5 teenagers are dropped off in the woods for an experimental therapy program. Two counselors explain why they're there. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. But then the counselors disappear and the teens are left to fend for themselves. Also, there's something in these woods...

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this e-arc.*

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 stars
Courtney Gould is back with another queer horror romance for the YA genre. I enjoyed my read because of the interesting premise, relatable characters, and page-turning plot. The story begins with a heart-pounding moment, when one of our protagonists Devin Green wakes up to find men in her room and her foster parents saying little of where they are taking her. Soon, Devin and a group of other teens will learn they have been sent to some type of experimental therapy group. Quickly, they will learn something even more sinister awaits all of them in the woods.

This is the author's third novel and I have been privileged to read and read them all. Although her sophomore novel Where Echoes Die remains my absolute 5-star favourite, WTWT carries a terrifying atmosphere that kept me hooked and guessing. It felt reminiscent of the horror films of the 90s that my friends and I devoured.


Highly recommended for horror fans young and old.

Expected Publication Date 10/12/24
Goodreads Review Date 30/11/24

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Courtney Gould for providing me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Around 3 years ago I received an ecopy of the Dead and the Dark and became an instant Courtney Gould stan. I even bought a hardcover copy to add to my shelf. This summer my daughter went to her first electronic free, sleep away camp and I packed my hard copy in her bag. When I picked her up 8 days later we had our first exciting, fast paced book conversation that will stay in my biblio heart forever.

With that review Courtney did it again!

If you were drawn into the horror that is Netflix’s The Program, imagine colliding that with the eerie survivalist vibes of YellowJackets and the relationship based tensions of the Wilds. What the Woods Took feels like all of my favourite things wrapped up in a haunting atmospheric novel.

Gould takes risks with the paranormal genre. A genre that often veers into unbelievable and dare I say - cheesy, but you won't find any of that here. Gould writes with care and nuance that makes it feel grounded and oftentimes gut-wrenching. She has mastered blending super natural with real human emotion. So if you are a fan of stories that explore surviving trauma in a respectful and non exploitative manner then this is a read for you.

3/5 Stars. A solid middle of the road read for me, not amazing, but not bad by any means. I didn't like it as much as Gould's last book, Where Echoes Die, but I still enjoyed it. The creatures were very creepy, the characters felt mostly believable, but I feel like there was overall a lack of atmosphere that, if fleshed out more, could have made this a 4+ star book for me (I love creepy forests, but this one was pretty mid atmospherically). Overall, I think this would be a good book to introduce teens to the horror genre, but it didn't give enough of what I was looking for to make it worth more than one read for me personally.

What the Woods Took follows a group of troubled teens forced into wilderness therapy. The plot sounded fascinating to me, but as I was reading, 20% of the way into the book I had to check what genre this was considered, much to my surprise it was horror..?

It wasn’t until almost HALFWAY through the book that we’re introduced to these monsters that imitate people in your life to lure you in and take over your body. Another interesting concept, but boy it took a long time to get there.

From there it boiled down to a stuck in the woods YA horror with semi threatening monsters, that basically left the group alone for most of the time. The found family between the group of teens was sweet, albeit a little quick, but hey, trauma bonding!

I initially found it difficult to get into this story. The beginning didn’t immediately hook me, but as I kept reading, something shifted around the 23% mark. The suspense hit hard, and I couldn’t put the book down. The thrill of uncovering what would happen to the characters kept me on the edge of my seat. I also really enjoyed the dual POV, which offered a broader perspective and made the unraveling of the mystery feel even more dynamic. What stood out even more was how the character growth and relationships among the teens were woven seamlessly into the suspenseful plot. Their individual stories unfolded in a way that felt natural and added depth without detracting from the overall narrative.

The ending was absolutely gripping, keeping me second-guessing all my speculations about how it would conclude. While it ultimately delivers a happy ever after, the twists were relentless. My emotions were all over the place, but the journey through this story was absolutely worth it. What an incredible ride!

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review and to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC*

Courtney Gould writes the most delightful queer horror stories and I'm here for it. A wilderness therapy group that finds themselves under siege by terrifying monsters? Yes please. The retreat alone was interesting enough for me, but slowly descending into this sense of paranoia was just delectable. I enjoyed peeling back the layers of each of the campers, particularly Devin. I lost a little bit of steam towards the end, mostly because I thought it would end differently. But amidst all of the twists and turns, they deserved a bit of a happy ending.

Lindsey Dorcus did a phenomenal job narrating and really added to the creepy atmosphere. Her voice when portraying some of the monsters was seriously chilling.

