3.5 stars
I like that Adrienne Young’s books all have some kind of fantastical/spiritual thread to them. Does James truly sense her twin? Does that help her determine what happened after his death? The pacing of the novel was slow but still compelling enough to keep me invested. The ending made it all worthwhile!
Christine Lakin’s narration was wonderful, as always.

Title: A Sea of Unspoken Things
Author: Adrienne Young
Pub Date: January 7, 2025
Rating: 3.5/5

Adrienne Young can do no wrong when it comes to beautifully descriptive writing and A Sea of Unspoken Things is no exception! Following the tragic death of her twin brother Johnny, James Golden is forced to return to her childhood home of Six Rivers after nearly two decades to pick up the pieces. While home, James realizes that the mysterious connection with her twin hasn't fully broken and senses there may be more to Johnny's death than meets the eye. James is left with no other choice than to confront the past, unearth secrets, and uncover 'A Sea of Unspoken Things' in search of the truth.

Having loved The Unmaking of June Farrow, I desprately wanted my first read of 2025 to be a solid 5 stars. However, I feel that I went in with the wrong expectations which ultimately made this book fall a bit flat for me. I was expecting magical realism, while this is more of a slow burn mystery/thriller. With that being said, this won't be my last Adrienne Young read and I still highly recommend giving it shot!

This eARC was provided by the publisher (Random House Publishing Group) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gosh, I love Adrienne Young so much! I think the best catagory for the works I have read of hers is magical realism because every book just feels so gosh darn realistic even with the insane elements throughout. This book is just as amazing as her previous works in that it integrates these complicated relationships into a fun and magical storyline that not only keeps you entertained but also makes you think a bit deeper about how one interacts with the people in our lives. The ending was lovely and i loved the integration of all the classic mystery/detective elements. I usually struggle with mystery/thriller books due to my struggle to tolerate storylines with cops/detectives but the way this was a mystery with all the fun investigation elements without intense cop storyline was lovely!! I really enjoyed the romance elements of this too, honestly overall i was a great medley of different genres that just worked super well in my opinion.

I just don't know how to explain Young's writing - it's just so atmospheric and captivating. She puts you right in the story while you're reading it and A Sea of Unspoken Things is no different than her others in that regard.

I love stories about twins - I'm a twin so it's always interesting to me how others interpret those relationships. I was intrigued by James and Johnny's relationship - it was complicated and messy and challenging but despite all those things, the story never shows that there was anything but love that they felt for each other. I was on the edge of my seat with the twists and turns that Young wove me through in this story and was surprised at the outcome when the full story came out.

This was my first book by this author, but it will not be my last. I loved every bit of this book. I could not put it down!

A touch of heartache and a side of soul touching melancholy. Paired with hope and a little romance. These can be used with most of her writing and books. June Farrow was my favorite read of 2023 and continues to be a Top 5 favorite. Parts of this book were full of tension and haunting, I loved every second. You could definitely consider this a small town mystery that weaves her gorgeous breathtaking writing from the very start!

3.75 stars! I really enjoyed this book, but I think I've loved this author's other books a little more. I was really excited for the magical/whimsical aspect that I found in The Unmaking of June Farrow, but this book unfortunately lacked that. I really think I would have loved it so much more if it had more of that aspect to it. It was there, just not in the way I was hoping for. As always, I love this author's writing. It's somehow so engaging yet eerie. It keeps me turning the pages. This one definitely felt like more of a mystery/thriller. I was entertained, but never fully invested in the characters the way I was with June Farrow. I did guess one of the plot twists but the other one did get me. I liked how it was sort of a mystery within a mystery. The last 80-100 pages really hooked me and I finished this book in almost one sitting. I couldn't put it down because the writing style is just so immersive. Not my favorite but still a great read! Would recommend.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Adrienne Young for allowing me to review this stunning novel. I adore all of Adrienne Young’s books and highly recommend this one as well. She is the best at creating such atmosphere that you feel as though you are right there in the scene. It’s incredible. And her writing style is so beautiful. I recommend not reading too much about this book and just jumping in for the ride of your life! It kept me guessing throughout and I enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t wait to read more from this author. Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this breathtaking novel.

A Sea of Unspoken Things was my first read in 2025 and it started off with five stars! Adrienne Young has created another atmospheric setting and a story that kept me guessing until the very end. This really was the perfect rainy day read. It's hard to talk about books like this, because I don't want to give too much away. I feel the less you know about the plot, the better! I'll still tell you a bit about this story.

James and her twin brother Johnny were all the other had and that leads to her feeling everything he does. So when he's killed, James know he's gone before she even gets a phone call. This leads to James going back to the small town she called home twenty years ago. Small towns are all filled with their own ways and secrets, and this is the same for where James grew up. A Sea of Unspoken Things is filled with secrets, family, betrayal, love, second chances, and a touch of paranormal.

I really enjoyed that we got a mix of past and present to really try and understand James and to figure out what really happened to Johnny. This book is also about self discovery. James may have left this small town, but is she still doing what she really wants. Her investigation into her brother's death leads to a lot more. Also, her past with Micah adds a touch of romance to this story. I really appreciated that it didn't take it over.

All in all, I highly recommend this dark, atmospheric, and magical read. I can't wait to see what Adrienne Young writes next!

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on January 18th.

