The Woods are Waiting is a mysterious, dark, fast-paced book. I found it so creepy and intriguing, and I truly didn't know what was going to happen next. I even dreamed about the characters while reading the book. I just kept trying to figure it out!

I really liked this book! It was creepy and unpredictable. I love stories set in the woods or having to do with woods and that is where the majority of the action takes place here. The supernatural element was spooky and the twist was great!


Nestled at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, the small town of Blue Cliff Virginia has a deep, dark history. Children have been going missing for years. Five years prior, three children were found in the woods. Cheyenne grew up in those woods with her eccentric mother. She was raised to believe there was an evil entity that stalks the woods.

Jasper Clinton, a stranger to the town was convicted of the crimes. The town breathed a sigh of relief with the monster behind bars, that is until another child goes missing. Cheyenne and her friends are determined to figure out what is going on. They are not prepared for what they uncover.

"Keep silver in your pockets;
Walk with dirt in your shoes"
"Stay away from the hickories;
Stay away from the trees"

To sum up the novel in three words: eerie, shocking, mind-blowing

The Woods Are Waiting is a creepy and atmospheric thriller set in a small town in Blue Cliff with superstition and dark eerie vibes. There's been a few cases of children unexpectedly dissappear in the woods and was later found dead (or possibly murder). It's the boogeyman in the woods, says the townsfolk, whereas some claims it's an outsider living in the town.

When there's another case involved, plus the mental health of Cheyenne's mom is worsening, she's forced to go back to the hometown where she escaped the hauting past years ago. Now, Cheyenne and her best friend--Natalie are planning to dig out the truth behind the mystery of vanishing children, not knowing their lives might be in danger.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Bones for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

An atmospheric, dark thriller in the same vein as Small Angels and Jackal about the monster living In the woods. I wish the story had focused more on the Ashby history and folklore of the Hickory Man and less on relationship drama. I thought the author did a good job creating the small town vibe (beliefs, traditions, superstitions, etc.) and bringing the characters living in Blue Cliff to life. Overall, the writing kept me engaged - a solid debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a surprise for me! I was tricked by the pretty cover and immediately was hooked into this. This book creeped me out in the best way. I had to watch a funny movie afterwards to cleanse myself. I think this is my new favorite thriller!

A solid debut thriller! The author did a great job setting up an eerie atmosphere which made it difficult putting the book down. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!

Creepy, claustrophobic, dark, eerie: I’m not talking about my soul, I’m talking about this book that absolutely matches with my bleak mood!

The opening of the story literally made the little hairs of my neck stand on! I shivered and barely restrained my inner screams! That nursery rhyme and bleak description of lost boys scared the living daylights out of me!

The dark atmosphere, slow burn pacing, well built characterization picked my interest. I didn’t want to put it down! Absolutely a solid read for lovers of slow burn, scary, mysteries with supernatural vibes!

Let’s take a quick look at the plot: Imagine a small town in the foothills of Appalachian mountains.
Cheyenne Ashby left her town Blue Cliff, Virginia, trying to forget the town’s dark history and haunted past. Growing up with mentally not stable mother who performs unusual and eccentric customs related with the evil entity lurking in the woods where their house has been built already ruined her childhood memories.

Five years ago, three missing children’s bodies were found in the woods and a man named Jasper Clifton was arrested for brutal murders. But is he the perpetrator of those bloody crimes or the real reason about brutal deaths of children was linked with a supernatural entity!
Cheyenne returns back to town when another child gets missing. She needs to dig out the harsh truth to find out what is really going on at her small town!

Conclusion of the story was solid. I still feel like some of my questions were still not answered. But overall it is good, slow burn, atmospheric thriller that you don’t want to miss!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Well enough, but a little flat. You can definitely tell what she's going for, and I'm not willing to say she doesn't achieve it, on some level at least. But...eh, yeah, kind of...flat.

The Woods Are Waiting by Katherine Green is an atmospheric thriller with underlying supernatural vibes. A young boy has gone missing in a small mountain town, where children have a habit of going missing. Cheyenne left town five years ago after the last string of missing children, but has returned due to her mother's increasing mental instability in the wake a a newly missing boy. Some of the town blames a man who was new to town, others in town blame the local boogeyman.
I loved the beginning of this book; The opening nursery rhyme and the descriptions of the three missing children really set the creepy mood. I enjoyed the mystery, and the possibly supernatural elements of the story. I did find that sometimes dialogue was used by characters in lieu of the author describing an event or situation, which can sometimes create an unnaturally flowing conversation. Mostly though, I found The Woods Are Waiting to be a solid read that I would recommend to readers who enjoy creepy thrillers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy of The Woods Are Waiting in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This was an atmospheric, eerie slow burn that mostly achieved what it wanted to do. The writing was the highlight, as I could feel the tension within the town and the claustrophobia it created for the characters. I was expecting more time focused on the investigation, and I was disappointed it was relegated to the middle end. I also felt for the characters. However, at times they felt juvenile and flat. Also, there was some repetition which dragged the story down. I sympathized with them (especially the mom), but they just weren't that compelling. The only compelling character was the villain.

