I went in pretty blind with this one and while it did take me a minute to get really into it, once I did, I was all in.

James and her twin brother Johnny have always shared an almost supernatural connection. It goes beyond intuition; she could feel what he was feeling. So she knew even before her phone rang that her brother was gone.

But now she has to return to her secluded home town, that she ran away from almost twenty years ago, to sort through Johnny’s affairs. While she’s there, she’s forced to revisit the past, which includes Micah — the only other person who knows their secrets, and the only man she’s ever loved.

As James uncovers each new piece of information about Johnny’s life leading up to his mysterious death, more questions than answers reveal themselves. But which truths are worth uncovering and which should remain buried forever?

Adrienne Young needs to be awarded for her contributions to the literary world.

I mean it genuinely when I say I can feel the soul she’s poured into this book, and it’s confirmed to me why I adore her as an author wholeheartedly.

A Sea of Unspoken things delves into the intricacies of sibling relationships and how they change over the course of adulthood, and the pain that comes with not knowing your sibling as well as you believed and then subsequently losing them. The jealousy that comes from thinking someone could know this person you adore better than you do.

The pain of loving someone so much but the history with them is too painful to unpack, so you’d rather live a life without them.

The mystery surrounding this town and the people in it feels full. Developed in a way that’s so real, I almost can see myself there. The diner, the cabin, the gorge. It’s familiar. The twists aren’t drawn out, and you’re not given every answer. It’s unfortunate how short it is, but at the same time it’s complete and I respect the amount of work it must have taken to keep this under 300 pages.

God. I could ramble about this for days. Please read it when it comes out. January 7th cannot come soon enough.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for approving my request for this ARC even after I had forgotten I applied for it.

Overall, I really enjoyed A sea of Unspoken Things. I love a good mystery and this one kept me guessing through the twists and turns. Adrienne Young is a beautiful writer, and she did a great job of transporting the reader to the remote area of Six Rivers and the surrounding forest. The character development was really well done. I felt like I knew Johnny’s personality without him actually being “present” in the story. My only critique is that I thought Olivia being Autumn’s killer didn’t seem believable to me. It just didn’t seem like it fit well with the rest of the story and with how Olivia’s character was portrayed.

How well do we really know the people we love? This book explored the dynamics of hidden secrets, drifting apart, and the bond of trauma. I loved the exploration of twin connection, the question of loyalty to those we love, and how to resolve the tension created when hidden secrets are uncovered. This book was somewhat a coming of ago, thriller, and romance all combined. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

James returns to the small town she grew up in when her brother is found dead in the woods. Now that she's back, she thinks there may be more than meets the eye about his death.

Young is such a master at weaving tales that have this atmospheric level to them! Here's what I loved:

The whole tone: This one has such a dark tone but that adds to the overall atmosphere of the entire story. It also really gets you into the just the grayness of the mountains and woods the story takes place in.

James and Micah: These two are such a pair. They are pushed together and pulled apart but their love story really got to me. It was a classic case of they both want different things and that's what pushes them apart.

The mystery: I enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Johnny. There are so many layers to the tale that you get really invested.

All in all, a really good drama/mystery!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Could this be my favorite Adrienne Young’s books thus far? Perhaps.

A young woman returns home to her small, secluded town to investigate her twin brother’s mysterious death. It’s a slow burn … full of haunting high schools pasts, buried secrets and dysfunctional familial dynamics. Do we really know those closest to us…. really? How much do people change as they grow? How much do we? The setting is as moody, atmospheric, strangely captivating. Out of all of Young’s books, this cast of characters is my favorite. I won’t give away any spoilers or hints but loved their dynamics in this twisty, dark, but wild at heart story. Sometimes we do have to go backwards to go towards … wishing the best to James Golden.

You won’t regret reading this one. Arrives on bookshelves January 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/ Ballentine Book for this advanced reader’s copy.

Devoured this twisty, atmospheric mystery in one day - I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down! Young’s writing is lovely, and the setting of the story was both beautiful and haunting. Mix tbat all together with family drama, owls, lightly paranormal elements, and an enjoyable romance storyline and you get a really great book. 4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Make sure to check this one out in January!

“A Sea of Unspoken Things” is a captivating slow burn mystery. James returns to her hometown after 20 long years to solve the mystery of her twin brother’s death. I was immediately pulled into this book and didn’t want to put it down. The magic was more subtle in this novel compared to Adrienne Young’s other adult novels, but I really did enjoy this one as I did the others. Old and new mysteries surface and unravel driving the perplexing plot of this story. The tender second chance romance was compelling. I appreciated the themes exploring the uncertainty that comes with knowing a person and that finding home may not meet the expectations you had for your life.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I’ve read almost all of Adrienne Young’s books, and I really love the atmospheric, magical nature of her adult works. I like the way she blends genres and captures the feelings of romance, mystery, and magical realism all in one.

A Sea of Unspoken things errs more on the side of mystery, with dashes of romance and magic mixed in. It follows James, who is back in the small town of Six Rivers for the first time in twenty years when her brother is killed in a hunting accident. While James’s relationship with her brother has been tricky, they have always had a deep connection, and she is worried that something strange is at play. She reluctantly finds herself thrust back into the world she grew up in, searching for answers and resurfacing haunting secrets from her past.

This started out slow, but really picked up around the halfway point. Young did a good job of constantly uncovering new details of the past, which kept me reading anxiously to see how things would play out.

Unfortunately, I was let down by how things wrapped up. I had so many assumptions about the mysteries that I thought would’ve made for really great shocking reveals, but instead the twists felt lackluster and didn’t add to the emotional journey of the rest of the story. The ending felt pretty hastily written, and I was left with more questions than answers, in a way that didn’t feel intentional.

