Another eerie, dreamy work that captivates from chapter 1! This book was a little slow but the premise had me gripped!

I can’t thank the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc!

I was prepared to fall apart both during and after this book as Adrienne Young always makes me emotional. And boy was I not prepared enough. I truly cannot express how much I was personally impacted by this story and how touching it was. I hope many readers pick up this book because there is magic between the pages that leave you wanting more while also being satisfied with how it ended.

Dear Author,
 
Unfortunately, I don’t think I was the correct audience for your latest book. Intriguing, yes. Mysterious, yes. Some twists and turns that kept me guessing, of course. It was entertaining by every standard, but I wasn’t enraptured, and that’s okay. You have a wonderful way with words that kept me to the end. 
 
Yours truly,
J. D. McCoughtry
 
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press,for the chance to read this e-arc.

“A Sea of Unspoken Things” by Adrienne Young is another atmospheric and unusual mystery. The story is about the tight and mysterious sense twins have to sense each other’s feelings, when tragically the female twin gets a call that her brother has been shot & killed. After being estranged for 20 years she returns to her very small logging town in the woods of Northern California to investigate the suspicious feelings she is having around her brother’s death. There are many reasons she has not returned to her home town since leaving and as she investigates buried memories, old flames, and the ghosts of times past help surface to unravel the secrets around his death.

This author has the ability with her beautiful prose to make you feel you are right there. As with “The Unmaking of June Farrow” by this author, the story will have you thinking about it way after you read the last page. A bit of a slow burn but the twists and turns had me riveted to this unique story.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of this ARC in return for an honest review.


This is the third Adrienne Young book I have read and the way she describes things still has me in a choke hold. As I read the story and the plot slowly unraveled I thought I knew who killed who and boy I was so wrong. Not only did I have to go back several times to reread the twists that smacked me hard in the gut I realized that I am always left crying towards the end. Adrienne knows how to write a story and weaves perfect threads of love, loss, mystery, and one's passion for truth that breaks my heart and mends it back together simultaneously.

Thank you author Adrienne Young, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

This story centers around our female lead James Golden, who has been tasked with returning to her hometown (the place she has run away from for 20 years) after the death of her twin brother Johnny, to sort out the circumstances of his life ….and death. While investigating Johnny’s death, James must also face the ghosts of her past including the people she left behind.

The author wrote likeable and delightfully damaged characters in James, Johnny, and Micah. The relationship between the twins was sometimes otherworldly and other times heartwarming. Even through the eyes of only one twin, the reader can feel the connection between them. I could feel the devastation, the anger, the disappointment and the fear that James was feeling throughout the novel.

Another connection that kept me feigning for more was the connection between James and Micah. With little hints at their past and the present tension and need, it was an instant attachment to the characters for me.

The investigation into Johnny’s death was riddled with twists and turns, and the pieces given bit by bit before the finale were well paced throughout the novel.

The paranormal and romantic elements mixed with the small town mystery make this book hard to put down. The spooky, unsettling scenes were well written and paced, while the emotional scenes hit the heart strings wonderfully. I was enthralled with the setting and the characters, and the scene description was so well written I could picture the places, like the forest scenes and the diner scenes, as well as the characters and their emotions, vividly in my mind while I read.

This is my first read by Adrienne Young. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars and look forward to reading more!

I loved going into this book blind. Hooked me from the start (thank goodness for first person pov). I was so intrigued by everything and couldn’t wait to solve the mystery. The first half was a slowww build up then around 60% I could not stop reading until I had answers to all the questions James was asking 🏃‍♀️ I really enjoyed reading this. Adrienne Young gives the best magical and mysterious small town vibes ✨

Young has a way with words and describing the beauty of nature. This is clear across all of her books. I didn’t find myself loving this story as much as her others but enjoyed the few surprises at the end and the ending itself.

It took a bit for the pace to pick up, but once it did, the suspense and twists kept shocking me! I loved Micah. He seemed like a genuine man. I loved the twin connection between Johnny and James. I loved how she was determined to figure out what happened yo her brother and had Micah helping along the way. A good book with good twists to keep you on the edge of your seat!

I received this ARC from NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Delacorte Press to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

Thank you for the ARC! To start off, I love Adrienne Young. I love the way she tells stories and the cover for this is beautiful! But this particular book was very lacking. The plot and pacing were very weak and lack luster. The mystery element was there, but it was just so surface level. Until 80% in, I wasn’t sure what the actual *point* of this book was. The pacing didn’t pick up until around 90%, and everything was hurriedly thrown together. I was left feeling like there was too much added to this book, but at the same time, a lot was missing. I’m so glad to have received an early copy, but I am very sad that this just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Adrienne Young has become one of my favorite authors. Of the three books I've read this one wasn't my favorite but I still enjoyed it. The end wrapped up wonderfully. I like the hazy atmosphere of this book.

Thanks to Delacorte Press for the gifted copy!

I’m not a newbie to Adrienne’s works, and JUNE FARROW is one of my all-time favorite books, so I knew I was picking this up as soon as it arrived in the mail.

James returns to her hometown after the death of her brother, determined to prove that his death was not an accident. She can feel it in her bones that something just isn’t right about the night he died. In the process, she also reconnects with her childhood love, Micah, who helps her investigate the circumstances surrounding Johnny’s death.

A SEA OF UNSPOKEN THINGS showcases Adrienne’s ability to write the most atmospheric prose, this time in the form of a slow burn mystery with magical realism. The book takes place in a small town in the forest and I really felt like I was there while I was reading - Adrienne’s words just completely absorbed me. Along with mystery, there’s an underlying romance storyline that’s messy and beautiful and a unique connection between James and Johnny as siblings. While this is in the dark side and suspenseful, I do love the way the book ended with a ray of sunshine.

