This one wasn’t quite for me. Maybe if you enjoy more a slow-burn, it may be more of a better fit. It struggled to keep my attention as our two female leads worked to piece together superstition vs. fact regarding a disappearance.

Gives good small town creepy vibes!

Reading Between the Wines book review #77/115 for 2023:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Woods are Waiting
Author: Katherine Green
RELEASES on July 11, 2023!!! Happy Publication Day!

Sipping thoughts: The Woods are Waiting is such a spooky read. Brimming with ghost-like, evil, demonic, cultish superstitions, you will be on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what is happening to the kids in Blue Cliff. What I was expecting is nowhere near what happened but oh was it satisfying. I really enjoyed this read! If you don’t make this your summer read, you have to put it on your Halloween/Fall reads.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @DreamscapeMedia for an advanced copy of @TheWoodsAreWaiting.

#TheWoodsAreWaiting #KatherineGreen #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Book review posted on this link:
https://www.netgalley.com/book/274631/review/679839

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at almost 10 hrs, is narrated by Angie Hickman. Mixed feelings about the experience. While I appreciate her attempt at providing a different voice/accent for each character, some of the accents just got on my nerves. I couldn’t accept how characters from the same small town (and the same racial background) had such different accents from each other. Her voices were good, but the accents went overboard. On the pro side, the only reason I could distinguish between Cheyenne’s and Natalie’s first person povs is the distinct accent Hickman used for them, as they were written almost like a single character in different situations. As this is a slowburn story, the audiobook is still the better way of experiencing it if you want to give it a go.

Blue Cliff, Virginia is a small town full of superstitious traditions and unusual customs rooted in the local lore about the Hickory Man that haunts the woods. 5 years ago three children went missing and were found dead in those woods and Jasper Clinton was convicted for it. But now another child is going missing, so what is legend vs. fact?

The Woods are Waiting was an excellent small-town murder mystery. The characters were well-developed and the legend of the Hickory man was perfectly creepy. The story is not in your face horror, but there are a lot of whimsical eeriness that is very enjoyable and atmospheric. The narrator is one of my new favorites, she really gave the story a voice and set the stage for small town Virginia.

This book is slightly dark and there are elements of child abuse and mental illness, so it may not be for everyone. While I really liked the story, it was not all that mysterious and I knew what was going on rather early.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is rather short and a good thriller. The story was engaging and the only reason it is not rated higher for me is because it was a bit predictable and not as creepy as I prefer. I will definitely be reading other works by this author and certainly listening to other books with this narrator.

This audiobook is based in Blue Cliff, Virginia and is by a debut author, Katherine Greene. It was a slow burn at first but then picked up. I enjoyed this audiobook and want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Looking forward to more by this new author.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC!

I really liked this audio book's narrator, but it got a little confusing between who the main two characters were. Since it was only one narrator the voices were too similar. But I liked the story, it was a creepy slow-burn mystery. With a lot of characters, so many names and people to learn.

🌳🆂🅴🆅🅴🅽 🆃🅷🆁🅸🅻🅻🅸🅽🅶 🆃🅷🅾🆄🅶🅷🆃🆂 🌳
|| 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 by Katherine Greene ||

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?
- Yes, Greene made the story compelling, interesting, and terrifying. I enjoyed the dual POVs between Cheyenne and Natalie.

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁?
- I didn’t like Cheyenne’s fiancé Hunter. He lived under his parent’s thumb and was a true dickhead. He couldn’t communicate with women in a way that was likable or respectful.

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁?
- I would like to meet Jasper Clinton—the man convicted of the “heinous crimes.” I want to look into his eyes of this “outlier of Blue Cliff” and see this evil. At one point in the novel, Natalie even believes she connected to a good part of Jasper and she couldn’t see him ever hurting children.

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:
- “It was one of the hazards of living in such a small town. One person’s tragedy was every person’s tragedy.”
- “These people never learn unless you show ‘em.”
- “We had to face the ugliness in the people we had known our whole lives.”

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻, 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘆?
- Yes, because I live next to woods in my apartment complex so I can only imagine the fear of being alone in the woods or being followed like these characters. Finding the things Chey, Nat, and Jake found near the end were so disturbing that I gasped.

