When one of their friends go missing after climbing a staircase they found in the woods things get a little crazy for the friends. They get accused of his disappearance and eventually they are accused of murdering him. But they know there is more to it. Fast forward to years later and they dont really speak with each other. They are all summoned to an location by one of the friends and he convinces them to come by telling them he is dying, After arriving they are suspicious and are tricked to go into the woods. And there is the staircase. Without hesitation one of the friends climbs the stairs and disappears. And then then go after him and suddenly are in a house. But things arent how they seem. Will they survive?

This started as a good book and one I wanted to read but I honestly started to get bored halfway through. It honestly got a little too crazy for me and I couldnt keep up. I wanted more from it and was thinking this is more of a mystery thriller but I would say it is more sci fi and fantasy than anything. It wasnt horrible but not one of my favorites.

A group of high school friends are in the woods and find a mysterious staircase. Their friend, Matt, ascends it and never comes back down. The after effects are of Matt disappearing are swift and most of the group leaves their town, except for one. Fast forward two decades to a reunion of sorts. They decide to find the staircase again and see if this time, they will find Matt.

Wendig does a great job here writing how the friends have dealt with Matt missing for so long and both the after effects on each of the characters as well as how they fare in the “adult” world. No one is left unscathed- and how can they be after Matt disappears?

As they search for the staircase a second time and their stories increasingly intertwine, we start to see the grotesque and psychological horrors that await them. While each character’s stories are repeated, the book gets better the latter half of the book. The descriptions were so vivid, that I was almost grateful to be reading with the lights on.

If you’re looking for an atmospheric horror novel perfect for the early fall, The Staircase in the Woods is a great choice. It was a horror that also includes childhood trauma and enduring friendship.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for this eARC. The Staircase in the Woods is out now.

I was pretty sure that Chuck Wendig was an autobuy author for me, but this cements it. This was so enjoyable to read and I was sucked in immediately. I can’t say too much without giving away spoilers, but this has IT vibes; a group of friends that have to stick together to get through a scary, unbelievable situation. A group of high school friends find a staircase in the woods. One of them goes up and doesn’t come down. And now it’s decades later and the four left end up back in the woods in front of another staircase. The characters are diverse and while they aren’t quite likable, I was still cheering them on. And of course this one has a very Wendig ending. Highly recommend, especially for spooky season coming up.

Five high school friends were once inseparable, always looking out for one another. But everything changed during a camping trip when one of them climbed a strange, out-of-place staircase in the woods which vanished along with him. Now, twenty years later, the remaining crew reunites to uncover the truth: What happened that night? And is there any hope of finding their friend?

The premise had me hooked, but unfortunately, the book didn’t deliver. The writing felt repetitive, the plot lacked direction, and the characters were flat and frustrating. I kept waiting for it to get better… and somehow still pushed through to the end.

⭐️ 1 star — sadly, not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy.

Five friends share a bond sealed long ago by a promise to protect one another. One summer evening during a camping trip they discover a strange staircase in the woods. Matty steps up and vanishes without a trace. Years pass. Their friendship fractures. Shame guilt and regret grow like moss on old wounds.

Twenty years later one of the surviving friends summons the others by claiming he has a terminal illness. The reunion drags them back toward that staircase that once disappeared. They follow its reappearance into a house that shifts and warps with rooms that seem to leak memory pain fear and forgotten secrets. As they move deeper into that impossible place they are forced to reckon with their pasts the ways they hurt and betrayed each other who they believed themselves to be and who they have become.

Wendig’s storytelling shines in how he mixes psychological horror with grief and human cruelty. The atmosphere is suffused with dread everywhere and the woods feel alive with both threat and melancholy. The dual timeline structure works well to show how youthful mistakes echo into adult lives. The characters are deeply flawed and sometimes hard to fully like but that makes them more believable and their struggles more affecting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read a book by Wendig that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. He's great at filling the hole of Stephen King and Joe Hill when I'm in the mood for something spooky with great character development. This one was such an interesting concept, much like his apple orchard novel or Wanderers, that it was cool to see how he'd figure out where it was going.

The premise of The Staircase in the Woods is deliciously eerie: a group of friends discovers a staircase to nowhere deep in the forest, only to have one of their own vanish when he climbs it. The staircase disappears for twenty years, then returns, pulling the survivors back to face what they lost. It’s the kind of setup that immediately grabs your imagination.

And for atmosphere, the book delivers. The creepy vibe of the house beyond the stairs is exactly what you want from a story like this. But while the setting worked, the story itself felt thin. The beats were familiar, and rather than pushing into unexpected territory, it settled into formulaic horror patterns. By the end, I couldn’t shake the sense that it hadn’t added much new to the genre, and the emotional core never quite lived up to the promise of the premise.

That said, I think this would be a good fit for younger horror readers. YA or teen audiences who want something creepy but not overly complex might have fun with this one. It nails the spooky atmosphere; it just doesn’t bring much surprise to the table.

You might like this if you’re into:

* Creepy atmosphere, particularly haunted houses and liminal spaces
* YA horror with a haunting vibe

I really love the cover of this book, and was so excited to receive this from Random House Worlds! I am a little behind on my review, but finally got to read this story. The atmosphere was creepy, I felt nervous, and was really invested! I loved the character work with the four friends, and it really gave me It vibes! This is a perfect spooky season read!

This is exactly my kind of book. The Staircase in the Woods can be thought of as a mix of Stranger Things and IT.

A group of teenagers are hanging out in the woods and find this mysterious staircase that seems to lead to no where. One of the kids goes up those stairs and is never seen again. Flash forward 20 years and the group is brought back together again under the guise that one of them is dying of cancer. But the real motive is to find that staircase and bring their friend back.

