Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC to review!
This does not in any way shape or form alter my opinions or rating of this books.
I’m just going to say WOW! I have not had a book that has given me literal goosebumps and verbalizing “but what do you mean?”” I was shocked and I could not help but read this book without a break. Few psychological thrillers I’ve read actually follow through, but this one I would recommend 100%. 5/5

Wow. I really enjoyed this book, while the pacing was slow everything else was wonderful. The characters were very easy to love and understand. Normally I have a hard time sitting through YA books but this one was captivating I didn’t want to put it down. The concept of the monsters coming to life is what hooked me on this on this one and the author wrote it perfectly. I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a perfect fall read!!!

3.5. stars. This is a dark, lyrical tale with surrealism and haunting atmospheres. There really is an unsettling quality throughout and the narrator pulls you in, despite the pacing being a bit slow at times. Come for the character development, stay for the spooky vibes and themes on grief. A good addition to your fall TBR.

The only thing high school senior, Andrew Perrault, find more comfort in than writing his dark fairy tales is Thomas Rye, the boy he’s secretly given his heart to. Thomas seems to know exactly how to draw the monsters from Andrew’s tales. When Thomas’s parents go missing Andrew is willing to do anything to help his friend but first he needs to uncover what Thomas is keeping from him. When he follows him into the woods one night he finds Thomas fighting a monster straight from his sketch book. As the boys grow closer the monsters become stronger and they are running out of options to stop them.

Don’t Let the Forest In immediately captured my attention with its unique horror plot and beautiful cover art. As much as I wanted to love this novel I had a hard time getting into it. It’s definitely a dark and twisted tale perfect for adding to your Fall reading list. Just because I had a difficult time connecting to the characters doesn’t mean other readers will not fall in love with this dark horror infused romance…it just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Don't Let the Forest In is incredible. Creepy and atmospheric, haunting in its ability to stay with you, latching onto your mind until you question if you're part of the story as well.
This book is an experience. I didn't just read it, it wormed its way into my subconscious until I was stuck thinking about it for weeks on end. I still don't know what was real or not. I cannot wait for my physical copy to arrive so I can reread it and try to pick out all the little intricacies that I know I missed in my first read thru.
The story is fantastic but more than that, the entire story reads like a dark poetic fairytale. It is hands down one of the most beautifully written books I've read. Even in the beauty of the prose I have to reinforce that it is not a romance or a quaint story, it is dark. There are creepy creatures, dark themes, and botanical horror. Just thinking about parts of it make my ears itch.
I can't recommend Don't Let the Forest In enough.

A boy and the boy he longs to call more than best friend tread into their school’s forest each night to fight monsters which have originated from one of their artwork.

Wow. Okay. So I really should be doing so much more horror. The whole time I read this I was questioning what was real and what wasn’t, if I had a reliable narrator, and what was causing all this turmoil with the forest in the first place.

The whole book was full of rich imagery that made the monsters come to life and there was spook galore. Also the monsters were very pagan coded which I loved.

The subplot in this was our mc dealing with his identity of gay and ace and it was both agonizing and rewarding to watch him grapple with what his desire for his best friend meant to him.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: None
POV: Solo 3rd Past

I read this in practically one sitting. C.G. Drews knows damaged characters and I'm here for it.

This book will literally rip your heart out and offer it to a forest of lies.

I'm going to start by saying the ending is ambiguous. I really wanted a "5 months later" or some sort of closure for a few of the strands left hanging. Heck it could have been from someone else's POV. This is 100% personal/my brain can't handle so much ambiguity. So If you can't handle it either, I'm telling you in advance. The ending is good, but there are still questions.

The emotional mess that is Andrew pulls you through the story, there's so much damage and questioning that it's hard to put down the book. I was so hung up on his emotional aura I didn't see the twists and turns coming at all once we got to the final hurrah. But wow was that layered in the whole story. Such poetic goodness happening between Thomas and Andrew. The beginning of the story really snaps together by the end and it's just pure magic how it all comes together right under your nose.

These characters are so well developed. Like even the side characters. There's none of that over dramatized YA stuff, just true to real life high school drama which we all know and hate. But how must of it is real? HOW MUCH OF IT IS REAL C.G. DREWS?!? I NEED THESE ANSWERS!

