I’ll say it again, Adrienne’s writing is, exquisite. There’s truly nothing else like it. The beginning of the story felt like a very slow burn for me, a lot of back story and build up, and then at just over 60% it started to ramp up. Then all the twists and turns came into play and I found my breathing faltering, turning anxious as the scenes unfolded. There were a few times that I thought I had things pegged, but then I didn’t, but then I did again. One twist I absolutely did not see coming. What a roller coaster the end of this book was! Micah and James were such a beautiful love story interwoven in this mystery. There was so much emotion, and for me personally, a lot of small parallels to my own life that brought me my own, deeper connection to the characters and setting. I truly loved how it all turned out, even if there was a lot of sadness, it was beautiful; it was taking the darkness and finding the light.

I want to preface this review by saying I fell in love with Adrienne Young's adult fiction novels last year. The Unmaking of June Farrow was a five star read, with Spells for Forgetting a close second. So I was highly anticipating this one, but it unfortunately fell a bit flat for me.

Firstly, it's almost too similar to Spells for Forgetting. Main character leaves small town, returns after a death in the family to face the friends and high school boyfriend she left behind... plus a shared secret about a mutual friend's death that has been covered up for years. The same questions drive the story: what actually happened to the teen who died, and will the old flame rekindle? But, there are also two more murder/missing people cases to solve as well in the present day.

When we finally got to what happened to Griffin back in high school, it was kind of... less intense than I felt it was led on to be. But it also didn't end up playing a part in the plot as a whole besides maybe serving as a trauma bonding experience between Micah and James. It's teased in the beginning that Amelia is looking into everything in the town's history that was brushed over by the previous officer, so I assumed this would be looked into and uncovered as well. But, the story would have been pretty much the same without it.

My main issue with this novel was the pacing. I'm used to Young's novels starting out a bit slow as she world-builds, but this one was slowwwwww until the 60-70% mark where it started moving at a breakneck speed. If I hadn't already been a fan of hers, I may have given up. With that said, there were some great twists at the end, I just felt like everything was so crammed in the last 20% of the book.

Another problem that kept me disconnected was that I didn't really feel like I knew Johnny very well, or enough to care. Johnny was clearly meant to be an enigmatic character, and that's what drives the mystery of James second guessing his life and actions in Six Rivers while she was away, but I just couldn't grasp the foundation of their relationship. We were told several stories where she felt she had a duty to "protect" him from himself, but without any super positive memories. So the sibling love-- especially being twins-- didn't seem fleshed out enough. They never really seemed close to me throughout the flashbacks, only protective. I didn't really care what happened to Johnny until Autumn was a part of it.

I think Young tried to add more emphasis on the romance aspect of this book versus the magical realism, perhaps trying to get more of that booktok audience. But even the chemistry between James and Micah seemed stiff because of, well, the sea of unspoken things. They were dancing around each other the first half of the book but not really in a sexy way. I also hate the trope of conflict caused by withholding information which there was a bit of with Micah keeping things from James that could have sped things along in the investigation of her brother's death.

There were a few plot holes that I felt should have been addressed to help the ending seem more realistic that will be mentioned in my GoodReads review, since I can't hide them here.

Minor complaint but in the beginning, I kept getting really confused keeping characters straight because of all the gender neutral/gender-bending name use. James is a woman, Quinn and Micah are men. It took me a few chapters to grasp who was who. It also took me a while to realize that James' visions were actually the magical realism part with real visual manifestations, and not just an active imagination.

With June Farrow and Spells for Forgetting having such different plot points but the common theme of magical realism, I was expecting another super original story. I just didn't feel the same gripping engagement as the other two.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the ARC! I will still be following Young and look forward to the next one.

If you liked Spells for Forgetting, I think you’re sure to like this one too. The story initially felt similar, highlighting so many things Young does beautifully — intense small town communities, stunning nature descriptions, clouded pasts, and a once insider returning “home” after a long time away. The writing was stunning and the mystery immediately grabbed me and kept me reading. It was a beautifully written mystery and insight into the closeness of siblings, with just a touch of uncanny magic.

Adrienne Young’s writing is amazing and this story kept me intrigued all they way through. I wish we would have had more of the supernatural elements and more details about the FMC relationship with her love interest. It was twisty and I didn’t expect some of the revelations.

What to expect:
🌊 Magical Realism
🌊 Small town
🌊 Murder mystery
🌊 Second chance romance

Many thanks for the arc!!

Adrienne Young knows exactly how to deal your every sense a blow with writing that is not only beautiful but haunting as well.
James, our main character is heading home for the first time in 20 years after the death of her twin brother. There are a few mysteries surrounding why she has stayed away for 20 years and what exactly happened to her brother. The forest seems more and more like a character with every chapter. The atmosphere bleeds into the story in a way that feels like it has its own point of view. And finally if you like twists in your story there are a few of those as well.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I have hesitated a bit about writing this review. As someone that has read hundreds of thriller/mystery books, this is a solid story! There were twists and turns, including two different mysteries. It was also about the connection between twins and as a twin mom, I found this aspect very interesting. There was also some romance which was a nice addition. So it really had a bit of everything.

The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I absolutely adore The Unmaking of June Farrow and Spells for Forgetting. When comparing the 3 (and a majority of other books), I can’t put this one and the same class as the other two. So 4 stars is where I landed.

