I first became a fan of Adrienne Young after reading Spells For Forgetting then The Unmaking of June Farrow. I devoured these books! When the ARC became available for A Sea of Unspoken Things, I quickly jumped at the chance! Once again, Adrienne Young creates a unique story that centers on the special bond between a twin brother and sister. James returns to her hometown after her brother Johnny is tragically killed. As she investigates the days leading up to his death, past and present secrets collide! While this story took a little more time to grab my attention than her previous two that I have read, James's adventure into her past was a captivating read with unexpected revelations!

First off, I'm so grateful for this arc! I absolutely loved Spells for Forgetting and The Unmaking of June Farrow so I had high hopes for this one.

The way I connected with this story is indescribable. I felt so much while reading. Adrienne Young does an incredible job of giving just the right details for the reader to feel and imagine exactly what the characters are experiencing.
From the start, the heartbreak of losing someone that is truly half of your soul. But, to wonder through everything, if you ever really knew them. My thriller loving self really appreciated the mystery side of this story about James following her gut instinct to dig further to find the truth about what really happened in the forest the night she felt her twin brother Johnny slip away. And Micah... Oohh Micah.
So many twists and true characters revealed in this one. Even her own true character.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for- Ballantine for the ARC of this novel.

I loved this book so much. The writing, the atmosphere the characters all were so beautiful and so well written. I cannot stop thinking about this book.

I fell in love with James and Micah. I think their story was so beautiful. Just like her other novels the writing and descriptions in this novel just drew me in right away. I couldn’t put the book down and read the entire thing in 24 hours.

My one complaint was that I didn’t love the twist(s) I didn’t necessarily see them coming but I also just didn’t love how it played out.

But the ending really sold me on the entire book. It just ended so perfectly. I will be recommending this book to everyone I talk to.

4.5/5 stars

Adrienne Young does not disappoint. I have been dying to read this for months and was thrilled to get approved for an early copy. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

What can I really say about this novel? The prose is beautiful as always. Adrienne Young has a way of weaving words that wrap around your heart. There were twists I never saw coming and that kept me reading every spare second. I fear I am left with quite the book hangover from this wonderful novel.

4.5 stars!
Adrienne Young does it again! I recently read “The Unmaking of June Farrow” and loved it so much. So I knew I had to read her upcoming release and I’m glad that I did. I have a twin myself so when James talked about her connection with her twin brother,
I related a lot to it. I kept trying to figure out the reason for Johnny’s death. Coming up with reasons people would have to hurt him etc. I was fully invested in the story. There was also the mystery of the past and why she chose to leave the town 20 years prior. The book also has a magical feel to it. Like somehow the sleepy, middle of nowhere town was alive. The town reminded me a little of Riverdale. I was not sure how this would end. But I was definitely surprised! I highly suggest picking this up!

Fast Facts:
—Genre: mystery/thriller, fantasy, women’s fiction
—Publication date: January 6, 2025
—My rating: 5/5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary:
Everyone has heard about the special bond between two twins, but no one could ever understand the full depth of the twin connection that James and her brother Johnny have. So, when Johnny dies in what is deemed as a hunting accident, James can’t ignore the internal pull back to her hometown of Six Rivers, CA to investigate for herself. While James pores through Johnny’s life, she realizes the twin brother she thought she knew isn’t quite the same person as the James who actually excited. As she untangles the circumstances of his death, she finds her own sordid past tightening around her, reopening old wounds even though the new, Johnny-shaped wounds are still fresh.

Review:
I’m typically not a mystery book kind of girl, but this book was so beautifully written and the plot was so compelling, that I absolutely gobbled it up. The characters are raw and flawed, creating a story built around truth rather than fluff. Adrienne Young also knows how to exist right on the edge of magical realism in the best way, as made evident in her book The Unmaking of June Farrow, and this one was no different. This book is likely going to be on people’s end-of-year favorite recaps. It will certainly be on mine.

I’m so grateful for NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this Advance Reader Copy.

Adrienne Young is always one of my favorite reads this proved why. Moody, twisty and full of gray characters that are so true to life, I fell down the rabbit hole that is Six Rivers and didn’t emerge until the last page. Adrienne is a brilliant writer that makes me believe I am in the story with the characters and I didn’t want to leave the PNW.

This is my first time reading one of Adrienne Young’s novels and she has definitely won me over as a fan. Her prose was so lovely to read. While this book was under 300 pages and I could’ve probably flown through it, I had no desire to because I wanted to savor each page. It does take a moment to get into, but once the plot was set I was captivated.

I also thought the pacing was done very well. Adrienne did a great job at dropping just enough crumbs for us readers along the way to keep us invested in the mystery of this story. I loved the magical realism and ghostly touches of James feeling the connection to her dead twin brother while trying to solve the mystery of his death. The foreshadowing was catchable, but it was not in your face which I really appreciated and there were enough twists thrown in to keep you uncertain of the outcome until the end.

I obviously cannot speak to how this book compares to Adrienne Young’s others, but she has certainly made a fan out of me and I will be making my way through her backlist!

This book was hauntingly beautiful. I don’t think there any other way to say it. I honestly ignored my real life and just read this for hours! The story was so captivating without really being a thriller, I loved it! Her writing is just incredible.

