I recently had the pleasure of diving into The Woods Are Waiting, an atmospheric read that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The author's skillful storytelling and ability to create tension and suspense had me hooked from the very first page. What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The pacing was perfect, making it hard to put the book down once I started reading. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a creepy ride filled with suspense, mystery, and unexpected surprises. It's a must-read for fans of the genre!

The Woods are Waiting is a fast paced thriller, that is well written and tries but doesn't quite succeed to get under your skin. The concept of an entity in the woods, preying on children, is inherently creepy and should work here, but just never quite reaches the level of unease it should. It's also too easy to figure out the twist well in advance of the big reveal, which makes some moments that would be otherwise unsettling fall a bit flat. Again, the writing itself is good and the characters are great; the story just needed to be a little bit stronger for this one to really be a standout thriller for me.

Thrillers. They’re what’s for breakfast….Seriously though, who doesn’t love a good thriller (besides people who aren’t into thrillers obviously)? I for one, am a huge fan of thrillers. They’re in my top three favorite genres. Honestly, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this one. I have a really bad habit of choosing a book without reading the synopsis (I know, I know, I’m terrible). I actually tend to go more with the cover and/or the title of the book. I’m not entirely sure why, other than maybe it allows me to open my mind and not have any expectations. It’s a more heightened element of surprise I guess you could say. This one definitely heightened the element of surprise. The premise was very intriguing and while I didn’t get any sort of real connection with the characters, it didn’t hold back from my overall experience. To be honest, I thought that either a ghost or some sort of paranormal entity behind the missing children with all the creepy small town tales that are circulating the community. Very well played. It did take a bit to get into the book and the ending wasn’t as strong as I was expecting, but it was a pretty good book.
Thank you Netgalley, Katherine Green and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Two best friends who have gone their own ways until one is called back home. That is the story of Cheyenne and Natalie. Cheyenne left and hoped to never return, but she does.
The thing is ever since they were kids, there have been reports of missing kids and kids being killed especially in the woods. Someone had been arrested already, but they had just been released from Prision. Cheyenne and Natalie team up to get to the proof.

Ok things I liked:
Very quick read with a slow build though to bring the reader up to speed
enjoyed the small town feel in this book although that was a good and bad thing
I did like the relationship between the two characters at times.
It did have a sense of thrill to it

Things I didn't like
Plot Holes that never made sense
Easy to sort of figure out. Meaning the twist was not a surprise to me
sometimes things were very over played such as Cheyenne's annoyance of having to come homee

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

The Woods are Waiting by Katherine Greene is a slow paranormal thriller set in the Appalachian mountains. In this small little town kids are told do not go into the woods, or the hickory man will get you, but of course kids don't listed. Throughout this towns history kids have ended up dead in the woods, often in pairs of 3. Though that all changed 5 years ago when it turned out a man was arrested for the murder of the kids. It seemed like the mystery was solved and there was no evil prescense in the woods after all. But when the man gets released after new evidence found him innocent, the murders start again. What is happening in these woods?

Overall this wasn't great. The characters were quite flat and one-dimensional. The 2 main PoVs were so incredibly similar that i had a hard time keeping them apart, their voices were basically identical. The insane amount of skepticism and willingness to ignore everything that was happening by basically everyone really bothered me. If kids are disappearing and ending up murdered for almost 200+ years, always in pairs of 3s there must be something going on right? but nobody really went to investigate, no FBI investigations or anything.
The writing was easy to read but nothing really special. I often felt myself reaching towards my phone to check social media instead of continuing this book, which for me is a really bad sign.

My sincerest apologies for the delayed review! Thank you kindly to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC! I enjoyed this one and can't believe I waited so long to read it. I love that the author is a duo and these two pair well together. Plus, who doesn't love a creepy, small-town mystery?

This was a quick read, with great characters, but it was definitely darker than I was expecting. Overall an entertaining read! 3.5 stars rounded down.

A very creepy and atmospheric book from page one. Even the nursery rhyme set me off! Clever writer draws you in straight away whilst also making you guess. I’m a bit of a coward and did find it scary! Recommended to my bracer friends!

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. The opinions are my own and freely given.

The Ashby's own the town. The are one of the oldest families in Blue Cliff, Virginia and Cheyenne couldn't wait to leave. But when the sheriff, a dear family friend calls and tells her that her mother, Constance isn't doing well, she comes back. Cheyenne left without a word to her friends and boyfriend.

