Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.
I went into this completely blind. Having read from this author before, I knew this was gonna be trippy, weird puzzle like reading experience. Unlikable characters that grow on you, as you learn of their emotional journey and trauma of growing up. Idk how I felt about mentions of video games, but once I finished the book I realized what the author did here. This truly was a video game in a book. Overall I was fully invested in the story and as always, authors writing style, effortless!
My review is posted on bookstagram @readbyjr and Goodreads @JR

Wow… where do I begin… Well I’m going to keep it spoiler free for others to enjoy this book like I did. BUT just as I finish the first page this book had me hooked. As the story starts to move we find out high schoolers are going to camp in the woods. What could go wrong? Am I right? Well this ain’t your old cliché kids go camping in the woods story. Dark, terrifying and haunting tale from Mr Wendig and look forward to more from him! I loved this book.

Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley for this opportunity to read this book early. I definitely will be adding a physical copy for my collection when it drops!

So, this one went places I never would have expected! Chuck Wendig never fails to surprise me. Pretty solid 4 stars in my book.

Lore, Owen, Matty, Nick, and Hamish are a crew of high school friends bound by what they call The Covenant. Each have their own background of family trauma whether the rest of the group know about it or not. This trauma is what shaped their response when Matty vanishes from the top of a mysterious staircase in the woods. Twenty years post staircase mishap, they are each living their own separate lives without Matty until Nick calls upon The Covenant to get them all back together for a weekend away. Unbeknownst to them, he has some tricks up his sleeve.

I know, I know. This is pretty much just the blurb on the back of the book, right? But man there is no way I can say anything else without ruining it.

I can tell you about the vibes. Think escape rooms, video games, purgatory, and even his previous Book of Accidents. This one is a bit different than his others, so don’t go in thinking you’ll run into an apple orchard cult or an all-knowing AI. If you want to go on an adventure like none other, pick this one up. It’s kinda crazy.

There’s also a theme to this one- The heart is where the home is. And no, I didn’t say it backwards.

Downsides. Technical stuff that I had no clue about. But it doesn’t ruin the story. Some repetition, but there’s a point to it. Politics. If you can’t stand certain things, or read to escape from what’s happening in the world, this might not be it for you.

A great thank you goes out to Chuck Wendig, Del Rey, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was solid. Believable, nuanced, and broken characters, strong world building, great writing, and a fresh idea that I haven't encountered before. A 5-star read for me.

This book tackles many heavy topics of grief, guilt, childhood traumas, abandonment, abuse, and more. Combine all that with a setting that is specifically designed to mentally destroy you, and you have a book filled with a palpable tension. I have seen some other reviewers make comparisons to Stephen King - most notably the book 'IT' - which I can understand. The nostalgia vibes are here, along with some similarities surrounding the group of kids coming back together as adults to face something evil from their past. But this book definitely charts its own course and deserves to be judged on its own merits.

There are some pacing issues and parts of the story started to get repetitive when I was anxiously waiting to see how things were going to play out, but I also found myself eager to dive back into the book every time I had to set it down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Random House/Del Rey for the advanced copy of this book to read and review.

1) Short chapters. LOVE short chapters!
2) The characters are relatable right off the bat.
3) The authors style of writing is kinda unique in its own way.
4) Page TURNER.
5) One of a kind and made you feel like you were in the book with the characters fighting there way through hell.

Chuck Wendig really knows how to write those shiver-inducing novels. This one started off fairly innocuous, and quickly grew into something extremely creepy and spooky. Well done. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Not my favorite Chuck Wendig book ever, but I did enjoy it. It's a story of friendship and growing up, and growing apart, and coming back together. Plus, a spooky staircase and an evil house. All good stuff. I wish there were a few less Minecraft references, and a little more to the climax, but it was really the journey getting there that made it an enjoyable experience. If you're a fan of Chuck, you'll surely enjoy this story as well.

The Staircase in the Woods by C. Wendig, published by Random House World, is a dark read.
Confusing, complex, I was nearly giving up when I got into the story.
An ok read.
Blurb: Five high school friends are bonded to protect one another no matter what.
Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something extraordinary: 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.