Stars: 5.0

Damn, the characters in this are all insufferable and the writing just felt incredibly amateurish. Every conversation took me out of it. Was keeping it going to find out the mystery and then realized I didn't care. Dnfed 40%

I struggled to get into this one, as I didn’t care for the characters at all. Luckily, the way the mystery of the staircase is revealed pulled me all the way and I was happy to see Wendig’s sneaky, horrific mind at play. I’ll read anything he writes. This one ended with a satisfying conclusion.

Review: The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

Terrifying, nostalgic, and utterly gripping, The Staircase in the Woods hooked me from the very first page and never let go. Wendig takes one of my favorite horror tropes, childhood friends who face a tragedy and reunite years later, and breathes new life into it with his signature blend of atmosphere, dread, and razor-sharp storytelling.

The novel follows five teenagers who stumble across a mysterious staircase in the woods one night, but only four of them make it back. When Matty disappears, the group is fractured, bound together by grief, guilt, and unanswered questions. Twenty years later, Nick, still obsessed with finding the truth, calls the others back. What begins as a reunion quickly spirals into a nightmare, forcing each of them to confront the staircase again, along with their own darkest fears.

What I loved most about this book is how seamlessly it blends emotional depth with chilling horror. Wendig explores broken friendships, trauma, abandonment, and guilt, all while ratcheting up the suspense with vivid, eerie imagery and relentless tension. The dual timeline, shifting between the teenage years and adulthood, added richness and heartbreak, and I found myself completely invested in each character’s arc.

The atmosphere is pitch-perfect: creepy, immersive, and suffused with a sense of danger that grows heavier with every page. There were moments where I felt the same giddy dread I get from Stephen King’s It, but Wendig still makes the story uniquely his own. The pacing was strong, the twists genuinely surprising, and the ending left me breathless.

Overall, The Staircase in the Woods is a genre-bending dark fantasy thriller that will delight horror fans. It’s terrifying, emotional, and impossible to put down. I’m rounding my 4.5 stars up to a full 5, and I already can’t wait for Wendig’s next release.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

Thank you to Random House Worlds and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

If you are a fan of creepypastas, then you have definitely heard the stories about staircases in the woods. I’m an absolute junkie for these types of stories. This novel follows a group of friends as they reunite after years of growing apart. Coming back together brings up old memories, old traumas, and new nightmares. Wendig has created a new haunted house story I could never have dreamed up, and it was so entertaining and fresh. The way he was able to use this haunted house to explore of the relationships and how they’ve changed throughout the years was well done.

This is the first Chuck Wendig novel I’ve read, and it was so gooood! I am really excited to read his previous work. I feel like it’s hard to talk about this book because I really don’t want to give anything away. I just loved how Wendig took a popular creepypasta and created this nightmare house adventure. If you enjoy creepypastas, liminal spaces, or haunted houses, then it is definitely worth giving this a read!

This was my first book from Chick Wendig and I completely see what the hype is about! All the characters were very distinct and each had their own personal floors. I enjoyed seeing how each developed over the course of the book. I was a little worried that the book was going to become formulaic come the middle, but it quickly moved past that and the pace didn’t slow at all. I was gripped from start to end and I will be keeping an eye out for future releases from Wendig.

This story has a similar premise as It— a ragtag group of outsiders endure a traumatic situation, lead scarred lives, then reunite in the future to confront the horror that ruined their lives, and in the process heal the wounds that have haunted them into adulthood. k

I love a haunted house; I at least like this premise; I love a haunted house that has an origin story.

Nothing at all wrong with the plot and prose!

I hated these characters.

The adult characters are so aggravating that I had an incredibly difficult time pushing through what was otherwise a genuinely punchy plot. I will say that some of the traumas that are acted out within the haunted house are specific weak points for me— not necessarily the fault of the book, but just things that turned me off on a personal level. Maybe these characters and these horrors will be just right for you! I just couldn't do it.

This book is about five friends that while on a camping trip find a staircase in the woods. One friend goes up and well you'll have to read it to find out. I love Chuck Wendigs book for the most part unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I just struggled the whole way through this book, I didn't like any of the characters and I have to have someone to root for. I did give it 3 stars and would recommend to friends it wasnt the book for me but its readers are out there.

3.75

I was immediately pulled into the story by the writing and the way things were unfolding ...
I just didn't enjoy it as much as I've liked his writing in the past.
I found myself struggling to finish it around 2/3 of the way through.

But I enjoyed the way it ended.
I enjoyed following the characters.
I enjoyed the story ....

All the ingredients are correct, but the dish was served lukewarm. So, still really good. Just not REALLY GOOD.

If you've enjoyed anything Chuck Wendig has written, check it out.
If you enjoy genre bending mysteries, check it out.
As a matter of fact, just check it out and make up your own mind.

Recommended.

Dimension-hopping hijinks with a group of surly adults that will bring to mind Stephen King's Losers Club in IT.

This was a wild ride spanning decade from high school friends to estranged adults, bound together by loss and promises. The eerie atmosphere adds to the confusing fever dream of terror and dread that culminates in self reflection, whether the characters want it or not.

Eerily nostalgic, creepy & surprisingly deep.

The concept alone of a random staircase being in the woods is creepy, but uncovering where it leads too after losing a friend to it, decades earlier was unsettling in the best way.

Friendship, guilt and trauma are at the core of this story as "The Covenant" (as they once called themselves) set out to learn what really happened to Matty in the woods when he went up that staircase and dissappeared that day.