This book is so dang good!! The 5 main characters anchor us in the story in both the past and present. Their personalities and relationships with one another are distinct and complex. You fall in love with them and are invested in their health as the plot thickens and stakes get more and more dire. What happened when they were kids and how does that impact their current situation? You’ll be on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out what is happening and how they might get free. If there is a second installation, I’ll be first in line! I will absolutely be looking for more from this author in the future.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited for this book, the premise sounds absolutely amazing and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this authors books. It started out so good, I was very intrigued and then out of nowhere one of the characters goes on a political rampage. To see modern day politics in a fiction book completely brought me out of the story. And it’s not as if I disagree with anything that was said but it was just so out of left field and so jarring that I completely forgot what I was reading and started thinking about the real world which I’m currently not a fan of.

terrifying and thrilling book. the opening begins somewhat slow, but it gets much more tense the longer it gets. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig is an eerie and atmospheric story that masterfully blends mystery with a touch of the supernatural. Wendig’s writing pulls you in immediately, creating a sense of unease that lingers throughout the book. The characters are deeply human, grappling with their own fears and secrets as they confront the inexplicable. The pacing is perfect, with twists and revelations that keep you on edge without feeling rushed. Wendig’s vivid descriptions bring the creepy setting to life, making the woods feel like a character in its own right. If you love spine-chilling tales that combine suspense with emotional depth, this one is a must-read.

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was perhaps a bit overlong but I loved how unique the story was.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher

This was so reminiscent of a creepypasta story of the same name, I'm wondering if it was directly influenced ( in a good way.) Loved it !

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest reviews. I am a huge fan of Chuck Wendig since reading The Wanderers and was more solidified as a fan when he wrote The Book of Accidents (LOVE) and Black River Orchard (READ IT). The Staircase in the Woods is no exception and I have been waiting for this book since his first mention of it. Within the first few chapters, I knew it was a five star read. I could not set it down. I found this book to be emotionally visceral. The horror and suspense was so palpable. The complicated connections within the group of friends felt so raw and real. He created incredible emotional depth within each character and in the relationships between them. I have to say that this is a talent he has as an author that I don’t see often enough. He took a haunted house and turned it into something I’ve never read before; something twisted, evil, and alive. His writing just takes you there! I gagged, cringed, and teared up. And the ENDING! The ending was definitely satisfying and left you emotionally raw, but feeling hopeful and determined. And I see you, Eddie Naberius. IYKYK. I love it when characters from other books show up! I will be recommending this to anyone that so much as mentions they can read. Obviously, I pre-ordered this book the very second it became available and was so grateful to get the opportunity to read it before it comes out. I cannot wait to add my collection! Trust your girl here, read this one!

Absolutely loved the premise and the complex friendships. The pace was a bit off and I felt it dragged in the middle. The book really takes off once they climb the stairs but would have liked a little more background on these friends when they were younger to give better understanding of them as adults.

This is a gripping, dark fantasy thriller with well-developed characters and a chilling atmosphere. I’m rounding my 4.5 stars up to 5, and I can’t wait for Wendig’s next book! Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I was drawn to the premise of this book, as I love a good mysterious horror. Creepy staircase in the woods? Seemed like it checked my boxes. But it took me far too long to get into this book.
The book started slow, and is very character driven and not as much focused on the plot, which was a bit of a turn-off for me. I like a good character-driven novel, but in this case I did not enjoy reading about any of the characters because to me they felt very juvenile and they were all extremely unlikable. I felt bored until about 30% of the way into the novel, when things finally started to happen.
From there I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed the concept of the house and the creepiness factor of it all, it left me feeling disturbed and unsettled. But it seemed like every time I started to gain interest, there would be a character flashback or something that would slow my momentum down. Also, the writing felt a bit juvenile to me, it felt more YA than adult.
Personally, I don't think this book was for me, although I have seen some people really enjoy it, so if you enjoy a character-driven novel with broken characters with a sub-plot of sci-fi horror then you may enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this enthralling dark fantasy thriller. Absolutely creepy atmosphere with beautifully flawed characters.

