I am generally not a reader of thrillers, but I could not put this book down.

Naomi, after suffering a harrowing incident as an eleven year old girl, witnessed by her two best friends, comes home when her perpetuator dies in prison. But the girls haven't always told the truth about everything that happened so many years ago.

The layers in narrative were incredible, unpredictable, and overall compelling. I loved Naomi's characterization and her survival instincts after so many things could have continuously knocked her down.

So many well thought out twists and turns, such an enjoyable read.

Oh my! My friends, you’re guaranteed to sleep lights on at least for months after reading this ultra disturbing, extra wild ride!

Kate Alicia Marshall returned back with different, jaw dropping adult thriller/ horror to whisper to your ears nightmarish fairy tales before you go to bed and suffer from night terrors!

What the actual heck I just read! So twisty, surprising, dark, tense, mind blowing but also scaring the daylights out of you!

Three little girls who are from different circles, playing a goddess game in the woods at the age of eleven after they found their secret and sacred thing left behind the boulder. Their rituals, sacrifices were bizarre. The last memorable summer of them tainted with a extremely violent and traumatic event!

Naomi- Cassidy- Olivia went to the woods. Naomi got attacked, suffering from 17 knife stabs as the other girls ran away, thinking their friend was already dead.

But Naomi Shaw is a survivor, a miracle child who stayed alive.

Three girls testified against a serial killer and sent him to the jail.

25 years later Naomi is trapped in a relationship she’s suffocating, shooting wedding photos to make ends meet, still suffering from invisible scars and the monsters lurking around in the shadows. She gets the news that the man who has been rooting in prison for trying to kill her is finally dead because of cancer.

Olivia keeps calling her to talk something important. Her urgency pushes Naomi to drive through the hell she’s escaping. She’s going back to hometown to meet her hoarder dad who is getting threatened to evacuate his house. She also reunites with her childhood best friends.

Olivia summoned her to convince about coming clean about the secret they kept: Persephone! That Greek goddess related with something they have been keeping as secret nearly 3 decades.

Cas and Naomi have hesitations to tell the truth and tell Olive wait for a little till things get soothed. She has too much to lose if the secret finally comes out!

Naomi still feels guilty because she deeply knows the man she’s sent to prison may not be the person who had stabbed her and there’s a podcast guy named Ethan already suspects about her testimony. He puts pressure on her to make an interview.

Naomi has a lot secrets she has to keep for her friend circle’s sake but unfortunately she will find herself in more dangerous situations. Once again she may fight to survive as the piled secrets and big mysteries start to unfold slowly!

Oh boy: ending was shocking! I never saw it coming! My blood went cold! This is perfectly written! Most of the characters including Naomi, flawed, broken but interestingly easy to empathize with!

Giving my shocking, shivering, horrifying five stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall was a fantastic novel!
I think I read this in under 24 hours. I was quickly drawn into
Admittedly, I guessed some aspects of the plot pretty early on. But it says a lot about a book and the writing that I was still completely enthralled and couldn't put it down. I loved how everything played out in the end.
Super suspenseful and thrilling!
There were so many intriguing, delicious twists throughout the book that you are constantly kept on your feet with your head spinning.
A well written story which had me flipping through my Kindle for hours. When the ending came, my mind was 🤯
It has something for everyone and is definitely a book I will be recommending to everyone!!
If you like a twisty, tense murder mystery/thriller that is an unputdownable thriller.. this one was a really compelling story and you should read it!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Flatiron Books,
Thank you for your generosity and gifting a copy of this approved eARC!

Cass, Liv, and Naomi are three best friends who play made up goddess games in the woods until one day darkness enters the forest. Naomi is left for dead on the forest floor after being stabbed 17 times. She survives and along with her three best friends they help send a serial killer to prison. BUT there are many secrets still hidden in the small town of Chester.

This book blew my mind! I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. Every time I thought I had it figured out there was another twist. There wasn't one single "villain" in this book so it definitely wasn't easy to figure out what actually happened. It had me guessing until the end and that's what I want in a thriller/mystery book!

I would 1000% recommend this book to a friend. It was a heart pounding thriller that has you thinking about it even after you turn the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an excellent and well written suspense thriller! It had some great twists at the end that I didn’t see coming. It was so good!

(It did cover some serious topics and could be triggering for some people.)

