I love Courtney Gould’s wild scary ideas!! This one is part survival story, part finding yourself and part romance. I really enjoyed the setting and premise (and reading Gould’s inspiration for telling a story about “wilderness therapy programs” for teens). There were several complex characters with great dynamics between them, lots of paranoia and banter, and sapphic enemies to lovers.

What the Woods Took was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

Eerie and atmospheric, this novel blends mystery with quiet grief. The woods were a character in themselves, and the story lingered with me. Some twists felt familiar, but the writing was strong and the emotional stakes real. A haunting, thoughtful tale.

This was an incredibly quick read that totally and completely sucked me in, but I just didn’t really like it for some reason. I didn’t buy into any of the characters much at all and the actual horror aspects of the book felt strangely underdeveloped. Gould’s romances have begun to feel formulaic to me insofar as “omg a girl is being kind of mean? And mysterious? But wait… is there more than meets the eye?” Like obviously that is the love interest. I do really appreciate that she is out here writing lesbian horror, but the general format is starting to get a little stale. I also figured out what character had something “wrong” the second things started getting weird. I guess on one hand that is good foreshadowing, but on the other it just felt a little obvious. I just don’t know, but something about this story didn’t work for me. I think there was too much trying to be discussed at the same time, from addiction, to parental neglect, to CSA, and more that it didn’t feel like anything was done in a totally effective manner. Will I continue to read anything Courtney Gould writes? Absolutely because despite my grievances, I did have fun reading this and contemplated stating up well past my bed time yesterday to finish it, but the horror was just scary enough that I went to bed instead.

Courtney will forever write my favorite YA horror. My entire body erupted into goosebumps while reading What the Woods Took. It was perfectly spooky while also being filled with banter and adorably quirky characters. The found family between the most unlikely characters was extremely heartwarming. Literally from “i will punch you” to “i will defend you”. Obsessed.

A group of troubled teens in the woods? What could possibly go wrong? Well not at all what you think—it’s so much worse. I ate this up in less than 24 hours. It was the BEST time (like I knew it would be—all of Courtney’s books slap). My god I’ll be thinking about this story for a long time.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
• dual POV
• sapphic YA horror
• camping for character gone wrong
• you have a very punchable face
• enemies to lovers
• lesbian/himbo friendship
• there’s something spooky in the woods
• found family
• mistrust and lies aplenty
• yo what’s wrong with those trees?
• following a map is hard
• survival horror (my own personal hell tbh)

My first Courtney Gould book and it did not disappoint me at all. While I love my fluffy, sapphic romances, I'm obsessed with the particularly niche genre of sapphic narratives in thrilling environments, 'do or die' situations, so I'm not surprised I ended up enjoying this one. Devin and Sheridan's dynamic was so good, so refreshing, and the build-up to their relationship felt natural, not too rushed, just perfect to me. This book just made me so excited for future Courtney Gould reads in the near-future.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of What the Woods Took in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist

What the Woods Took sets out to be a moody, atmospheric thriller, but for me, it ended up feeling flat and uneventful. The premise is intriguing—a girl searching for her missing sister in a town filled with secrets and surrounded by ominous woods—but the execution just didn’t deliver.


The Details
From the beginning, the pacing felt painfully slow. I kept waiting for something—anything—to really happen. While the story does try to create a sense of dread, it leans too heavily on atmosphere and not enough on plot development. There’s a lot of internal monologue, quiet reflection, and emotional heaviness, but very little action or movement. The suspense never builds. Instead, it stays stuck in first gear.



Most of the narrative focuses on teen angst, emotional processing, and unresolved trauma. That can be powerful when done well, but here it overwhelms the story. The supernatural elements barely make an impact, and the eerie setting—though vividly described—can’t save a story that lacks momentum.



A strong spooky read needs to balance its emotional core with real stakes and tension. This book didn’t do that. I didn’t feel the urgency, the danger, or the spark that usually keeps me turning pages. By the time the plot started to stir, I was already too checked out to care.


