Ultimately, this was a pretty good book, but I didn't enjoy the reading experience. I mostly read fantasy, but I loved Spells for Forgetting, so I hoped that this mystical small-town mystery would work for me. Adrienne Young is undeniably a beautiful writer, and I love her lush, atmospheric prose. Much of this story though, and James' investigation into her brother's death, centers on a topic that I don't enjoy reading about. The conclusion plays out in a pretty satisfying way—more satisfying than I find most mysteries—but I just didn't particularly enjoy the journey.

The book starts on the slower side, and definitely speeds up in the last third. I felt a bit disconnected from the characters throughout the story, particularly Johnny, who never felt developed as a full human being, despite much of the story centering on James learning about his life and reflecting on her relationship with him. We learn about how James felt toward him growing up but I never really understood where those feelings came from.

I still love Adrienne Young's writing and, having made it to the end, I can recognize this as a decent mystery, but it just wasn't a good fit for me.

I have been so excited to read A Sea of Unspoken Things. I love Adrienne Young's previous books and will firmly stand in her camp. But this one just didn't land. It was every bit as atmospheric and intriguing as her previous books, but this one felt slower.

Unspoken Things leans more mystery/triller/suspense than her other books. Yes, they have threads of this in them, but the missing romance in the story made the entire book feel like it almost had less tension. I don't usually read mystery/thriller. So that could be why it missed a little for me. That said, I will be back. We aren't breaking up. This one just wasn't my book this year.

Thank you so much for this advanced copy! I had a great time reading this. the writing was PHENOMENAL. Young pushes you right into the story on the first page. I find it so hard to find a mystery with a good romance, and this is that book! I did find the first half to move a little slow for my pace-it felt like it was leading up to something but I couldn’t quite get there.

At about 50% this book started picking up the pace quickly. The ending had me HOOKED. The way things were slowly leading up was so natural and didn’t feel forced at all. The main character had so much depth, and I loved the magical element of James and Johnny’s connection. It was so interesting to have Johnny as a main character when I never actually met him, and I could never figure him out (even when I thought I did). I was almost done with the book and was just like, okay, that’s it then I guess. AND THEN the last chapter. I really did not see that coming. (don’t want to give spoilers in case others see this!)

I can’t wait for this release, I will definitely be recommending to my friends!

From the very first chapter, I was hooked. The story weaves a magical realism element into James' profound connection to her hometown and the deep, soulful bond she shares with her brother. It's the kind of connection that feels almost otherworldly, leaving you envious of such a rare and inexplicable "magic" between two people.

The journey of James returning home is beautifully depicted. Her hometown feels like a place frozen in time, untouched by the present, yet brimming with secrets waiting to be uncovered. As James navigates this return, we’re drawn into her unfolding discoveries about Johnny, her brother, and the complex truth behind their shared history.

One of the standout elements for me was the raw and poignant connection between James and Micah. Their reunion felt both tender and transformative, as the years between them fell away, leaving room for a deeper honesty. The story’s timeline—filled with moments of discovery, investigation, and reconnection with childhood characters—crafted a rhythm that kept me turning the pages. Each secret revealed, each mystery unraveled, only deepened my desire to know more.

There’s a captivating magic in how James rediscovers her sense of "home." The narrative explores the universal truth that coming back—whether to a place or a version of ourselves—requires sacrifice or vulnerability. As James revisits her past, she uncovers new layers of history and gains a deeper understanding of herself and her family. This poignant interplay of the past and present is masterfully done, offering both mystery and introspection.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced digital copy; All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A new book by Adrienne Young?! Yes, please. She does mystery and magical realism so well and this book is no exception. After the suspicious death of her twin brother, James returns to her small town to figure out what happened to him and ends up confronting the past she thought she left behind decades ago. This story kept me guessing and surprised me. The supernatural threads were a fun addition to the storytelling as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A quick read that I was really looking forward to - sadly I did not love it like The Unmaking of June Farrow. Set in the Pacific NW and San Francisco, James (a girl) goes back to her hometown to investigate the mysterious death of her twin brother, Johnny. Of course there is a complicated first love. I felt a lot of the book was repetitive, and did not heat up until the last quarter, which was satisfying. Good, but not great for me.

DNF @ 40%

This book is very slow to start. I feel like I gave this book more than enough time to capture me and it didn’t. I saw a lot of reviews stating that the book starts to pick up around 70% but that’s too long to invest in a book before anything happens.

I’m sad because I loved The Unmaking of June Farrow and Spells for Forgetting but this book isn’t holding my attention. I still plan to read more from Adrienne in the future, but this was a pass for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

This book was a great book to make you stop and think about what could've happened. It was a little slower moving at the beginning, but it picked up and had you trying to figure out what happened to Johnny. I also enjoyed the ups and downs we got with James and Micah. I've really enjoyed reading Adrienne Young's work.

What’s better than a small town/big forest setting where everyone has secrets, a woman coming to solve her twins mysterious death and a touch of magical realism? Honestly nothing.

James returns to the town she left 20 years ago to tie up loose ends after her twin brothers mysterious death. Once she starts digging into his life, she stirs up secrets her former friends and neighbors want to keep hidden.

I love the way that Adrienne Young blends mystery with a little touch of magical realism. She does it in a way that it genuinely feels real. I’ve always been fascinated by the whole twin connection phenomenon. The setting of the forest and small town brought the story together perfectly.

I thought I knew where the story was going about 10 different times and I ended up being wrong on all of them. Usually her touches of romance are done beautifully but I didn’t feel it with James and Micah in this one. It just didn’t feel real to me.

