Super tense, exciting, page-turning read.

What the Woods Took is a dual-POV YA horror centering on Devin and Ollie, two teens from Portland who were essentially kidnapped with their parent’s/guardian’s permission in the middle of the night and forced to participate on a 50 day hike through the woods as part of a wilderness therapy program. It’s an isolated setting with just them and three other teens dealing with their own troubles, plus the two adult guides. One day, the adults disappear, and the group of teens have to find their way out of the woods. But monsters stalk them and force them to confront their dark and traumatic secrets.

The book starts with an author’s note that lists content warnings, so be sure to check those, plus a brief background and the controversy surrounding these wilderness therapies, which I appreciated. The book does deal with sensitive subject matter (like the entire premise basically is), but to me, it felt like it was carefully handled without glorifying or excusing anything. Everything was nuanced and had more layers below the surface, so I really enjoyed that.

I feel like the best parts were the constant tension and characters. The setting never changed but there were constantly new scenes that brought new conflict or danger, and it really kept me reading. The characters all started off with heavy, complicated backgrounds, but they each dealt with it in different ways and I could really see how they formed even with the brief explanations. No one was really as they initially presented, and I really loved that. There’s also a bit of romance, and even though it wasn’t the focus I felt like it was maybe one of the more successful enemies-to-lovers. The monsters themselves were a bit of a mystery, but they felt like an allegory for the characters’ pasts and moving forward from them, so I really liked how the horror elements blended with the mental health aspects as well.

Highly recommend! A great YA horror!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Courtney Gould has written another perfect YA horror. This was so good--flawed and believable characters who feel like real teens, a fight for survival in the Idaho woods, sapphic hate-to-love, and a story that doesn't shy away from tough subjects and mental health while treating it gracefully and with compassion. Can't recommend this highly enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Courtney Gould is a master and this book is no exception. The "troubled teen" industry is such an important topic and I love that Gould has interwoven a call to action on this into her newest horror novel. The characters are so important and compelling and we instantly feel for these people. I'd love to see this book prominently displayed and advertised in bookstores, libraries, etc.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Courtney Gould’s “What the Woods Took” is a haunting and visceral novel that masterfully blends elements of horror and psychological drama. This book is a gripping exploration of trauma, survival, and the dark secrets that lurk within both the human psyche and the natural world.

The story follows 17 year-old Devin Green, who is forcibly enrolled in a wilderness therapy program after being abducted from her home in Portland, Oregon. Along with four other troubled teens, Devin is thrust into the unforgiving Idaho backcountry, where they are expected to confront their personal demons and learn to establish healthy routines. 

Gould excels at creating deeply flawed and relatable characters. Devin is a compelling protagonist whose journey from defiance to resilience is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. The other teens in the group each bring their own unique struggles and personalities to the story, adding depth and complexity to the narrative. 

Gould’s writing is atmospheric and evocative, perfectly capturing the eerie beauty of the wilderness and the creeping dread that permeates the story. Her prose is sharp and unflinching, delving into the raw emotions and psychological turmoil of her characters. 

“What the Woods Took” explores themes of trauma, identity, and the struggle for survival. The novel delves into the psychological impact of past traumas and the ways in which individuals cope with their inner demons. Gould’s nuanced portrayal of these themes adds a layer of depth to the story, making it more than just a horror novel. 

“What the Woods Took: A Novel” is a chilling and thought-provoking read that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Courtney Gould has crafted a story that is both terrifying and deeply moving, with richly drawn characters and a plot that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Whether you’re a fan of horror, psychological thrillers, or simply enjoy a well-told story, this novel is a must-read.

What The Woods Took by Courtney Gould, from the time Devon Green is taken and arrives at the experimental wilderness therapy camp she’s trying to find a way to leave but being stuck in the woods with two counselors and four other campers miles and miles away from civilization isn’t a prime time to set out on her own. By the time the opportunity for Devon to flee presents itself she’s already built a friendship and knows the other campers are depending on her. By the time they realize there’s something else in the woods with them it may already be too late. This was a great loss in the wilderness story because it had paranormal aspects to it but not gonna lie I got so sick of Devon and Sheridan‘s heart to hearts, arguments and awkward conversations. That alone with the fact only Aiden had a good parent were the only two things that annoyed me. I really enjoyed everything else about the book especially the mimics but I didn’t understand why am so much trouble happened due to the river why would they move next to one end or have an impromptu picnic in the woods but you have to read the book to find out what I mean. I still recommend this book it is a great lost in wilderness story I wish we would’ve known more about the mimics but still and all definitely recommend it. #NetGalley, #CourtneyGould, #WhatTheWoodsTook,

This is a great young adult read! Lots of atmosphere, you can really feel what these woods would have felt like. This tells the story of a group of teens sent away to a wilderness camp. But it takes a horrific turn and they must come together to fight the demons, both outside and within. I loved the friendship dynamics, especially with Devin and Sheridan. It was fun to watch their transformation and friendship unfold. Highly recommend.

