Rating: 3.5

Take a trip to the Northern California woods and immerse yourself into a small-town mystery. That’s what this book feels like. A woman is mourning her twin, whom she thought she knew. Only to come back to her hometown after being away for two decades and piecing together the life of the late brother she thought she knew.

There were a lot of moving parts of this book that involved quite a bit of townspeople and for the first half of the book, I was getting impatient waiting for something to happen. When the clues start revealing themselves and things start to pick up, I got really interested in the story.

“Those words—a soft soul with a wild heart—were the only kind of eulogy that made sense for my brother. It also made me hope that despite everything, maybe he wasn’t so misunderstood after all.”

Deliciously atmospheric, mysterious, and, at times, claustrophobic, this story, set in an absolutely dreamy small mountain town in Northern California, delivers all the best I have come to expect from Adrienne Young. Rich characters, enticing prose, and the perfect touch of romance - all my favorite things. This book felt like the most relaxing stroll through the woods following by a comforting fireplace snuggle and I enjoyed every second. Though I wish a bit more of James and Johnny’s history was explored I also think there being a feeling of something missing aids in the character’s deep and mysterious connection to each other.

This story is heartbreaking and gut wrenching while also exploring so many themes of unconditional love, acceptance, and belonging. Adrienne Young is forever a a favorite of mine.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

**"A Sea of Unspoken Things" by Adrienne Young** is nothing short of breathtaking. This is one of those rare books that stays with you long after you turn the final page. Young has crafted a hauntingly beautiful story about grief, healing, and the quiet magic that exists in the spaces between.

The prose is exquisite—lyrical without ever feeling overwrought. Each sentence feels intentional, immersing you in an atmosphere so vivid you can almost taste the salt in the air and feel the heaviness of unspoken words. The pacing is perfect, balancing moments of introspection with action and just the right touch of magical realism.

At its core, this book explores grief with a raw, unflinching honesty. Young doesn’t shy away from the messy, complex emotions that come with loss, but she also weaves in threads of hope, connection, and redemption that make this story deeply moving and uplifting.

And can we talk about Smoke? The mysterious and magical dog stole my heart. His presence in the story is more than just a delightful touch—he adds depth, charm, and a sense of wonder that perfectly complements the narrative.

By the end, every thread is wrapped up with such elegance that it feels like a gift. Young has an incredible ability to bring her stories full circle, leaving readers with a sense of closure and satisfaction while still inviting reflection.

If you’re a fan of atmospheric writing, stories that delve into human emotions, and a hint of magic that feels grounded in reality, this book is an absolute must-read. *A Sea of Unspoken Things* is immersive, poignant, and utterly unforgettable. Bravo, Adrienne Young!

A special thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review!

So atmospheric and haunting! It took me a good minute to get into this one but after the halfway point, I was invested.
I will say that I would have liked a few more of the unanswered questions to be cleared up at the end.
If you are looking for atmospheric vibes and a tribute to the lengths family will go for each other this is the book for you.
I need to get to the authors backlist now as I believe this is the first novel of hers I've read.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy.

I’m not a big fan of YA books, so I’ve only read Young’s adult novels, and, so far, I’ve had a few quibbles with each of them. A Sea of Unspoken Things, while not perfect, is probably my favorite so far, with characters who actually felt like they were their stated ages and with a twisty mystery that kept me guessing now and then. I also loved the things this novel had to say about jealousy and how far one might go to protect a loved one, and they worked really well with the story being told. I wasn’t as much a fan of how repetitive the first half felt as I sometimes felt like it was just trying to take up space to get to the halfway point, but I had a lot of fun reading this one despite some predictability that sometimes mildly bogged it down.

James and Johnny are twins who were basically raised on their own in a small town called Six Rivers in the middle of a national forest in Northern California after their father leaves them for work when they’re in high school. All their lives, though, they’ve looked after each other, protected each other, lied for each other, along with Johnny’s best friend Micah. When a tragedy strikes them and their small town, James decides to leave for college, leaving behind Johnny and Micah, and she doesn’t return for almost 20 years, when Johnny has been found dead while working on a conservation project for her sort of boyfriend. Things aren’t quite the way they were when James returns to officially finish her brother’s project and unofficially to investigate his death because she’s certain someone killed him and she’s determined to find out who.

