An interesting concept that was well written. I enjoyed this book - would read more by this author in the future.

I recommend this book if you liked Stranger Things, IT, or The Chalk Man. This is a coming of age story with a mystery that strongly reminded me of The Chalk Man. Tense and thrilling story that will keep you guessing!

This book was not what I expected it to be...it had moments when it was really funny but it just wasn't what I expected.

Thanks for letting me read it.

After reading the description about liking this book if you watched “Stranger Things” which I loved. I had high hopes for this and was not disappointed.

Joel aged 13 and his family move to Payne Arizona with his parents and older sister Sarah. He and his new found friends start the “ outsiders club “ Joel, Bobby, Jim and Tara discover an abandoned car with a body in the trunk and lots of cash!!

Loved this book, devoured it in one day. Especially the friendship side, having being an outsider myself (was a book worm even at school) I appreciated how it feels when you meet like minded people Takes me back to all that teenage angst, fighting with siblings, first ever kiss etc.

I am looking forward to you’re next book Seth Adams you are an author to watch out for!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Title was archived before I could review it sadly. Guess I will have to buy it if I would like to read it. I am new to the Galley and was not aware of the fact that the archival date meant that I could not access the title anymore. Too bad

Not exactly sure how I feel about this book. I felt the characters were a little unbelievable in their actions. I'm thankful for the early preview but wasn't able to finish the book.

This book had great potential! I really enjoyed it after I got past how similar it was to Stephen King's IT. It was interesting until I got to the 60% mark, then it slowed down again and I had to force myself to finish.

In the same vein of Stranger Things, IT, Stand By Me, with a little bit of The Goonies thrown in....

This book is nothing new, as previously mentioned, since it follows familiar tropes. However, it is done well. It was an interesting read and had some really good parts. What I didn't care for was that it felt like I was getting the exact same kids from IT and Stranger Things combined into one story, so it felt less than original. I did enjoy it quite a bit.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I. Have enjoyed it and read it very quickly I Loved the start and it just got. Better and better and kept me. On my toes well written

I don't remember the last time I marked a story DNF (Did Not Finish for those new to the lingo), but it does not happen often. In fact the last time was probably right around the time I started my blog back in 2012.

HOWEVER.

I just could not with this story. I tried. I tried forcing myself. I tried leaving it alone and coming back to it later. I even tried reading other stories in between. And .... no.

This came across as a half-assed attempted to mimic Stephen King. Some of the parallels between this story and IT were just too glaring to ignore. And the writing style was juvenile at best (and yes I get it was told from the point of a teenage boy, but this was worse). That's not even going into the blatant racism, sexism, fat shaming and the overall disrespect towards the handicapped.

Despite my best efforts to finish this, I just couldn't do it. And perhaps this story will appeal to others (in fact judging from the 4 and 5 star reviews I well may in the minority here), but this was not for me. Nor would I read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!!!!

I would recommend this book to people who like the stories that Stephen King and Dean Koontz write. This book is very serious and needed some light heartedness in it . It contained a bit of the "mob" which I don't like. The ending was actually disappointing and I preferred the first half.

Excellent storyline and well developed characters. I would recommend this book for fans of Stephen king

Overall this is a good read. I liked that the story was told from Joeys point of view. It made everything seem more real and pulled me in from the start. The ending was a bit unbelievable and some of the other parts of the story were cliched and very similar to other books that I have read. There are some very well written and gripping parts to the story as well and I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

If You Go Down to the Woods has a wonderful retro vibe, with a clear Stephen King/Dean Koontz summer coming-of-age story influence. Joey is thirteen-turning-fourteen when he moves to a new town. He becomes friends with some other kids in town and they call themselves the Outsiders. They get entangled in multiple dangerous situations and chaos ensues. The atmosphere of the book is well done, and it was fun to read.

That said, the book is completely over the top unrealistic, from the actions of everyone involved to the plot points to dialogue to - well, everything. It's the sort of book where you have to just shrug your shoulders and let it go because none of this would ever happen in real life. My other major concern with the book was the time frame. We are never told when the book is set. However, plenty happens that makes it seem very retro...namely, Joey refers to everyone and everything constantly as "retarded" or "retard." No one talks like this in this day and age, and honestly even if this was meant to be the 70s/80s, it came across as insensitive. The black member of the gang is called the usual racial slurs, gay people are made fun of, and the sheriff in the town announces that women should know their place. It all smacks of a much earlier age, along with known child abuse being ignored by everyone, including the police. And yet...the kids use the internet to do some research.

