Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

DNF at 54%

If you're looking for a cosy slow paced mystery book, this novel is for you. Young is fantastic at building beautiful worlds that you can immerse yourself into, and this book has two different settings to sink into.

However, for me this book missed the mark. The pacing just didn't work for me. The initial 20% I flew through, the mystery of the family curse propelled me through it. Once we learned about the curse, it just seems to really slow down and the cause of the curse was kind of unexpected and disappointing. After that I just didn't really have the inclination to pick it up again as I couldn't get invested in the characters and it was just a bit boring.

I'm definitely in the minority for this book and there's no denying that Young is fantastic at building these immersive worlds, but for me that was the only major positive.

An enjoyable novel to read, a little pampering.
I found the writing fluid and engaging.
Compared to Fable, you can see how much the author has matured.
In fact, I enjoyed this novel much more!

An interesting but sometimes confusing tale of a family of women who travel back and forth in time. By thr end I had managed to piece who everyone was in different times. I really enjoyed it and thought there was a good mixof characters.

Synopsis:

Living in the small town of Jasper, North Carolina, the Farrow women are known not only for their thriving flower farm, but for their oddness. They have been cursed, each having only one daughter and often going mad. This was true of June’s mother Susannah, who mysteriously disappears and leaves June to be raised by her grandmother.

However, when her grandmother’s mind begins to unravel, so too do the secrets of the Farrow family and the town of Jasper. Dark secrets have been hidden, and the truth must be found across time and through a mysterious red door.

My thoughts:

There’s a quiet mystery to The Unmaking of June Farrow that I really enjoyed, and while I’m not quite sure what I expected with this book, it really surprised me. As always Adrienne Young’s writing is atmospheric and immersive. I loved that the fantasy elements of this novel were background to June’s family relationships, and although I did see some things coming I was completely surprised by others. If you enjoy time travel, small town mystery and second chance romances, pick this one up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely beautiful to read, there was magic and mystery alongside a romance story but the main focus being on a young woman finding herself. I didn’t expect to finish this book and still be thinking about it days later but there was so much heart and soul in this story that you can’t help but keep thinking back to it,

It probably took me till around the 25% mark before I was fully invested and after that I couldn’t put it down until I had all the answers I needed. I did feel like some characters stories were rushed or left unfinished but that’s just me being picky.

Overall such a wonderful and beautiful read and would recommend everyone to give this book a go!

Adrienne Young delivers a griping story with many twists and turns along the way in her signature atmospheric writing. Compelling characters and beautiful language make up for the slightly contrived time slip rules and details that I had a hard time following in the second half of the book. But the romance between June and Eamon was sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this E-ARC for an honest review. I was so excited when my request for a copy was approved, I loved Adrienne's book spells for forgetting, so I was so excited to read this.

We follow a girl called June, she has lost her mother and now has lost her grandmother, shes living in a small quaint town. She owns a flowerfield, one that her family has frown for years. She is suffering from psychological problems, or so we think. We see her address her issues, visiting people for mental health and well being help, her coping with these issues and her family treading around her as if they're on eggshells. She recieves a letter from her mother and begins to research her family history where she stumbles on a twisty twist.

This twist kept me hooked from beginning to end, and the magic in it, time travel was just entrancing and amazing. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Another great read!

This book had the best small town atmosphere, that even succeeded the author's previous book. I loved the characters, There's romance and mystery, as June tries to find out why her mother disappeared after her grandmother's death. There's so much happening in this story, but it doesn't feel overly busy. I loved the atmospheric autumn tone that the author took when telling this story.

The characters were fun and easy to follow. I enjoyed the writing which was gorgeous and the settings were so descriptive, it was almost like I was there i person. I really enjyed this book, and would highly recommend it!

Thank you to Quercus Books, Adrienne Young and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The Unmaking of June Farrow" by Adrienne Young is a beautifully crafted novel that leads you into the mysterious world of the Farrow family in the small town of Jasper, North Carolina. This story unfolds with a sense of impending destiny and a deeply rooted curse that haunts the Farrow women through generations. As June embarks on her quest to uncover the truth about her family's history, her character resonates with complexity and vulnerability, drawing you into her journey of self-discovery. The novel's atmosphere is masterfully built, creating an eerie and captivating backdrop for the unfolding mystery. Adrienne Young's writing is captivating, and her ability to convey the characters' emotions is truly remarkable. The book is a fantastic blend of atmospheric mystery and heartfelt emotion, and it's a story that lingers long after the final page.

However, while the majority of the book is filled with rich descriptions and a growing sense of anticipation, the ending might feel somewhat rushed and overly neat, considering the complexity of the narrative. Despite this, "The Unmaking of June Farrow" remains a memorable and enchanting tale, making it a must-read for anyone who enjoys stories with a touch of the impossible and a profound sense of fate. Young's ability to create an immersive and emotionally charged world in this novel is truly praiseworthy.

Wow Adrienne Young's writing is so unbelievabley beautiful. This book was stunning, so Atmospheric and such an amazing plot. Such a beautiful story a real page tuner!

"Every woman in the Farrow family was different, but the end was always the same."