What the Woods Took was both an exciting survival adventure story and an exploration of trauma and relationships (both platonic and romantic). The story hooked me right away but did slow down briefly for a couple chapters that concentrated on character development. After that, it was face paced until the end. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I loved the direction this book went with the horror/thriller aspect. It seemed very fitting for the internal storylines. Overall a solid read for both young adults and older readers. I’m a big fan of authors who can make me change my mind about a character I dislike or who annoys me at the start of a book, and I thought multiple character arcs did this well.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC!

Just finished What the Woods Took, from Courtney Gould, and if you’re looking for ‘creepy’, you need look no further. Having read The Dead and the Dark, I knew already that Gould had a knack for spooky stories, so I had high hopes for What the Woods Took, and it did not disappoint.
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*Warning: Minor spoilers* - The plot centers on a group of teenagers who have been forcibly enrolled in a wilderness “therapy” program. The reader discovers what crimes these kids are guilty of as the story progresses, and while they could clearly do with intervention of some kind, one gets the sense that what they really need is parents who give a damn. But I digress….
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It quickly becomes clear that the camp “counselors” are the kumbaya sort who, while capable enough for a hike through well-charted woods, are unqualified to deal with “troubled” teens, and the reader quickly develops a disdain for them. At least, this reader did. But Gould manages to remove them in a way that works well with the plot and makes their reappearance later plausible. I don’t want to ruin the story, but as one would expect the events that follow succeed in testing our young “delinquents”, though certainly not in the ways their parents/guardians/counselors expected (one would hope), and by the end of the book the survivors have not only matured and become stronger, they have bonded together.
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In some ways the book is formulaic and predictable, but that isn’t automatically a drawback. Most books are. What the Woods Took is a different twist on a familiar theme, and the author takes the opportunity to bring awareness to a social issue that needs addressing, which is no bad thing. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I give it 4.2⭐️. My rating would be higher but for the fact there were several lose strings left dangling, and while it’s rarely possible to wrap everything up in a neat little package there were a few too many holes for my liking.

First, thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review!

What The Woods Took is a book that I was very much looking forward to, and I’m happy to say it definitely lived up to the hype I had for it! I think this premise is incredibly solid, and the characters are excellently crafted and were what really drew me into the story. The atmosphere of this book is also very well done, delivering on the creepy/scary setting and vibes I was hoping for. In particular, the development both intra- and interpersonally within our main cast of characters was great, and I think the main highlight of this book.

I did find myself wishing that this book had leaned more into the horror elements and atmosphere. Because this book is YA rather than adult, I think that what we got is suitable for the target audience but I still found myself wishing for more on that front. These kids’ situation is an incredibly horrifying one and I had hoped that would be leaned into a bit more than it was. While I had a great time with this book, it felt like there was something missing. Whether it’s that the horror is a bit more shallow than I’d expected, that I didn’t quite connect emotional with all the characters as deeply as I think I was supposed to, or something else I don’t know. But I did leave feeling a tad bit unsatisfied just because I found myself wanting more.

Overall, this book was still very very good with great development of these characters and excellent setting/plot. I think bringing more light to these types of wilderness rehab programs is also incredibly important, as their awful history has been coming to light in the public consciousness in recent years. Have the real life kids who were subjected to these programs forced to fight shape shifting monsters? Probably not, but they still face such horrifying experiences and it’s necessary to understand what those kids go through.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc of this book! I really enjoyed the spooky atmosphere that this book creates. I was on edge while reading, and I was so curious about what the monsters would end up being. My only qualm with this was how fast the romantic relationships moved- it kind of seemed out of the blue. The creepiness level was perfect for teens though!

Thank you so much to net galley for sending this one my way. This one was a spooky wild ride. Was kind of a slow burn but worth it. Love anything told from multiple POVs. If you like spooky summer camp vibes this one’s for you. 4⭐️

I was hooked by chapter 3. It's just so creepy!

Rating: 4.25 ⭐️

"She knows she's a problem the way she knows her hair is brown and the sky is blue. She knows that she's a problem, but for once in her life, she wants to be her own problem."

What the Woods Took follows Devin as she is taken from her bed in the middle of the night to go to a wilderness therapy program. She and four other "troubled teens" are dropped off in the Idaho woods with two counselors set on changing their destructive ways. However, everything is not as it seems as they slowly become aware of inhuman faces peering out at them from between the trees...

I wish this book came out this month, because it's the perfect spooky season read! 🎃

What The Woods Took is very uncanny valley. And I loved it. For me, nothing scares me or creeps me out more than something that almost looks human. And an inhuman SMILE? I never recover from that.

One aspect I didn't like for a majority of the book, however, was Sheridan, one of the other "troubled teens." I could not stand her. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I will say I begrudgingly grew to tolerate her and that the characters' arcs and interactions with one another are never anything less than complex.

Overall, I very much recommend this book if you're in the mood for something spooky. Keep an eye out for when it releases December 10th!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me early access to What The Woods Took in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I received a digital copy and so wish I had received a physical one now that I’ve finished it.

