This book was so interesting in how it all played out. I was truly captivated and curious the whole time.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, & NetGalley for the opportunity for early access to read this book.

“Don’t Let the Forest In” by C. G. Drews left me in a state of stunned melancholic bliss that made me wish I could erase my memory just so I could read it for the first time again.

A queer dark academia YA thriller that follows high school seniors Andrew, who finds refuge in the twisted fairytales he writes, and Thomas, the only person who can ground Andrew in reality & who illustrates the macabre tales. And with Andrew’s twin sister Dove suddenly abandoning him during his senior year, Thomas is suddenly Andrew’s only friend at Wickwood Academy.

But Thomas arrives to school disheveled and with what appears to look like a blood stain on his clothes. And the police arrive at the academy to ask questions about Thomas’ missing parents. Thomas attempts to push Andrew away but this only makes Andrew push harder to find out what’s going on. Determined to discover what’s plaguing his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the forest one night to discover that the illustrations Thomas has drawn from Andrew’s stories are alive in the forest and Thomas has been sneaking out to kill them every night.

The world building in this book is absolutely exquisite. You can almost feel the moisture hang in the air, feel the moss beneath your feet, and smell the leaves & mushrooms as you turn the pages. The addition of the illustrations of the monsters in the book is a horrifically tantalizing bonus that I absolutely loved. The toxic intertwining of Andrew and Thomas that just became more twisted and tangled as the book went on was addictive. They’re perfect and terrible for each other, all at the same time.

The way Drews wrote about Andrew’s panic attacks, it was truly real and palpable. You could feel the anxiety yourself on behalf of the character. And the way Andrew yearned to be “normal”, to claw the strangeness out of his own skin, I think all of us neurodivergent individuals can identify with that.

I am someone who often calls twists and sees them coming but there are a few in this book, which I won’t share, that I did not see coming that made me audibly gasp when I read them.

I can’t thank C. G. Drew’s enough for writing this book because this is literally going into the list of my top five all time favorite books. A five star absolute must read but prepare for stunned melancholic bliss upon completion.

I am so, so beyond thrilled that the world has finally understood the gift that is C.G. Drews' writing. It took them longer than it should have, to be sure, but they got there in the end and that is all that matters. That is also why when I pre-ordered the book, and then it was announced that there would be a more fun special edition, I did not cancel my first order, I just decided to pass it on to one of you fabulous folks. I have been a fan of the author's words for a literal decade now- via Paper Fury, via unpublished words I fell in love with, and via their incredible UK published books. So obviously, I am thrilled that Don't Let the Forest In is garnering so much (well-deserved) attention.

The writing, of course, is lovely. As I knew it would be. The characters were fabulous and so well developed. And look, maybe I guessed a thing or two that would happen? But I honestly think that is just kind of what happens when you are familiar with an author, and also, it didn't really lessen my enjoyment or anything. Oh, and there are many feels! Which as you know, is pretty much my favorite.

Bottom Line: Go see what all the fuss is about, and read this fabulous book!

Don’t Let the Forest In was such a fantastic and eerie book. I loved the setting and the characters. This is the perfect dark academia book for the spooky season.

The book follows Andrew Perrault as he returns to Wickwood Academy for his senior year. Andrew is anxious to see his longtime friend, Thomas, especially since he sort of told Thomas he had feelings for him last semester. Andrew identifies as asexual, and Thomas is the only boy he’s ever had feelings for. Andrew, his twin sister Dove, and Thomas have been the closest of friend. Since Dove and Thomas had a fight last year, Andrew worries how this year will be. His sister Dove is also upset with him, and is icing him out.

Both Andrew and Thomas are artists. Andrew crafts haunting fairy tales and Thomas brings the monsters to life in his sketchbook. Only this year Thomas seems to be having a problem with his art. Thomas keeps shutting Andrew down whenever he questions him about what’s going on. Then one day the police show up at school to talk to Thomas. Thomas’s parents have gone missing, and the police suspect Thomas is behind their disappearance.

When Andrew goes into the forest near the school one night looking for Thomas, he finds the other boy fighting what seems to be one of his sketches come to life. Thomas tells Andrew that his drawings have been coming to life every night and he has been having to fight the monsters to keep them from hurting anyone. Soon the two boys join forces and battle the creatures every night, all the while trying to figure out a more permanent solution. They believe if they destroy all of Thomas’s art, that the monsters will stop.

This book was so good. Andrew and Thomas are fantastic characters and polar opposites of each other. Andrew lacks self confidence and self worth and really relies on the stronger characters in the book to help keep him going. Besides being unsure of his sexuality and how he fits into the LGBTQ community, he also has an eating disorder. Andrew is made to seem weak, but I definitely feel he had a hidden core of strength that he just didn’t know about. Thomas on the other hand is brash and reckless. He is the hero type, and is always ready to defend Andrew. He has a big personality without being cocky.

