Thank you NetGallery & McMillan Audio for allowing me the opportunity to listen to this book.

This book had so many twists and turns. Just when you thought you knew where it was going the author added another twist. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, I couldn't stop listening.

Can't wait to read something else from this author.

This was pleasantly surprising, the plot twists were satisfactory and the narration was great. I would've liked more time spent on the ending, and I wasn't a big fan of the climax scene because the MC was somewhat passive, but overall this was a very strong suspense and I would recommend it to fans of Alice Feeney and Candice Fox.

I just finished this engaging thriller last night ! #whatliesintheWoods is an atmospheric thriller, set in the woods, timeframe: the 90s, back when #witches and #goddesses were something kids and teens were obsessed with. In this story by #katealicemarshall three best friends: Naomi, Cassidy, and Olivia at age 11 explore the woods, playing their goddess game, doing lil rituals trying to invoke magic. Before the end of summer, Naomi would be brutally attacked by a serial killer, stabbed 17 times, barely surviving but scarred for life - inside and out. 20 years later she returns home and meets those demons head on - the memories of that horrible time - how her friends were there for her - how her dad had trouble coping with life in general let alone this tragedy, and she starts to doubt her memories. What she winds up doing is reinvestigating all of the events that happened which sets off a chain of events involving the murder of her friends and her own second brush with death. This story went places that I really did not see coming. And for reasons that are as simple as : self-preservation at all costs.
It’s amazing to me how complex and fluid our ethics can be when we feel it’s us against another, even if it’s someone we love. This book has a lot of complex flawed characters and I loved that. I really enjoyed Naomi as a character and the audiobook was brilliantly narrated by @karissavacker - one of my favorite narrators! I’m giving this book a 5 star on Goodreads - this just published in Jan 23 - check it out- I highly recommend!
Thank you @macmillan.audio @flatiron_books @netgalley !!

As a young child, Naomi Shaw found magic in the woods. The otherworldliness of the surroundings and the infectious spirit of the place completely engrossed her imagination. What began as the germ of an idea soon became something more tangible. Naomi recruited her best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, to join her in the woods. The trifecta practiced their Goddess Game, conjuring their own version of magic. The treetops transforming into a grand cathedral ceiling became the home of their spiritual ceremony. The summer of wonder was soon interrupted by a brutal attack. A man invaded their place in the woods. Naomi was stabbed 17 times but lived to identify her attacker. The man was charged with her attempted murder and the killings of 6 other young women. The girls were heroes.

Years later, Naomi is still haunted by the trauma of that fateful summer in the woods. The scars on her face are a physical reminder of the tragedy she endured. The real trauma, however, isn't something that can be seen. It's the guilt that she's harbored ever since she identified the man who attacked her. The attacker's death in his jail cell reopens old wounds, forcing Naomi and the other girls to grapple with what they did. You see, they lied about seeing him attack on that fateful night. Now they'll have to reckon with the truth of what really happened deep within the woods.

In What Lies in the Woods, Kate Alice Marshall conjures a tale of childhood innocence, generational trauma, and the complexities of the criminal justice system. Her publisher provided me with a copy of the book to listen to, and I was pleased to see that Karissa Vacker was narrating. Her reading of the work perfectly captured Marshall's atmospheric prose, allowing the characters and their chilling story to whisper off of the pages. Marshall employs a past/present perspective through shifting chapters that reveal bits of the truth in tantalizingly suspenseful bites. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that one of the characters in this book was named Ethan, the second book that I've read in a row to do so. I always get a kick out of that! Overall, the book unfolds at a deliberate pace, allowing the characters the room they need to come to terms with their chilling transgressions. I was completely thrilled by What Lies in the Woods.

Kate Alice Marshall knew what she was doing when she wrote this! This is the first time I have read something by here and I plan to read some more of her work. What Lies in the Woods is definitely a book I will add to my annual reads because this was well-written and beautifully executed.

Naomi is the survivor of a vicious attack that changed the town of Chester. With her friends Cassidy and Olivia, a secret was kept amongst them... until Olivia decided she couldn't keep the secret any longer. I had an idea of what happened, but I still enjoyed listening to the story unfold. There were some plot twists that had me like, "Whoaaaa! What?!" I listened to the audiobook and appreciated the narrator for not sounding monotone. As an educator, this is definitely a book that I will recommend to my students and other fellow book readers.

Y'all. I loved this story. There are so many secrets, so many players and so many twists and turns! I feel like a lot of these kinds of books can be at least a little predictable, but I absolutely did not see this one coming.

To be fair, there were one or two small twists that I had kind of suspected, but overall I was surprised by so much more. I don't want to give away too much as I hate spoilers, but this is a very very good read.

As far as narration, at first, I wasn't sure if I would love the narrator. Literally at first. The first maybe 3 minutes I thought were way too slow. But after that, it turns out that I actually kind of loved her. She does such a great job and you could almost imagine she was telling her own true story.

I love the main character Naomi. This is a woman who has been through so much in her life, and while she is definitely a little rough around the edges, I admire her ability to not shy away from what happened to her. Yes, she probably has a lot of very unhealthy coping mechanisms. I mean, not probably, she definitely does. But I love the fact that she is very adamant about not hiding her scars. By the end of this book, you realize just how strong this woman really is, and for me, it was inspiring.

