I do not recommend this book. And I am Editing my original review down to 2 stars.

(New edit) Spoiler:
This story is extremely disrespectful to the real life family in Waukesha, WI…where the victim is also still alive. (See below)
This book is also so problematic! We basically let a child rapist go and tell the reader it’s OK, they didn’t murder someone, so nothing needs to happen further. Ugh! The fact that this is a debut adult novel with all of these trigger touchpoints with no resolve to any of it and the rest of what I have to say below is why I’m notching it down.

Thank you to Flatiron Books, the author and NetGalley for an advanced eCopy for review
—Pub date, January 2023

TW: Child sexual abuse, rape, alcoholism, hoarding, suicide thoughts, vicious friends and much more…

**** MAJOR PLOT SPOILER ALERT*** (because this just couldn’t be overlooked by me)

The main the reason for 2.0, I have to spoil the plot. Here’s the thing— after just a couple of chapters, I shared with a friend that this story had Major SLENDER MAN vibes!!! I live near Waukesha, WI where this case made national headlines. So, as I read through the book that I was enjoying for the most part, I thought I was wrong. This book is no less than 2.0 stars for the simple fact that the author did a good job of placing at least four suspects on my radar. She made me think and “plot point” in my head multiple times. HOWEVER, in the end, I was correct— and to be honest, I hated it!... I really wanted to see something come out of left field because it was so predictable to me in the beginning. I didn’t want to have to come all that way just to be right. I want to be fooled!! For that reason, and the fact that we kept hearing about all the statutory rape that occurred with our protagonist —but the perp got nothing and we received ZERO “outcome” with this major plot point! What the hell— not even in the “post wrap up”, of 10 months later. The ending was a disappointment for me in that way.

One last thought— the story of a make-believe game in the woods between 3 girls that requires a sacrifice (and stabbing!) was too similar in nature to the story in WI. And like the story, the girl lives to tell about it and put her friends behind bars in a highly televised court case. The author could not have come up with this on her own… She keeps interviewing stating she came up with it on her own bc her friends played a game in the woods. Nothing was mentioned in the acknowledgments about the case in Waukesha nor out of respect to the family. Google it for yourself, but here’s a tiny blurb:

On May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States, two 12-year-old girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, lured their friend Payton Leutner into a forest and stabbed her 19 times in an attempt to appease the fictional character Slender Man. The stabbing took place in David's Park, a wooded area during a game of hide-and-seek. The perpetrators, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser pinned down Payton Isabella Leutner (also known as Bella, a nickname used at the time of the crime)and stabbed her nineteen times in the arms, legs, and torso with a five-inch-long (13 cm) blade. Weier and Geyser told Leutner to lie down while they would find help, but they did not get any upon leaving. Afterwards, Leutner dragged herself to a nearby road where she was found by a cyclist.

"To believe is to hold dear, to cherish, to claim as a truth more fundamental than fact. I believed in magic. We all did."

Wow. To say this book kept me on my toes would be the understatement of the century. I couldn't put it down and ended up staying up until 2am to finish and figure out who did it!

Being a thriller reader, I knew to keep myself wary of everyone, but every single time I thought I knew what was coming, another twist was thrown in. I could never decide who it was. Cass's pervy older brother, the actual serial killer, Ethan the podcaster? Heck, EVERYONE was a suspect in this book. Everyone seemed to be hiding something and no one was trustworthy. I loved it.

There were so many moments throughout this book that I had to second guess my perceptions of a character's morality. Just when you thought you had everything figured out, the author would throw in something small that made you question your opinion of someone. Was Cody really a good golden boy and loyal husband? Was Cass really a protective friend? Was Liv mentally stable and trustworthy? Was Ethan playing Naomi? Were Naomi's memories even reliable? Kate Alice Marshall did an amazing job outlining everyone's secrets and making the reader believe that everyone had a motive for murder.

This was an all around great thriller. I loved everything about it. The magical Goddess elements in the girls' game, the description of the woods, the development of the relationships between characters, the description of each character's personality and how the Marshall really made you hate some and love others, It was just....*chef's kiss.*

5/5 stars

Huge thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall i thought this book was strong but nothing super different than most thrillers. I did enjoy that there was so many twist and turns and unreliable memory to account for a long that (i’ve been reading a lot of books with memory issues…odd but okay).

I like the set up of the book and how everything unfolded. The moral of the study is stop being jealous over stupid things and then don’t lie.

