I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley.

This book follows James who comes back to her hometown to take care of the loss of her twin brother, Johnny. In doing so, she finds herself ensnared in trying to solve the mystery surround his death and the disappearance of a young girl.

I really enjoyed this book. It was captivating and well written. Adrienne Young is my "I'll buy it if she writes it" author and time and time again she has proven to me why. This book is no exception. If you want a story that is going to pull you in and get you invested from the moment you turn the first page, please pick this up. I loved the mystery, the romance, the journey we went on with James while dealing with her grief. Small town drama and more than one moment of, "You're absolutely kidding me, right?!" My honest opinion on this book is that it's worth the read, it's one hell of a journey and I am 100% here for it.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, & Adrienne Young for the ARC of A Sea of Unspoken Things.

I am a HUGE fan of Adrienne Young & this book is another hit. I read this book in one sitting and I’m already ready to read another book by Adrienne! Also, the book covers are always so dreamy.

A Sea of Unspoken Things is an small town mystery that started off with a slower burn, but picked up the pacing towards the end. This book had lots of family drama and an atmospheric setting and unique that I really enjoyed. The twists were unexpected, and worked really well in this story. The only trouble I had was the pacing in the beginning was a little slower and I wasn't as engaged as I would have liked to have been. The ending really made up for that, though.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review. I really enjoyed this book.

Adrienne Young is a master of atmosphere. Set in a small town not unlike the ones that dot my adopted home of WA outside Seattle city limits, reading this felt like curling up next to a fireplace in a cozy cabin and warmed my heart.

James has returned to her hometown of Six Rivers following the sudden death of her twin brother, Johnny. Thrust back into the world she left behind to chase her dream of being a painter in San Francisco, she returns to the cabin where she grew up to go through her brother's things.

She learns that Johnny died alone under potentially mysterious circumstances. Though the local National Forest Ranger initially assumes that Johnny caught a hunter's stray bullet while out photographing for a conservation project, the more James digs into what her brother was doing, the murkier everything becomes.

Young expertly wove elements of fantasy and second chance romance into this slow burn mystery and musing on grief, family, protection and connection. Categorizing A Sea of Unspoken Things as any single genre is difficult, but I think that is what made it such a delight to read. It's just wholly itself.

I'm actually quite sad that my experience reading this book is over, but looking forward to reading more of Young's back catalogue and so grateful for the opportunity to read this early. Thank you so much to Adrienne Young and Delacorte Press for the e-ARC!

The start of this book was a bit slow, and there were a few parts that felt repetitive, but once it picked up, I couldn't put it down. The story had me hooked, and I did not see that plot twist coming! This book delivered exactly what I hoped for from this author, and they did a fantastic job bringing the story to life. If you're into small-town mysteries, I definitely recommend giving this one a read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Adrienne did it again! Another great book! I didn’t think this one could top June Farrow but this is a good runner up. The plot twist at the end was not what I thought how she would play it off but two different story lines blinded perfectly. I loved the complexity of the main characters and their twin relationship worked. Great book!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Overall I enjoyed this book. Adrienne Young does a great job of putting the reader into the setting: a small town with secrets to uncover. This was a beautifully written and descriptive novel. I was also intrigued regarding the twin aspect between James and Johnny that the author gives. Although at the heart of this story are questions regarding the death of Johnny, James is confronted with the consequences of her own actions and decisions. Even though this book is slow-paced and did not start to pick up until roughly 40% into the story, it had a strong ending that I did not guess. This would make a great winter read.

James Golden returns to her small town in the middle of the Northern California forests after her twin brother, Johnny, is killed. James and Johnny were always close, but now that James is back her "twin-tuition" is even stronger. She can feel Johnny's presence everywhere, and sometimes it's as if she can hear him and see his shadow just around the corner. It's like he's trying to tell her something, and James is determined to figure out exactly what that is. She enlists the help of their childhood friend and only love Micah to help uncover the past, something they both would rather leave untouched.

