A Sea of Unspoken Things follows James as she returns to her hometown following the mysterious death of her brother Johnny. She rekindles old friendships and realizes her twin may have been keeping more from her than she realized.

This was my first novel by Adrienne and her writing is just so impeccably beautiful. The way she is able to capture scenes with words is amazing. With that being said, I really wanted to give this one five stars but am giving it 3.5 when all is said and done (rounded up to 4). It took me a little longer than I had hoped to get really connected to the story and the characters and felt like the story built a lot before it finally hooked my attention. I did appreciate the twists and turns towards the end. I wasn’t expecting that! Definitely give this a try, it just wasn’t my favorite cup of tea.

I got this as an ARC months ago, and read the first couple chapters, but fell into a reading slump that got away with me, and thus I didn't pick up the book and finish it until recently. I wish I would have read it sooner, but I'm glad I finally did because A Sea of Unspoken Things was amazing. It's more of a thriller in my opinion, and less fantasy or historical than her past books, which surprised me a little. But Adrienne navigates solving a possible murder in a small town, while weaving in themes of family, love, and the lengths people will go to protect the ones they love. Adrienne combined romance, family, identity, along with deadly secrets, lies, and death in a way that's quietly elegant and clever. She has a way of masterfully writing works with so much soul and feeling. And even if the story starts slow, and isn't the flashiest, which I'd describe A Sea of Unspoken Things to be, Adrienne ALWAYS finds a way to grip you and make you feel. Her stories have a soul and make you feel. something This book was dark, and beautiful, and gripping and powerful to me. I loved the parallels between the setting and the characters, which wove into the overall theme. The blurred lines between forest, wilderness, animals, and humans. How maybe we're all one in the same.
I loved James as a main character, and how she navigated finding out what happened to her brother. The relationship between them was complicated and compelling, and honestly the relationships between all of the characters felt similar. Bound and separated by secrets and history.
Definitely recommend. This book kind of snuck up on me, and now I'll be thinking about it for a while.

I feel like I am watching a movie when I read Adrienne Young! This book started slow in the beginning, but I was anxiously waiting to see how the small town mystery would unravel.

Since Adrienne’s books are a mix of just about every genre, it’s hard to pinpoint some of the negatives of this book. The romance plot felt underdeveloped, but if we’re classifying it as a Lit Fic, then that doesn’t really matter. I enjoyed reading it and the ending was well worth the wait. I will continue to read her catalog of books, but this one just might not be my top fav.

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In A Sea of Unspoken Things, James returns to her small hometown after the death of her twin brother, Johnny. There’s a mystery surrounding Johnny’s death, and a large part of the plot is James’s attempt to uncover the truth about her brother and his death, while the reader learns more about her own past.
What I liked -
Johnny’s character was the definition of “haunting the narrative,” a trope I tend to really enjoy and that I think this book did really well. I also really liked the natural and enchanting vibes of the book’s setting - I loved the role of the woods and the commentary on nature. I also thought that Adrienne Young’s writing was strong, and I enjoyed her writing style.
What I didn’t like -
I was left underwhelmed in terms of my connection to characters and interest in the plot. I honestly just didn’t really care about the mystery or events of the book. I wasn’t completely bored because I enjoyed the writing enough, but nothing in the plot really encaptured or interested me. This is definitely a quieter kind of mystery, with the characters the driving force rather than the plot. And I think this could have really worked for me, if I only felt stronger about the characters, but I was unable to strongly connect with any of them. Overall, I enjoyed aspects of this book like the setting and the writing, but it unfortunately fell short for me in terms of plot and characters.

A little bit dark, definitely atmospheric, intricately plotted with a smidge of magical realism, this one was a slow burn for me. I struggled right off the bat with the main female character's name, James. Although the reasoning for her name was explained, I still think it made reading the book unnecessarily complicated. Some of the characters were not as well-developed as I would have liked. That being said, the setting was perfectly described, and I felt like I was right there with James as she uncovered each clue to the mystery. I enjoyed the story and the unraveling of all the secrets, including a last-minute reveal that I feel like I should have seen coming, but didn't.