This is a slow grower, so give it a bit of time. A group of teenagers, now adults, reunite to search for one of their group who went up a staircase in the woods years before, and disappeared. Of course, that's the synopsis of the book itself, so I don't think it's a spoiler to say things go rather poorly from there. And while this book does take a while to get going, it does, and you'll want to know how it ends. If you find the charaters a bit one note to start, they reveal layers as they go through some things, and maybe they weren't the friends they thought they were. You might think this is a creepypasta, but along the way it's a more standard horror story, although it flips the haunted house trope on its head. Or does it make it more literal? You'll have to read it to find out for yourself.

Fear is Like a Splinter In the Soul

Stories of kids whose extraordinary experiences bind them to each other, for good or evil, are a well-loved trope in literature. Stand By Me, It, The Goonies, Stranger Things: all explorations of kids coping with forces that are far beyond normal. This is one of those stories, but the author has blended it with elements that keep it from being just another one in the genre.

The kids are grown as we enter the story. Lore is an interesting character. Inner fragility didn't make her a weak person in terms of pushing through discouragement. But, success doesn't equal fulfillment. Owen, Hamish, Nick, Matty---each very different from each other but, like Lore, each carrying the burdens of heavy secrets.

The plot shows how their respective strengths and weaknesses can be pivotal to how things work out for them, but these traits have had positive and negative effects on them. This was true in the past, but now, it's vital information. While a supernatural threat endangers them, it's their attitudes toward the mundane that may be the greater danger. The Staircase In The Woods isn't a simple book.

All of them are flawed adults, but their flaws are rooted in abuse, neglect, or less easily generalized mistreatment of them as children. They all found in each other a common need as kids and they made an oath to stand by each other and did so, until that one time. That one event changed their lives and ripped them apart. They've each been living with pain ever since, with an essential piece of themselves missing. This time, the damage may be worse.

Thank you to Chuck Wendig, who has an extremely entertaining blog at terribleminds.com for giving me a crack at this before it's published with a free advanced reader's copy; thanks as well to Random House Worlds/DelRey and to NetGalley. I owe them neither a review nor a favorable review, but here's one anyway: it's yet another disturbing, scary, and outstanding read from a masterful horror author.

I tried getting into this one and it just didn’t keep my attention like I hoped it would. The description sounded great but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

The beginning was super slow until about Chapter 20. Once they climbed the staircase and were in the house I loved it but the end started getting confusing. There are a lot of characters and traits/traumas to keep up with. That in combination with the characters within the house got to be a bit much. I wanted to love this but ended up gibing it a 2.75

I have to say that The Staircase in the Woods reminded me of a nightmare I had, with Escheresque staircases that looped back upon themselves and doors to nowhere. This was seriously disturbing, in a fun way.

This story had me hooked immediately. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I believe the story will be with me for a long time. I’m hoping for a sequel with the OMG ending!

A Brief Ascent into Hell.

This book was a fantastic, and very dark read. The story Chuck tells is supremely entertaining, even when the plot goes to pitch black places. This was a very quick, easy read for me. The one thing that I disliked about it was that sometimes, the pacing was interrupted with flashbacks right when things were taking off.
4.25/5 Stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the arc.

Get ready for another wild ride from Chuck Wendig!

Five friends Hamish, Owen, Lore, Nick and Matty stumble upon a staircase in the woods. One of them decides to go up it and…

Chuck’s character development and world building is top notch!

this book is so f*cked but in such an amazing way.

I finished this book and literally screamed. it was one of those books that you're like "what in the world did i just read?" but also you can not put it down. I had so many questions and of course, they were not really answered but that is OK.

Matty goes missing when they are teenagers after climbing a staircase in the woods. Unless you are living under a rock, you know that there are tons of random staircases in places all around the world and the thing that everyone says is "DO NOT CLIMB THEM!". This book is a perfect example of why you should never do it.

i love love loved all the characters. They were nerdy, easy going, screw up's and a everyone's golden boy that become best friends. what they do to find Matty is.... crazy. CRAZY. many triggers in this book that i simply did not know/ did not look at before i read it. it is very graphic but wow. it is good.

crossing my fingers there is a second book? although there probs wont be but i would LOVE for it to carry on where it ended because i am INVESTED.