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theoceanrose's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence
novellearts's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I don’t have much to say about this one. I absolutely adored The Unmaking of June Farrow but A Sea of Unspoken Things felt incredibly underwhelming to me. The story wasn’t bad by any means, but I guess my expectations were too high after June Farrow. I wasn’t too engaged by the story and felt like my mind was wandering at times while I was reading this. I will say, this cover is stunning though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
spellbindingtomes's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
nevertheless_she_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
littlelizzieborden's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Violence, and Pregnancy
manda_reads's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
In this novel, James must return to her hometown of Hawthorne, California, to settle her twin brother's affairs after his sudden death. Once home, she is confronted with the shared sinister past of her and her brother, Johnny. The catch is only one person knows of her past, her one true love, Micah. Upon digging up her past, James doubts that she knew Johnny. Both of them are masterful at secret-keeping. Now, James faces the harrowing task of piecing together Johnny's death by choosing which truths to shed light on and which shall stay hidden forever. The twist regarding Griffin wasn't that shocking. I figured that was where the story was headed. However, the details of Johnny's past and subsequent death threw me for a loop.
This is my first time reading a book by Adrienne Young. I don't think her writing fits my reading style. I read this book because the premise sounded unique. The actual book was slow, with more elements of mystery than thriller. It took until chapter 27/28 for the book to exhibit suspenseful thriller vibes.
This is my first time reading a book by Adrienne Young. I don't think her writing fits my reading style. I read this book because the premise sounded unique. The actual book was slow, with more elements of mystery than thriller. It took until chapter 27/28 for the book to exhibit suspenseful thriller vibes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, and Suicide attempt
kallis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
lauren_lovestoread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Murder
erinnh's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
In A Sea of Unspoken Things, James returns home to Six Rivers, an isolated logging town, in order to settle her twin brother’s affairs after his accidental death in the woods. She hasn’t been home in years, and not only is she having to face long buried emotions and secrets from her own past, she is starting to realize she may not have known her brother, Johnny, as well as she thought she did. Worse, she has a sinking feeling - an intuition - that his death wasn’t accidental. As James investigates Johnny’s death, she connects with faces old and new, as she tries to uncover the truth of what happened, and who Johnny really is.
While this novel is a short and engaging read, it has a slower pace. It has an intricate plot that slowly unravels, and there’s a lot of atmospheric writing and attention paid to the setting. You’ll enjoy this if you like books that take place in the sort of classic archetypal small rural towns. This novel also features some very minor elements of the supernatural, but they don’t feature prominently. Some themes include interconnectedness with one another and nature, familial relationships, returning home, grief and loss, and family secrets.
My personal favorite aspects of the books were the strong sense of place and the plot. I was especially entertained by the plot as the book got rolling, and I was drawn in by trying to solve the mystery of what happened (and the twists and turns that popped up along the way). I will say, there were a few times where I felt like the dialogue, small town elements, and romantic subplot got a bit corny and clichéd. But, the plot overshadows all of that, and I think the romantic subplot isn’t the main attraction anyway.
This is my second Adrienne Young novel. My first was The Unmaking of June Farrow. Both had intricate plots, so I think that is definitely a talent of hers. So far this book is my favorite of hers, and I look forward to trying more in the future. I would recommend to any readers who enjoy slow burning suspense novels with intricate plots, especially with small town settings and/or atmospheric settings.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine for providing an eARC to review!*
While this novel is a short and engaging read, it has a slower pace. It has an intricate plot that slowly unravels, and there’s a lot of atmospheric writing and attention paid to the setting. You’ll enjoy this if you like books that take place in the sort of classic archetypal small rural towns. This novel also features some very minor elements of the supernatural, but they don’t feature prominently. Some themes include interconnectedness with one another and nature, familial relationships, returning home, grief and loss, and family secrets.
My personal favorite aspects of the books were the strong sense of place and the plot. I was especially entertained by the plot as the book got rolling, and I was drawn in by trying to solve the mystery of what happened (and the twists and turns that popped up along the way). I will say, there were a few times where I felt like the dialogue, small town elements, and romantic subplot got a bit corny and clichéd. But, the plot overshadows all of that, and I think the romantic subplot isn’t the main attraction anyway.
This is my second Adrienne Young novel. My first was The Unmaking of June Farrow. Both had intricate plots, so I think that is definitely a talent of hers. So far this book is my favorite of hers, and I look forward to trying more in the future. I would recommend to any readers who enjoy slow burning suspense novels with intricate plots, especially with small town settings and/or atmospheric settings.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine for providing an eARC to review!*
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Violence, and Murder
doggonebookaddict's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“We could fill the fucking ocean with the things we never said to each other.”
This book was an experience, let me tell you. It’s very much more so a mystery even though it’s mainly considered a magical realism story, which didn’t bother me in the slightest, but I think it’s worth clarifying. There is a touch of magical realism, but not on the same level as “The Unmaking of June Farrow” which is what I was expecting based on its marketing.
That said, I really enjoyed my time with this novel! There were certainly things I saw coming, but DAMN there were a lot of twists that really threw me for a loop. It’s been a while since I was so sucked into a book that I just wanted to sit down and devour it to know what happens, and that feeling felt so good. I also rarely feel the need to make note of quotes in a book, but there were so many wonderfully written phrases - when my hardcover copy comes I may have to go back and mark some quotes.
One particular twist sits weird with me…but not enough to lower my rating. Honestly anything under 5 stars just didn’t feel right.
I’ll leave you with maybe my favorite quote, which so accurately describes my own experience with grief:
“That was the way of grief, I was realizing. It was a barrage of pain that was so unbearable that it made you numb. And then out of nowhere, something made you feel again and the cycle started over from the beginning.”
Thanks to the publisher for sending me an e-ARC via Netgalley! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: grief, death of family member, animal bones, unwanted touching
This book was an experience, let me tell you. It’s very much more so a mystery even though it’s mainly considered a magical realism story, which didn’t bother me in the slightest, but I think it’s worth clarifying. There is a touch of magical realism, but not on the same level as “The Unmaking of June Farrow” which is what I was expecting based on its marketing.
That said, I really enjoyed my time with this novel! There were certainly things I saw coming, but DAMN there were a lot of twists that really threw me for a loop. It’s been a while since I was so sucked into a book that I just wanted to sit down and devour it to know what happens, and that feeling felt so good. I also rarely feel the need to make note of quotes in a book, but there were so many wonderfully written phrases - when my hardcover copy comes I may have to go back and mark some quotes.
One particular twist sits weird with me…but not enough to lower my rating. Honestly anything under 5 stars just didn’t feel right.
I’ll leave you with maybe my favorite quote, which so accurately describes my own experience with grief:
“That was the way of grief, I was realizing. It was a barrage of pain that was so unbearable that it made you numb. And then out of nowhere, something made you feel again and the cycle started over from the beginning.”
Thanks to the publisher for sending me an e-ARC via Netgalley! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: grief, death of family member, animal bones, unwanted touching
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Animal death and Sexual content