4.5 stars.
This must be the time to reconsider the history of homes for pregnant, unwed mothers as this is not the first book I read this year dealing with the societal treatment of young women and their unexpected pregnancies.

In this novel, author C.J. Cooke uses two different women in different time periods to tell a creepy, uncomfortable and horrifying story.

In 1959. Mabel finds herself pregnant, though she cannot ever remember being with a man. She's sent to Lichen Hall, and scared and confused, comes to believe that her pregnancy has supernatural causes.

In 1965, ex-nurse Pearl Gorham arrives at Lichen Hall to give birth to her baby; she was abandoned by her wealthy boyfriend, and had few options. She notices the mold permeating the walls, the strange sights on the grounds and surrounding woods. Also, the owners, the Whitlocks, are unsettling and cagey, with Mr. Whitlock suffering from dementia, and Mrs. Whitlock's behaviour mercurial, and her idea about pregnancy and about giving birth without medical intervention fixed.

After delivery, Pearl decides to stay, and begins helping other young mothers through the process. Mrs. Whitlock also has Pearl teach Wulfric, the Whitlocks' son, who has a strong fascination for mushrooms and who frequently exhibits violent behaviour.

Pearl meets another young woman on the grounds with her young boy. The proprietor does not talk about this woman, and the feeling of dread and general wrongness about Lichen Hall just keeps building.

Cooke builds such a sense of claustrophobia and confusion. The advancing mold alone should give anymore cause for concern, but there's also the unpredictable behaviour of all the Whitlocks, as well as the many unanswered questions that only build the suspense and oncoming violence.

Using the ghostly figures, stories of witches and the dark, encroaching woods, the author builds a spooky narrative with elements of body horror, but also featuring enriching friendships amongst Pearl, the female staff, and Mabel.

The story's atmosphere is fantastic, with the name of the unwed mothers home alone should give one pause, and a little clue to what is happening. Cooke also explores how society kicks unwed mothers to the curb, and then exploits their vulnerability and removes their choices.

The friendships amongst the women was wonderful, and gives Pearl the strength to not only dig into the situation of the Hall, but to begin to think of a way to protect the others, and get out.

I greatly enjoyed this eerie story with its mix of haunting feel and social commentary.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.

3.5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke releases on April 29th.

This book was super unique! I loved the gothic atmosphere and the eerie, creepy vibes — the descriptions of the setting were incredibly well written. I also enjoyed learning about different mushrooms and fungi (you’ll get what I mean when you read it). The paranormal elements added a really interesting layer to the story as well.

Overall, I loved the concept of this book and was definitely intrigued. However, it did feel a bit too long at times, which made me lose interest here and there. The two different POVs also blended together, and I had a hard time telling the characters apart. Some aspects of the plot felt a little predictable too — though I didn’t mind this much, since the story is very character-driven, following the women as they deal with trauma and build friendships while trapped in Linchen Hall.

I recommend this book to readers who love gothic horror with a paranormal twist! It would be a perfect pick for spooky season.

This is the second horror novel I’ve read this year (maybe the third) set at a home for young, unmarried, pregnant women, removed from society so as to hide their “shame” until after the birth of the child (the other was Grady Hendrix’s Witchcraft for Wayward Girls). As someone who has had two children and hated being pregnant (girls, trans baes, and theys, it is okay to hate it), and even if one loved the experience, you can’t get through it without acknowledging the body horror inherent in growing a person; there’s a parasite in there, even if it does end up being cute and looking like you. It makes you vomit (there’s music I still can’t listen to because our older one listened to it on repeat when I was pregnant with #2 and 12 years later I still reflex puke), it super-charges your sense of smell, it makes your favorite food unpalatable. It changes your hair and skin. Your feet grow and may never go back to their original size (I still miss my green Frye motorcycle boots). My astigmatism changed eyes. And between a 6 month dental checkup and the one after #1 was born, I had 11 cavities.

Throwing in a witch, and a sentient fungus network (have you read Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures? Sentient fungus networks are absolutely, positively coming for us if they aren’t already playing with our brains) are just bloody, squishy icing on the cake.

