Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

9 reviews

shlymiller's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

doctadri44's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Abandonment

Minor: Child death, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

sydresnik's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Dementia, Stalking, Abortion, and Death of parent

itsheyfay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Suicide, Stalking, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Gun violence

naomi_k's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Suicide, Stalking, and Pregnancy

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Blood, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse

firefly99's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

This one was so confusing, which was actually fitting because it felt like you were reacting right along with the MC. Made my brain hurt, but in a good way. Part murder mystery, part time travel, very well written with a vivid setting and characters. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Abortion, and Alcohol

reading_historical_romance's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense 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? No

5.0

I’m trying to come up with the right words to express how much I loved this book, and whatever I write keeps falling short so I keep deleting and starting over!  It was everything magical all at once, and absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year.  Two enthusiastic thumbs up.  Five glittering gold stars.  This is a masterful tale of magical realism, suspense, mystery, thriller, and aching romance.

Thirty-four year old June Farrow was raised by her grandmother in the small Appalachian mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, after being abandoned as a baby.  Her mother was never seen again.  Although June has done some research into what may have happened and to try to discover if her mother is still alive, it is June’s grandmother’s death that kicks off a chain of events that leads June to finally discover the truth about the female members of the Farrow family.   

This is one of those books that you can’t quit thinking about when you have to put it down to deal with actual real life stuff (rude) and long after you’ve finished it.  The threads of the story are all woven together so tightly.  The characters are consistently human, and never get close to the edge of being fantastical or mystical.  The characters are what continually ground the reader to focus on the novel’s themes, which include the sacrifices inherently required of true love, motherhood, sisterhood, and choosing one’s paths throughout life.

This is a mystery novel, and Adrienne Young absolutely kept her contract with the reader.  I loved that I wasn’t able to predict the end.  I sat back when I finished it, feeling happy in the afterglow of a great book and thinking BRAVO.  For those readers who know the author through her YA fiction, be prepared to find what I felt was an impressive depth of maturity in terms of content and writing style.  I think Adrienne Young really demonstrated her ability to craft compelling adult fiction with this novel.

And finally, because I cannot end this review without mentioning EAMON.   I have no notes.  *CHEF’S KISS*  

Thank you NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine, Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel.  All opinions are my own.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pandemic/Epidemic