Thank you to netgalley and Wednesday Books for a free copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

A group of 5 teenagers are sent out to the woods for 55 days of wilderness therapy. No one is happy to be there. After the 2nd night the counselors disappear and the kids are left on their own. At odds with each other and not wilderness savvy they all feel this is an odd way to start the trip. Soon factions form and as things start to get weird trust starts to erode.

When they start to realize they are being hunted they need to come together to survive. However trust is not an easy thing when you are broken. Then imagine your worst nightmare come true, and tracking you trying to beat you down to take your body. Yikes.

Haunting and atmospheric this YA horror story takes off and has you staying up all night and making pledges to never go camping in the woods. Seriously, this book had me routing for these kids and freaked out by things that go bump in the night.

I used to read a lot of YA - even as an adult - but lately, I feel a huge disconnect with it unless it's fantasy or occasionally sci-fi based. I had high hopes for this one, and while it had me eagerly turning the pages through the first half, it kind of lost me in the last half.

The story follows a group of troubled teens who find themselves in a dangerous situation. The book begins with foster kid Devin Green waking up to find herself the victim of a planned abduction. Devin and a handful of other teens are taken to a remote location in the Idaho woods and dropped off. Two counselors meet them and tell them that they are part of an outdoor therapy program, which consists of a 50-day hike through the wilderness with the intent of helping the teens break their self-destructive habits. The counselors go missing a few days into the hike, leaving the teens to fend for themselves. It's not long before they start to see weird shapes in the woods - shapes that have human forms and faces - and they quickly realize that they are up against something inhuman and will need to rely on each other to survive.

One of the things that worked for me was that the author does an excellent job of creating a sense of tension and mystery from the very beginning. From the kidnapping to the unknown intent of the counselors, the secrets around the program and the isolated setting - I was definitely creeped out at first. The dynamics between the characters, particularly the interactions between Devin and Sheridan - an overly bitchy teen - add extra tension to the story.

As the plot progresses, the relationships between the characters evolve, raising the stakes as danger sets in and alliances are formed. Things really elevated when the counselors disappeared, leaving the teens to fend for themselves, and when the creepy figures came into play, I was all in - but then things really slowed down for me.

After the initial setup, the plot began to feel repetitive. We get an idea of what the teens are up against, and then the tension was set aside, and we got several chapters of character development that - while helpful - really hampered the forward movement of the story. I also felt that the final battle was expected and a little anticlimactic, and I wasn't a fan of how everything was tied up in a pretty bow at the end, though I realize that this is YA, and that is kind of expected. I also recognize that this is more of a me issue and not necessarily a bad thing for the average reader.

I both read and listened to this one, and I felt that as far as the narration goes, Lindsey Dorcus did a great job of portraying each character, matching their personalities perfectly.

This one started out really strong for me. The atmosphere is creepy, the characters engaging, and the mystery pulled me in - but then it slowed down too much, and I lost interest. Fans of YA fiction and thrillers alike will likely love this one. For me, it was just okay.

"Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted when a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program find themselves stranded in a forest full of monsters eager to take their place.

Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction - one everyone but Devin signed up for. She's shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she's dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. 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. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She's also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there's something strange about these woods - inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves - and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they'll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other - and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

Atmospheric and sharp, What the Woods Took is a poignant story of transformation that explores the price of becoming someone - or something - new."

As long as there isn't cannibalism right?

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Courtney Gould is just THAT writer. She can do no wrong. I've loved all of her previous books, and this one is no exception. I loved the premise, the characters gave me visceral reactions reading about them, and the twists were solid. I have no notes, I loved everything about it! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

This is the kind of YA book I should have been reading as a young teen, instead of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Strangely enough, it really reminds me of Koontz’s supernatural/sci fi books. I really loved it.

A group of 5 teenaged delinquents has been sent to a wilderness therapy camp. As if that isn’t scary enough, the body counts starts rising as the counselors disappear and the kids realize they can’t trust their eyes or ears. When I started, I thought the counselors and the camp protocol was going to be where the horror lay, not realizing it was actually what they find waiting for them in the woods.

Great book, intense and a fast read because you don’t want to put it down! Thanks to Courtney Gould, Wednesday Books/St Martins Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, & Courtney Gould for the ARC of What the Woods Took.

I stayed up all night reading this book. I adore Courtney’s writing. The book cover is also incredible. Great job!👏

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's/Wednesday Books for the review copies of Courtney Gould's latest YA novel, What the Woods Took. Gould understands that adolescents need to see themselves as strong, capable, valued, and wanted for who they are, and this shines through in her storytelling. The book is at its best when it leans into these themes, delving into the emotional vulnerability of its characters as they learn to trust themselves and each other. The audiobook was nicely narrated though at times I felt a multi narrator approach might have strengthened the production.

While the supernatural and thriller elements could have benefited from more clarity or a deeper exploration of the symbolism surrounding the woods, these aspects still served to propel the characters into meaningful reflections on trust, friendship, and love. The story effectively pushes them to confront past trauma and hurts (though I felt Devin's story was oddly underdeveloped given that she was the main character, I really wanted a little more backstory for her). Although the pacing felt a bit slow at times and lacked a big reveal or payoff, the strength of the character development kept me engaged. This book is one I’d recommend, as it sparks discussions not only about the mysterious plot but also about the impact of trauma on young people. I’m left wanting more and would love to see the characters’ journey continue as they reflect on their shared experience, to really think about what the woods took but also what the woods gave them.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is an eerie young adult horror novel about a group of five troubled teens sent to a wilderness therapy camp.

