While this is a slower paced book, I never felt bored.

June lives in 2023 with her grandmother. Her family is cursed, passed on from daughter to daugter and June has sworn that the curse will die with her. Their minds unravel and June never knows why until it starts to happen to her. When she goes through "the door," things begin making more sense and she realizes what she has to do to end the curse.

This is a mind bending love letter to the multigenerational care between mothers and daughters and their mothers and daughters disguised as a romance novel.

It took me a little while to get into this book. I put it down and picked it back up twice before I got into it, around 25%. But once June's adventure gets off of the ground, I just had to know more.

This isn't quite sci-fi and not quite magical realism. As others have said, it reads like a black mirror episode but without the sinister tone those normally hold. (Think more on the San Junipero side of the spectrum if you are a BM fan)

The science fiction of it all is probably why I am struggling to give it a full 5 stars. You and June spend most of this book confused, trying to put the pieces together. The way everything pans out makes sense but I am still unsure about the technicalities. If I had a physical copy of this book, I would probably be flipping back and forth trying to make it click in my head but I am reading on a kindle and, as we know, flipping around is not the easiest.

Even though it didn't hook me right away, I wound up really liking it and I am glad I stuck with it. I am trusting the author here that it all the technicalities check out and I look forward to the debates that will happen when this is fully published!

Thankful to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honesty review!

Young does a phenomenal job once again with her second adult novel. We follow the story of June Farrow as she uncovers the madness that plagues her family and uncovers plans that someone in her family set in motion in the year 1950. Set along the Blue Ridge Mountains, this is the perfect story to close out summer with and welcome fall. Perfect for fans of Addie LaRue or the Time Travelers Wife.

Once I started this book, it was impossible to put down. From the first chapter, I was fully invested and had to know what happened next. I've never read this author before, but I will definitely be reading more by her because this book was SO GOOD. The moment I finished the book, I missed it because the experience of reading it was magical. The writing was so engaging and I literally have no notes.

I don't want to say too much about the plot or what kind of magic this book contains, because I really enjoyed unraveling the story as June did. I fell in love with all the characters, and their family. The romance in this book was so sweet, but I definitely wouldn't have said no to more.

You definitely will not regret picking this book up, it was one of those books that feels short because so much is happening.

Thank you to Random House and Delacorte Press for this ARC.

✨ARC Review✨

“I had only one ambition in my simply built life, and that was to be sure the Farrow curse would end with me.”

“I’m not sick, honey. I’m just in two places at once.”

I absolutely went head over heels in love with Adrienne Young’s first adult novel last year, and when I heard about this one, I knew without a doubt it would be one of my most anticipated reads this year. The threads of magical realism that Young interweaves into both of her adult novels is unmatched.

June Farrow is the last of the Farrow name after Margaret Farrow’s passing. It is no secret that June’s mother went missing shortly after giving birth. There is mystery surrounding her disappearance, although it is believed to be due to the curse of the Farrow women. June soon realizes she is having “episodes” or is “sick” like her mother and grandmother were.

Mystery, time lapses, fraying parallel threads, a magical red door, love, family, and strong relationships pull together that poetic, lush prose that Young brings so magnificently in her adult works. This one is another must read for the Fall season!

What’s On The Pages:
-small town
-family curse
-mystery
-a red door
-a family flower farm
-magical realism
-romance

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A special thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this eARC! The Unmaking Of June Farrow is out October 17th!

Slow to start but once I got into it, maybe halfway, I couldn’t put it down. I had to know how it would end. Well done! Thanks for the arc, all opinions are my own.

I think this is officially my new favorite Adrienne Young book. Think magical realism and small town mystery. Generations of Farrow women have been cursed and June is determined for it to die with her. But the journey is not what she expected. Will she be able to do what is necessary when the time comes?

This book was full of twists and turns. I gasped and cried and I can’t wait to get my physical copy. You must add this to your TBR!!! Adrienne does it again!

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the e-ARC!

Review: The Unmaking of June Farrow
Author: Adrienne Young

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Wow. What just happened?! This was a mix of fantasy/ sci-fi that I didn’t know how much I needed.

I almost don’t want to say too much because part of the magic of this book is you truly don’t know what’s going on while you’re reading. So you truly feel surprise, shock, and heartbreak.

There was also some lovely prose in this book that made my eyes instantly tear.
I am just totally blown away.

This was a stunning read.

June is a young girl that just wants to live her life, but with an ancient old family curse, she finds out she must break, and her grandmothers death, June’s life is anything but normal. A cute challenging story and must read

What started as casually reading a few chapters before bed quickly turned into staying up until 3am to finish this captivating masterpiece.

