I struggled a bit to get into the story enough though I loved Young’s writing! Her poetic voice shines through on every page! The pacing was a bit slower, but I could see how this would be 5 stars for others! 3.5 rounded up for me!

This was my second Adrienne Young and it was quite the mysterious tale with an amazing setting. I had hoped for a lot more magical realism with this one but it felt just more like a mystery/thriller with a slight tinge of paranormal. Overall I still enjoyed it!

James finds herself back in her hometown of Six Rivers after her twin brother Johnny is found was in the woods. Faced with the ghosts of her past, both the romantic and dark deeds kind, she isn’t ready to return the home she ran from 20 years ago. As she digs into who her brother was after years of drifting apart, James is faced with more than just her past - but the present day mystery that unfolds right in front of her.

I think my biggest complaint was that the first 70% felt very very slow. I was not super invested in James and Micah, or really their past. The plot line with the mysterious Griffin situation felt obvious and anticlimactic when the full stories told and it didn’t feel as relevant to the current day storyline. I’m still wanting to read her other works but just don’t think this one hit the spot for me!

Adrienne Young brings the town of Six Rivers and its surrounding forest to life with her magical ability to set a scene. Her writing is so eloquent and vivid that the town and its people practically leap off the page and into your mind.

The characters weren’t particularly likable—but they felt real. They seemed like people you might meet in any small town, each acting in their own self-interest. I should have guessed from the title that this story would be filled with omissions and half-truths—one of my least favorite plot devices. It’s a mystery so I’m trying to find that forgivable, but there were moments where the withheld information added nothing to the story and I found it frustrating.

I struggled to get invested in this book. The first half focused heavily on setting the scene and introducing the town and its inhabitants - an inevitable requirement for any story, but it just didn’t feel like a lot was going on aside from that. Once I reached the second half and the mystery began to unfold, I found myself becoming more intrigued. The ending shocked me, but the second half wasn’t as exceptional as it needed to be to redeem the slow start.

I’m still unsure how I feel about this one, which is how I felt the entire time I was reading it. While it features Adrienne Young’s signature poetic writing, it lacked the sparkle I’ve come to expect from her work.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To start off, I loooove Adrienne’s writing style. The tension in her stories is palpable. The main characters are always written out so thoughtfully and the story never feels half baked. Of course, this book did not come close to Unmaking of June Farrow for me but nevertheless this was a very well crafted book that kept me on my toes for the entire time I was reading it. I really appreciated how the grief James was dealing with took a life of its own and added an eerie but haunting quality to the book.
Overall, I would definitely read anything that Adrienne writes. She has me completely convinced that she can do no wrong with her story telling.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine/Delacorte Press, and Adrienne Young for an advanced reader copy of A Sea of Unspoken Things. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Young is becoming one of my go to authors for introspective mysteries with a magical twist. I loved the atmospheric writing, and the small town setting. I loved how the magical elements were woven into the mystery, and how even though magic isn’t something that is very apparent in the world, it wasn’t really questioned when it came up and made sense in the context of the story.

The twist was a little bit predictable, I guessed the outcome about halfway through, but it was still a very enjoyable read and I will continue to pick up Young’s adult works.

As always, Adrienne Young’s writing is absolutely beautiful. She makes this insular forest town setting come alive. This story follows James, who returns to her home town to figure out what happened to her twin brother who was murdered. Within this in depth mystery, there are side plots of first love, romance, secrets, and growth. It’s a truly beautiful book, in Adrienne Young’s unique, slower and poetic writing style.

I loved the mystery and the immersive setting, as well as the paranormal elements.

James heads back to her home town to take care of things after her brother’s death. She sees and feels echoes of him all around her. The more she goes through his things the more she suspects his death was no accident and more questions arise about what goes on in the small town she ran from years ago.

This novel was an emotional rollercoaster for me. James working through her grief over the loss of her brother while also questioning the type of person he truly was in a town where the locals would rather she go back to her big city life.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Adrienne Young has quickly become one of my favorite authors with her atmospheric, gorgeous writing and this book was no exception. It was so immersive with all of the details she gave and the amazing setting that I wanted to transport myself to, it was beautiful. I fell in love with Jame's character and her heartbreaking story. I loved the mystery surrounding her brother's death and I really enjoyed the little plot twists thrown in. The romance was great and I loved the ending.

Adrienne Young’s incredible novel The Unmaking of June Farrow was one of my top reads of 2023, so I was thrilled to get a chance to read her latest release, A Sea of Unspoken Things which came out on January 7th.