The story escalates from therapy exercises to survival horror. The campers encounter sinister, supernatural presences in the woods, and when their counselors disappear, they’re left to fend for themselves.

Tensions build as the teens face not only the literal monsters lurking around them but also the secrets and traumas that threaten to tear their group apart. This supernatural element adds an unsettling layer, creating a parallel between the monstrous forces in the woods and the emotional battles within each character.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

What the Woods Took tells the story of Devin who is taken in the middle of the night and sent to a wilderness therapy program. Along with four other teens are dropped in the middle of the wood with two counselors tasked with setting them straight. During their time there, things start to get weird and one morning their counselors are missing. Things start spiraling as they try to figure out what happened and they start to notice something lurking in the forest all around them.

This was the absolute perfect book for me to devour during spooky season and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to get a little fright with their reading.

Thank you to netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was impossible to put down and I finished it in a single day.

A group of teenagers are sent deep into the woods on a wilderness reform trip for bad children. Everything is going as expected until they wake up one morning and the adult guides are gone, leaving them to find their own way out.

About halfway through the book, it took a paranormal twist that I really enjoyed. I loved how the book used the creatures in the woods to dive deep into each of the teens' personal trauma and bring it to the surface.

On the surface it was a group of teens being hunted in the woods, but there was so much more below that. There were unlikely friendships and relationships formed in the wake of the horror, and so much trauma to unpack.

Overall, I thought it was a fantastic read.

This might be my favorite Courtney Gould book! This book features a handful of teens who have been forced into a wilderness camp to be "fixed." Immediately, things go wrong and the councelors disappear. This story provides a great tension of what lurks in the woods and what secrets each teen keeps. I was interested in the entire story and each of the characters.

I didn’t really enjoy this one. I thought I would. The writing is fine, but… it just didn’t feel like a YA book. The characters are okay, I liked them, but it just didn’t hit right.

I didn’t realize how deeply this book would hit home for me. I found myself needing to walk away and take a breather for a couple of days as I moved through it. I think this is one of the better YA thriller releases of recent years. Grabbed me right away, and haunted me for days after.

3.5/5 rounded down
What the Woods Took is a YA thriller/horror. So, being YA, it was extremely light in both of those aspects. Nonetheless, it was still a fun book to read/listen to. It took me a while to figure out what exactly was going on, so it was kind of fun to be guessing and feel like I was left in the dark. As for the characters, I thought all of their arcs were pretty well done. Yes, even Sheridan! I’m as surprised as you. Overall, this book was decent. I enjoyed listening to it at the time, but as I process it longer after finishing it, I find less and less to recommend about jt. If you really like YA, you might find this one fun.

Courtney Gould always delivers! This book was full of emotions, chaos, and horror. I loved following these messy teens on a harrowing journey through this woods.

The Mimics and their goals were great to learn about, but the story's pacing felt slow at some times (although we sometimes we skipped a week or so in the story).

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This may be my favorite Courtney Gould book so far. Spooky, frightening, and perfect for Halloween season.

I've not been much of a fan of survival/ wilderness themes, but I really enjoyed What the Woods Took. 5 misfits/ rebellious teens are pushed into a 50-day wilderness retreat by their parents / guardians with a company called Revive. Devin is a 17 year old foster whose foster parents seem decent after some really rough foster homes. Ollie was sent by his dad after trying to sell drugs to live on his own. Then there's Hannah, who had a drunk driving incident and drove into a ditch. Aidan voluntarily went for some reason and is a former Boy Scout who has trouble fitting in at school. Then there's Sheridan, who is fighting a battle we don't learn about right away. The counselors Ethan and Liv are in charge of their 50-day journey in the woods of Idaho. But once they cross a river, everything is very strange. The teens have to fight for their survival. The predator is something supernatural.

TW for sexual abuse/molestation, drugs, suicide and bullying. Excellent LGBTQ representation. I won't say too much because I don't want to give anything away. This book is available 12/10/24.

This is my 3rd Courtney Gould book. I loved the first book, was a fan of the second one, this one landed somewhere in the middle. I do a enjoy a good "scary" book that take places in the woods. I think having all the kids being from a wildness camp didn't add thing to the story and could use a different subplot to make it more interesting. But the mimics definitely added some fun to it. 3.5 stars

Thank you to Courtney Gould, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

First, I am utterly obsessed with this cover. It instantly caught my eye. I loved how the beginning of the book starts with a bang and doesn't take chapters and chapters to start getting into the action.

Second, this one was really good. It was hard to put down, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked the characters. I felt for Devin and the other "troubled teens."

Courtney Gould is one of my favorite horror authors, but every time I forget that the beginning starts slow, because in the end it’s always worth it. What the Woods Took follows five teens - Ollie, Sheridan, Hannah, Devon, and Aiden - who are sent to wilderness therapy, but while in the woods things start going horribly, terrifyingly wrong. I do feel like this was less creepy than other Gould books, but I really love the way the characters grow, especially Devon and Sheridan.