I have a student who particpipated in a wilderness therapy program against her will and so I was anxious to read this book. It did not disappoint! The characters, the misfit group of teens stuck together, are phenomenal and the trapped feeling of being alone in the woods together translates to the page and on to the reader!I was completely invested in each characters developent and backstory. I am excited to bring this one into my classroom.

A coming-of-age YA horror that focuses on the psychological struggle of recovery with a side dish of body-snatching monsters!

This was so good! As a Xennial/Elder Millennial, this story gave me White Water Summer vibes with a healthy helping of Mimic. A group of "troubled" teens are forced into a wilderness retreat to help them change their ways, but it all goes very wrong when the dangers of the forest become so much more than just finding the next food drop. "Mimics" chase the teens through the forest, morphing into their most feared real-life monsters -- some triggering, some heartbreaking -- and with the ability to take over someone's body they constantly have to question who in their group they can really trust.

Author Courtney Gould preps readers with trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, and it's important to note that these teens have been through everything from drunk driving to drug use to child abuse and losing a loved one to suicide. But the author makes a point to mention the issue with real-life wilderness retreats that mask themselves as therapeutic interventions but can be abusive and neglectful, and while I agree with her on this, the story doesn't feel like it's about that at all. I don't want to spoil anything, but the counselors are in it so little and with the mimics being the real threat, I didn't see a strong connection to the same harmful retreats the author was connecting to in her introduction other than the fact that this all happened while they were on a retreat -- it wasn't the counselors fault that this happened to them.

This story is fast-moving, action-packed, and relatably raw, appealing to a wide audience of young adult and new-adult readers. I could make a case for an 8th grade reader audience (there is one character that is relatively young compared to the rest), but would solidly put this at high school level and older due to the mature themes. Perfect for suspense, mystery, and horror fans!

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

Woke up in the middle of the night by two men in her bedroom and packed into a van without being told where she is going just pisses Devin off. When she realizes that she’s miles out in the middle of nowhere with other “troubled” kids and having to participate in “therapy” camp, all she wants to do is escape. Except there is something in the woods with them and she doesn’t think it wants to share marshmallows. And then their camp counselors disappear in the middle night leaving all of their belongings behind.

Expectations. For me this is the core of the book. The expectations that others have on us and the expectations we put on ourselves. Who we are versus who people want us to be. How we are expected to respond to situations versus how we actually respond. Each character faces obstacles in their lives and they are being judged for how they face their challenges. Instead of helping they are chastised and punished for not tackling it how someone else would. What the Woods Took tackles anger management, parental neglect, sexual assault, drug abuse, self-esteem issues, drunk driving, peer pressure, parental pressure, death, and all of the issues that result from this list. Courtney Gould builds the layers naturally into the storyline.

I guessed who gets killed first and so on in the book before it happened. It doesn’t take away from the story, but the suspense wasn’t there for me. I was hoping more people would die (chuckle). The horror part of the book isn’t bad. Like I said, I thought more would die.

I enjoyed the trip in the woods, probably because I was fighting what was in the woods (chuckle). If you are looking for an escape from all of the holiday cheer, then this paranormal horror is for you.

Likes:

+ The main characters in this story are troubled teens sent to a survival camp by their family. They all have interesting, unique, tough stories about what landed them in the camp. There is a lot of trauma that each teen is working through while trying to survive the woods.

+ The camp in the woods is dark, creepy, scary and mysterious. When things happen that leave the kids stranded, they realize there is something menacing in the woods. The reveal was pretty creepy.

+ I like how the kids that are thrown together, work together to survive what is happening in the woods! I thought Devin was the strongest character and her background is especially painful because she grew up in foster care and bounced around. But I felt like she was really strong and the group was really lucky to have her.

Dislikes:

~ The beginning is a bit slow. The characters are all different in personality and have to try to earn one another’s trust, but it’s difficult for a few of them. So there is a bit of that in the beginning.

Final Thoughts:

This one was an interesting read especially when creepy things start to happen in the woods! The beginning was a little slow for me but I think if you like thrillers, you will enjoy this one.

Chilling, raw, gripping. I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to whatever the author puts out next. Gould did an incredible job with writing relatable characters and making the audience feel entirely immersed in the story!