The Verdict
If you enjoy introspective, character-driven stories with minimal action and a heavy emotional tone, this one might resonate more with you. But for readers who want twists, chills, and a plot that grips you from the start, What the Woods Took might leave you wandering in circles.

I'm a big Courtney Gould fan. Her first two books were life-changing. This one never quite hit that stride the other two did though. The mcs mostly just annoyed me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Tropes: Dark atmosphere, gripping stories

Wow. Crazy, creepy, and had me on the edge. It was dark and I loved it. The characters were all over, both likable and unlikable at times. I highly recommend it!

Five troubled teens are sent to a wilderness retreat. This one was okay for me not my favorite read of the year. I thought we needed more back story for the teens. I gave this one 3 stars and even though it wasn't my cup of tea I will recommend, its readers are out there.

What an amazing book. The author made me feel like I felt like I was right there in the woods. It’s very rare for me to be legitimately scared while reading a book but this one did it.

Content warning: child endangerment, talk of drug use, sexual abuse, suicide, conversion camp setup

WHAT THE WOODS TOOK may start off with a bang (nothing like being woken up in the middle of the night because some dude is kidnapping you from your bed... literally). But I felt like the overall plot took some time to find its footing. Once Devin and Sheridan found the burnt down cabin though, I was hooked in wanting to know what was in the woods, why it was targeting them, and how it would all play out.

I think it would have been an interesting style choice if every camper got at least a couple of chapters from their POV rather than just relying on Devin and Ollie to know what was really going on. But Gould did a good job of ensuring readers felt a sense of unease the entire time while they questioned what was real and what was being altered by the mimics.

How the survivors get out of the woods was a bit anticlimactic for me given the build up, but overall this was an enjoyable thriller.

While Lindsey Dorcus does a good job with the audiobook narration, I really wish they had used a separate narrator for Ollie's POV. Having Dorcus do both made the POVs blend together.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

This was an intriguing read; never a dull moment. While the mystery/horror element kept me engaged, it was the characters and their development that kept me invested. The reader gets the story in two alternating perspectives, but also gets to know the minor characters quite well; each individual plays an important role in the unfolding the story. The slow burn and teenage angst in this book is good The author did a great job of setting the vibes; I was all sorts of creeped out.
I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys any of the things mentions above and this is a perfect read for spooky season.
Many thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a digital advanced copy of the book. The opinions expressed are given freely, honestly, and are my own.

"There were monsters following Devin before she ever got to these woods. She doesn’t need conspiracy theories. She needs to get out of here."

Devin Green, a teenager in foster care, end up in the Pattons home. This was supposed to be her last way-station. Or so she thought. When she gets taken away in the middle of the night, her and four others find out that they're now in wilderness therapy, hosted by REVIVE Teen Rehabilitation Journey. A few nights in, their mentors go missing, and their journey takes a dark turn for survival.

I LOVE Yellowjackets, so seeing that in the tagline, I knew I had to pick this up. I haven't read Gould's other books, but I absolutely will be picking up more. Her storytelling is so beautiful and terrifying. The mixture of angst, emotion, horror and <spoiler>romance</spoiler> was something I've never seen in horror, and one I love to see.

One thing I didn't expect was the emotional and found family aspects. For a horror novel, Gould knocks it out of the park (or woods). Every single person there has troubled pasts, and seeing them all work together was so nice to read, especially when their personalities clash.

While I enjoyed all the characters, my favorite is Sheridan. From the initial "mean-girl" of the group to the girl who was just trying to survive. And her relationship with Devin? *chefs kiss*

"Even if you aren’t sorry for what you did, you can be sorry for how it made someone feel."

What The Woods Took was a truly horrifying novel and one well worth the read. And just proves I will never go camping again. (I blame Girl Scouts for camping everytime in my childhood).