As I said earlier I loved the setting. Boarding school books are always a fun read for me. Plus a spooky forest full of monsters really adds to the atmosphere. I will say I wish it had a little more spookiness to it. This book is definitely a coming of age story, and I feel it leaned a little heavy into that aspect of it. That’s not a bad thing, but I’d have loved more of the supernatural element. The twist at the end was pretty cool and I didn’t see it coming. It made me want to read the book again to see if I can pick up on things differently.

The one thing I didn’t like about this book is that you never get a definite answer to what caused everything to happen. Plus it has an open ended ending and those always drive me crazy. Otherwise I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

Perfect for fans of The Raven Cycle and maybe also The Foxhole Court, Don't Let the Forest In is a dark-academia fever dream about two razor sharp boys trying to survive their senior year at a fancy boarding school...while also fighting the monstrous drawings of the one come to life. Andrew isn't looking forward to his senior year, as an anxiety-ridden guy who's a little in love with his best friend (who might be in love with his twin sister), but he knows with Dove, his sister, and Thomas, their best friend, they can all survive. Except things are not great. Dove and Thomas are fighting and Dove is avoiding Andrew, Thomas is drawing back from Andrew, and also he's been accused of murdering his parents. When Andrew discovers that Thomas is fighting fairy-tale monsters in the forest every night, it's almost a relief, since it's something concrete to fight. But they're going to have to give it everything they've got in order to survive.
The prose was beautiful. The characters are so delightfully messy. I appreciated the asexual representation. The monsters were terrifying. Fantastic book. I loved it.

🌈 Representation: Asexual & bisexual MCs
⚠️ CW/TW: Body horror, Gore, Death, Homophobia, Eating disorder, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Self harm

I was gripped by this story from the opening pages and it never let me go.

I'm not generally a big horror fan, but I knew C.G. Drews would deliver on a horribly beautiful story that would take root in my bones and devour me whole. My expectations were high, yet Don't Let the Forest In still exceeded them!

The writing was incredible, with prose I just wanted to eat. Definitely going to reread one day and annotate so I can highlight all my fave lines.

The characters all felt so real and I especially loved anxious, hurting Andrew as an MC. I just wanted everything to be okay for him and it added to the experience of watching everything be very not okay.

The ending was especially incredible and there were so many wtf moments that I adored! Never gonna stop thinking about this book!

This was the perfect fall read! I had so much fun reading it! I will definitely be rereading next fall also!

I preorder this book within the first third of me reading this ARC. I mean, just read this:
"Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him."
Perfect for any spooky lovers. A mixture or horror and fantasy. Plus Queer YA novel!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

Original and unique!

Great book I was instantly hooked just boy the first couple of pages. Story was paced perfectly and I loved the ending.

Great story. For fans of 🏰 gothic horror, 📚 dark academia, 📓 storytelling 🧌, 🏳️‍🌈 queer loving, discovering oneself.
They’ve got 🪦 tragedy, ❤️ love, and 🧑🏻‍🦰👦🏼👱🏻‍♀️friendship that can’t be broken. It’ll leave you entranced by the scenery 🌲. Heartbroken 💔 from all the emotions you’ll feel for each character. You won’t want it to end.

Have you ever wanted to feel the moss between your fingers, the hear the whispers of fall leaves, to smell the bitter tang of bark and airy sweetness of soil? All of that, <i>and monsters.</i>

Atmosphere is everything in this haunting little book and the atmosphere of the private school and the forest behind it is as much a character as Andrew or Thomas. I grew up on [book:The Raven Boys|17675462] and this is the closest thing I have read to that energy in quite some time. I loved it.

A stay-up-past-your-bedtime book in two ways: first, because you won't want to put this down. Second, because the monsters have teeth and claws and may just be under your bed.

Stop whatever it is you are doing and read this book now. You won't be sorry.

Don't Let the Forest In feels like a dance with madness. It's a gripping dark tale that feels like a nightmare, but the kind you don't want to end. This story ensnares you. WARNING: your heart is not safe, but it is so beautifully and masterfully done that you'd gladly sell your soul to hear this tale.

This is a tale about Dove and her twin brother Andrew, who has a complicated connection with Thomas. Andrew writes dark, twisted fairy tales, and Andrew's art brings them to life, but it also threatens to upend everything they hold dear.

It's beautifully gory and bloody, a heart-wrenching search for identity and belonging, all told through excellent prose.

Would recommend for fans of the Raven Cycle and the Wicker King... We follow a high school senior Andrew and Thomas. Thomas has abusive parents, Andrew would do anything to protect him. Thomas would do anything to protect Andrew too, from himself, from his bullies. When Thomas' parents disappear, rumors go wild that he killed them. There is also Dove, Andrew's twin sister. All three of them used to be close, but they haven't been lately. I enjoyed this book and the plot twists that it had.

