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thebiglittlelibrary 's review for:
The Unmaking of June Farrow
by Adrienne Young
4.75 ⭐️ If you're a fan of The Time Traveler's Wife or Outlander, then read this book!
"You may have ruined my life, June. But first, you gave me one."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ small town setting
✨ magical realism
✨ family curse
✨ time travel
✨ second-chance romance (unconventional)
✨ murder mystery
✨ psychological mind game
✨ angst
✨ secrets and lies
✨ drama
✨ HEA
✨ TW: child abandonment, death of loved one, murder, suicide
My Thoughts:
The Unmaking of June Farrow was so good! I had no idea what this book was about before I started reading, but I didn't expect this.
The story follows June Farrow, whose family has been 'cursed' with mental illness. All Farrow women end up losing their minds to visions, as if they are stuck between two places at once. June has lived her life awaiting this fate. But when she discovers a photograph of her mother from the early 1900s, June starts to wonder if the Farrow women aren't stuck in their own minds, but in two different times. And when the red door from her vision appears again, she's going to walk through it and discover what lies on the other side.
From the first sentence to the last, I was invested. Adrienne Young is an incredible writer that has a way of pulling you in and making you feel part of the story. I LOVED the premise. As a fan of time-travel stories this 100% scratched that itch. The characters were intriguing and felt so real. The romance was heartbreaking, messy, and beautiful. The rural, small town was perfectly crafted with townsfolk who thrive on secrets and stories.
But what truly made this book unputdownable was the psychological mind game and murder mystery aspects that were intertwined. I loved that we were uncovering truths along with June, which made the twists and turns that much more gut-wrenching. I was constantly on the edge of my seat to find out what happened next. I will say, I was able to predict all the 'reveals', but that really didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. Because when the truths came out, it still packed an emotional punch.
The time travel bits are explained and I do understand it . . . to a degree. But there's an aspect of it that left me scratching my head. I definitely think the reader is just sort of meant to accept it for what it is instead of trying to scientifically prove exactly how time travel and its effects works.
❗❗**CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT**❗❗
This story is really fascinating because it's a story about a woman who's never really had any agency over her life. The 'curse' has always played a role in it. June decided she wouldn't romantically love someone or have children because it would end in heartbreak for her significant other and a child that would suffer her same fate. So June's never really lived, until she goes to the past. But even then, she is living a different June's life. I know she gets those memories back, which feel as if they are her own, but part of me is saddened by the fact she didn't actually live them herself. And her choice to stay in the past, it's because of a daughter a different version of herself had. I know this life with Eamon and Annie is filled with love and 'feel right' to her, but a small, small part of me is sad that she didn't go back to 2023 and live a life of her own making that was not influenced by the 'curse'.
"You may have ruined my life, June. But first, you gave me one."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ small town setting
✨ magical realism
✨ family curse
✨ time travel
✨ second-chance romance (unconventional)
✨ murder mystery
✨ psychological mind game
✨ angst
✨ secrets and lies
✨ drama
✨ HEA
✨ TW: child abandonment, death of loved one, murder, suicide
My Thoughts:
The Unmaking of June Farrow was so good! I had no idea what this book was about before I started reading, but I didn't expect this.
The story follows June Farrow, whose family has been 'cursed' with mental illness. All Farrow women end up losing their minds to visions, as if they are stuck between two places at once. June has lived her life awaiting this fate. But when she discovers a photograph of her mother from the early 1900s, June starts to wonder if the Farrow women aren't stuck in their own minds, but in two different times. And when the red door from her vision appears again, she's going to walk through it and discover what lies on the other side.
From the first sentence to the last, I was invested. Adrienne Young is an incredible writer that has a way of pulling you in and making you feel part of the story. I LOVED the premise. As a fan of time-travel stories this 100% scratched that itch. The characters were intriguing and felt so real. The romance was heartbreaking, messy, and beautiful. The rural, small town was perfectly crafted with townsfolk who thrive on secrets and stories.
But what truly made this book unputdownable was the psychological mind game and murder mystery aspects that were intertwined. I loved that we were uncovering truths along with June, which made the twists and turns that much more gut-wrenching. I was constantly on the edge of my seat to find out what happened next. I will say, I was able to predict all the 'reveals', but that really didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. Because when the truths came out, it still packed an emotional punch.
The time travel bits are explained and I do understand it . . . to a degree. But there's an aspect of it that left me scratching my head. I definitely think the reader is just sort of meant to accept it for what it is instead of trying to scientifically prove exactly how time travel and its effects works.
❗❗**CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT**❗❗
This story is really fascinating because it's a story about a woman who's never really had any agency over her life. The 'curse' has always played a role in it. June decided she wouldn't romantically love someone or have children because it would end in heartbreak for her significant other and a child that would suffer her same fate. So June's never really lived, until she goes to the past. But even then, she is living a different June's life. I know she gets those memories back, which feel as if they are her own, but part of me is saddened by the fact she didn't actually live them herself. And her choice to stay in the past, it's because of a daughter a different version of herself had. I know this life with Eamon and Annie is filled with love and 'feel right' to her, but a small, small part of me is sad that she didn't go back to 2023 and live a life of her own making that was not influenced by the 'curse'.