darker undertone and a murder mystery to be solved by the end; there’s also some magic cursing the maternal bloodline, and a second chance romance. What’s different about “The Unmaking of June Farrow” is that the story doesn’t get into the thick of it until a decent way through.

Somewhat spoiler-y: while I enjoy time travel stories, I hate ones that get into the nitty-gritty of it, so my brain did not enjoy the explanations at the ending. I also didn’t feel the undying love between Eamon and June, as much as I desperately wanted to. “Spells for Forgetting” may have allowed more of that chemistry to build by being dual POV, whereas this is from June’s perspective only.

This is the perfect October witchy season read! I loved the atmospheric magical realism as well as the mystery involved.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Such a good light spooky vibes read for spooky season!

Generations of women, kinda witchy, kinda mysterious happenings, just good vibes all around in this book.

Adrienne Young continues to put out winners and I love that she is continuing to write in the adult space.

Adrienne Young’s second adult novel transfixed me just as much as her first “Spells for Forgetting”. The Unmaking of June Farrow was the perfect combination of magic, mystery and romance. Every chapter made me wonder what could possibly happen next and left me racing back to the book any chance I got. The curse of the Farrow women reminded me of “The Time Travelers Wife”, a novel I loved just as much. Overall a fantastic standalone mystery novel any reader could fall in love with.

Generational timelines. A family curse. Slight witchy vibes. This book had me in the first few pages.

I am an absolute fan of mysterious stories that follow generations of women. So, this book was an automatic win for me. It was also my first read from author Adrienne Young, and I will certainly be reading more.

This story follows June Farrow, a 30-something daughter of a long line of cursed Farrow women. Mysteriously thought their lives, all Farrow women are destined to meet their end as their minds gray and unravel. But before she meets that same fate, June has sworn to not carry on her family line, so she won’t be passing this curse to another unfortunate Farrow women. However, in backdrop of her life is the looming mystery of her mother Susanna’s disappearance - is she just another victim of the curses hold or is there more to the story of why she left June in an alley as a baby, never to be seen again? June might hold more of the answers than she knows. Follow along as she seeks to learn more, before her own minds unravels, with the help of the Farrow women that came before her, Susanna, Margaret, and Esther.

This book was mysterious and atmospheric and ever so slightly witchy. I found myself on the edge of my seat a a few places along the way and had a lot of fun trying to put pieces together before the answers were revealed. I highly recommend this read to any lovers of magical realism, generational stories, or those seeking a tale of romantic and familial mystery and love.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this incredible book.

June Farrow is living on borrowed time. Well, so history has told her. Even before June's mother Susanna's mysterious disappearance from their small hometown of Jasper, North Carolina, something has been odd about the Farrow women. But trying to put your finger on the Farrow women is like trying to catch smoke in your bare hands.

As June tries to set the murky past behind her and live a normal life, she's haunted by visions--things she's never seen but feel unnervingly familiar; voices she's never heard but stir something deep within her; a red door that seems to beckon her through its passageway. And so June makes a choice one fateful day in the wake of her grandmother's passing.

She opens the door, and she goes. And what awaits her on the other side is an unimaginable journey.

"The Unmaking of June Farrow" is made of the same wondrous, magical, and poignant stuff that "Spells for Forgetting" is, but somehow even more. This is the book, dear readers, that I have waited so very long for.

Ever since "Garden Spells," "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue," and yes, "Spells for Forgetting," I've longed for a book that weaves gorgeous atmosphere and a unique plot with the kind of soothing, powerful storytelling that so many stories today just can't seem to get right. And what Adrienne Young has penned in "June Farrow" is a sweeping, take-your-breath-away tale that defies the confines of time to bring you the story of a family that you will never, ever forget.

To divulge too much of this complex, bewitching, but perfect plot is to spoil the magic within. Go in as blind as can be, open your mind, and let yourself be swept away by this enchanting book. This is already one I so badly wish I could read again for the first time because it reminds me why I fell in love with reading so long ago.

Grab a blanket and a mug of herbal tea, find a crackling fire, and get to reading. This is my book of the year, and it may just be yours, too.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I’m always a sucker for a good time travel novel and this one didn’t disappoint! Add in a good love story and I was hooked. I loved following June Farrows adventures and the little twists that kept me thinking

This was a wonderful feel good read! I enjoyed the mystery of the main character June’s family and how she came to unravel the truth about herself and her family. The mystery behind it kept me guessing as I wasn’t totally sure what was really happening to the women in her family. The feeling of family and love was perfectly captured in this book. This was the perfect book to start out my fall reads as it had a cozy witchy vibe (technically I don’t think they are witches though).

I’ll be honest in saying that this book started a bit slow for me. I was reading the words on the page, but wasn’t fully engaged in the story. Then, June walked through the red door…..

This story takes you on an atmospheric journey of heartbreak and hope, and shows us how love truly can transcend time.
Magical realism, mystery, strong familial bonds and romance. Adrienne Young really has given us everything, and it’s all laid out beautifully between two covers!

Specials thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this EARC.

Where to even begin?? This was one of the most twisty bending dark kind of book you can get your hands on!
I appreciated all the jaw-dropping moments that came along, such a fun rollercoaster ride.. would love to "re-read it for the first time" kind of feeling!

I had a load of fun guessing what the outcomes were and the execution of these were just *chef's kiss". PLEASE read it for yourself!
You will not be disappointed!!!

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley and the publishers AND ESPEICALLY the author for serving up this magnificent story.

