This historical fiction story takes place in Alabama before the Civil War. Junie is 16, living on McQueen’s cotton plantation, and serving as a maid to daughter, Violet. When the Taylors come to visit, Junie becomes friends with Mr. Taylor’s valet and coachman. Violet and Junie have a special relationship that dies when Junie is beaten. Junie is stuck in her past and is helping her deceased sister, Minnie, in the In Between. She has tasks to complete before Minnie can leave this earth. Junie learns a lot about her family and many ugly truths. This story moves between the cruelty of slavery and the devotion of family. I would have preferred the ending to be more complete rather than left hanging.

🧡📖FIVE STAR BOOK REVIEW📖🧡

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🥰Thank you so much to @randomhouse for the gifted book!

📖Title: Junie
✍️Author: @erincrosbyeckstine
📅Pub date: February 4, 2025

🧡WOW- I was absolutely stunned by this deep, moving, and beautiful debut. Everything about it was perfect. The cover. The story. The characters. The narrator. Absolutely amazing.

📖Be prepared for this book to win all the awards this year!

🫶This story takes place in 1860-1861 on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama where 16-year-old Junie has spent her entire life enslaved. Junie has always dreamed of life beyond the plantation, but her dreams are haunted and halted by her dark reality and by the ghost of her deceased sister, Minnie.

📖The supernatural aspect of this book, while important, wasn't overwhelming or too much in my opinion. The idea of historical fiction mixed with supernatural may sound odd, but I really think it worked so well here. If supernatural elements typically aren't your thing, I think you should absolutely still give this one a shot.

🧡As far as pacing goes, I felt like it kept getting progressively more intense as it went on and built up to an absolutely jaw-dropping end. Every chapter felt more intense than the previous one!

📖I felt the widest range of emotions while reading this book which is a testament to Erin's immersive writing! I finished the book with tears in my eyes and feel like I could start it again today and feel the same way the second time.

🫶This would be a perfect bookclub pick! The discussion could go on and on since there is so much to unpack. Do not miss the author's note!

I love this cover! This is phenomenally written and immersing. I was invested in finding out how this was going to end. This is one of my favorites of this year so far! I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Erin Crosby Eckstine, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I feel so giddy when an author knocks it out of the park for their debut novel! Erin Crosby Eckstine has written such a powerful novel that I would've NEVER guessed this was her first! Bravo, Ms. Eckstine💯!

Junie, a 16-year-old enslaved girl, is a character that will stay with me long after the last page was turned. The author managed to create a feisty character with heart and an indelible spirit unlike any I've encountered in the recent past. A well-crafted cast of characters joins Junie as this coming-of-age story unravels seamlessly.

Despite the addition of magical realism, a genre that requires a deft ability to reach a precise balance between suspension of disbelief and a realistic plot line, the author managed to hit the nail on the head. Her writing is silky smooth, and I just couldn't put the book down!

This historical fiction novel is based on the author's ancestral grandmother, and the care and precision with which she writes has resulted in a stunning tribute.

If you're looking for an Own voices historical fiction novel with a twist to read during Black History Month, look no further. This book will readily transport you to the pre-civil war era and will leave a lasting imprint on your heart.

Many thanks to partners, Random House and NetGalley for this gifted review copy!

The narrative voice in Junie sounds so assured that you wouldn’t realize it was a debut. The title character, just sixteen in 1860, has lived her whole life on Bellereine Plantation in rural central Alabama, as “property” of the McQueen family. Junie has hopes and dreams like any young woman, and her interior life is fully and richly described. Although she shares household duties with her family—including her loving grandparents, Auntie Marilla, and cousin Bess—she primarily acts as companion to her white master’s daughter, Violet, who taught her to read. The teenagers share confidences and thoughts on literature; Junie has a fondness for British poetry, while her relatives worry that her head’s too much in the clouds.

