A psychological horror novel that in many ways feels like playing a grown-up version of Corpse Party, with a fascinating premise and a trapped-location feel.

Trigger warning for: Self-harm, self-mutilation, CSA, child abuse, body horror, negative self-image, suicide

Unfortunately, like when I read The Book of Accidents, this book just wasn’t for me. I am a huge fan of the staircase in the woods phenomena and r/nosleep story, so I decided to give this book a chance before deciding that this author wasn’t one for me. However, while the title of this book does focus on the penultimate staircase, and there are a few other staircases scattered throughout - in all honesty, this book is barely about them. This book focuses much more on interpersonal relationships and traumas - and the house they all wind up trapped in - than staircases at all! I would honestly say this book has much more in common with the No-End House creepypasta and some similarities to the game Corpse Party, and that the staircase motif was more added so the author could have an exciting title to catch readers familiar with the concept.

The first about 30% of this book was a chore to read. I’ve heard people complain about the politics being included in this book, and hilariously I would almost agree - except from the opposite direction. If I wasn’t so sure the author was leaning anti-Trump, I’d have believed him to be conservative. The ONLY openly queer character in this book is such an open stereotype that despite me also being nonbinary, agender, and aromantic I felt like Lore was almost a strawman so readers could point and laugh at how “ridiculous” a nonbinary aromantic pansexual would be as a person. ESPECIALLY when her introduction is made by harassing the “normal” seeming pro-Trump character in this novel - and this character is never given the same stereotypical treatment, and is instead seen as the “straight” man to offset how “insane” the other character is being. We’re supposed to find it funny that Lore accuses him of “hating” her because he voted for Trump - as if it’s ridiculous to assume someone voting for someone who has openly been racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic and has created legislation to make being anything other than “acceptable cishet” a crime would - maybe - not be someone a queer woman would be comfortable around.

This uncomfortable feeling of homophobia never fully leaves the novel, as while Lore is openly attracted to both men and women, and is supposed to be aromantic - she still ends the novel in a relationship of some sort with a character who had been in love with her as children. A relationship that she, herself, had decided then to not pursue because she wouldn’t be able to give him the same kind of devotion he would give her. And at no point do either of these characters discuss what being in a sexual queerplatonic relationship would look like, and so I can only assume this is her “proper” ending to her “wildness” she had before - she’s been tamed into a relationship that she had never indicated wanting or desiring. And granted, I’m very much projecting here, but since I - once again - am ALSO aromantic it seems like an uncomfortable throughline. (Also, the author very clearly states that she can have sexual relationships but not romantic because she’s aromantic, NOT asexual, and as an asexual myself that’s…not true? Aros can have romantic relationships and aces can have sexual ones - and I’m not saying that Lore ending the book in a supposed romantic relationship is a bad thing, just that - with no discussion in the book to imply any kind of discussion about it - it feels a bit heteronormative to read.)

[Also, the character Lore ends up with I felt like had a much clearer romantic throughline to one of the other men in the story, which I feel would have done a lot to counteract the (hopefully) unintentional homophobia present in this novel.]

After I forced myself to continue past the first 30%, the book itself did improve - but that could be in part because it no longer felt like a flashlight was being pointed at my face and going “haha aren’t people like you so weird and confrontational!”

Rather than staircases, this book instead focuses on the broken friendships of these characters and the traumas each had faced growing up. And, well…some of these could have been included more tactfully - or, not at all. One in particular felt like it was added simply for the shock value, and then each character winds up in a sort of “trauma Olympics” with each other to try to one-up everyone - even if that’s not how they intend to come across. (One scene even felt like in Jenny Nicholson’s video on Split, where she criticized self-harm scars as the only way someone with depression or suicidal thoughts could articulate it, and that these scars are the only way to help save themselves.)

Finally, I found the ending to be a tad annoying as - while generally I enjoy open-ended stories - the way this one did felt anticlimactic, as it very clearly set up something that would have ruined the emotional feelings the reader (and these characters) felt about this character throughout the story. Also, I felt like this book kind of took a sharp left turn when we left the staircase mystery and motif, and instead entered into “evil sentient house” where…the motivation to do things just…fell apart? As the story progressed it slowly made less and less sense - especially with the climatic reason for the house to have become evil and sentient in the first place. (No spoilers, but really? That’s the evil that started this mess? That’s it??) I felt like having an actual root cause we could explore almost made the story less believable, and by the time it was revealed I was simply reading to finish this book. However, I know I’m not in the majority of my feelings towards this book, so I would recommend you check it out if you are a fan of horror and being trapped in a single location that is actively trying to break you down.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Worlds for providing this e-ARC.

