*More of a 2.5 stars rating*

I just couldn't really get into the book. I did not enjoy Andrew as a character. I understand he is a meek and shy individual, but honestly it felt like he was just whining all the time. I also didn't enjoy how Thomas is suddenly withdrawn from Andrew and he's currently at odds with Andrew's twin sister. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book and the setting, but I couldn't connect and didn't enjoy the characters. I just felt like it needed a bit substance for me to really enjoy it. It felt like we were just dropped in the middle of something and I just didn't enjoy that.

I did not expect to love this as much as I did. The beginning felt a little slow for me but picked up later on. This is a book that I would definitely re-read.

This was a fun spooky romp, with endearingly broken characters who helped each other put themselves back together again. 3 stars, a well-written and vivid YA read.

This book has interesting magical realism elements. I also found the descriptive nature of the story really interesting. Overall though this book was very sad, and the biggest surprise that is revealed in the book made me feel even more sad about the story itself. I think the elements of this book just didn’t make me love this title like I wanted to.

I cannot believe how much I absolutely adored this book. It satisfied a craving I hadn't even realized I had, and I've been chasing since. CG Drews is a unique talent, who will only continue to shine, I am sure of it. HIGHEST praise for Don't Let The Forest In.

I don’t even know where to begin. DON’T LET THE FOREST IN deals with a lot of dark themes and includes a lot of body horror and blood. Just know that. I do believe it’s best to go in blind as I did because I truly was gobsmacked by it all.

The atmospheric writing set against a dark academia backdrop AND it’s queer horror? What more could you ask for? This book follows an asexual boy as he navigates his feelings for another boy with hair like autumn leaves.

It’s that and it’s also a book about loss and death and grief and how one copes (or doesn’t). Andrew’s point of view as the book went on was just lovely and dark and so fucking heartbreaking. It did take me a while to get through just because it can be really heavy.

I actually sobbed at the last quarter of the book. The entire journey was incredible but wow. That last quarter REALLY got me. It’s hard to say anything without spoiling but phew, I’m going to be thinking about this one for days.

Incredible!

This beautiful and devastating queer gothic is going to be in my head for a long, long time.

Andrew and Thomas are students at the Wickwood Academy boarding school. As friends with a symbiotic relationship, Andrew writes dark fairy tales and Thomas illustrates those stories -- until the monsters from the stories come to life and start killing. Night after night, Andrew and Thomas try to keep everyone at their school safe and they sneak into the nearby forest and slay monsters. At the same time, the boys are slowly realizing their true feelings for one another.

While the main story is, of course, about the Andrew and Thomas' relationship, it also touches on asexuality, anxiety, and dealing with loss.

I would recommend this book to teens who are fans of Kayla Cottingham's My Dearest Darkest and Holly Black's The Darkest Part of the Forest or anyone who enjoys gothic fiction.

I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting the poetic beauty of this story. The writing was so thought out and entrancing, however, I found it quite difficult to get into the story because of it. Once I adjusted to the style, I was in. The tragedy that followed these characters and the darkness of the story is one that will stay with me.

It's been awhile since I've been completely devastated by a book, like curled up staring at the wall wondering "what the actual..." So if you're into dark, twisty horror, and having your heart shredded, this is absolutely the book for you! The horror is a slow creep that becomes relentless and oppressive. It's clear from the beginning that things are not right with Andrew, that his reality is not matching up with the world of his classmates, and he continues to wonder if what he's experiencing is real or not. In a boarding school where he's bullied and miserable, his two anchors are his twin sister, Dove, and his best friend and roommate, Thomas. But Thomas and Dove have had a falling out, and soon both are giving him the cold shoulder. Left on his own, Andrew spirals, and then his nightmares become reality as horrific monsters from the forest start attacking him and the school. It is a LOT. In the midst of all this, there are some light moments, as Andrew and Thomas cautiously negotiate the feelings they have for each other, and Andrew finds unlikely friendship with two girls in the GSA. I don't want to say more because *spoilers* but, prepare yourself, this is an unforgettably twisted and dark story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this E-ARC.

This books was wild. It’s a beautiful love story that’s also scary. It’s written like a long poem. It’s hard to describe but reading it was like reading a long whimsical dance. It was beautifully written.

I loved this whole book up until the ending. I had to reread the ending 3 times and then I was confused. I felt like I missed something. It just….ended? Which is sad cause up until that point it was a 5 star read for me. But the ending brought it down to a 3 star.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan's Children Publishing Group for providing me with a digital arc of this book!

Don't Let the Forest In is a dark, horroresque fairytale about two boys in a boarding school who realize that their art is coming alive and must fight to defend their school. It is a deeply emotional story of grief and mental illness that is beautifully told through the medium of art. Without spoiling too much, I will say that by the time you finish this book, you will have questions about what was real and what was not.

I enjoyed this story and have found a new love for horror fairytales. The imagery was so vivid that there were several moments when I forgot that I was reading a story and not watching a movie or something. The characters were so lifelike and beautifully flawed in a way that held to the experiences they had to endure.

Please, please read the trigger warnings for this book before you decide to pick it up. I regret not doing that, as this book was extremely out of my comfort zone and will probably sit with me for a long time. The main relationship was depicted through violence which made me deeply uncomfortable at times. Andrew struggled with an eating disorder for most of the book and Thomas lived with deep remorse for something that he had done. The two grew closer together by literally fighting their demons. From that alone, I should have picked up on how deep and painful this story would be, but unfortunately, I did not.