Mysteries abound in Kate Alice Marshall's debut adult novel, set in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle photographer Naomi Shaw was just eleven when she was attacked in the woods near her home town of Chester, Washington. Stabbed 17 times, she barely survived and still bears the scars from the incident — both physical and psychological. Her friends Cassidy and Olivia witnessed the violence, and together the three girls identified a suspected serial killer as Naomi's assailant, sending him to prison for life. Now, 22 years later, news of the man's death resurrects old memories among the three women. Olivia summons Naomi back to Chester, telling her and Cassidy that she wants to reveal secrets about that day and setting off a chain of events that will send their small town reeling.

At first the mystery at the novel's heart seems fairly simple — what really happened that day and why — but as Naomi peels back the layers of memory, more questions are raised than are answered. The novel is intricately plotted, with an unusually large cast of potential suspects and a liberal sprinkling of red herrings throughout. But although the story is quite involved, Marshall lays it out skillfully for the reader, keeping its complexity from becoming confusing as one navigates its many twists and turns. Reading the novel feels a bit like riding a roller coaster: enjoying a slow build-up followed by a breakneck rush to the conclusion. The book eventually becomes absolutely unputdownable, as the revelations come fast and furious near the novel's conclusion.

A great thriller relies not only on a gripping plot, but also on compelling characters, and Marshall is brilliant here as well. She imbues all her characters with depth and personality, but Naomi in particular is a marvelous balance of toughness and vulnerability. She's cynical and self-destructive — often unlikeable — yet someone readers will root for in the end. Her voice comes across as authentic, too; she knows she's damaged and has her faults, and this self-awareness ultimately makes her an appealing heroine.

Finally, Marshall's writing is gorgeous, conjuring up the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest as well as the atmosphere in Chester, a town so small its mayor is also the owner of its only sawmill. I was particularly struck by the passages concerning the girls' childhood:

We raced down narrow trails, hair flying wind-wild behind us…We made ourselves into warriors, into queens, into goddesses. Fern leaves and dandelions became poultices and potions, and we sang incantations to the trees. We gave ourselves new names: Artemis, Athena, Hecate. Conversations were in code, our letters filled with elaborate ciphers, and we taught ourselves the meanings of stones.

Marshall is known for her young adult novels, but readers should be aware that What Lies in the Woods, her adult debut, is definitely tailored to a more mature audience, with plenty of violence and rough language. Naomi consumes a lot of alcohol and engages in intimacy with random men, and also recalls an attempted rape. Although the depictions of sex aren't graphic, they're explicit enough that at minimum I'd give it a PG-13 rating if it were a movie.

Truly engrossing mysteries are hard to find, and when I stumble across one, I treasure it. What Lies in the Woods is one of the most absorbing entries in the genre I've encountered. With the exception of one small plot twist most will likely see coming, I was kept guessing "whodunnit" until the very end. This well-constructed novel is sure to be a hit with mystery and thriller lovers.

The games we play as children can help cement friendships for a lifetime. In the case of Naomi, Olivia, and Cassidy, the magical games they played as children lead to an attack that nearly took Naomi's life, forever changing the three girls.

Two decades later, Naomi receives a phone call that the man that she claimed attacked her all those years ago has died. She is called back to the town where it happened, where she reunites with her old friends, sending the small town gossiping. It's clear the friendships have changed due to what happened in those woods, and Naomi obviously carries trauma from that night.

But the longer Naomi stays in town, the murkier the story seems. One friend tells her there is a secret to spill, and the other one seems to want to forget the whole ordeal. But it's clear that maybe Naomi doesn't remember that night exactly the way it happened. And she knows she needs to find the truth.

What I loved about this book is how it kept me wanting more. I truly wanted to see the best for Naomi, and I had to know how it was all going to end. It got every so slightly slow at times, but still was a such a great ready with a really interesting ending. Highly recommended!

I've read from this author before and while this is her debut adult novel, the voice of it still oddly feels YA to me. That's not necessarily a bad thing because I enjoyed the plot of this the most!

We all know this story. 3 girls go into the woods and two come out claiming the other is killed. Our girl Naomi is the one that was stabbed in the woods like 17 times or something and left for dead. She survives miraculously and all 3 girls point to a known serial killer as the attacker. He is put in prison but 20 years later he dies in that same prison and the now adult women claim that they lied about what went down in the woods.
Ok, now see, I didn't like any of these chicas. Especially Liv, what a bitch.
It's very obvious where this book is taking us and how it's gonna end but the lead up was good.
I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the goddess games and Persephone.
I enjoyed the slight podcast bit we got but I did want more of both!

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!