I also felt that the end was wrapped up exceptionally conveniently. Some pieces weren't addressed, and while I get that this leaves things open-ended, it did feel like things weren't developed as well to at least address some of the loose ends.

Overall, not a bad mystery, and the writing, especially engaged me and made me want to figure out the monster.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

So amazing! Without giving anything away, the mystery felt like a grown up version of Scooby Doo (no gang though). A supernatural element with a very real crime.

This is probably my favorite book out of the last 10 I've read.... I struggled to put it down at night in order to go to sleep. I live right below the Georgia part of the Appalachian mountains, and found the descriptions in the book, particularly of Blue Cliff, sounded quite.... familiar. I, too, grew up surrounded by what some would consider "strange" stories, customs, and superstitions, and for some reason, spent this entire book thoroughly convinced that the Hickory Man had been killing children for decades. Has he, though? I'll stop there, before I give anything away, but will say that I lived this book, will recommend it to anyone who will listen, and look HARD for future titles by this author.

First, Stephen King made the world afraid of clowns and now we are going to be really scared of nursery rhymes!

Get ready for it when the book comes out next year!

The writing! Chef’s kiss! I stayed up whole night reading the book and it’s we all need when we read a thriller suspense book.

The writing is so good. It’s haunting. It’s lyrical (wasn’t expecting it of course!). It’s memorable. It’s playful. It’s almost sinful.

It’s the story of two women who seems to know the darkest stories of their hometown. Someone or possibly a monster is killing children in the woods. Now they are going to find out some ugly truths behind these disturbing crimes.

The execution is so well done you will see. Short chapters. Interesting characters. Atmospheric feels during the entire read. A much welcome read for murder mystery thriller lovers.

If you love We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, definitely go for this book.

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books, for the advance reading copy.

This is a tough one to rate. I liked the poem; it set things off perfectly. I liked the "Him" POV. I was dying to know more. I loved the dark atmosphere that wove through this story. I didn't like most of the characters. I didn't enjoy most of the monologue. And all in all it felt more like a YA.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

Oh wow! First of all, solid 4 stars for me! The little rhyme in the beginning gave me the creeps and I knew it was a sign that this was going to be good. I honestly don't understand the bad reviews or the "average" reviews. It had a creepy atmosphere from the beginning, the monster or "him" always being referenced and you want to keep going to figure out what it is. I will say, the characters annoyed me a little bit but I was able to look over it. I loved the story, writing, and intrigue. Definitely picking up a physical copy.

Average thriller that is part Whisper Man and part folk tradition/horror. But there's a lot of dead children and that's...not always want I want to read about.

The book is a decently written but didn't need two POVs and actually might've benefited from not having a first person narration to condense the story down. When the town villain is finally revealed, there's a lot of repetitious Disney villain monologuing that obscures the horror of what has been going on in that town for decades. There's some obvious plot holes that the town could sink into (and maybe should).

ARC from NetGalley.
Meh, That is about all I can say. Not horrible, but sort of juvenile and silly. Not horrible,but not great.

Blue Cliff, Virginia is an odd little town, cloaked in secrets and legends, stories of evil creatures that haunt the local forests. It’s a big part of the reason Cheyenne Ashby left as soon as she could. It’s been five years since Jasper Clinton was jailed for the murders of three children found in the woods; but now another child has disappeared. Cheyenne and her childhood friend Natalie decide to parse through the old stories and legends to uncover the truth about Blue Hill, even if the answers turn out to be more than they bargained for. Small town creepiness and a relatable heroine

What is it about the woods that frighten children? What is it about a novel set in the woods that can frighten the reader? The recipe for this mystery thriller has it all…woods…missing children…murders…unlikable characters…distrust..superstition…it is all there for the makings of a cannot put down novel. This gifted author kept me hooked, and despite the red herrings, I finally discerned the guilty party. Friendship and family…love and romance…secondary themes that bring the book together with characters who come alive on the pages. This is a quick read. Don’t miss it? This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks also to the publisher and the author. I look forward to more books by this author.