This book was at its core about friendships and journeys as adults. I enjoyed it and at parts were creepy and relatable. I personally found the staircase just showing up in the woods scary but deep down would I go up and see what’s there?? This book is thought provoking and kept me wanting more.

Well... I was excited because I was seeing all the amazing five stars for this!!

But, of course I always tend to be the outlier in books. I wasn't a fan of all the sex, drugs, and online gaming. I don't think I really was the right audience for this book.

Some of my issues... I could not stand any of the characters. Also... this book DRAGGED for me and was just bored. I'm assuming since I didn't feel connected to the characters at all.

Also... the political rant?! Ugh.... come on not my thing at all.

I can't recommend this book at all sorry

2/5 stars

STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS is a tight and twisty exploration of trauma, time, and regret. Wendig is a master of world-building, but manages to construct and intricate, insidious dreamscape for his readers to explore without sacrificing an ounce of character development. All-around excellent.

All it took was one look at this cover and I was hooked on this story. There's plenty of tension from the start, (although there were also the dreaded slow middle), and in spite of the similarities to IT from Stephen King, I wanted to know just were this story (and staircase) was going to go.

What I liked most about this story is that the author developed a great sense of tension with a side dish of menace lurking in the background from the start. I did like the treatment of childhood friends, now adults, trying to figure out just what their relationship is and means. Does "The Covenant" still bind them? That was probably one of the most interesting parts of the story. The story is told with two timelines, before and present time. There is some repetition that could have been revised in the story to help with the pacing.

Do pay attention to the trigger warnings. This is a horror novel, so you should have some sense of your limits as you go into things. There is a lot of trauma here amongst the friends. I was also a bit disappointed in the ending. I don't want to spoil it, but it left me wanting.

Overall, an emotional horror story that taps right into the fear and anxiety of the characters , and gives the reader a dose of it too. If you enjoy a story that makes you feel something, you might like this one because there are some strong emotions here.

Loved it. This is about a group of friends who go camping in the woods one night and find a staircase. One friend goes up, and never comes back down. So many years later the group is reunited as adults. Some have changed. Some have grown. Some have stayed stagnant.

I loved the urban legend/creepy pasta sort of feel to this story. Not only is it about a mysterious stair case in the woods but there’s a liminal spaces element that was well executed. The characters are all deeply flawed but still the sort you can root for. Especially Owen. Maybe Nick too.

There’s a lot of trauma to unpack in these character’s histories, but also because of what they’re experiencing in the narrative. I really don’t want to spoil anything because I think this is one that’s better experienced without knowing a whole lot going in, but this is horror, and the horror is.. horrifying. There’s a lot of it. Might even be one of my few critiques, by the end I was almost desensitized to it because there was so much.

I thought the pacing was great. It wasted no time getting to the heart of things. The chapters flew by, just how I liked. I thought the writing was strong. There’s a lot of commentary on women in gaming that I thought the author handled with care. I wish we’d gotten an epilogue in regards to the ending…. It’s not ambiguous really, but like… I have questions.

I’m sad that it’s over and I have to wait a whole year for the next one.

I did receive an e-galley from the publisher for review, so thank you to DelRey and NetGalley.

This book gave me chills and was nothing like I would’ve expected!

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It started off kind of normal with a good introduction into the main story and the characters. Became weird in the middle and ended with a bang.

I have to say I did not see this coming and without giving anything away I can say it is something for people that love a little riddle as well as scaredy pants just like me.

Some books stay with you for a while, and this is one of them. The characters have amazing depth, and the story is so well written and engaging, It was so hard to put down! This has been one of my favorite reads for the year. The interaction between friends is so spot on for a group of friends this close. They became family due to various issues at home, and they love each other and hate each other as found family does.

Thank you netgalley for this arc copy . Unfortunately i have not been able to finish this one on time I’m so disappointed I’ve been dealing with some health issues lately with a inflamed rotator cuff on top of it and still trying to deal with that healing process but what I have read I have enjoyed., I will finish this book I was so excited to get this one and it’s my first book by this author and it won’t be the last

Staircase in the Woods delivers that perfect blend of small-town nostalgia and creeping dread that will have fans of Stephen King feeling right at home—and just a little uncomfortable in the dark. This is horror with heart: a story about childhood bonds, buried secrets, and the kind of trauma that doesn’t stay buried, no matter how deep you dig. Or how many trees grow over it.

The setup is classic (in the best way): a group of childhood friends with a very bad memory reunites years later when strange things start happening again in the woods behind their hometown. The titular staircase? Oh, it’s there. And it shouldn’t be. And it’s waiting.

The characters are rich, their shared past woven into the present with just enough tension and tenderness to make you root for them even as you yell, “DO NOT GO INTO THE WOODS AGAIN!” from behind your book. The horror builds slowly—at first it’s a whisper in the leaves, then it’s the full banshee scream of supernatural reckoning. But it never loses sight of its emotional core.

This is the kind of story that lingers—like a childhood rumor, or a dream you can’t quite shake. One part It, one part Stand By Me, and all parts chilling.

A haunting, heartfelt triumph. Just remember: if you see stairs in the middle of the forest, don’t climb them.

Chuck Wendig’s writing is sharp and vivid, creating a strong sense of place that heightens the narrative's tension. The pacing is skillfully managed, with suspenseful moments interspersed with quieter, reflective scenes that allow for character development. The author's ability to build suspense keeps readers hooked, as unexpected twists and turns add layers of intrigue to the unfolding mystery.

What. Did. I. Just. Read?

This book was incredibly bizarre - in an interesting way. The middle of the book dragged a bit for me because they were working their way through the house and memories, but the ending of the novel! How could he just do that?! I’m a little conflicted about the rating because some of the horror elements were just too dark, but I kept reading and didn’t want to put it down.