Ethan is one of the twists I had expected, and regardless of what he did, I actually adore him too. He very much has his own hidden agenda but I really think he cares a lot about Naomi. And I don't know, he seems like a really nice guy.

Overall loved this book. I would recommend to anyone who likes a good mystery that isn't super predictable.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator did a great job to keep my engaged. The plot was interesting and kept me engrossed throughout the entire time. The book starts somewhat slow but quickly speeds up and you’ll want to read it all with the lights on, lol.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

4.5 stars rounded up!
I received an alc of this book and wow the narration was superb. The story itself is very atmospheric taking place in the woods, going back and forth in time 22 years ago.
She was the one who sent the serial killer to prison for life when she was 11 years old, but she has always never been completely sure if he was the man who tried to kill her all those years ago also. He has died in prison and now she is returning to the scene of the crime and to her 11 year old best friends.

Dark and Twisted! Will definitely be reading more by this author.

Many years ago, three best friends found something in the woods that they choose to keep to themselves and not tell anyone else about. A terrible crime happened in those woods as well and a man was convicted and died in prison for that crime. But those girls are hiding something and when they come back together in their small hometown, secrets won't stay hidden and more than one crime is revealed and made clear.

What I loved:
- the setting - small, nowhere town, easy to imagine and relate to
- I liked the main character, Naomi, and I enjoyed how her relationship with Ethan came to be and develop.
- medium-paced plot that moved along at just the right speed for me
- Loved the twists! I never saw them coming and I gasped out loud! Well done!

4.5 stars rounded up

This was a great thriller to start the year off with. Naomi is a wonderfully flower character who I grew to love after a couple of hundred pages. I’ll admit, it too me a while to warm up to her, but I think that’s the magic of this book—the characters feel real.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this audiobook for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book. The narrator did a great job! Normally when I read a mystery/thriller I can usually guess the ending. This book had so many twists and turns. I kept changing my mind about what was going to happen and I was still wrong. I will definitely look for more books by this author and this narrator.

This was such a fabulous thriller. Loved listening to it and although I predicted one of the twists there were still so many at the end my jaw dropped. And the MC was amazing. I really enjoyed rooting for her. The audio was awesome too!

I loved the action aspect of this whodunit thriller. Not only does the plot include a serial killer, you get to go down the drama of friendships, family, and all the other traumas in between. The plot was slightly predictable, but all the twists and turns until the end really take you for a ride!

Slow burner. I usually do not like that about thrillers, but this one made you want to keep reading because you wanted to find out what happened. Baby when you get to the end. Ohhhh childdddd. Go listen while reading!

I enjoyed this book a lot, and it translated very well to audio. Lots of twists, and had me guessing until the end.

What Lies in the Woods

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished this audio just in time for its pub day yesterday!

“What Lies in the Woods” is a thriller following Naomi, who had something horrible happen to her when she was 11 — she was nearly murdered. She helped convict the alleged attacker, but she’s always wondered if she really helped put the right person away. As an adult, truths about that night are coming to light that will change everything…

This one is a mix of “woman comes back to small town years after bad thing happened there” and “podcast guy in town trying to uncover the truth,” so if you liked similar books (“All Good People Here” or “The Last Housewife”), you’ll like this one!

I flew through the audio in only a few sittings, which is always a sign of a good book for me. There are a lot of things going on here, and I had to re-listen to the end to make sure I followed it all. I did guess one of the big twists, but I didn’t guess exactly how the moving pieces would come together.

I will say, some details made me raise my eyebrows about this one. Children hanging onto knuckle bones and decorating a skull w flowers for fun? Weird. Also every conversation w her dad was a major question mark for me - I thought their dynamic was odd and nonchalant for a parent/child (even a parent/child not on great terms!).

That being said, I’m pretty tough on thrillers, and this one is one of the better ones I’ve read in awhile. I always appreciate one that I want to pick up and listen to to figure out what happened, and this one did that!

Three young girls, Naomi, Cassidy and Olivia were best friends and played in the woods when they young. At age 11 Naomi was stabbed 17 times but survived. The girls identified the man responsible and he was also linked to the murders of six women and sent to prison. But was this the man who stabbed Naomi? Twenty two years later the girls are reunited in the small town where it happened and Olivia is ready to dig deeper into what happened that summer but there are people out there that don't want the truth to come out.
This was a twisty thriller and I enjoyed it very much. I never knew what direction it was going was surprised at time with the revelations. Karissa Vacker was the narrator and she did a great job with the female characters but when she read the male characters, all their voices sounded the same to it was a little confusing at times. It would have been better to have a male read the men characters.

This story was chock full of unlikable, thawed characters. Sometimes this takes away from the storyline and makes the book an unenjoyable read. That was not the case with this one. The characters made this story so engaging. And that ending! Kept me guessing the whole way through. I enjoyed the reader of this story.

This was great! I love the twists and the turns. I felt like I was pointing my finger at a lot of people so I didn’t know who to blame. Which was fantastic.

Very entertaining, if you enjoyed books like Flicker in the Dark and Jar of Hearts then you will love this one!

Unreliable characters, great motive, and fast paced.