Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House and PRH Audio for an e-ARC/audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

James Golden returns to the small rural town of Hawthorne, California after receiving the devastating call that her brother, Johnny, has died in a tragic accident. Although James and Johnny had become estranged in recent years, James remained strongly tethered to her twin, to the point that she physically felt as though she had been shot when the incident killing her brother occurred. While reacquainting herself with the town she left behind 20 years ago, she quickly begins to realize that Johnny’s death may not have been an accident after all. With the help of her former flame, Micah, she begins to dig deep into Johnny’s last days and who he surrounded himself with. As she gets closer to finding out the real truth, she is faced with the reality that the townspeople that she grew up with may not exactly be who they seem anymore.

🌠Young seems to have departed from the magical realism she has used in previous books. I loved Adrienne Young’s last book “The Unmaking of June Farrow” but this lacked a bit of punch compared to her previous work.
🌠 I really enjoyed the audiobook narrator, Christine Lakin. She was great at giving a distinct perspective to each character. Fun fact, I thought I recognized her name at the end and, when I Googled her, I realized she was Al from “Step by Step” (for all my elder millennials out there!😂) Loved that show!
🌠Read this if you like a small town mystery with a slow burn and dark, moody vibes. Just when I thought I had the ending figured out, it kept me guessing!

The Queen of Mystical Realism strikes again! This is a story of tragedy, loss and love; but also magic. A Sea of Unspoken Things pulls you into a world that is so close to our own, that you feel right at home and have you compulsively turning pages until the very end.

Small towns have a habit of protecting their own, and have their fare share of secrets. Sometimes it is these unspoken things that are the most important and the key to long held mysteries. Maybe even the people that haunt us.

I will read anything and everything that Adrienne Young writes because of the talent she has to build a story and world that sucks you in so thoroughly. This story was no exception! There are very few authors that can match her talent for atmosphere. Which is why I still highly enjoyed this book, despite not loing the story as much as others written by her.

This was a very slow-burn story, less action driven then story and character driven. The main reason that this book was only a 3.5 star for me was because I never felt like I truly grasped the characters and really ended up feeling more connected to Johnny than to James, the main character and POV. I liked the story, but the characters fell a little short for me.

Overall, this book had almost everything that I have come to expect from Adrienne Young. Namely the perfect amount of magical realism and melancholic atmosphere. I will always read everything this author writes and will be recommending this book to many a reader just for her writing.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of the newest title by Adrienne Young. I asbolutely loved "The unmaking of June Farrow" and after reading a second novel by Young, I am a fan for life. This novel had everything I look for in a story - a mysterious death, family secrets, lost loves, second chances and all set in a small town. If you love atmospheric novels with all of the above mentioned characteristics, then you will not be disappointed by this novel. I will recommend it to everyone! Thank you Adrienne Young, please keep writing!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to read A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young in exchange for my honest review.

I was hooked in the first half off the book. Adrienne Young did such a good job of setting up this eerie creepy hometown that made me understand why James had left and didn't come back. The were supernatural elements to the story that really drew me in and kept me engaged into this creepy wooded small town. However, that all seemed to fall apart for me during the second half of the book as the plot developed.

We had two big plot twists during the book. The first one, I felt like had so much potential. We had the set up for the first plot twist, but i feel like the plot reveal itself wasn't fully fleshed out. Both of the reveals lacked a real explanation to make the impact that it should have. They were both a bit brushed under the rug.

Overall, I liked it. I liked Adrienne Young's overall writing style, but I wish there were plot points that had been given more time to develop to truly make an impact.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book.

Yet again, Adrienne Young has wowed me with another hit! We start off in this small town mystery with a hint of the paranormal with a twin sister (James) heading back to her hometown after 20 years due to the fact that her brother has passed and she is bringing his ashes back for his final rest while also helping to complete an environmental project he was involved with.

James does not believe that Johnny, her brother's death was an accident (shot during hunting season) and begins a deep dive into the life that he developed without her while also delving into another mystery in the town that Johnny seemed to have been involved in.

I love how the author ties in some paranormal and romantic elements into the story, much like her first book's draw of magical realism. The pacing of the book was evenly paced and kept me intrigued throughout. I feel like I could have finished this in a day if it weren't for the holidays. Her descriptions throughout the book were fantastic, and you feel like you're in the small town with the characters experiencing what they are.

The only thing I did not like was that the ending to the mystery was pretty predictable once you got to a certain part in the story, but there was a little bit of a twist so it helped to make up for it.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be on the lookout for the author's next release! Pick up this winter read when it is published, and you won't be disappointed!

I toyed with what to rate this because the second half of the book was great but it felt like the entire first half was just set up for the story. It was very slow moving and took that first half to get into the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

My first Adrienne Young book and it did not disappoint! I went in blind and had such a great time. Such a great mysterious story with lots of twists and turns. There is a little romance in there but I would more so call this a mystery/thriller with a romantic subplot. I won’t give anything away but I could not put this book down and can’t wait to read more of her books!

after loving her adult debut, the unmaking of june farrow, i was over the moon to see that i received an arc of her latest release! unfortunately, it let me down just a tad, as the the pacing is much slower and atmospheric - which will definitely work for some people, but i had a tough time getting into it. i was unable to complete the book and will be dnf’ing halfway through.

i will not leave a review for this title. thank you for the arc!!

I have read several of Adrienne Young’s works now and have yet to stumble across one I did not love.