Giving this 3 stars overall, since the build-up to the ending was still strong and had Young’s enticing, atmospheric feeling.

James and Johnny Golden are twins, connected in a way few others can understand. After a fateful night that changed everything, James leaves their small hometown for art school in San Francisco, while Johnny stays behind, diving into film photography and holding onto the familiar. But when tragedy strikes, Johnny’s mysterious death puzzles James. Twenty years later, haunted by the memories, James returns to the place she thought she’d left behind to uncover the truth—convinced that Johnny’s death was no accident.

I wanted to love this one more. Young’s writing beautifully captures atmosphere and has complex characters, but the plot felt underwhelming. The ending wasn’t predictable, but it lacked the punch I was hoping for. I gave it three stars!

James returns to her small, middle of nowhere hometown after her twin brother’, Johnny’s mysterious death. As she attempts to put his affairs in order and find information about Johnny’s death, James is met with more questions than answers and can’t stop feeling as if she’s being guided by her deep connection to her brother. Being home means she must also come face to face with Micah, her first love, and the decisions they made one fateful night years ago.

Adrienne Young is becoming a go to author for me; her writing style is beautiful and I love how she crafts her stories. This was a slow burn but I loved the pacing and how the plot developed. I wish there was a bit more development in some of the secondary characters and the ending felt the tiniest bit rushed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I have previously read Young's YA duology "Fable" and her adult debut "Spells for Forgetting." However, I DNF'ed "Spells for Forgetting" because the characterization felt extremely YA to me. While Young's YA roots still shine through in "A Sea of Unspoken Things" the atmosphere she creates makes up for it. It was a great suspense novel with a touch of magical realism and small town vibes. I liked that romance really took the backseat and that it focused on James unravelling the mystery of not just her brother's death, but Johnny himself as well. It was also refreshing to see a female mc with commitment issues rather than the male mc. I will say the last chapter did piss me off, there is really no need for James to be pregnant, it does not align with her character at all. I'd give it like a 3.75 overall. I enjoyed it and it kept me hooked but it wasn't anything I haven't read before.

If Adrienne Young writes it, I will read it. Another amazing read that a flew through. Her writing is one of a kind and I get lost in each and every story.

Rating: 3.75

Adrienne Young has been slowly becoming one of my go-to writers.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This was a mystery about a woman, James, investigating the death of her twin brother in their small, home town. Typical of Adrienne Young, there is a touch of magic/the supernatural in regards to the connection between James and her brother.

I thought the start of this book was, maybe, a touch confusing, but in a way where you could quickly catch up and follow along. The second half is really when this book picked up for me, and I zoomed through it.

The writing style was similar to the [b:The Unmaking of June Farrow|66087062|The Unmaking of June Farrow|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678126802l/66087062._SY75_.jpg|100151661] (which is so far, still my favorite Adrienne Young book).

I’m still processing what I’ve just gone through reading this book. Adrienne Young has such a way with writing thats its quite immersive. A perfect blend of a small-town mystery with a slice of romance. After her brother is killed in an accident, James comes back to small town Hawthorne, California to settle her brother’s affairs. In the process, her resurfacing past comes back to haunt her as connections are made in present. This book had me all over the place with plot-twists and unpredictable storyline. Was a bit of a slow hook in the beginning before it really drags you in. However, reading this story has made Adrienne Young an auto-buy author for me personally. Top read this year!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

This book is another perfectly moody Adrienne Young book. I love how you’re dropped into such a rich world with her books. The story itself was beautiful and kept me guessing the “who done it” until the very end.

I am conflicted in reviewing this book. Once it got going at about 30%, it was banging. The first 30% is a bit of a drag to get through. The spooky vibes were spot on. Overall, Micah felt like a shadow of a character and not fully developed . I would have appreciated more fleshed out character. Overall, I think this was an enjoyable read and think many will agree. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Right from the opening line, this story hooked me. It’s part mystery, part psychological thriller, with a slow-burn tension that pulls you in as the layers unfold. The small-town murder mystery is satisfyingly twisty, with enough suspense to keep you turning pages. The supernatural and family drama elements were interwoven seamlessly, adding depth to the mystery and emotion to the story. A fantastic read for fans of supernatural/magical realism, mysteries, and small-town secrets.

AY simply does not miss. From the very first page, I was completely entranced by this cozy mystery with a soft paranormal edge to it. I’ve always been fascinated by twins and that innate connection they all seem to possess that is so different from other mere siblings, and I loved the way Young explored that in this one. I loved how losing her brother allowed James to find herself. This mystery wasn’t loud and thrilling—it was quiet and as steady as snowflakes falling on the ground. I loved the side characters and how they all wove into the tapestry of this story, and how the town and the forest seemed as much characters themselves as the real people were. All said, I loved this one. Easily my favorite AY book to date!

I'll be honest it took until the 70% mark for me to really get into this one, it's definitely a slower novel but I love Young's writing and stories so much it's still worthy of four stars. James (who is a girl) heads back to her small town after 20 years away to clean up the aftermath of her brother's death. At first ruled a hunting accident but as James gets nosey and snoopy she starts to think it wasn't an accident at all. Along with Micah, her high school boyfriend she hasn't spoken to in 20 years but somehow still has feelings for (??? like no), they investigate his death. I loved the mystery, the forest vibes, and the storylines about wildlife and owls.

The most unrealistic thing in this book is missing your high school boyfriend at 38 years old, be SO for real right now. I would like to let authors know that it's okay to let a character actually move on with their life when they leave a small town they had zero prospects and future in <3. But that's just my pet peeve and overall I think Young's typical readers will really like this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for an early copy.