The God of the Woods is the quintessential summer read--a historical thriller set at camp. It was so heavily promoted that it caught my interest. I think it's pretty much exactly what it promises to be and little more. The twists of the plot are solid. The characters are as well-developed as they needed to be. I think it's a cabin read and I don't think we'll be recommending this one in years to come. That said, it's an enjoyable read and I can picture many people pulling it off the shelf for a little escapism.

Enjoyable mystery, but I think all of the summer hype around this book gave it much higher expectations so it fell a little short. A lot of characters to follow and flipping timelines, but the ending was surprising with twists along the way. Really enjoyed the summer camp setting. Well performed on audio!

3.5*
Missing children stories are tragic. In Moore’s novel, one family experiences two separate instances of missing children – one in 1961 and again in 1975. The first was Bear Van Laar who disappeared at age 8 and was never found. The second was his sister Barbara who was a young teen when she vanished. The mother of the two never recovered after her son disappeared and it affected her relationship with her daughter. Now questions arise with the second missing child as investigators renew their examination of the facts of both crimes and try to figure out if there is a connection.

Secrets are uncovered and suspects are considered. The abductions occurred in the woods surrounding a summer camp. The camp is on the extensive property of the Van Laar estate and the family compound is also on the grounds. The family, the staff and others are all under scrutiny. Since the first crime was never solved, old suspicions are re-examined and many people in and around the family are probed for motive and opportunity.

Following the first missing person case, the Van Laar family and their staff are forever affected by suspicions and the failure to solve the case. The family becomes more dysfunctional and it affects their other child. Their wealth and privilege don’t make up for the mess they’ve made of things. In general, the Van Laars are despicable and this makes them even more suspect.

The mystery keeps readers guessing and the list of potential suspects provides multiple avenues to ponder. Women, besides Barbara and her mother, figure prominently in the story. There’s T.J. the camp director, Louise the counselor, Judyta the female state trooper and Tracy the friend of Barbara’s from camp. Each has their own story of powerlessness and yet they have a voice. Moore sets a complex scene with nuanced characters. The ending may not be totally satisfying, but the buildup is engaging. Though not perfect, the book is worth investigating.

This mystery will keep you guessing. The characters are well developed and fascinating. The plot moved a bit slow for my taste. But still an overall enjoyable read!

It's August 1975, and summer camp is in session. Panic ensues one morning when a counselor notices an empty bunk. Thirteen-year-old Barbara Van Laar is missing, the daughter of the camp's owner. Her closest friend in the cabin doesn't know where she went, just that she'd been sneaking out at night. Barbara isn't the only Van Laar to have vanished. Over a decade earlier, her brother disappeared, never to be found. As the search begins for Barbara, the authorities can't help but make connections to her brother. Who are the Van Laars, really? And who else in town might have reason to abduct another child?

Thanks to the engrossing summer camp setting and stellar literary mystery, The God of the Woods is the perfect summer read. I love that the book is plot-driven and character-driven. Each character is complex, and I enjoyed learning their stories as the novel progressed. If you appreciate the dark atmosphere of Tana French and the propulsive storytelling of Donna Tartt, you'll love The God of the Woods. Plus, that cover is all kinds of dreamy.

"The God of the Woods" delivers a captivating conundrum that stretches the mind with its intricately woven dual timelines. The narrative follows the unsettling disappearances of two children from the esteemed Van Laar family—one in 1961 and another in 1975—against the enchanting yet deceptive backdrop of the Adirondack wilderness.

Beneath the serene beauty of the forest lies a sinister undercurrent, hinting at the darkness lurking in the shadows. The story brims with a rich tapestry of characters, each presenting their own narratives and motives, creating an intricate web of possibilities and suspects that keeps readers on their toes.

As the plot unfolds, the layers of mystery deepen, inviting you to piece together the puzzle alongside the protagonists. With its engaging structure and atmospheric setting, this novel is a gripping exploration of secrets and the unsettling truths hidden within even the most picturesque landscapes.

This is a wonderful book, and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is a fascinating mystery that will keep you up all night. This novel is so well paced and plotted that the reader becomes totally immersed in the story. I'm an avid reader of the mystery/thriller genre yet the storyline kept my guessing right up to the last few pages. Well done! This novel is going directly onto my reread shelf.

Thank you to Liz Moore, NetGalley, and the publisher Penguin Group Riverhead Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this e-galley.

I heard about this one on Anne Bogel's summer reading guide. God of the Woods by Liz Moore is a haunting and beautifully written novel that weaves together elements of mystery, nature, and personal transformation. The story follows the protagonist as they venture into the depths of a mysterious forest, confronting both external and internal challenges. Moore's evocative prose brings the wilderness to life, making the forest feel like a character in its own right. The novel's themes of self-discovery and the tension between the natural and human worlds resonate deeply. Fans of atmospheric, thought-provoking fiction will find this book both captivating and memorable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When I say this book was a wild ride.....I mean a VERY wild ride!!! First off, I love dual timelines/POVs so this novel was a dream for me in that aspect. Secondly, every single character was well-written, compelling, and absolutely essential to the plot. I had soooo many theories about what was going to happen in this novel and how it would end; in the end, none of it was right and I was actually so glad! I originally gave this book a 4 star review, but after really thinking about it I changed it to a 5 star. I honestly could not stop thinking about this book after I finished reading it and highly recommend it for anyone that wants a good mystery to solve that involves summer camp nostalgia and an insanely wealthy (and just insane) family!

