I wanted to love this, the description felt like I was going to, such a great idea but I just couldn't connect to these characters. The main 4 characters felt extremely one note and stereotyped, with no room for growth other than the author telling me they did but not showing me why and/or how. I felt all the dark and heavy topics and themes only go to a surface level of exploration or depiction, which when dealing with mental health and trauma, surface just doesn't cut it.

I also found parts to be very jarring with mention of US politics in current details, while I'm of the authors political side it would seem - in this book it just felt so clunky and our of place, almost as a lazy attempt at character development for 2 character in particular. I also found the use of present day and flashbacks a missed opportunity and almost forgotten about.

I did like the the last half more than the first but again the writing became repetitive around the characters and their attempts to grow but I found the world building creepy and interesting. Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me but I am keen to try another from this author as their writing style is descriptive, if I'd connected to the characters more what they were faced with may have felt more interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House/Del Rey & Chuck Wendig for the ARC - publishing on April 29th 2025

Thank you Netgalley, Chuck Wendig and Random House Worlds | Del Rey for the eArc of The Staircase in the Woods.

This is my first book from Chuck Wendig's books and I was gripped from beginning to end. I was intrigued into what direction the plot would take and given the mystery/thriller/horror elements didn't disappoint me at . It has everything, intrigue, gore elements, mystery and locked room/escape room vibes make this book a page turner. Giving that life got in the way, I was eager to pick up the book to start reading again. Being someone who loves nature and loves ruins the writing and pace of the plot definitely builds that creepy, foreboding atmosphere.

I'll be looking into reading more of Chuck Wendig's books in the future.

4 stars

When I read a book, such as this one, I wonder whether authors appreciate being compared to superstar authors, say someone like Stephen King, or if they find it insulting. I hope it's the former, especially in the case of this book, which reminded me, in the best possible way, of a Stephen King novel.

How so? Well, mainly in two ways. First, the style of writing and the cadence of the language, it just reminded me of how Mr. King writes, it is different but reminiscent. Then there is the story itself, there is the familiar trope of high school friends reuniting as adults to fight against something evil, and without giving anything away since it is in the title, this fight occurs in a strange dimension after the friends climb said staircase in the woods.

So, if you are a fan of horror or this particular trope then you will likely enjoy what this novel has to offer, I know I did! And if you are a fan of Mr. King, you will be in for a treat.

Disclosure: Received an uncorrected ARC of this book from NetGalley and Del Ray/Random House LLC (Thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

Very well done as is usual for Chuck Wendig. More personal in scale than his recent apple book and definitely a lot of dark things in it, a lot of the focus is on the group of friends at the centre (some more than others). Some great choices of how to tell the story, too, with some flashbacks but mostly present day scenes.

I wanted to read this book from just looking at the cover. Little did I know I would be hooked from the beginning.

This booked was so intriguing and addictive from the start. The characters are well written. Some of the descriptions I could have done without but definitely added to the horror effect. This was my first time reading anything from this Author and I will definitely be looking forward to my next book from them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. It's expected publication date is April 29, 2025

I enjoyed the book but not as much as others might, I felt like I couldn't really connect or care about the story so much.

This novel is nothing short of brilliant—and entirely unexpected. It’s a solid horror story with an intriguing premise, packed with some very graphic descriptions that will linger in my mind for a long time, but it’s also a deep exploration of friendship: what happens when it grows old, when it falters, when it withers. It’s about trauma, isolation, and finding a way to rise above the suffocating weight of loneliness.

The writing is impeccable—truly some of the best prose I’ve ever read in a horror novel. The characters are richly drawn, and the story is a masterful study of human relationships. Yes, it’s gory at times, but never gratuitously so; every grisly detail serves a purpose, weaving seamlessly into the fabric of the story.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. And, seriously—please hand me another Chuck Wendig novel now.

I liked this one. It was mediocre in my opinion. I still want to read others by the author.

I liked the trope all though I am not sure they were executed the way I expected/wanted them to be. (More of a me problem for sure). I also couldn’t really connect with any of the characters and found them kind of annoying.

However what I did like is the atmosphere, the vibes, the creepiness and the parts where you were drawn in figuring out what was real and what was not. It was also decently paced but could have been a tad bit shorter in the last half.

Overall I liked it but didn’t love it. I can’t wait to read more by this author. I do think this one is going to be a bit hit and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5⭐ This was not necessarily the book for me, but I think others would enjoy it - especially fans of It and body horror.