I’m going to ignore the fact that I hate James’ name because there’s a reason given and, even if I thought it was flimsy, I guess I could buy it, even if I wished there had been a deeper reason that really tied into the story. Instead, I’ll say I really liked the way these characters managed to feel like reckless high school students when the story flips to the past while also managing to feel like they’ve aged 20 years when it flips back to the present. Johnny truly came to life in my mind even though he’s really only alive in the flashbacks, probably because we’ve all known someone troubled like him. The rest of the characters were interesting, but I also felt like they were kind of just playing a role and James just glossed over everything else about them because it wasn’t relevant to her search for Johnny’s killer. Even James sometimes felt hard to figure out. She has a complicated romantic history with her current beau and an even more complicated romantic history with Micah, and she sometimes felt overly obsessed with her brother. Of course, I understand she loved her twin and they understood each other in a very special, almost magical, way, but she’s just so focused on finding the murderer that I felt like it sometimes came at the cost of really fleshing her out and making her truly come to life. I wanted Micah to be so much more interesting, but, while he clearly has scars from his past, he kind of just felt like that all around good guy there to help James whenever she needs it. What was fun, though, was the general sense of unease and mistrust I got from the rest of the residents, especially those who knew James 20 years before.

The mystery was probably my favorite part of this novel. Even if it was sometimes a little more predictable than I would have liked, I did like the twist at the end, and I loved how it sometimes took an unexpected offshoot into something I wasn’t expecting but absolutely could see how it just worked perfectly. Some of my guesses were wrong, and I loved that, especially since the predictability was a bit bothersome. I loved the focus on the mystery, and the lengths to which James was willing to go in order to find the truth. The love she has with and for her brother was really lovely, but kind of in a terrifying sort of way. I really liked how the thread of romance was just perfectly baked into the story, sometimes even heightening the mystery since Micah was just such a huge presence in the past. The melding of the past and present worked really well most of the time, though it did make things feel overly repetitive in the first half. I sometimes felt like James was going in little circles, and I really didn’t need a million reminders about the same things.

What I didn’t quite get was the setting and the constant analogies to the sea. The title refers to a sea, and the characters even remark on a sea of things left unspoken between all the characters. And yet this is set almost entirely in a forest. Yes, there’s water, and some notable scenes are set around water, but I struggled a little with the periodic referrals to the sea and water when the prevailing sense I got from this was of a dense, dangerous forest. It’s so isolated that sometimes I felt a creeping sense of danger sitting in the comfort and safety of my own home. I really loved how this forest and small town really built up in my head, and having these analogies to the sea just didn’t jive well in my head. Still, they were infrequent enough that I could ignore them. I did love the setting, and I really loved how remote it is, because that just contributed to the whole mystery.

A Sea of Unspoken Things was more hit than miss for me, but what really nailed it down as my favorite of her adult novels so far were the messages. While the hit of fantasy with the way James and Johnny were connected was fully present and tied in well, I also kind of felt like I didn’t really need it. After all, twins often have their own kind of magic in reality. Anyways, I loved how much this novel had to share about what jealousy can do to a person, and the lengths to which someone will go to protect someone they love. There are a number of jealous individuals, and much of it impacts James now that she’s back for the first time in 20 years, and I just loved how it created so much tension that it made me worry for her life. But it was fantastic to see how it affected the characters both in the past and the present. The more interesting one to me, though, was just how far someone will go to protect someone else. This played out spectacularly throughout the entire novel, past and present, and had such an affect on everything and everyone. This is a tight-knit town with tight-knit relationships, and even then there could be jealousy about and within them. But I especially loved seeing what James, Johnny, and Micah were willing to do for each other. Their love for each other was something special, even when it was destructive.

