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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
laura_berger's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: 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
caitlynd93's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
i love adrienne young's adult novels, spells for forgetting and the unmaking of june farrow, and i was so excited to hear about a sea of unspoken things and receive an arc. a sea of unspoken things has all of the things that i've come to expect from an adrienne young novel; lush descriptions, an atmosphere that makes you feel like you're part of the story, and character's that feel real and distinct.
as someone who lives in the san francisco bay area, i loved that this book was set in northern california. though i live in a very populated city and not a small town like six rivers, it was so easy to picture six rivers and the woods. it felt familiar to me, it felt like a place i've visited countless times before and that was really special to me. throughout the book james talks about six rivers being removed from the city, of the forest having a sort of magic and feeling alive and i felt that through every page. young has a real talent for making her books feel alive, and i think that's my favorite thing about her writing.
i thought all of the characters were great and really well explored. i loved being in james' pov, and really felt for her throughout the story. the explorations of twins and what happens when one of them dies was really so interesting, and james and johnny gave me major nell and luke crain from the haunting of hill house vibes, which was just everything. the grief that james felt over losing her brother was heartbreaking and overwhelming, and i thought that this book was a really beautiful exploration of grief and how it affects all of us differently, and the complicated feelings that come with grief, especially if in their death, you uncover secrets about the person you're grieving. johnny may have died before the story began, but he felt so alive throughout the book and james and micah's memories of him, and the rest of the town's as well.
this is much more mystery focused than young's previous adult novels, and as a reader whose favorite genre is mystery, that was great for me, and i loved the way the mystery unfolded. this is not a fast paced mystery; like the town it's set in, it's a little sleepy and slow, but it grows as time goes on and once you get hooked it's hard to leave. i won't lie, it did take me a little while to get into the story, but once i got into it i didn't want to stop reading, it had a slow build that i really enjoyed. there were a few different ways the mystery could've played out. one of the reveals i didn't see coming, but i thought it made complete sense and i was surprised that i didn't pick up on it right away, but the hints were there all along. one of the reveals i did see coming, but that didn't make it any less heartbreaking.
overall, i really enjoyed a sea of unspoken things and think it's another great edition to adrienne young's body of work. if you've enjoyed her other novels, i definitely suggest checking it out!
as someone who lives in the san francisco bay area, i loved that this book was set in northern california. though i live in a very populated city and not a small town like six rivers, it was so easy to picture six rivers and the woods. it felt familiar to me, it felt like a place i've visited countless times before and that was really special to me. throughout the book james talks about six rivers being removed from the city, of the forest having a sort of magic and feeling alive and i felt that through every page. young has a real talent for making her books feel alive, and i think that's my favorite thing about her writing.
i thought all of the characters were great and really well explored. i loved being in james' pov, and really felt for her throughout the story. the explorations of twins and what happens when one of them dies was really so interesting, and james and johnny gave me major nell and luke crain from the haunting of hill house vibes, which was just everything. the grief that james felt over losing her brother was heartbreaking and overwhelming, and i thought that this book was a really beautiful exploration of grief and how it affects all of us differently, and the complicated feelings that come with grief, especially if in their death, you uncover secrets about the person you're grieving. johnny may have died before the story began, but he felt so alive throughout the book and james and micah's memories of him, and the rest of the town's as well.
this is much more mystery focused than young's previous adult novels, and as a reader whose favorite genre is mystery, that was great for me, and i loved the way the mystery unfolded. this is not a fast paced mystery; like the town it's set in, it's a little sleepy and slow, but it grows as time goes on and once you get hooked it's hard to leave. i won't lie, it did take me a little while to get into the story, but once i got into it i didn't want to stop reading, it had a slow build that i really enjoyed. there were a few different ways the mystery could've played out. one of the reveals i didn't see coming, but i thought it made complete sense and i was surprised that i didn't pick up on it right away, but the hints were there all along. one of the reveals i did see coming, but that didn't make it any less heartbreaking.
overall, i really enjoyed a sea of unspoken things and think it's another great edition to adrienne young's body of work. if you've enjoyed her other novels, i definitely suggest checking it out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Suicide attempt
emilyreads15's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ARC REVIEW: Thank you so much to Adrienne Young and Delacorte Press for gifting me a physical arc of this lovely book in exchange for an honest review!!
Adrienne Young develops of the concepts of grief, past trauma, and romance in this beautiful novel! Her writing was truly beautiful to read and very enjoyable! The detailed descriptions heavily added to the story, making it feel truly real and haunting!
