After reading Spells for Forgetting, I was so excited to read Adrienne Young’s new release A Sea of Unspoken Things. This is small town story revolving around Johnny, who recently passed away from a tragic accident and his twin sister James who has come home to tie up loose ends. James has a strong connection with her twin brother, but soon realizes she’s been away a while and does not know much about her brother’s life now. The story starts out a little slow, but I didn’t find it boring at all. I was so immersed and it was so beautifully written that felt almost magical. The book was the perfect length and with a few twists at the end. Overall, this as a great read and I’d recommend it.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

“A woman investigates her twin brother’s mysterious death while confronting the ghosts of her own haunted past.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5: Adrienne Young is an auto by author for me. Her writing is so atmospheric. Her characters are complex. I felt like I was standing right in this mysterious and alive forest. This mystery was everything I wanted. (Extreme mood reader…)

-mysterious forest
-supernatural connection between twins
-second chance romance
-small town secrets

There was a healthy dose of suspense and a few good twists throughout the book. I was invested from the first line, “we were made in the dark”. It had the perfect fall/winter vibes.

Adrienne also had a way of writing about grief that you could feel so clearly and powerfully. She wrote about how powerful the love of family can be, both the good and the bad. I always appreciate when an author makes the story more real/relatable.

I did feel like “A Sea of Unspoken Things” was very similar to her other book, “Spells for Forgetting”, but because they are both so beautifully written, I didn’t mind the similarities. She can clearly write an isolated small town with buried secrets.

Favorite kindle highlights:

“We were made in the dark.”

“You didn’t realize just how much this first was trying to kill you until you got out.”

“The question felt like finding land, and my answer was a boat running ashore.”

Available January 7th, 2025! I highly recommend you adding this one to your (already long) TBR!

A Sea of Unspoken Things is the latest adult mystery from Adrienne Young. With contemporary fantasy elements woven in, I found this impossible to put down! When James is summoned back to her hometown after her twin’s death, it’s the last place she wants to be. As James starts to conclude her brother’s affairs, she is forced to examine the relationship she had with her brother. In their small town, everyone knows each other and some secrets are buried deep. Was Johnny who she thought he was?

Adrienne Young’s writing is incredibly atmospheric and intricate. I love the sensory details of the woods; it makes you feel like you’re walking besides James as she retraces her brother’s steps. The bonds of the town still have a strong hold on James, even though she’s done her best to distance herself in San Francisco. The mystery at the heart was compelling and kept me guessing until the end. I loved the exploration of the sibling relationship between James and Johnny, especially as James questions what her brother might have been capable of in darker moments. I devoured this in a day!

Readers who enjoy captivating mysteries and complex characters will love A Sea of Unspoken Things. I can’t wait to read what Adrienne Young writes next!

Thank you to Adrienne Young, Delacorte Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Oh Adrienne! You’ve done it again. I never thought that she can do a mystery for real but turns out, she can do any genre it seems. This book was yet another captivating, twisty, heart-throbbing small-town mystery that you’ll finish in one sitting. Actually, at first, I thought this is a man because it was James (Goddammit) looking for answers for his twin brother’s death but no, I discovered that James is a woman. In this case, it’s the fault of the twins' mother, who abandoned her children at a young age.
The connection between James and her twin brother Johnny Golden was so fascinating. I heard somewhere that twins can communicate with each other but never thought it’s kind of like this. Johnny creates chaos, and James is always there to clean up the mess and take the blame. This has been their life ever since a tragic event drove James to leave town to pursue her artistic talents, never looking back.
Nearly two decades later, she returned to the small town, bringing her brother's ashes and completing the important environmental project he started. She felt the exact moment her brother died, shot by whoever. James is convinced her brother’s death was no accident, and she’s determined fix her brother’s problems and uncover the dangerous situations he may have been involved in.
this fast-paced small-town mystery with paranormal and romantic elements keeps you hooked to the book.

Adrienne Young delivers another cozy town mystery. Adrienne’s writing is always beautiful work. Unfortunately this one didn’t quite live up to The Unmaking of June Farrow & Spells for Forgetting. I wish that we got POV’s from Johnny or honestly anyone else instead of it being solely from James Pov. All in all i’ll give it 4⭐️ I did have an enjoyable time.

