Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-book copy!

A Sea of Unspoken Things is a captivating story that follows James, a woman investigating the death of her twin brother Johnny. James is forced to confront painful memories while seeking justice for her brother and everyone else involved. I really enjoyed Adrienne Young's previous work so I went into this with high expectations. I think the writing was atmospheric and it set the tone for the novel very well. However, I think the story suffered for the sake of atmosphere. It felt like this book dragged at times especially when it came to finding out what happened to the brother. The romance subplot was a bit unnecessary and was distracting to the main story. I wanted to see more of a focus on the side characters especially since they played such a huge part in the overall mystery. I would still recommend this book but go in knowing you might leave it with some questions.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up

Adrienne excels at creating a stunning atmosphere in her stories. A Sea of Unspoken Things had such a hauntingly beautiful ambience.

This follows James Golden as she returns to her hometown after her twin brother’s passing. James has always felt a strong connection to Johnny, even miles away. When she arrives back in Six Rivers, that thread starts to tug her towards things that have her questioning whether his death was an accident. But the more she investigates the more she wonders if she truly even knew Johnny.

This more slow paced which dragged at some points, mainly in the beginning. But it did eventually pick up more and kept me interested in finding out what happened.

If you enjoy mystery with twists and turns and a romance subplot, I’d recommend reading this.

Also the line: “We could fill the fucking ocean with the things we never said to each other.” lives rent free in my head!

Thank you Random House & Delacorte for the ARC!

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young is a big change from the other books I've read by the author and I loved it! I really like a good family drama and when you add in the strange, magical connections that twins have been known to show, it really makes things interesting. The plot was engaging despite its somewhat slower pace. The characters were just amazing. They were so flawed and complex. I loved the character dev throughout the story. This is perfect for fans of Adrienne Young or someone looking for a who done it with a hint of magical realism.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had a fine enough time reading this book. I did definitely like it. However, I just felt completely fine about it. It kind of failed to fully suck me in. I think that for me, that's mostly because I just didn't buy James' relationship with Johnny. If your whole book is going to hinge on how fucking close these two siblings are I need to be able to buy that. However, despite being told continously I just never really got it. To me it seemed like they barely knew each other, and weren't close at all. I think that's just a reason why I couldn't get as invested in this book as I probably should have.
However, I did still think this book was quite enjoyable. This was such a quick read, I absolutely flew through it. It's also a super atmospheric read. I truly felt transported into these vibes, and into this small town. I also thought the small town setting was incredibly well executed. I was also intrigued enough by the mystery to keep reading. I just was let down by how the mystery unfolded. I think the reveals were just so lackluster, leaning from the way too predictable to not set up at all. It was just quite disapointing. It also was so quickly done, that it did not feel like the big impact it should have.
I also just don't think the fantasy elements were needed at all. I truly do not get why they were included at all. I mean, it was interesting, however they just added 0 value to this book. Take them out and you get the exact same book. That also just felt a bit like a let down for me. If you are going to include something fantastical, include it, don't do this shit. This could have 100% just been a regular mystery, nothing fantasy, and it would have improved for me.

Wow. Okay. This was my first book by author Adrienne Young, and I am really impressed! I already have a few more books of hers added to my TBR.
I was instantly drawn to the premise of this book. After years of distance, artist James Golden returns to her rural hometown to put her late twin's affairs in order. But once there she's forced to confront his secrets and her own as she questions what actually happened to him.
I love a good mystery that's steeped in family secrets and drama! James and her twin, Johnny, are classic twins who shared feelings and strong emotions. Felt each other's pain at times. And they definitely shared each other's secrets. I loved their dynamic, and how even though Johnny is gone by the time to book opens, he's still such an important character! We get to know him through some flashbacks, but also through James, who sees and feels his presence throughout their small town.
The plot and the pacing were also just very well done. I actually finished the second half of the book in an afternoon because I needed to know what happened and how everything worked out. James is an artist, but she makes an excellent detective, putting together piece after piece of the mystery. And the clues were so well placed in the story, I'm pleased to say I caught a couple (though not enough to solve the full mystery). The pages flew by as secrets were revealed and the mystery unfolded. I loved it!
I thought the setting for this was just perfect. I've seen a lot of reviews talking about the atmosphere of this book, and I have to agree. Set deep within a forest, logging-based community, this story only works because of the isolation of the town and the characters. It also definitely enhanced some of the dramatic scenes. I may watch too much horror because every time James was alone in Johnny's cabin, I had this deep sense of dread and I loved it.

I was so excited for this one. I did get an early copy from the publisher. This was a very slow paced suspense. It kept my interest for the most part but there were times I had to push through. I would have liked more of a back story on the characters. The ending didn’t really give a clear answer as to why. Maybe I missed it.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read this uncorrected proof, A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young. I really enjoyed this atmospheric thriller. This book had really strong character development, and I loved reading how everyone was connected. The twists and secrets were unexpected. And in the last 10% of the book, there were plenty. There was one secret that added quite a bit to the plot, and I wish it would have played a bigger role throughout the book. Highly recommend this book for fans of small-town drama and thrillers.

4/5 stars to this new release from Adrienne Young. I enjoyed her previous novel, The Unmaking of June Farrow, and this totally met my expectations. An atmospheric mystery with just enough of a magical realism element.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing for this ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

I finished the book and spent the last quarter of it crying. Adrienne Young tells stories in such an interesting way and the touch of magical realism in this story made this haunting. James’ journey to find out what exactly happened to her twin brother was emotional and so hard. The mystery aspect of the story really kept me intrigued and once the story got going, I couldn’t put it down. These characters are flawed and raw and so messy, and yet I found myself crying with them and rooting for them in their search for the truth. I really enjoyed this one.

