This is a disquieting story, as all stories of slavery are, but I really enjoyed it and thought that as a debut novel it was very well written. I was deeply interested in this story about Junie, a young slave on a cotton plantation in Alabama before the start of the Civil War, until Junie began to interact with the ghost of her dead sister. I can appreciate that the use of magical realism in this story was used as a vehicle to lead Junie into finding answers to long held secrets, but I personally felt that the ghostly part was spotty and did not lend a whole lot to the integrity of the story. However, as a dark web of secrets was slowly revealed, the conclusion of the story was brought to a fever pitch and left me feeling satisfied. I would recommend this book to readers who loved "The Yellow Wife" by Sadeqa Johnson or "The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom.

My sincere thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book follows a sixteen-year-old girl named Junie as she navigates grief after her sister suddenly dies. Junie is enslaved and works on the Bellereine plantation cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Violet, the daughter of the plantation owners. At night she is drawn to the woods where she climbs trees and feels at peace.
Junie’s life and Bellereine get thrown into a loop when Violet’s parents try to marry off Violet and visitors come to the plantation. Trying to stop it, Junie accidentally awakens the ghost of her late sister. To save her sister’s soul and finally lay her to rest she must complete a number of tasks. Simultaneously, she and the visitors’ coachman form a friendship.
This was one of the best books I have read this year. Junie’s character is captured so beautifully and imperfectly. I recommend this book to people who enjoy Black stories and magical realism.

“You’re my middle C. The key between the lows and the highs, the balance if it all, the true center of music.” 🥹

Look at me giving a historical fiction five stars. 💁‍♀️

Short Synopsis:
Junie is 16 years old, enslaved on a plantation in Alabama in 1960 - just before the Civil War. She’s spent her life taking care of the needs of the master’s daughter - Violet. But Junie awakes her sisters ghost and given tasks to help her move on. Plus Violet is courted by an awful man with a not so awful coachman. 😏

My Thoughts:
I adored this book. I really felt for Junie. And it was heartbreaking at times (as it should be). I really felt for Junie as she grew and matured and realized the people in her life aren’t always as they seemed.

And Caleb. Oh Caleb. 🫠 He was so far gone for Junie and just the sweetest and I want to protect him at all costs.

Add in some magical realism, and this book just knocked it out of the park.

Junie. A name that is destined to become part of the timeless characters in Black fiction. Junie will take her place in the canon besides Pecola, Sula, Sugar, etc. I know I’m putting her in rare company but I think it’s well deserved. Junie will grab a piece of you, and not let you go. She is but 16, when we meet her, yet has an imagination that is far greater than her lived years.

She is enslaved on an Alabama plantation yet yearns for a life beyond the margins. And that yearning is fueled by her literacy, for she was taught to read by the “master’s” daughter.

Junie becomes maid to Violet and naively believes they have developed a friendship. It takes awhile for the novel to clearly disabuse Junie of that notion, while readers will be screaming “chile please, get a grip.”

Despite the flimsy nature of their friendship, Junie soldiers onward buoyed by Violet’s duplicity. When one egregious incident takes place, along with an explanation from an enslaved visitor that Junie takes a liking to, Junie’s eyes are finally opened to the true nature of her relationship to Violet,his simple words; “We’re like little dolls or something to her, just something to amuse her when she’s bored.”

Her desire to want more from life, despite her family urging her to settle into “this life” intensifies as the novel progresses. She communes with her dead sister and is given instructions on how to proceed and to free her sister’s spirit from the “in between.”

IMHO I believe the ghost thread distracts from the novel and derails the momentum somewhat. Perhaps if it was done in a different way, using voices, intuition, sounds, etc., pulling on actual African spiritual practices, it could have worked a bit better. In any event, Junie manages to keep you interested and inspired and rooting to the end. A good read, and the brutality of slavery is more highlighted by the mental and emotional trauma as opposed to the physical. Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced DRC

Junie has spent her entire life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to her white master’s daughter, Violet. She is different from a lot of other slaves, because she can read and write. Growing up side-by-side with Violet, they shared books & read to each other, and became each others best friend. At night though, she is roaming the woods, consumed with grief over the death of her sister Minnie, who she believed died because of her carelessness. Violet's father invites Beau Taylor & his sister Bea to spend time with them, hoping that Beau would become enamored with Violet & ask for her hand in marriage. Junie is worried that if that happens, she will have to go with Violet, and she will be ripped away from the only family she has left. The more she sees of Beau, the more she is afraid of him. After seeing him publicly whip his valet Caleb, whom Junie has grown feelings for, all over a hole in a parasol that he didn't know was there, she knows that she has to get them out of there before it is too late. When she hears of a boatman that comes down the river the last night of every month taking slaves north, she knows she has found her chance. The only problem is convincing the rest of her family & Caleb of the plan.