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

336 pages

5 stars

Three eleven-year old girls become best friends and make a pact to spend the summer enjoying a fantasy game. Cass comes up with a fairy tale style game where the girls will make “sacrifices” to Persephone. They choose the names of Greek goddesses for themselves. Naomi gathers things she finds about the house and the game begins.

They go to a place in the woods they call the grotto where they come upon something horrific. They don’t tell anyone. They still haven’t spoken a word twenty-two years later.

One day, when Naomi is alone in the woods, Cass and Liv are down by the pond, she is viciously attacked. She was stabbed several times. After being found and waking up in the hospital, she remembers nothing.

Naomi is beset by problems arising from the attack and all that came before. Cassidy “Cass” is the one who holds the group together and has a need to make everything alright. Olivia “Liv” has always been fragile and has had a lifetime of issues.


Twenty-two years later the women are still pretty much a mess. While Cass is holding it together, at least on the outside, Naomi flits from unsuitable man to unsuitable man. Liv is chronically depressed.

When the man they all accused dies in prison of cancer, the women decide to get together. Liv wants to tell the world about Persephone.

What follows are lies, collusion within the sheriff’s office, more secrets and even murder. Naomi hardly knows where to when she meets a podcaster named Ethan. Trust is a major issue for Naomi.

The more they uncover, the more Naomi feels like a ping pong ball. But she is determined to find the answers to her questions.

I cannot do justice to this book through any review. It is wonderful. Three tortured women fighting with their secrets. One must have the truth, the others are wary. Perhaps too wary; perhaps with good reason. The ending of this novel will blow you away. Surprises abound. I could not read the book fast enough.I felt sorry for all the women, and yet I was frustrated with them. Then I found out more and my frustration evaporated. What a book. It will stay in my mind for a very long time. I recommend it to all who like drama, tension, light romance and violence/murder.

I want to thank NetGalley and Flatiron Books for forwarding to me a copy of this remarkable book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a great mystery with twists that consumed me! I had to find out how it ended! From the start, I was drawn in by the roller coaster ride of story about 3 eleven year old girls who experienced a horrible trauma in the woods in their hometown. It's an edge of your read as you try to figure out who did it and what really happened that day in the woods!

I had great empathy for Naomi, who is coping the best she can, which really is not at all, as a result of the attack she suffered. When she returns to her home town to meet with her 2 friends upon discovering that their attacker has died in prison, the story just takes off! There are several twists that I just did not see coming which I loved. Such an amazing read!

HIghly recommend!

Whoa, this one has some twists and turns! At first, I felt I had read this before. Three girls get attacked in the woods, and one left for dead. Years later, secrets come out. It really had familiar vibes to a few others I had read, so, at first, I wasn't super hopeful for a great read. I was wrong! In this book, no one is perfect. Everyone is guilty of something, and when you think you know what is happening, you get the "wait there is more" moment. This book is one that I honestly couldn't put down. I highly recommend this one for anyone readers that always figure it out. This one just might stump you! (Received ARC from NetGalley for review).

……….Um……I……a……man! What Lies in the Woods you ask? A whole hell of a lot. Thrilling, suspenseful, a true mystery. My head is still spinning. I really enjoyed reading this one. Loved the characters even the ones I hated. Kate Alice Marshall created a truly gripping story. Easy to get into and hard to put down. When this story starts to wrap up, you won’t know what hit you. Best of all? The ending. I not often truly happy with an ending but this one warmed my heart.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall is a fast-paced thriller. The story was engaging and drew me in immediately. Full of intrigue, mystery, suspicion and deceit, this book kept me turning pages late into the night. The numerous twists and turns culminated in an explosive ending. Thoroughly enjoyable!

I was immediately hooked and read this in one sitting. I figured out how some things would connect together but there were other things that I did not see coming, which I appreciate as sometimes it's not as fun to read when you figure out who did what and why early on. The ending felt fitting but also a little heartbreaking.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Something bad happened to a little girl years ago and she has no memory of it, so she relied on her friends to fill in the blanks, but present day, some new things have come to light which has her question the whole truth of exactly what happened. This book was a great psychological thriller with a little bit of horror mixed in. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall. This is my unbiased review.

This novel was such a consuming read. I was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it and wondered where the author was going to go with this story. I thought I had it figured out early on, but I was wrong. I do love when that happens!

Naomi, Cassidy and Olivia have been best friends since they were little girls. One horrible day someone stabbed one of them and the other two went for help. Years later when the man convicted had died, questions still remain. The girl who was stabbed lost most of her memories of that day and has relied on her friends and people in their small town to fill in the blanks. Some of that is about to change with new people enter their lives and old secrets coming to light... Overall this was very good and even where I had to suspend disbelief, it wasn't so far that it took away from the enjoyment of a story well told. This is one I recommend to any thriller/mystery lover!

