No surprise here, this book was a 5⭐️ read for me. Adrienne Young has a way of writing that feels so raw but developed at the same time.

Murder mysteries, a love story, and admitting that we don't know the people we love as well as we thought- it's all here and it's all done exceptionally well.

I loved this book- the *only* thing I'm not a fan of is the title. I don't feel that it fit with the setting, but that is just me being picky.

Read this. It releases January 7 and it's just as magical as The Unmaking of June Farrow, if not more.

Read this in one day. It has the vibes of Mare of Easttown mixed with those PNW/Northern California shows that are actually filmed in Vancouver—think a mystery set in a small, gloomy forest town with a cool diner where the MC hangs out.

The story follows a twin who left Six Rivers, California, for San Francisco 20 years ago, only to return after her brother’s murder. There’s a touch of magical realism—she feels her twin trying to tell her something’s off about his death being ruled an accident (gave me season 1 Riverdale vibes) But that’s as far as the magic goes. It is very much a general fiction mystery with two major plotlines and three big reveals toward the end like 96%. I was intrigued most of the time but the pacing is oddly slow and fast.

The atmosphere is the highlight. I could feel the chill of the redwoods, smell the pines, and sense the weight of the rain. Young captures that Northern California gloom perfectly.
The writing is straightforward but leans a bit too much on metaphors in certain spots. She also gets a bit repetitive with the “reason” the MC left and “never looked back” 20 yrs ago and it takes WAY too long to reveal it.

There are two romantic subplots: a friends with benefits situation that doesn’t add much and a second chance romance with her old high school fling, which ties more into the main story. Neither stood out, and the epilogue was personally unsatisfying. The characters in general fell a bit flat. Nevertheless, the vibes were immaculate and I enjoyed being in the story.

One thing I didn’t get was the title—A Sea of Unspoken Things—considering it’s set in a Redwood Forest. The “sea” part doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe I’m just dumb…

I really love Adrienne Young, but I was just really disappointed in this book. It was quite slow and a bit boring.

Adrienne Young has delivered yet another captivating, twisty, heart-throbbing small-town mystery that you’ll want to devour in one sitting! How could I resist? I just had to request an ARC and ended up enjoying every second of it!

The supernatural elements, like the ghost of a loved one leading you to their killer, or the victim being potentially involved, make for a highly intriguing plot, don’t they?

One of the interesting aspects of the book is the heroine’s name—James—which initially led me to think this might be an LGBTQ mystery. But when I discovered that James is a woman named after a man, I couldn’t help but shrug and blame her parents. In this case, it’s the fault of the twins' young mother, who not only gave her daughter a traditionally male name but also abandoned her children, feeling trapped in their small town.

Another fascinating part of the story is the connection between James and her twin brother Johnny Golden. They are like yin and yang—James’s brightness balancing Johnny’s darkness. Johnny creates chaos, and James is always there to clean up the mess and take the blame. This has been their dynamic ever since a tragic event drove James to leave town to pursue her artistic talents, never looking back. But she didn’t just leave behind her troubled brother; she also left the love of her life, Micah, and started anew in San Francisco.

Now, nearly two decades later, she is forced to return to the small town she once fled, bringing her brother's ashes and completing the important environmental project he started. But she has another reason for returning—a secret she’s kept to herself. She felt the exact moment her brother died, shot by what was presumed to be an accidental bullet during hunting season, even though the shooter’s identity remains unknown. James is convinced her brother’s death was no accident, and she’s determined to do what she’s always done: fix her brother’s problems and uncover the dangerous situations he may have been involved in. After all, she knows firsthand how far Johnny would go to protect those he loved.

Her investigation brings her face-to-face with a young art student who may have had a connection to her brother, uncovering more secrets hidden by the townspeople. Could her brother have gone too far, perhaps even hurting someone? As James digs deeper into his death, she may find herself not just searching for his killer, but also confronting the man Johnny had become—and wondering if he had already crossed a line that led to his demise.

There’s only one person she can turn to for help in facing the truth: Micah, the man whose heart she broke. Micah had become her brother’s protector after she left town, and now, as buried secrets begin to resurface, they must face them together. But can they also bury their own unresolved past?

Overall, this fast-paced small-town mystery with paranormal and romantic elements keeps you hooked. I’m rounding my 3.5 stars to 4 owlish stars and eagerly awaiting more of Young's books in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a digital review copy of this unputdownable mystery in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Adrienne Young’s A Sea of Unspoken Things is a hauntingly atmospheric novel that intertwines mystery and family bonds. Following the tragic death of her twin brother, Johnny, James Golden is plunged into a world of grief and unanswered questions as she returns to the eerie town of Six Rivers, California, to settle his affairs. The author captures the depth of James's connection with her twin, exploring the almost mystical bond that allowed her to feel what Johnny felt. This connection becomes the driving force behind her relentless quest to uncover the truth about his death. This book is perfect for fans of deeply layered mysteries with a touch of the supernatural, offering an exploration of the bonds that tie us to the ones we’ve lost and the secrets we carry with us.

Young has such a way with words. In her newest novel, she pairs lyrical writing with a captivating mystery and a dash of that wonderful magical realism she does so well.

James and her twin brother Johnny spent their childhood and teen years totally inseparable… until James left home at 18. Now, it’s decades later and in the time leading up to her brother’s death, their contact was dwindling.

Now that he is gone, there is a giant hole in her being, something she can’t come to terms with. She decides to go home to learn more about what really happened.

I love a good the-one-who-got-out-must-return-home-years-later-to-discover-the-truth situation, especially when there is a possible love interest. James is a very strong, compassionate and capable protagonist. She is smart and persistent, which I can only imagine is difficult when returning to a place you left behind so long ago.

There is so much heart to this story and I loved it.