All of that sounds pretty scary. And at one time, they would have been. The scariest things about The Ghost Woods now though? The idea that girls and women could be disappeared from their Iives so easily. That they were so easily dismissed, discarded, untethered. That the responsibility for something that takes two people, and sometimes one adult male perpetuating a crime on a child, could be placed on a woman or a girl and that their life, professional and personal, could be destroyed because of not only the patriarchy but because the majority of women, their mothers, their sisters, their aunts, supported the idea that sex was dirty and shameful.

And the fact that we have come around to that place again.

The fact that women and girls and trans folx and non-binary people are losing their right to choose, to be in control of their own bodies and their own health care. That all of these people are being forced to cross state lines to get access to safe abortions. That twelve and thirteen year olds, children, are being forced to carry pregnancies to term after being raped. The fact that we aren’t far from homes like Lichen House opening again, we aren’t far from women and girls disappearing again, from people forgetting them again, and maybe from them never coming back at all.

And it won’t have anything to do with witches or fungus; it will have everything to do with people.

I love thrillers and I love gothic concepts. Give me a gothic thriller and it's going to be a good time. Give me a gothic thriller set in Scotland - the mother of gothic, well this is perfection.

This story started on a slow note but really picked up to the point the last section of the book I didn't want to put it down. I really appreciate the dark and creepy vibes of this book, and the aspects of folklore intertwined in the story.

I did predict the twist but I still enjoyed the story and the setting. One thing the author does well is provide a very descriptive setting and some points it felt like I was just as much in the story as the characters.

Overall, if you like gothic thrillers with folklore and fantasy then this is the book for you!

Another unique and clever gothic story from C.J. Cooke that makes you want to stay safely tucked under the covers at night! This book is told in dual timelines that eventually merge into one. 1959: Mabel is a 17-year-old unwed pregnant girl who finds out she is pregnant, although she has never had sex. She isn’t believed, but blames the ghosts inside her for this. Mabel is sent to a home for unwed mothers called Lichen Hall. 1965: Pearl is a 22-year-old unmarried pregnant nurse, who is taken to Lichen Hall to give birth. What follows is a haunting tale of sisterhood, the dark side of humanity, Gaelic folklore and the supernatural.

This novel starts off slow, but it works to create the menacing atmosphere that kept me hooked. There are some fantastical elements that require you to suspend your reality to fully immerse yourself in the story. This was really exhilarating for me, and I loved the historical elements and folklore mixed with science!

It is clear this novel is very well-researched, and Cooke goes into more detail about the history in her Author’s Note. The grim reality unwed mothers faced during this time is explored in depth, and done in such an engrossing way that I truly felt their emotional turmoil. There is also wonderful LGBTQ+ rep, and the desperate need to keep relationships closeted due to societal pressures at the time (and still experienced today). It was palpable and heartbreaking.

After reading The Book of Witching and The Ghost Woods, C.J. Cooke is definitely solidified as an auto-buy author for me. This is one you don’t want to miss!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the gifted ARC

Give me nature horror or give me death!!! (Not really please)

C.J. Cooke writes such awesome horror novels that get under your skin and tell such an evocative, human story at the core.

The Ghost Woods follows two young, unwed and pregnant women who go to Lichen Hall to have their babies and put them up for adoption. They quickly realize there’s more going on at the home that they expected and the rumours circulating Lichen Hall may just be true.

This was awesome, I totally devoured it and am officially a fan of C.J. Cooke! I am such a sucker for a creepy woods, a slowly decaying manse, and folk lore and this book has it all! A great unsettling read!

I really enjoyed this book!

The dual timeline took me a bit to get used to, I've never read a book with dual timelines that are so close together. I was already into the story, but around halfway through the book when more connected I was TOTALLY hooked! There was just enough horror for me, it's nothing too gory. My favorite kind of horror is this: the fantastical horror elements in the book are not nearly as disturbing as the horrors committed by real people.