What Lies in the Woods is a dark mystery full of red herrings and twists. Naomi is a troubled young woman who survived a horrific stabbing when she was a girl. She and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, were playing in the woods one day when she was attacked by a man and left for dead. Her friends saw it happen and went for help, then identified the attacker, who turned out to be a serial killer. This trauma bonds the three for life..

In the present day, Naomi learns that the man they identified as her attacker has died in prison. She feels a mix of emotions, and is shortly contacted by his son, who is convinced that his dad was NOT her attacker (although fully convinced that he was, indeed, a serial killer). Naomi begins to question her own memories, and returns to her hometown when Olivia calls her in a panic with a cryptic message. There, she finally starts to question her past, her memories, her friendships.

This is a pretty wild ride. It was a lot of fun to read. Good psychological horror.

This drew me in pretty fast, which is hard for an author to do. The thing is, I slowly was getting less intrigued by the page because it was a bit too drawn out for me. This could have been a lot shorter and accomplished even more. The story was still a good one though and it had plenty of surprises with it's conclusion. This is a sad, dark story that leaves you kind of depressed. But if a book is able to do that, then mission accomplished. Three Stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC.

Naomi, Olivia, and Cassidy love to play the goddess game in the woods. They are eleven, and enjoying their summer. But their summer is cut short when Naomi is brutally attacked. She miraculously survives and is able to identify the attacker. A serial killer that was sent away to prison based on all three girls testimonies. The girls are all heroes, and survivors. But they lied about something. Question is: what did they lie about? If the truth comes out, what will happen?

What I loved :
- I was instantly sucked into this book from Chapter One. I had to know what really happened in the woods. What were they lying about? I couldn’t put it down! I needed to know.
- The setting gives me the creepy, small town, dark vibes. But I am here for it! I think it adds an interesting layer to the story. Everyone knows everyone. But the town harbors quite a few secrets.
- Ah, this one kept me guessing all through the end. I couldn’t figure this one out. Which I enjoyed because most thrillers i have read recently have been quite predictable
- The twists! I can’t get over that ending…

This book is absolutely a murder mystery/thriller. But it also touches base on the dynamics of female friendships. The writing was well done and the pacing was spot on. I spent a whole day sick in best just reading this book. I cannot recommend it enough. I can’t wait to share it with my book club. 4 stars out of 5. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC.

What an engaging plot that kept my interest! Started a little slow for me but gathered momentum towards the second half. There are a lot of characters to keep track of...everyone in the small town seemed to be a possible suspect in the attack of an 11 year old girl in the woods. It got a little confusing towards the end when the truth was slowly revealed but it all came together nicely. Enough information was given by the author to solve a couple of the mysteries but nice ending. Would definitely recommend.

This was a great suspense book. I loved the interpersonal dynamics and surprises along the way. I am not a huge fan of intense police involvement, and this book gave offered just enough.

What Lies in the Woods is a chilling story with not only unpredictable twists and turns but also intense, multidimensional characters. The novel tells the story of three girls who lie and send a man to prison for attacking one of them in the woods. As the book progresses, the true story unfolds and the darkness in the different characters is revealed. Present throughout the story are themes about loyalty, trust, and self-preservation.

This book has a unique plot that progresses in a very gripping manner. Kate Alice Marshall does a fantastic job of giving the reader enough clues and information for them to piece parts of the story together themselves, while also delivering a shocking and intense ending.

I’ll admit, it took me a second to get into the rhythm of reading this book. There is a great deal of information presented in the first few pages and it was a little overwhelming. Once I figured the characters and story out a little better, it then became intriguing. I also noticed there weren’t chapter titles or numbers which definitely made the information seem more dense at the beginning of the book. That being said, as the story progressed and I became more hooked, the structure didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall. The characters were engaging and unexpected. Each one brought something unique to the story and had purpose. The plot was suspenseful, creative, and well crafted. After finishing this book, I was emerged in the ending and it made me want to immediately reread everything and see what clues I had missed reading the first time through.

I received an ARC of, What Lies in the Woods, by Kate Alice Marshall. Naomi and Cass have a lot of secrets none of them good, what will happen when if the secrets come out? It was a nice read, but it would be better without the swearing.