3.75
Adrienne Young’s new book, A Sea of Unspoken Things, is a haunting, atmospheric portrait of grief, family, and small town dynamics that will stay with you long after the final pages. Full of Young’s signature melodic prose, complex characters, and slow burn mystery, A Sea of Unspoken Things delivered everything you’d expect from an Adrienne Young book, just a bit differently than the others. As the story opens, we meet James, returning to her small Northern California logging town after twenty years following the tragic death of her twin brother, Johnny. This book was as much about unraveling the events surrounding Johnny’s life- and death, and it was James’ journey of self-discovery and the long-held secrets of a small, close-knit community. It had a mild start, with more details being woven into the story in a series of flashbacks, and I really began to be captivated around the halfway mark. James’ pain and grief are startlingly visceral , and I felt a strong desire to know what happened next. This story is truly soul-deep. The main theme is a twin bond that transcends even earthly death. Though it was slow, I was transfixed, and surprised until the very, very end. Thank you Delacorte Press and Adrienne Young for sending me an ARC of this book to review!

I'm still trying to find words, good enough to describe the way one feels turning the last page of the latest Adrienne’s book (or in my case, swiping on Kindle just one more time).

It’s hard to say if it’s her lyrical writing style we have to thank for or the way she seems to truly understand her characters, their dynamics, flaws, and virtues. Regardless, this was yet another beautiful book I couldn't stop thinking about and put down until the very last page.

After all, A Sea of Unspoken Things is so much more than a mystery or romance. It’s a story about grief, loss, and finding. A story about family and unconditional love, forgiving and forgetting. Truly, a masterpiece I will always recommend.

If there is one thing Adrienne Young has mastered it is how to write a small town setting. The atmosphere of A Sea of Unbroken things was 10/10. This small Northern California town felt so solid and the vibe was perfect. The writing is excellent like always she knows how to keep you hooked in the story. Unfortunately for me that’s where the really good ends the rest was mediocre to frustrating. Much like in Spells for Forgetting the biggest weakness was the mystery which is unfortunate because that is the central plot. The characters never felt fleshed out enough for me to care about any of them or feel any amount of suspicion. I really feel the story would’ve benefited from a few flashback chapters from when they were all teenagers. We get a few mentions of events from James but other than that we get very little about her dynamic with Johnny and their friend circle. I would’ve loved to see a few even just mundane scenes of them as teenagers to actually get a feel for everyone back then and understand how James still saw them when she returned twenty years later vs. being vaguely told. Because of the lack of character depth when one of the layers of the mystery was unveiled I didn’t care because I guess that made enough sense and there were only so many characters to pick from. The other part I immediately knew about halfway through and again didn’t really care since there was such little tension. Any tension mentioned by James about how the townspeople felt about her return felt so inconsequential and barely there if we had gotten any moments from the past seeing her struggling and desperate to leave the return could’ve hit harder. Again as always though the setting and the writing were great so while I had some problems with the plot I still enjoyed the reading experience. I always come to an Adrienne Young book knowing I am about to be sucked into an entrancing small town setting.

This book was so good! Adrienne Young creates the most incredible atmospheric settings, and this time she does it around a murder mystery. She still can't go wrong, I've loved every book she's written, and with each new story I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite

A chilling small-town mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. I found this to be captivating and the story kept me interested throughout the book. I enjoyed that I couldn’t figure out how it was going to end. The layout of the plot was well done. Young has such a distinct voice that almost feels comforting and familiar in a way that lures me straight into her books. I love that she has a way of storytelling that is so uniquely hers. I believe her greatest strength is in her flair for setting a scene. She has this ability to submerge me so completely into the book that I feel like I’m seeing everything from the character’s point of view. The tone of this book was very much like Young’s Spells for Forgetting, so if you loved that one this is a definite must read for you!

When James gets a call that her twin brother Johnny has been shot and killed her entire world turns upside down. James feels like there’s more to her brother’s death than what she’s being told. She travels back to her hometown to investigate this ominous feeling she cannot shake regarding the circumstances of her brother’s death. However, there’s a reason James has not stepped foot back into this town in twenty years. Old flames ignite, buried memories resurface, secrets are revealed, and Johnny’s ghost haunts James through it all.

The twin aspect of this storyline really intrigued me. I’ve always thought the ability of twins to sense each other’s feelings is fascinating, so I loved that idea being incorporated into the story. I appreciated the complexity of the family dynamic between James and her twin brother. It was interesting to learn the different layers of their relationship. I also thought the slight second-chance romance in the background to the main story was a nice added touch.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Young’s upcoming release is a slow burn mystery with atmospheric vibes and a transportive small town setting. It definitely has a darker tone than her previous work and was missing the “magical” element that was in June Farrow and Spells, but as the novel progressed, I grew to appreciate the slower paced writing style and build up. Young examines the question of whether we really know the people closest to us through the lens of, James, our female main character, as she travels back to her hometown following the death of her twin brother. A perfect story for fans of God of the Woods, The Midnight Feast and The Soulmate.

thank you random house for the ARC!

Oh my gosh. I am speechless. I really enjoyed this book so much: it was one of those books where I wanted to read 24/7 until I finished it: loved!

“I thought you said you were never going to be that guy in a tux,” I said, my voice as brittle as snow. “Guess I figured out I can be anything if I’m with you.”

She has outdone herself again
I don’t think I’ll ever rate her books lower than a 5. I loved it
It has single-handedly brought me out of a 4 month reading slump

I loved the mystery aspect of it and the hints of the the past relationships with characters

The ending threw me
I can’t say I expected the outcome with Autumn how it was and who was involved but I suppose that added an extra layer of surprise to the story.

I loved Micah - I loved the mystery - I loved the slight spookies

Everything about it
Loved

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc