I love Liz Moore and her previous book. Something about this one just wasn't doing it for me. It may admittedly be the topic itself, but it just seems like Long Bright River was so much better. However, I'd gladly recommend the book to anyone who is a fan of Moore's and a mystery book.

Liz Moore's latest is as unsettling as it is beautifully written. When Barbara, a young camper goes missing, not unlike her brother 14 years before her, the whole community reels from it. There are three distinct story lines that intersect: the camp. counselors, and campers, the wealthy families who own/are friends with the owners of the camp, and the town that surrounds it. I found the characters from the community to be most intriguing, but the entire story is riveting. The connections from one group of characters to the other make it murky, impossible to tell who can be trusted, and heartbreaking. A moving thriller with a lot of tension and a bit of hope.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Riverhead Books for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤.... [𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥] 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘯: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤, 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘛.𝘑., 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥."

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗𝗦 by Liz Moore is my kind of book. A slow burn, literary, character-driven novel about two siblings who disappear 14 years apart, it's set at a summer camp with complicated class dynamics, and has rich people behaving badly and tons of family dysfunction.

This isn't a short read but I couldn't put it down. It's so atmospheric - I loved how the woods almost become a character (both the audio and ebook come with a PDF map of the camp). The narrator did a tremendous job narrating the large cast, and each new POV added another layer to the story. There were some great twists, and resolution of the mysteries totally surprised me.

If you're a fan of complex storytelling and beautiful writing that will keep you guessing, pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

4.5 stars

Thanks to PRH Audio and Riverhead Books for the copies to review.

The God of the Woods is the story of two siblings disappearing, over a decade apart. The Van Laar family has money and power, but none of it helps to find their lost children. This book is narrated by several points of view and timelines, but the author made a good job for the reader to know when everything is happening. This has the perfect amount of mystery and plot twists. I was very pleased with the ending and loved the explanation of the name of the book. I don't want to get much away to avoid spoilers, just know this is very worth the read. Perfect end of summer vibes.

The hype is so real. I absolutely could not get enough of this one – another five-star #read from Liz Moore. This one is SO, SO GOOD – you will not be able to put it down. Mystery meets family drama meets crime thriller meets a powerful story about the sheer force and – at times – deadly beauty and power of nature. You simply MUST #read this one. There are a lot of points of view, but I personally love that format, and I truly enjoyed each and every character’s point of view. This is the quintessential, perfect #summer #mystery.

•

August 1975. Camp Emerson is a summer camp frequented by the upper echelon children of New Yorkers and the like. A sprawling camp with an emphasis on survival tactics, Camp Emerson is owned by the mysterious and obscenely wealthy Van Laar banking family, who lives on an estate on the grounds, all of which is located in the beautiful but brutal wilderness of the Adirondak Mountains. The family, haunted by the tragic disappearance of their beloved son, Bear, years before, wakes up at the start of the #novel to a new and unbearable truth: their only other child, Barbara, a first-year teenage camper at Camp Emerson did not wake up in her bunk. She is missing.

•

As the events unfold and suspects are parsed through, the key players emerge: Barbara’s best-friend and bunkmate, an escaped killer on the loose, two young men – both blue collar and white – with a penchant for young girls, a grieving and desperate mother who has now lost both of her children, a seemingly impassive family of millionaires with an undying devotion and protectiveness of their land, business, and legacy, a camp counselor with a knack for picking the wrong men, and a female detective, rare in the 1970s, desperate to find the truth.

•

Read this now. Just do it.

•

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Liz Moore takes us to the Adirondacks in a summer camp set in the 1970s where the daughter of the camp owners, the wealthy Van Laar family, has gone missing. Ironically, their son went missing years before and the case was never truly solved.

What we loved :
—multiple POVs
—spanning time periods in the 1950/1960s and mid 1970s
—short, bitey chapters that push you forward quickly
—a brooding mystery humming beneath the soil of everyday camp life
— all ages (from young campers to grandfathers) were believable and authentic
—wrong turns that pay off in the end
— giving the reader the credit to be smart enough to follow multiple mysteries and multiple POVs

This was our first novel by Liz Moore and it will not be our last. This was a masterful telling of multiple mysteries and many points of view that all weave together to make sense and form a beautiful cohesive story. A missing person mystery set in the summer camp we can all picture. Wealthy, dysfunctional family drama (that is not overly dramatic!) that makes your own seem tame. There were so many sad elements to this story and yet it never felt heavy-handed or melodramatic. Enigmatic but interesting characters with just the right amounts of backstory revealed at just the right moments. And a rookie, highly intelligent investigator trying to piece it all together. Well-written and transportive this book gives you all the feels, while letting you continue to do your own thinking.

