A delightful, meditative fantasy mystery with a dash of romance. This truly surprised me with how invested I became in the characters—my only fault with it is that I think it could have easily been another 200 pages. I would have loved to spend more time getting to know the Farrow women and their lives.

Even though I’m sitting here thinking “what did I just read” I’m also thinking about how wonderfully beautiful and amazing this story was.
June Farrow comes from a long line of Farrow women who have gone mad from a century long curse. Her mother is one of those women, one day she disappeared leaving June to be raised by her grandmother. But when her grandmother begins to suffer the same fate, and she also becomes plagued by visions she doesn't understand. She is determined to stop this curse once and for all. June knows that to do this means that she will never find love or have a family of her own.

After her grandmother dies, she uncovers clues about her mother's disappearance that only brings more questions. Resolved to stop this curse she decides to go through the door that appears in her visions to find answers. But once she crosses that threshold she emerges into a small town, where she begins piecing together the truth and meets a family that will forever change her life.

I just adored this book and I found myself not wanting to put it down while at the same time not wanting it to end.

I struggled a little for the first few chapters. The story felt slow and just wasn’t grabbing me enough to hold my attention. Then as I kept reading I began to figure out what might be occurring within the story and I was 100% invested.

There are so many plot twists, so many mysteries and your brain synapses really have to be firing on all cylinders to grasp the timeline. There are multiple astounding relationships and love stories, including timeless love.

“And then I spoke my vows into the summer wind. That I’d love him forever. That I would always, always come back. That no matter what, I would always find him.”

This was a beautiful novel.

I received an advanced reader copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.5 stars. Since her debut in 2018, Adrienne Young has been such a comfort author to me. I can always finish her books in one sitting, even during slumps. Her books always center around family, community and of course romance. Those topics are my bread and butter.

The more I think about The Unmaking of June Farrow book the more I love it. I initially gave this 4 stars because I found the romance disappointing but I slept on it and decided on 4.5 stars. This book summary does something incredible rare, it tells you exactly what it is about.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a small town mystery steeped with magical realism and focuses on the intergenerational relationships of the Farrow women. Each Farrow woman was their own person. Each had a unique relationship with each other. Sometimes stories focusing on matriarchal families feature man-hating, but not in this story. It was very much about the love they had for each other and sometimes men fit in the story and sometimes not. I can't explain how moved I am by the relationship between grandmother, mother and daughter. It reminds me of my own.

There were 2 plot twists I did not see coming even though there were hints and it just blew my mind. It was very very smart. Sometimes playing with time can get tricky but Adrienne Young balanced explaining enough to satisfy your curiosity with still maintaining an air of mystery with the unexplained beautifully.

As I mentioned upon finishing the book the romance disappointed me, until I recalibrated my expectations. This book isn't romance driven like Spells for Forgetting, it's family driven. It's very interesting it's a rare romance story that focuses on what happens after happily ever after? Spoiler: reality. Eamon was like that too, he's nothing like male love interests we usually see. He's kind of poor, hard-working, an immigrant in a small town, a proud farm owner just trying to make ends meet. We don't really see his and June's love story because of complicated reasons but that really wasn't the point of the story and with space I see that it would have detracted from the story if we saw it. I never felt like Eamon was the love of June's life but this book reminded me that sometimes love doesn't need to be soulmates. It can be a simple choice of wanting to be where that person is, to share their joys and their burdens, to feel at home because they see all of you. A simple life could really be a magical life.

I honestly sped through this story because I just had to know the answers!!! But I can't wait to do a slower read once the book comes out.

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

Adrienne Young gets better and better, as well as more creative and confident in her abilities, writing techniques and storytelling, as her magical realism novel, “The Unmaking of June Farrow,” demonstrates.

This fabulous adventure into time-bending is mesmerizing in its originality, beauty and emotional range.

June Farrow is raised by her grandmother, Margaret, on the family flower farm in the tiny mountain village of Jasper, NC, after her own mother, Susanna, abandoned her, then disappeared, when June was just a seven-month-old child.

June grew-up knowing that the Farrow women were different. Most say that they are cursed to lose their minds at some time in their lives. Margaret is already delusional, and unknown to family, friends and colleagues, June has been having visions, too.

Soon Margaret dies and June’s crazy is getting worse—red doors are standing open in the cemetery; a preacher dead 100 years is seen standing in the church window; a man’s voice keeps calling her name; chimes ring when there are none.

Encouraged by a elderly family friend Birdie, the next time June sees an open red door, she walks through it into a time and place of which she has no memory.

TheBookMaven graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Adrienne Young, and Publisher Random House Publishing / Ballantine / Delacorte Press for this advanced readers copy (ARC) for review.

Adrienne Young is a storytelling goddess. I didn't read the description before starting, and I'm glad I went in blind! I loved the magical realism and Adrienne's stories are always so atmospheric.