This book was so twisted, and of course that drew me in even more. What happened to Naomi when she was a child was horrible enough, but imagine realizing as adult that maybe she got it all wrong. That would make her two best friends wrong, too. After all, they swore they saw the man who stabbed Naomi 17 times. Naomi has a lot of secrets to uncover. Secrets some will kill to keep hidden. With a climax that left me speechless, Kate Alice Marshall has written a story full of pain, tragedy, heartache, and betrayl. It will make you question everything you think you know, and wonder how much one person can take in their lifetime.

This one is new the shelves and is a great read. It started off a little slow and I was worried it would lose some points in my book, but it caught up and earned my love back.

Naomi was brutally attacked at 11 years old while her and her two best friends were playing what they thought was an innocent game of magic and spells. Naomi returns to her hometown after the convicted serial killer and attempted murderer of Naomi dies in prison and all three girls want to have a reunion. Olivia "Liv" Barnes has had mental health issues most of her life that were only propelled by the attack and she has found out some information. More death, lies and mayhem occurs in the small town and Naomi makes it her mission to find the truth....or remember it...or understand it...or hear the truth. Which does she decide is the truth in finding out what really happened that day?

Marshall does a great job capturing sheer terror without losing a wink of sleep...this is not the type of horror produced by Stephen King, but rather one of a great psychological thriller novelist like Marshall. Don't miss this new novel that was released on 01/17/23.

#NetGalley #WhatLiesintheWoods

In the small town of Chester, the news of gossip and events travel like wildfire. Naomi, Liv and Cass were 11 when tragedy struck their best friend trio. While playing a game in the woods during their summer break, Naomi is violently attacked. All three girls are traumatized but have identified the same man as being responsible. The girls have several secrets they're keeping... is the identity of the killer one of them?

I really enjoyed this title. It definitely held my attention; I was dying to find out what happened next! Several twists and turns were unexpected, but I did end up guessing part of the major plot twist early on. Secretive small town trying to protect their own feels like a plot that is a little bit overdone in this genre. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this title to anyone who loves mysteries or thrillers.

Gah, this one was good. It's exactly what I hope for in a mystery/thriller, but with the added bonus that I actually cared about the characters! I loved that it was a story that was woven into three women's very long-term friendship. At first look, it seems like these three friends have undergone a pretty serious trauma, with Naomi being attacked and the others having borne witness at just eleven years old. That is a lot, right? Obviously, things in Naomi's life have been pretty rocky since then, no one really bothered to get her any kind of real help, and now she's just sort of slogging through her life.

But the attack and her friends (and by extension, her former life) are never far from her thoughts. When she finds out that the man she and her friends identified as her attacker has died in prison, there are many, many mixed feelings and old wounds brought to the surface. So Naomi heads home, to reconnect with her best friends, and maybe try to bury her trauma once and for all.

Only nothing is as it seems. A bad man died in prison, sure. Naomi absolutely was viciously attacked as a young girl. And her friends Olivia and Cassidy are certainly always still on her mind. But when she gets back to her small hometown, she's reminded of more than just the one past trauma. And now she has to decide if she wants to figure out all the truths, or just live and let die.

The story itself is absolutely chock full of twists and kept me guessing. I kept thinking I knew who had done what, but the truth was that I had no idea. And a big chunk of the story involves the emotions and growth of Naomi, which I loved. Not only is this a mystery/thriller, but it really delved deep into Naomi's psyche and her relationships- made them part of the story, really. Could not put this one down until I knew everything, basically.

Bottom Line: What Lies in the Woods is both thrilling and emotionally provocative, a rare (and much appreciated) find in a thriller novel.

Three eleven year old girls entered the woods and two came out. One of them had been stabbed so the other two girls got help and testified that a serial killer rapist was to blame. Years later, when the three girls have become adults, the killer dies in prison. The three women meet and discuss how relieved but worried they are about a secret they’re hiding. The mystery of their secret becomes many mysteries buried, one on top of another. This is a delightfully twisted and unexpected mystery, 5 stars!

I received this book to review from netgally. Then later also purchased it from BOTM. I really enjoyed this book. The plot was fast paced and flowed really well. I liked the characters and enjoyed learning about them. This book was very twisty in the form of whodunit. I was constantly readjusting my guess (although my first instinct was correct for one part at least).I would definitely reccomend this book to a friend.

A good thriller that keeps you on your toes. Personally I couldn't figure out what was going to happen until it happened. Kept me engaged the entire time

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review!