ARC ALERTS 🚨 thank you @netgalley @randomhouse @delacortepress for the digital ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What a beautiful, haunting, tragic story. @adrienneyoungbooks does it again with this charming mix of small town murder mystery vibes, childhood loves, deep soulful connections, all with a side of magic/mystical feels. You can’t help but feel deeply for James and her grief from the tragic and sudden loss of her twin brother Johnny. She’s told it was a hunting accident, but Johnny’s last moments are haunting her through a connection she’s had with him since they were kids. She goes back to her small town after 20 years to comb through Johnny’s life before he died. What she learns about him will rattle who she thought he was, will make her question everything she thought she knew. And through it all, their best friend, Micah, the boy who stole her heart so many years ago, finds a way back to her even and despite all the tragedy.

There is something about Adrienne Young’s writing that just completely absorbs you. I will say, this book ended up being different than I thought it was. But even with that, I was very absorbed in the story and intrigued with the cast of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book.

Another home run from Adrienne Young. James Golden is one-half of a set of twins that grew up in small town USA. Unlike her brother Johnny, James escapes to the big city to pursue an art career, leaving their life behind. Forced to return home when a tragedy takes place, James reconnects with those most influential in her youth. Secrets and old feelings are dug up, and the accident bringing her back is not as much an accident as it seems.

Adrienne Young writes stories that leave nothing on the table. This was well written, with characters I related to and liked. The twists and turns were not predictable, and I could envision every single thing because it was so well written. This author has quickly become one that i will always read when something new comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unpopular opinion, but this book didn’t live up to my expectations. Don’t get me wrong—the writing itself was very well done, but the pacing left a lot to be desired. The first 80% felt like nothing was happening, and then suddenly, the last 20% dumped everything on you at once.

I was definitely flabbergasted by the twists and turns, and there was one plot point that felt completely out of left field, but even that wasn’t enough to rate it higher. It honestly felt like this book was written specifically to become a TV show or movie.

Maybe it’s just me not being super into the mystery genre, but I felt like we could’ve learned more about everything. It lacked the pull to make me care about the characters, which made it hard to really get into the story until the very end. Overall, it was just very okay for me.

4.25/5⭐️

I enjoyed this book (as I have all of Young’s other books), however there was a bit of suspension of belief at times.

It’s a story about the bonds between siblings (twins to be exact), friendships forged in childhood/hard times, and small town secrets and their consequences. There’s jealousy, envy, blame and guilt. So lots going on here.

I had sort of a love/hate relationship with both the heroine, James and the hero, Micah. They definitely had a sea of unspoken things between them.

I think Young does “atmosphere” so well. I always feel submerged in the worlds she creates, both physically and spiritually (as most of her work has touches of paranormal to them). I always look forward to the immersive experience I know is coming when I pick up a new book from her.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Ballantine for providing the free early arc of A Sea of Unspoken Things for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

4.5✨ this author does such amazing job at immersive and descriptive writing that you feel like you’re living inside of the pages, and there’s nothing I love more, especially with the beautiful setting in this one. The mystery, secrets, and overall feeling this book gave me was so good.

First I would like to thank the publisher, Ballantine, and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book, but man did I love it! From the opening chapter to the very last word, I was drawn into the story of James, Micah, and Johnny and the small town that harbors their secrets. If you are even remotely a fan of Adrienne Young's writing, this is definitely a must read!!! Solid atmospheric vibes, good twisty mystery, 4 stars overall!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I have never met an Adrienne Young book I didn't like--when I tell you that this practically had me foaming at the mouth at the end because of how much I loved it?! I think this one more so dappled in the thriller realm with hints of magic rather than the full on magical realism we see in her other books, but that in no way took away from it.

After James' twin brother dies, something she intrinsically feels the moment it happens, she's drug back to the small town that she escaped nearly 20 years ago and has to come face to face with her past and present while trying to understand why she can still feel and see her brothers presence. In A Sea of Unspoken Things we see two mysteries unfolding in front of us at once: What happened to/with Griffin, and what happened to Johnny.

I could. not. put. this. down. This book had me questioning everyone and everything at every turn of the page. My heart was racing at times. And the end? THE END? My jaw was on the floor for the last 30 or so pages.

Adrienne Young always creates such amazing visuals with her descriptions and words that I feel like I can truly see the book playing out in my head as I read, and I could 1000000000% see this being turned into a movie or limited series.

Also Micah i love u k bye.

I'm still dying to know though: why did Johnny pay for Autumn's schooling? Was it truly just an act of kindness? I feel like that wasn't really answered, and maybe that's done purposefully, but I feel like that was definitely one lose end that was kind of left out there.

I absolutely cannot recommend this enough. What a book to end 2024 with.

The Sea of Unspoken Things is a compelling, atmospheric read. It was so easy to fall into James’ story. Being from a small town myself, I recognized so many of the small-town attitudes and prejudices. If I had one criticism, it would be that I wanted more about the connection between James and Johnny, but I was ultimately totally satisfied with how it ended. Was I surprised by the true villain? Yes, but it fit perfectly. Just another reason why I will always read Adrienne Young.

I struggled to get invested in this story, but I blame it completely on the timing I began reading it. I was traveling a lot and it made it so I was only able to read it here and there for almost two months. I forced myself to finish it this week and I’m glad I did!
I just love Adrienne Young’s writing so much. She tells stories so beautifully. I love how she writes a mystery! I found this one to be very atmospheric and I loved going into depth on the small town and relationships there.
I will always be an Adrienne Young fan! I need to get to her other books now!!

Huge thank you to Random House for the ARC!

For context, The Unmaking of June Farrow was an absolute knock-out 5 star read for me. Safe to say my expectations going into this one were sky high!

While it did have so many elements of a great book: amazing characters, character development, mysteries elements, great writing, etc., I found myself bored more often that not which really pains me to say. I saw many reviews that it was a slow start, etc, and even tempered by expectations and still was let down.

I'm still hopeful for her future releases and will read whatever she puts out next!