When I wasn't reading, it was all I could think about. SO many mysteries to solve and pieces to put together, and sweet relationships scattered throughout. I think my favorite parts were those relationships that were weaved through time. I finished it feeling heartbroken but peaceful at the same time. I absolutely loved this one!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Ms. Young does not know how to write a bad book! The Unmaking of June Farrow was so beautifully written, I love being immersed in her stories, and with her characters. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This is the second novel by Adrienne Young that I have read (the first being Spells for Forgetting, which I loved) and this one disappointed me in that I felt it moved way too slow for the first ¾ of the novel and if this had not been an ARC, I probably would have added it to my Did Not Finish pile. June Farrow is member of a family of women who become ill (something that sounds like dementia) as they age. But that is not all that is at play here - June's mother had abandoned her as a baby and she was raised by her beloved grandmother and her grandmother's best friend Birdie. As June begins to question her past and her mind begins to go with hallucinations, she starts to see a red door - should she open it? And what will happen if she does? There is more to the story and it links to an unsolved crime in their small town that took place years before.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another beautifully written, heartbreaking story from Adrienne Young. I get completely lost in the unique stories she creates. This is a must read for 2023 and the perfect book to be released during fall. Also, I absolutely love this book cover!

DISCLAIMER: May or may not contain spoilers.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The description of this book is what caught my attention. I had never read this author before, however, Spells for Forgetting is on my TBR.

This book starts by creating a lot of questions very quickly for the reader. My initial thoughts that the Farrow women could time travel turned out to be semi-true. For the first half of the book, I was intrigued by questions, answers, and more questions. I was eager to keep reading. Time travel is always something that is tricky to follow because there is no true set of rules for it. Every person who writes a story of time travel has a different way for it to work. Following it was sometimes a bit confusing and I found myself rereading certain paragraphs and even pausing sometimes to straighten out the timelines in my head. With that being said, it was still fairly simple to get back on track with where we were and what was going on.

Around the halfway point I felt like the book slowed down a bit. I didn't find myself with the same anticipation for what was to come as I did in the first half, but I was still interested in the story, the outcome, and the few lingering questions to be answered.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. While I loved how everything came together, I wish I would have felt more emotion. This was a good story, but I never felt a strong connection to the characters. The romance aspect of the book was not very present in my opinion and the idea of finding one's place in the world was there, but again, not strong enough to pull out the feelings I was hoping for.

I don't regret this read. I do wish I connected with it more, but it was still an overall good story.

everything she writes is amazing! my 5th by young and I’m NEVER disappointed. her writing is captivating and characters relateable even with their fantasy quirks! the story pulls you in and never lets up. 5 stars+

Firstly, it's important to say how much I love Adrienne Young's writing. She has a way of setting the atmosphere that is impossible to shy away from or put down. Her books, therefore, are fun and easy to read, and I absolutely tore through this one in a few hours. In general, I liked the story and the time travel aspects, though in this case, I do wish we spent more time in the future timeline, especially with someone like Mason, to make the sacrifice feel more hard hitting. As it was, it felt like June didn't have much to go back to, in order to make this feel like the kind of sacrifice that it should've. Mostly it just felt like the obvious choice, which was a consistent issue I had with the book. Things felt too obvious for me, and while I appreciate a book that does point in the direction of where it should be going, and doesn't toy unnecessarily, I called some of the big points almost immediately.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a fun read, that absolutely made me cry, but I do wish it was allowed to do a little more. Whether that would be with length, or more fleshed out characters like Mason, I think I left it feeling a little cheated.

Another hit by Adrienne Young. What a unique and beautifully descriptive story. I loved the merging of the different time periods and how it all came together. Would absolutely recommend.

This book broke my mind (and my heart) in the best way possible. I've read and seen time travel stories before, but this one?? Oh my god?? The level of detail and complexity and the time loops and the unravelling of what happened in all the timelines? I'm saying this again, this book broke my mind and put it back together in the best way possible. I feel like taking a whiteboard and drawing up all the timelines and writing down the multiple chronological sequences. Ahhhhh.

If you're someone who loves time travel-y stuff, or if you'd like your brain to be tested and tested (and it's a nice test, because everything is explained at the end, and there are no logical fallacies!), read this book!!

(Also, can Adrienne Young explain how Captain America went back to live with Peggy and still ended up in the same timeline? I think she can fix the plothole XD)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

It has been some time since a book has brought out the emotions and feelings in me that I experienced when reading 'The Unmaking of June Farrow'. When I started reading I felt that this story was going to be huge and it didn't disappoint. I am in awe of the Adrienne Young's writing talent. She has perfectly created a complex world with overlapping timelines and deep characters without causing any sense of confusion for the reader. It is difficult to describe how stunning I found this story to be. I rarely become emotional when reading books or watching movies but the last quarter of this book had me laughing and crying. I grew to care deeply for June, Eamon, and Annie. Now that the story is over I feel a longing to return to Jasper and visit with the characters I grew to love.