Adrienne Young’s books never disappoint and always jump to the top of my most anticipated reads. A Sea of Unspoken Things is deeply atmospheric and contains Young’s signature blend of small town mystery and magical realism.

Her characters are so vivid and her portrayal of grief was palpable with every word. I loved the unbreakable connection between James and Johnny and their relationship with Micah. The mystery of Johnny’s death was incredibly layered and the twists kept me guessing and invested.

This story was the perfect blend of haunting mystery, dark secrets, and the enduring bonds of love. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, Delacorte Press, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love an Adrienne Young book and this one gave me the perfect atmospheric fall vibe. I love the mystery and the setting and just can’t wait to finish all of her other books.

after having read adrienne young’s book spells for forgetting and loving it, I had high hopes for this story and it didn’t disappoint.
a mystery about a woman coming back to her small town to find out how her twin brother actually died, this story drew me in slowly. the writing was so haunting and beautiful at the same time. james, micah, and johnny all had such deep and twisted relationships with one another and i felt all the nerves as i read about their ups and downs. the last 25% was so addicting i couldn’t put the book down, and i didn’t see any of the twists coming. 10/10 recommend reading

thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book

Thank you Netgalley, Adrienne Young, and Delacorte Press,

This book was so magical.

What a wonderful journey of hope and forgiveness.

I will tell that there was a lot of WHATTTT!!!! moments.

I love this book and I cannot wait for the rest of the world to enjoy it.

This book was really good. I loved the way it was written. It touched on hard subjects such as grief, but it also included an element of the paranormal that made it more enjoyable. I would recommend this book for reading and suggest it be included on library shelves.

Wow, wow, wow, wow!!! I finished this book a couple of days ago and needed to wait to process before writing this review. The way the author wrote about grief was so relatable and honestly, beautifully written. I couldn’t put this book down, as everytime I tried, it felt like another twist came along.

I want to give a thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for giving me a chance to read and review a copy of this book! You can also find this review on my Goodreads! And I will share on Instagram when it gets closer!

This book has it all. It’s beautifully written, explores the depths of grief, has a mystery component, and a paranormal twist. There were layers of mystery that all came together in the end in the perfect ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will read more from Adrienne Young.

I enjoyed this book. It was a different type of story and was a quick read. Another book I enjoy from this author but I still love spells for forgetting more.

Adrienne Young does it again! She writes mystery and grief like no one else can. It sucks you in from the first page. Moody, atmospheric, sad, hopeful, and lovely are all words I would use to describe this book and her writing in general. If you’re already a fan, this one will be a hit. It was beautiful. Go in blind and let the story unfold!

Adrienne has done it again! This book is atmospheric, twisty and moving in more ways than I could have anticipated. I knew it would be great, I knew grief would be a driving theme, but I wasn't expecting how much I would relate to the the MC. Adrienne's work continues to evolve and get better, I can't wait to see where she goes next.

Adrienne Young is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. We follow our MC James as she tries to discover the mysteries surrounding her twin brothers death. At every turn I felt like I had figured the story out but at each turn it deepened the mystery. I was so hooked on this book from the moment James stepped back into Six Rivers. Well written with the perfect amount of detail and world building that I personally love. Highly recommend.

I love everything Adrienne Young writes. She’s absolutely magical, and her novels are so atmospheric.
This isn’t my favorite book of hers, but I still really enjoyed it. I will say, I do wish that there had been more chapters dedicated to the past - Johnny & James and their relationship, what really was “wrong” with Johnny, Micah & James, etc. SINCE a huge part of this story is the past haunting the present, I would have loved to ready more about the past. I feel like I don’t know the character as deeply as I want to.
Regardless, I loved this and will definitley recommend!

3.75/5 stars

Thank you so much for the advanced copy! This review can also be found on my Goodreads account.

Adrienne Young is an exceptional writer. Her stories are well-crafted, and this novel was no different. It was a captivating mystery - not one that I would necessarily call a thriller, though, because it had more of a… casual(?) pace to it.

I enjoyed the characters and drama, and again have to say that Young is a very talented storyteller. My only notes:

1. a couple of grammatical errors (that I’m sure will be caught and corrected by January)
2. it was a bit confusing at first, since James is traditionally a male’s name and there were some questionable references before confirming the MC’s gender identity
3. did we ever find out what Micah and Johnny were arguing about?

Otherwise, I recommend A Sea of Unspoken Things for those who have already read Young’s other work, for those who want an easybutnotcozy mystery during the winter months, and for those who are looking for a more mature Frieda McFadden feel to their next whodunnit.

I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for giving me a chance to read and review a copy of this e-arc.

Adrienne young has once again gave me a great story to unravel. I really enjoyed solving the mysteries of this book. When James discovers her brother Johnny has died , after many years of James escaping her home town of Hawthorne, she returns to finish what he started. Only to find out that things aren’t really what they seem.

Her twin sense is telling her that this wasn’t just an accident. Her first love Micah does everything he can to help her solve what happened to Johnny. But turns out it wasn’t just him that was murdered.

It turns out the whole town has secrets to keep.

So many twist and turns and new angles. The plot was amazing, and the way this story is written you can feel their emotions and their way of thinking.

I highly recommend this book along with all of Adrienne young’s books as she is a phenomenal writer!