Oh so we just ending books like that?! There is was swiping on my kindle like nope, that can't be it.
A great spooky season read. Very unsettling. I have questions but the supernatural can't be explained. I just...I didn't want to put it down because I had to know what the heck was going on. And when I knew, I was still puzzled. I kind of wish we had some chapters from before with Matty's POV. But this was super creepy and just, why! See this is why I just mind my business and don't touch things that look out of place when I'm out hiking. You're not going to see me disappear like this. Nope no thanks.
The chapters were short so even when I felt like I was blowing through, jokes on me I had 50 chapters still. Well written, well thought out.

4.5 🌟 As a die hard horror fan I was completely enthralled by The Staircase in the Woods.

We follow four friends Owen, Lore, Nick and Hamish years after a camping trip that ended in disaster. In 1998 five of them went into the woods for a night of booze and debauchery but only four returned. Golden boy Matty vanished without a trace that night and the four friends have been dealing with that loss in their separate ways since.

Then Nick invokes an old pact they made (the Covenant) which brings them all back together in a sinister unexpected way.

I have to leave it there to avoid spoilers but trust that it because a wild rollercoaster thrill from here. Some genuinely scary scenes juxtaposed with real heart at its core.

The character development was excellently drip fed throughout making for truly heart wrenching moments. The tension and atmosphere palpable. The conclusion so satisfying.

Also the Interlude chapter is perfection 🤩

I will only say that the first 30% of the book could be slightly better paced to really hook the reader before all hell breaks loose as I felt some of it was a bit tedious before it kicked off. Also, I found some of the similes and metaphors a bit overwritten but they didn’t spoil my enjoyment too much.

Overall a very solid 4.5 stars. Would definitely recommend this to any horror fan and I imagine it would also be better on a re-read too. Look forward to reading more from Chuck Wendig in the future!

Remember: home is where the heat is 😉

Thanks to NetGalley for arc of this book

4.5 stars

I keep seeing other reviewer use the word unsettling, and I 100% have to agree with that. Wendig always comes through with a completely engrossing story, that leaves you both satisfied and wanting more of that’s possible. I have already placed my preorder on this one as I feel I may have missed some thing and it is certainly worthy of more read throughs regardless.

I have now ordered for this book.
Unique plot and characters.
Unsettling and so good.
Highly recommend.

The Staircase in the Woods is an unsettling and eerie read, perfect for spooky season. There are no jump scares or slasher-movie moments - the tension builds in a more subtle, psychological way. It makes you jumpy, has you glancing over your shoulder, and reading with the lights on—everything you want from a good horror novel. The story taps into the human condition, exploring how our relationships and inner struggles can both break and save us. It delves deep into the emotional lives of the characters, showing how the traumas and issues they dealt with as teenagers have followed them into adulthood.

The narrative jumps between past and present, which helps fill in the blanks, giving you a fuller understanding of the characters and their bond. This also adds a layer of unpredictability to the book. What initially seems like a supernatural mystery about a staircase in the woods evolves into a chilling exploration of friendship, trauma, and the passage of time.

The ending felt unresolved, and that might leave some readers craving more closure. It seems deliberate, though—perhaps to let readers interpret the conclusion on their own or to leave room for a continuation. Either way, The Staircase in the Woods is a chilling, atmospheric read that lingers long after you finish, making it a perfect pick for fans of psychological horror.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicidal ideation, Suicide, Murder, Child death, Sexual abuse (parent/child), Graphic violence and gore, Animal consumption of a human body, Self-harm and extreme bodily injury

Wow—this book left me seriously unsettled! The Staircase in the Woods had me hooked right from the start. The story of five friends finding a creepy staircase in the forest on a camping trip—where one of them just disappears—gave me chills. And then, boom, twenty years later, the staircase shows up again. The way Wendig pulls you into the mystery and the tension between these friends is so intense; you feel like you’re right there with them, unraveling dark secrets. It's eerie, emotional, and totally unforgettable.

I haven't heard much from Chuck Wendig lately, so I was super stoked to receive an ARC review from Netgalley!!

The story is definitely top notch, so this review will just be a paragraph per great thing, in no particular order...

One of the challenges of the Horror Genre is it can be hard to balance tone and tension across a whole novel length piece of writing - i.e. its pretty difficult to enjoy 80,000 pages of jump scares. But what Wendig does with this book is a solid 3 act structure of horror 'tone.' Act 1 is very ominous and uncertain, sinister even. There is a sort of IT vibe without an overt clown (more on this later). Act 2 is more straight up horror, and to be honest some perhaps a little cliche moments, but it isn't overdone and we quickly shift into Act 3 which draws together existential and character driven terrors.