& just take a minute to appreciate the beautiful cover 😻

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book….. I was internally screaming with joy when I received it! ❤️❤️❤️

This book comes out on 1/7/25 ❤️

I got an early copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think it goes without saying that any Adrienne Young book will grip and tear at your heart. In true Adrienne fashion, this one does just that. James returns home to the town of Six Rivera after being away for 20 years. Her twin brother, Johnny, was killed in a hunting accident, but James knows something is off about his death. Working on her own to try to complete his owl conservation project and to decipher his life, she runs into her old friend and lover, Micah. Together, they revisit their past and uncover many secrets along the way.

This books felt like so many things in one. Part mystery. Part love story. Part tragedy. All the things I would expect out of an Adrienne Young book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved Spells for Forgetting and the Unmaking of June Farrow from this author, so I was excited when I received the ARC for her latest work. Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and leave an honest review.

This one did not draw me in, as if I was a part of the story, like the previous two I mentioned did, BUT it still captivated me and maintained the same sense of magical realism that I adore. I found this to be more of a romantic thriller with a magical aspect. Still very atmospheric and intriguing, just not quite as all consuming as her previous works.

Johnny and James are twins, born and raised in Six Rivers. Their single father travelled for work when they were teenagers, leaving the brother and sister to watch out for one another and trusting the small town to take care of them. At 17, the two and their best friend, Micah, ran into trouble one fateful night. With a local teen dead and trouble following Johnny with every step he took, he sent James away to live her life without having to cover for him.
She never returned.
Until 20 years later, when she received the call that Johnny had died in a hunting accident.
The thing is, James knew before the call.
James always knew what emotions Johnny was feeling.
The twin telepathy she had for her brother spanned thousands of miles.
The day Johnny died, she felt his fear.
She felt the searing heat as the bullet sank into his flesh.
She felt the warm blood tricking from the wound.
When she closed her eyes, she saw what he did in his last moments, up until his vision faded to black.
She knew his death wasn’t an accident.
And returning to Six Rivers to confront the townsfolk she abandoned 20 years ago was the only way to have his case opened as a homicide.
Returning also meant facing Micah, her first love, because she would need his help for her investigation.

Together, James, Micah, and Smoke, the 20+ year old pet wolf who had always watched over Johnny and James, fight to discover the secrets Johnny was hiding.

Yes, I said 20+ year old wolf. I don’t know how old Smoke is, which is one reason for my ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating. I love wolves. I want a wolf. But this old fella was around before James left, and still full of energy and kicking it when she returns 20 years later. So, maybe Smoke is magical.

Overall, this was an excellent read that releases in January 2025.
Emotional connection.
Character growth.
Mysterious.
Atmospheric.
Romantic.
Small town drama.

Thanks NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

I am a big fan of Adrienne Young and the way she weaves in the magic realism into her novels. She is a wonderful writer and I enjoyed the novel but this one was a bit of a slower pace and very little magic realism that I was expecting. I definitely liked the characters but I would have liked a bit more about Johnny. I didn't feel connected to him and wish there would have been more content when he was alive and see the twin relationship that James felt for him. I was more interested in James and Micah's relationship. I will still recommend this one to others, but it just wasn't my favorite by the author.

James and Johnny Golden have that special twin connection and can feel what the other is feeling, so when Johnny suddenly dies in an accident, James already knows before answering the phone. She returns to her home town in rural California to find out what happened but she runs in the the only man she's ever loved, Micah.

James can still feel Johnny and tries to unbury the truth about what happened to him and the secrets that they were keeping.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group Ballentine and NetGalley for the ARC of A Sea of Unspoken Things in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars! As always, the writing from Adrienne Young is spectacular and I wouldn't change a single thing about it. The way she can put emotions into a page is absolutely stunning. Everything flows so beautifully which makes it an easy and enjoyable read.

I am a big fan of the small town setting and even more than that, I love me a good mystery. While I feel like these aspects were done pretty well, I was a bit disappointed in the lack of magic or fantastical elements that The Unmaking of June Farrow had. Part of what I loved about that one so much was how whimsical it was, and while I know this isn't the same book, I was a bit let down that it didn't have that since I loved it so much.

The only other critique I have about this book is some of the redundancy throughout the chapters about James and Johnny's relationship. There were some parts in the middle where I felt like I'd read the same thing earlier.

For what the story was, I don't think it could have been done better, and I look forward to see what other genres she tries to take on. I will continue to read this author until she stops putting out books!

A Sea of Unspoken Things - 4.5/5 stars

This was my most anticipated read of the year and Adrienne Young absolutely delivered.