Five friends find a mysterious staircase in the woods - one of them goes up and never comes down. Years later, the remaining four reunite and find another staircase, and perhaps a chance to right the wrongs of their past. What follows is a horrifying journey of pain, fear, and trauma. The trauma is extensive and very on the nose for a horror novel, and with a few exceptions doesn't seem to really serve the plot (it does come together to make a broader point, but could've been done in maybe a less gruesome way?). Overall, I liked Wendig's writing style, and the core of the plot was interesting, but the body horror and graphic descriptions were not for me and made it largely an unpleasant read. It also felt a bit long and maybe would have worked better for me as a shorter story or novella.

CW: body horror, gore, violence, infant and child death, murder, suicide and self harm, child sexual abuse, addiction and overdose

Thanks to Random House/Del Ray for the advance review copy.

Years after their friend disappears up a staircase in the woods, four friends gather to find a new staircase, and they venture up in hopes of finding him.

This was definitely one of the strangest books I've ever read. Like other reviews I've read stated, the 'friends returning to face a childhood horror' was very reminiscent of a Stephen King novel. Honestly, I didn't find any of the characters terribly likable, though as we come to find out in the book, they have all been through some pretty bad stuff that's shaped them. The horrors they find in the house were like nothing I've read before, and while I can't say I fully understood what all went on and why, I can say I was incredibly entertained and didn't want to put it down. You'll just have to pick this one up if that premise intrigues you, and honestly, how could it not?

I have read about staircases appearing out of nowhere in woods. Nowhere knows where they go. However, in this book, it does take you to the world if you take a walk up the staircase. It is not a world you want to be and once you are there, it is incredibly difficult to leave. '
This book was reminiscent of House of Leaves. If you like books that are sci-fi and fantastical, this book is for you.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off thanks to Random House Worlds and Del Rey for the NetGalley Arc. I fully loved this book, there were legitimately scary moments, and more than just a haunted house story.

If you are familiar with Chuck Wendig, you know what you are getting into, and if this is your first time reading him, this is a great way to start!

A group of young friends come across a stairway in the woods, ones goes up and never comes back down. Years later the same group of friends re-connect, find the staircase, and all go up together, to either find their friend, or get some type of answers.

The novel is primarily told through two main characters, so we really get to know them, and begin to care about them. Honestly, I related to one of these characters more than I have any other in a very long time. That being said when something happens to one of the other main characters it was hard to feel connected. Not that you don't care exactly, it just didn't have as much impact.

What is the definition of home, is it a place, a person, or a literal house. Also playing with the ideas of fear, what is scarier, the "ghost" in front of you or the fears you create in your own head? There is a lot to be mined here, but I will let the reader decide what they enjoy the most. I'm a big fan of this author, as he has a way of making the crazy seem really down to earth.

This makes for a great read. and I highly recommend this for all Wendig fans, haunted house fans, and all horror fans.

synopsis

A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods in this mesmerizing horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.

Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what.

Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something a mysterious staircase to nowhere.

One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears.

Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods. . . .

This book was a bit different than books I normally read. It is classified as horror and while I enjoy horror movies, I have a hard time enjoying horror books. In the past, it has felt like the things that scared me in horror movies, like the jump scares, were too difficult to replicate in writing. While that may be true, I find that a well written horror story gives the reader this feeling of unease, and at times, dread. I think this book did just that. The amount of detail in this book was fantastic. Each new place the characters experienced was so descriptive that you felt you were with them (and that wasn’t always a good thing). I also felt the characters had great depth and backstories that allowed you to understand them better. Some of the scenes were difficult to read, but I truly think that is the finesse in a horror novel. Some of middle parts were a bit slower in the pacing but overall I was enraptured the whole time. I found the overall story of the book to be very intriguing and hope to read more by this author in the future.

Overall: 4.4/5 ⭐️


Thank you to Del Ray and Random House Publishing for this advanced reader copy. All thoughts and comments are my own.

I loved this take on the classic urban legend of a "staircase to nowhere." Fans of horror, true crime, and folklore will love this!

3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Chuck Wendig's The Staircase in the Woods is a strong novel in concept, with excellent descriptive writing and creative ideas. Perfect for those who like paranormal mysteries, or when they enjoy authors just traumatizing the characters over and over again. Owen, Lore, Nick, and Hamish have split from one another after a traumatic incident involving a staircase in the woods and the fifth member of their high-school friend group, Matty. Two decades later, the group reunites and is dragged into a horrific journey of trauma, despair, and mind-warping encounters when they try to find him again.