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸’𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁/𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄/𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁?
- The pace was a good slow burn that didn’t force me into boredom or agitation. It helped to build up character, plot, and tension. I couldn’t stop reading the last 100 pages.
-
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗹?
- Prequel: I could most definitely read either about Constance in young adulthood and the expectations of that in Blue Cliff or the actual search, capture, and arrest of Jasper Clinton before Cheyenne leaves.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🍂🍂🍂

Child murders are very important to highlight so kudos to @katherinegreeneauthor for tackling such a challenging subject because it is such an unforgettable tragedy. Taking notice of the evil that lurks right before one's eyes is very necessary today. Evil is everywhere. It was a great thriller that had me glued until the end. I enjoyed the ride, but I am getting out of these woods quick and will not be waiting for The Hickory Man. Thank you to @crookedlanebooks and @dreamscape_media for the gifted book and audio for review.

For a debut novel, it isn’t bad! A good portion of the book is back story so if you like slow burners, this is for you. I found myself wanting the story to hurry along to get to the guts of the plot. The narration was nice and went with the location of the book. It switches back and forth between two women who were best friends growing up. The story is based around the hickory man but eventually it comes to light that a man is behind it all and it’s who you’d least expect. It’s a good story!

Cheyenne has just returned to her hometown of Blue Cliff in the wake of child's disappearance that's reminiscent of a crime that Jasper Clinton is serving a prison sentence for. In addition to the missing child, Cheyenne has to reconcile with Natalie, the best friend she left behind. Is there a copycat killer on the loose or is the local legend, The Hickory Man taking children?

I wanted to like this book. First of all, Cheyenne and Natalie sounded exactly the same, and I was wondering why the choice of one narrator, Angie Hickman, who I didn't really care for, rather than two since there are two POVs. It wasn't that they sounded the same since they were both voiced by one narrator, it was that they spoke in the same juvenile kind of way. Aren't they adults? Next, this book is excruciatingly slow. Nothing much happens for the first half of the book and then it's just an avalanche of craziness. Don't even get me started on the WTF ending. Why?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC but this book wasn't for me.

This didn't work for me. The story moved very slowly and I quickly became bored. Eventually, it did pick up the pace but that was more than halfway through and by that time I wasn't interested or invested at all.

2.5 stars - I enjoy a good spooky, small town thriller/mystery and the Woods are Waiting is just that. I found it cling a little too hard to the tropes and didn't bring anything new to the table. The breadcrumbs along the way were more like full on loaves making the twists obvious.

This is a good read for people who don't read thrillers often.

Bonus points for the beautiful cover!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillin Audio for the ARC!

It was really hard for me to put this book away. I pulled an all-nighter to finish reading it. The numerous plots and suspense left me, chapter by chapter I read with bated breath!
Narrated well

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
While I liked the story itself I did not enjoy the narrator at all. That made the book difficult to enjoy. I know I did read the written version and enjoyed it. Did not enjoy the audiobook version.

The Woods Are Waiting had the bones of a really captivating and spooky tale but it's execution fell a bit flat for my liking.

Readers follow Cheyenne Ashby as she returns to her hometown, a hometown that is fraught with a dark and dangerous past. As Cheyenne gets reacquainted with friends and family alike she will be forced to remember her dark past any quickly gets pulled back into the mysteries that revolve around her beloved childhood home.

This audiobook grabbed my attention right away. It is attention grabbing right from the start and the narrator, with her slight southern twang, really brings the story alive. Unfortunately just as the readers curiosity is piqued about the mystery the book shifts gears to a slow paced middle that's focused mainly on character development. I found that bit such a slog that when the explosive resolution was revealed I had mostly lost interest.

I think The Woods Are Waiting could really work for folks who love a contemporary setting. For my the mystery and otherworldly bit were simply to subdued to keep my fantasy loving heart engaged.

Rating: 2.5/5

𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜: The city of Blue Cliff, Virginia is known for its children going missing and found dead. Everyone is raised in this town to carry on the superstitious customs in order to keep the Hickory Man away (believed to be an evil entity that lives in the woods and “gobbles up children”).

I have mixed feelings about this one. Respectfully, the narrator’s voice did not do this book justice; I probably would’ve enjoyed reading this better. The story and the mystery was decent, I even got goosebumps at some point, but I found this book to be more focused on Cheyenne and how all the relationships in her life have gone sour, especially with her mom, which took a lot of focus from the actual plot of this book.