Five years ago, 3 children were found dead in the woods. The woods, that Constance swears has a mythical beast living in, but a man was put in prison for these murders, and now that he has been released, children are starting to disappear again.

I spent most of this book wondering if this was a paranormal story. But Cheyenne and her best friend Natalie team up and try to put the truth together. I really enjoyed this book. It was a page turner that kept me wondering what was going on, and who could be the killer of these children, and why?

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books.

Set against the eerie backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains, the novel beckons readers into the enigmatic world of Blue Cliff, Virginia, but the journey, while intriguing, lacks the shiver-inducing thrill one might expect.

The story centers on Cheyenne Ashby, who returns to her hometown haunted by childhood memories and local legends of an evil entity in the woods. Greene's portrayal of Blue Cliff is atmospheric, painting a town where superstitions are as thick as the forest fog. The premise is tantalizing – a blend of folklore and true crime – but the execution stumbles in its pacing and depth.

Greene's attempt to weave the town's sinister past with the present mystery is ambitious. The narrative, however, often feels caught between wanting to be a deep psychological thriller and a folklore-driven mystery, mastering neither. The characters of Cheyenne and Natalie are well-introduced but their development throughout the story feels superficial, lacking the emotional complexity needed to truly connect with the reader.

The twist of a child's disappearance reawakens the town's fears and secrets, setting the stage for a gripping exploration of the interplay between myth and reality. Yet, as the plot unfolds, it becomes predictable, missing opportunities to delve deeper into the dark folklore that could have given the story a unique edge.

In conclusion, 'The Woods are Waiting' is a decent debut that offers glimpses of potential in its atmospheric setting and the intertwining of superstition and crime. However, it falls short of the gripping, edge-of-your-seat suspense expected from the genre, making it a lukewarm read that scores 2.75 stars. It's a book that brushes the surface of a haunting tale but doesn't quite dive into the depths of darkness that would make it unforgettable.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this one, but I unfortunately could not get through it. I might pick it up again, but the story telling was a bit choppy for me.

Slow burn, atmospheric novel twisted up in the local folklore of a small mountain town. I found it hard to believe that in modern-day people would "fall for this", but it was still a good read. Some bits didn't flow together right for me. As I am writing this review, I see that the "author" is actually two authors, and that might be why. I'm not usually a fan of multiple-author books because of the risk of inconsistency.

A one sitting read. I could not stop turning the pages on this one. Cheyenne returns to her home town following a call from the chief saying that she’s needed by her mother. By Cheyenne is haunted by her home and her past. Cheyenne is forced to confront the legends of the Hickory Man and the numerous confirmed deaths of children in her hometown. When another child goes missing, it sends Cheyenne and her mother back into the past. Cheyenne is forced to reconnect with those she hurt by leaving town without warning including her best friend Natalie and her lover, Jack. As pieces come to light and a one convicted murderer is set free, Cheyenne and her friends are forced to confront the truth of their hometown and the lies before them. A fast paced thriller that I’m going to be recommending all over.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a slow burn! I loved the story and can’t wait to read more from her in the future! Creepy Appalachia will always be a favorite of mine!

I struggled with this one as it was very slow. I gave up after 25%. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this fun and atmospheric book. However, the reason that it is not a full five stars for me is because it was a real sllloooowww burn, not necessarily a bad thing, but personally I prefer a faster pace in my thriller books. This is not saying that I did not enjoy this book or that I don't recommend it, because I had a blast reading it and really enjoyed it, however if you are considering reading this one just go into it knowing that it is slow moving. I did enjoy the ending and the characters as well. Overall, this was a stellar debut!

I only read a couple chapters of The Woods are Waiting by Katherine Greene. I loved the idea of the book but I struggle to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Woods are Waiting by Katherine Greene is all about a small town that is very sinister.

I would give The Woods are Waiting by Katherine Greene a 1.5 star review because I loved the description but the actual reading wasn't what I expected.

A wonderfully eerie story of how tradition and folklore still rule some remote corners of what most would consider a civilized world. As her mother's health declines, her belief in the old ways increases and manages to settle into the hearts of Cheyenne and Natalie. They escaped this darkness filled forest once but it's not going to let them go again. A great story line that moves quickly between a real killer and the beliefs that the forest spirits can kill.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

This was a bit of a slow burn and I ended up turning to the audio version, which is very well done. I am still listening to it and will review it on goodreads once finished. Thank you for my arc.