All around a very solid book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters the author built. It got off to a bit of a slow start, but once it got going it didn’t stop. The last thirty pages of the book wrecked me.

Have you ever read a book that was so achingly beautiful? That’s the only way I can describe this book. My heart is physically in pain after finishing, for a multitude of reasons.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous. C.G. Drews has a wonderful and haunting way with words that’s left me speechless. Twisted monsters and evil forest motifs just set the perfect ambiance. This was a book I never wanted to end. You never quite know what’s real and what’s just in Andrew’s head, his way of describing the world around, and it serves the story exquisitely.

Finally, the ending! I usually hate open-ended and did it even really happen? type endings but this one… This one I’ll be thinking about forever.

I will be purchasing this book when it officially releases, how could I not?

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭."

2.5 Stars

Have you ever seen a book cover so beautiful and macabre that it just screams "read me" and then the story itself is a total let down? For me, this is that exact situation. Judging a book by it's cover art really can be a double-edged sword... you either miss out on a GREAT book with less impressive artwork or you are completely underwhelmed after falling in love with it. Clearly, I am in the VERY slim minority here when it comes to how I feel about this story. The beginning was hard. Even up until about 50% thru, I was considering DNF'ing.

Before I get into my issues and why I rated the way I did, let me praise the two things I think are great about this story. First off, the spectrum of representation in this story is refreshing. The author touches on themes of identity, mental health, and even eating disorder. While these are not easy topics to discuss or convey, they are very important to talk about - especially for the target audience of this story (teenagers). Second, Drews has a gorgeous writing style. Despite my enjoyment of the story being what it was, the prose is beautiful and I'd absolutely be willing to try another book by this author just because of that.

Onto the things that I really wasn't feeling:/

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. I struggled here so much. This story is labeled as "YA psychological horror" and based on the blurb, I was expecting to be thrown into this insane world of horrors come to life. What I was not expecting was how focused this book was on sexual identity and being okay with one's self the way they are. While that is an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT aspect of a story, especially for a YA book, I wish there would have been more indication that desire and romance was a major part of the plot. While that's not a bad thing, I wish I had known that that's how the story was going to move forward. The only thing that kept me going was the author throwing a bone here and there with something creepy to make me think that something was actually going to happen (spoiler, nothing really happens until about 75% of the way through).

I also found that I was 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫. I don't know what about him put me off, but something about his attitude throughout the story really kind of threw me. I think it's the angsty teenager vibe that surrounded the story... though I'm not so sure, because I did enjoy Thomas' character for the most part.

Lastly, the story as a whole/the ending. Without spoiling anything, I truly had a hard time connecting the pieces. 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝. I did enjoy the creepy parts, I just don't quite know... how it fits together? I guess? I can make the basic surface-level connections, but to me, the two stories kind of felt disjointed from one another. Maybe it would be worth rereading just to see if I'm missing something or can see the foreshadowing, but I don't think that I can drag myself through what I struggled through the first time.

Overall, I think it definitely fits into the YA category and will do really well there. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected to, I think had I went into it knowing that 'horror' was more of a vessel to move a story along rather than then entirety of the plot I would have liked it the slightest bit more.

Thank you to the publisher, CG Drews, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

If you love the cover, just know the story within is just as twisted and beautiful. Wow. Just wow. Every single thing about this reminded me of gothic romantic literature (which is basically the center point to everything I love most in life). I think maybe only 2% of the book was left un-highlighted. There’s so much I want to say about this book but I feel drunk off of it and can’t quite focus my thoughts…so more to be added later to my social reviews. Again, just wow.