One thing you know you can always get from Young is absolutely beautiful writing and prose. Writing that just draws you in and makes you FEEL. Stunning world building, incredible characters that are multi-layered and feel so raw and real, slow burn, mystery and powerful, heartfelt meanings laced within the plot.

A Sea of Unspoken Things was no exception to this. While the plot did take a little bit to get into, I found myself loving yet another world that Adrienne Young had written. Truly such a gift.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacourte Press for the ARC!!

I was SO excited to read this because Adrienne Young is an extraordinary storyteller…loved the added magical elements!
A bit slow in the beginning but then it really takes off. The author takes us down James’ emotional path of grief, nostalgia and mystery while looking for answers. Her journey culminates with a sweet, final resolution that made the entire story memorable. The writing and plot are just incredible.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I went into this expecting a thriller with a hint of supernatural elements. What I got was a slow paced exploration of grief and life in a isolated community.

The author does a fair job of depicting the process of grief and loss. James feelings bleed through the page and I found those moments to be equal partes heartbreaking and relatable. However, the plot spends to much time hinting at a revelation from their past that was fairly obvious from page 1, and it drags because of it.

My main gripe with the novel is the ending. The story overall was fairly easy to follow and I did not expect some big twist at the end. So it came out out of nowhere when we got not 1, but 2. Without any explanation whatsoever we are just told who the murders are in like 1 scene. It let me confused as hell.

Also the romance DID NOT needed to be there at all. It was forced and not believable. Maybe if they didn’t got together in the end I would’ve not mind it. The HEA came completely out of the blue and made no sense for the main character. It literally is just there to give the readers a positive note.

This novel has the usual Adrienne Young style - beautifully written, lots of descriptions, a mystery to be solved, and a touch of magical realism. The story focuses on James Golden, whose twin brother, Johnny, has been shot and killed. This incident brings her back to the town she left to get away from her past and attend art school. The mystery surrounding his death, a second chance relationship with their friend Micah, and a look at escaping small town life are central to this novel.

This book was a bit slow without any action before the puzzle pieces came together in the end. I still love how Adrienne Young writes her stories, unfurling pieces as it develops and there are often secondary reveals.

Thank you Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

My first Adrienne Young, and ARC, and I am hooked! This book was the perfect mix of magical realism and beautiful character development. The setting was so vivid and immersive that it felt like I was stepping into one of Johnny’s photographs. The twists were not what I expected which I appreciated after thinking I had it all figured out😏I can totally see this being a miniseries, which I hope happens! Overall, a beautiful story of love, devotion, getting lost and being found. 4.5⭐️

Like other Adrienne Young books you’re given a very brief overview of a story (in this case it’s woman returns to her small hometown after the death of her twin brother) but as the book goes on more and more history and depth unfolds and fills in the blanks. It was a gripping read as you get such small tidbits of information and are finding out a lot of the story alongside our main character James. I will say the supernatural/magical elements are a lot less in this book than I was expecting based on the authors previous work, this doesn’t affect the story except it’s more of a mystery than the magical realism I assumed it would be.

I've been a big fan of Adrienne's writing since being pushed to read Spells for Forgetting and then I simply could not get enough. The Unmaking of June Farrow had me sending selfies to my friend of my very shocked face on several occasions. So I went into this wanting to love it and being so excited to get immersed in the world that Adrienne creates which is always stunning - they feel like real places and real people on another level. However, unfortunately, this had the one trope that for me, even Adrienne can't get around: amateur detective. I was all in to a four-star review to about 80-85% because we were lightly dabbling into amateur detective but I anticipated the plot would come together the way her other books did, but then it went full amateur detective and I just could not with the twists and turns. This is a very 'specific-to-me' issue so if that's not something you dislike, and you loved Adrienne's past work: you will love this. It falls so in line and I look forward to reading all her future titles.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the earc, all opinions are my own.

Adrienne Young is an instant read for me. James is forced to return home after a hunting accident killed her twin brother Johnny, except she hasn’t been home in 20 years. Layers and layers of small town secrets unfold throughout the chapters. No spoilers but a must read.

Adrienne Young is now an auto buy author of mine. Her adult books are PHENOMENAL and this one is no exception! I adored this book. The exploration between twins and the mystery element was perfect. She writes so beautifully. I’ve been trying to be more stingy with my 5 star books but this was an easy 5 stars.

This was so unique and interesting! Young puts you right into a rustic and woodsy small town with a bunch of secrets. James left her hometown as soon as she became an adult, but the mysterious death of her twin Johnny brings her back. The author takes you for a ride with many twists and turns, as well as a few blindsides. If I’m being completely honest, I had hoped for a little more magical realism, but this is still a good read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to love this book because I’ve always admired Adrienne Young’s writing, but unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. Her prose is as beautiful and atmospheric as ever—she has such a talent for crafting vivid, sensory-rich environments. I could practically feel like I am cold with her descriptions.

However, as a plot-driven reader, I found the story itself lacking. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I struggled to pick it back up after each sitting. The mystery at the heart of the book didn’t capture my attention, and the resolution of the murder felt underwhelming. While this book has been described as magical realism, I didn’t feel that it delivered on the “magic” element.

It’s clear that Adrienne Young is a master of prose, but this book didn’t have the engaging plot I was looking for.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for this e-ARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this one! I’ve read one other book by her but this one was so much better. I loved the mystery / suspense of the story. It was easy to read & page turning. I enjoyed trying to figure out who did it and what happened. I liked that there ended up being 2 different mysteries. I don’t see this being fantasy at all and definitely more mystery.