I loved how The Ghost Woods gave voice to queer women and unwed mothers of the past and called out their terrible treatment. The book isn't tagged as LGBTQIA+, but the queer rep is great and certainly a part of the plot, so I'm surprised. The reveals all surprised me and I never knew what to expect next!

Lichen Hall, a house steeped in dark folklore, hides sinister secrets within its walls. When Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965 to give birth, she uncovers a web of mysteries, ghosts, and a creeping darkness that threatens everything she holds dear.

This is a fascinating and compelling Gothic horror novel. Creepy and atmospheric, it’s beautifully written with strong characters. The mystery is full of unexpected twists.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was my 2nd book by C.J. Cooke and like the first one that I read last year *The Book of Witching*, I was not disappointed.

This was a gothic thriller steeped in fantasy. The story was told in dual timelines following both Mabel and Pearl, and eventually the timelines merged together in the present. Both Mabel and Pearl are sent Lichen House, a home for unwed, pregnant mothers to have their babies. What they found was a creepy house surrounded by fungi.

I really enjoyed this book and the author does an amazing job of weaving a thriller with fantasy that keeps you turning the pages to see what craziness happens next. I love stories that are told in dual timelines and I really connected with Pearl's character and was addicted to the story.

The Ghost Woods was definitely very atmospheric and creepy. The author has a gift for storytelling. The imagery put you right there in the action and the descriptive writing left you feeling what the characters were feeling.

I have now read two books by this author and am very interested in looking into her backlog.

Great book!

This book will be available for purchase April 29th 2025!

You can also find my reviews through GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/brandisbooks.

Thank you to both Berkley and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cooke is my go-to author for eerie gothic horror and I was thrilled that Berkley was rereleasing The Ghost Woods. I was sold at ‘crumbling gothic manor,’ a trope I can’t get enough of in the horror genre. I enjoyed the overall bones of the story, spore horror aspect, and the dual timelines that added a layer to the mystery. If definitely didn’t top The Lighthouse Witches, but I don’t think anything ever will.

Overall, totally recommend to any historical horror fans!

The horror and mystery itself ended up veering in a niche category that ultimately, I cared nothing about. I know other people will love it though. I’d probably still pass on the recommendation as it wasn’t badly done at all and I’m still very into the feminist horror motifs. I just wasn’t interested in (redacted) and found it hard to keep picking up.

Throughout this story we have flip flopping timelines with these two women with their very different backgrounds, a ghostly presence, strange occurrences, scandal, and many jaw dropping secrets to be revealed.

I was initially not sure if this book was my vibe. I loved the ghostly gothic atmosphere but beyond that I was apprehensive. As the story progressed, that quickly changed and I was fully invested.

This book was weird, unique, dark, super intriguing, took some really interesting turns, and overall really entertained me throughout.

Thank you so much @berkleypub for the free book!
#berkley #berkleypartner

This book is going to go down so far in my top 5 creepiest books I have read. Fungi is creepy y'all!! 🍄
So atmospheric! It's told from dual points of view, with dual timelines until they intersect. I always love when authors do that.

What make this so scary for me was the folklore, mixed with real life, mixed with nature, mixed with people, and what they are willing to do for love and grief. Very character driven. I don't even know how to describe, if this is at all your genre, give it a shot!!

Also thank you to @netgalley and @cjcooke_author !!!!

Rating: 4.5

Trigger warning for rape.

This was really good, even though it was predictable. If you like creepy children and mushroom horror than this is definitely for you.

Thank you Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley and C J Cooke for the e Arc of The Ghost Woods.

This is a hauntingly beautiful book that captivated me completely. I have read a few of C J Cooke's books and they have all got lots of elements I really like. Historical fiction ( please read authors notes ) based on historical facts. Gothic and supernatural horror, Mystery and thriller elements. It has it all and its soo creepy in places.