There is something about Adrienne’s writing that is so comforting it feels like coming home - cozy small towns, deeply atmospheric, fierce heroines, and romance that reads like poetry. In all Adrienne books, there is an ethereal quality to the magic and mystery she weaves, which wholly bewitches, transports, and captivates her readers. In June Farrow, Adrienne delivers her signature timeless, enchanting, magical prose we have come to know and love in this story of love, family, sacrifice, and female relationships.

The magic was unique, but SO Adrienne. If you’ve read her previous work, her magic and spells embody a familiar quality that is simply exquisite. I was so excited when Adrienne announced that June Farrow would dabble with time! Adrienne skillfully played time in a way that created suspense and propelled the story forward, making it impossible to put down (reminder: I stayed awake until 3am), then seamlessly brought all these threads together to deliver a breathtaking generational story of mothers and daughters and the lengths we go to for those we love.

What I love most about Adrienne’s storytelling is how it cannot be contained to a single genre, but touches on several - fantasy, sci-fi, romance, mystery, thriller. Yet again, Adrienne masterfully weaves together all these components, which speaks to how well written her books are. Through The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne’s writing will take you on an emotional, epic journey that will leave you breathless and your heart so full. I have read all of Adrienne’s books and can easily say this is a new favorite!

Full Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so magical, and I’m so mad at myself for not starting it sooner. I had been in a reading slump, and this book helped pull me out of it.

This is by far the best book I’ve read by Adrienne Young. I am a huge fan of second chance romances, but this book was so much more than that; it’s about family and righting past wrongs.

I would highly recommend—5 stars!

The curse that has plagued the Farrow women for generations has finally captured June Farrow.  She has been experiencing hallucinations for some time and knows it’s only a matter of time it will consume her. The town of Jasper has seen what the so called “madness” can do to these women. One event being the disappearance of June’s mother. This curse has just taken her grandmother too and it’s accelerating, leaving June to question what is real and what isn’t, especially when it comes to the red door that randomly appears. June has held back from living a full life because of this curse, but now is determined to stop it and find out what happened to her mother. Instead of fearing the red door, June is ready to walk through it.
 
 Adrienne Young’s writing style brought this novel to life for me. I could imagine the beauty of the Jasper countryside and the flower fields on the Farrow family farm. June and the other characters embodied strengths and weaknesses we can all relate to. The story has mystery, romance and heartbreak. Yet, time-travel was something I never suspected. I don’t want to give anything away, but those moments behind the red door are vivid and complex. This novel is magic and you will feel so many emotions while reading it.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press for this ARC.

Adrienne Young, the brilliant mind behind the beloved "Spells for Forgetting," has done it again!

Set against the backdrop of the charming mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, the story follows June Farrow, a young woman born into a family known for their thriving flower farm and an age-old curse that has cast a shadow over their lives. Haunted by her mother's disappearance and raised by her grandmother, June grapples with her own strange experiences—faint wind chimes, a beckoning voice, and a mysterious door that defies explanation. As the signs point toward a destiny she's always sensed, June is resolute in her determination to break the curse and uncover the truth about her mother.

As with her previous novel, Adrienne Young's prose is pure magic. She seamlessly blending the ordinary with the extraordinary in a way that transports readers into a world where mystery dances with romance and reality intersects with the fantastical. The lush descriptions of the flower farm and the small-town atmosphere evoke a sense of place that feels both familiar and enchanting, drawing you deep into the heart of Jasper. But what truly sets "The Unmaking of June Farrow" apart is the tender, star-crossed romance that blooms amidst the mystery. Young's portrayal of love is both achingly real and profoundly magical, reminding us that the threads of fate are often woven with emotions that transcend the limits of time and space.

I loved everything about this book! The characters, story and writing are all great. It more than held my attention throughout, it’s so immersive. I loved all the descriptions. When I wasn’t reading, I couldn’t wait to get back to it. Thank you netgalley and Random House for the egalley!

There were things I really enjoyed about this book, and then a few things that prevented me from entirely loving it. It's definitely more of a 3.5 stars than a flat 3. Objectively there were a lot of great things about it, but perhaps it just wasn't for me! The writing was top notch as is always the case with Adrienne Young's books. The atmospheric descriptions, the pacing, the dialogue, everything was wonderful. I found the main character to be really likeable and found myself rooting for her the entire time.

