What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould has five children brought out into the middle of nowhere and in at least a couple incidences, essentially kidnapped in the middle of the night to do so. While spending weeks in the woods, they will learn survival skills and talk through their issues to make them productive members of society. When the teens are left to fend for themselves, and they learn there are monsters lurking behind the trees, it becomes a desperate rush for survival.

I loved the different reasons each teen was sent there, and how at the root of it they were all just scared, sad, angry kids lashing out at circumstances beyond their control. The way the monsters tried to get to the teens was both awful and captivating, and made for truly riveting horror. It was the type of reading where you just breathlessly flip through pages to see what happens next while you’re perched on the edge of your seat.

I enjoyed all the characters as well, from Ollie just wanting to have his father connect with him in a genuine, emotional way, to Aidan desperately seeking a friendship that lasts and is unbreakable, to poor Hannah who only wanted her father’s approval and was shipped off after a single mistake. And then, of course, Sheridan and Devin being so similar to each other even with different traumas, and the friction between them that morphed during their journey as they came to understand one another. It all felt very real, and each character had time to shine.

I’ve read a book from Courtney Gould before, and I feel like she’s a special author to watch.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!

great book and I loved the action and the romance . I loved seeing the friends and family. I loved that they were able to figure things out. Overall a great book .

What a great, intensely atmospheric read from Courtney Gould! I have enjoyed all of her books thus far and would recommend them to anyone who wants a slightly spooky mystery story with perhaps some magical elements to it and sapphic representation. Her writing flows so well and she really gets you invested in all of the characters by the end. This book actually got a little too creepy for me to read at night, and I love how well she nailed the environment. It would also make for a great movie. I'll be looking forward to everything else she comes out with.

I love Courtney Gould's work and What the Woods Took is a story I feel like will stay with me. Already these teens are swept up into a horrific situation - one their parents or guardians approved of - and have to fight for their survival with a backdrop of their past traumas taunting them in the woods.
I wanted to read this book as a queer horror reader. Those were definitely components of the book, don't get me wrong, but it also just was an excellent spotlight for processing trauma. My heart ached for these kids so much throughout reading. I just adored this book so much for the relationships they grew to have with each other.

Loved the premise of this book, and for a YA it was pretty well written and held my attention. I was not a big fan of the characters, but it worked in this situation. Would recommend.

Absolutely adore this author and will read anything they have written or will write. New favorite! Will purchase for libraries.

This book is a must read! The FMC is taken from her foster home in the middle of the night, put into a van, and taken to a wilderness therapy program. At this program, we meet a cast of characters with a diverse range of personalities and backgrounds. I was immediately drawn into this book and I could not put it down. There is adventure, there is horror, there is found family.... and there is a monster lurking in the woods.

2.75/5

So I am not a horror girly. I have realized that but I need to get through some horror arcs. With that being said, this is not the worst horror book I have read. It reminded me of an adult goosebumps. The difference is that goosebumps are fast paced, and this book dragged on and on. It was so slow, and then exactly what you thought was going to happen, happened. I hated the characters. Either that were too aggressive, annoy, or whiney. BUT I think the author did that on purpose. So congrats to them for accomplishing that. I think if you like horror books, you might really enjoy this one. But as for myself, I'm glad it is over.

I love a horror/mystery/thriller... but make it queer! Throw in navigating trauma and self-discovery, and survival in those creepy woods. It's excellent!
This one landed just right for me, and I'm recommending it to everyone.

Thank you to @netgalley, Courtney Gould, and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Devin has been in the foster system for years now, but she just wants people to let her take care of herself. So she is doubly pissed when her newest set of fosters, let some man into the house at the middle of the night to take her to wilderness therapy. In the woods, Devin is introduced to four other teenagers and two counselors who explain that they are going to hike fifty miles through the woods and talk about their feelings along the way.

Devin is annoyed at the whole situation, but largely willing to push her way through it. What is getting on her nerves is fellow "camper" Sheridan, who resists everything as much as possible, only making it harder on the others. But everything comes to a head when their counselors go missing overnight, and they begin seeing strange things in the woods. They are going to have to work together and learn to face their demons together if they want to get out of the woods alive.

What the Woods Took works pretty well as a fast-paced YA thriller/horror novel. The monsters they face in the woods are genuinely pretty creepy, and there are many twists and turns to keep you guessing along the way. Over the course of the book, the alliances and friendships between the five teenagers are constantly shifting and morphing as they learn new information and the monsters make them question everything around them.

My main complaint is that I felt there was a disconnect between the first quarter of the book, before anything paranormal happens, and the remaining portion. The first part of the book is scary in its own right: sanctioned kidnapping of teenagers is something that should be illegal. It becomes obvious that the counselors are not that experienced themselves, neither in terms of therapy nor in terms of navigating the wilderness. It feels like tat in and of itself makes it a dangerous situation to be in, even before the monsters appear.

I would have appreciated if the horror aspects of the monsters was more connected to this real-life horror that is wilderness therapy programs. I wish they had been thematically intertwined with one another, rather than sitting so separately. I feel it would have been an even stronger critique of wilderness therapy programs, and made the monsters even scarier.

And although the way the book keeps you questioning which characters you can trust works well for the horror aspect of the book, it means that we can't feel secure in the character development or the relationships they develop with one another. Since characters and their relationships are an important aspect of a book for me, I found that to be a bit disappointing. Even though we ended with a found family storyline, I felt like I didn't get enough development of that found family in order to find it completely satisfying.