This book can keep the reader entertained, if not just to see how the book would end. I want to love it, but some pieces don't fit right for me. It feels like a combination of Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves meets Stephen King's It, with a bit of urban legend thrown into the mix. Lots of horrific imagery and set dressings, too. Please keep an eye on trigger warnings for this book, too--some stuff just hits you unexpectedly, and even though I didn't find them triggering, I could easily see how it could for others.

I like this book--the concept is excellent and only builds momentum once the group gets to the staircase again. Additionally, I feel like there are two really good ideas mixed into this novel, but weren't meshing together as well as they could have. However, some elements took me out of it; Wendig wants to write a wide variety of characters, but he doesn't write some of them...well. There were interactions at the beginning of the book that had me thinking, "Man, I hate these characters," but I sat and toughed it out to see if the premise would be worth it. Thankfully, it was!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for a digital advanced readers copy.

Noted: Steer clear of random creepy lone staircases - should seem easy enough.
Chuck Wendig took me into the deepest darkest centre of wtfery, which I am sure was he plan and had me bawling and crawling my way back out.

There are so many things to love about horror (especially as a queer woman), but always always always my favourite horror trope is the importance of friendship, chosen family and platonic love. And Wendig gives that to me in spades in this book! Part coming over age part second chance and a whole lot of wtf, why and Jesus christs did we really need to put that visual in my head. Wendig has crafted a story of regret, hope, forgiveness and horror.

Gods I love when horror is this good!

7/10

The Staircase in the Woods follows four young friends who find a creepy staircase in the woods while tripping on various substances.

One decides to climb the staircase and vanishes into thin air.

Inevitably fracturing the group, causing them to go their separate ways over time until 20 years later, they are brought back together for a camping trip.

What follows is the story of fractured friends coming together, from what seems like an impossible impasse.

Staircase in the Woods explores the way we change and drift over time from our childhood friends, the damage of a constantly social online young adult journey, the need to carve your path and create your own identity, and the costs that each of those takes on us and those around us.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, while I didn't find it too horrific it does have its moments, there is the element of how we can be our own worst villain.

My concern was the way Lore (Lauren) was written, and overall a generally disjointed first half, I struggled to connect to these characters in part because of the way Wendig throws you into the middle of it uncovering the history as the story progresses, and this was a blocker from me feeling for the result at the end.

More attention needs to be paid to each of the characters, and more care to Lore specifically, I felt her depiction was insensitive, the addition of her being an angry woke gender fluid tyrant at the start, added nothing to the conversation and was just moved on from.

I would like to see that part of her handled better and fleshed out more, or just removed.

The pacing was good, I have a fondness for Wendig's prose and especially his use of punctuation, it did make the story easy to consume.

Recommended for those who like thrillers and light horror that revolves around personal development.

I struggled to get into this - I have both an EARC and a physical ARC of this from NYCC. I tried both mediums to attempt to help me really become immersed in the story, but I struggled immensely with the writing. It's not *bad*, it just wasn't entirely what I was looking for. The plot is premised on a unique concept (see: a staircase in the woods), but I'm left feeling lukewarm.

It's been a week since I finished the book and I still don't understand what was happening.
Ironically, it really felt more like a simulation, not a book.
It was hard to define where each part started and ended. One moment they were looking for clues, the next they reach a conclusion, and by the end of the chapter, they realize that no, they got all of it wrong.
At some point, I gave up trying to remember what the last point or discovery meant. If they say the house is evil, then it's evil. The house is not real? Who am I to say otherwise!
And honestly, this mindset made it easy for me to only focus on the emotions the book invoked in me. Namely, being creeped out of my mind.
It wasn't simple fear, just a persistent, uncomfortable sense of creepiness.
But, the plot wasn't my only problem. The characters were also a bit of a nuisance.
Lore was getting on my nerves, she was just there for the author to show his political standing and world views.
Hamish and Nick were vague, they were... Lame. For Nick, he was one dimensional, just the friend who has a rude streak. Hamish was just there mainly as the opposite of Lore, at least at the beginning.
Owen was my favorite. His character had a lot of layers and his character development was also well written.
Overall, I didn't not like it, but it's not worth the hype.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*