3.5 stars ⭐️

A haunting story focused on grief and the past. This was my first by Adrienne Young. I enjoyed her beautiful, intriguing writing style. A small town mystery with a hint of paranormal. This one had a very slow start for me, but the mystery drew me in and had a very satisfying ending.

Thanks to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

➵ 4.5 ⭐️

“Micah waited for me to nod before he opened the urn, and we didn't speak any special words or try to mark the moment with wisdom or nostalgia. What could we possibly say? I couldn't even pretend to know how you could take a whole life, a whole person, and put it into words. Goodbye is a lost language. A silent one.”


I can't help but compare this to her other Adult books and imo A Sea of Unspoken Things is not as good as Spells for Forgetting or The Unmaking of June Farrow but it's still an emotional journey filled with complex characters, layered relationships, romance and a good murder mystery hence the rounded up rating.

Alexa, play ▷▷ Release by Saleka ◁◁

“That was the way of grief, I was realizing. It was a barrage of pain that was so unbearable that it made you numb. And then out of nowhere, something made you feel the again and the cycle started over from beginning.”


There's something haunting about the way Adrienne blends small town mysteries with magical realism and romance. ASoUT is more paranormal than magical but plotwise it's closer to SfF so if you loved Spells for Forgetting definitely check this one out.

“And I'd learned the hard way that wishing things were different only drove deeper how unfair it was that they weren't.”


The setting was atmospheric and the writing was as always superb. I loved James and her connection to her twin brother Johnny and I loved the way all of the MCs were connected to the town they grew up in. You could feel the tragedies that happened there, the suffocating air that surrounded James at one point. It's all so beautifully tragic—this book brought me tears so many times.

One of my fav things was the romance and I only wish we'd gotten more glimpses of the MCs teenage years. It seemed there was a lot of drama and angst and forbidden romance and complicated relationships and I was yearning to know more of their past.

“The smile on his face made the clock rewind ten years. Twelve. Fifteen. Until the man standing in that rectangle of light was the first boy who loved me. The first and only one I ever loved back.”


The reason I said I don't think A Sea of Unspoken Things is as good as Adrienne's previous adult novels is because this one was kind of... simpler? (I guess you could say) in terms of the plot twists. Compared to her previous books, which left me guessing up until the last second, here I was able to figure out some things in advance and some reveals weren't as shocking as they could've been.
Still, I was captivated the whole time with the eerie mood of the small town and wanting to unravel everyone's secrets.

“Maybe we were made in the dark, like Johnny said, but we'd found a way to create our own kind of light.”


Can't wait for AY's next adult novel, she doesn't miss.

eternal gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication

I have been a self-proclaimed Adrienne Young stan ever since I read Fable and that has not changed - reading A Sea of Unspoken Things was everything I adore about her writing.

It’s a difficult thing to describe, but when it comes to Adrienne it’s almost more about the experience than it is the actual story, the atmosphere her words pull you into make it such an immersive experience you forget you’re even reading.

Mystery isn’t a genre I generally gravitate toward but honestly, she could publish a phone book and I would probably read it. The characters and slow unraveling of the mystery keeps you wanting more and more throughout the entire book and it was everything I could have wanted.

Sometimes the scariest thing you can admit about someone you love is that you've always seen them for who you want them to be and not for who they really are. Their flaws, their darkness, are minimized, painted in a better light, until you're forced to look at the shadows.

I found this to be a very compelling read. It's an unhurried character study of a girl who, while processing her grief over the (somewhat suspicious) death of her twin brother, has to come to terms with the fact that she might not have known him as well as she thought. When she comes back to their hometown to take care of his affairs, she starts seeing feel his presence, get glimpses of his memories, even see him. But she's not sure what he wants...is he trying to tell her the truth about his death? Bring someone to justice? Or is he trying to confess? Because this small town is full of sinister secrets.

I loved the emotional beats of this story. The introspection is given the time it deserves, allowing you to sit in the somber revelations rather than rush past them for the sake of thrills. The romantic subplot is an added bonus, it was well fleshed out and even swoony at times without ever overtaking the narrative.

Honestly, at this point, anything Adrienne Young reads automatically goes on my TBR!

This is my second Adrienne Young book that I have read, with the first one being The Unmaking of June Farrow, which was one of my favorite books in 2023. I was happy to see that Young, with this one, dips into atmospheric mystery. While her writing continues to be beautiful and draws you in, I felt that character development was lacking, the pacing for the first third of the book, slow, and the end of wrapping up of the 'who done it' was messy and unbelievable. Even though this one was not for me, I think others might enjoy, and I will definitely try Young again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC!