Junie’s world is about to change. Already in financial distress due to the master’s alcoholism and irresponsibility, the McQueens are becoming nervous about potential war. When Mr. Beauregard Taylor, a wealthy suitor for Violet’s hand, arrives to stay at Bellereine, Junie—fearful of what Violet’s marriage will mean for her—undertakes a daring nighttime excursion that awakens the spirit of her late sister, Minnie, who had died after saving Junie from drowning. Minnie has several demands for Junie to accomplish on her behalf, and fulfilling them unearths terrible truths about life at Bellereine.

The eeriness of the ghostly visitations stands in effective contrast with the verdant beauty of the woods that Junie loves. The plotting is superb, with many unforeseen twists, and Junie is a compelling creation. Her growing closeness to the Taylors’ coachman, Caleb, is depicted with tender realism. Knowing that enslaved people’s futures aren’t their own, both hesitate to become too close. Still innocent in many ways as the novel begins, Junie is repeatedly tested, and she recalibrates the meaning of friendship, freedom, and sisterhood with every shocking revelation. (From the Historical Novels Review, Feb. 2025)

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy this book even though I thought it was a little slow. It did end up picking up and I did read it in one day. I did enjoy the characters and their development. I would recommend this book.

This is just good storytelling. I highly recommend everyone pick this up in February. Junie is going to stay with me for a long, long time. I read this shortly after my dad passed, and it was the only thing that kept my attention.

I was absolutely captivated by Erin Crosby Eckstine's Junie. This book was powerful and the themes of racism, misogyny, and dreams for a better future are just as applicable for 2025 as they were for the two main characters, Junie (a teenage enslaved girl on an Alabama plantation) and her teenage mistress/"friend" Violet. This book explores family, friendship, love, and charting your own course, despite the constraints around you. While most of the action throughout the book focuses on Junie's challenges and growth as she copes with the death of her sister and the reality of slavery as she grows, Violet's courtship and marriage to a cruel man gains a focal point as the book progresses. The last third of the book was very fast paced as both girls (women, really) make choices that have lasting implications on their futures.

There were elements of this story that I was not expecting. One element that I grew to love was the introduction of Junie's sister, Minnie, as a spirit. The supernatural/magical realism element really endeared me to the book and to Junie. I could tell just how much she adored her sister and how that loss affected her. There were a few other plot points, namely involving Violet and her mother, that came as a surprise too. I have mixed feelings about those... both their reality/truth to the time, but also how much those aspects could be hidden in that era.

Overall, I loved this story. It is a great read -- very layered and complex, with nuanced and delightful characters. This book shows the reality and the horrors of slavery... even with mostly kind owners. I am so glad to have read it!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books from Penguin Random House for this ARC. Although it was just published, let me tell you about this wonderful book. A compelling and heartbreaking historical fiction story about Junie, an enslaved girl in pre Civil War Alabama, where she has to fix the unresolved issues her sister had. With some paranormal elements unexpected to me, because I didn't pay much attention to the book description, it will hook you up from the beginning. Lovable characters, as well as hateful ones, I recommend this book. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content warnings: depictions of enslaved people, domestic abuse (verbal and physical), physical and psychological abuse of enslaved people, grief, death, loss of a loved one, familial trauma
Thank you to Netgalley for providing this digital book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
One of the more compelling and heartbreaking books I’ve read for a long while. What began as a story about two sisters broken apart by death transitioned into the lessons learned from grief, despair, guilt, and the everlasting abundance of love in a cruel world. The supernatural aspect of the book was also very well-done. I adored the way the ghost was portrayed – light and fire and frailty and rage. The complex emotions behind Junie’s relationship with her grief was devastating. I found Junie to be a well-rounded, astute character. Her life as an enslaved person was hard to read, especially when the author wrote that she didn’t include every aspect of life as a slave on a plantation, such as a portrayal of the field workers. The focus on Junie as a maid and house slave was horrifying on its own, the careful intricacies and stressors and whims of the white family she had to balance every single minute of her day would be debilitating and exhausting to any person, but she handled it all with astounding strength and bravery. I highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end of the book, where she details her intentions telling Junie’s story and why she chose the plot in the book.
Junie’s story is heartbreaking but filled with resilient hope and strength of will. She makes mistakes, she submits to the anxieties of her mind, feels paralyzed by her devotion and fear that her family will suffer because of her actions. But through it all, I felt such kinship with Junie. She was afraid, she tried to hide it all inside and work to make everything right for everyone she loved. Ultimately, it’s an effort we all fail to make because it’s an impossible task. Junie’s awakening to this truth broke my heart.
And Caleb, oh sweet Caleb. A beautiful character and just the kind of love Junie deserves. I was so grateful for his presence in her life. Because while the love wasn’t always smooth and often Junie was overcome with her duty to her family and her belief that she deserves nothing good, their relationship was so tender and lovely.
The ending was not exactly what I hoped for, but it left open the possibility of what I most desired. In my head and heart, that ending is made reality. I choose to believe nothing else.

