A Sea of Unspoken Things

An atmospheric read with beautiful prose exploring the grief of a young woman who's lost her twin brother in a freak accident yet still feels a bond drawing her to him. The character development was a little weak and the resolution felt rushed and thrown together. Also the plot dragged especially in the middle. 

I’ve been a fan of Adrienne Young’s writing and I continue to be a fan after this book. It was a slow start with a strong finish. It was difficult for me to read in one sitting, despite how short it was. It felt best spaced out a little at a time. Kind of like the pace of coming to terms with the grief and loss so you grow at the same pace the characters do!

Last year I read The Unmaking of June Farrow and it was probably a top 5 best book of 2024 for me. I usually read fantasy and avoid anything set in the real world.This was the first book set in the real world that I truly enjoyed, loved even. When I saw Adrienne Young had published a new book I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough.

The suspense of figuring out what happens piece by piece is magical. She does such an amazing job keeping the reader engaged with the world in the book and the mystery unraveling before us.

James is such an interesting character and her twin equally so. The two and their group of friends have a past steeped in secrets that keep us on our toes. The quaint forest town holds twist and turns I would have never seen coming and felt so satisfied when the pieces fell into place.

This will be a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a bit of mystery and a touch of otherworldliness to their stories.

An other worldly, haunting mystery exploring how people change (or don't change) in a place where the past bleeds into the present.

This book takes place in a small, isolated town surrounded by redwoods, and it couldn't be more perfect for the plot. It amplified how stifling a community can be where nothing changes and everyone knows everybody.

Because James has been gone for 20 years, you get the unique perspective of an outsider who still has insider information, and that works great to create an atmosphere where everyone is suspicious. Things unravel at a great pace, and by the end I had a bunch of theories and was still surprised.

This was also a really interesting look into how lifelong relationships grow together and apart, how time and distance can change our perception of people, and how ignoring the truth will eat away at you.

I'd recommend for anyone looking for a moody, suspenseful mystery with a little bit of romance and a deep exploration of loss.

I can already tell this one will stick with me for a while.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for feedback