I have questions. I know there is no book 2 to answer them, so I will just steam over them. But seriously, if you love dark academia, with light horror and things that go bump in the night, you're going to love this book.

“Everything inside me is in ruins," Thomas said. "For you.”

Yes please. More of this tragic sad panda heartbreaking work. I need it to feed my soul.

REVIEW

“𝘐𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵.”

Can I make this whole review just quotes?? I’m absolutely blown away by CG’s gorgeous writing style. The story is beautifully tragic, the characters are so damaged and traumatized and obsessed, the shiver I get up my spine is so real. I LOVED THIS.

I’m not one who typically sees a movie in my head when I read, but I could really see things with the way the scenes were so vividly described. I don’t know if that is so great considering this is a horror and a lot of it was describing flowers coming from eyes and vines curling into your rib cage but…it was visceral and gritty.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸'𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘴.

I think I have a new favorite trope in unhealthily obsessed boys trying to deal with their issues in basically the worst way possible. I will eat it up! Andrew slowly going insane over the course of the story…except not really? It’s all in his head…or is it? GAH. Just the underlying uneasiness and shivers of how scary one can describe plants was so well done.

"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.”

And spoilers here, but I’m losing my own mind finding out that twist at the end. Going back and reading early chapters, the foreshadowing is so potent! I love being able to backtrack and see how the story ended up where it did.

𝘏𝘦'𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴.

If you enjoyed books like Summer Sons and These Violent Delights, this is right up your alley; creepy monster core, horrific vine imagery and codependent trauma boys.
Read Erin Morgenstern or Pascale Lacelle for similar language/writing style.

Thank you SO MUCH NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for this incredible ARC. And to CG Drews for writing it!

Never has an eerier ode to delulu been written, and honestly? Good for them!

Aussie author C.G. Drews makes an extraordinary comeback to the publishing scene with "Don't Let the Forest In", a dark academia novel where eldritch forest horror ends up being the least of the main characters' problems. Even though Andrew Perrault has never been any good at making - let alone keeping - friends, him and his twin sister Dove have always had Thomas, the autumn-haired boy with as many freckles as he's got issues. The boy with an insane talent for drawing, whose pencil brings Andrew's eerie fairy tales to life... Perhaps all too literally.

Something I always look forward to when reading dark academia is the at times fever dream-ish, at times truly angushing, vibe. Confusion and vague impending doom are exactly what the subgenre is all about, and I can't express how well C.G. Drews understood the assignment. With every turn of the page, Andrew and Thomas' grip on reality slips a little bit further away, to the point that one doesn't know whether they are reading about two boys, about a forest, or about neither and both at once. Despite how vague the stakes may seem at times, nothing about this story lacks polishing. Instead, every single line helps build up a sense of uneasy strangeness that will keep you glancing over your shoulder just in case.

Although there are countless ways in which this little gremlin of a book stands out, one of the most important ones is the nuanced asexual representation. Being both autistic and ace, Andrew does not experience attraction the way others might, and what might have fallen flat had this been written by a great but not brilliant author shines bright with C.G. Drews. One cannot separate autism from everything else, and I personally found this book to be extraordinarily nuanced in terms of showing the reader how autism intersects with everything else the person is or feels or wants.

This book reads like the bastard child of the Tunnel of Horrors and a particularly haunted forest, and it's one of those stories that will stay with you for weeks once you've turned the last page. I must thank the author and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy, which was given to me in exchange for an honest review! Now, on to buying a physical copy as soon as it's released!!

HOLY SHITE WHAT THE EVER LOVING #*$! DID I JUST READ?!?

First, I need to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Childrens Publishing group for the opportunity to experience this incredible story before publication. And thank you to CG Drews for writing a book that had me in a chokehold from start to finish. The representation of the LGBTQIA community was refreshing, and the way they brought the characters to life was something I haven’t seen in a long time. Andrew had my heart from the beginning because he reminded me a bit of someone I love with all my heart. And his relationship with Thomas was just so beautiful and even heartbreaking at times.

I truly think that this book will help anyone who deals with anxiety or panic attacks, or who is part of the LGBTQIA community and who maybe hasn’t found their people to feel a little less alone. (I hope that makes sense. It made sense in my head!)

