I haven't experienced the greatest joy and brilliance of what-the-heck-I-just-read kind of twisty, brain cell burner fantasy/sci-fi novel, giving me the same feelings of binge-watching the craziest Black Mirror episodes and Chris Nolan's complexly written movies at the same time!

'Unmaking of June Farrow' is on another level of amazingness! It's complex, unique, tempting, unpredictable, surprising, jaw-dropping, and exhausting to your brain cells, dragging you into an unusual story of the Farrow women and their complex family history; it's as intricate as Netflix's German original series 'Dark.' To understand the entire connection between each Farrow woman's timeline could give you real headaches and make you question who's related to whom during the brain-storming confusion. Twists and shocking revelations make you scream aloud. I mostly consider myself a good twist catcher who can see most of them coming from miles away with my spider senses, but this morning there are so many of them that are unexpected, and especially one of them made me jump from my seat as I covered my mouth not to scream louder. Oh boy, that was the biggest sucker punch on my face, and I can honestly say for a million times I couldn't ever see it coming even if that twist was screaming at my face: 'I'm here! Why don't you see me?'

It has a mind-bending time travel story that keeps you guessing how the entire execution will unfold, cooking up conspiracy theories about the murder mystery, but it also includes a heartbreaking, intense love story, even though we've been introduced to the heartbroken hero a little later! It is also one of the most powerful feminist stories about the collaboration of women who help each other to survive and the sacrifices the mothers make to protect their children.

The story revolves around the last Farrow woman, June Farrow, living in Jasper, NC as the last surviving woman of their family at the age of 34, grieving her grandmother who raised her with her best friend Birdie after her mother, Susanna, who has been suffering from mental illness, which is fated to curse the entire women in the family, disappeared out of nowhere, presumed dead.

June also starts showing signs of madness, just like the other Farrow women had before they became completely insane. She starts seeing things that don't exist, including a mystery man smoking a cigarette watching her at several places, and a red door appears out of nowhere, awaiting her to turn its knob. She also hears a man's voice when she wakes up from a long sleep, feeling like somebody's hands are on her body.

As she thinks everything she sees are signs of her deteriorating mental health condition, she finds an envelope sent by her grandmother before she died. There's a photograph of two people in the envelope: one of them is the town's esteemed minister who was killed by a mysterious killer who was never caught, and there is also a woman in the photo who looks exactly like her long-lost mother, which is impossible because the photo was taken one century ago. However, when she digs through and talks with her grandmother's best friend Birdie, she realizes that nothing is as it seems and she may not be going insane because the things she's experienced might be real.

When she decides to pass through the red door that keeps appearing and calling her to open it, she finds herself in a place where she can change the entire direction of the frayed timeline between the future and the past. Could she save the Farrow women from the curse at the risk of putting her own fate at risk forever? Could she change things in her life by rethinking her decision not to fall in love and have her own family?

The journey she embarks on is a thrilling roller-coaster ride that will challenge her every belief and force her to confront the deepest parts of herself. The novel seamlessly weaves together elements of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and romance, creating a tapestry of emotions that will leave readers captivated until the very last page.

With each revelation and twist, the story becomes more enthralling, leaving readers gasping in surprise and marveling at the author's ingenuity. Adrianne Young has crafted a masterpiece that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, immersing readers in a world where the impossible becomes possible.

Furthermore, 'Unmaking of June Farrow' delves into profound themes of identity, family, love, and sacrifice. It explores the strength of women and their ability to endure and conquer even the most daunting challenges. The interconnectedness of the Farrow women's lives creates a web of intrigue and fascination that keeps readers guessing until the very end.

This book will undoubtedly linger in the minds of its readers long after they've turned the final page. It will set a new standard for fantasy and sci-fi novels, leaving an indelible mark on the genre. Adrianne Young's mastery of storytelling is evident throughout the novel, making it a must-read for anyone who craves a wholly immersive and emotionally charged reading experience.

Overall, this book will surprise you! It will ruin you for other books because you'll start comparing them to this fantastic sci-fi novel, and for a long time, it will be harder to find a book as well-written as this one! Just order your copy! This is one of the most outstanding works I've read lately and definitely the best book by Adrianne Young!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Delacorte Press for sharing this amazing book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Yup. This will be my favorite book this year.

Goodness gracious, I loved this. I absolutely adored the characters. This is such a great example of what makes magical realism so great: You get a little bit of so many genres. Romance. Mystery. Fantasy. Thriller. It’s all there.

The only little detail I predicted was… trying to write this spoiler-free… something about her daughter. I had a feeling that was the case pretty early. But gosh, I still spent the length of this book wondering what would happen, what June would choose, what she had already chosen. And the resolution was stunning and heartbreaking and beautiful and satisfying all at once.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 ⭐

I've said this once and I will say it again, Adrienne Young writes the best immersive stories. I felt like I could experience this small town, see the tobacco farm and pick the flowers. Her writing makes the story effortless to read and I'm here for it.