I tend to hold a horror novel to a higher standard than a lot of genres as they’re easy to become lackluster quickly. The staircase in the woods was both haunting and beautiful, it brought the reader on a ride though the bonds of friendship and how terror and trauma can dismantle the mind. The end had me both shocked and begging for more. I LOVED this book.

2.5. Really cool concept but lacked execution for me and was way too long. Pacing was all over. You don't even get to the staircase till around 30% and everything before is all long exposition and flashbacks that could have been shortened a lot. Once in the staircase's realm things pick up a bit and get a little gory and exciting, but it quickly falls into more flashbacks and meandering in a cool setting that is just a lot of showing and not telling. This room has a dead thing in, this room has nothing in it, this room has food, this room has a couch for sleeping. You get it. The disappointment, really, for me is two fold. One, the main events you can probably get through in like 100 pages. The rest of it is filler and sooo many flashbacks. The flashbacks tend to repeat things already said or known. They may dive a littler deeper but the main knowledge is the same and so you just feel like, "I get it. Can we move on to the creepy haunted house elements." Two, is that the characters are all cardboard cut outs. One is so anxious and depressed he chews his nails and sort of self harms, one is a queer liberal fighting everyone and everything, another is chill druggy turned Christian conservative, one is a wild card who ends up with a dark secret that isn't that shocking. The all have similar trauma. Mostly parental, but while all of it makes sense it feels like it brings nothing new to the table. If you are huge on "Stranger Things" you might love this book because it's basically just that without superpowers, but even down to the misfits playing DnD. It is a cool take on a haunted house story but very predictable and the prose at times can leave you eye rolling hard. "They had escaped the house. Though it, perhaps, had not escaped them." While true, my eyes might as well have backflipped. I saw sooo much potential here but it was too run of the mill for me and nothing about it was truly scary. Interesting bits for sure but overall disappointing.

Rounded up a bit to 4 stars. A classic horror story about friendship, trauma, and secrets. It took me a while to get into - as a child of the 90s, the flashbacks to the characters' school time, while absolutely necessary for the story, felt too nostalgic and that was not the mood I wanted if I am honest. But when the action got going, about half-way into the book - then it became a proper horror and drew me in. Creepy, unsettling and at the same time laced with undeniable sadness - about the horrible things people do to each other, about the secrets we keep and how much they hurt us, about the loneliness and isolation of the modern world and the way we seem to be forgetting that we need others, need the connections and closeness and trust in order to live happy fulfilling lives.

Overall, a bit slow in the beginning but very good in the second half. Definitely putting Wendig on my tbr list.

Not sure this is necessary for horror readers, but do pay attention to content warnings (including child abuse and self-harm).

Thanks for Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great premise, the title says it all. Shades of the Navidson Record part of House of Leaves with a healthy dose of Cube thrown in. A lot of hurt and sadness but it comes together beautifully at the end.

Thank you Random House/Del Rey and NetGalley for the copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Release date is 4/29/25.

This was my first time reading Chuck Wendig, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

In the late 90's, a group of 5 friends go into the forest and find a staircase. Overcome by curiosity, one of the friends ascends the stairs only to never been seen again. The remaining friends eventually grow older and go their own way, only to reunite twenty years later to try to discover what became of their lost friend.

I will admit that I had a moment of thinking this story was not going to be for me, when the friend's bickering and politics became a bit too much for me. I'm glad I stuck it out, because as we get further into the story, the view of these characters mature considerably, leaving the reader with an amazing story about friendship, trauma, and how we can face adversity with the help of true friends.

Chuck Wendig conjures up an eerie atmosphere and some truly disturbing visuals. I enjoyed the inclusion of video game references, though they may not be to everyone's liking. I'm not sure I 100% believed in the origin story of what was happening (I'm being vague here as to not spoil anything) and I didn't feel that current politics had a place in this story. For those reasons, this wasn't a 5 star read for me, but still a very solid read. I look forward to reading more of Wendig's work.