I read this ARC as an ebook. I was first attracted to the dark macabre artwork on the cover, and the story did not disappoint as exactly that. “But his ribs were a cage for monsters and they cut their teeth on his bones.” I see this book as if you mixed a Stephen King nightmare with unrequited love and yearning. For YA it felt very grotesque and dark, with some very detailed violence. But the writing was so poetic I never felt repulsed. The characters are engaging and fragile. You can care about both the boys as you read the horrors they endure. I’d say this went beyond my expectation, I found myself highlighting passages that I thought really portrayed a certain emotion or picture. The plot itself was intriguing. I did feel that the middle did drag a bit, with the monster fighting becoming a bit tedious. The ending was spooky and thought-provoking though, making up for the bit of drag. The prose was beautiful and my favorite part of this book. “He needed Thomas, needed their lungs sewn inside each other so he could remember how to breathe”

CG Drews' debut YA psychological horror, characterized by its eerie allure and unsettling narrative, captivated me from the very first page. In this chilling tale, Drews' weaves a web of friendship, obsession, and nightmarish creatures that lurk in the shadows of the woods. The story revolves around Andrew Perrault, a high school senior whose refuge lies in the twisted fairytales he pens for his friend Thomas Rye. Drews masterfully portrays Andrew's complex emotions, his unwavering loyalty to Thomas, and the dark secrets that bind them together. As Andrew delves deeper into Thomas's world, he discovers a darkness that threatens to consume them both.
The narrative unfolds with a sense of urgency, each chapter drawing readers further into the gripping tale. Drews' prose is both lyrical and haunting, evoking a sense of dread that lingers long after the final page is turned. The twists and turns keep readers on the edge of their seats, unsure of what lies around the next corner.One of the novel's most compelling aspects is the exploration of friendship and its darker implications. As Andrew and Thomas grapple with their own demons, their bond is tested in ways they could never have imagined. The dynamic between them is raw and visceral, adding depth to an already captivating story. CG Drews proves herself to be a master storyteller, seamlessly blending elements of psychological thriller and supernatural horror. With its richly drawn characters, atmospheric setting, and spine-tingling plot, this novel is sure to leave readers breathless and hesitant to venture deeper into the woods of their imagination.

What a dark and twisty ride. The imagery is horrifying, disturbing, repulsive, and gorgeous. The fantasy elements of this book, specifically the excerpts from Andrew's stories, worked extremely well for me. However, it did feel at odds with the "real world" setting/tone in a way that was jarring at times, and some of the discussions about queerness and asexuality felt dropped in from a different book entirely. I also felt that the pacing was a bit off - it took a while for the story to pick up, and while the third act was breathtaking and compulsively readable, the actual ending felt too rushed. I also think it could have used more of a build in the tension and drama, instead of starting with the pedal all the way down and never really letting up.

Ultimately, this book was unique, unsettling, and gripping enough to overcome these complaints, and I think it's pretty successful viewing it through a YA lens.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing, evocative imagery - disturbing for sure, and gory and often bloody… but gorgeous, sumptuous, disgusting, sad, and heartbreaking.

Andrew returns to his boarding school for senior year, after things changed at the end of the last year. His twin sister has been distant, and once at school is deeply concentrating on her classes. Their best friend and Andrew’s roommate Thomas was late to arrive the first day, and showed up with a bloody sleeve - and quickly followed by cops asking about his missing parents.

Something’s in the forest, and it’s tied to Thomas’s art and Andrew’s dark fae stories. Bullies in the school make days hard, and staying up all night to fight monsters in the forest means they’re failing classes, too. Plus Andrew has all these weird feelings for Thomas.

I was hooked immediately by Andrew and Thomas and Dove’s dynamic, the imagery of Andrew’s’ stories and of the monsters and the forest. Their obsession with each other hovers around toxicity, and their inability to speak honestly to each other leads them both into dangers untold.

Utterly gripping and haunting - I’m rereading this one again right away.

My eternal thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Publishing, and author CG Drews for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Once upon a time Andrew wrote twisted fairytales, now he’s not sure what is real anymore. His best friend, Thomas, is left fighting monsters in the woods. His twin sister, Dove, is mad at him and he can’t remember exactly why. Andrew is desperate to get things back to normal, and to maybe kiss Thomas (but that’s all!).