I am not even sure if my words can even express properly how well written this book is. C.G Drew's writing is so elegant and reading this book felt completely different from most books I have read lately. Andrew is such a beautifully written character, and the way he feels and what he goes through is so relatable that I have to put down the book occasionally because it gets so overwhelming. In a good way of course, like there's some book so good you can't put down and some that are so good you gotta take a break because it blows you away. He being an asexual boy in love with another boy really hits home. They way he describes how he feels through stories is truly magical. Also the two sides of andrew with him being fragile yet dark is exactly what I want in a character. I adore him and Thomas. I also love Dove because I love twins who unconditionally have each other's back. This book was so whismically with a touch of horror I highly recommend

2.25 Stars

Thank you NetGalley, Feiwel & Friends, and CG Drews for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thoughts:

I wish I had good things to say, but I am heartbroken by how much Don’t Let the Forest In disappointed me. 7 chapters in, and I believed this had a promising start to an amazing read. However, from there the story completely flopped. The plot truly lost its way. I can’t say that my attention wasn’t grabbed the entire time, but the confusing journey only continued to get more confusing. Not in a way that makes the readers think you have to be buckled up for the mystery or left with your own interpretation or understand that the narrator was unreliable, but because so many things that were pertinent to the story were never circled back to or answered. Ever.

The romance…. I don’t know if I am ready to talk about it all yet without losing my mind. All I can say is that romance is shoved down our throats without much build, and we are supposed to just follow along blindly with a tell over show chemistry (which I don’t even know if I like using that word because there was none in my opinion)! I’m here for a protective touch-him/her-and-you-die kind of love, but I have to like the two characters together for me to be in for the ride.

The writing was gorgeous, but it is style or substance all the way. I honestly finished this and don’t know if I am more mad, confused or upset by it all in the end.

P.S. I wish this story was told from Lana’s POV! My favorite character from the beginning and still is now.

P.P.S. Chill, you guys are only in high school lol

Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:
E-book
Pace:
Medium
Cover thoughts:
Obsessed with it!
Triggers:
Death, Gore, Eating Disorder, Violence, Bullying, Self Harm, Panic Attacks, Homophobia, Grief, Toxic Relationships, Abuse, etc.

Thank you net galley for this e arc.
Dear God this book completely fucking wrecked me. This I guess to say Don’t Let the Forest in is a YA queer forest horror novel delves into grief, love and the pain that comes with mental illness. If you love over the garden wall, if we were villains, and in general love queer books this is for you.

Soundtrack to describe this book: Doomsday by Lizzy McAlphine, Whispers by Halsey, Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths and The Night We Met by Lord Huron

So haunting. The story takes you in a journey and you never know what’s real and what’s imagined. Expertly done

5/5 stars

Due to the nature of life and being a mood reader, it took me a little while to really get into Don't Let the Forest In; but once I hit around 55% I got fully sucked in and finished the last half in just a few hours!

I loved the prose and stylistic choices throughout the novel, it made me feel like I was really with main character Andrew in his mind. Andrew's yearning for best friend and roommate Thomas was palpable, as was his creeping horror at what was happening.

I'll follow the author's lead on this and categorize Don't Let the Forest In as "cottagegore." Drews did an amazing job of making me feel as though I was slowly being subsumed by greenery and paranoia -- I could taste the soil and feel the moss. Drews made me question my own sanity and scramble back through the book once I'd reached the end and everything was recontextualized.

As much as I loved this book, I definitely need a palate cleanser for the claustrophobia of green I can still feel days later (massive compliment!) ♡

I recommend this book to fans of dark fairytales, dark academia settings, requited pining, and cottage horror!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free digital ARC for my honest review!

“‘I think someday you’ll hate me.’ Thomas’s voice stretched with a loneliness Andrew had never heard before. ‘You’ll cut me open and find a garden of rot where my heart should be.’
‘When I cut you open,’ Andrew finally said, ‘all I’ll find is that we match.’”

This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s a YA psychological horror about two boys with an incredibly co-dependent relationship fighting off monsters from the forest that are straight out of Thomas’ drawings.

I saw someone describe the horror in this book as botanical body horror, which is a perfect way to put it. The descriptions of the monsters were equal parts beautiful and terrifying, and I was left feeling very unsettled. Unfortunate that I usually read right before bed 😂

The relationship between Thomas and Andrew was the heart of the book. They were so wrapped up in each other that even they knew they’d end up hurting themselves, it was a really well done look at a toxic relationship.

Andrew’s struggles with anxiety hit very close to home, and my heart broke watching him fail to navigate the world. His internal plight was described so well.

If you’re looking for a unique horror with beautiful prose, terrifying forest monsters, and two boys who are so entangled they’re bound to hurt each other, check this book out.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC.