Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Unmaking of June Farrow

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

61 reviews

downtown_kb's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

June Farrow grew up knowing that one day she would start to see things that weren’t there and when that happened it would be the beginning of the end. The same was true for every woman in her family. When her grandmother dies after her own battle with dementia, June is left a strange photograph that can’t be explained. However, when she starts to search for the answers to her questions, she finds the truth along with so many secrets no one ever told her.

This story swept me away. I love Adrienne Young’s beautiful atmospheric writing and this was no exception. I’m always going be a sucker for books set in Appalachia. This story is about June discovering herself and her purpose in life through her history and a lot of that revolves around the relationship between a mother and a daughter. The romance in this one was a bit angsty and borderline subplot/chicklit level but I love a prickly man who is sad and lonely on the inside. There was pretty vague steam but I still found it hot. This book was hard to “trope” bc it doesn’t quite fit a mold and I don’t want to spoil the plot but it has a mystery that at times borders on suspense/thriller and it had me turning the page as fast as I could. I am tempted to start it over from the beginning now that I know what happens. I think this one will stick with me for a while. Great on audio by Brittany Pressley.

The only thing I’m dying to know:

What happened to make her start things with Mason and then go through the door? I chose to believe that Mason just saw her as a sister, Birdie told him the full truth after a time, and then he fell madly in love with that intern!

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jcrawford31's review

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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kari_f's review

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emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I know many people absolutely love Adrienne Young’s adventure-filled YA books, but I have to be honest in saying that I prefer the subtler slow-burn of her adult novels. Spells for Forgetting was among my favorites last year, and The Unmaking of June Farrow hit that same sweet spot for me. It had some similar vibes to it, with a small town setting, mysterious circumstances that are slowly woven together, a magical element, and characters with deep inner lives.

I thought the story was compelling, the characters were layered and authentically flawed, and the way everything connected at the end was perfection.

I wrote in my review for Spells for Forgetting that I hoped Young would continue to write adult novels with creeping dread, ominous tones, and slow-burn plots… and I’m so happy that this one fit that description beautifully!

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this advanced copy!

Content Warnings

lizgriffinwords's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I don't know what kind of addictive magical substance Adrienne Young puts in her books to make them SO GOOD in such a short page count. Like Spells for Forgetting, The Unmaking of June Farrow blends multiple genres: magical realism, mystery, and a pinch of star-crossed romance. I hesitate to touch on the plot for fear of accidental spoilers, so I'll just say that the cursed Farrow women were a joy to read about. Young employs the same masterful pacing and tension that will keep readers turning page after page, chapter after chapter, with a frenzy.
Will also mention the audiobook is excellent.

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chronicacademia's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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blakeandbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

mjscooke's review against another edition

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mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

If you aren't afraid of any content warnings and are willing to go in fairly blind then I recommend doing so as this book is especially delightful when you experience it without any expectations. If you want to know more - which you probably do if you are reading reviews - then let's step through the red door.

June Farrow comes from a line of women who are cursed. A curse that leads to madness and when her grandmother dies her world begins to unravel just as those of the women before her. Then when she crosses the threshold of the mysterious red door everything begins to fall into place.

Adrienne Young weaves the magical elements throughout the real world North Carolina setting in a way that had me challenging my own skepticism as I related to June. The small town vibes with big emotional stakes are Young's forte and I felt completely swept away in this beautiful story, So much so that despite having the privilege of receiving a digital advanced reading copy I plan to purchase the special edition of this special book as I enjoyed it so much.

Content Warnings

bringmybooks's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷

FIRST THINGS FIRST, I DO RECOMMEND THIS BOOK EVEN THOUGH MOST OF THIS REVIEW SOUNDS LIKE I DON’T

Second things second, although I really liked reading this, there were things that could have made it stronger.

Similar to other books by Adrienne Young (Fable, Saint, Spells for Forgetting), there are a lot of references to things that have happened in the past that could have had a lot more impact had their been (more) flashbacks, or even dual timelines / diary entries, something. I’m being SHOWN things that are happening in the current story, but I’m being TOLD about things that have a lot of bearing on what’s currently happening and that disconnect keeps me from ever being fully invested in the story, if that makes sense?

Also, in the name of all things Aslan, can we please please please stop using “I can’t tell you the answer to the direct question you’re asking me because it’s too dangerous” when it is, in fact, not too dangerous and makes literally zero sense because you’re now putting the character in more danger because they have literally no idea what’s going on?

(Also also, at a certain point I legitimately just stopped trying to make the fantasy aspects make sense because they didn’t and it made me happier just to pretend I understood and keep reading.)

But all of that being said - I loved the idea of this book and even if it’s not going to be a forever favorite, I still really enjoyed reading it and there were one or two things that were legitimately jaw dropping moments and I LOVE having that in books!

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booksalacarte's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

5⭐️ 3🌶️

Fantasy
Murder mystery
suspense
romance
Generational curse
Witches
30’s FMC
Past/present
Magical realism
Family secrets
Protective MMC

Adrienne Young has become an auto-read author for me. I’m always blown away by her vivid storytelling. She is able to pull you into whatever world she has created. Her books are always so heartbreaking and mystical. I adored stepping through this door with the June Farrow and watching this story unfold.

I think that the way the plot lines melded together was well done. While the overarching plot was a little predictable, the attention to small details and amazing character arcs made it such a joy to read. The magic was cozy while the plot had me trying to work it all out from the very beginning.

The romance?! It was swoon worthy. The tension and chemistry was everything I wanted from this book. My heart melted for this couple.

Thank you Random House Publishing- Ballantine and NetGalley for and advanced ereader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Content Warnings

brewdy_reader's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 • 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 • 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯 • 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳

𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘍𝘪 • 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢 • 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴

This book has blown me away.

An affliction that is a blessing and a curse
An unsolved decades old murder
A love that transcends distance and time

This story is told in beautiful, poetic prose that transports us instantly. Nestled into the cozy, picturesque hills of the Blue Ridge Mtns in small-town USA, Jasper is a town where everyone knows everyone, where the annual midsummer faire is a main event, and where June Farrow owns and operates her family's flower farm.

This is a tale of family and a love story and it’s also a mystery/thriller. Young deftly blurs the lines between literary genres, obliterating the normal boundaries. Her words are smooth like butter & made my multi-genre-loving heart sing.

This is a story of 5 generations of women, of the choices they make to keep each others' secrets to avoid persecution, bringing strong witchy vibes. Combined with repressed memories, premonitions, hallucinations, a curse affecting only Farrow women, and an unsolved cold case - this is the perfect spooky fall read.

I loved how we get to unravel the mystery alongside June. Young is the master of the slow reveal, balancing predictability against complexity, employing amnesia to allow June to remember things over time, and utilizing visions to make us question her reliability.
This book made me 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙.

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅! 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝑶𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝟏𝟕𝒕𝒉
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 - 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.

Shades of 11/22/63 and The Time Traveler’s Wife and Memento. Pass through different timelines.

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