Much like June Farrow, A Sea of Unspoken Things walks the line between a very grounded reality and… something else. When James Golden’s twin brother Johnny is killed, she finds herself back in her hometown for the first time in twenty years. They’ve always had a strong connection, but James can’t shake the pull of Johnny’s presence… convinced he is trying to tell her something about his death. Soon, the decades old secrets she thought she left behind come to light and she’s forced to face all that happened and all that was left unsaid.

Part mystery, part intimate look at the lies we tell ourselves to survive, A Sea of Unspoken Things is a quietly brooding, captivating story.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young is out now.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

Adrienne Young is excellent at slow burn, haunting, atmospheric storytelling with a hint of magic that still has a decent amount of well executed plot twists. I still have yet to read June Farrow but last year Spells for Forgetting was one of my 5 star reads, so if you are someone who has enjoyed Adrienne Young in the past I feel confident that this is another book you will enjoy.

"We could fill the fucking ocean with the things we never said to each other.”

This story tells the tale of James (who is a girl, btw) after her twin brother Johnny is killed in a horrible accident. She arrives back in her rural hometown to deal with the aftermath of the tragic death and face her past. In the days that follow, James has to slowly untangle the thread of Johnnys last days and uncover the truth of his death.

Thank you to Adrienne Young, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love, love, love Adrienne Young, but this one didn't do anything for me. I just couldn't get myself to care about the protagonist's brother. It was a little slow and I found myself putting it down more often than picking it up. However, I did still enjoy her style of writing and how atmospheric she made things - this is always Young's strong suit! But just not for me.

This book started slow, and I thought the magical realism would play a bit more of a role. The second half definitely picked up and kept me guessing right til the end.

I'll read anything written by Adrienne Young, and even though I did not enjoy this book as much as June or Spells, Young's atmospheric writing pulled me in. The gripping mystery kept me turning the pages , and the profound grief tugged at my heart in such an unforgettable way.

Adrienne Young weaves a beautiful story. Her world building and way she wraps you up with her characters is absolutely incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book. I enjoyed the characters in this story and their nuances, and as always I enjoyed Young’s writing style. However, I found the mystery at the heart of this story to be a bit lacking and predictable. I felt that, because of this, there wasn’t that much tension and buildup surrounding the mystery and the plot in general. Despite this, I did still think the story was worth the read, although I would not purchase a physical copy for myself at this point.

I absolutely love Adrienne Young’s writing. There is this whimsical yet concrete feel to her writing and it fits perfectly in her books.

That being said, this book took me forever to get into. I believe it just wasn’t the right time for me to read it because I cannot find any major flaws other than the vibes just weren’t for me at this point in time.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
Book 4 of 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
thank you @randomhouse @adrienneyoungbooks @netgalley for this ARC! I have been wanting to pick up an Adrienne Young book for years and it finally felt like the right time! The storyline of this novel is incredible. It’s half thriller half love story. The plot twists are pretty good. The love story may have been a little predictable but the other twists kept me on the edge of my seat! I definitely wasn’t able to unravel the mystery before Young led me to the answers. The third focal point of this book is the sibling relationship between James and Johnny, whose relationship can best be described as odd. Everyone wants a strong steady Micah in their life! Swoon! Overall I loved this book and read it very quickly. Congrats to Young on the recent publication!
#ASeaofUnspokenThings #NetGalley

Dear A Sea of Unspoken Things,
I am such a fan on Adrienne Young. She created such complex and flawed characters that find their way into my heart every time I pick up one of her books. I love that you were another foray into magical realism. James was so complicated and her feeling about her home town, her twin brother and her past were tied into so many knots. Your haunting language gave Six Rivers and the forest surrounding the town such a powerful presence. Watching James untangle her complicated relationships with Malcom, Johnny and her past was a bumpy ride, but one I lost myself in.

The first half of this book was slow, maybe it was me and I wasn’t in the right space, but I was getting a little bored. The second half though made it worth it and the pacing picked up. The plot and description of the book was fantastic, I was very excited to read this, but overall it just fell a little flat because I really didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters.

Thank you to Dell/Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC! This was definitely an interesting read with some more mystical elements that made it more interesting for me. Good twists at the end, and I definitely wanted to stick it out to find out the conclusion. There were some spots where I had to push through, but the setting and the atmosphere drew me in and that was what kept me turning the pages. It was good story with some interesting elements for sure. It could've used a little more depth to Johnny as a character. Without his presence, it was hard to relate with this character, but that was also part of his persona, so in a way I understand. Just felt like I could've used a little more emotional attachment to that character to really invest myself in this mystery. Overall, good read and this was my first Adrienne Young read so I can't compare it to her other books but would like to read her other works for sure!