You know how every once in a while you will read a book that just sticks with you, and makes you want to discuss it with people? That is this book for me. It was so hard to read - the cruelty they suffered at the hands of their white masters & mistresses, the beatings, the pettiness of taking away their one day off a week for the smallest mistake,, the names they were called. All of it turned my stomach. But I had to keep reminding myself that that was what the book was about - exposing the way life was really like back then. This isn't going to be an easy read for you. But Junie is someone you are going to be cheering on, and she is definitely going to tug at your heartstrings. I highly recommend this for everyone!

This is a book that will make you feel all kinds of emotions.

I'll start off by saying that I was unsure about the supernatural aspect of the book going into it, and I can say that it was my least favorite part of the book. I personally could've done without it, though I know it was the driving force behind the overall plot. I also realize that the supernatural element fits perfectly into the story (whether I liked it or not), as Southern culture has/had a strong belief in haints. So this is more of a me thing than an actual complaint about the book. I am the problem here (especially considering this element was mentioned in the synopsis). But despite all that, I'm still glad I read it, because it's an EXCELLENT book.

I appreciated that this book, while focused on Junie and her life as a slave, also showed us Junie's life outside of her role as a slave. We got to see her as a young woman, a friend, a cousin, a girl falling in love, and a girl dreaming of a bigger and better life for herself. A girl that loved poetry and books. I loved Junie's heart, spirit, and gumption.

I also appreciated how multi-faceted the characters were. They had depth and layers that left me changing how I felt about some characters as the story progressed. I love books that can make me feel, and I also love characters that are flawed and real.

This book had some twists and surprises in it, and I liked how it was done because there was not really any foreshadowing or big lead up to the reveals. The reveals weren't a focus of the book, but rather an added element, and I thought the author worked them into the story perfectly.

This was an excellent book all on its own, but once you read the author's note, it'll give an even greater appreciation for the book.

The ending left me feeling a complete mix of emotions - I'd love to say more, but don't want to spoil anything. Just pick up this book and experience it for yourself.

Thank you to Ballantine books and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

An emotional novel about 16 year old June, an enslaved woman in Alabama who is charged with caring for her master's daughter Violet. So many contradictions in June's life- she can read- but she's still a slave and more importantly, she's mourning her sister. Know that there's a paranormal element here (yes a ghost) but it isn't gratuitous. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Carefully crafted and well written, this is a very good read.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre but so much of it takes place during WW2. When I find a book set in a different time period I generally jump at the chance to read it and that’s what drew me to Junie.
The year before the start of the Civil War Junie is a 16 year old house slave. Her main task is to take care of the needs of 16 year old Violet McQueen, and unlike other slave/mistress relationships Violet and Junie are friends- nearly as close as sisters. The summer of 1860 brings about quite a few changes for the girls. Violet’s father sets up a suitor to whom she is expected to marry and Junie starts seeing the ghost of her sister, Minnie, who died the year before. Minnie has a task for Junie that will change the lives of everyone on the plantation I ways no one could ever imagine.
This book was all over the place. At 368 pages it felt like it was about 60 pages too long. Honestly, the title of this should have been “Anything That Can Go Will Go Wrong” because that’s exactly what happened for nearly 400 pages. I felt like the bad was relentless and by the end instead of feeling sympathy for our young protagonist I just felt anger- at the author
There is absolutely no character development whatsoever. Towards the end there appears to be a little but as quickly as it comes, it leaves. What was the point in having the character change for a few paragraphs if on the very next page it completely disappears?.
There are so many moments throughout the book that reminded me of both Kindred and Beloved- to the point where I had to remind myself this was a different story. I greatly appreciate the author’s writing a character of a slave reader’s haven’t seen (though technically we do see this character in Kindred) but that wasn’t enough to turn this into an uplifting story.
If the author was attempting to write yet another slave story that, like Kindred and Beloved, has depressing undertones and filled with more moments of stress (for the reader), she certainly accomplished that. I wish, however, she had written a more uplifting story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for an advanced copy of this. Junie hits the shelves on February 4th.

