I love Adrienne’s writing style and how she easily catapults you into the story with ease. She has a poetic way of explaining what is going on that brings you right in.
I truly enjoy a mystery romance and craved learning more about the plot with all the twists and turns!
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a moody read, exploration of loss and suspense with a dash of romance.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you for this ARC. This was a beautiful mystery about knowing yourselves and coming to terms with the past.
I would recommend this to others.

This is a genre I typically don't read, but I am so glad I read this one. Adrienne Young has the BEST writing ever and I absolutely enjoyed her voice thorughout this story. The beginning was extremely slow for me, but the last half was much better. It's definitely a thriller in my opinion and that was something I didn't quite expect for it to become. Overall, the story was intriguing and fun to read! I highly recommend for people who enjoy thrillers and mysteries! Also, Adrienne Young stays very true to her writing style in this story, so if you enjoy her writing style this would be a great read!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press for the ARC!

I love magical realism and Adrienne is one of my fav authors to write in this area. She does such a good job of making the story engrossing and transporting you into characters who get to experience magic. The theme of grief in this story was really well done and Adrienne did a wonderful job keeping me emotionally tied to the story. I loved it!

This was a very interesting read. Not so much that the plot was super compelling, but reading it was an interesting experience as the plot unfolded because it felt like it started out as one thing (a mystery with supernatural elements), then by the end had shifted into a more....expected / traditional murder/thriller story with romantic elements. Those genre shifts made the story not land as hard for me but did keep me writing as I was trying to figure out exactly what this story wanted to be. The writing itself was fine, a bit repetitive at times, but the chapters ended in suspenseful places and I kept wanting to read. The pacing was really slow for the first half, then picked up and felt almost rushed in the later half. The supernatural elements were never really explored and as much time as the author spent describing the twin who died, I still didn't feel like I had a strong sense of his character. He felt more like his personality was whatever the author needed it to be at the time. I think that some readers who like Andrienne Young's fantasy will enjoy her atmospheric writing and slow pacing here, but for me it felt like a miss because it didn't lean hard enough into any of the genres it began as, nor did the mystery's end feel particularly strong or poignant. Almost like the reveals were an afterthought.

This breaks my heart to say, but this was a DNF for me about 35% in. I just could not do it. It felt too similar to Spells for Forgetting in some ways. It also had the absolute slowest pace ever, and not in a good way.

I love AY's books-- I even preordered her upcoming November release. But this one just did not do it for me.

This book was so beautifully written, and the theme of grief was done so well. I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t stop reading. Every character in here was so interesting. This story felt so real, I desperately need this to be a movie. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc!

3.5 stars!!!

I've really been enjoying Adrienne Young's adult novels! They're the perfect mix of dark, moody, and funny and it's a level of magical realism that doesn't take me out of the story. In the case of this book, it follows a woman named James who recently lost her twin brother, Johnny, but she still has a connection to him through twin telepathy. While James is constantly feeling things James had felt and seeing him out of the corner of her eye, it never really overtakes the story, which I really enjoyed. My biggest complaint about this book is that James always felt closed off. Not just from the other characters, but from the reader as well. I felt myself constantly wanting to know more about her but it was like she had walls up even though we're following the story from her point of view. The overarching mystery of what happened to James, then what happened to another character (that I'm going to keep nameless for the sake of spoilers) kept me interested throughout but I was disappointed with the way things ended. Finding out the truth didn't feel like a huge shocking moment, and instead it was felt like it was just glossed over. But despite my qualms, I found it difficult to stop reading this book! I was flying through it, eager to find out what was going to happen next. I feel like I just need to give Adrienne Young a few more novels before she writes something that blows me away!

I went into this book pretty blind. The only thing I knew about it was a woman was dealing with the loss of her twin brother. As a twin, I fully expected to be bawling my eyes out throughout the entire book. Thankfully, there were only a few moments that got to me and I was able to read this book without too much emotional damage.

I love Adrienne Young’s writing and how atmospheric it is! I always feel very immersed in whatever setting she’s created. I could very easily picture this tiny, close-knit logging town in Northern California.

I also loved the mystery of this story. Every new clue and twist kept me coming back to read every chance I got. I was fully invested in James’ hunt to figure out what happened to her brother.

Adrienne Young is such an amazing storyteller. She has not only great character development and plot, but also her writing itself evokes such imagery and emotion that is so beautiful. This is another story where she is able to mix some magical realism into the story to add a slightly supernatural element, but focuses most on humanity and solving the mystery that has been introduced in this story. I am never disappointed by an Adrienne Young book, and this was another one to love

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a e-arc!

I had also received the Unmaking of June Farrow as an arc, so I was so excited to be approved for another by this author! I like to go into books blind without reading too much of the summary, so I was expecting similar vibes as June Farrow. While there is an element of the supernatural in this book, it definitely isn’t the major piece of the story, and this one honestly read more like a thriller/suspense to me. Which isn’t a bad thing!