This is a very generous 3 stars.

I had high expectations and hopes for this book. I love Adrienne Young. It’s one of the first things all my bookish friends know about me and I was expecting a beautiful setting, gorgeous prose, and eerie (but not too scary) magical realism and this book just never delivered.

First of all this book was so incredibly slow. I need someone to explain why things didn’t pick up until the SEVENTY PERCENT MARK??!! To me that’s crazy and if this wasn’t an arc written by Adrienne Young I would have dnf’d ages ago.

I like the chemistry between James and Micah, but the ghost of Johnny choked the story. It felt like absolutely nothing was happening for so long and yet all we heard about was Johnny this and Johnny that.

Also, I was promised magical realism and that sort of didn’t happen. There’s a touch of it, but Young never really does anything useful with these seeds that she plants.

This just felt like a poorly paced mystery and sadly a waste of my time. I’m going to go cry about how badly I was disappointed by this book now.

Thank you to Ballentine and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A woman who left her past behind in her hometown, finds herself back after her twin brother was killed in what seems to have been an accident. The more she uncovers events leading up to his death, the more she is concerned that he might have been murdered.

This was one I didn’t want to put down and really wanted to find out what was happening!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a haunting and bittersweet tale of a sister returning to a childhood home to find out more about her brother's death. You had a bit of supernatural with James being able to feel and see her brother with their special twin connection but the rest was realistic though the atmosphere was nicely creepy with the trees and gorge and area where it mostly takes place. It did a good job of playing on my emotions because not only is it Johnny's death but also coming back to old friends, former loves, and the tragedy that caused James to flee all those years ago. So, it did get a bit twisty and kept me reading to find out the truth. The truth about Johnny and his death, but also who he really was and what he kept from his sister and vice versa.

This was a good, emotional read, and easy to keep going till you get to the end. Definitely some surprises and a good ending (though a bit sad).

Adrienne Young seems to be a hit or miss author for me but I always put her new releases on my TBR because she’s a master at setting a dark atmosphere.

A Sea of Unspoken Things left a little to be desired for me with its slow starting pace and lack of depth for the main character, but it had excellent atmosphere like I expected so I did finish it despite not being the most engaging plot for me.

Atmospheric and engaging. The defining incident that was not fully explained until maybe two thirds into the book was perphaps mentioned a few times too many in the beginning and slowed it down a little. But the story still pulled me in. I am a visual reader who paints the scenes as I read and Adrienne Young's writing made doing so so easy. The setting, the location, and the actions are vivid and flowed. Would be recommending the book to others.

thank you for an advance copy of this book by an author I have enjoyed in the past. This book tells the story of James and her journey has many twists and turns that definitely kept me interested. The first half of the book was a little slow, but the writing is so good I stayed engaged to see where the story would go. The character of James was interesting but needed more growth I felt, especially with the relationship with Micah. I felt there was more there to be explored. But overall this was an interesting well written journey that had a satisfying ending. 3.5 stars.

Yet another winner from Adrienne Young! I adored this so much. Adrienne Young does magical realism so well. This was twisty, suspenseful in just the best way, and an amazing read. It was so atmospheric and was perfect for reading in the midst of snowy winter weather.

Adrienne Young’s writing does not miss! I loved her previous novels, and while I did not enjoy this one as much as her previous I still enjoyed her writing and the story. Had a bit of a slow start, but the romance got me good.

3.5/5

I’ve heard so many phenomenal things about this author and was excited to get an early arc.

I was really wanting to enjoy this one. Unfortunately, this was very very slow. It was hard for me to stay connected to the story.

I also don’t read many magical realism books so this was different for me. It was just pretty slow for mw and I wasn’t invested.

3/5 stars

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young is a haunting and beautifully layered story about grief, love, and the secrets that bind us to our past. James, a woman deeply connected to her twin brother Johnny, feels an inexplicable pull back to her hometown of Hawthorne, California, after his sudden death. What seems like a tragic accident begins to unravel into a web of mystery as James digs into her brother’s life, uncovering secrets she never imagined.

