Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

While I did like the writing and I thought the atmosphere that Adrienne was setting was done really well, I just felt this fell flat.

The pacing was very slow, which made me not connect with the characters. I felt like I had to force myself to pick this up to finish.

The pacing did not pick until the 70% mark, which made the ending feel very rushed.

Thank you Randomhouse and NetGalley for this eARC.

A Sea of Unspoken Things
by Adrienne Young
Pub Date: Jan 07 2025

A Sea of Unspoken Things is a captivating novel, it took awhile to pick up but when it did, WOW!

It goes from the past to the present and back and forth while James attempts to unravel her brother, Johnny's final days. You will love the mystery that unfolds in this story. I highly recommend this 5 star read!

Synopsis:
A woman investigates her brother's mysterious death while coming to terms with her own haunting past. The only thing James and Johnny Golden have ever had is each other. For as long as she can remember, James’s deep connection with her twin brother, Johnny, has gone beyond intuition—she can feel what he feels. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone—truly alone—for the first time in her life.

Many thanks to #ASeaofUnspokenThings #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishingGroup-Ballantine for providing me with an E-ARC of this fabulous 5 STAR book!

This was tragic and beautiful. Adrienne Young has such a precise way of writing a story that will pull out your heart…and this is no exception. I felt like I was a part of this town, and then everything wove together perfectly at the end.

Chefs kiss. No suggestions.

As always, Adrienne Young's writing is absolutely beautiful and atmospheric. Young transports you to Six Rivers with James Golden as she returns to the town she grew up in to sort through her recently deceased twin brother's life. Her motives are two-fold: finish compiling Johnny's work on a conservation project in the surrounding forestry and determine if his death truly was an accident.

As the story unfolds, James attempts to unravel Johnny's final days. We're introduced to a wide array of characters who continue to flesh-out throughout the book as we learn their history with the Golden twins. What caused James to flee the town as soon as she could at the age of 18? What was Johnny doing in the gorge the day of his death? Was there something nefarious afoot?

The mystery will grip you as secrets are unearthed from the past and present. The town and nature surrounding it feel like an additional character in it's own right. Tension is jumping off the page from the palpable oppression of the forest surrounding Six Rivers.

There's a touch of magic realism laced within the pages as James continues to feel Johnny's presence in every part of Six Rivers. It evokes the question that keeps coming up: what the fuck are we even here for?

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This story is a heartfelt mix of love, loss, and hidden truths. The bond between the main character and her twin brother is touching, and the small-town setting adds to the mystery. While the plot is interesting, some parts feel a little slow or not fully explained. Still, it’s a good read for anyone who enjoys emotional stories with a bit of suspense.

[4.25 Stars😍]

✨||“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.”||✨

A Sea of Unspoken Things was my second book by Adrienne Young, and I loved the haunting and atmospheric feel of this winding mystery. The writing was lush and lyrical, and the magical realism was so well done that it felt like I was experiencing everything that James’s point of view invoked.

While the beginning felt slow and the mystery took a while to develop, the story eventually took off and it became really difficult to put down! I also really enjoyed the slow burn rekindling of James’s and Micah’s romance even though it was more of a subplot, but it had no less of an impact. Adrienne Young balanced all of the elements so well and crafted an incredible story full of intrigue, romance, and emotional depth. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

+Thank you to Netgalley, Random House, and Adrienne Young for the ARC of A Sea of Unspoken Things! All thoughts in this review are my own.
____________________________________
Details:
🦄Fantasy
🕵🏻‍♀️Mystery
👀Single, first-person POV
⛈️Darker themes and elements
💫Magical realism
💖Romance
🙌Would re-read

Characters and tropes:
🪢Family ties
📍Forced proximity
🛏️Only one bed
🪃Return to hometown
💞Second-chance romance
🤐Secrets

Spice:
🧨Slow burn
💋Spice: mild
____________________________________
Emoji Ranking System:
🤩Excellent to Fantastic (4.75-5.00)
😍Very Good to Great (4.25-4.50)
😊Good to Really Good (3.50-4.00)
😒Just OK to Decent (2.75-3.25)
😑It's A No (1.00-2.50)
🚫DNF

Rating: 4 Stars

I've read a few of Adrienne Young's books now, so I thought I knew what to expect when going into this one. Not so! The other books I've read by her have been heavy on the magic.. so much that I'd hesitate to call it magical realism, and not stick it right into fantasy.

This book was not that! Once I realized that there was no major magic happening here, I was able to accept this novel for what it is - a mystery. Sure, there's some ghosty-twin things happening throughout the novel, but at the heart of it, it is a mystery. I think I liked it the better for that.

I had some quibbles with the pacing of the book and the delivery of information, but I read this book SO FAST, absolutely devoured it, so really, I'm not complaining at all. It was a good small-town mystery, with a bit of ghosts and a lot of drama, and I enjoyed it all.

I think we can all agree that June Farrow blew us away last year? It was one of my 2023 favorites out of over 300 books I read. And it truly pains me to give this such a mid rating, but I’m not totally surprised since I felt the same about Spells for Forgetting.

No one can deny that Young is a master at creating atmosphere. Plus her writing is so beautiful and subtle. There were a lot of gorgeous lines I highlighted while reading. But the plot? Incredibly dull for a murder mystery. I also found the romantic subplot incredibly underwhelming for someone that gave us June. I figured out the mystery pretty early in, which was a bummer but nothing new for me. Everything does come together in an organic way, though. I mean at a literal glacial pace, but this is at least a short read. If you read Middletide by Sarah Crouch, I found this extremely similar.

