An atmospheric small town mystery following a woman trying to grieve her twin only to discover that his death isn’t as it first seems. The setting for this book was dark and emotive, the author does a great job of enthralling you into it. It took a wee while to get into but I ended up really liking this.

I love Adrienne Young's writing. She creates stories and worlds that you want to immerse yourself in and this was no different. This book follows James, who returns to her hometown Six Rivers after the death of her twin brother Johnny. She returns to attempt to deal with her deep connection she still shares with her brother and to figure out what really happened to him. She gets help from her high school ex, Micah. The romance between James and Micah was sweet, but 20 years is way too long.

It's more on the mystery/thriller side with a little bit of romance and magical realism added on. This reminded me a lot of Spells for Forgetting. I liked that a bit more, but still really liked this one!

I love, Adrienne Young. Her books all have a mystical ethereal quality and the descriptive writing just pulls me in and keeps me reading. Her characters come alive for me. I loved James and Johnny and Micah and the supporting characters in six. Rivers were just right. She gave the feeling of small town to the characters, and the cabin, and the redwoods. I will read anything by this author. I loved the unmaking of June Farrow, spells for forgetting, and fable… But this may be my favorite book yet. When I finished wanted to flip back to the beginning and start all over again . Five stars for this wonderful novel thank you NetGalley for the digital copy and the privilege of reading this great book.

So glad I finished this in the middle of the night so now I definitely won’t be wide awake shaken to my core for hours 😵‍💫🥲💀

This definitely is a darker side of the Adrienne Young vibe we’ve been so blessed with these last couple of years. Granted, there’s always been some darkness but this is…creepier? Tenser? Higher stakes? I found myself multiple times throughout this book terrified and nervous and missing some of the whimsy fall vibes. Where’s the really swoony romance to fall back on during these trying times?! Adrienne!

This book is a mystery, little bit thriller, there’s a teensy tiny bit of magic and fantasy involved, definitely notttt a romance lol. Like wut. Okay there *is* some romance happening but it’s pretty vague and it’s just sort of there. I personally, the weak sauce scaredy pants that I am, was hoping (stressfully praaayying) for more romance, but I’m here and I survived and we are all good even with the tiniest slice of romance I got.

Do I feel relief now at the end?! Not entirely sure. But overall I did enjoy this one. Not the earth shattering way that I enjoyed and loveeeeddd June Farrow, but did enjoy it and will recommend it! And obvs Adrienne will continue to be autobuy for me.

Got an ARC from the publisher. Review is my own.

Thank you for the amazing read!! Let’s dig in 🙂
Adrienne Young weaves a gentle mystery starting with strange circumstances surrounding the death of the FMC’s twin brother. Once the mystery unfolds, the characters have found peace, a sense of home, love and family.
I really enjoy the way Adrienne Young writes and keeps me engaged! Sometimes, the reveal from the mystery isn’t as exciting as I’d hoped, but I find the beautiful character development and story telling win me over. A very strong 4 ⭐️ read for me!!

I love anything by Adrienne Young and so I really enjoyed this! She has the ability to paint such an atmospheric picture! I will say this was more of a mystery/thriller then I expected and I tend to like more the romance and fantasy so took me a little to appreciate it but the supernatural elements keep me interested. Will be adding to our library 100%!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was such an engaging read! The storyline was about twins with a "supernatural" connection even in death. I love a good mystery and I could not put this one down. The characters were wonderful rendered and the scenery was a character in itself. This one tugged at all the emotions and I loved every single word. Highly recommend

The Unmaking of June Farrow was one of my favorite books of 2023—I loved it so much that I read the ARC twice before it was even published. So, when I saw Adrienne Young announce A Sea of Unspoken Things, I was thrilled to see another release so soon. I even stalked NetGalley hoping to snag an ARC.

A Sea of Unspoken Things follows twins James and Johnny Golden. James spends the story investigating her brother's mysterious death while grappling with her own haunting past.

While I'm not typically a fan of the mystery genre, I still found this book enjoyable. I'd rate it a solid three out of five stars and would even recommend it to fans of the genre. Adrienne Young has a unique talent for evoking complex emotions toward her male characters, something I can't quite put into words, and for that, I remain in awe. I don't think there was anything I particularly disliked about the book, and I believe that readers who love mysteries will enjoy this.

Overall, here's how I rank Adrienne Young's books:

The Unmaking of June Farrow
A Sea of Unspoken Things
Spells for Forgetting
I will continue to read anything Adrienne Young writes because of my love for June Farrow.

Thanks SO MUCH, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to review my very first ARC! Adrienne Young is definitely a favorite author of mine. Her writing is elegant, descriptive, and makes you feel as if you are living in the setting along side her characters.
A Sea of Unspoken Things follows James, an artist living in San Francisco, as she makes her way back to her hometown for the first time in 20 years to investigate the mysterious death of her twin brother. Linked by a connection that only twins can feel, James believes in her heart that there is more to her brother's death than a simple 'hunting accident'. During her time in Six Rivers James finds that the demons she fled from when she left all those years ago are still waiting for her, along with her unanswered question of how far are you willing to go to protect the people you love.