The Author ends their Acknowledgments with “And to you, reader, thank you. May this one haunt you.” Don’t worry C.G. Drews, It does! I am left feeling all kinds of emotions, but I can’t stop thinking about this one. The last book I felt this way about was “The Twisted Ones” and it gives similar vibes.

I did enjoy this, for the most part. It starts out slow, but that doesn’t take away much. Just eases you in to all the monsters slowly. When it picks up, it makes things feel that much more desperate. I feel the pacing matches Andrew’s mental decline. I would have rated this 5 stars, but that ending! I’m still mad!

C.G. Drews knows how to write a story! You will be drawn deep into the tale of Andrew and Thomas, captivated by their fight for survival and to love each other deeply. The descriptions of the monsters and emotions throughout this book will make you feel like you are right there with them. This was such a wonderful book and I can’t wait to read it again someday.

Nightmare. Dream-like. Poetic. Beautiful. All these describe this book. So does confusing.

It also vividly describes toxic co-dependent relationships. So that could be a bit hard for some to deal with.

I'm only removing a star because I dislike books with ambiguous/confusing endings.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for an eARC of Don't Let the Forest In!

I was absolutely floored by this book. I finished it in just a few short hours- this fantastically dark and atmospheric novel had me gripped from the very first page, This book has ACE rep, BI rep, and other queer side characters. This book has haunted forests and monsters. There's murder and constant feeling of dread. Without giving too much away, I promise you that you will jump up at some point in the story and say "Holy crap, holy CRAP, HOLY CRAP!" CG Drew's writing is absolutely fantastic and this story is seriously unputdownable, what a debut for sure. I will be keeping my eye on this author and begging for more stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through this dark and twisty fairytale of monstrous fairytales. The tormented anguish and vivid imagery were such well-written, gripping elements of this book that I’m certain I will be thinking about for a while. The characters were interesting and flawed and mostly hard to like but in a way that worked incredibly well with the story. There were a few scenes that I felt slowed down the pacing a bit more than I would have preferred and I can see how other readers may revel in soaking up the dark academia vibes and details of the slower scenes. Overall this was an incredible and haunting read for anyone who likes dark gothic academia-slash-nature horror.

This book had me wondering what was going on, in a good way. C.G Drews had me up late finishing this book. I loved how descriptions connected back to the theme of the forest and overall how detailed the emotions were of the characters.

I cannot begin to explain how this book tore me apart. I read the description before I dived in and thought I knew what I was in for, but it gave me so much more than I had anticipated. I'm not one to usually read horror, but I loved this story and everything it delivered. I'm still reeling from al the emotions it made me go through. I finished with awe at just how well C.G. Drews destroyed me.

With amazing descriptions of forest monsters that come to life through drawings, Andrew and Thomas hold onto each other as they try to survive day by day. I was fully immersed and wanted to see Andrew and Thomas come out on top of this horrible nightmare. It was this and so much more with an achingly familiar depiction of Andrew going through the confusion of figuring out his sexuality and dealing with anxiety. It made it so easy for me to relate to him and Thomas. Don’t Let the Forest In hits all the marks for a book that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in a story of a queer, heart-wrenchingly beautiful love story with a mix of horror and characters just trying to make it through their senior year while not knowing more is at play around them.

I thoroughly enjoyed Don’t Let the Forest In from beginning to end. I highly recommend you to read it if you’re looking for something spooky and beautiful that will make you cry.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is a beautiful and haunting gothic-fantasy story about an obsessive relationship between two teenage boys at a boarding school that is surrounded by a chilling mystery. I really enjoyed this book, actually a lot more than I thought I would. The writing is absolutely beautiful and Drews is really able to create this eerie setting that is a perfect place for this creepy story. I loved how the MC (Andrew) isn't this perfectly strong person who immediately knows how to save the day. There is this sense that something is incredibly wrong (outside of the main conflict) that he is oblivious to and adds even more suspense to the story. He really has to fight and work towards becoming strong and helping the other characters. As someone who also suffers from anxiety/social anxiety, I really loved seeing a MC that also struggles with these issues in a very realistic way. While I was able to guess the mystery Andrew was oblivious too, it was still really satisfying to see the reveal and how it connects to the rest of the story.
I always really enjoy stories about obsessive relationships--there's just something about the emotions the author's are able to convey that really get to me--and this story did an amazing job of this. Not only do we see the mental reliance Andrew has on Thomas, but we also see a crazy mental decline when their relationship is strained. The fantasy is very interesting, but isn't overwhelming. Yes it is very important to the story, but it seems much more like a vehicle for us to see the relationship develop between Thomas and Andrew and to see Andrew's wavering mental state. The only negative thing I can say is I really wish we could have seen more scenes between Thomas and Andrew, specifically from the previous year. I just wanted a bit more insight into their relationship and how exactly Andrew developed such a dependent mindset. However, what we were given was beautiful.