4.5 ✨ rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Always a fan of Adrienne Young and this book did not fail! The storyline and the plot had me on the edge of my seat as the chapters progressed. Beautifully written and it truly maintained that narrative tension, it was truly an enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this in advance

“I’d tried to control it all for so long only to find that in a way, none of it mattered. And yet, all of it did.”

This was an intense deep dive into grief.

“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.”

Oof.

I thought it was a really insightful look into the different ways we handle grieving and past traumas. I will say that this book wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought for some reason it would be witchy. It was a suspenseful family drama.

There were two main twists in the book, I guessed one of them and the other one completely caught me off guard. But even though I guessed one, I don’t think it made the experience any less enjoyable.

This was my introduction to Adrienne Young. I’ve had The Unmaking of June Farrow on my TBR for soooo long but was given the opportunity to read this one first. I really enjoyed her writing style and I will be looking forward to comparing the stories.

Thank you to NetGalley, Adrienne Young, and the publisher for this ARC.

To be honest, I never normally gravitate toward the kind of plots that Adrienne Young writes about, but ever since I started reading her books, I need to read them all! That woman truly has a way with words; I would read the dictionary if she wrote it!

‘A Sea of Unspoken Things’ begins shortly after James finds out that her twin brother has died in a tragic incident. Before she even receives the call, however, she innately knows that he is gone. The two of them have had an indescribable bond ever since they were born.

As James heads to her twin’s house to go through his things, she still feels him everywhere — and she believes he’s telling her that his death was not, in fact, an accident.

In addition to the family drama, this story was giving me thriller vibes as James makes it her mission to uncover the truth. Though this book didn’t have as many of the magical elements I was expecting after reading ‘The Unmaking of June Farrow,’ there’s something about the way Adrienne Young crafts characters that is difficult to forget, giving them so much depth that they feel like someone you used to know.

She’s also incredible at describing settings, so much so that I feel like I’m standing beside these characters as they experience grief, heartbreak, and fear. I have no idea how she makes these fictional moments feel so real, but I can’t wait to read more of her work!

After the death of her twin brother Johnny, James returns to her hometown of Six Rivers with the feeling that something was not right about the way he supposedly died. Being gone for twenty years was a long time, but it didn't lessen her intuitive bond with her brother. This is a captivating mystery that reveals family secrets and revives old romance. Thanks to author Adrienne Young, Ballantine | Delacorte Press, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Adrienne Young has done it again! In A Sea of Unspoken Things we meet James Golden who has returned to her home town for closure after the death of her twin brother Johnny. Young takes us on a journey of discovery and understanding as she relives significant events from her past. Interwoven is a second chance love story which truly completes the story. Highly recommend this one.

I have loved all of Adrienne young’s books so I was VERY excited for this. This book was a little slow to start but once it picked up it was SO good! I really enjoyed it. The author’s beautiful prose really kept me interested, as did the suspense of the second half of the book. I loved it!

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing for this ARC!

This small-town mystery was the perfect read for the fall. I am so grateful to have gotten an advanced copy of this! It had a great mix of intrigue, romance, and suspense that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Adrienne Young has a wonderful way of creating a setting you can get lost in. Even though it started a bit slow, I was interested the entire time thanks to the beautiful way she sets up the plot. Both Micah and James were great, but I especially loved the way the connection between the twins was played out.

Will definitely be picking up more of Adrienne’s books!

I am such a huge fan on Adrienne Young’s work but I’d say this is my least favorite book from her, and that’s saying something since it’s still a solid 4 stars.

What I loved: Her absolutely beautiful descriptions and prose just make you feel like you’re living inside her stories. You can really feel and picture yourself inside the setting
What fell flat: the plot honestly. I didn’t really feel truly invested in the characters and story until about the 60% mark. The pacing was just very slow and I found myself losing interest. But once the story got moving I really couldn’t put this down. And I do like how the ending all came together.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really, really slow to get going. About halfway through it picked up nicely, and had some pretty good twists. But overall, this one fell kind of flat for me. I enjoyed June Farrow so much more, but will still definitely check out more of Adrienne Young's books. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc!

A Sea of Unspoken Things
by Adrienne Young
Pub Date: Jan.7, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
In this captivating atmospheric novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unmaking of June Farrow, a woman investigates her twin brother’s mysterious death while confronting the ghosts of her own haunted past.
I love the cover!! Stunning!
A small departure from her previous two books this book still felt like them even being darker and as always I stayed up until I finished it. Well done I will always read Young!

WOW! I was extremely impressed with A Sea of Unspoken Things! This is so different, story wise, from Fable/Namesake and June Farrow, but I was so immersed in the feeling that Young created in this book.

I loved this book from beginning to end. Young is so descriptive in her writing, and it made me feel like I was actually in the places she was describing. The small town, inside of the National Park, created a great setting for the mystery part of the story. The people in the town know everything about one another and share gossip about one another, but are also very skeptical of new people, so you get that close knit community with a touch of dysfunctional small town vibes.

Young’s writing in this book really grabbed my attention. There is a weighted feeling to the closeness of the National Park, the small town and the secrets that are being kept. It adds a smothering, oppressive, ominous feel to the story and I felt like James was feeling all of those feelings too, as she found out things about her brother, that she had missed out on, over the past several years. I also loved seeing how the connection with Johnny still existed, and brought a touch of the supernatural to the story.

If you have read any other Adrienne Young books, then I would highly recommend A Sea of Unspoken Things. It is beautifully written, and definitely holds its own among her other amazing books.