This is Kate Alice Marshall’s first adult novel, and it did not disappoint. I was very invested in this story and finding out what happened. I had a hunch from early on that this book was inspired by a very famous case that will remain nameless to avoid spoilers. The book had me questioning my own theory several times throughout even though in the end I was right, which in my opinion is a good thing.

Overall, What Lies in the Woods is an enjoyably violent thriller that renewed my faith in thrillers. I would recommend this one to lovers of murder mysteries and those that enjoy exploring trauma and toxic friendships.

I posted my review to Goodreads and Barnesandnoble.com 30 days prior to the book's release date, on December 18th, 2022. I have included links to the reviews below. I submitted my review to Amazon.com on the book's release date, January 17th, 2022. I have included the link to my review below.

Thank you so much to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of this book!

Trigger warnings for this book: descriptions of statutory rape and childhood sexual assault, sexual assault, descriptions of a physical attack/stabbing, and mentions of suicide and suicide attempts. I hope that the trigger warnings are included in the printed copy of this book.

Since I started by listing the trigger warnings for What Lies in the Woods, I will now discuss how I felt about the inclusion of rape in the book. There will be one minor spoiler ahead in this paragraph and in the four lines after this paragraph. I will not spoil who Naomi's attacker is; I will simply reference one red herring. In this book, the fact that a character raped someone is used to shroud that character in suspicion. This raises the question, "If X raped someone, does that mean X is cold-blooded enough to commit murder?" The rapist turns out not to be the attacker.

There is even a moment where Naomi thinks the rapist is going to harm her, but he doesn't, and she realizes that he isn't the big bad in her story, after all. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

What does that say to the reader? That, sure, X is bad, but he can’t be that bad. He’s not a killer, after all. Just a rapist. Do I need to explain how this rhetoric is harmful?

In my opinion, rape was included in this story as a plot device. There is some discussion about how Naomi is in denial about what happened to her and how she thinks that she chose to be raped, but the topic is touched on briefly. The graphic, triggering rape scene had more page time than the discussion about how Naomi dealt with its aftermath.

I am disappointed that What Lies in the Woods perpetuates a strange, rape-downplaying message.

This is my biggest issue with What Lies in the Woods. Some other gripes I have with it are:

-That the author was clearly trying to bury the mystery breadcrumbs in excessive detail, yet that only made them stick out to me, as, finally, something of interest was being mentioned.

-This led to me figuring out not only the culprit behind Naomi’s attack in the woods, but the motive the culprit had, within the first 30% of the book. I also figured out many of the other twists well before they happened.

-It was difficult to be engaged by this text due to the amount of excessive detail included in it. I feel like I had to read through endless paragraphs that described unimportant matters before anything interesting happened.

-Even while the climax was happening, it stopped being exciting because Naomi went into a two-page monologue about her feelings toward each of the characters in the book. It seemed like the author was trying to wrap up every single interpersonal conflict that might result from the plot twists in a neat, two-page summary. All that served to do was grind the action to a complete stop and ensure that, even in the denouement, I was going to be bored, because I knew that Naomi had already come to terms with how she felt about everyone. There would be no pulse-pounding confrontation after the climax.

-The plot of this book is mostly just Naomi talking to the podcaster. She barely interacts with the other characters in the book, except at the very beginning and at the very end. Hardly anything happens in this book, and not in a “slow-burn, tension building” way. In a “you get an entire chapter on Naomi driving back to her apartment, photographing a wedding, then eating Thai food” kind of way. It feels like the author needed to fill pages. I wish this book could have been shorter, so that the inconsequential scenes and mountains of monotonous detail could have been cut.

I will end this review on a positive note, because there are some things I did enjoy about this book.

-Naomi is described as a blunt character who says what she means, and her dialogue is written well. Too often in books, we either have characters who never say how they feel or characters who are just plain mean. There is not any room for subtlety with those kinds of characters. Naomi, on the other hand, is not openly rude, and every time she calls out another character, her point hits home. Naomi’s dialogue is realistic and it stays consistent throughout the story. It can even be funny! I can’t say that about the dialogue in a lot of other books.

-I was really enjoying this book during the first 10%, because Naomi’s relationship with her boyfriend, Mitch, was written well. Mitch is trying to exploit Naomi for her trauma while pretending to truly understand her, and Naomi knows it. She described him aptly, and it made me really hate him. That was the most emotion I felt toward any character in the book. Also, Naomi's dialogue during their argument made me laugh out loud because of how relatable it was.

-I liked Naomi’s relationship with the podcaster, Ethan. In many other mystery novels, the main character starts spilling their guts out to a random side character without warning. In this book, however, Naomi and Ethan's relationship growth seemed more organic. I understood why she trusted him.