This was such an interesting and unique story, loved the writing style! reading this felt like watching a movie play out in my head and I was constantly left curious about the storyline and how it would end. (Very pleased with the ending also!) Great book for fall, has a good balance of mystery, elements that are both eerie and mystical, and a time travel/multiple timeline situation. I feel like this is the kind of book I could pick up so much more from if I were to read it a second time! I'll be honest, I'm still a little confused about the logistics of a particular element (maybe I will be able to digest this better as I reflect on the book). Other than that I truly enjoyed this story and looked forward to reading it!

The Unmaking of June Farrow

You know when you finish a book and you can feel it haunting you, in the very best way? Like that story will always live inside of you, like it took a piece of your soul and now you and it are forever entwined?

I love this book so much. I purposefully didn’t read the synopsis and it was so fun going in blind and being completely swept away. The relationships are next level. The storytelling, as always with Young, is masterful. I highlighted so many beautiful passages and I can’t wait until the book is released so I can annotate a hard copy.

There was one element of the story I didn’t like because it did work out how I *wanted* it to but that’s on me.

Content: death of a loved one, grief, vague open door romance (we are in the room but no body parts are described) one f-word

I love Adrienne Young’s writing and this incredible, well-constructed masterpiece is just so indicative of her amazing storytelling!

This novel reads like a beautiful movie. The scenes just flow by, magically transporting you through two different eras in the tiny town of Jasper, North Carolina where a young woman struggles to learn about the fate of her mother and to end a curse that preys upon the women in her family.

This is the kind of novel that it’s best to go into completely blind but just know that a very surprising and satisfying story awaits you!

The writing is absolutely riveting, suspenseful, touching, and romantic. The setting of the Blue Ridge Mountains becomes a character in itself lending to a magical and atmospheric reading experience. And although the events take place entirely in summer, this book definitely has the cozy vibes of the best autumnal stories!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an early advanced copy. I look forward to reliving this story again once the audiobook publishes and in the many rereads to come.

This was absolutely the perfect kick-off book for fall reading. The Unmaking of June Farrow had everything in it that I didn't even know I was wanting. A little bit of magic? Check. A little bit of a mystery? Check. A little bit of a romance? Check. A family of women curse to all slowly go insane? Check. I would have never predicted that last one would pull me in but it was a fantastic plot.

The Unmaking of June Farrow starts after the death of June's beloved grandmother. All of the Farrow women are cursed to go insane at some point in their lives through seeing visions. June's "sickness" has already started and been going on for a year when her grandmother passes. What follows is June's search for answers to what is happening to her, what happened to the women before her, and is there any possible cure.

I enjoyed Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young so I was curious to read another story from her. This one was fantastic. I finished it in 24 hours because I had to know how the book would end. While the characters didn't have a ton of range or growth, the plot was so fascinating. It was a solid 4 starts from me because of the fall vibes and the way it kept me totally hooked.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

To say this book is brilliant would be an understatement. If I didn't have other obligations, I would've read this book in one sitting without moving. At every turn of this book, I thought, I know what's going to happen next. And the most opposite thing would happen. This combination of a second chance love and almost murder mystery vibe made for one of the best books I've read this year. I've read other Adrienne Young books, Sky in the Deep being one of my all time favorites, but I'm seriously considering this one taking it's place.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young!

‘A woman risks everything to end her family’s centuries-old curse, solve her mother’s disappearance, and find love in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting.
With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.’

Damn😳

This is a love story shrouded in mystery and wrapped in this sort of twisted, tragic, heartbreaking sort of magic. Or a curse perhaps…. But there’s this beauty to it too; altering and curative. Balmy.

I feasted on this book.

I set my current reads aside to start reading this one as soon as the approval email from NG hit my inbox.

And I plowed through it. Not because I was in a hurry, but because it consumed me and I simply could. not. stop.

But I have every intention of reading it again, because I feel like this one should be savored, (like a fine wine? Idk, i don’t drink wine🥴) and read at a calm, leisurely pace; to soak it all in, to understand all of the glorious eccentricities it has to offer. And because the chronology may be perplexing at times.

Regardless, the writing is rich and just damn delectable. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. I’ll be thinking about this book for a while. It definitely leaves its mark🙌🏼

Go. Read. It!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 10.17.23.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review..

I absolutely LOVED this novel. I couldn't put it down once I started. It wasn't just a mystery, wasn't just a romance, wasn't just a sci-fi/fantasy but a cohesive mixture of all of the above plus more. The writing was some of the best I've read all year, the characters had depth and layers to them, the atmosphere and settings were descriptive and believable. The story was original and exciting. It wasn't convoluted like how some fantasy stories can be. The ending was satisfying and fit the story perfectly. I seriously have not loved a book as much as this one in a long time. Please do yourself a favor and read it!

This was my first from Adrienne Young but it will not be my last!

I didn't know quite what to expect when I started reading The Unmaking of June Farrow, I couldn't predict much of what the plot might be from the book description, but I was interested and excited to read the latest from Adrienne Young. When I first started reading, I will say I found it a little slow for me. I prefer a lot of dialogue and struggle when there is a lot of descriptions, which the first couple of chapters were heavy in. That being said the prose was beautiful, Adrienne's writing paints such a beautiful picture.
The deeper I got into the book, the more I fell absolutely more and more in love. As the plot unfolded, I unearthed layers of mystery and plot twists, some that I predicted, some that I did not see coming. This book gripped me to the point I binge read the last 50% in one day, which is something I rarely do. This book was THAT good. I loved the main character, and I loved Eamon (was I the only one who pictured him as Aidan Turner?) and how their relationship developed and unfolded.
Literally the only two reasons why I'm not rating it a full 5-stars is the slow first couple of chapters, and one small detail in the last chapter I wanted a little more clarification on.
If you love stories about small towns and their secrets, family mysteries, time travel/multi-timelines, romance, and murder mystery, you will LOVE this book. I am recommending it to everyone I know who reads.