James and John are twins, but John has recently passed away due to an accident in the woods. They have been living a distance away for the past few years, but James can still feel the connection with her twin all those miles away. James is going to John’s home to pack up his belongings and put her brother to rest. While she’s there she has suspicions that John’s death wasn’t an accident.

This was a well-written, atmospheric book. It has less magical than previous books, but it still has a touch of it with the connection between twins. This was more of a mystery suspense, than the romantic/magical realism books that Young is known for. It was still very well written and worth the read, but I think it’s beneficial for your expectations to know what genre you’re getting into. Her writing style is amazing and the prose is magical without being overwritten.

The mystery was very well done with some unexpected twists. It kept me engaged throughout the whole book. I highly recommend anyone who is curious about this book to give it a try. I am so thankful to Netgalley and Random House Publishing /Ballantine/Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this book early for an honest review.

A Sea of Unspoken Things is a murder mystery with a touch of the supernatural. It is perfect for those who enjoyed A History of Wild Places by Shea Earnshaw.

This story stands out to me a little more than the previous adult books written by Adrienne Young, it is less cozy, less romance, more of a quiet thriller.

The mystery of the story is kept going throughout the entire story to the very end and aided with a few twist and turns I did not see coming.

While it is a murder mystery we still get all the lines that pulls on our heart strings in classic Adrienne Young style.

The connections between the flawed characters were believable and chapters flowed well together. I could not put this book down once I began reading it.

I can always count on Adrienne Young to immerse me into a fictional world filled with beautiful scenery, depth and emotion. Her writing is a like listening to a lullaby. It has this soft, soothing tone that draws me into a trance every time. It wasn't a fast-moving story, but every word was meant to be felt and savored. The pain and grief that James endured was palpable and I felt it like it was my own. This book does not fall into her normal genre of magical realism, but it did have a paranormal aspect to it with the whole twin intuition phenomena. I would classify it as more of a mystery/women's fiction novel. I would have liked there to be a bit more fantasy, but it was still a good read. I really enjoyed it overall. I think most fans will too, despite that it's more of a mystery. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for granting me early digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

The way Adrienne Young manages to always give me all the feels should be studied. This was on par with her other phenomenal reads but, at the same time, was very unique. This book is exceptionally atmospheric and the characters were, as expected for her writing, so well developed.

The only downside to this one was that there was less magical realism than in her other stories, but I appreciated the supernatural elements. The overall mystery was twisty and I loved the way it unfolded. I highly recommend this one, even if it hurt my heart.

I loved this book! I hadn’t ever read something by this author before and I was seriously impressed. I really loved the way the plot moved along and the characters were so fun to follow as well. Definitely will be recommending!

Adrienne Young is an auto buy author for me, because she crafts such emotional reads edged with mystery and thrill. James and Johnny are twins who chose different life paths; one ran away from their provincial life while the other stayed in their mountain town. When Johnny does suddenly, James finally returns to put him to rest, only to find that his death is more complicated than she originally assumed. Murder, old lovers, old resentments make appearances, and Young’s latest is just as enthralling as her others.

Wow. I love anything by Adrienne Young and this title did not disappoint. James and Johnny and Micah - what a trio. This story was a bit darker than I had expected it to be, but I could see and hear and smell the frost and mist and green of the trees. It is a perfect atmospheric title and I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

I swear Adrienne Young could write a paragraph and I’d pay full price for it 🤭

This was a beautifully written story about family, self identity, and going home to face your past. I loved the dynamic of our main character being a twin who has possession of that telekinetic energy with her missing brother. Not to mention an MMC named James which was something I didn’t know I was missing?!!

The story itself was twisty and turny and deliciously atmospheric. Think Northern California woods, park rangers, and wolves as pets. Once again AYs prose feels so natural to fall into, and I was invested in the story from page one.

Will James find out what happened to her brother? Will she come to terms with the tragedy that forced her to flee her hometown at 18? Will she finally find happiness with the man who has always had her heart?

Grab this book immediately in January to find out 🤩

Do you believe that twins have psychic connections? I do think there is something between twins - they seem to understand each other on a deeper level than other siblings. The same is true for James and Johnny Golden and when Johnny Golden dies, his sister James knows before she in contacted. But, what she doesn't understand is why - why her twin brother who was so kind and generous to everyone was left for dead in the woods. This tragedy draws her back to her hometown of Hawthorne and she is immediately sucked back into her the life she fought so hard to leave behind. The connection between siblings is still there and James will do anything to find out what happened to Johnny,

I love the way Adrienne Young crafts a story, bringing you along piece by piece. Her writing is very atmospheric with a tinge of supernatural and I love it. I did find this story to be a bit slower that her previous two, but the story really picks up about half way through.

I loved The Unmaking of June Farrow so I was expecting sometime similar with A Sea of Unspoken Things. I did enjoy the storyline, I would say it followed a mystery with a bit of paranormal aspects. Towards the end it did tend to drag a little and was hard to follow who was speaking with lack of quotations. I would give this book 3/5.

While this novel was a bit of a departure from the typical magical realism I've come to expect from Adrienne Young, it was still an ejoyable read and interesting storyline. I was hoping to get a bit more of the magical side of things but overall it was a satisfying story.