The author does a poor job of painting a realistic story for numerous reasons. The time frame is a real problem and just seems clumsy and careless. The unbelievable events of the characters and plot are more easy to forgive, as they do make for one fun story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

Thirteen year old Joey's family has moved from SoCal to small town Payne, Arizona. He befriends a group of outcasts that summer; Bobby, Jim, and Tara; and together they form The Outsiders Club. They spend their time getting into scrapes with dangerous local bullies and eventually embark on an adventure way beyond their wildest dreams when they discover an old Buick parked in the woods. Inside they find millions of dollars and a dead body, long decomposed.
It doesn't take long for a shady character known as The Collector to arrive for the money, but The Outsiders are in over their heads and a dangerous game begins.
The story (both writing and plot) is obviously influenced by the work of Ray Bradbury and Stephen King and while it is a highly entertaining read, it's not very original, heavily relying on the nostalgia of the aforementioned writers. I struggled to figure out the time period because it reminds me so much of The Body (also known by the film name Stand By Me) and The Goonies, which are both 1980's, but there are references in this novel to the internet and more recent events.
The formula of the well-known 1980s misfit adventure filled with danger is back in action in If You Go Down to the Woods. Readers can expect an entertaining story like the classic films I mentioned. I felt like this was written with the intention of paying homage to the author's major influences and with that spirit in mind, I enjoyed the novel.
Thanks to Harper Impulse/Killer Reads and NetGalley for providing me with copy in exchange for my honest review.

Billed as being perfect for fans of IT by Stephen King and The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor, If You Go Down To The Woods is Seth C. Adams debut novel, following a group of teenagers over one not-so-perfect summer.

While exploring his new neighbourhood following his family's move from California to Arizona, Joey and his dog, Bandit, come across a boy of a similar age being bullied by a group of older teenagers. Having come to Bobby's rescue, the two boys become friends and it isn't long before Bobby introduces Joey to a couple of other kids, Jim and Tara. The foursome form a little gang and label themselves 'The Outsiders.'

One day the group come across an abandoned car in the woods, doors locked. What is it doing there? Interest piqued, the group tells Jim's father of their discovery. Owning a breakers yard, Jim's father gives the group a slim jim and a lock pick to enable them to access the vehicle. Breaking in, the group discovers bags containing $10 million on the front seats, and a body in the boot. Shocked and more than a little afraid, the group decides not to tell anyone about their discovery, telling Jim's father the car was empty when asked.

Joey, however, tells his elder sister, Sarah, about the abandoned car. But when the siblings sneak out one night so Joey can show Sarah what he and his friends had discovered, the money and body have both disappeared. Instead, they're confronted by a sinister fedora-wearing character calling himself The Collector, who demands the money is returned within two days or else.

Having set in motion a chain of events that rapidly spirals out of control, The Outsiders' carefree, idyllic summer quickly turns into the stuff of nightmares. Where did the money go, who is The Collector and who, exactly, is The Collector working for?

From here on out, the pace picks up but for me the story started to fall flat. The situation the group finds themselves in simply doesn't ring true and the final 'horror' showdown lacked originality, the 'bad guys' almost becoming cartoonish.

What redeemed the book somewhat was the overall quality of the writing itself; the multi-layered character development and beautiful, emotive, nostalgic scenes between the friends. This story isn't just about any old summer, it was THE summer that The Outsiders grew up and learned fairgrounds aren't magical, actions have consequences and evil can lurk in the mostly unlikely places.

If You Go Down To The Woods was a compelling read that I finished in one sitting. A solid debut, Setch C. Adams is an author whose work I will keep an eye out for in the future.

Note: Many thanks to the author, Harper Impulse & Killer Reads and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

Three and a half star rating.
Joey (13) and his family move to a small Arizona town when his father gets a new job, but probably wishes they hadn’t after the events of one summer unfold. Something is found which brings a whole lot of trouble for him and his new friends. I enjoyed the parts with The Collector which were sinister and creepy, but Joey, it has to be said, was rather an obnoxious kid. A great tale for readers who enjoy fast paced, violent books. Hopefully The Collector will return to spook and terrorise a few more people!

I found the story very intriguing, I really like the relationship between Joey and his friend. It dealt with many hard hitting issues that a lot of people can relate too. I did find the story with the monster to be a little unbelievable though, I just don’t think a mob boss would go after a young kid like that.