A Sea of Unspoken Things presents a tense mystery with hints of magic and romance. It explores the bond between twins and friends, and just how far someone will go for someone else. There are twists and turns, which nicely compliment the sometimes more predictable parts. The characters didn’t always feel as fleshed out as I would have liked, but it served to highlight the jealousies some of them held and what that might have made them do. Even if I still don’t understand the analogy to the sea in a novel set predominately in a forest, I loved how the setting really helped create a tense atmosphere where danger felt like it was around every bend. While I still had some quibbles with this one, this is probably my favorite of her adult novels so far because the elements worked well together and I loved what it had to say about people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review!

I'll be in the major minority for this one when I confess that I DNFed this one 😬
It's a fine story, but I was just never motivated to pick it up; the mystery didn't drive me hard enough to want to see the resolution, James as a character was just rather empty - being filled in by her current circumstances, nothing really fleshed out in terms of how she moved about the world or how her past informed her current decisions. The romance wasn't super motivating for me either. Overall, I just felt a little bored and frustrated by the stagnant character development and plot. I look forward to reading Young's other works, but this one just isn't for me.

I loved this book. The writing was beautiful and so atmospheric. The pace was slow, but that really worked for me here. There were twists that kept me interested throughout. This is now one of my favorites by this author.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press for the ARC.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

“𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳... 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵.”

𝗔 𝗦𝗘𝗔 𝗢𝗙 𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗞𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 is a moving mystery that sucked me in from the beginning. It has some of the magical realism I've come to expect from Adrienne Young, as well as her wonderful way with words. She brings the small-town setting and complex characters vividly to life that you can't help but get invested in the story. This is a bit of a slow burn but the ending is worth it, and I highly recommend listening to the audio which is beautifully narrated by Christine Lakin.

Thanks to Delacorte Press and PRHA for the copies to review.

Beautifully written story about a small town and a mystery. Only a sprinkle of magical realism and a dash of romance. Adrienne Young can do no wrong!

3.5⭐️ 1🌶️

It is going to take a while for me to fully process how I feel about this book. Because I felt a lot while reading it.

I absolutely love how Adrienne writes. She creates the most beautiful and evocative images with words. I love how I feel when I read her books. It’s like I’m transported to magical and hazy world. I love seeing how her characters view the world and the other characters.

Where I struggled with this book was that so much of the plot relied on the characters having very little critical thinking skills. I cannot believe that law enforcement would return unprocessed film to the family member of someone who died under suspicious circumstances. And that was just the beginning. I had to put the book down several times because I was so frustrated when I thought there was a flashing neon sign of a clue and James did nothing. She didn’t seem to react or take note of something suspicious.

And yet despite those frustrations I needed do keep reading. I needed to know what happened next. Basically my head and heart warred this entire book. My heart loved how this book made me feel but my head was so frustrated by what was actually happening.

I previously read Spells for Forgetting and loved it. So I’ll definitely keep reading her books. This one was just a bit of a frustrating miss for me.

Adrienne Young does it again with her signature atmospheric storytelling! At first, I found it a bit challenging to get into, but as the story unfolded, I couldn’t stop turning the pages to uncover the secrets of the gorge.

The book follows James, who returns to her hometown after her twin brother dies in what she refuses to believe was an accident. As she digs into the past, she unravels buried secrets and confronts a truth that could change everything.

Adrienne Young has quickly become one of my favorite authors—her ability to create immersive, emotional, and suspenseful worlds is unmatched.

If you’re a fan of atmospheric suspense and deeply layered storytelling, this one’s a must-read!

📖A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young (ARC) 4.5⭐️

📚Grief
📚Small town mystery
📚Magical realism
📚Second chances

Synopsis:
James and Johnny Golden were once inseparable. For as long as she can remember, James shared an almost supernatural connection with her twin brother, Johnny, that went beyond intuition—she could feel what he was feeling. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone—truly alone—for the first time in her life.

When James arrives in the secluded town of Six Rivers, California, to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to revisit the ominous events of their shared past and finally face Micah, the only other person who knows their secrets—and the only man she has ever loved.

