This book was so good! It was haunting and unhinged in the best of ways. I loved the characters and how these creatures were weaved into their lives.

4.0

Queer boarding school urban fantasy-mystery-horror never misses.

It pains me to know I let this arc sit unread on my kindle for so long. This book was fantastic and I can’t believe I didn’t read it when I should’ve. I loved the characters so much. Andrew was such a great narrator. The anxiety and asexual rep in this book was great too. My only gripe with this book was the ending. It probably would’ve been a 4.5 otherwise We deserved at least 15 more pages explaining everything. I could’ve looked past everything coming out of left field in the last 30 pages if we were given more resolution. The ending was way too abrupt.

Thank you NetGalley and Fiewel and Friends for the arc!

I really enjoyed this book for all its twists and turns. A haunting and spooky take on identity and those creepy forests just beyond our reach. Thank you for the ARC!!

Don't Let the Forest In theoretically has everything I love in a good horror story, yet somehow still didn't quite do it for me. The horror didn't horrify. The characters didn't make me care about them. The twists didn't twist enough. Everything felt right on the cusp of being amazing but just never got there for me. The writing itself is beautiful, so there's a good chance I will read more by Drews in the future, but this one won't be one I recommend.

I really enjoyed this one. It’s been forever since I finished reading and I totally forgot to leave my review. Now my mind is blank and I can’t think of what I liked and didn’t like. Note to self, leave reviews immediately

What was that ending?! I’m confused and sad and I loved every minute of it!

"It hadn’t hurt, the day he had cut out his own heart … No one would want a heart like his. But he’d still cut it out and given it away."

This book will stay with you and haunt you, but also make you homesick for the setting. I loved it. This book started my love of not only botanical horror, but also queer gothic horror. If you are looking for a book to start with or just need one to fill that void, I cannot recommend this one enough!

holy bananas this is good!! I loved the horror esque elements in this book it's perfect for summer and fall vibes

I found getting into this book to be extremely difficult. I put it down and picked it back up so many times to no avail. While it’s written beautifully and gives off dark academia vibes that I typically reach for, it didn’t stick out to me.
The romance didn’t move me, although I did adore the codependency of the two MCs. I also was excited to see asexual representation, only to be disappointed by Andrew’s internalized acephobia. Turning his heart to a garden of rot just felt like a direct stab at the ace community, and one done in poor taste, in my opinion.
I’m glad to have gotten this ARC but I don’t believe I’d read it again, or recommend it to anyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and CG Drews for sending me this book!

“You could cut me open and devour everything that I am. I would let you, I'd ask you to. But I have no idea what it means to you. What I mean to you.”

I have to say, while I enjoyed the twist that occurred at the end of the book, I just couldn't get behind this. I feel like this book falls into the pattern of trying too hard to be something that it's not. The writing is very purple and almost feels forced at times. Ultimately, I don't think this was for me. I was drawn to the horror-esque aspect of the book and ignored the fact that the characters were 16 years old.

The part that drew me to the book felt like the downfall of the book. To me, the horror made no sense and was not fleshed out. But you know what was fleshed out? Andrew's continual description of Thomas. I understand that this is an angst book, but my god, I felt like that was the only thing well described.

Don't let the forest in has lasting power. I fully expect this one to be a book that people talk about for years to come.

This was gorgeous and haunting and creepy. It toed the line of the amount of horror and creepiness I can tolerate, but never quite got to be too much. The writing was beautiful with unusual and lyrical turns of phrase. Which makes sense, given that it tells the story of a writer and an artist who collaborate on stories that are lovely but also creepy and macabre.

I loved reading about Andrew and Thomas, about the way their respective genius chafed against the bonds of a classic boarding school. It was difficult, and often painful, to read about how isolated Andrew was. How he was bullied by the popular rich kid who never got in trouble. How he suffered from obvious mental illness and an eating disorder, both of which were magnified and distorted by the horror elements of the story. How he idolized Thomas, who was fighting his own battles and demons.

I loved it so much, and marveled at the beauty of the language even as I shivered in disgust at the vivid imagery. Highly recommend.

*Thanks to Feiwel & Friends for providing an early copy for review.

CG Drew’s is a master in creating atmosphere. The creepy vibes were present. I could visualize the haunting scenes, the “monsters,” and the connection between the characters, the art, and the creatures. I really enjoyed the added layer that the sibling relationship adds to the story. The one thing I couldn’t connect to was the romantic relationship, but from what I’ve heard I’m in the minority in that opinion.

For lovers of Holly Black's The Darkest Part of the Forest, Naomi Novik's Uprooted, and Krystal Sutherland's House of Hollow will devour Don't Let the Forest In. Part gothic and part dark fairy tale, I love every moment of the twists and turns of this deliciously macabre tale.

The characters are so good in this! Asexuality is handled so well. And the characters grow to be better very wonderfully

Loved it! Great representation and characters! Great atmosphere and setting. And I'm tolerating the ambiguous ending. Usually I detest them but this one i didn't mind.

I enjoyed this book. There is an incredible amount of rich detail that move the story forward. The representation in the book is also quite nicely done. Andrew feels like a real boy falling into deadly fairy tales without the story moving into a clique. The only aspect of this book that I thought might be a bit off putting is that right around the middle of the book the pace slowed drastically, and it felt like the characters were repeating the same actions. This made it hard to see the story move forward in a well-paced way. Overall, the rich language, drastically horrific mental pictures, and my love for Andrew as a character kept me going (which I was glad for). I would give this 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you for letting me read it!

This was good, and then it was alright, and then it was just a mess of dramatic tiktok quotes. I spent the last 50 pages rolling my eyes. And I wanted to love it so badly!! Ace rep! Creepy horror setting! Toxic all-consuming love! That should all be right down my alley. But something was missing. And then the only thing that was actually present was overwrought drama and twists I didn't care for. Oh well, at least I can knock it off my tbr now. Goodbye, Don't Let the Forest In.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was everything I hoped for and more. You know those books that just slice away at you until you're just ribbons floating towards the ground? The ones that eat at you until you finish reading them, and then continue to gnaw on your bones? That was this book for me, highly recommend reading it!

I absolutely loved this book. The writing was so atmospheric and the vibes were immaculate. It's a perfect mix of dark academia/mystery/horror. I read it in one sitting because I literally could not put it down, it completely captured my attention. The dark and gruesome parts of the book were so well written!!

I also really loved all of the characters. Andrew, the main character, was relatable and I felt for him so much. Thomas was mysterious at first and it was really interesting to read about their relationship dynamic. Also Dove, I loved her as a character. The plot twist I did not see coming, it had me shocked.

A haunting, lyrical YA fantasy about grief, mental health, and the quiet terror of a forest that feels all too real. Drews blends poetic prose with emotional depth, crafting a story that’s eerie, heartfelt, and beautifully strange. Perfect for fans of quiet horror and introspective storytelling.