James goes back to her hometown after the tragic death of her twin brother, Johnny. After Johnny is shot and killed in a hunting accident, it is now up to James to handle his affairs, and also tie up some loose strings for his work. James hasn’t been back in 20 years, and isn’t necessarily looking forward to seeing those she grew up with- especially Micah, Johnny’s best friend and James’ secret high school love.

While she’s home, James is sure that Johnny is still there in spirit. She can feel his presence and hear him calling her name sometimes, but she’s not sure why. The longer James spends in their hometown, the more she learns about what’s been happening during these years that she’s been gone- coming to realize that she knows next to nothing about Johnny’s life.

More questions and mysterious circumstances arise as James goes through her brother’s photos and tries to pinpoint his last few days.

While I said before that I was expecting this book to be more of a fantasy or supernatural book given the author’s past books, I still enjoyed reading this one! I did not expect the twists. I would read the author’s next book for sure!

I truly never expected to viscerally react to a book as I did for A Sea of Unspoken Things. I felt the grief in each page of James and Johnny's life. Having older identical twin brothers, I immediately texted them needing to know if they too had the unspoken bond that James and Johnny had. Adrienne does not miss in this book that shows the reality of grief, loss, and the steps we take in the process to understand those gone. (Although this one has plenty of twists we may not have in our own grief cycle!)

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book, and I am thankful to have this be the 2025 February book club pick for my group!

This might be my favorite of Adrienne Young's adult works, all of which I have rated 5 stars. Another magical realism, small-town mystery with a side of romance.
PROS:
- The mystery is as compelling as her other books: it truly hooks you and gives you no choice but to binge this book within a day.
- Adrienne Young's writing is as beautiful as ever. I've been a fan of her lyrical water prose since I read fable, and I loved that, in this book, there was an additional layer of prose related to nature and trees.
- The side of romance here is my favorite so far, and it's all thanks to the acts-of-service, patient, and emotionally mature MMC.
CONS: I really can't think of any. Highly recommend this book.

Adrienne young has become and auto read author for me. Her books are so atmospheric and immersive and written so beautifully. A sea of unspoken things is no exception, really liked it

“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”

I was easily swept away in Adrienne Young's beautiful and atmospheric prose. It was one of the reasons that 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 was my top read last year. Yet, this one left me wanting more. For example, Johnny's connection with the owls... I kept waiting.

What I loved: the twin bond and use of magical realism to bring him into the story, sweet Micah and their love story, the mystery of it all, and the high school storyline was not what I assumed (iykyk).

Amazing characters and writing! I loved this book and am so glad I got to read it. Just beautiful!

Thank you NetGalley and Adrienne Young!

Another fantastic book from this author. I enjoyed the story and loved the characters. I wish it was longer so we could have more character development. This was different than her usual stories but still amazing.

This book explores the relationship between a pair of twins when one loses the other. It explores the grief of losing a part of your soul. I think the atmosphere, the emotions of everyone around this particular event that not only involves our protagonist, James, but a whole town, are so well written that you never feel outside of the story, more likely, it keeps you on edge, it makes you feel what they are feeling.⠀
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Especially when one never experience it in such a deep level (i’m an only child). I have to give all the congratulations to Adrienne because i went through a whole spectrum of emotions from beginning to end & i never felt it missed anything, i was always almost falling out of my seat with every reveal, every turn, every moment in which James doubted herself. I could relate to her in so many moments, i devoured the book in a couple of days & got me back from a two-month long reading slump. ⠀
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I don’t want to give too much aways since the book came out just last month but i just want to say how much i loved this book.
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All in all, give this book a chance, you will be hooked from the start & everything about it will leave you speechless. Again, thanks to the publisher, the author & y’all for reading this.⠀

ARC/ALC BOOK REVIEW

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

Thank you Delacorte and Netgalley for the #free eARC of this book!

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.”

REVIEW: After reading Spells for Forgetting and LOVING The Unmaking of June Farrow, I just knew I had to read this one. But I’m torn on how to talk about this book, because I did like the second half. However, the first half took a while to get going. I’m usually a big fan of Young’s writing, but I just couldn’t get into it.

Like her other books, A Sea of Unspoken Things was full of many levels and interesting characters. Young expertly weaves together a complex story of a small town with its idiosyncrasies, history, and many secrets. We dive into the town’s secrets and the ones who keep them right up until the end of the book when truths are revealed and the past tumbling into the present.

The audiobook for this one was very well done, and I do not think the issues I felt with pacing were due to the narrator. I always enjoy Christine Lakin’s performances, and she did a wonderful job with this one as well.

If you are at all intrigued by this book, read it! You might find the pacing to be right up your alley.

As someone who has spent time camping and being in the Northern California redwoods, I can attest that AY has captured the misty haunting atmosphere of the place. I liked the dreamlike quality of the story and I truly didn't see the twists coming.