The plot line is set on a duel timeline and from several POV's We have Mabel, who after finding out she's mysteriously got pregnant in 1959 and gets sent to Litchen Hall, a 16th Century Manor in the remote boarders of Scotland. Because, being a single Mum would have you outcasted and bring shame on your family. We also have Pearl, who also goes to Litchen Hall several years later, for the same thing. Both POV are told in their own timeline until they entwine later in the book. What I liked about this was each POV was clearly marked and the date which made it easier to keep both of our FMC separate/clear with their own voices/experiences. I loved both their characters and even the lesser ones in the book were very well built and felt real and flawed. The Ghost Woods is a twisty and sometimes dark, powerful story of womanhood, supernatural and our own empowerment.

I feel that C J Cooke is becoming a favourite writer of mine where Gothic /Historical/ Supernatural Horror is concerned.
This book was narrated by Paula Masterton who's voice really suited this book.

5 stars

This was a very atmospheric and dark read!! With mushrooms 🍄‍🟫

We follow two unwed mothers sent to Lichen Hall to give birth. The pace started out slow and gradually built up, and then I was hooked! The house is super creepy as are its proprietors! Definitely recommend to lovers of gothic horror and folklore vibes! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and C.J. Cooke for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! Looking forward to reading more from the author! ❤️

4.5 stars
Another hit by CJ Cooke! This book was so interesting and thought provoking.
We follow 2 timelines and 2 characters. The "then" follows Mable and the "now" follows Pearl. These timelines are I think about 6 years apart in the 1960's and both girls are unwed pregnant girls who go to Lichen Hall to give birth and then have their babies adopted. The girls are not treated well while at Lichen Hall and their babies adoptions are more about money for the owner Mrs Whitlock than anything. But weird things happen around Lichen Hall in both the timelines and secrets are uncovered.
After listening to the author's note, the state of these "facilities" for unwed girls to go to just seem horrific. I believe she said the last one closed in the UK in 1990. Girls who got pregnant out of wedlock were so looked down upon and lost jobs, like both Mable and Pearl. If you are reading this without that knowledge, you may think this is something that didn't happen, or wasn't as bad as this book makes it out to be, but it does seem to be accurate. The atmosphere of this book was really well done. It was creepy and sad, but ended up having such a sense of comradery.
It took me a while to like a lot of these characters. At first, in the then, the other girls were very mean to Mable and in the now, it was obvious Pearl was on the outside. No one really wanted to let her in to the Hall's secrets. But they really ended up having such a sense of comradery, like I said. I think my favorite character was Sylvan, who was Mable's son. He was adorable, smart and compassionate.
There are a lot of strange things going to around Lichen Hall. The dual timeline was effective. CJ Cooke does this so well. I don't think I have read one of her books where the timelines overlap, but these do. It was so interesting to watch Mabel's timeline get closer and closer to Pearl's and see how everything connected.
Something CJ Cooke also does really well is walking that line between is something really supernatural, or is there an explanation for it? And sometimes it feels like there really isn't an answer, or it is up to the reader to decide. I think that is just such a good fit for the types of stories she writes.
The ending was wild. It really went in a direction that I wasn't expecting at all, but there were subtle hints to it throughout the book.

The Ghost Woods, written by C. J. Cooke, is a captivating tale that immediately drew me in and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. The story is filled with suspense, mystery, and unexpected twists that left me eagerly turning the pages to uncover the secrets hidden within the haunting woods.

I didn't realize this was the book I had already read from a year or 2 ago, the cover was different.
I liked this book the first time I read it, and I still do.
A great spooky novel that takes place in a spooky mansion back in the woods.
There are a lot of novels being written about fungi lately, and this one follows in that vein. Umwed mother's are sent to a decrepit old mansion type , covered in lichen. Not long after the protagonist arrives, she can tell something isn't quite right.
To me, this is Cooke's best and spookiest book yet. Highly recommend. Do not read if you have a fungi phobia.

Haunting gothic novel focusing on unwed pregnant young womn in the late 60's. Like many stories about this historical time, the women have personal stories where men have let them down. UNLIKE many of these stories, there is a supernatural theme that is incredibly crrepy and believable. I loved the secrets of Lichen Hall and loved the young woman as well. this is a fantastic horror and historical based novel. #berkley #theghostwoods #CJCooke