I leave you with three words that I hope you pay close attention to. READ THIS BOOK.

You will not regret it.

This book right here is PERFECT for those who love dark grim fairytales. This is a story about a prince and a poet. The poet; Andrew loves to write dark fairytales and his best friend Thomas draws those grim fairytales. Thats the story of how they met, two young boys who expressed themselves with words and art. Dove, Andrew twin sister is the opposite of Andrew but that never stopped her from standing up for him.

The atmosphere was horrifying, I mean monsters coming to life and every night both Thomas and Andrew had to fight them off. Drew’s did such an amazing job writing this book, it read like a dark fairytale and unlike any book I’ve read before. I loved how they also added short snippets of Andrew’s writing, it gave the book more of a depth and gave better visuals of how horrifying the monster's were.

Incredibly atmospheric, intentionally unsettling, and fiercely horrific, Don’t Let the Forest in is a deeply engrossing work of queer, dark academia that will keep you on edge until the very last sentence.

Not long after requesting this book I encountered a review from another reader that made me apprehensive about picking it up. In the interest of giving the book a fair chance, I decided to wait so that it wouldn't influence my own opinions. During that period my reading shifted away from YA books and, as a result, I haven't felt compelled to pick this up at any point. Unfortunately, I don't expect that to change in the future, and, as a result, I do not believe I can give this book the fair consideration that it deserves.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity.

A Beautifully raw story that truly rips your heart out. "If you cut open my chest you'll find a garden of rot where my heart should be." This book is written so so beautifully and the formatting is perfect.

**⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Haunting and Poetic Journey Through Grief**

CG Drews’ *Don't Let the Forest In* is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of grief, trauma, and the healing power of stories. With her signature lyrical style, Drews crafts a tale that is as much about the darkness within as it is about the mysterious forest that looms on the edges of the characters' lives. The narrative is both tender and unsettling, drawing readers into an emotional landscape where every word feels intentional. While the plot can be slow to unfold, the novel’s depth and emotional resonance make it a rewarding read for those who appreciate character-driven stories with a touch of the surreal.

I’ve been following CG Drews on social media for quite awhile now and I’ve been eagerly waiting to read Don’t Let the Forest In. I was super excited to receive an ARC.

This book is beautiful, haunting, twisted, and broken story about Thomas and Andrew. One creates dark stories of monsters while the other draws them into existence— it’s a beautiful pairing until the monsters become more than just a story.

Senior year is hard enough without monsters, accusations of murder, bullying, insecurities, and fumbling through a growing obsession for each other. This book is one that I think will stick with me for a while. The ending. Whew.

“They were beautiful together; they were magical and monstrous.”

Wow! I’m not sure where to start. First, this is a strong recommendation for teenage age kids that like the weird, scary and edge of your seat gripping stories. Such an amazing piece to be considered for that age range.
This book was truly amazing. I went into it without expectations but it left me I’m complete shock. Not only was it beautifully written with pieces such as “If you cut open my chest you’ll find a garden of rot where my heart should be” but the story, the characters, the mystery, even the magic was fantastic. It was dark and lightly twisted and yet it was able to be so soft and calming. The ending was spectacular, I’m still a bit confused by it in the best way possible. Mind blowing.

This book instantly grabbed my attention with its cover. And it reminded of Frankenstein meets House of Hollow maybe? I really found it unique story of horror. I love that Thomas is an artist, and the discussion that can be had over the themes of obsession and monsters. In particular I have been looking for more creature feather books. I hope to acquire a physical copy of this book. Which re-reading books is not something I do often.

Andrew is an extremely sad boy with only two true friends, as he begins his senior school year at a private boarding school in rural Virginia. Dove, his twin sister, and Thomas, best friend to both, have had a falling out and their trio is down to two. As Andrew struggles with growing feelings for Thomas, they both are struggling with a darker secret. Andrew, with his extreme social anxiety, finds his solace in writing fairy tales about dark, sad, and brutal monsters in the forests around the school, and Thomas is always bringing Andrew's stories to life with his vivid drawings. But when the drawings begin manifesting, and killing teachers and students, the boys are at their wits end to figure out a way to stop the monsters. But everything may not be as it seems, and Thomas' monsters aren't the only thing Andrew will have to come to terms with this year. I enjoyed the writing and the ace and bi representation. This story will give you whiplash in the best way possible trying to figure out what is actually going on. I enjoyed the young love and angst that comes along with it and the exploration of grief for a person who is already struggling with so much inner turmoil.

