I loved the vibes of this book. It was very atmospheric, I was sucked in by the eerie small town with a secret and FMC with a truly complicated relationship with her brother. Adrienne Young writes so beautifully. The romance is a subplot but the yearning was 10/10.

Adrienne Young is the master of capturing small towns, idyllic landscapes, and the secrets they hide. A Sea of Unspoken Things weaves the story of the Golden twins, James and Johnny, with that of the town of Six Rivers. Like all of Young's books I've read, the town and the surrounding forest become characters all their own, full of mystery and foreboding and secrets as the past and present collide.
I enjoyed the mystery of this book. It kept me guessing while also providing enough clues to make it easy to solve. And it's more than just the mystery of Johnny's death, it's about who he was as a person and if we can ever really know another person completely. It's about the people who leave a mark on our lives and the way history can repeat itself.
I keep coming back to the ending. I liked where the story was going up until a certain part. I almost wanted it to be left more open-ended. But also, the fact that I find myself thinking about it and going back to the characters makes me feel like it's a pretty solid ending after all.

Wow, I have been in a heck of a reading slump, so it took me a long time to finish this book. I’ve had this ARC for a couple of months at least, and it is one of my most anticipated 2025 releases.
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I’m landing on four stars for this one, for no good reason. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young is one of my all time favorite books and I just kept comparing this new book to that one the entire time I was reading it. So, when I compare it to what I believe to be one of the most beautifully written stories in the last decade, it just falls a little short. I know it’s unfair to compare an author’s current work to previous work, but here we are.
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If you take that comparison out of the equation, this was an incredibly good book. There’s enough mystery to keep you guessing until the very end. I genuinely did not know how this story was going to play out and I loved that about it! There’s also just the perfect amount of the unexplainable to give this book an undercurrent of magical realism that I wholeheartedly appreciated.
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All in all, another great book from Adrienne Young and I will most definitely be buying a physical copy for my bookshelf when this book is release on January 7, 2025! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a free copy of this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this! It was eerie, yet hauntingly beautiful. I loved the mysterious vibe. The connection between James and her twin brother Johnny was super interesting. Especially the connection after his death.

I loved seeing the FMC James come back after years of leaving her small hometown to run from her past and a dark secret. She comes back to town after her twin dies to help settle his affairs. However, she continues to have the strong twin connection with Johnny despite his death. This causes her to look into his death and past more closely.

She starts digging more into her twin’s life feeling like she didn’t really know him. As she digs through his life she begins asking more questions. This leads her to solve not one, but two mysteries. She also came to know more about her brother and come to terms with the past.

It was very emotional to see her coming to grips with her past and her relationship with her brother. I also really enjoyed her and Micah reconnecting. I’m glad she was able to move forward and have a HEA.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

twisty, dramatic, and unique story about past and future and what really happened after a death. what did happen? who knows? 4 stars. tysm for thea rc.

ADRIENNE YOUNG!!! You've done it again!!! The Unmaking of June Farrow was my absolute favorite read of 2024, and since I read it I have been dying to read more by Young. When I saw that I was accepted to read this arc I about died!! Thank you SO MUCH to Delacorte Press/Random House & NetGalley for this eARC.

This book is absolutely incredible! No doubt about it being 5 stars and I look forward to purchasing a physical copy as soon as it comes out. The magical realism in this book simply transported me and I was entirely enthralled in James' story. All of her emotions were so well described that I felt right there with her as she tried to figure out what happened to Johnny. I also loved her rekindling of friendship (and more) with Micah.

It was a perfect blend of mystery, romance, danger, dual timelines, and magical realism. I ate it up and cannot say enough good things about A Sea of Unspoken Things.

I really enjoyed reading A Sea of Unspoken Things. It was atmospheric, and the writing was absolutely beautiful. I was enamored by the story within the first 10 pages and didn’t want to put the book down. It was mysterious and had me wanting to read more and more. I was pleasantly surprised by the end of it.

Thank you @netgalley and @adrieneyoungbooks for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my introduction to Adrienne Young and it was incredible. Her writing is so descriptive and immersive that I could picture everything in my head like a movie. I loved the low-stakes mystery and the magical realism that added a cozy element to the story. I found the twins’ connection so intriguing and loved how James and Johnny felt so intertwined even after his death.

The only small critiques I have would be that the beginning was a little slow and I found the romance a bit underdeveloped. The focus was more on James’ connection with her brother than her love interest.

I felt that the ending wrapped up the mystery very nicely and didn’t leave many unanswered questions. I had somewhat predicted the twist that Sadie was responsible for Johnny’s death but I loved how it was brought to light at the very end of the story. As for Olivia being responsible for Autumn’s death; that was completely unexpected to me and I loved the twist!

Overall I would definitely recommend this book and will be picking up more of Adrienne Young’s backlist.

A Sea of Unspoken Things is a hauntingly beautiful read. The atmosphere was perfect, think small town vibes with plenty of mystery. Amazing written scenes and characters drew me in fully. I especially liked the way grief is depicted, it felt real and raw. It’s not all doom and gloom though, there’s connecting to the past, that feeling of nostalgia and also a second chance romance that I absolutely adored. The only reason I’m giving four stars and not five is because of the frustration at times with the FMC, literally keeping all her thoughts to herself and not reaching out - I know this is a trauma response and it was done well but I wanted more of the heart to hearts. Also the dog is so old and I couldn’t get this out of my head, how is that possible? Apart from these two very small things I absolutely adored the writing, the vibes and the plot, which is immersive and compelling. I will read anything this author writes at this point. I was not left disappointed and days later I’m still thinking about this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for an early copy of A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young.