📖 Book Review 📖
📱 "A Sea of Unspoken Things" by Adrienne Young

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
published January 7, 2025

A small-town mystery where a woman investigates her brother's death while coming to terms with her own haunting past. When she arrives in the rural town in Northern California to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to deal with all they shared, all the hurt feelings between them and his best friend Micah, the only person who knows all the secrets and the only man she’s ever loved. Atmospheric, moody, and beautiful with an incredible writing style and great characters made this a slow burn but one that I kept wanting to see what was next.


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Adrienne Young has done it again! This book was absolutely magical, from the eerie atmosphere, to the characters, to the writing, I loved everything about this. It took me a while to read only because I wanted to savor it, and it delivered. We see the magical connection between Johnny and James, and how it keeps going even when he died. James thinks it wasn't an accident so she goes back to her childhood town to try and uncover what really happened, and omg. I was hooked reading this and loved every plot twist.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending this my way!!

I decided to read this after saying I wasn’t giving feedback and I’m so glad I just read the proof instead of waiting for a physical

Adrienne does it again. Every time I think I’ve figured it all out, she throws me for a loop and as devastated and shocked as the characters. This is my second Adrienne Young book and I can tell I’m going to binge read the rest of her titles. Fantastic story, well developed characters that I connected with, a great plot that was easy to follow but all the twists worked perfectly.

Thank you for this ARC!

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Ballantine for the ARC of A Sea of Unspoken Things, which is available now.

This was my first book from Adrienne Young, though many of my friends have raved about her books for years, and it delivers exactly what it promises- a profound story about grief for a lost brother, and their mysteries unraveled by their sibling left behind. Set in a remote small town deep in the woods, the forest is a character of its own- at times comforting to the main characters, and at times claustrophobic. A Sea of Unspoken Things is filled with vivid imagery and dark secrets. I really enjoyed reading it once I got into the story, though there were a few small details that gave me pause as a reviewer.

Overall, I give A Sea of Unspoken Things 4.25 stars and I recommend it to mystery readers. I look forward to reading more from Young in the future.

This books strength is the atmosphere. If you like a closed setting, small town with something that may be off-this book is for you. The prose is great, I just had trouble staying interested. It’s very slow paced up to a point, then it seems to go quite quick. I also was hoping for a bit more out of our characters and their relationships.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

Adrienne Young is one of my favorite authors. She has a transportive and immersive quality to her writing. You open her book, and the words whisk you away to a remote island in the PNW. This reminded me a lot of Spells for Forgetting. It had the same misty, mysterious quality. And as magical as the setting might be, there's always this underlying sense of tragedy that envelops the main leads and the small town. This wasn't quite the masterpiece that her The Unmaking of June Farrow was, but I loved and enjoyed it all the same. Perfect autumnal or winter read. Cozy up!

I had only ever read TUJF by this author and I loved it so much I wanted to give it more than 5 stars. So I had incredibly high expectations for this book. It didn’t quite meet them…..here’s why I think:
A. Magical realism might be the teeniest tiniest piece of the story. James and Johnny do share a twin connection and she does feel/see things related to him but those things seem insignificant to the story.
B. The past is drawn out a LOT…..and by the end I was wondering why I even needed to know most of those things.
C. Several lose ends are not wrapped up and man my brain wants those answers.
D. James doesn’t seem a complete character which might be somewhat intentional as she has lost her twin but they hadn’t been close prior to his death. And the whole love story/history with Micah seemed incredibly incomplete.
E. Why did we even get invested in the research project and the owls if it untimely leads us nowhere??

So basically go into this book knowing it’s a mystery/thriller with almost no magical realism and you will probably enjoy it. Do not go into it thinking it will be like The Unmaking of June Farrow.

I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

I had mixed feelings on this one. I think Adrienne Young has a beautiful writing style that really immerses you in the atmosphere and setting of the story - however, I just found one to be too slow moving for my taste. I almost stopped reading about 30% in but powered through - and I did end up liking the book okay while finding the ending a bit unsatisfying. Unfortunately just not my favorite by this author but I will definitely read whatever she puts out next!

I have thought long and hard about this review because I have really mixed thoughts on this book. On one hand, Young’s writing is some of the best. It’s immersive and her word choices are honestly beautiful. She will continue to always be an autobuy author for me. But on the other hand, this story just wasn’t my favorite. It felt very slow and the ending just left me a little unsatisfied. I don’t want to turn anyone away from this story because again the writing is fantastic, but, for me personally, if you were looking for recommendations on where to start with her adult work I would recommend her previous two books first.

Pick this one up if you like:

-Atmospheric settings
-Small town mysteries
-The connection and special bond of twins
-Vivid writing and excellent descriptions
-Immersive storytelling

Adrienne Young has quickly become my go-to author for an atmospheric, moody, mystery read. A Sea of Unspoken Things is about a woman who goes back to her small town (home town) to investigate her twin brother's death. Reunions are made, pasts are rediscovered, and questions are answered.

I loved the second chance romance on the backend of the mystery. The touch of magical realism was fun as well. This one was a slower burn than I anticipated, but it paid off in the end.

Thank you for an eARC of this book!

Atmospheric, and well written. Small town mystery. I liked this one, but the pace was a bit too slow for me, and there was nothing that really grabbed me or that I connected with. I definitely liked, but did not love.