Wow this was such a one of kind experience. An emotional tribute to being human. In a world where you are born to believe you are nothing, and turning nothing into something to create a world unique to self is such a power within these pages.

The stolen voices that spoke in this story.
The insecurities of a young woman who is taught to know her place but still trying to find placement.
Her Grief..

Beautiful historical fiction story.. add in the small elements of paranormal and Junie is one of kind!

P.S
I love Caleb, my heart will now forever ache for him,

4 🌟

I love historical fiction that takes place in and around the Civil War, and this was such a breath of fresh air.

Junie, as a character, is the real standout of the novel. She's so real it can be frustrating - she is lively and rebellious and clever, but self-loathing and melancholy, and the highs and lows taking me right back to my own teenaged years. Her growth throughout the book is wonderful and hard earned. I was so pleased with her plotline with Violet because in many other books, so much of what transpired between them would have been swept under the rug in favor of a clean and happy reconciliation; but what really happens is much more satisfying for Junie's story. (And as punishment to Violet, she deserves it.)

I found the first bit of the novel kind of dragged, but picked up quickly and was a gripping read up to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a really great story! I enjoyed the characters and the different relationships throughout. I was totally thrown off by the ghost side of the story and it definitely added in to the plot, for the most part. Sometimes it was a bit jarring to read the modern dialogue in a story set in the 1800s. The cover is also SO beautiful

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine
Release date February 4, 2025

Alabama 1860’s, Junie is a 16 year old enslaved girl holding much guilt over the recent death of her sister Minnie. Minnie was the perfect daughter and Junie is carefree. Junie visits the slave cemetery and removes something from the jar at Minnie’s grave. This stirs Minnie’s spirit.

Minnie’s spirit gives Junie three challenges to earn possible freedom from slavery. Junie has issues achieving each challenge because of the white family that own her. The dreams of freedom seem unreachable at times but Junie persists.

The humor, heartache and hope in this book is immeasurable. The plot twists are numerous and
unfathomable. In the end, Junie discover all the heart wrenching truths.

I loved this historical fiction (adult) story. I loved and hated Junie and Violet’s relationship throughout their lives. It’s difficult to imagine Junie’s journey as a young child growing up best friend’s with her master’s daughter “Vi”. The love she felt for Vi as a child, later turns to anger and hatred about her whole situation because of her slavery.

❤️I will cherish the magic in this novel. This was an honor to ARC read! Thank you for this masterpiece Erin Crosby Eckstine, #Junie, #NetGalley.

Forbidden love
Violence
SA

Finished Reading

Pre-Read notes

I requested this book because I love stories about people and their communities, and I love coming of age stories. Seems like a win-win here. This wonderful story is beautifully atmospheric and filled with authentic character work.

Final Review

She has [her favorite poem] memorized, but keeping it in her pocket makes her feel like the limitlessness of the poet’s world is within reach. p13

Review summary and recommendations

If Beloved and Roots had a book baby, it would be Junie. Just a gorgeous read! Honestly, anything I write about this book just won't do it justice.

Recommended to fans of southern drama lit fic, like Gone with the Wind.

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. She holds her hands up, measuring the sun’s distance from the field line. It sits on the horizon like a freshly cracked yolk, and on days as hot as this one, the McQueens won’t wake for breakfast until the sun’s at least a half-hand above the horizon. p10 The descriptive writing here is gorgeous.

2. "Miss Big-Words" is my favorite insult of all time!

3. A kernel for the audience: “You ain’t the only one with hurt, Junie. This world is full of it, and going through it thinking you’re the only one carrying something is an easy way to lose the bit of love you might have.” p63

4. I love the turn at 25%! At this point, the story introduces supernatural elements, landing this one squarely in magical realism territory. It's quite good plot work.