Words cannot describe how much I loved The Unmaking of June Farrow. I really didn't know what to expect from it but as usual Adrienne Young has written a phenomenal book.

The Unmaking of June Farrow has a fantastic vibe to it, a small town family mystery with a hell of a lot of suspense.

The book begins with the death of June's beloved grandma, Margaret.

"When Margaret Anne Farrow died in her sleep on June 10, 2023, I became the last living Farrow on earth. "

It is clear from the beginning that her gran's last years were not easy for any of them, references to Gran losing her mind are frequently made.

"There weren't many things that were clear, especially in those final years when Gran's mind had all but slipped away, but a burial on this hill at sunset with a fiddle playing in the wind was one of them."

The Farrows have been outsiders in the small mountain town of Jasper for as long as anyone can remember,. The Farrow women are known to be unnusual and to suffer from a curse, a mysterious sickness of the mind.

"To the town of Jasper, I was first known as the Market Street Baby, words made eternal the day the Chronicle put them on the front page.Just before daybreak on October 2, 1989, Clarence Taylor was on his way to open the cafe when he heard the sound of a baby's cry coming from the alley. It took only hours for the whole town to hear about the baby girl in the basket with the birthmark beneath one ear and the locket watch tucked into her blanket."

June is haunted by the legacy of her mother, who disappeared after abandoning her in alley, and whose declining mental health was well known before this event.

"It had almost been fourteen months since my mother disappeared. There was no shortage of theories on the matter, but no real answers. Susanna had simply walked into the woods one day, her belly swollen with child, and never returned."

June's gran has always been reluctant to discuss her mother with her, leaving June to go to other members of the community for answers.

"The easiest and most widely accepted explanation for my mother's strange disappearance was madness the same affliction to befall every woman in my family for as far back as anyone could remember. We were cursed - the Farrow women."

Adrienne Young is excellent at writing about small towns and the communities. She sets the scene so perfectly you could swear you were actually there.

"There were things that made this town what it was. The secret of honeysuckle blooming along the black tar roads and the rush of the Adeline River, which cut through the land like the scrape of a knife. The various gazes that followed me and gran on the street and the rumours that skipped in the air no matter how much time had passed. Their stories were nothing compared to the ones gran had regaled me with when she tucked me in to bed as a little girl. The town of Jasper had no idea just how different and strange we were."

The disappearance of June's mother is not the only mystery haunting the small town of Jasper.

"Decades ago, the town's minister had been brutally murdered at the river, though I wasn't sure what truth there was to the grisly details I'd heard murmured over the years. There were still people who still left flowers on his grave and his picture hung in the cafe like the patron saint of Jasper, still watching over his flock.

My missing mother, on the other hand, had barely warranted a search party."

As the book progresses June's worries about her mental health increases, we learn she has been hearing and seeing strange things with increasing frequency.

"It came for my grandmother, as it came for my mother, and now it had come for me.

For years, the town of Jasper had been watching me, waiting for the madness to show itself. They didn't know it was already there, brimming beneath the surface.

My future had never been a mystery. I'd known since I was very young what lay ahead, my own and always so sharply visible in the distance. That was why I'd never fall in loveWhy I'd never have a child. Why I'd never seen any point in the dreams that lit the eyes of everyone else around me. I had only one ambition in my simply built life, and that was to be sure the Farrow curse would end with me.

It was as good a place as any to end a story. I wasn't the first Farrow, but I would be the last."

There is so much to talk about in this book but I don't want to spoil anything so all I will say is that I won't forget about this delightful book for a long time.

I’m a huge fan of Adrienne’s writing and I’m never disappointed. She’s an excellent and atmospheric storyteller.

The Unmaking of June Farrow takes place in a small mountainside town in America where we follow the woman of the Farrow family. Women of the Farrow family are known for two things: 1. The stunning flowers which they grow at their families flower farm and 2. none of the Farrow woman are 'quite right' plagued by visions and driven to madness.

I wont say much else about the plot as I honestly, like I have seen others say, believe it's so much better to go into this one completely blind (which is exactly what I did!!). Adrienne Young the author has the most beautiful writing style, full of emotion, magic and vivid imagery and I honestly I just had such a lovely time reading this.

Fully recommend to anyone to give it a read and just perfect for the autumn season I think.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. I'll certainly be reading more of this authors works in the future.

This book is just so much wow. I flew through the book and adored it. June was such a loving character and I felt an instant connection to her. Her whole life was a mystery and that drew me in so quickly. June's grandmother passes away and now June has to figure out how to live without her. Also being told she has the same disease her mother and grandmother have. June receives a letter that unfurls her whole world and she feels like she is losing her mind. This story was beautiful and breathtaking, and it was the perfect autumnal read I just loved every moment. A story about finding yourself when your whole life was a lie. Young yet again delivers an emotional rollercoaster with so much hope.

I really enjoyed The Unmaking of June Farrow!
Though that isn't a very big surprise as I'm a big fan of Adrienne Young and enjoyed all of her books that I've read.

