After reading and loving Spells of Forgetting last year, I’ve decided that I need to read everything Adrienne Young publishes or has published. A Sea of Unspoken Things is her 2025 release, and I’m very grateful to have had an eARC. Today I want to talk about this book and what I thought!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
A woman investigates her brother’s mysterious death while coming to terms with her own haunting past in this atmospheric novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unmaking of June Farrow
The only thing James and Johnny Golden have ever had is each other. For as long as she can remember, James’s deep connection with her twin brother, Johnny, has gone beyond intuition—she can feel what he feels. 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 rural town of Hawthorne, California to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to rehash the ominous past she and Johnny shared and finally face Micah, the only person who knows about it. He’s also the only man she’s ever loved.
But James soon discovers that the strange connection she had with Johnny isn’t quite gone, and the more she immerses herself into his world, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew. Johnny was keeping secrets, and he’s not the only one. What she uncovers will push her to unravel what happened in the days before Johnny’s death, but in the end, she’ll have to decide which truths should come to light, and which should stay buried forever.
Review
A Sea of Unspoken Things was my first read in 2025 and it started off with five stars! Adrienne Young has created another atmospheric setting and a story that kept me guessing until the very end. This really was the perfect rainy day read. It’s hard to talk about books like this, because I don’t want to give too much away. I feel the less you know about the plot, the better! I’ll still tell you a bit about this story.
James and her twin brother Johnny were all the other had and that leads to her feeling everything he does. So when he’s killed, James know he’s gone before she even gets a phone call. This leads to James going back to the small town she called home twenty years ago. Small towns are all filled with their own ways and secrets, and this is the same for where James grew up. A Sea of Unspoken Things is filled with secrets, family, betrayal, love, second chances, and a touch of paranormal.
I really enjoyed that we got a mix of past and present to really try and understand James and to figure out what really happened to Johnny. This book is also about self discovery. James may have left this small town, but is she still doing what she really wants. Her investigation into her brother’s death leads to a lot more. Also, her past with Micah adds a touch of romance to this story. I really appreciated that it didn’t take it over.
All in all, I highly recommend this dark, atmospheric, and magical read. I can’t wait to see what Adrienne Young writes next!
If you’re looking for a dark and atmospheric book while it’s still cold and gray outside, I highly suggest A Sea of Unspoken Things. I’ll already be anxiously awaiting the announcement for Adrienne’s next book.