I do recommend this book to most people if you feel comfortable reading it after checking out the trigger warnings. Personally, it was almost too realistic, too true to mental illness for me to find enjoyable. For that reason, I give this book a 3.75/5 stars.

Well, this book was just wonderful, GC Grews storytelling is riveting and just awesome. I love dark and compelling tales, and this one hit the spot. I suggest all to read it, and really dont have too much more to say as I am speechless. Please read. Thank you for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

Overall Score: 3.5/5 (bumped to 4 stars)
Plot: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5
Ease of Reading: 3/5
Overall Enjoyment: 4/5

First I want to clarify that while a 3.5 may not seem like a great rating, it is! I did enjoy this book and would definitely recommend to friends who I know enjoy this genre of book.
Don’t Let the Forest in is a twisted, mutinous and macabre love story full of dark imagination, monsters, and horror. There were elements of this book I loved- the setting of a posh high school deep in the woods, the raw and disturbing imaginations of Andrew and Thomas, and the psychological roots of the story. Sometimes the gore-filled imagery set my teeth on edge, but I loved how I could see every scene in my head like a movie (an ode to the author’s brilliance). The plot moved quickly which I enjoyed but it also made the relationships between characters feel rushed. We were told how the MC felt but often I felt there was a lack of showing these feelings. It often felt like the connections just bloomed from thin air. It did take me about 20% of the way into the book to become invested and it wasn’t until I reached 60% that I was IN IT. I enjoyed the resolution to the book as well, it was a surprise I didn’t see coming and resolved some issues of major annoyance I had throughout the book.
As far as gothic horror goes, I think Don’t Let the Forest In is a wonderful example of the genre. If you love the dark and twisty with an MC that wants to crawl under someone else’s skin- this book is for you.

i *loved* this book!!!

it was so atmospheric and creepy and suspenseful and the writing was beautiful!!! the yearning and angst was exactly what i want in a book. this story also had a really satisfying combination of predictable things and things i did not guess and could not see coming. overall, what a great reading experience and i'd highly recommend!

thank you to Feiwel & Friends for the e-ARC!

I was so enthralled by this book and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it! Its beautiful and alluring cover matches the ominous, creepy, and uniquely artistic styles and themes of CG Drew’s writing. The characters are interesting, the setting is memorable and captivating and the story well written. It’s eerie, haunting and tragic and completely worth reading! I look forward to reading more from Drews in the future!

I am several months late in posting this review but had to circle back because this book quickly became one of my all-time favorite books. I was lucky enough to receive it via ebook for free and read it before its release, and I am now purchasing my own copy to reread and treasure.

I have genuinely thought about this book at least once a day since reading it (months ago, as I am posting this review in January 2025 and read it in July 2024). Don’t Let The Forest In is an intense psychological thriller, in my opinion, that beautifully describes mental illness and what different mental illnesses may feel like for some individuals. The slight romance is the thread that flows through this book, but it was honestly the representation of mental illness that blew me away. In this book, we follow Andrew through his schooling, the mystery of his parents, and his relationships with his sister and close friend. The way CG Drews writes genuinely made me question reality in a way that was intoxicatingly good. I also think this notion of not really know what was “real” or not is especially relevant and demonstrative of what people with different mental illnesses experience. As someone with panic disorder, it is easy to get tied up in false realities and I really connected with Drews’ descriptions and the sense of distress she was able to portray.

I would highly, highly recommend this book. Please be aware of triggers of bullying, blood and gore, body horror, death, disordered eating, grief, homophobia, self-harm, and violence.

CG Drews - if you see this, thank you for this book. It has truly become one of my favorite books and made me feel understood, even as someone so different from your protagonist.

This book was just fine. It very much gives off first novel vibes, and seems to take a lot of inspiration from similar YA magical realism books such as The Raven Boys. I found some of the scenes a bit disjointed, and the ending was a bit confusing; I feel like the build to the "big reveal" of Dove actually being dead could've been workshopped a bit more. While the reveal itself was done well and did come off as a shock, Andrew being cast as an unreliable narrator got a bit messy. By the end, it still isn't quite neatly summed up about Thomas and the death of his parents despite that being a simmering concern that reemerges throughout the book. One aspect that I did enjoy was the ace rep. I thought it was excellently done and would recommend this if an individual was solely looking for ace characters done well.

This is a twisty cottagecore horror story, featuring a main character who's losing their mind and may not be totally reliable. The creatures coming to life from stories and drawings was an interesting idea and I appreciated that the author didn't shy away from the horror elements, with plenty of death and creepy plant violence.

The relationship between Andrew and Thomas isn't healthy, but they do have a strong bond that I liked. The ending was a crazy surprise and I really enjoyed reading this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the copy.

Wow.

I read this one a whim on Halloween and it was the perfect atmospheric read. It's very eerie and haunting about grief and relationships and monsters within and around us.

I wouldn't say it's scary necessarily, but it is pretty gruesome at times so if that's not yours thing, this one may not be for you.

One of the best parts of this book is a fantastic asexual rep. It's repeatedly mentioned and discussed on page and was just genuinely very good.

I don't want to give anything else away so just know that if you're in the mood for a haunting tale, this is a great one to choose. Also the audiobook is excellent.

"Don't Let the Forest In" is a fantastic blend of horror and heartfelt storytelling, offering a unique perspective on the challenges of identity, mental health, and the power of imagination. It's a tale that lingers long after the final page, urging readers to confront their inner forests.

Content warnings include depictions of self-harm, disordered eating, bullying, and mental illness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.