5. This book is as beautiful and romantic a testament to pre-Civil War Southern life as was Gone with the Wind. Only better, because not racist.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. “You gotta be sure you look your finest and keep a big smile on that pretty face all day, you hear? No nose in the books, either . Nobody likes a bookworm.” p41 Here, a plantation owner and father of a young girl, Violet, discusses his expectations for her behavior during an upcoming visit with a potential suitor. It's a deeply unsettling scene considering Violet's age and lack of maturity. And what does her mother have to say about it? Only this:“I’d prefer her to appear a nun than a harlot. Her figure is already more indecent than I’d like.” p41 This book is honest about the many forms of discrimination one encounters in the rural South of the US. The beginning of the story takes place just before the onset of the Civil War.

Rating: 👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏾👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏾👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏾👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏾👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏾 /5 friendships torn asunder
Recommend? definitely!
Finished: Jan 25 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏾 stories of friendship
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories / family drama
🕰 historical fiction
📜 literary fiction
🗝 stories about slavery
👻 ghost stories

Thank you to the author Erin Crosby Eckstine, publishers Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of JUNIE. All views are mine.
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Junie is an interesting story about a sad time in U.S. history; the Civil War is looming in this summer of 1860. The author does a good job of helping the reader to see the situation through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Junie, a slave since birth who now tends to the master's seventeen-year-old daughter. Unfortunately for many of the plantation occupants, both Black and white, this plantation is in a downward spiral, thanks in part to its mostly absent but drunk-when-present Master. The race to try and save the plantation is the impetus for the fast pace in the book.
The characters are sure to elicit emotional responses in readers: the Master's missus is obnoxious (in my opinion), and Violet is being pushed into an arranged marriage that is not welcomed by all of the possible groom's family. There are snarky comments and high emotions. I am a fan of historical fiction, and I would definitely welcome reading another book by this author, Erin Crosby Eckstine. What made this book a 4 rather than a 5 for me was the supernatural element with a deceased young slave. I'm trying to avoid spoilers, so I will leave it at that.
The cover is eye-catching! Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Ballantine !!

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine 5/5 💫
*out in the US 4 February 2025*

What an absolutely beautiful, all-consuming debut. I finished this a few days ago and I’m still thinking about it. Eckstine does a brilliant job balancing the reality enslaved people experienced, while creating characters that have hopes, experience love, and make mistakes. I genuinely didn’t know what was going to happen by the end, and I really enjoyed that.
I love the speculative fiction and paranormal aspects of this story!

The authors note is a MUST read, and made me love Junie even more.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Content warnings!!!
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Physical abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, murder
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Pregnancy

Beautifully written, and stunningly poignant, Junie pulled me in immediately and held tight.

Junie is a compelling and admirable character and her story is one that since I finished reading, I’ve continued to think about. I think I’ll be thinking of this one for a long while.

Recommended!



Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the DRC

A ghost story. Magical realism on a plantation in Alabama. A meshing of historical fiction and fantasy that will really work for some but did not work for me.

This captivating story begins in 1860 in Alabama. Junie and her relatives are enslaved by William McQueen, an alcoholic whose cotton plantation is struggling. Mrs. McQueen is consumed with keeping up appearances. Mr. McQueen meets Beau Taylor, a wealthy merchant, and invites him and his sister, to stay with the family, hoping he will marry Violet, his 17-year-old daughter, and solve their financial problems. Sixteen-year-old Junie, Violet's maid, fears that she will have to leave her family if the marriage occurs. Junie is also grieving the death of her older sister Minnie, who died after she rescued Junie from the river. While visiting Minnie's grave, Junie sees a vision of her sister, who gives her a series of tasks to release her spirit. Family secrets are revealed to Junie, igniting a new desire to escape and gain her freedom.

Inspired by her family history, Erin Crosby Eckstine has created a stirring debut with Junie. It offers a unique portrayal of an enslaved family in the years leading up to the Civil War, with people who have known no other existence. Typically, I am not a fan of books with a fantastical element, but in this case, it worked well and did not overshadow the story's main focus. I was captivated and couldn't put it down. 

It's a powerful book with a gorgeous cover.

4.5 stars.

This one was a slow read for me, but an enjoyable and important story. The author combines elements of historical fiction, suspense, romance, drama, and fantasy into this story. Difficult to read at times based on the subject matter, but an important look into history.

This is such a beautiful book. I love how the author captures all the characters and tells the story. It's not often you get to read powerful historical fiction with a wonderful element of magical realism. Thank you, NetGalley.