Trigger warnings below.
substance abuse
mentions of suicide
death/harm of a child
mentions of sexual assault/child sexual abuse
gore/violence

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and Courtney Gould for the opportunity to read What The Woods Took! All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

A group of "troubled" teens face more than they expected when they are sent to wilderness therapy. It was spooky and emotional and I fell in love with the characters and their development.

Gripping, tense, dark, horrific and hard to put down!
Like two of the main characters, I was instantly grabbed from the very beginning of What the Woods Took! This book had me turning the pages, not wanting to put it down as I was fully invested in what was going to happen next in this coming-of-age tale of survival!
Devin Green, asleep at her foster home, is taken from her bed in the middle of the night and thrown in a van.
In the van she meets Oliver, a teen who was also grabbed at his home as he slept as well. Initially, they are given very little information, which ramps up their anxiety and unease. What they do know is that they are being taken to an experimental therapy program where they will hike, camp, and survive in the woods with two camp counselors and other teens for 50 days. The intended result of the therapy program is that the teens will emerge from the woods changed for the better!
When they wake up and their two camp counselors are missing, the teens find themselves faced with the unimaginable!

I enjoyed the mixing of personalities and backgrounds of the teens in this book. I also enjoyed their dynamics with each other and their reactions after being thrust into a situation beyond their control. Can you imagine strangers waking you up and taking you by force with little to no explanation. That you are a minor and have no say in what is happening to you? I thought Courtney Gould did a fantastic job of depicting this. I enjoyed how Devin fought and tried to escape while Olive, who did not like the situation, was more accepting of what was happening. Their reactions alone in the beginning of the book show their personalities. Then they meet the other teens who are distinct and add so much to the plot.
What the Woods Took has that trapped feeling that I enjoy in books. While they are not physically locked into any room or house, the group of teens do have the task of finding their way out of the woods - woods that they are unfamiliar with. Survival is the name of the game for them. This book was oozing with atmosphere. I also enjoyed the sense of unease, tension and mounting danger. I enjoyed the sense of something-isn't-quite-right that morphed into full on fear! When they learned that they were not alone in the woods, the creepy factor went off the charts. Their therapy adventure in the woods morphed into a horrific nightmare! What the Woods Took also morphed into a great story about friendship, romance, survival, trust, and battling your own demons.
Creepy, scary, tense, well thought out, spooky!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel like his book could have been a really cool psychological horror. Like the mimics were cool. She could have had them fucking with characters since the beginning of the book to make them all feel like they’re going crazy and just had it progressively get worse. If I didn’t read the blurb I wouldn’t have even thought this book was supposed to be a horror. The horror aspects came out of left field. One second nothing happened and then they crossed a river and then Devin was talking about how she felt something watching her.

Also the horror aspects were forced to take a backseat because we were more focused on the characters accusing each other of being mimics simply because they noticed changes in one another. The whole group accusing Sheridan of being a mimic made no sense to me. They literally all changed completely.

Devin also became quite annoying and hypocritical. I loved her at the beginning. But towards the end she started to drive me nuts with her secret keeping. When Sheridan finally approached her about where she went when they first split off. She goes I just thought it was a dream. So that’s why she didn’t tell anybody. Yet everybody else was being honest about what they saw. And that scene ended in a make out when it should have been an important conversation.

Call me naive but I thought those creepy inhuman creatures were only found in Appalachia. This was a dark, horrific thriller involving a troubled teen survival camp gone wrong. 4.5 stars overall.

Thank you Wednesday Books/ St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

This felt like someone read Paris Hilton's memoir and a few YA novels and then was like "I have an idea". It was a painful read for me. It was slow and we went on such a journey to ever get to the point. I really wanted to like this, and I think it had potential...but it wasn't for me.

Additionally, the characters just feel so underdeveloped.

Maybe it just isn't for me...but I don't think I will read more Courtney Gould.

Thank you to NetGallery for the ARC.

I unexpectedly really enjoyed this book! It was creepy, queer, and I couldn't put it down. I was invested in the story, the lore, and where it was going.