In the small town of Jasper, the Farrow women are known for being cursed and going mad. When June Farrow starts seeing/hearing things, she thinks she fell sick to the curse. But when she enters a door that she thinks is a hallucination, she's dropped into the thick of her family story and past.

This has:
• Mystery / thriller
• Family curses
• Generational women / family stories
• Magical realism
• Star crossed lovers
• Small town

It has the same great vibes as "Spells for Forgetting" so if you liked that, you'll love this! It's a book I didn't want to put down and will honestly probably reread when it comes out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion!

I'll be posting this to Goodreads and Instagram

If I could give it 6 stars, I would!

Adrienne Young never disappoints. This has a strong, ominous, "Spells for Forgetting" vibe. From the beginning, we know that June lives a much different life from those around her. She is terrified of going through what all the women in her family go through. I read a lot of fantasy romance and I often need a break from it and I usually want something a little spooky. I find it hard to look for books that have the mood I want. I now realize its because the mood I want is Adrienne Young.

I was slightly scared at times, especially when seeing the man with the cigarette in the church and her front porch, throw in the red door and I was hooked. The mood of this book is what really captured me as a reader. It is full of suspense, love, and confusion. There were parts that were a bit hard to follow with the timeline at first but it all came together. June is someone I am invested in. I want to see the people around her fight for her and her for herself.

June is clever, kind, and fierce. Eamon is protective and loyal, and Margaret kept the surprises coming. There were new developments throughout the entire book right to the very end. It is a page-turner. I can't wait for more from Adrienne Young.

I could not put this book nor did I want to. I was hooked from the first sentence. Her writing is positively earth shattering. I will be rereading this book again to look for more clues and Easter eggs. I just have no words to say except Bravo! And I’ll be reading as many times as I can.

📖Magical Realism
⭐4.75/5

🙏 Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Adrienne Young for the advanced reader copy of The Unmaking of June Farrow. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: This story was intricately woven and beautifully crafted. I imagine it's so hard to invite readers into a world that's been completely created within the confines of your mind and use only language to transport them there but Young is a master in the art of magical realism. I was so invested in June's story from the get-go and it took me to a place I could never have predicted. What I initially hoped for as an ending had completely changed by the end. And so much was explored in within this novel: grief, sacrifice, obligation, the weight of our decisions and of course, love. I'll be coming off the high of this book for days.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: There were a few tiny details about the 'magical' part of the book that I struggled to make sense of but I really loved this book.
◾
Read if you love:
* parallel timelines
* family curses passed through generations
* powerful generations of women/ family stories
◾
See also: A Million Junes, The Time Traveler's Wife, Spells for Forgetting

Note to publisher: I'll be posting my review of The Unmaking of June Farrow via @manuscripts_and_margaritas mid-September with a feature on publication day as well.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is whimsical traverse through time, and it was truly a delight reading every page. I think that Adrienne Young has truly found her voice in storytelling within the niche cozy small town, magical realism, and a bit of murder mystery.
When I read Adrienne Young’s last book “Spells for Forgetting” last winter I didn’t know what I was truly expecting but I fell in love with the overall tone of the story. It was thrilling, beautiful and easy to escape into. The Unmaking of June Farrow has all those same feelings while standing completely on its own and separate from its predecessor.
June Farrow is a young woman who know that the women in her family are cursed. At a certain point they start to go mad as did June’s own mother who also abandoned her and disappeared when she was young. June doesn’t understand but she is determined to figure out the mystery of her mother’s disappearance before the madness potentially takes her as well.
I actually fell into a little bit of a reading slump right when I received this arc so it took me a little more time to read than it normally would to read, but every single time that I sat down to read I would opened my kindle and become completely captivated by the tale of June Farrow. I wanted to see how all these threads would be intertwined, unwoven and then neatly twinned back together again all within under 350 pages and Young does this most successfully. I can see me picking this book up again later to watch how Adrienne Young methodically weaves each sentence amongst one another to build this dreamy and atmospheric story.

Mystery, Love, and a little bit of Magic?

The title is intriguing... the book cover is beautiful.

Author, Adrienne, writes with great detail and weaves bits and pieces of mystery as you read. I purposely went into this book without reading much about the book - so I felt rewarded as each page taunted me to turn to the next. About two-thirds into the book - I wanted to start annotating the book or jotting notes about the Farrow women, timelines, clues, etc. The ending takes all the "frayed" ends and ties things together.

I will say that I liked the book - however, I liked one side character more than others and therefore I disliked that characters ending. Overall, this book felt creative and orginial and made me curious about the author's other works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Randomhouse Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young was everything you could want in a novel. It has it all! Mystery, romance, fantasy, and richly written characters.
This is one of those books you just need to read without knowing much about it before you start.
It’s a story about love and sacrifice and family. I just can’t say enough how much I loved it!
Highly recommend!

Another lightly fantastical, multigenerational mystery from Adrienne Young! And I'm hooked. I'm obsessed. What have you got coming next, Adrienne? I will read it.

The Unmaking of June Farrow follows June as she unravels the mystery of her own origin, which quickly becomes more complicated than she expected. Like Spells for Forgetting, while there is some magic involved, the characters and setting are very much grounded in the real world and are very relatable. This author is so good at making me feel the relationships between her characters - the devotion between June and her family shines clearly through just a few words. I couldn't help but fall in love with them too.