Wow—the hype is justified! The writing, the story, the setting—everything kept me glued to the page. No spoilers, and no plot details really do this justice, you have to get in yourself and be transported to 1975.

A thrilling family saga set in the Adirondacks in 1975. When Barbara Van Laar, the daughter of a wealthy family, disappears from her summer camp, a search blows open a lifetime of family secrets. The complexity of this story blew my mind. The hype is real. There are a lot of characters and I don't know if every author could pull this off but it was all entwined beautifully. You do need to pay attention to who is who but once you grasp the characters this book simply flies. There are more mysteries to this story than the main plot line and how the author brought this to life is simply incredible! Must read!!! Thank you NetGalley and Riverhead Books for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Set in the Adirondack's at a summer camp in the 70s, this book was a page-turner. Two missing siblings, 14 years apart. Bear who was only seven when he went missing and now Barbara, his thirteen year old sister. The setting is on the land of the Van Laar's, a wealthy NY family who own a summer house there. The summer camp was set up by the first Van Laar to buy the property as a way of giving back to the community.
Both searches fail to find the missing children. There is a female detective (unusual in the 1970s) and some young female camp counselors who are investigated.
The book covers lots of themes: the rich/poor divide, feminism and lesbian love, all hot topics in the 70s.
An enjoyable read with a good amount of suspense.

This book lived up to all the hype it received. It was impeccably drawn with a strong sense of place. Each short chapter was better than the previous one. Moore knows how to unfold a mystery.

I really enjoyed the story, but was looking for that take your breath away twist. Than you for the eARC. 4 stars.

I can see what all the hype was about. Moore crafts an incredible cast of interesting characters divided between two timelines. Throw in an escaped felon traveling through the woods, and the local ghost haunting the camp, and you've got a slow, atmospheric novel just right for the summer.

Fans of Anne LaBastille's early works will enjoy her kindred spirits in this novel.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is part mystery, part police procedural, and part family drama. This is my first book by this author and I thought it was excellent. There was definitely a lot going on - with a large cast of main and supporting characters as well as two different timelines.

We start out in 1975 when 14 year old Barbara Van Laar is realized to be missing from her cabin at Camp Emerson. Camp Emerson is part of the Van Laar's expansive property. As the search ensues for Barbara, we are introduced to a variety of characters, most notably TJ and her father Vic (current and former camp directors), Alice (Barbara's mother), and Judyta (the very first female investigator with the NY State Police). We also find out that this isn't the first Van Laar child to have gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Barbara's younger brother Bear disappeared 14 years ago and his mother Alice has not been the same since.

As we follow these two stories we are given insight into the family dynamics of the Van Laar family members. There are lies, cover ups, people framed, people run out of town, and others wrongly accused. We definitely are kept guessing and, frustratingly, the author brings us to an exciting part in the story and ends the chapter - leaving us hanging!

I really enjoyed this book and, even though it was a little slow to start, the mystery pulled me in and hooked me. I also thought the ending was quite good, even though some reviews felt it was a let down. I would definitely recommend this book for those that like slow burn mysteries, family drama, and a little bit of survival thrown in there. This was my first Liz Moore novel and it won't be my last!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is a mystery that immediately draws you in. A 13-year old camper disappears in the same woods that her brother disappeared in over a decade earlier and was never found. Told in dual timeline, this mystery keeps you guessing until the end. I will definitely read future books by Liz Moore.

When Barbara Van Laar goes missing from Camp Emerson in 1975, her counselor Louise knows that things couldn’t get much worse. Not only is Barbara the daughter of the owner of the camp, she is also the sister of Bear, who went missing in 1961. The hunt for the missing camper dredges up the secret and hidden things that make up a long list of suspects.

I LOVED this book. There is a slow, leisurely introduction to all the characters that had anything to do with either missing child, most notably those who had an interest/involvement but that had nothing to do with the disappearance. Each “chapter” is told with a character as the central focus. The omniscient narrator relates the character’s actions, and shows what the character notices/thinks, to a degree… we also see when a character is hiding something. We just don’t see how it all fits together. As I was reading, I felt the enormity of the task the law enforcement professionals faced, and felt even more for Judyta, the female cop, who is also dealing with sexism and a long commute. I appreciate how Moore takes the time to unpack the sexual discrimination of the time, from the youngest to the oldest female characters. This unspoken sisterhood allows Judyta more access to motives and clues that her male counterparts ignore or avoid.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves VERY GOOD mysteries. It was the first book I read this past summer as an ARC, and I’m not surprised by the media attention to it. Worth every word.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Riverhead and NetGalley for access to the ARC. My review is my own, no compensation desired or required.

It's easy to see why this book was THE "it" book of summer. A great story with lots of threads that pulled together perfectly. I personally loved a description the author made about wanting to stay home all summer, in front of the fan, with a stack of books.

I put off writing this review for a really long time because in all honesty, it gave me such a book hangover that everything else wasn't good enough and I couldn't express why.

I loved Long Bright River so I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. I think I even liked it more than Long Bright River which really shocked me how the author progressed as a storyteller in such a short time.

Yes, the book is a brick. It is long, but it never felt long and to me and I could have easily read more. I just loved how everything wove together and all of the characters backstories to get to the point that they were at. I also really, REALLY appreciated that the author didn't leave us hanging at the end with an ambiguous ending. I loathe that in a mystery book.

I don't re-read a lot of books, but I could see myself re-reading this one eventually.

Favorite book of 2024 so far.