Overall, I did not like this book as much as I hoped I would. I thought this was going to be a ⅘ stars for me, so I’m disappointed. I didn’t go into this book looking for things to dislike about it, but the number of things I disliked about it kept growing until I had to face the fact that What Lies in the Woods is not for me.

What Lies in the Woods reminds me of Broken Things by Lauren Oliver, which is one of my favorite books. Broken Things follows the story of three best friends, Summer, Mia, and Brynn. Summer gets stabbed to death in the woods, which is where the three girls used to spend all of their time playing and creating a fantasy world based off of their favorite book. Years later, Mia and Brynn work together to solve her murder, using the manuscript of the semi-autobiographical fanfiction Summer had been writing to help them. Broken Things is eerie and twisted, the writing in it is compelling - to the point where even if nothing is happening, you are still totally gripped - and I was shocked by its ending. While Broken Things has a different plot than What Lies in the Woods, the two books tried to accomplish something similar. In my opinion, Broken Things was executed much better. I would recommend that you read Broken Things over What Lies in the Woods if you want a story about toxic, all-consuming friendship, fantasy worlds that turn deadly, and figuring out what really happened in the past before it’s too late.

Naomi, Cass & Liv (Olivia) were three very different girls who became friends in elementary school. They went through something absolutely horrific when they were eleven years old. Then, they testified and put a man away for the rest of his life. I can absolutely see how it bonded them for the rest of their lives.

I enjoyed the story from start to finish. I really liked the way the author explained quite a bit of details from the girl's past. For example, she explained the Goddess Game in pieces as the story went along. It was in a way that was appropraite for that part in the story and you could understand it. I think if it was explained all at once it would be to much to digest without the other parts of the current story. If that makes sense. I hope it does. There are so many other parts in the story that I enjoyed (hint hint Ethan) but I don't want to give away details. This is a no spoiler page here.

There were a couple of parts during the story I thought were a bit tedious. It didn't really provide details or information to the plotline. They could have been condensed a bit. I just skimmed over those parts to make sure I didn't miss anything important 🤣 I liked almost all of the characters but didn't expect it to end the way that it did. I hope there is a sequel. At least a novella length because I want to know what happens between Naomi and Ethan.

Read this Book if:
🪵 You like a book with the characters full of secrets
🪵 You don't have any trigger warnings. (they aren't overly graffic IMO but they are definately mentioned)
🪵 you like unpredictable endings

For decades, three girls kept a secret that has haunted them ever since. After being brutally attacked in the woods as a child, Naomi and her friends have tried to move on. Going so far as to change her name to get some peace from the notoriety of being a survivor of a serial killer attack, Naomi is trying to carve out a spot for herself in the world.

But after shocking news, one of the girls wants to talk and they are all faced with a web of lies that has spun out of control.

A perceptive look at friendship, loyalty, and betrayal awaits you as you race to a shocking conclusion in Marshall's adult debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the [publisher] for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For holiday reading I usually stick to happy romcoms, but sometimes you just want to cozy up to a good, creepy mystery/thriller.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall is just the ticket.

This is the story of three 11-year-old girls who survive an incredibly violent attack in their small Pacific NW town, and ID a serial killer and put him in jail. But then find themselves unable to escape either their own notoriety or their web of lies.

A profound look at trust, friendship, and learning to live with your past. A fast read, but one I will be thinking about for many months to come.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

I’ve read all of Marshall’s YA books and I was really excited for her first adult debut. She didn’t let me down.
Three girls spend a summer exploring the woods, playing the Goddess Game but when a brutal attack occurs, the lines are blurred and the event’s of that fateful summer are brought out into the open.

This one has a helluva twisty plot and one fierce narrator in Naomi. Secrets and betrayal are at the heart of this chilling thriller and it’s a hard one to put down.

My thanks to Flatiron Books for the gifted copy.

What Lies in the Woods is set in Washington State on the Olympic Peninsula. The setting is one of the best parts of What Lies in the Woods.

Our main character’s tragic story left her with scars and with attention, including the interest of true crime podcasters and true crime theorists on the internet.

Violence reached a small town in the Pacific Northwest and three 11-year-old girls found their lives changed forever. The girls’ friendship dynamic is a focus of the story, too.

If you like to read about unsolved crimes, murder mysteries, and the long-term effects of violent crimes and trauma, you may want to try What Lies in the Woods. I wasn’t fully drawn in to the story until about 30%, but I was turning the pages by 50%. There are multiple twists, and I predicted a couple of them, but not all of them.