But as James delves deeper into Johnny’s world, she realizes that their unique connection hasn’t completely vanished. The more she immerses herself in his life, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew. Johnny was hiding something, and he’s not the only one. The deeper she digs, the more she is compelled to unravel the truth behind the days leading up to Johnny’s death. Ultimately, James must decide which truths should come to light, and which are better left buried forever.
✨📚✨

The pacing was perfection; it never dragged, never slowed, never got boring. The grief was palpable and the story was completely immersive.

We truly don’t know everything about our family members or even our closest friends. I’ve lived this sibling relationship, close friends to strangers because of distance. And now that I’ve lived an unimaginable loss through James, I am forever changed.

I really thought she was going to leave us hanging near the end, but everything was wrapped up beautifully. My only wish, was for a little more intensity on the big reveals and more scenes with Smoke. 😍

Overall I enjoyed this book and am so thankful to have received an ARC! I really loved Adrienne Young's The Unmaking of June Farrow and I could catch moments from this book that reminded me of that one. I think she is great at writing about magical realism and I think she does a great job of tying up all the loose ends at the end. For this book specifically, I think the best parts were the plot twists at the end and the parts where different pieces of the puzzle were revealed along the way. I do think there were moments that felt a bit repetitive which also made some parts feel a bit boring for me. I also felt myself wanting a bit more from the romance aspect of the plot, but overall I would recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of “A Sea of Unspoken Things.” This was a mystery set in a rural small town as James, the FMC, tries to find out what happened to her twin brother, Johnny. Along the way, she reconnects with past relationships and events that she tried to bury in the past. This book was beautifully written and the author completely sets the atmosphere and vibe of the small logging town. There were lots of secrets that James and her bother were keeping, both from the town and each other; however, the exposition to the reader seemed a little slow in the beginning. However, the second half of the book really picks up and I found the conclusion satisfying and unexpected. The magical elements were not as prominent as in the author’s previous works, but it made sense for this plot. If you enjoy mystery novels with a hint of romance, I think you will enjoy this one as well. 4 stars.

I'm going to read whatever Adrienne Young writes. In everything she does, she transports you right into the setting. Six Rivers is a small town kept alive by loggers and local fishing/hunting outfitters. And you are brought right into this picturesque town surrounded by beautiful forest. A Sea of Unspoken Things follows James, who is focused on finding out what truly happened to her brother. This forces her to return to her hometown of Six Rivers and face some past secrets, as well as new ones. You get little nuggets of information throughout the book as you figure out "who done it," but you also really get to know the townspeople and James herself. You can't help but get dragged in when Young writes such great characters. A Sea of Unspoken Things is a great character driven mystery for you to add to the TBR! A huge thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced e-copy.

Adrienne Young is an auto read author for me and this book was not a disappointment. With a look at sibling connections, especially a twin bond, I was woven through this story and this mystery. I was completely immersed in the story and didn't want it to end but also wanted to know how it was going to resolve. I enjoyed the use of the flashbacks to gather a better understanding of James, Johnny and the community members. Thank you to Delacorte Press for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have loved the writing style of this author for many books! This one continues her vibe with a dash of supernatural woven into a deep and moving story. This one seemed to be more of a clean cut mystery with a romance subplot than the multi-genre nature of her other books.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I liked following the investigation, but you have to be willing to slowly unwind the story vs. a fast-paced or hard-hitting story. I listened to this on audio and enjoyed the experience! The narrator had the perfect voice for the FMC and put forth an excellent performance. I’d recommend this format!

Perfect for you if you like:
Investigative mystery
Small town secrets
Secrets from the past
Twin connection
Tiniest dash of supernatural
Romance subplot

While Adrienne Young’s prose is undeniably beautiful, A Sea of Unspoken Things was not for me.
The story’s emotional core is strong, but the pacing lagged, and the characters lacked the depth I’ve come to expect from her work. The themes of grief and healing were compelling, but it was hard for me to stay engaged. I kept waiting for a turning point that never truly arrived. Fans of lyrical writing might enjoy it, but this one didn’t quite live up to its potential for me.

3.5 rounded up

"That's what Johnny had always believed, too. That we were made in the dark. Forged from the shadows of this forest as creatures that were made to only survive here. I'd felt that, too. In fact, I was sure that was what was wrong with me. Why I'd never been able to feel like I belonged anywhere else."

