The incredibly compelling blurb is the reason I reached for The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young with such anticipation. For the next two-thirds of the novel, however, I found myself wondering whether to congratulate—or confront—the person who wrote the synopsis, because the book itself turned out to be a major disappointment.

The story follows three generations of women from the Farrow family. In the present day, June Farrow runs the family flower farm. Throughout her life, she has lived in fear of the curse hanging over her bloodline. Her mother, Susanna, disappeared from the town without a trace, and the reason has never been discovered. According to the townspeople, months before her disappearance, Susanna had been overcome by madness—and this is exactly what June expects will eventually happen to her as well.

A year before her grandmother Margaret’s death, June begins experiencing visions. She keeps what is happening to herself a secret, but seeks help from the local doctor. After Margaret’s passing, June comes across clues related to her mother’s mysterious disappearance. At the same time, a strange red door appears before her—and after some hesitation, she decides to step through it…

I don’t think I’ll be spoiling anything by mentioning that June finds herself several decades in the past, with a chance both to break the Farrow curse and uncover the truth about Susanna’s fate.

Make no mistake—The Unmaking of June Farrow is not science fiction. It is, at its core, a romantic story in which the concept of time travel serves merely as a backdrop.

The novel also suffers from a noticeable lack of pace. Before June even steps through the door, the first third of the book focuses almost entirely on her inner thoughts, doubts, emotions, and fears rather than on actual plot development. I kept hoping things would pick up, but the same monotony continues all the way to the end.

Of course, diving deeply into a character’s inner world is not a flaw in itself. What is missing, however—and this is something I won’t elaborate on to avoid spoilers—is a convincing explanation for the curse placed upon the women of the Farrow family. There is also a rather unsettling man who appears to June in the present timeline, and I have to admit that his identity and purpose remained unclear to me even by the end.

Because of all this, our rating is:

Booklovers Rating: 2.5 / 5