I am a massive fan of Adrienne Young. Her writing is beautiful and I love the magical realism she includes in her stories. When you read her books, she describes the setting in such a way that it becomes a character in the story.

This story really begs the question “do we ever truly know the ones we love?”. A lot of the times when someone we love dies we learn a lot of things about them that we didn’t necessarily know until after they have passed. Some things good and some things bad. People are complicated and I like that Adrienne Young addresses that aspect of a complicated family relationship between Johnny and James in this book.

For me, this book did not measure up to the greatness of The Unmaking of June Farrow or even Spells for Forgetting. I think the first half was a little too slow and I had a hard time getting invested. The second half was where things really picked up and where I was truly hooked on wanting James to figure out and uncover the mysteries surrounding the death of her brother.

Adrienne is a fantastic author. I will read anything she writes. She’s an “auto-buy author” for me. If you like magical realism with a small town mystery, I would highly recommend this novel.

90/100 or 4.5 stars

This was an amazing story, and I am so happy I was able to get an ARC copy!

The writing and atmosphere were so well done, and I couldn't stop reading! I am not the fastest reader, but I think I finished this in almost 4 hours!
I have read from the author before and enjoyed the story, but this is definitely my new favorite by Young. Engaging and dark in all the right ways. I will be interested in any new releases from Young going forward!

WOW - Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read, "A Sea of Unspoken Things" by Adrienne Young. I lost a brother 12 years ago and to say this book resonated with me would be an understatement. There were so many moments that the mystery of Johnny's death resembled my brothers but then there were moments where it didn't.. even the moments that didn't, I still found so much healing amongst these lines I read. I truly cannot put into words the emotions this book made me feel and I devoured every page. I absolutely loved the writing and I cannot wait to read more by Adrienne.

The title of this book - A Sea of Unspoken Things truly captures the essence of this astonishingly beautiful novel - as well as the feeling it left behind in me. Superbly written, Adrienne Young’s prose was evocative and immersive. I really felt like I was in that little middle of nowhere town in the Northern California wilderness where most of the novel takes place.

Every single one of the characters were their own enigma - even the ones that weren’t even in it, and there’s a hint of the paranormal, but not so much that it doesn’t keep you wondering. What boils down to a small town murder mystery novel, has managed to be so much more. Family dynamics, lost love, dreams vs reality, ambition, small town culture, all set against a vivid but dark forest backdrop.

I couldn’t put down this book. It was my first by Adrienne Young but it won’t be my last. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

"A Sea of Unspoken Things" by Adrienne Young is an atmospheric small-town mystery that explores themes of grief, family secrets, and personal healing. While the book is tagged as sci-fi and fantasy, I found that misleading. The FMC experiences vivid delusions of her twin brother after his passing, which I would classify as a mental health representation rather than fantasy.

The eerie setting of Six Rivers adds a quiet, unsettling tone that pulls you into the story. James’ journey to uncover the truth about her twin brother Johnny’s death is compelling, though the second half of the book feels rushed, with some twists left underexplored.

Although this wasn’t my favorite book, the writing is well done. Adrienne Young's talent for creating vivid, emotional atmospheres shines through. If you enjoy slow-burn mysteries with a moody, reflective vibe, this one is worth a read (just don’t go in expecting fantasy).

I didn’t love this one as much as I loved June Farrow but it was a great read. It was sad & beautiful & not at all what I expected. Solid 4 stars!

I need to start this review by saying I’m obsessed and I adore Adrienne young books.
Unfortunately this was my least favorite by her.

It felt incredibly slow and the plot dragged. I really loved Micah and I didn’t fully understand James. Their relationship was very sweet but I found so many issues with this whole plot.

It felt similar to spells but not. And the end was just whomp whomp.

I will still instant buy and read and obsess over Adrienne Young, but Spells and unmaking are top tier. Her YA books second and this one is my least favorite.

At this point I think it’s fair to say I will read anything from Adrienne Young. This was another beautifully written atmospheric read that I could not get enough of. We follow James who goes home after her brother’s accidental death. When things start to come out Jack is not so sure her brother’s death was an accident. Adrienne Young’s writing is some of the most beautiful atmospheric writing I have ever read, and this book did not disappoint. The characters were well fleshed out and I grew to care about Jack and Johnny. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

This was a letdown, where was the fantasy and why was this so melodramatic? I don’t understand why James felt so close to someone she barely spoke to. It didn’t make sense and felt thematically shallow. I really like Adrienne Young but I wish I had DNFed this.

This was my least favorite book by Adrienne Young that I have read. Not to say that it was bad per se, it just wasn’t great. TBH I feel like it was kind of forgettable and it took me a really long time to get into because I felt like the story kind of dragged. I feel like the ending was rushed and not much happened at all for 80% of the book. In my personal opinion, not her best work but I will continue to read her going forward!

Wow. "A Sea of Unspoken Things" had me all over the place. I am a guesser. If I read a thriller/mystery book nine times out of ten I am guessing the plot with accuracy! But, no, whatever I thought I knew ... I just didn't. Well, I guessed some of it, but Adrienne Young definitely threw me for a loop.

Young knows how to set a scene! Her writing is atmospheric. The descriptions and tone were great for this type of story. I felt like I was watching a movie. This book touched on family dynamics and trauma. The lengths that some of these characters would go to protect their family is insane.
Ya know, I'm rethinking my dream of moving to a small town.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!