James returns to her northern California rural hometown for the first time in 18 years when her twin brother dies in an accident, only to unravel several mysteries left behind by her brother - and to reunite with Micah, her brother's best friend and her first love.
I was a huge fan of Adrienne Young's previous adult novels (The Unmaking of June Farrow being my favorite book last year), and was so excited to receive an e-ARC of her newest! A staple of Adrienne Young's books is a sense of place, and the vibes are always immaculate. I was instantly transported to the woods of northern California in the heart of winter. This book is definitely best enjoyed in the winter, read by a cozy fire. Another tenant of Young's books is magical realism, and James experiences hauntings from her brother that felt real, and I could picture them clearly. Maybe I should have guessed the reveals and twists in this book, but they took me by surprise! Check this out if you liked Spells for Forgetting!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like her other novels, A Sea of Unspoken Things was moody and beautifully written. Personally, I felt that the pace was painfully slow. Things don’t really pick up until 70% or so and by that time I was so frustrated I almost didn’t care about the ending. I also thought the twin bond would be more important than it was. I kept waiting for it to develop into a huge plot point but it kind of just fizzled out. I LOVE Adrienne Young’s other books and will continue to read her work but this one wasn’t for me. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

How do you confront a past that you’ve successfully escaped from for 20 years? Our main character, James, finds herself asking this question after the sudden and mysterious death of her twin brother, Johnny. Now she’s found herself back in the small secluded town she grew up in trying to find answers. But will she like what she finds? How well did she really know her twin?

The story started out a bit slow for me. It took about the 50-60% mark for me to finally feel invested and goodness did it pull me in. I needed answers! And I did not correctly predict a single twist even though I had tons of theories. The ending also made me so happy. Definitely a book I finished with a smile on my face.

Adrienne Young truly has such a way with spinning such mesmerizing stories with so much, magic, mystery, and nostalgia in them. She has definitely become an auto-buy author for me and I can’t wait to dive into more of her worlds.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Adrienne Young, and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Adrienne Young always had such a unique way of storytelling. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I’m not normally into mystery/suspense type books but I really enjoyed this story and honestly had several moments where I felt like James must have felt. Hairs on the back of your neck raised like I was there in the cabin, in the forest beside her searching for answers. Huge thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this eARC!

Adrienne Young has done it again! A Sea of Unspoken Things is an absolute triumph, a mesmerizing blend of mystery, nostalgia, and hauntingly beautiful magical realism that will pull you in from the very first page. With this novel, the author masterfully crafts a gripping, emotionally charged story about a woman who returns to her hometown after a decade, haunted by the tragic death of her twin brother—a death she believes was no accident. As she unravels the layers of grief and confronts long-buried memories, James must also face the chilling, unresolved mystery that drove her away all those years ago.

The authors writing is nothing short of spellbinding. She creates an atmosphere so rich and immersive that you can almost feel the cool, eerie mist hanging over the town, a place that feels both unsettling and strangely familiar. The blend of magical realism with sharp emotional depth is utterly captivating—twisting the narrative in unexpected ways while keeping you on the edge of your seat. Each page turns with delicious tension, balancing moments of suspense with poignant reflection, and keeping readers guessing until the very end.


✨Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, & Random House Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review✨

This book was atmospheric in the best possible ways, and I absolutely could not put it down. I was sucked into the storyline from the start, and was excited to see where this story went. James as a main character was nuanced enough to keep me interested, and I was intrigued by the idea of the physical connection to Johnny. It wrapped up quickly, and I would've liked a little more follow up on the storylines as they finished close to the end, but overall REALLY liked this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Adrienne Young, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC of A Sea of Unspoken Things in exchange for an honest review.

Adrienne Young just has a way of writing that makes me want to absorb every word she puts to paper. Everything is atmospheric and beautiful.

This was a heartfelt book on grief and discovering who people really are at their core.

I do feel like it dragged a *tiny* bit, but I absolutely loved it nonetheless.

This was an amazing read I plan to recommend to anyone looking for a good mystery! Adrienne Young has a talent of writing complicated stories with nuance while not making them complicated to understand. I kept wanting more information every time it was teased throughout the book and slowly but surely she would reveal small details to make the threads of the story come together. This book was melancholy and you felt this and grief, frustration, confusion, and longing right alongside the main character, James. I am happy with how everything turned out in the end and grateful for the closure it gave. It was very atmospheric and moody and I loved her descriptions of the setting; it was very easy to visualize and feel like I was there.

First and foremost thank you Netgalley & Random House for the ability to ARC read this book.

As per the masses, Adrienne Young kills it at writing dark and atmospheric books - this one was no exception. There was little to no magical realism in this one, as compared to what I've tended to expect from her - Goodreads also has it tagged for "magical realism" and "fantasy" which isn't accurate. This is a suspenseful mystery.