She has such a unique way of storytelling that draws you in from the first sentence and keeps you reading. (Sometimes until the middle of the night because you just HAVE to know what is going to happen)

Just like in Spells for Forgetting and The Unmaking of June Farrow, we are fed tiny crumbs of information that give us just enough to be caught up in the story but not enough to actually figure out what’s going on until it’s looking you right in the face.

Unlike in her other two stories, the magical realism feels more supernatural in this story which almost makes it feel more realistic and painful somehow. If you have a close sibling, you know the deep connection you build with them that feels spiritual and supernatural.

The only reason I’m giving it a 4.5 rather than a 5 is because I felt like the plot aligned a little too close to Spells for Forgetting. The characters genders have been swapped and the location and general mystery is different, but it was hard not to guess what was going to happen (especially with James and Micah) because of the similarities.

As with her other two books, I found myself unable to put this book down and I will forever buy every book Adrienne Young writes!

I will have the review posted on my goodreads page on 11/27.
I will also have a review posted on my TikTok page the second week of December!

She did it again! What a boss! I love Young's writing style and how easily it sucks me into the story she has to tell.

James returns home to better understand her twin brother's death. While sifting through the life he came to live in her absence, she unearths more than she bargained for.

A winding story with drama, unfinished romance, a hint of clairvoyance, and detective-style mystery will have you turning pages late into the night! I devoured this book - add a copy to your Christmas list ASAP!!

My review is on Goodreads under the name "Kristy" as of today (11/27/24).

This was a good one! Small town spooky, twisty mystery? Yes please! I’ve become very fond of Adrienne Young’s work! Her stories are very captivating and the added other worldly aspects make it so interesting. James has this wild, deep connection to her twin brother and she sees, hears, and feels things even after he’s passed away? So cool. And I didn’t have it figured out at the end either on who done it. It was a surprise! And I loved Micah. He was just a delightful character.
Review is up on Goodreads!!

Adrienne Young writes a compelling story about a woman, James, who is called home to deal with her twin brother’s death after two decades away. James’ return to her small town forces her to face the dark history she ran away from while investigating the suspicious events of her brother’s death… with a light paranormal touch.

This was a quick read with a well written story where the events of the present unveil events in a timeline two decades prior. The mystery unfolds amidst a light love triangle… well actually the perception of two love triangles.

The FMC is a likable character, and Young does a great job of creating uncertainty in the arcs of the other characters to keep you guessing. One twist I saw coming, the other took me by surprise.

This book didn’t hit home quite like June Farrow, but it was an enjoyable, easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is only the second book I’ve read by this author but she is quickly becoming a favorite. I was drawn in from beginning to end on this one. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

If there’s a thing Young can do, it’s write an atmospheric, thought provoking book that gives you all the feels!

I loved this story! This one is more grounded than her others I think but it still full of mystery, intrigue, magical realism, and intuition. The sibling relationship and sort of sixth sense I’ve always thought to be a fascinating concept and I love how Young made that the heart of this story mixed with grief, past history trauma, and a second chance romance.

Young’s writing is beautiful, let me first say that. Her books are always so full of lush descriptions involving nature and that PNW feel and I absolutely LOVE that about her books. They give you sort of a zen vibe when reading. This was a fairly quiet, slow burn book as James unravels the events leading up to her brothers death to determine if it was in fact an accident. The romance is between James and Micah, an old friend, and it’s sweet but doesn’t overshadow the mystery. Her characters are so fleshed out and three dimensional. We get tidbits of James’ past and what led her to leave this sleepy little town of hers but not the full story until the end and that kept me intrigued along with the mystery of her brother. It’s another great Adrienne Young novel if you’ve enjoyed the vibe from her last two adult novels.

Huge thank you to #NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes January 7, 2025.

What to expect in this book:

-Sibling relationships
-California Redwoods setting
-Atmospheric
-Mystery
-Slight magical realism
-Gorgeous cover!

Thoughts

From the author of The Unmaking of June Farrow and Spells for Forgetting comes another atmospheric and moody read, perfect for fall and winter! James and Johnny are twins in more than just their blood, but in intuition. When Johnny mysteriously dies, James returns to their hometown of Hawthorne, California to manage his affairs and face the people that she left behind there years ago. Even after Johnny's passing, James still feels connected to him and feels that he is leading her to uncover what really happened the days before his "accidental" death. Mysterious and compulsive, this story shows the power that the ties that bind us can have and that our pasts truly never stay far behind.