The very end of the book left us slightly underwhelmed but on reflection, Jill thinks the very end was a type of coda — and thought it would make for a very compelling on-screen experience (someone please confirm that @sony has made a deal with her!). Kerry admits that she didn’t see the ending coming and is still trying to decide if she agrees with it. Either way, we are heading straight to our next Liz Moore book. This one lived up to the hype. 4.75 stars

Loved this propulsive story about a 13-year old girl from a wealthy family who disappears from summer camp in the 1970’s.

This is a richly layered novel that bounces seamlessly between time periods and characters and breaks down secrets, societal expecations, and sexism in a compelling and mysterious way that made me cling to every page.

This book was not a thriller but had thrilling elements. The changing POV and timeline made the mystery come together in an unexpected way. I did not like the Alice character because she felt one dimensional. I did not figure out the ending until it was revealed. Moore writes characters and their inner thoughts with a developed tenderness. I would read more about Judy!!

It is no surprise that I loved this book, given that many are calling it one of the best books of the year! But, it also hit me more primally, in those parts of the brain and body that instinctively remember and react to familiar places and situations from long ago.

The primary storyline is extremely compelling (two missing children from the same family years apart?!) and there are so many elements that add texture and richness to the plot...family dynamics/expectations, class differences, emotional/physical abuse, police investigations, small town life, the beauty and danger of nature and more. I was also particularly drawn to the upstate NY setting because I grew up in the area. Mentions of Schenectady, Union College, Albany, the Adirondack Park, Storytown in Lake George, North Creek, specific county road #s, etc. brought me viscerally back to my childhood days.

This novel felt authentic and real and it held my interest throughout. Kudos to the author not only for her stellar writing skills, but also for the amount of research I know went into it. Fabulous read!

Please note: I received a digital copy from Netgalley & Riverhead Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.

Having loved Liz Moore’s earlier book, “The Unseen World,” I was eager to read her latest, and it did not disappoint. Mostly set in 1975 at an Adirondack’s camp and summer estate – with flash backs to earlier years – the novel concerns the disappearance of Barbara, a 14-year-old camper and daughter of the wealthy owner. In 1961, the missing teen’s brother had disappeared from the same property and his body was never found.

Ironically, the estate is called Self-Reliance and the summer youth program is Camp Emerson. While the campers are taught survival skills, the rich elites could not light a BBQ grill without assistance. In Greek mythology, Pan is the god of the woods, who delights in tricking and confusing people until they lose their minds and panic. Similarly, the characters in this book weave a complex web of betrayals, cover-ups, and powerplays. Nevertheless, there are some sympathetic characters: Judyta Luptack, a young female detective assigned to the case, and Louise Donnadieu, the struggling, low-income counselor from whose cabin Barbara disappeared.

This novel is many things: a mystery; a police procedural; a messy, complex family. Most of all, it is a well-written and thoroughly engrossing read.

When a teenager disappears from summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains in 1975, there is widespread panic and a search. She is Barbara Van Laar the family who owns the camp’s daughter. And she’s not the first of their children to disappear. 14 years earlier her brother Bear goes missing. With a cast of interesting characters and potential suspects, the author weaves a page-turning mystery.

I can't believe I forgot to leave feedback for this one! The God of the Woods has been my favorite book all year. It is the perfect literary thriller. My full review is on my instagram: reeder_reads. I appreciated the opportunity to read this e-ARC!!

I liked this book. Part slow-burn mystery, part historical fiction, part women’s fiction with a dose of explored class dynamics, this book mostly lives up to the hype. You just have to get to the end and all the revelations to feel that way.

I received an eARC for this book and as pretty as the cover is and as interesting as the synopsis was, it took me a while before I started it. When I finally did, I struggled to keep picking this one back up after I put it down. It didn’t grab me right away, didn’t attach me to the characters very quickly probably because we jumped around so much from one perspective to another and from one timeline to another. This structure also requires the reader to really pay attention to know what’s happening and when. I almost DNFd it. The only reason I didn't is because of all the hype this book has gotten since its release.