4.5/5

This book is a GMA Book club pick but before that it was an early ARC book for me. I really enjoyed this book so see why it was chosen as a pick. It revolves around the title chatacter Junie who is a slave on a plantation. Her sister dies and she thinks she's somehow at fault and then she invites her sisters spirits to come and help her out. The issues of slavery is obviosly a part of the story but you meet other characters who arent typical stereotypes that you usually get in novels about this issue. The trauma from slavery stills exists today and is something that our country truly hasn't come to to a true reconciliation with. This novel will help people understand that they were individuals and not just some unknown group of people. The author says that this story is based on her family history. I highly recommned this book especially in today's time where we like to forget history and pretend that bad tings didn't happen. It's a great read so you won't mind the journey. Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for the read.

I did not care for the ghost aspect of this story. The story felt predictable and I had to force myself to finish it. Not for me.

Junie, a historical fiction novel, has challenged my perceptions of how slave stories can be narrated. The novel follows the life of Junie, a young slave girl on the Bellereine plantation, who is ill-suited for her time. Amidst navigating her emotions, including her complex relationship with her sister Minnie and her love for a slave boy named Caleb, Junie also grapples with family secrets and the harsh realities of slavery before the Civil War. The book also subtly touches upon colorism and homosexuality during that era. Overall, I found the story compelling. It forced me to recognize that the diverse ways slaves survived during that period were all valid and effective, as any means of survival was preferable to none.

This book is so powerful! Junie is a slave in Alabama just before the Civil War, working as a maid for Violet, the daughter of the McQueen family who owns a plantation. She’s struggling with the grief of losing her sister, feeling responsible for her death. One day, Junie sees her sister’s ghost, and the mission she’s given sets off a chain of events with huge consequences.

Junie’s story broke my heart. She’s such a strong character, and I just wanted her to find peace and happiness. This book is a great reminder of our country’s painful history and the fact that no one should ever have to live under someone else’s control. The mix of historical fiction with a touch of magic was so well done.

What I loved even more was learning that Junie is based on the author’s actual ancestor. That little historical twist at the end made the story even more impactful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction—it’s definitely worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book tells the story of Junie a 16 year old enslaved girl on an Alabama plantation. Junie’s mother was sold when she was an infant. She’s and her older sister Minnie had been raised by their grandmother, grandfather aunt and bossy cousin Bess.

Junie’s always felt as though her sister Minnie was better than she was- probably because everyone kept telling her so. Minnie had died shortly after rescuing Junie and Junie was plagued with guilt. Still she was rather lucky though, and is given a good bit of freedom to goof off. She was a playmate and best friend of Violet young daughter of the master. Violet has taught Junie and her sister to read. Junie wanders off often to dream or write poetry.