To start off, A Sea of Unspoken Things takes place in a small town within Six Rivers National Forest. In the midst of late autumn/early winter the setting is eerie and as I mentioned before haunting but also cozy and peaceful in a way that creates the perfect scenery for a thriller! This is definitely an amazing read for the fall!
Our fmc James, returns to her hometown after the death of her twin brother, Johnny. The author explores their connection to each other through magical realism, representing that their bond goes beyond the world of the living. As James retraces her brother’s steps in his final months she discovers a whirlwind of secrets hidden within the town while confronting secrets of her own past. The plot of this book as we follow James’s confrontation with her past and her present grief is so unique and interesting! While the book did start off a little slow to set the scene, it picked up after a few chapters creating an exciting and mysterious thriller. I was always trying to guess what happened next and follow the clues, making my own predictions just like the characters. For me, none of it was predictable. I truly didn’t really figure it out until a little bit before the characters!
On top of the mystery plot there was also a side-plot of romance! James reunites with her first love as they work together to reveal what truly became of her brother, Johnny. James and Micah’s relationship was a complex but overall beautiful second chance romance. I really enjoyed their relationship and watching them help to heal each other’s traumas. This book is an Adult book however there is hardly any spice. While there are some allusions to sexual content, the author keeps it all closed door with no explicit details. The closed door scenes can also be skipped as they only add a little bit to the romance side plot rather than the main plot.
The only reason this book gained 4 stars from me was because it did take a few chapters for me to really get into it! Also the final chapter included a trope that I don’t really think was necessary due to the way it was added. Sadly I also don’t like that trope in books. I won’t say what it is bc no spoilers but I’m sure some of you could guess.
But overall, this chilling thriller was entertaining and beautifully written! Adrienne Young never fails to amaze me with her atmospheric writing and storytelling! You can definitely tell she did her research or had prior knowledge on things mentioned in the book and it makes it even better that she is a twin herself!!!
100% recommend this book! It was a perfect thriller and so enjoyable! I can’t wait to see what story the author tells next! Once again thank you to the author and publishers for gifting me a physical arc of this book!
Adrienne Young develops of the concepts of grief, past trauma, and romance in this beautiful novel! Her writing was truly beautiful to read and very enjoyable! The detailed descriptions heavily added to the story, making it feel truly real and haunting!
To start off, A Sea of Unspoken Things takes place in a small town within Six Rivers National Forest. In the midst of late autumn/early winter the setting is eerie and as I mentioned before haunting but also cozy and peaceful in a way that creates the perfect scenery for a thriller! This is definitely an amazing read for the fall!
Our fmc James, returns to her hometown after the death of her twin brother, Johnny. The author explores their connection to each other through magical realism, representing that their bond goes beyond the world of the living. As James retraces her brother’s steps in his final months she discovers a whirlwind of secrets hidden within the town while confronting secrets of her own past. The plot of this book as we follow James’s confrontation with her past and her present grief is so unique and interesting! While the book did start off a little slow to set the scene, it picked up after a few chapters creating an exciting and mysterious thriller. I was always trying to guess what happened next and follow the clues, making my own predictions just like the characters. For me, none of it was predictable. I truly didn’t really figure it out until a little bit before the characters!
On top of the mystery plot there was also a side-plot of romance! James reunites with her first love as they work together to reveal what truly became of her brother, Johnny. James and Micah’s relationship was a complex but overall beautiful second chance romance. I really enjoyed their relationship and watching them help to heal each other’s traumas. This book is an Adult book however there is hardly any spice. While there are some allusions to sexual content, the author keeps it all closed door with no explicit details. The closed door scenes can also be skipped as they only add a little bit to the romance side plot rather than the main plot.
The only reason this book gained 4 stars from me was because it did take a few chapters for me to really get into it! Also the final chapter included a trope that I don’t really think was necessary due to the way it was added. Sadly I also don’t like that trope in books. I won’t say what it is bc no spoilers but I’m sure some of you could guess.
But overall, this chilling thriller was entertaining and beautifully written! Adrienne Young never fails to amaze me with her atmospheric writing and storytelling! You can definitely tell she did her research or had prior knowledge on things mentioned in the book and it makes it even better that she is a twin herself!!!
100% recommend this book! It was a perfect thriller and so enjoyable! I can’t wait to see what story the author tells next! Once again thank you to the author and publishers for gifting me a physical arc of this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Animal death and Sexual content
srivalli's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Lyrical and intriguing but with a few issues
James (our FMC) and Johnny Golden are twins with a connection that lies in the supernatural realm. She can feel and experience what he feels, so when Johnny is killed, James knows it has happened and lives through it even before the news officially reaches her.