This is a book about a girl named James (I'm a sucker for a girl with a boys name, my daughter has one too) who lives in San Francisco with a big city artist life she created herself, after an "incident" in her small town when she graduated. Her twin brothers death brings her back home, and the story follows her unraveling his life and death- and all of the nitty and gritty things in between. The author has a beautiful way of writing and capturing the good and the bad in people, and not seeing them as monsters but as humans we love. I personally loved her writing about the intricacies of what it feels like to be on the inside of a bond between twins.

I do feel like a few things were predictable, and others not. The Unmaking of June Farrow was my favorite book she's written and it absolutely blew me away and was an easy 5 stars. This doesn't quite come close to hitting that mark for me, but for people who love this specific genre i think will really enjoy themselves.

This was a small town atmospheric mystery about a woman trying to unravel the details of the death of her twin brother. I loved the setting and cozy small town vibes. I liked the sibling bond that was portrayed and the character development. This was a solid read! The biggest reason for my rating is due to pacing. It was a bit slow for me, and the unveiling of the mysteries felt rushed. It wrapped up quickly which felt anticlimactic. That being said, I still enjoyed the story and Adrienne Young’s writing.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC!

Like all of Adrienne Young’s book A Sea of Unspoken Things is an extremely atmospheric book. The way she writes creates such a real sense of place, you absolutely feel like you are in Six Rivers, California. This book explores a sister’s quest to find out what truly caused her twin brother’s death in the forest. James Golden left town right after high school and has never returned in almost 20 years. Now she must confront an old love, old secrets and the truth of who her brother, Johnny, truly was. The way the mystery of the book unfolds is quite surprising (I was very surprised by the final reveal) but some parts of the story were repetitive and frustrating. This book contains some light supernatural elements but nothing too unbelievable. Overall, an interesting mystery with some surprises.
Thank you to Delacorte and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 ⭐️ stars - this was my first Adrienne Young book and I was hooked from page one. Her ability to describe settings and characters that immediately get under your skin is unparalleled. I felt every emotion - the happiness, sadness, the suspense, the hoping things happen for certain characters.

I was on the edge of my seat for the “thriller” parts of this story - every twist and turn had me living every word. Even when I thought I figured it all out, Young added another twist, another character development, and a layer that threw me off the trail. Such a fun ride with an ending that left me satisfied for all involved.

Adrienne Young delivers another captivating novel with A Sea of Unspoken Things, a story that combines mystery, nostalgia, and eerie, magical realism. The novel centers on James, a woman who returns to her hometown after ten years following the tragic death of her twin brother, which she suspects was no accident. As she navigates her grief, she must confront the long-buried emotions and unresolved events from her past, including the mysterious death that drove her away a decade earlier.

Young’s writing is nothing short of atmospheric, with an uncanny ability to create a world that feels both haunting and familiar. The blend of magic and realism in her work adds a sense of mystery, weaving twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end. Her signature style is distinct, with a tone that brings both tension and tenderness to the narrative. This is no exception—its eerie mood and touches of second-chance romance resonates with fans of her previous work.

The plot is unpredictable and combined with emotional themes of loss and love.

I would recommend Adrienne Young to any reader. Her stories have the perfect small town feel, second chance romance in themes, and the mystery of a tragedy or death that leaves us always guessing.

Adrienne is becoming one of my favorite authors.

This book like her others are very atmospheric. You feel as if you are there within the pages as you read. This story has a little magic realism, but not as much as some of her other books. Still there is some to be found. I will say this was a very slow burn, but stick with it because it is so worth it. My only issue is I wish we could have had a few chapters with Johnny’s POV or when he was actually alive. I feel I would have been able to connect to him better that way.

Overall, an excellent read.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Publishing for the e arc. Be on the lookout for this 01/07/25.

4.5 stars
Adrienne Young does it again.
Our main character James returns to her hometown after her twin brother Johnny is killed in an accidental hunting accident. Six Rivers is the smallest of small towns and it took everything James had in her to get out and start a life in San Francisco. But James has this nagging twin telepathy feeling that Johnny's death may not have been accidental. James spends her time reconnecting with old friends who she never thought she would see again, trying to dig into what Johnny was doing in his last days.
Adrienne Young is able to put together her writing style with creating the most amazing atmospheres and continues to write such captivating books. She managed to vividly create this small town atmosphere in my head and I could clearly picture the whole thing (which doesn't always happen with audiobooks).
The characters were fleshed out very well and I really felt like I got to know them throughout the book. There were quite a few characters, but I never got people mixed up. I really liked James. She quite clearly loved her brother even though he had made some questionable decisions and he was kind of strange. James's old fling Micah, and old friends Sadie and Olivia were some prominent side characters who really rounded out the book. I felt like every character had a purpose and was integrated well into the story.
The plot wasn't super fast moving, but the whole thing was intriguing. We kept on getting new clues and information that lead us in all sorts of directions about Johnny's death and life.
Everything in this book wrapped up nicely and believably. Adrienne Young remains one of my favorite authors!