Adrienne Young masterfully balances the eerie atmosphere of the secluded mountains with the raw, emotional journey of her protagonist. James’s grief is palpable, her twin connection almost tangible, and the slow unraveling of the truth keeps you hooked. The narrative is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, exploring themes of vulnerability, forgiveness, and breaking free from cycles of pain.

Young’s writing brings the natural setting to life in a way that immerses you completely—you can almost hear the whisper of the trees and the rush of water through the gorge. Her characters feel achingly real, especially James, who navigates loss, unresolved love with her first partner Micah, and a town full of whispers and suspicions. The romance, while subtle, adds a glimmer of hope to an otherwise heavy tale.

This isn’t a fast-paced thriller but a slow-burn mystery that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go. The story builds with an emotional intensity that had me in tears by the end. It’s thought-provoking, eerie, and deeply moving—a testament to the power of connection and healing.

Adrienne Young has delivered her best work yet. A Sea of Unspoken Things is a story that will linger with me for a long time, and I can't recommend it enough.

4.5 stars to this wonderful, beautiful new release by Adrienne Young. One thing is for sure, Young knows how to draw you in, flesh out characters and create a moving atmosphere. She makes you care about the characters she has created. In A Sea of Unspoken Things, we are immersed in the life of James Golden. James has recently lost her twin brother and feels there is more to how he died that what she is being told. Their relationship was strained but they are twins - they were connected on a level most people would never understand. James decides to stick around Hawthorne to figure out what happened in Johnny's final days and to see if she can unravel what really happened to him.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young follows James Golden, who is forced to confront a past that’s haunted her when she returns home to investigate the mysterious death of her equally mysterious twin brother, Johnny.

Young is very clearly a talented writer, and she’s particularly skilled in her ability to transport the reader — her writing is extremely atmospheric. The premise successfully captured my attention, and her characters have depth and intrigue. I appreciate how Young’s characters have dimension and capture how people aren’t solely good or solely bad. It’s more interesting and far more relatable as well. It’s definitely more of a character driven story vs plot, but I still found it engaging and entertaining.

My biggest critique would be that because it’s a more standard mystery set in the real world without any fantasy elements which Young usually has in her writing, it’s bound to certain expectations of reality and I felt like there was a notable lack of credibility regarding the underlying investigation portrayed. It’s definitely a plot hole or overexertion of suspension of belief — police work needs to be portrayed realistically or else I catch myself rolling my eyes or questioning entire plot lines.

The quality of the writing is there, the characters were complex and interesting, but I wish it were a little more realistic at times. These are critiques I had in hindsight, but I did absolutely enjoy the book while reading it, it’s just not a new favorite.

3 stars, but actually 2.5.

If this book were a roller coaster, here's how I would describe it. It would start off with a sudden upward hill, leading you to believe you're in for the ride of your life. However, the hill ends by flattening out and taking you on a smooth, lazily winding, flat path. Just when you're wondering if it's moving slow enough to jump off, it darts up again, and you finally have it, the ride of your life! Flips, rolls, ups and downs, it has it all! It starts to settle into what you expect to be a satisfying ending, the suddenly, the ride becomes almost painfully violent, jerking you unpleasantly back and forth at random until you have whiplash and are wondering why the designers included this portion of the ride. Then the ride makes a sudden, jarring lurch forward and comes to an abrupt stop.

What I'm saying is, this book could have been 100 pages shorter, there was a good story buried in there, but the jarring ending dropped it at least a full star and a half. Truly, the writing was good, there was a solid story; but the build up was too slow and the ending felt like it was trying to squeeze in too many twists while trying to have an audience-pleasing ending.

Will Adrienne Young ever put out a bad book? I don't think so. If you are a fan of Adrienne Young, you already know how beautiful her writing is. It is both lyrical and edged with a bit of darkness, but nothing that will drag you down while reading. Instead, the mysteriousness of her writing will have you flipping the pages faster and faster. I am already planning to re-read A Sea of Unspoken Things; it's that good.