Overall, Young is a master wordsmith and I never feel so transported to the pages of a story than when I’m reading her books. But pretty words can only hold my interest for so long.

Young has become one of my must-read authors. All I need is to see her name on the cover and I'm jumping in. These adult mysteries with touches of magic have been so much fun to read and A Sea of Unspoken Things is no different.

This book unfolds slowly, drawing you into the tiny town in the middle of a forest. The setting is amazing and does a lot for getting you into the main character's mindset. I enjoyed seeing the flashbacks of James growing up with Johnny and Micah and how it all led to her leaving for two decades.

The mystery was interesting and I liked the little clues here and there. Smoke was obviously my favorite character, who wouldn't want a dog (wolf?) as a companion?

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC of “A Sea of Unspoken Things” by Adrienne Young. Young is known most for her magical love stories, however this novel seemed darker than previous novels. I thoroughly enjoyed that!! This is for anyone who doesn’t mind a romance, but prefers a dark mystery. This was just up my alley! I absolutely loved this novel!

This was unlike her other books. More of a mystery, less magical realism. Slow mystery. Just ok.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for and honest review.

I went into this expecting soft, flowy, Spells for Forgetting. What I got was deep, dark forests filled with longing and mystery. I am always and forever touched by Adrienne’s lyrical words. Her characters are strong, flawed and believable. I’m still a bit on the fence about this one and I think it’s because I keep comparing it to June Farrow, which is unfair. On it own, this book is a masterpiece. It’s a brilliant unraveling of a ball of yarn picked apart thread by thread. It’s twisty, it’s full of suspense. What it lacks in supernatural elements, it makes up for in human emotion.

This book was super interesting. I love the way Adrienne narrates a scene, however this book was just a little too dark for me and I was left craving my mindless fluff of romance that I normally read.

Adrienne Young writes prose like no other. Her dark, atmospheric writing gives you a real sense of place in the small town/forest that is the center of this novel/mystery. I had to fight with myself to slow down and savor this book as I also wanted to simultaneously turn the pages as quickly as possible. This book deals with grief, secrets, flashbacks, and a teensy tiny bit of magical realism, and I loved everything about it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Sea of Unspoken Things releases on January 7, 2025: do yourself a favor and put it on your TBR list NOW.

I just finished A Sea of Unspoken Things and, wow, Adrienne Young really knows how to pull you into a story. Her writing feels like stepping into this small, eerie, foggy town where everything whispers secrets. The atmosphere? Absolutely lush—like you’re walking through a damp forest, and every turn has you holding your breath. It’s moody and suspenseful in the best way.

The story itself is beautifully written, with layers of mystery that unravel slowly, almost teasingly. There’s also a second-chance romance tucked in, which adds this soft, emotional undercurrent to all the tension. And James’s connection to her twin? Just the right touch of the supernatural to keep it intriguing without overdoing it.

That said, I felt like it could’ve been a little tighter—some parts dragged and felt repetitive, like it could’ve been 40 pages shorter. Still, Young’s ability to craft such an atmospheric and haunting tale makes it so worth the read. If you love suspense with exquisite writing and a hint of something otherworldly, you’ll love this. It’s not perfect, but it’s close.

A Sea of Unspoken Things is my third Adrienne Young book, and it will not be my last. This book follows James, who returns to the small town she grew up to settle her late twin brother's affairs.

This book has a touch of magical realism, small town, first loves, a cast of characters who will not leave you disappointed. Figuring out the mysteries surrounding James' brother was fun, but it felt like it could be paced better. The romance is a subplot in this story and isn't the main focus. The setting overall is great, it feels like you are walking through the foggy streets of this town with the main character. But something for missing for me, I am not quite sure what. I think I wanted more magical realism, like in The Unmaking of June Farrow which is one of my favorite books of 2024. However, this story is still very solid and will be perfect for anyone who wants a mystery set in a small town with a dash of romance (second-chance!).

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5, round up to 4

A Sea of Unspoken Things was a creative premise but hard to connect to at times. Beautiful writing but this story of grief and discovery left me melancholy and ready to move on to a more lighthearted story.

This book was a twist with originality and a bit like the push, but with a hint of originality. This book was a twist with originality and a bit like the push, but with a hint of originality.

I have read several of Adrienne Young’s books so I was excited to get “ A Sea of Unspoken Things” as an advanced reader copy. This is set in the Pacific Northwest set in the Northern California region. James an artist that fled the town she grew up in is back to figure out who killed her twin brother Johnny. As with Adrienne Young’s other books – she describes the setting and small town beautifully. I really enjoyed the writing, the sadness and the secrets that eventually come to light. There is a romance, but it isn’t integral to the book or story line. While I enjoyed this book – this is more in line with Spells for Forgetting than the Unmaking of June Farrow (which has been my favorite so far). Thank you to Ballentine and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

This book was so emotional. Thank you Netgalley for an arc of A Sea of Unspoken Things. James is sad over her twin brother, Johnny's death. She had an intuition he was dead before she even got the news. They were always inseparable so when James goes to find more out about her brother's death, she learns that she did not really know her twin brother as much as she thought she did. I really enjoyed this book. The relationship between the brother and sister and the secrets involved had me really interested. I rate this a 5 stars. I can't wait until this book is released, I definitely will be buying a physical copy. Thank you Adrienne Young for writing such a beautiful story.