Adrienne Young is a master of genre blending and this was no exception. Young's mix of mystery, family drama, supernatural elements, and romance were perfect in A Sea of Unspoken Things. The small town feel and atmospheric writing had me seeing, feeling, and almost smelling everything that was described.
The pacing in the beginning is slow, but that helps build on the characters stories and relationships, both past and present, as well as setting up a clear picture of Six Rivers, the forests, and the gorge. And once the threads of Johnny's life and death start to unravel, they keep unraveling until the very end. Young has once again written a masterful piece of art.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, and Delacorte Press for this complementary ARC. All opinions are my own.*

James is returning to her hometown, for the first time since she left for art school, due to the devastating news of her twin brother, Johnny's, death. James has a suspicion that the circumstances around Johnny's death are not as innocent as they seem. And when she begins to go through his belongings, she becomes more and more convinced that things leading up to that fateful day were not as they seemed.

I have mixed feelings about this read and had high hopes based on how much I enjoyed The Unmaking of June Farrow. The pace dragged for me, which I can forgive slightly because the author does such a great job of creating a vivid atmosphere. I also wasn't a fan of this approach to magical realism, based on a psychological twin connection. It just wasn't for me and lacked the fantasy element that I was anticipating. Overall, the writing was beautiful and the story had some interesting and dark underpinnings, but I lacked the enthusiasm to reach the plot's conclusion. If I could, I would round up to a 3.5 out of 5.

Artist James Golden investigates the mysterious death of her photographer twin brother while connecting with her own haunted past. Was his death an accident? Should all truths come to light, or should some remain buried?

This book was headed for five stars because Adrienne Young is such a great atmospheric writer. It's more character-driven than plot-driven, and while some readers may love that and rate it higher, it wasn’t the page-turner I hoped for. Still, the writing is excellent.

The title is also puzzling; like others have noted, the story focuses mostly on the forest, with the sea mentioned once. I’d love more insight into the title choice and why it wasn’t named something like “The Forest of Unspoken Things.”

Themes of small-town life, the-one-that-got-away romance, magical realism, grief, mysterious death.

TW: I think there were two mentions of self-harm, though they’re subtle and may be open to interpretation.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced reader copy of #TheSeaOfUnspokenThings. To be published Jan. 7, 2025.

A Sea of Unspoken Things was a mystery, suspense. James who is the fraternaltwin to Johnny. She has to come home to a place she doesn’t want to think about. She must face the loss of her brother and his mysterious death. She will also have to face this secretive small town and confront the ghosts of her past.
This was my favorite novel of Adrienne Young yet. She’s really done a good job here. I like the mystery and it kept me guessing and I found the ending very satisfying.
I definitely recommend it.
Thanks Random House Publishing via NetGalley.

Thank you for allowing me to read this early.
It was a bit slow to start with, but once it picked up I was hooked.
I loved all the twists and I read it all quite quickly.
This was really well written and I would definitely recommend to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the digital ARC copy. Rounding up to 3.5⭐️

I enjoyed this small town mystery even though some parts were slow. The writing of the relationship of the siblings was great and showed the love between them.

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A review by you!
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5

Adrienne Young has such a beautiful writing style, her imagery is masterful. She can take a sad or tragic story and somehow make it beautiful. The mystery surrounding Johnny's death is the main focus of the story, but there is also the beautiful second chance relationship between James and Micah that is seamlessly woven into the pages as well. It is a story of tragedy, loss, grief, forgiveness and redemption. I found myself so wrapped up in the characters and the way the past and present came together that I couldn't put it down. If you are a fan of The Unmaking Of June Farrow, Namesake or Spells Of Forgetting add this to your must read for January 2025.

Favorite quotes:
"Maybe we were made in the dark, but we'd found a way to create our own kind of light."

"He was the forest. Vastly unknowable and enduringly steady. A persistent force at the center of my world."