What the Woods Took is a fun and easy read, especially if you are looking for a queer horror book. And while I wasn't as fond of it as Gould's previous work that I've read, I definitely think it was worth the read.

This book was well written. Had aspects of horror, which i love, and a smidge of romance.
It makes you think of your past traumas and how you deal with them as well.
I'll definitely look for other books by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

What the Woods Took was gripping from the very beginning. This may be Devan’s story, but Gould fleshes out all of the supporting characters in a way that really makes you feel for them. I hate that these “troubled teens” camps still exist, but it made the horrors feel truly real. Setting this in the woods was a great choice and really added a scary element to the story. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a review copy.

I really enjoyed this creepy and atmospheric book! This was a great way to give personification to the horrors of wilderness therapy.

This was hands down amazing and had me on the edge of my seat the while time i read it. I never knew i would like camping/getting lost in the woods type book but now its my favorite type of theme in books. The characters were a bit annoying but of course they were teenagers. But thr monster in the woods creeped me out . This book i read in one sitting it was that good. Favorite book of 2024

This book was very creepy for a YA. It kept me intrigued from the first few chapters. A sapphic enemies to lover's trope is the books subplot. I think this would be and excellent fall, spooky season read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this EARC.
4/5 Stars

First of all, I received this as an e-ARC so thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Courtney Gould.

I was so excited to read this book. The premise sounds so interesting. A troubled-teen industry turns horror story, and I was not disappointed. I was enraged from the start, following Devin and Ollie and the other kids as they tried to cope with kidnapping, dangerous situations, and being forced to talk about their past trauma. My rage soon turned to absolute terror as I pictured the uncanny valley that was the first appearance of the monster in the woods.

The story was thrilling. I never knew who to trust, including the pov character at times. There were some elements of an unreliable narrator, or at least certain things that made me question the reliability of the narrator.

The one surprising thing to me was the lack of direct commentary on the troubled industry as being the culprit of the horror itself. The monsters and the “wilderness therapy” company were separate entities. REVIVE was definitely the reason for what happened indirectly because of their fraudulent practices but I would have liked to see a more direct connection to REVIVE and the malevolent presence.

Overall, it was a great book and well worth the hype. It even warrants more hype in my opinion.

This is my second Courtney Gould book. When I tell you this book gave me the ick (in a good way) . The descriptions of flesh and the thought of (SPOILER )mimics. It all just gave me the heebie jeebies. I did enjoy the friendship/budding relationship between the two girls it was suspenful and kept me entertained.

Get in, losers (affectionately) we're going camping, with Courtney Gould's best book yet! I've had the privilege of reading all three of Gould's published works, and witnessing the evolution of her writing has been an honor. And this one might be my favorite!

Feeling angry, abandoned, and unwanted, Devin is constantly looking for an escape route that never comes, even when she finally arrives at the REVIVE teen rehab program, in the middle of nowhere. She's stuck with four other troubled teens, Olly, Hannah, Aidan, and the bane of her wilderness experience, Sheridan. The challenges that are initially presented to them have nothing to do with the dark things that live in the shadows of the trees the deeper they hike into the woods. Their heightened emotions only continue to blaze on their trail and adds heated distrust and confusion to the truly terrifying situation they end up in.

Gould does an fantastic job laying the emotional groundwork for each character. Their struggles, their traumas and pains, seep into the horrors of this book seamlessly. When their pasts begin to haunt them it feels just as jarring for the reader as it does for the characters.

Reading along as they change in the midst of danger, with breakneck pacing, kept me eagerly turning the page. Gould managed to balance edge-of-your-seat thrills with gut-wrenching revelations. What The Woods Took was an addictive read. I HIGHLY recommend!

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a breathtakingly atmospheric and emotionally charged novel that will captivate readers from start to finish. A stunning blend of mystery, horror, and coming-of-age storytelling, Gould crafts a deeply immersive experience that explores grief, family secrets, and the power of the past. Set in the hauntingly eerie town of Sallow Ridge, where the woods seem to have a life of their own, the story follows the two sisters, Ivy and Nora, as they confront their tangled family history and the darkness that lurks in the forest.

Gould's writing is lush and vivid, perfectly capturing the eerie beauty of the setting while also delving into the emotional depth of the characters. The bond between Ivy and Nora is complex and full of heart, and their individual journeys of self-discovery are compelling and layered. Ivy’s internal struggles with guilt, loss, and the weight of family expectations create a character who is both relatable and unforgettable. The tension in the book builds steadily as Ivy unravels the town’s dark secrets, and the eerie presence of the woods adds a constant, palpable sense of dread.

The plot is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, with each revelation more chilling than the last. Gould expertly weaves elements of horror and suspense into a story that is also deeply emotional and rich in character development. The themes of grief, trauma, and the things we carry with us are explored beautifully, making this more than just a typical thriller—it’s a poignant exploration of family, love, and the things that haunt us, both literally and metaphorically.

What truly makes What the Woods Took stand out is its ability to balance the eerie with the emotional, creating a narrative that feels both unnervingly tense and profoundly moving. The atmospheric tension, combined with the rich character arcs, makes for a truly compelling read.

What the Woods Took is a five-star triumph. It’s dark, haunting, and beautifully written—perfect for readers who love atmospheric thrillers that blend mystery with emotional depth. Courtney Gould has delivered a novel that will linger in your mind long after the final page. Highly recommended! I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.