Don’t Let the Forest In follows Andrew as he returns to Wickwood Academy for his senior year. Everything in his life seems a little unstable, including his relationships with Thomas, who he loves, and Dove, his twin sister. Throw in Thomas’s parents’ disappearance and the fact that there now seems to be monsters in what was once their favorite place and it sounds like a real horrifying mystery might be afoot.

Unfortunately, this book just massively didn’t work for me. I fought it nearly every step of the way, which is a shame because I’d been so excited for it. Don’t get me wrong, the book has its merits, but they’re few and far between for me. I think this book needed a lot more thought and development just in general, to be honest.

I spent the majority of Don’t Let the Forest In trying to pinpoint what the message of it was and by the end I still think it’s way too muddy to make a lot of sense. Andrew has a hundred and two problems and it doesn’t feel like any of them get addressed. He’s struggling with his sexuality (but he is asexual which is some representation I’m always super excited to see), his relationships are shaky, he is anxious as all hell, and is trying to hide an eating disorder to top it all off. It just doesn’t seem like these play a particularly cohesive role in the story as a whole.

That does kind of bring me to Andrew as a character, though. I love an unreliable and unlikable narrator but he got under my skin almost constantly. Andrew constantly blames everyone else for his problems and the rare time he does take an iota of responsibility or takes a second to look within to fix their problems it’s shallow and surrounded by pitying ‘woe is me’ kind of speech. He’ll rant for full paragraphs about how despicable he is because he’s too anxious and weak and skinny and asexual for any given person or problem and a page later he’s whining about how Thomas or Dove are responsible for what’s currently wrong. I can understand the intent behind these character choices, but they’re maddening to read through. With a character like Andrew I expect some major character arc and self-reflection and growth, but here it just takes far too long and is way too little too late to make an impact. The way he treats people just never really finds the time to come up.

It’s not just Andrew’s character that struggles, though. None of the characters seem to have any consistency besides maybe Lana and the bullies - and the bullies are Disney villain over the top evil for what seems to be no reason at all. Characters will get into throw down, blow up arguments over nothing and dialogue choices will follow almost no logic (I was reminded constantly of that ‘I’m so RaNdOm rAwR’ time period and it physically hurt, though that may be a me problem).

Plot-wise, it did a few things to build tension that almost always backfire. Keeping the reader in the dark while continuously hinting to this thing that happened just before the narrative started. A main character intent on not actually following leads the plot is throwing at them. It was frustrating to me because the book is so focused on fairytales and the power of storytelling and missed out on making the book itself follow fairytale rules and structure. There doesn’t seem to be a logic or real flow to what happens and it’s hard to string together why each plot point happens in the grand scheme of things. Fairy tales are tight, everything happens for a reason and there’s a moral to every piece of the story. A lot of this just felt like “and then this happened and then this happened next” just for the sake of the imagery and to bulk the story out further. Honestly, it didn’t feel like a lot of the emotional beats or plot points were there for any logical reason in-world at all so much as the author needed something to fill space between point A and B.

Sorry, I’m just so frustrated because this book has so much potential and so many people seem to have enjoyed it and I just couldn’t. I’m so tired of books not receiving the amount of editing and care they deserve.

There are things the book does get right, though, even for me. There are scenes in here, specifically some of the more action-based ones, that are absolutely heart-racingly good. They show the talent that Drews truly has in a way the rest of the narrative misses out on. If you’re into gore, this book is exceedingly gory. There’s body horror and creepy forest monsters galore. The imagery itself is super tight. Almost all of the description falls back to forest imagery or hunger or stuff like rib cages and eye sockets (I will say that it could be a little too tight because it did get on my nerves with how repetitive it felt at times). There’s also some decent queer talks as Andrew grapples with his asexuality.

So, Don’t Let the Forest In isn’t a book without its merits. I just think it could have been so much more in a way that makes the disappointment crushing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.