Let me say that nothing with top June Farrow for me from this author. It was everything I needed to be. But this book is so different. Genre-bending as her novels are, this felt more mystery/thriller to me than the other books of hers that I have read. I loved the backstories and unraveling of each of the characters and the. lengths with which James goes to find out more about Johnny's life. I would have loved there to be a *little* bit more magical realism but enjoyed the sight fantastical elements of James' connection with her brother after his death.

Ultimately, I think this is perfect moody book to read when the weather is changing outside. It will transport you to remote places in Northern CA and is a quicker read at under 300 pages. I highly recommend to all fans of this author and to fans of magical realism and mystery.

“A woman investigates her twin brother’s mysterious death while confronting the ghosts of her own haunted past”…

James left her home town in the northern California Forest when she started Art school in San Francisco. Despite not being home for 20 years, she felt the exact moment when her brother Johnny was shot and killed. Now she returns home to unravel the secrets Johnny surrounding Johnny’s death, but in order to do that, she must face the reasons she fled all those years ago.

She can feel Johnny’s presence lingering as if he wants to tell her something. She may not like what he has to reveal. Did she even know her twin at all?
🌲
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adrienne Young has an absolutely beautiful way of writing.

We know there was an event that became the catalyst for James leaving Six Rivers. The event is initially introduced, but with each passing chapter, we only get snippets of what happened. It is not fully revealed until later in the story, leaving the reader to speculate their own theories; There are so many revelations and twists which captures the reader with each chapter.

As with her other Adult novels, Spells for Forgetting and The Unmaking of June Farrow, there are mysterious deaths, a natural atmospheric setting, and a supernatural sense/ability.
🌲
I would categorized this book as suspense/thriller/murder mystery with a supernatural undercurrent.

I highly recommend this story if you liked either of Adrienne Young’s other adult novels. Or other Cozy Fantasies or Cozy Mysteries

Opening up a new Adrienne Young book is such a privilege. The way she builds a world where reality intertwines seamlessly with hints of magic is nothing short of magical itself. As with Spells and June Farrow, A Sea of Unspoken Things immerses the reader immediately in its setting—this time in the pregnant hush of a lush forest. The story feels quiet while also being full of the low murmurs that build the story and ultimately lead to its surprising and satisfying conclusion. I can say with confidence that if Young writes it, I will always read it.

James and her twin brother Johnny are all each other has. They are so close that she can feel the moment he dies. Filled with grief, she goes back to her hometown to settle his affairs. She hopes to be in and out quickly since she ran away from that place and her ex Micha years ago. Myserious circumstances lead her to feel and sometimes see Johnny's presence, and it seems to want to tell her something. This compells her into a deep dive of her brother's life and his death.

Thoughts 💭
I was beyond excited to get this book. The Unmaking of June Farrow is an amazing book, and Adrienne Young is an exceptional writer. This book did not disappoint. I will say it started off slow but hooked me not soon after. There was so much mystery and intrigue along with so many possibilities of what could have happened to Johnny. I felt the confusion and pain that James felt and went right along on this journey with her. I liked the magical realism of the book that included an almost supernatural closeness between the twins. They could feel and understand things about each other without speaking. This appears to also carry over into death. Is she really seeing and feeling her deceased brother? What is he trying to say? The ending was perfect and tied everything together nicely.

Micah and James have history together, and I'm all for a second chance romance. He was her first and only love, but it was kept a secret since Micah was also Johnny's friend, and they knew he wouldn't approve. Them rekindling where they left off was a nice touch. What a wonderfully told story!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If there’s one thing Adrienne Young knows how to do, it’s write a beautiful story. She does an atmospheric small town setting so well and I love how nature is always so prominent. This one had me especially hooked and I finished it in a day. I was so interested in James’ quest to figure out what was going on with her brother Johnny leading up to his death and whether it was really an accident. I loved how the past was slowly unraveled and we kept finding out more and more facts that were constantly turning the story on its head.

I also enjoyed the slow burn second chance romance and how it was important to the story but it wasn’t the main focus. There were two main twists and I didn’t see either one coming - I honestly couldn’t stop reading at the end because I wanted to know what happened so badly. I think the only thing that would have made this better for me is the magical realism aspect playing a bigger role. I think Spells for Forgetting is still my favorite, but I liked this one more than June Farrow.

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