Just finished reading an advanced copy of a book that was just released on January 7th called, A Sea of Unspoken Things. This is a story about a set of twins, James and her brother, Johnny. For as long as they can remember they've had a deep connection, and they're all the family each other has. So one day when James feels a pain in her chest, she instantly knows her brother is gone. Now she must go back to her hometown to take care of her brother's belongings, and while she's there she has to face mistakes from her past that she ran from 20 years ago when she left her hometown. The longer she stays in town, the more things about her brother's death don't add up, and she can't shake the feeling her brother's death was no accident. This was an enjoyable read, I was personally hoping for a little more suspense, but it was still a pleasant, easy read and everything ended well at the end! 💙📚

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for this ARC of A Sea of Unspoken Things, in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t believe I didn’t read this sooner - I’ve loved two other books by Adrienne Young, and this one didn’t disappoint! Young has such a great, atmospheric writing style. Her characters feel so dynamic and multifaceted. We follow James in this book, experiencing her emotional return to the small hometown she left as a teenager. She’s dealing with the loss of her twin brother, who she might not have known as well as she thought.

A lot of the first half of the book was spent introducing characters and their motivations, as well as explaining some of the history between them. In the second half of the book, several different mysteries pick up. I loved the way there were so many things going on, but the explanations didn’t seem overly complicated. The character development really pays off in an emotional ending.

I really loved this one, and highly recommend you read it!

I’ll forever be a fan of Adrienne Young’s books; however, this might be my least favorite of her stories so far. The atmospheric writing was still very prevalent and is truly my favorite part of this story. I didn’t feel as connected to this storyline, but I still loved getting lost in a beautifully written world.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

After reading this authors book "The Unmaking of June Farrow" and being amazed by the unique story line (and really confused by a lot of it as well) I was really intrigued to dive into "The Sea of Unspoken Things". However this book is SO different than her other. Her other involves magical realism and time travel whereas this book is straight thriller/mystery. We meet James- the twin sister to Johnny, as she travels back to the small town in the woods that she grew up in, after learning of Johnny's accidental death. There are some "supernatural elements"- her connection to her twin involves feeling physical feelings that he felt, pain in the same spot where he was shot, hearing his voice and 'seeing' him in the town, etc. But none of it felt over the top. Two decades ago, James left the town to move to San Francisco for college and now she is returning for the first time because she believes there is more to the story of her brothers death. At her return she is forced to see the people she left behind (her former boyfriend, friends, the son of Johnny's ex girlfriend, the father of her friend that died, etc)

I found the plot twist to be a lot more normal than I expected (I thought it was going to be really shocking and intense/dark). This book is slow moving revealing small clues along the way. The author does a brilliant job scene setting the small town- how she describes the forest, the houses, the diner, etc- makes you really feel like you are there.

If you are wanting a moody mystery on a rainy day, this may be your cup of tea!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an ARC in exchange for my review. Book was released 1/7/2025!

While I would still recommend this book , not my fav from Adrienne! It lacked that whimsical feelings all her books contain

🌊 A Sea of Unspoken Things - Adrienne Young

3.75 ⭐️ - I liked it; I just wanted to like it more. This has a great atmosphere but is a slowww burn. I went in a little bit blind and I’m not sure what I was expecting, but small town mystery it is.

I like the characters (sometimes) and I liked the premise of this book. The mystery was intriguing, but to me, slow. I enjoyed the extra bit of small town romance and I enjoyed how it ended. Something was missing for me though. Something just didn’t quite do it for me. It has some magic but not nearly as much as her others. I am a huge fan of Young’s other books so I won’t be ruling her out! This one is out now and is a January book of the month pick!

Adrienne young has become one of my new favorite authors. Thanks NetGalley for the arc. Beautiful writing, along with an enchanting story. Couldn’t put it down

When her twin brother is killed, James Golden returns to Six Rivers to find out what happened in the days leading up to her brother’s death. Was it more than just an accident? As James navigates her grief, she discovers things about her brother that leave her questioning if she ever knew him at all.
The story takes place in a small town surrounded by forest in Northern California. The setting is very atmospheric and key in contributing to the plot. In addition to the setting, there is a bit mystery and supernatural as James tries to solve the mystery of what happened to her brother and why.
The supernatural was an element I wasn’t expecting, but enjoyed because it allowed me to better understand James and the grief she was dealing with. I absolutely LOVED the writing in this book. It was very poetic, from the imagery of the setting to understanding James as she dealt with the grief of losing her brother. This was a five star read for me and would highly recommend this book. Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this ARC!

2.5 stars

After reading and loving The Unmaking of June Farrow (5 stars and one of my 2023 faves!), I’ve been wildly disappointed in the last 2 of Young’s books I’ve read.

The mystery of this one was intriguing but the story was soooo slow it just got so boring to read. I found myself not caring about the characters and just waiting for literally anything to happen. Which it didn’t until 80% in and then suddenly everything wrapped up so quickly.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. However I do enjoy Young’s writing style!

A richly atmospheric mystery set in a small town following the heroine as she comes back home to investigate her twin brother's death. Woven throughout are secrets, new and old, an ominous forest, and a second-chance slow burn romance. A compulsive read I didn't want to put down.

This book is totally different from the Fable series that I've previously read by Adrienne Young. I enjoyed the mystery of the plot, and I kept changing my mind throughout the book about what happened, which made it more intriguing. I also liked the relationship aspect between the main character and her brother. That being said, there was just something missing from this that kept me from rushing through the book, but I can't pinpoint exactly what that something is. I'd recommend this for those who enjoy books about characters returning to their hometown and having a mystery develop.