I wasn't expecting this to be a time travel story, and I think that threw me off. Idk if it was because I mostly caught on to the twists early and was hoping for something different? While I wouldn't class this as a romance, love was certainly a big theme. The actual love story felt a tad underwhelming though due to the nature of events. I almost think additional pages or more flashbacks would have helped me connect better with that aspect. I also felt so awful for a certain character and many of the implications and explanations at the end just left me feeling very sad lol. I kept hoping for this one character to play a bigger role or be implicated in some way but they were kinda left in the dust. I felt sad about the end and resolution but not in the intended way. I also felt that there would be so many life adjustments and changes that a person would encounter going on the journey our protagonist goes on, but she seems entirely unbothered. So overall, I am glad I read this because it was an interesting story and admittedly impossible to put down. The plot and resolution, however, weren't my absolute favourite.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

I love Adrienne Young. Her writing is so beautiful and lyrical, and I think magical realism suits her wonderfully.

With Spells For Forgetting, I felt like the protagonists felt like 30 year old YA characters - this has improved a bit but is still there somewhat. I think part of that my be the first person POV.

I still love her books though.

Adrienne Young has become an automatic read author for me. I went in to this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. This had a pretty slow start for me until I was more than a third of the way through and then suddenly I wanted nothing more than to keep reading. Do I have questions about the story? Most definitely. Would I have question about the story if I read it again? Absolutely! Was it a unique and amazing story? You know it!
Adrienne Young will continue to be an auto read for me!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest review

This is my first foray with Adrienne Young's writing, so I admittedly went in a little blind. "The Unmaking of June Farrow" is a unique blend of time travel fantasy/magical realism mixed in elements of mystery and romance.

In present day, June Farrow is coming to terms with the recent passing of her grandmother, Margaret. For June, who was abandoned by her mother Susanna as an infant and raised by her grandmother, it's a particularly heavy blow, even with the support of the community around her, including her good friend Birdie and childhood friend Mason. Adding to the complication is the fact that June is beginning to see and hear hallucinations - strange figures, voices, a door - over the past year, a "madness" that she knows has inflicted the women in her family for decades. However, June learns this is not just her imagination and comes to learn the truth about her mother thanks to a photo of her from over a century back, coupled with some shocking revelations from Birdie. When June finally steps through the door that has been appearing, she realizes that there is a completely different timeline that she once existed in and must make a difficult decision about her own path forward.

Young's writing is compelling and atmospheric, especially given the different time periods she takes June (and readers) through. I'm not a typical reader of the fantasy genre however, so felt that the extent of world-building and the seemingly random rules about time travel (setting the hands of a locket watch to the year you want to travel to, having a limit to the times one can enter the door, etc.) to be more of a nuisance. The story is written from June's first person perspective as well, and while I think this benefitted the novel in the first half, I struggled to empathize with her later on as there didn't seem to be much character development or additional depth. The additional elements of romance felt forced and unnecessary as well although, again, it's not a genre I typically gravitate towards.

I feel like there was a lot of potential in the initial premise - expanding the themes to showcase how overlooked/unheard women's voices are, mental health, the impact of generational trauma, etc. - that didn't get fully realized throughout this story.

This may be my favorite Adrienne Young book so far. This book follows June Farrow through the death of her grandmother and the mystery of why all the Farrow women get "sick" with a mental illness akin to what people would probably have called hysteria. This book has it all. Romance, time travel, sacrifice, family, murder mystery; the best of Adrienne in my opinion.

I am so glad Adrienne stepped out of the YA genre (although, please don't stop- I need more of the Narrows) because otherwise we would not have gotten this amazing story. You very quickly and easily get pulled into Adrienne's writing and story telling; her characters are easy to love and the storyline of this book just constantly leaves you wanting for me; almost un-put-downable, if you will. My day consisted of thinking of June and the Farrow women. While not explicitly fantasy, I was pleasantly satisfied with the time travel component- very Outlander-esque. You will not be disappointed if you read this book.

So Adrienne Young is officially on my must-buy author list! Once again I am obsessed with this! I loved June and seeing her solve the mystery of her family’s insanity. I adored Birdie, June, Eamonn and Ester, and the whole gang. Though the setting of the town of Jasper had an intriguing slightly spooky vibe. I liked the mystery and all the twists and how June managed to conclude her family’s story. I do wish we got to see Eamon and June interact a little more and see more of their relationship in general, The book is very much more focused on June’s mystery rather than her connection but I still managed to fall for all the supporting characters in this little community. I don’t want to spoil anything but like I said I am obsessed and will need to go get a physical copy asap. 10/10