I can't say enough how much I love Wendig's writing. It’s always sets the tone and holds my attention completely. I didn't want it to end. Thank you NetGalley!!!!!

Even though "The Staircase in the Woods" premise is something we have read before in several other stories, a group of adults fighting against the monster of their youth and the book does has some "It" vibes it does hold on pretty much on its own.

One of the best horror books I've read, so much it took me a good while to finish it due to the trapped feeling it caused me, but at the end it got everything even the much coveted back story to explaining it all that many if not all the books on the supernatural horror miss.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Worlds, and Del Rey for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This one was so creepy, it was hard to put down! It starts off as a bit of a slow burn but once it picks up you’re in for a ride!

This is my first book by Chuck Wendig and I absolutely loved it. It was just the right combination of weird, creepy, and people dealing with their own issues they don’t talk about with friends.

A group of 5 teenage friends goes camping in the woods and finds a weird staircase. One goes up it, never to be seen again. Fast forward 20 years, they meet up again and find another staircase. While searching for their long lost friend, they each have to deal with their own life problems, whether or not they were actually good friends to each other, and a whole lot of weird crazy stuff going on. This gave me a lot of Stephen King vibes, which I love, but was its own, very unique and fast paced story.

Gah how I love Wendigs writing. It’s so atmospheric and holds you in a trance. This was no different. I was in Estes from the beginning. So curious to see what each room would be like. I wanted a bit more from the ending but overall enjoyed it.

Would you enter a different dimension just to save one of your friends? Hard no from me, but our cast of characters does without question.

I loved the concept of the book. I heard about these urban legends of abandoned staircases in the woods or desert, so a full novel focusing on it was intriguing.

The horror elements worked for me. I felt the fear. I also really enjoyed the investigation part of the story.

However, the characters felt underdeveloped. From the start, it felt weird that we only see some of their perspectives, as the structure seemed to have been set up to include each one of them an equal amount.

I really enjoyed it, but the characters needed to go deeper for sure. 4\5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When requesting the book, I did not fully understand the realm this book was in (specifically horror/dark aka Stephen King). If that is your cup of tea, then you will love it! But I didn’t care for it much.

BUT- the premise was very enticing and I do believe the author writes very well. (Therefore the 3 stars). The beginning hooked me immediately!

When I was four years old, I remember seeing a staircase going up a steep hill to nothing ever single day on my to and from daycare. I've had nightmares about that staircase for most of my life. In most of the dreams, I can never ever reach the top no matter how hard I try... but every once in awhile I make it and it is always terrible. 34 years of dreaming of a forgotten staircase led me to this book and requesting it from NetGalley without even reading the blurb... it just felt right to read it, so when I was approved to review it I felt validated. I've started and then deleted at least nine reviews because I kept getting caught up in the details and spoiling the magic, which I find personally unforgivable. So, I'm here on my tenth try and it will most likely be brief to keep the magic of discovery inside the book, where it belongs.
Do you like Stephen King's IT? If so, read this book. Do you like Stephen King's IT, but you wish it had left out the child orgy? If so, read this book. Do you like Stephen King's IT, but wish it involved more choices from the main characters? If so, then read this book. I hope when Chuck Wendig wrote this story he knew it would ultimately be compared to IT and knew while it couldn't exactly be "better" it could still be a contender for top personal favorites for horror fans because I loved this book. Stephen King, Grady Hendrix, Nick Cutter, Josh Malerman, David Haynes, Bentley Little, Paul Tremblay are all some of my favorite writers, but this book shot up my list of favorites for so many reasons I can't clarify in a spoiler free post.
A group of friends find a staircase in the woods when they are kids and they do what any kid would do - they climb the stairs. This one decision changes their lives and because of it, they all need to climb the stairs again as adults with a life of learning telling them what is real and what isn't. Having to face the supernatural as an adult who can't believe in magic or ghost stories will always be a story I want to read because I think about losing my belief in magic and supernatural mysteries and wonder when it happened and how. It's a true tragedy that adults lose what makes them special as they grow and change and experience. This book somehow brings back the magic of your childhood fears and mixes it with all your adult anxieties and I love it!
Thank you, NetGalley for a chance to read this beauty. I've already preordered my copy and everyone else should too.