The writing as expected was really good! I swear Adrienne Youngs writing seems to improve with every new release.
The story was really unique and I was really invested in it and it left me guessing till the end.
June was also such a good character, I really liked her!

I definitely highly recommend this book!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

Going into this book I resisted the urge to read what it was about. I am glad I did, because it allowed the story to unfold for me as I read.

I've been a long time fan of Adrienne Young, and the progression of her talents, as a writer, are clear within the pages of this book. I was swept up in June's story, as she puzzled over what was happening with the female members of her family and her grandmother resisted answering her questions. Learning about June's experience, following in the steps of the Farrow women who came before her, felt like a bit of a homecoming for me.

I felt the impact of her experiences and decisions on her choices, and her frustration and puzzlement as June tried to work out what she did not yet know herself, but felt the people around her knew and were keeping from her. Her pain made my own heart ache as she puzzled to recall why she made a choice when she can't figure out why she ever would have chosen to do what she did.

As some of the puzzle pieces fell into place, and memories started to blossom, where none had existed before, June's fear of what it all meant slithered through me. Did she have to protect someone she loved, without realising she had to?

I really enjoyed the journey this story took me on and the clever way June found to solve the curse of the Farrow women, before it could bleed into another generation.

4.5/5 ⭐

My only regret is that the book ended so soon, as I could have happily spent more time with these characters.

Thank you to Quercus books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advance readers copy in exchange for my impartial review. The pleasure has been all mine.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a beautifully written novel, with a unique plot. It kind of reminds me of the children’s book Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. They’re quite different stories, but they have a similar vibe to me.

The writing was absolutely gorgeous. This is my first Adrienne Young novel, but now I can’t wait to pick up another (next will be Spells for Forgetting). She created such a rich and vivid atmosphere - I could really picture the setting well and the first half had such an eerie, sinister feel to it. I also thought she did a great job conveying the characters emotions and she was able to pull on my heartstrings.

The reason I’m knocking this down a star is because I feel like the ending really let the book down. It wasn’t that it was bad, but it was a bit lacklustre, especially after such a compelling start to the book. The last 25% was a bit too quick and tied up too neatly.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable, beautifully written, atmospheric read, that I would highly recommend.

This is billed as a Young Adult themes but there is a thread of violent assault and murder so bear that in mind.
June Farrow lives on the family flower farm in Jasper, North Carolina. She comes from a family of women who are different. They hear and see things and even go missing for periods of time.
If you like time slip between places stories, with a little mystery and some romance, then this is for you.

EXCERPT: I fished the stack of photographs from one of the sections and clumsily spread them out on the floor beside me, my eyes searching the many faces of Susanna Farrow. A baby in Gran's arms. A toddler in a pair of overalls, chest bare beneath the sagging straps. A young girl blowing out birthday candles. A teenage with wide, wire-rimmed glasses in the fields at the farm. My frantic hands finally stilled when I found the one I was looking for - a Susanna who was in her twenties, I guessed.
She stood beneath the dogwood tree in the front yard, one hand absently reaching for the low-hanging branch beside her. Her hair was long and down, face turned to the street as if the picture was snapped the moment she saw someone coming down the sidewalk. So ordinary in the kind of way I'd always longed for. No hint or shadow in her eyes of what was to come.

ABOUT 'THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW': In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, 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 haunted them for generations.

The madness that led to Susanna Farrow's disappearance left her daughter, June, to be raised by her grandmother. Everyone in Jasper is certain it's only a matter of time before she finds the same end, but June has kept secret that her unravelling has already begun.

After her grandmother's death, June follows a series of clues that link her mother's disappearance to the town's dark history, leading finally to a mysterious door.

Behind it may lay the answer to the mysteries that have always lingered like a dark shadow. Upon crossing the threshold, June embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but entangle her fate and her heart in a star-crossed love.

MY THOUGHTS: I really loved the premise outlined in the synopsis of The Unmaking of June Farrow; however, I wasn't at all prepared for the time travel/slip trope that is the basis of this story. What I was expecting was a story of generational mental ill-health, but what I got was something very different. I doubt that I am the target audience for this book, but blame that on the synopsis.

However, it's not all bad. Adrienne Young writes beautifully. Her prose is atmospheric and I felt compelled to continue reading, even when I had no idea what was going on. I was totally confounded by the strange rules surrounding where June could travel and how many times, and how the same characters were in different time periods at different ages than they should have been. It made absolutely no sense to me, and I am still confounded even after finishing.

I adore the cover, and I'm quite sure that this is a wonderful book for those who like a whole lot more depth to their fantasy novels than I do.

⭐⭐⭐

#TheUnmakingofJuneFarrow #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: When she’s not writing, you can find Adrienne on her yoga mat, on a walk in the woods, or planning her next travel adventure. She lives and writes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Quercus Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Unmaking of June Farrow for review. All opinions expressed in this review are totally my own opinions.

I absolutely adored this book! It’s a mystery novel with a hint of romance, a sprinkle of magical realism, suspense, and a dash of romance
The Unmaking of June Farrow tells the story of June, a 34-year-old woman who risks everything to end her family's centuries-old curse, solve her mother's disappearance, and find love