I had been hearing some pretty good things about this book, so I was anxious to give it a shot, and while I enjoyed it I wasn't overly blown away. I enjoyed the fact that we got a dual POV, and the set-up and idea was a really cool one. I didn't actually think that the whole kidnapping thing to "help" you kid was a real thing, but apparently it is, and it makes a great element of a horror/thriller story. I really liked the idea of the mimics, and the characters had great character development throughout the book, but there were a few things I didn't love. First, while I did enjoy the dual POV, I think it would have worked even better if we got the love interest's POV. It probably would have also helped up sympathize with her more. Second, I also feel like it wasn't taken far enough? Like, the ending was surprisingly feel good for a horror novel, and I think it might have packed an even bigger punch had the ending been tweaked a little and had that The Thing energy. I also honestly could have done without the romance subplot. Normally I don't mind the addition of romance, but here it was kind of a take-it-or-leave-it thing, and I really do think it could have been left out and nothing would have changed. It might even have made the story a little better? idk. Again, none of these things made the story bad, because they weren't, but in the end I do feel like overall it was slightly forgettable. I don't regret spending time reading it, and I did have fun while I read it, but it's only been a few weeks since I finished and it's already starting to fade. I certainly won't have any problems recommending it to people (probably teens) who I think will enjoy it, and it definitely shines a light on something that is still an issue today. Seeing as this is my second book by Gould and both were enjoyable enough I'll be curious to see what she comes up with next.

soft dnf.

i like gould's writing a lot and think that she's created a compelling storyline. however, at this time i've been having a hard time finding the motivation and desire to pick this one up. however, i will definitely come back to it once i'm in the right mood for it. i think it has a lot of promise and i want to know how the story will play out, this just isn't the time for me to read this one

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

What the Woods Took is an atmospheric YA horror set in the wilderness. Five teenagers in a wilderness therapy program encounter terrifying creatures in the woods that threaten their lives and inflict severe psychological harm.
The story is character driven and the plot allowed for these characters to experience growth through forming bonds in the midst of a dangerous setting. As a sucker for the found family trope, I ate this up. I wish the first few chapters included some of the atmospheric tension and eeriness that was present
later in the book as that was, to me, the highlight of this book.

This was a fair YA story. It wasn't particularly scary. It did have some creepiness to it. I think this would be appreciated by a younger audience.

ARC REVIEW: what the woods took by courtney gould 🥾 a young adult horror novel following a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program who find themselves facing monsters in a forest eager to take their place.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
🏕️ lurking monsters
✨ sapphic romance
🪵 wilderness behavioral therapy
🌙 troubled group of characters
👻 paranormal elements

this was such an interesting young adult novel because you can take it at face value as a horror survival novel or you can look into the trauma of everything. although you have to suspend your belief just a bit, I did enjoy the queer representation and organic friendships made along the way! (and don’t worry, it wasn't too scary in my opinion) 🌲

courtney gould has been an author on my radar since her debut and I’m happy I’ve finally gotten around to reading one of her young adult books! thank you st. martin’s press for the advanced copy 🎧 4 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars

A group of wayward teens have been taken to the deep woods for wilderness therapy, but it doesn't take long for them to learn that not all is as it seems.

This book was a little slow to get going, but the character development and visual descriptions had me fully engrossed.

I would have liked some more background on the monsters, but I did enjoy what the author gave us through the interactions with one of them.

For fans of young adult horror, found family, and enemies-to-lovers sapphic romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books (St. Martin's Press) for this digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this story totally blind, honestly it was the cover and the good average rating of 4.17 stars on goodreads that made me take the leap into reading this. This is also my first time hearing about this author too!

The beginning grabbed my attention right away. Previously this year I watched the Netflix shows "The Program" and "Camp Hell" and learned about these "schools" and "camps" that kidnap people in the middle of the night and bring "troubled teens" to these behavioral modification programs and my mind was blown that there are still programs that do this in the states?! What ?! Anyways, this is how the story begins with these teens and then the story turns much more sinister and supernatural as it progresses in the dark woods.

There were definitely times I couldn't connect with the characters and eye rolled at their thought processes.. but, I kept having to remind myself that this is YA , which I do struggle with for that reason. After almost every YA story , I always have the thought ... I think I would have enjoyed this more as a teen... So I guess that makes this perfect for the target audience!

I loved the deeper meaning behind the supernatural elements and seeing the teens open up and confront their past traumas. I could have done without the romance aspect, but love the LGBTQ rep!

One warning about this book though, is that the chapters are ridiculously LONG! I definitely could have done with shorter/quicker paced chapters for sure!

Well, this was way better than I expected!!

Having watched documentaries like “The Program” and shows like “Yellowjackets” I was pleasantly surprised that this one kind of mixed the two… and in a really creepy way!

This story follows Devin, who knows she is a problem for everyone, on a forced trip through the wilderness with several other “misfits” to face their demons.

What I think I loved most about this was the way the characters developed and changed throughout the story. I half expected them to stay the same and not get what it was they were supposed to get from the trip.

It’s a story of survival, but also of friendships and teamwork.

This is a great read!