This is an absolutely heart-wrenching (literally and figuratively) book that made me question my sanity and beautifully utilized stories and art as symbols for devouring, consumptive monsters. The main conflict between Andrew and Thomas was set up wonderfully, and I was continually on the edge of my seat worried about where the story would take them (and that ending! I will never be able to get over it). The interactions and subplots that occurred with other characters (Dove, Thomas’ parents, Lana) felt a little strange (although that seems to be by design) and the plot points with them felt mostly unsolved by the end. The interaction of the story with nature was done beautifully, and the descriptions of it overtaking Andrew’s body were visceral and powerful. All in all, one of my favorite books! I’ll definitely be rereading it as well - it just has to be appreciated for its gory artistry!

This review makes references to the story, but does not contain any plot spoilers.
I really enjoyed this book from the cover art (beautiful!) to the concept. I overall enjoyed the fact that the story brought up themes of mental health, anxiety, queerness, bullying, etc. Now, with all the great reviews, I'm here to provide some thoughts on what I think didn't work the best.

I kept having to remind myself that the characters were in fact high school seniors, and not freshmen or eighth graders. Maybe this is common, but I haven't read a YA book set in high school in some time because they're generally not my favorite, but I thought the characters just acted younger than they were supposed to be, making me feel the book would be better for a younger audience than intended.

The queerness. I'm not sure if I can adequately put into words what I didn't like about this aspect but I'll try. I think the scenes where there was queer representation and conversations felt like the scenes were written separately and then sporadically shoved into different sections of the book. They felt removed and forced to me. One of the characters struggles with being asexual and says they don't have crushes because of this. This is just a bad representation of what it is to be ace and I think it could have been portrayed better.

The ending. I feel like when we finally got to the big reveal at the end, it was AT THE END. There were like 5 pages left of the story at that point. Sure, we all saw it coming by that point, but for the story progression I feel like it should have taken place earlier so there was more time to wrap things up nicer at the end, instead of have 5 pages of text afterward to explain the reveal, and then wrap up the story. Sort of. The story does NOT end with everything tied up, so if that's your kind of story, don't go for this. It leaves you figuring out what happened on your own.

Overall I still really enjoyed the book. But I always find the "dislikes" more helpful when reading reviews, so here are mine. 3.5 rounded to 3.

A hauntingly beautiful read that was impossible to put down. The author’s way of creating imagery & the depth all the characters she created only added to the experience while reading. I can’t wait to get a physical copy once they release!

Don't Let the Forest In follows a senior at boarding school who is struggling with his mental health and crush on his roommate and best friend all while the world is beginning to change around him in a very sinister way.
This is one of those books where I knew where it was heading generally, but I was still surprised with the turn. And for that, I loved it. It is Wednesday meets We Were Liars meets Summer's Edge. It was wild and confusing in that way that horror can sometimes be because a good horror author just throws you in. CG Drews is giving "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation." Another one of my favorite parts was how the setting was a character in itself. The boarding school comes alive and the forest breathes in a way that gives the story such a gothic and intense feeling as you're reading.
I can't wait to hear other people's interpretations when they read this book because I have not been able to stop thinking about the ending and what I think truly happened. I need to know how other people took the last page. What really happened???