This book was amazing and could not put it down! There was an eerie atmosphere, complex characters and relationships, suspense, twists, and a feeling of constant tension and dread. Exactly what you need from a great horror book!

The book initially focuses on characterisation so you get to know the main characters, their relationships and how they changed over the years. I would say this is well done and detailed.
After the 30% mark things start to get very weird and spooky once the characters walk up the staircase in the woods and discover what lies beyond.
I don’t want to give too much away because it was a scary, terrifying, and captivating adventure, but hard to go over what I loved without giving spoilers. As the story progresses the tension rises and things become increasingly weird. The characters have to navigate their new surroundings while dealing with many of their own problems, insecurities, and difficult feelings towards one another. This book is not only meant to scare you, but also make you reflect on the nature of friendships, trauma, fear and grief.

Highly recommended to all lovers of supernatural horror stories with a lot of character depth!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. These are my honest thoughts.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Chuck Wendig strikes gold again! I just love how original, creative, and relevant his storytelling is! Every character has such a detailed background and even though he takes on serious subjects, he always finds a way to integrate some humor into his books. I like never knowing where the story is headed and this book will definitely have you questioning everything. I would recommend to anyone who loves fiction, fantasy, and coming together in the name of friendship!

This was my first full length novel from Wendig and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the friend dynamic that this book had. I think that going into it with no prior knowledge of plot or anything is the best way to approach things.

It was a bit longer than a wanted it to be, but overall I really enjoyed this story.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc copy.

In Chuck Wendig’s latest book, The Staircase in the Woods, he constructs quite the harrowing house of horrors for unwary readers to troop through. Distracted by the shockingly gruesome, visitors in these haunted halls will finally detect they are being hunted a little too late.

A staircase inexplicably appears to a ragtag bunch of teenagers one ill-fated night in the woods. These friends are chained together by a simple promise pledged with youthful abandon---they must protect each other at all costs. But they break their sacred childhood Covenant that night when one friend recklessly ascends that incongruous staircase in the woods alone, vanishing without a single friend lifting a finger to help him. Two decades later, the staircase is back but their friend is still missing. Now this broken friend group must confront all-consuming fears of the unknown to save the lost boy in the woods. They must dare to know the unknown from the past, resurrecting memories and traumas best left closeted and forgotten, and they will have to face what lies in wait for them at the top of those stairs.

Nobody will get away unscathed from their first encounter with the staircase, each of them contending with various mental health issues and feelings of crushing failure/inadequacy, but together again as adults, they will discover they have the capacity to face their fears and heal their hurts and defeat their bogeymen with the power of friendship. It honestly reminded me strongly of Stephen King’s book, IT. A small detail I really appreciated were the Chapter Titles---love, love, love! Seeing chapter titles in a story where the predictable fallibility of childhood memory plays such a major role really furnishes a more personal feel to the story by creating a sense of familiarity within the reader. It’s such a small detail with a surprisingly bit impact! Wendig’s writing traps the reader inside a twisty, bloodcurdling nightmare plucked from the deepest, darkest recesses of ephemeral memory. I was repeatedly horrified to my core, but unable to stop myself from traversing into yet another chapter, our friends leading the way of course.

Inevitably everyone must finally grow up: You leave your childhood home and strike out for the unknown, severing the umbilical cord to your parents and everything you knew from the first chapters of life. Often you are only left with the vestiges of your previous life and lamentable regret you didn’t realize how much you’d miss what you were so quick to abandon. This story is a horrifying haunted house with the bones of a good mystery, but it was also a very heartwarming story of new beginnings where friends relearn to fight for their broken relationships, realize that being together is better than apart, and ultimately unite to conquer monstrous traumas pursuing them well into adulthood.I highly recommend NOT walking up that staircase in the woods…

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Worlds/Del Rey for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own. I will be posting this review on my Goodreads and Instagram accounts.

Chuck does it again!! Thank you for the advanced copy of The Staircase in the Woods. I love Chuck’s writing and will forever be a fan. His ability to write horror is brilliant and I shall never climb a random staircase I find in the woods. The dual timelines and the story about friendship was beautifully done. Chuck is an auto buy author for me and I can’t wait for his next book! Thanks again for the ARC!

This book was a very different read; I didn’t necessarily like it, but I also couldn’t stop reading it because I wanted to figure out what this staircase was. The storyline started out pretty strong but then lost momentum and at times it felt very repetitive. The ending was very open ended which I didn’t enjoy but left you with much to think about. The characters were dealing with a lot of past and current trauma from so many different things, so be aware of that before going into reading this. The chapter titles were very clever and kind of worked in with what would happen during that chapter. The Staircase in the Woods was a strange take on how certain households can create certain types of people because you never truly know what goes on behind closed doors. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for an eARC of this book

MY REVIEW: This was good! I read The Book of Accidents a couple years ago and absolutely loved it so I was very excited to read Wendig’s new book. What I love about Wendig is that he blends horror with science fiction in a way that always makes his books unique. I also think he does such a good job at creating characters and delving into their backgrounds, making readers care for them and care about what happens to them. For this book specifically, I loved this unique take on a haunted house…houses are supposed to be your safest space in life. In this book, he demonstrates that not every person has a home that is safe and that is scary. I think my two biggest complaints were that I hated Lore (personal opinion lol) and that it felt too long. But that’s fine because it was still a great read that I definitely recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted e-arc.

Unfortunately this book was not for me…I didn’t really care for the characters and found it very slow to start. I really tried hard to like it but I got halfway and it just wasn’t getting better for me. I love Chuck Wendig’s books so hopefully it’s just this one that wasn’t for me!!!

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book at all.

I received an ARC from Random House Worlds | Del Rey via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.