I adored the friendship between the MC, Cheyenne, and her best friend Natalie. I did enjoy wondering the whole time if the Hickory Man was more than just a made up horror story tale or if everything was true - the author did a great job with that. I loved the creepy small town atmospheric vibes but I felt like this book had more to give, especially towards the end. I was pretty disappointed by the revelations and the monologue between the “good people” and “the bad guys”. Everything felt flat as the story was coming to an end and I think too much unnecessary talking was done just to fill in gaps. The buildup was pretty good and the suspense was decent but the vibes just weren’t fully there for me.

(A special thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscapemedia, and the author for this ALC! ‘The Woods Are Waiting’ will be available to everyone tomorrow, July 11th!)

Find me on IG: @ coffeebreakwithrachel

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was ok. The story itself was super creepy however it tended to drag. I would try another book by this author.

3.5+ stars

This one was just okay for me. I wanted to be more captivated by it than I actually was. The characters and plot were okay, but I found it a bit slow at times. That being said, the premise was good, and the writing wasn’t bad. I’ll probably still be looking to check out what the writers come out with next in the future.

Katherine Greene's (pen name of two friends in the UK) debut, THE WOODS ARE WAITING, is a creepy dark, strange twisted suspense whodunit set in rural Blue Cliff, Virginia.

Discover more about the town at the center of their upcoming book by visiting: Blue Cliff, Virginia.

Set in a small rural town in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, Cheyenne Ashby left her hometown of Blue Cliff, Virginia, to escape the town's dark history and haunted past years ago. The Ashbys took care of the town, and in turn, the town took care of the Ashbys.

Her eccentric mother, Constance Ashby, had always been a force to be reckoned with. She scared her to death most of the time. The town calls her a witch and always performs unusual customs to keep away the evil spirits lurking in the woods.

There are childhood rhymes of killings, kidnappings, and how to stay safe near the woods. Children are innocent, beautiful, and carefree. They are loved by their parents, neighbors, and friends, with their lives full of promise and endless possibilities.

Their mothers warned them to stay away from the woods. However, children are eager to discover for themselves the evil that lay outside their homes, no matter the consequences.

Five years earlier, three missing children's bodies were found in the woods, and a man named Jasper was arrested for their brutal murders. The police chief Donald Hickman called her to let her know her mom was not doing well after a boy went missing. Cheyenne does not want to return home. She has a life, but she returns reluctantly.

Like those before him, Dakota Mason had ventured into the woods and never came out. Like Olivia, Michael, and Danielle, it was as if he had vanished into thin air. There were legends, superstitions, and supernatural.

However, something sinister happens, and Cheyenne and Natalie are determined to discover the truth and uncover the town’s dangerous secrets rooted in its terrifying past.

I am not a fan of supernatural, creepy, or ghoulish. THE WOODS ARE WAITING is dark, weird, depressing, and eerie—this book was not for me.

I listened to the audio version and did not care for Angie Hickman, the narrator with the country accent, which ground on my nerves, and I could not listen past the first chapter—I had to stop and try and get through the e-book. I do not recommend the audio.

A whodunit, but I guessed the murderer straightaway. This book may be for some but not my cup of tea. In my opinion, this book was nothing like Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware which the book description compared to.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for an ARC and Dreamscape Media for an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: July 11, 2023

I would suggest this audiobook for someone looking for a creepy, atmospheric read this fall. The author did a good job at describing the woods and making you feel like you were there. The narrator fit the story well, and the accents were great for small town Virginia.

That said, I wouldn’t recommend this for a seasoned thriller reader, because the killer is very easy to guess. The characters felt very underdeveloped, and I felt like the main character was constantly like “those are superstitions!! It can’t be real!” over and over again. But then I didn’t know much else about her other than she left her small town for the city (did they even say what her job was? I feel like I didn’t know her well).

This book felt like a cross between What Lies in the Woods and The Chestnut Man, but not on the same level as those books in my opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The Woods are Waiting was another book about someone coming back to their hometown and things going being just the same. Cheyenne did that. She comes back and the woods are still the same. They are still taking children. You have your people who are happy to see her. You have your people who are mad at her for the sin of leaving. You have a crazy family she’s trying to escape. The premise was done before. But it was done in a creepy enough way to be enjoyable.