I really like the way the author captured Junie’s essence - it was noted that she was modeled after the author’s great great grandmother, who was an enslaved person in Alabama . The character that she created is at once kind, intuitive, thoughtful but also human she can be lazy and selfish and just a tiny bit-self-absorbed. I think that the overall message is that even in the very best of circumstances for enslaved people their life was still never their own. It was always just a whim or a small change of circumstance that could have them shipped off, whipped or killed. So though they were able to find joy in some things in their life until they were able to live their life on their own terms, it was just a shadow of life. There was always something missing.
Interesting, Violet doesn’t have it much better- though luxurious and polite on the outside she is “sold into marriage” and there brutalized, and silenced. Her life is at the whim of her father and then her husband. She really has no choice either. Its a white mans world and he can do whatever he wants.
Lots to think about here. Reccomend

🌾 Book Review 🌾

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: Out now!

Rating: I liked it!

I love historical fiction and when I see that the topic is something different from WW2, I pounce on it! This debut follows 16 year old Junie while she is living as a slave.

This was a solid debut that I liked reading. I loved the historical detail for the time period and how unsettled the South was during this time.

A few things that didn’t work for me as a reader is how slow things moved and that the characters seemed to be missing something.

Overall, I look forward to Eckstein’s next book!

For fans of:
🌾 Third person POV
🔑 Single POV
🌾 Civil war era
🔑 Southern plantation
🌾 1860s Alabama
🔑 Slavery
🌾 Young adult
🔑 Coming of age
🌾 Magical realism (a touch)
🔑 Slow moving
🌾 Debut novel

🌟 What to Read Next 🌟
✨ Anything by Ruta Sepytus (late teens navigating a changing world throughout history)
✨ The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (same time period)

I am very conflicted writing this review, because I had very different feelings about the first and last halves of the book!

The first half is a solid three stars for me: I appreciated the writing, but I was a little bored and wished there was more plot.

However, as soon as the second half (which I would give almost five stars) began, I had trouble putting the book down! It was a page turner, and I felt so many emotions as Junie’s story unfolded.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially if you love:

💭 complex characters
🌅 beautiful writing
⏳historical fiction

60/100 or 3.0 stars

I was hoping this story would suck me in and keep me engaged, as the synopsis sounded interesting and like a good YA story for people to read. It didn't work out that way for me. I always aim to be honest in my reviews here, because I know NetGalley is looking for honest feedback and not just people giving out 4 and 5 stars or 1 or 2 stars just because. I thought I was going to like this, but as I read, I felt myself losing interest, and the writing wasn't really working for me either. I didn't want to push through and read a book I was not interested in just to finish it. I also don't want to have to post elsewhere with a review when I could tell it would just be a three star read for me. This book is covering difficult topics, and so I wanted to give the book the respect to DNF since it was not working and did not grab my interest, over finishing it because I feel like I had to and giving it a neutral or negative rating.

"What's on the other side of sublime? What happens after you see it? Youre supposed to just go back to your old life, sneaking around and cleaning up after white folks? You're supposed to accept that a view is the closest you'll ever get to being limitless?"

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine introduces the readers to Delilah June, "Junie", as she works as the handmaid for a plantation owners daughter, Violet. Throughout the novel, the reader sees Junie grow in her understanding of the evils of the world while at the same time, never losing the fight or hope for a different life.

Junie combines historical fiction with some paranormal facets that are both a nod to the spiritual beliefs of Black Slaves while also personifying eternal hope. In the author's note, Eckstine writes "I wanted to explore what it would look like to see a character with dreams, ambitions, love, grief, and flaws in the same way every human has; not as a way of diminishing the horror, but instead shining a light on the individual humanity of a group of people many have grown to perceive monolithically." With Junie, she is absolutely successful in her mission.

A powerful and beautiful book. I fell in the love with the story & the characters. 5/5

Side note: for the love of heck PLeASe do not put a GMA sticker on the beautiful cover and if you don’t wanna, make it removeable. Thanks.