I really REALLY wanted to absolutely LOVE this book. I was so excited to read it.

A Sea of Unspoken Things follows main character James Golden returning to her small “everybody knows everybody” town of Six Rivers after she learns that her twin brother, Johnny, passed away in a hunting accident. she left Six Rivers after high school when she got accepted to an art school in San Francisco and has been living there ever since, so unfortunately, she became a bit estranged from her brother and their friends in her time away.

James and Johnny have always shared a deep connection. after his passing, James begins to see flashes of what she believes are Johnny’s memories, leading her to believe that there was more to his death than a simple hunting accident.

James begins trying to uncover the truth, eventually with the help of Micah, who was James’ boyfriend up until she left for college.

this book was INCREDIBLE at creating tension and painting the scene of this isolated town with little-to-no connection to the rest of the world.

unfortunately, the pacing struggled a lot and the writing became repetitive in this relatively short book. it felt like we were moving in circles over and over again until about 70% into the book. it felt like every other page, James was reflecting about how she never really knew Johnny at all. after setting the stage for the book, nothing really happened. the ending didn’t feel very satisfying either. like there was a little too much left unresolved for me to feel good about putting the book down. spoilers:
- I didn’t like leaving Ben’s resolution of who his father was unresolved, even if it was HEAVILY implied that it was Johnny.
- I didn’t like the added drama of Warren and Rhett, just for Warren’s death to stay a secret. the animosity from Rhett felt pointless, and it seems like the entire plot point was only there to prove that Johnny had the desire to hurt someone one time.
- Olivia’s “twist” felt empty. her motivations were weak and the fact that what happened to Autumn is still a “mystery”, but Olivia was still arrested for murdering her was like ??? huh???

all in all, A Sea of Unspoken Things was beautifully written, but ultimately feels like it should have been condensed into a short story instead of a full-length novel. or fleshed out a little more to fill out the story better if it was going to remain a full-length novel. I could see this being a good book club choice book because of how open ended a lot of things were, it does leave a lot open to speculation/discussion.

plot: ★★★☆☆
the plot centered around Johnny’s death and the surrounding aftermath, but not much plot really happened until close to the end. the plot was interesting and had tons of potential, but I think it fell a little flat due to the execution.

writing: ★★★★☆ (3.5 rounded up)
I kind of think the story would have been more impactful if it had been written in a dual timeline format. like James/Johnny/Micah in high school and then the present day story after Johnny’s death.

starting the story with his death and filling in the gaps from childhood as it went along didn’t work the greatest here in my opinion. I think returning to the town after such a long time would have hit more if we had more of the history of James’ relationships with these people she left behind.

the writing itself is stunning though. it’s just the execution and the world building that I struggled to enjoy.

pacing: ★★☆☆☆
the pacing was brutal. this is an incredibly slow story. it’s still interesting enough to keep you moving forward, but I really struggled to “immerse” myself into the story for a proper reading session whenever I sat down to read. every time I opened the book, I would get maybe 2 paragraphs in, and my mind would start to wander or I’d want to play with my phone. it was difficult to focus on the story.

romance: ★★☆☆☆
the romance definitely wasn’t a primary focus of the story, but the romance that was included wasn’t very impactful. I was hoping for a little bit more to be honest.

characters: ★★☆☆☆
the characters fell pretty flat for me. as mentioned before, I think if we had gotten to know everyone earlier in the story then I would have had stronger feelings about them. I also think it would have been nice to see more of Johnny when he was alive. I’m sure that would take some of the mystery of him away, but since we are following James’ POV, I think we deserve to know at least as much as she knew.

a lot of the characters also felt kind of pointless. Warren/Rhett were fine but didn’t really feel necessary to the plot. Josie felt completely pointless. like this entire character was introduced just to give James one morsel of background information.

over-all: ★★★★☆ (3.5 rounded up)
I loved the WAY the story was written, but not so much the story itself. I think the suspense and the tension that was woven into the story had me expecting some shocking twists and reveals, and I didn’t feel like I got that. I think I just wanted a little bit more out of this.