5 stars, everybody should read this book.

Thanks to Random House for sending me an early copy.

I was provided an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I want to send NETGALLEY flowers.

This book is what my soul has been craving. I loved every.single.thing about it from beginning to end.

The story, the characters, the weaving... YES YES and YES

June Farrow is a part of of a family of women who have a history of mental illness. She has blocked herself off from enjoying life because she knows that inevitably she will end up with the "sickness" that all of the women in her family eventually get.

Only events unfold and June realizes that it's not a mental illness that her family has been inflicted with... but something much more.

I HIGHLY recommend this to ANYONE and EVERYONE.

Ever since I first read Adrienne Young with her debut novel in 2018, I have loved her storytelling. While I have not read all of her books, with The Unmaking of June Farrow, she proves once again that she is a master with creating captivating and addicting stories along with lovable characters. Whether it is a young adult or, in this case, an adult novel, I highly recommend this author.
The Unmaking of June Farrow was an adventure and I did not want it to end. I can't wait to get a physical copy of this book in October 17, 2023!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC copy of The Unmaking of June Farrow.

The title- gorgeous.
The cover- gorgeous.
The story- you guessed it, gorgeous!!

I absolutely loved this and didn't want it to end! Usually, I try to include a critique in my review but I can't even really think of anything I would change. I think it is perfect that this book publishes in October because it has such a spooky, hauntingly beautiful vibe. Cannot recommend adding this to your fall TBR highly enough!!

After this one,Adrienne Young 'adult books are ow on my MUST buy list.

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. June has started seeing and hearing things that aren't there. After her grandmother's death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues about her mother's disappearance that lead to more questions and makes her wonder: is the red door she has assumed was a hallucination the answer she has been searching for?

Adrianne Young's writing just sucks you in,making you see and FEEL what she writes. I read this in one sitting simply because I couldn't put it down because I HAD to know what happened next. The mystery, the story, the ending...it all led to an amazing story that I couldn't stop thinking about even when i was done.
And if you go back and re read after the first time, you find all sorts of little Eater eggs.

There were a few plot holes in the story that i wanted to explore, but mostly? this was a five star read!

Thank you to Net Galley and for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ there was just enough mystery and suspense to this one that I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. The Farrow women are cursed to slowly unravel and at first you’re not sure why, but slowly the pieces start coming together and falling perfectly into place. You get to see two versions of a life and how different each could be.

The FMC, June, suddenly finds herself in a situation she has no recollection of and has to face the consequences of her actions. She slowly starts to realize what’s happening and at the end she has a choice to make. I do feel like we didn’t really see enough of the main couple at the end, but I did enjoy how the story was wrapped up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc!

I didn’t know this would be a time travel story going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised by everything about this book! The entire plot was so tightly woven together and you’re expertly led to the conclusion without having everything be so obvious that it was unsatisfying, but the best thing was by far the characters. The thought that was put into how each character would be impacted by living, for however short a time, with one of their descendants decades before they were born was so well done that I had a bit of an existential crisis… And then finding out who Birdie was made me reread the first fifty-ish pages immediately after finishing the book ;-;

My broadcast review of this book will air on 88.7 FM (WPCD) at 1:45 PM (Central Time) on Wednesday July 19th.

A time travel book perfect for fans of Adrienne Young, and others reading her for the first time. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

My first book by Adrienne Young was Spells for Forgetting and it was one that stuck with me long after the last page was read. When I was approved for an ARC of her newest book I was incredibly excited to see if Young was able to write another amazing book. After finishing the Unmaking of June Farrow I know for sure Young is one of my new must buy authors. This book does an amazing job of keeping you at the edge of your seat and engrossed in the book the whole time. June’s character is so perfect where she is human and flawed and has to make impossible decisions for her family. I love the world building In the book and the idea of different timelines.

I thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Adrienne Young is truly a gifted author and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

If you are a fan of Adrienne Young, you will not be disappointed with her new book! I could not get enough!

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

Adrienne Young crafts stories that swallow me whole, and this one was no different. The Unmaking of June Farrow follows June as she traverses time to stop the family curse that drives all Farrow women to madness.

It’s a story of… Time travel. Small town gossip and danger. A family curse. Strong female relationships. Slow burn, second chance romance with the perfect amount of spice.

Adrienne Young’s exploration into adult fiction, starting with Spells for Forgetting, is absolutely masterful. In every aspect, she nails the intimacy of relationships.

From motherhood…
“And I didn’t think there was any way to ever come back from that explosion of light that had birthed a universe inside of me when she said that word. Mama.”

To portraying the beauty of a “worn-in” type of love where you know each other like you know yourself…
“There was no fumbling. No awkward searching of hands. This wasn’t the breathless thrill of discovery. It didn’t have the mark of a first time. This was a homecoming.” 🔥

Everything about this book pulls you in and leaves you thinking about it after you’ve turned the last page 🖤