A friend gifted me a copy of the audio after the book came out, because I still hadn’t gotten very far in the eBook. That helped me a lot. Saskia Maarleveld did a great job on the audio and made it much easier to get into the book.

While parts of the book were unsurprising, there were some twists and I really enjoyed how everything came together once everything was revealed. The blending of individual motivations with various relationship dynamics was fascinating for its plausibility.

What I really loved were the variety of women’s stories told in this one book and how each of them represented differed aspects of the challenges women face across generations and class. This is women’s fiction at its finest, as each of these women are relatable in one way or another to female readers.

It would make for an interesting book club discussion, I think. I couldn’t quite give it 4 stars because it was just so dang slow to get into, but it was worth it in the end. But if you struggle with the eyeball version, I definitely recommend the audiobook.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy.

This was my first time reading something from Liz Moore and it did not disappoint. The God of the Woods was a heavy character driven story revolving around land owned by the wealthy Van Laar family. Throughout the book we meet a wide array of characters of varying backgrounds as we learn and try to figure out what happened to Bear and Barbara Van Laar.

This was a slow burn mystery that really took its time unfolding and relied heavily on its characters to tell a tale that took place over many years. Exquisite writing and excellent storytelling. Pick this one up if you’ve got the time!

A missing person mystery set in the summer camp we can all picture. Wealthy, dysfunctional family drama (that is not overly dramatic!) that makes your own seem tame. Enigmatic but interesting characters with just the right amounts of backstory revealed at just the right moments. And a rookie, highly intelligent investigator trying to piece it all together. Well-written and transportive this book gives you all the feels, while letting you continue to do your own thinking. I admit I didn’t see the ending coming, it was a bit abrupt for my taste, and I’m still trying to decide if I agree with it. I do keep thinking about how it could have ended in more satisfying ways. Either way, I’m heading straight to my next Liz Moore book. This one lived up to the hype.

This book is so popular right now, I kept hearing things about it and I find the cover so intriguing, I had to pick it up. It is my first book by this author and I loooved her writing style! This book was juicy, with short chapters. Every single chapter sucked me in. The time alternates from 1950’s to the present day (1970’s). There are many different perspectives throughout the book in such a unique way that sucked you into the story and then left you wanting more when they switched perspectives. I felt immersed in this story.

Barbara Van Laar is the daughter of a prominent, rich family. They divide their time between Albany and a vacation home in the Adirondacks called Self Reliant. The home and a summer camp, Camp Emerson, has been in their family for many generations. Barbara attends the camp and ends up missing one day. Additionally before she was born, her brother, Bear went missing from their home and has never been found. While searching for her, we hear from many strong women characters involved in her life. Each one has their own personal struggles that weave into the story. Louise, her camp counselor, Tracy her bff and cabin mate, Alice her mother and Judyta, one of the detectives working the case. Each of them have an important part of the story to tell. This is a narrative that touches on so many important things, family drama, addiction, naïveté, abuse, lies, and so much more! I highly recommend you pick this book up! It was a great read and I will definitely be checking out some of this authors other books!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Riverhead, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. My opinions are honest and my own!

When 13 year old Barbara disappears overnight at a summer camp, everyone starts investigating what may have happened to her, especially since her brother disappeared fourteen years earlier. As they start to investigate her fellow campers and the people involved in running the camp, it's clear there was something going on with Barbara's family and it will take some things coming to light to figure out. Overall, a gripping mystery that's also part family saga with all of the different characters involved.

Absolutely wonderful! Enthralling character development and the description of the environment was just spot on. Insightful writing that was full of heart. It was a little confusing going back and forth between characters and years, but the stories wove together with complete satisfaction.

Not my usual genre, but I read this author’s previous book and glad I read this one too. A slow unveiling of a double mystery, the Adirondacks setting is perfect as 13 year old Barbara disappears from sleepaway camp. The time period is the 1970’s but alternates chapters with the 1950’s disappearance of Barbara’s younger brother, Bear. Their parents are the wealthy Van Laars, owners of a large preserve including a main house and the camp. The police involved are Danny Hayes, a local, and Judy, a young woman trying to make her mark as an inspector. Her insights are invaluable to solving the mysteries. There are many possible perpetrators, and I was not able to figure out what happened at all. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was phenomenal! I read it in just 3 days and really wish there was more. Characters were fully realized and the plot was complex without being cumbersome.