To go back to my comment about IT - the plot revolves around 4 of a previously 5 person group returning to the 'staircase' where their 5th went missing. I am probably very very biased in this element but the characters were so deeply millennial and flawed I couldn't get enough of them. The few flashbacks to the 90s and back to the modern time captured extremely well the strange blend of a 90s kid's life starting basically with TV to being balls deep in memes and video games.

In terms of the characters there was something quite deft in the writing of their development. I won't say that the group were the deepest character studies in literature, but it was refreshing that they weren't just crafted fictional units either. The story didn't solve their problems, not by a long shot, but it was dramatic in the changes and challenges they overcame. It's also a little myopic - fitting with the theme of the story it felt like a micro-scope on the main characters, other than the flashbacks there are barely any minor characters, we are very much deep diving into Owen, Lore, Hamish, and Nick's lives.

My final favourite thing about this book was the pacing. Alluded to in my discussion about the changes in tone, there were the odd moments in this book that I worried I was going to get bored with X situation, for example when in the first act we flashed back I though 'oh boy we're doing this now? yawn.' but my worries were misplaced. Despite these worries this book is very well penciled to keep the story moving, it felt like Goldilocks was editing because each scene and sequence seemed to have the just right amount of page time.

I wish I could deep dive a bit into spoiler territory, because there are interesting things to say about this plot, unfortunately (for me anyway) that's terrible form for an advance review, so I'll just have to be patient for the release date and hopefully dive back in later.

While camping in the forest, a group of friends found a staircase in the woods. When one friend decided to climb the stairs, they disappeared at the top of the staircase and was never seen again. Twenty years later, the friends meet up again to find that the staircase has reappeared. What mysteries are at the top of the staircase, and what happened to their friend when the first staircase appeared.

Although I do not usually read horror, the synopsis of this book captivated me. I decided to give this book a chance and The Staircase in the Woods did not disappoint. I was completely invested in the mystery from page one. The dual timeline of the friends explains the traumas that each friend had faced in the past and the difficulties they faced today. The chilling atmosphere and dark mystery of this book was exactly what I wanted before Halloween.

The Staircase in the Woods is out April 29th, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds for the opportunity to review The Staircase in the Woods. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Great set-up and beyond fascinating concept. I literally fell down the deepest reddit rabbit hole reading about staircases in the woods. I’m used to a slow burn from Wendig, but this definitely felt longer than its 400 pages. I found myself expecting a bit more. Very creative haunted house story, though. An emotional read with flawed, broken characters. The dynamics of friendship was my favorite part. There is one character I wish we got a POV from because I don’t feel I ever got a clear understanding of his motives.

Overall, solid horror read but not my favorite Wendig book.

This book is difficult for me to review. The premise is genius. The characters are well rounded and the house as a character is diabolically clever.
I think the biggest issue for me was the length. The middle felt very repetitive, and the ending felt rushed. I loved the ending, but the middle could have been chapters shorter.

I had no idea what to expect coming in to this, but I am forever changed by the premise of this book. Four friends experience the loss of another after they encounter a staircase hidden in the woods (a very real phenomenon- look it up!) In the style of It, they reunite years later under false pretenses to rediscover a different staircase. What's down there? Did their friend they never find become victim to the staircase? Once the friends are in the process of exploring, they find tons of terrifying tales come to life. There are ghouls and gory scenes, but above all- I found the metaphors and relatability to be so astounding. We are placed into the POV of two of the friends, and learn about the history of certain elements of the story within those. The nuance and formation there blew me away. Despite some of the buddies being grating and unlikable, it was just so genuinely written. I couldn't help but believe these were real people, maybe even ones I know. The horror within was so memorable- I won't spoil it, but there is more than one occurrence in the staircase that will stick in my brain walls forever. As an avid horror lover, I especially cherish being blessed with atrocities I've never heard of before. My only complaint- it didn't come across as super genuine for Matty to be involved with this particular friend group. It is but a small whine, so I'm waving my five star rating around proudly. Honorable mention that even the acknowledgments at the end made me truly GET Wendig as an author.
Thanks so much to the author and the publisher for the eARC!

What a fantastic plot this has! The Staircase is open to many interpretations of what is really means. I thought it was very well put together and I was able to visualise the rooms well.
Highly recommended.