Now, James is back in the rural town of Hawthorne, California, after twenty years to sort out her twin’s work and find out what actually happened. She soon realizes her brother is trying to communicate with her from wherever he is but it is too overwhelming. After all, James left the town after an incident that changed a few lives. Being back means she also has to deal with the past, especially her first love Micah, the man who has been with her brother’s friend all these years and might be the only one to help her connect the dots.
The story comes in James’ first-person POV.
My Thoughts:
This is my first book by the author (I was declined the last time) and I can see why her works are popular. Though there are many elements I dislike, the writing style has a haunting quality.
The atmosphere is next level. Most of the story is set in and around a dense forest, so it’s already my favorite place. However, this forest is not magical. It is dark, mossy, thick, suffocating, oppressive, and overwhelming. It closes in from all sides and traps you inside. But… it is still my favorite. For the FMC, the forest is a representation of what she has escaped but couldn’t let go. This is apparent on many pages.
Since the story is in James’ first-person (don’t worry, she tells us right in the first chapter why she has a male name), there’s a lot of suppressed information. She doesn’t want to even think of it which means we go around in circles in the first half. Still, after the slow start, the momentum picks up. Little bits of information are scattered in the monologues. Collecting it is our responsibility.
Micah is a nice guy; a bit intense but then the FMC is intenser (I know it’s not a word), and Johnny seems to be intensiest. We don’t directly meet the dead man but he is everywhere (to the point of possibly coming out of the Kindle scree as smoke).
However, don’t expect to connect with any of them. At around 10% I realized this is a book where everything has a surreal tinge. The characters are no exception. If you can connect with them, good; if not, nothing to worry about. I don’t think we are meant to.
Despite the FMC being 37, she acts like a late teen the majority of the time. That’s probably coz it was the age she left the forest town without a proper closure. When she returns, she falls into the same pattern despite thinking she should be an adult. Such a character would annoy me (did too), but it seemed to fit here.
So, why the relatively lower rating? One, because of how the story goes in circles until 60%+, and then we get reveal after reveal in quick succession. Two, the sort of love triangle wasn’t necessary since the other guy barely had any active role. Three, quite a few questions remain unanswered, which dim the enjoyment of the epilogue.
To summarize, A Sea of Unspoken Things has a great atmosphere and a few possible triggers. It was an intriguing read but not without flaws. I would be happy to read more books by the author. The prose is excellent!
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #ASeaofUnspokenThings
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Murder
astoriareader's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
SYNOPSIS
- A grieving twin sister returns to her gloomy hometown to settle her late brother’s affairs. As she navigates her loss, she begins to uncover long-buried secrets about her brother, herself, and their past.
MY THOUGHTS
- While the premise had promise, the execution didn’t quite deliver. The book read more like a YA novel, which made it feel less impactful than I had hoped.
- The gloomy setting was atmospheric and fitting for the mystery, but the slow pacing often bogged down the narrative.
- I would categorize this book as a mystery with some magical realism sprinkled in.
- Character development was one of the book’s weakest points. I never felt like I got to know anyone, and I was never invested in any of the characters.
- The ending was particularly disappointing. After all the buildup, the resolution felt anticlimactic and unsatisfying, leaving me wishing for more depth and closure.
- While the setting and hints of magical realism were intriguing, the lack of character development and the slow pacing made this a less-than-memorable read. If you’re looking for a light mystery with a somber tone, this might be worth a try, but it’s unlikely to leave a lasting impression.
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐⭐️ A promising premise with an atmospheric setting, A Sea of Unspoken Thingsultimately falls flat due to slow pacing, underdeveloped characters, and an unsatisfying, anticlimactic ending.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press & Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on January 7, 2025.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
kari_f's review
4.0
If there is one word that sums up all of Adrienne Young’s adult books so far, that word would be “atmospheric.” Whether it’s a remote island village, a mountainous farming area, or a small town in the middle of the California redwood forests; you feel as if you are there with the characters in an incredibly visceral way.
I don’t tend to gravitate toward thrillers because I solve them quickly and then tend to be bored if there isn’t enough character depth and development to hold my interest. The ones I enjoy flow like this one, where the suspense builds slowly and the story is built upon the character layers and development in such a way that it’s tied to the mystery. I had my suspicions early on, but the mood, the characters, the setting, and the hints of magical realism kept me entranced even after I was pretty sure about what happened and why.
The pacing is deliciously slow because we are unpacking so much history and emotional content between the main character and the town she left behind twenty years prior. We are on her journey to figure out what caused the death of her brother, but we also see her journey toward combining who she was in the past and who she is now to figure out what she wants for her future.
For me, this was another hit novel by Young, and I’ll be sticking around to see what she comes up with next! Thank you so much for the advanced copy of the book, Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Murder