4 stars! 🌊🔍🦉

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte press for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

In “A Sea Of Unspoken Things” we follow the FMC of James. She is returning back home, after getting the news about her twin brother’s sudden death. She has always had a strong connection with her twin Johnny and has always been able to feel and sense whatever he is experiencing. They have always had one another's back, and the tragic loss of her brother has her questioning - was Johnny’s death really an accident? Upon returning to the cabin where she grew up, in her small town of Cali, she begins to notice clues that feel “off.” With the help of some old friends and townsfolk, can James discover the truth? What dark things will she uncover about Johnny in this journey?

This book is SO atmospheric. I love the deep-forest vibes, and the fact that our characters are always surrounded by nature. Growing up in a small town, I can relate to the closeness that James still feels with those people she grew up with.

I really enjoyed how often owls were mentioned throughout the book - I was having the best time reading about the CAS project and how the owls were being researched. They really got the justice they deserved with this book.

James and Micah’s relationship reminded me of “the one that got away.” Two people who were meant to be yet had different things happening within their lives that ripped them apart.

James and Johnny’s relationship is close-as-can-be. I really admire that James realizes her brother is nowhere near perfect, yet she loves and protects him regardless.

This was more of a fiction // mystery so if you enjoy that, give this a try! ❤️

Adrienne young delivers another atmospheric novel with a touch of magic realism. I enjoyed the murder mystery in this and there were several twists I didn’t see coming. This was similar in vibes to her novel, Spells for Forgetting, so if you enjoyed that, you will probably enjoy this as well. My only complaint about the writing is that it is told in a way that the reader is only getting snippets of this side past story and there is a lot of alluding to things. It made me feel like the main character knew more than me. I don’t think it was necessary to drag out the side past story in order to keep the “mystery” aspect. Overall, this is a very quick read that I enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by Adrienne Young. She’s an author whose books I’ll read no matter the subject, because I know I will love it regardless. I know she always delivers, and this book is no exception.

The story took a little while to get going, but only because Young was bringing the reader to date with all that had occurred prior to the current situation. Her character and worldbuilding are done so well, by the time the story took off, you felt as if you knew the characters and location very well.

This small town murder mystery which explores relationships old and new is such a good read. As is always the case with her books, once I started reading, I couldn’t stop, finishing the book in just over a day. If only life wouldn’t get in the way!

Highly recommend this as well as all of her books. So good!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for sending me an advanced copy of this book.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I really liked the pacing and the mystery though it did seem to take a while to get all of the pieces to start making any sense. The characters all seemed to have some sort of sense of mystery about them. I also really like this author’s writing and will continue to read her books.

Would recommend.

Adrienne Young continues to produce the most atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful novels that I have ever read. If you enjoyed her other adult novels, particularly Spells for Forgetting, this will satisfy you fully. She has an incredible ability to weave an intricate narrative while creating complex yet relatable characters.

The story had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was happening. What is the truth? Who is involved? What is at play here other than the characters? I would not call it a mystery, but there is always something to be solved - a who dunnit - and she masters the craft of keeping things moving, dropping hints, but keeping the truth just out of reach, just like her other adult novels.

In this novel, the main character's (James) twin brother (Johnny) died, but she doesn't believe the story. Naturally, she goes home where she hasn't gone in ten years to get answers. But she also has to face her past, the reasons she left, and the people she abandoned. In trying to unravel the truth about Johnny's death, she discovers another mystery connected to Johnny and embarks on solving them both.

If you're an empath, you are going to feel a lot of things deeply. This book has so much heart and depth. I read A Sea of Unspoken Things in one day -- I couldn't stop.

Adrienne Young has been an "insta-buy" author for me since Fable, and she continues to prove that she's earned that spot for me. Her move into adult novels set loose something that I hope never goes away.

First off want to say Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the eARC of this book. I did not want to put this down at all!! I was hooked within the first chapter. The way Adrienne is able to write this story so that I fell into the story so easy amazed me. The battle of emotions I felt right along side James - the amazing twists and turns this books took me on. Start your year of reading off by adding this to you TBR - publish date is 1/7/25 and I highly reccomend.