The women in the Farrow family line suffer from a disturbing fate. They all eventually go mad. No one can explain what causes this infliction or when they will be impacted, they just know that each generation experiences the same curse. June Farrow's mother was taken by the madness prior to giving birth to June. She then left her baby behind to be raised by her grandmother while she disappeared for ever. Thirty-four years later, her grandmother has passed on, but she has left behind a number of mysterious clues that will lead June on a wild journey of discovery as to what really happened to her her mother and who June really is.

I am amazed by Adrienne Young's incredible story creation and whole heartedly recommend 'The Unmaking of June Farrow'.

Posted to the following Pre-Release:

Book Blog: https://heathersreadingnook.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-unmaking-of-june-farrow-adrienne.html

Goodreads; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5565408825

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2507979803

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/d3435c63-aa48-4e45-812b-42dfdaac9ff8

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Adrienne Young for an eARC of this masterpiece. This book was absolutely a magical, superb, mind blowing, mystery topped with magical realism. Spoilers ahead!

This whole premise of this story is so unique and interesting. The whole story is about June Farrow and her family. We have a family lineage of females that appear to go mad as they age. They seem delusional and also seem to hallucinate. The story starts as June has just lost her grandmother. Shortly after the funeral, she gets a letter in the mail from her grandmother with a photograph from 1912. This photograph was of her mother Susanna and Nathaniel Rutherford (a pastor). Nathaniel is deceased and died in 1950. But June is living in 2022 and is in her 30s. Her mom Susanna is missing. This photograph sets off a whole chain of events that reveals to June that her family isn’t mad but actually can time travel. What she finds out when she travels back in time will change her life forever. It’s such a good book! One of the best books I’ve read in 2023. Highly recommend. Top tier! 5 stars all the way.

this book had me on my toes the whole way through because of how twisty turny it is, and after all the anticipation, the resolution absolutely delivered. young’s storytelling skills honestly baffle me and i haven’t read something so mind-boggling yet satisfying in a while.

young also doesn’t deliver plot at the expense of character development which I almost expect with books that mess with your comprehension of spacetime. i adored getting to know each and every one of the farrow women, and even the side characters are well-written, especially in their motivations & back stories.

This book is everything I hope for when jumping head first into a fictional world. It's adventurous, magical and mysterious. It is both heart warming and heart breaking at the same time. The Unmaking of June Farrow checks all the boxes for me! It's a love story that transcends time and transports you right along with it.

This book is definitely in my top 5 for 2023 so far. And very well may be the top contender. Do yourself a favor and READ IT!

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.

June Farrow is out of time. A long family curse that afflicts all the Farrow women has now come for June. As June deals with the grief of losing her grandmother she finds distraction in putting together the clues of her mothers decades long disappearance. As the curse begins to torment June she begins to question her own sanity. Can she really trust her own mind and all she is discovering and seeing; is the red door actually real and what of the voices she keeps hearing that are calling her name.

Young is officially solidified as an instant read and buy author for me! I loved Spells for Forgetting but I loved this book even more! What originally drew me to this book is my thirst for a good mystery, add in a long family curse and that’s right up my alley! Once I began reading it become apparent what the “curse” actually was, I not only was shocked but so incredibly enthralled and excited even more about finishing this book! I loved watching June learn more about her family history, who she is, and what she ultimately really wants in her life. I found it easy to picture the town and all these amazing characters, they are all written so well that they seemed to be real and genuine individuals. I definitely think going into this one blind (aside from reading the synopsis) makes the twists you discover while reading so much more exciting and really enhances the journey this book takes you on. This was such a treat reading, I happily give this book 5 stars!

For anyone who is a lover of mysteries with some fantasy/science fiction, and love stories that can span any distance and time this book is undoubtedly for you!

The Unmaking of June Farrow comes out October 17, 2023.

Thank you again NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

June Farrow has always known that her family is a little different. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm, and the mysterious curse that has plagued her entire family line.

It’s been a year since June started seeing things. It began shortly before her grandmother died. June sees a door appearing out of nowhere and hears a voice calling her name. These are all signs of what June knows is coming, but she is determined to put it to a stop.

After her grandmother dies June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mom’s decade old disappearance. When the door appears again, June walks through it, right into the past. Now she has embarked on a journey that will change the past and the future.

I was so excited to read this book. I love magical realism and Adrienne Young is one of my favorite authors to write them. This book was a little different for the magic, but I still loved every minute of it. I really enjoyed June as a character. She developed so much as the story went on. The ending was perfect, and I absolutely loved the twist that was revealed. Something about it just made my heart warm. The writing was again top notch and pulled me in, it was just so beautifully crafted. The story was woven together in a way that made me not confused, which would have been very easy to do in this one. The pacing was also wonderful as I kept wanting more and didn’t get bored or bogged down at all. This story was wonderfully unique and layered and I cannot wait to read more by Adrienne.

This is one of those books that you won’t want to miss. I highly recommend it.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine – Delacorte Press, and Netgalley, @Netgalley

Additional links will be added once posted.