I devoured this. I started this at 1am and that was a mistake of colossal proportions. I just finished it and it’s about 5:30am.

Now, I’m not a horror reader, nor have I ever had nightmares inspired by any book, but there was something eerie about laying on my side, reading this book on my phone, and having a pitch black window showing off absolutely nothing just beyond my hand. I had to lower the blinds.

Gould does not over-detail what exists within the woods and I feel that’s one of the strengths. There is no oversaturation of excessive detail and that is a massive breath of fresh air in these modern book times.

My only grievances are with the… extinguishing (terrible pun intended) of one relationship, and the ignition (terrible pun intended 2.0) of another. The first made sad in that there was this really neat dynamic we could have seen and explored and I was down for it. The second was just too fast and I didn’t care for it. But it wasn’t enough of an issue for me to remove a star. (Although I think an exploration into the first would still be a fascinating read)

If you want a dark tinged story about teenagers getting into fights, learning to overcome fears, learning to trust, and growing up in a rather absurd yet delightful way, this is for you.

I’m not sure exactly what it was but this book didn’t fully deliver for me. I wanted to connect with the characters more deeply than I did. I think the book wanted to be character driven but it just wasn’t. I will say that the characters did all feel very authentically like teenagers.

The monsters are horrifying but I’m not sure the trauma they are meant to represent comes across fully. There were plenty of things that were upsetting about the book and invoked feelings of horror; but the emotional impact wasn’t there for me.

I also was rooting for the romance but it again fell a little flat.

As an editor, I’m not sure what I would have tweaked to make this work better. I am inclined to think it just read this at a bad time & that’s why it came up short. Or the inevitable comparisons to The Dead and the Dark left What the Woods Took in the dust.

Devlin is awakened in the middle of the night to find herself being kidnapped into a wilderness rehabilitation program for teens. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of kids with various issues and two "counselors" tasked with forcing them on a weeks-long hike, she isn't exactly eager to open up about all the things that piss her off - especially not with Sheridan, who has even more of a chip on her shoulder. But then they enter a part of the woods that is far too quiet, and the first night, both counselors go missing. The group must work together to survive... but none of them are the type who wants to cooperate.

Once I got past a bit of confusion as the POV (3rd person limited) switched between Devlin and Ollie, I really enjoyed this novel. What they encounter in the forest was a unique kind of creature that seemed perfectly designed to unsettle these kids with their traumatic pasts. There wasn't a huge reveal of Devlin's past as I was expecting; even though bits of her past are unearthed, the main thrust of the story is everyone learning to trust each other without knowing all the details. This made it hard for the reader to know what was real to the point where I was second-guessing everyone up until the end. I expected a final scare, but that was the only tiny disappointment I had.

Full disclosure: I went to one of these programs, so I was ready to be picky. I had no need to worry. This is a great book, accurate, scary, touching. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

The woods can be creepy enough. But throw in a bunch of teens stolen from their homes in the middle of the night for wilderness therapy and creatures that want to eat them, and you have a horror book that you don't want to put down.

This book not only had terror and suspense but also family dynamics and dysfunction, past trauma, and a little romance.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5⭐️

As always,I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows a group of teens while at a wilderness camp for kids with behavioral issues. when I started it, i wasn’t expecting it to go the parnormal route, but I’m really glad it did. it helped bring life to the story. i really enjoyed this book.
The only thing I didn’t like was how the author put a note about wilderness camps, and this story almost paints it in a more positive light. Some of the characters talk about the growth this made them have. Any real story I’ve read or heard of these camps is a lot worse than what these kids were supposed to do, and I hate that it takes away from that. That caused me to take a star away.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

What the Woods Took is a gripping survival thriller that plunges readers into a nightmarish wilderness where the dangers are as psychological as they are physical. Devin Green is abducted from her home and dropped into the Idaho woods with a group of troubled teens, all under the guise of an experimental therapy program. As the counselors urge them to change their self-destructive ways through a grueling fifty-day hike, Devin is focused on one goal: escape. But as eerie, inhuman figures begin to haunt the woods, and the counselors vanish without a trace, survival becomes the only option. The campers must rely on one another, despite growing tensions and secrets they’re hiding from each other. The ominous presence lurking in the forest and the unraveling group dynamics create an intense, atmospheric read that keeps you questioning who or what is truly the threat.

Filled with suspense, What the Woods Took explores themes of trust, survival, and facing inner demons while navigating the dangers of both the natural world and human nature. The eerie setting, complex characters, and chilling twists make this a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and dark, atmospheric mysteries.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In "What the Woods Took," Devin Green is abducted and taken to the woods. Once she arrives she realizes she and a group of other troubled teens have been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. Along with 2 counselors, the group must complete a 50-day hike while working through their behavioral and mental issues. Intent on finding a way out, Devin and the group began having spooky hallucinations and dreams. Once the counselors disappear the group finds themselves in danger and trying to survive the woods alone.

This book was a lot of fun! It leans more toward thriller than horror, but the unsettling supernatural elements kept me on edge. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.