The Staircase in the woods was a fun gripping horror novel and I really had fun reading it.
This begins with a group of friends finding a staircase in the forest 20 years ago.Their curiosity turns dread when one of them, Matt just disappears at the end of the staircase.

After Matt's disappearance it was never easy for them ,the guilt of not doing anything to help find their friend.Now after 20 years they are again pulled back to the secret staircase in the woods.This time they make sure they find what really happened to their friend.

Its an interesting premise and its written very well.I got really sucked into the author's writing.I enjoyed the things they find after the staircase, the jump scares ,the eeriness of the house and how the house mess up with their minds.

The things I really enjoyed in this book was the plot and the horror elements where as I found it hard to connect with any of the characters which reduced my level of enjoyment a bit.I wanted to connect with them, get sucked into the emotion behind finding their friend but actually they didn't much care about Matt.Also the house messing up got a bit too much in the middle for most part of the book.
Apart from these I had fun reading the horror elements which I look forward in a horror book.

Thank you to Chuck Wendig, Random House Publishing Group-Del Ray, Random House Worlds, Inklore & Netgalley for an arc copy and of The Staircase in the Woods! I requested this book because I loved the synopsis and the cover is beautiful! This book was atmospheric & eerie! It is horror/creepy but this book digs much deeper. Characters deal with their pasts and trauma. It flips between past in present tense. With a twist at the end! I could picture this book being a movie! This is my first book by Chuck Wendig but won’t be my last! The book publishes 4/29/25!

“The Staircase in the Woods” is by Chuck Wendig. Let me start off by saying that I didn’t finish the book. I didn’t finish it for a number of reasons. However, as I try to always start my reviews off with something positive, I guess my two positives are that I love the cover and that this book, from the summary, seemed like a different take on Stephen King’s “IT,” one of the books I have re-read numerous times and really like. All the bad things about this book are too long to list - but I’ll say that if you like US political rants (that seem just like political rants), a ton of gender and autism buzzwords thrown in (just because?), a number of characters who have experienced childhood trauma (but unlike those in “IT” these people seem stuck in that trauma), and a rather slow paced book with lots of rambling - then maybe this book is for you. It wasn’t for me. Would I give another book by this author a try? Possibly … but it’s going to take a while. I encourage people to read more of the other reviews of this book - I’m probably in the minority, but this book wasn’t what I hoped it would be, sadly.

Staircase in the Woods is my favorite Chuck Wendig book so far. I loved the mystery of the staircase leading to the evolving house of horrors. The character development was richly done and fleshed out as well. The relationships of the characters are balanced with the mystery of the house and kept me turning the pages to see where it was headed. Definitely recommend for a great escape from reality

Thank you to NetGalley for an opportunity to read the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Chuck Wendig book and I had a great time reading the story.

5 teenagers go into the woods, mysterious staircase in the forest, only 4 come out. As adults they return to try and figure out what happened to their friend.

The characters felt were well fleshed out with very different personalities. These people are full of flaws but that's what makes them believable.

I'm a huge fan of the Staircase in the woods legends so I was super glad of a book that incorporated that into a horror book. I think sometimes the lore of how the staircase were created got a little muddle as how the rooms get created but otherwise it was a fun read and a lot of things got explained.

I would love a follow up book with what happens after the book ends.

While I was walking around a Children’s Museum I was pre-approved for a book called The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This book is everything you could want from a haunted house book and definitely not child appropriate.
The premise is that these 5 childhood friends find a staircase in the woods. One goes up and does not come down. Fast forward to when they are all adults living their not-so-perfect lives and not talking to each other. One day they all get a message from their friend Nick saying he is dying from cancer and wants to see them all one last time.
When they go to meet him, he takes them ‘camping’ to another staircase in the woods. This time all four go up, but will all 4 come back down?
This reminded me of a huge haunted house you would go to at Halloween, but even more elaborate. You don’t know what horrible thing is going to be portrayed in the next room, and did it come from your memory or someone else’s?
Highly recommend. Very creepy, but satisfying ending. Thank you Penguin Randomhouse for giving me this advanced reader copy for free. It made for a great start of my reading year.