***Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this upcoming book***
An incredibly unique take on the "friends band together to take on an evil entity" sub-genre of horror books. This is the first Chuck Wendig book that I have read since the Aftermath trilogy of Star Wars books, which I remember enjoying at the time. His writing style is easily accessible, the characters are fleshed out and feel like real people and the situation they are placed in is truly unique and scary.

This one ends on a mild cliffhanger which makes me wonder if the author plans on a sequel somewhere down the road. It wasn’t perfect, but I really enjoyed this one and will definitely be seeking out the author’s other works in the near future. Give it a read!!

Thank you to netgalley and editors for allowing me to read this as an arc. This book was so disturbing and scary, relentless and thrilling. Written and told in a way that made you want to keep reading to see what would happen next only to find that it’s never what you’re expecting it to be. Not even a little.

A group of friends–Owen, Lore, Hamish, and Nick–find a strange staircase in the middle of the woods. The encounter changes their lives forever. Many years later, they get together and have to reckon with the trauma of what transpired.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and the setup unique. The description of the house reminded me a lot of the DVD cover of Cabin in the Woods, and that's a good thing.

I'm not much of a gamer, so a lot of the gaming references were lost on me. I was able to infer most of what they were describing, though. Or at least I think I was.

Chuck Wendig is one of those authors who can write anything. Any premise, any idea, and he'll turn it into a writing concept. A true talent!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The title is eerie enough on its own, reminiscent of tales found within the realms of creepypasta or fervently debated in paranormal discussions on reddit, something about a random staircase just existing in the middle of the woods is creepy right? but far from just a scary story (which it really is) Wendig explores heavy topics such as childhood trauma and finding one's true self in this smart powerhouse of a novel that is deceptively deep, delving into the importance of friendship, an introspective and almost carthartic experience, this time there's no weird apples.

This had echoes of early King, a group of adults reconnect to face something they have dreaded since childhood? Sound familiar? This felt like a wonderful mash up of IT and Stranger Things, with a lil bit of Hellraiser. If you're like me maybe you would anticipate some sort of grand rediscovery of their former camaraderie however, what unfolds instead is pure nightmare fodder, some of the imagery I haven't stopped thinking about. As they try to unravel the mysterious disappearance of their best friend who vanished on the strange staircase in the woods when they were younger, they face a haunted house built of their own memories, emotions and trauma. This is up there with some of my favourite reads this year!

This was a great 5 star read for me. I love the concept of it, the backroom-like world it created. The characters are thought out, and scenes are described so well I felt like I was living it it with them. I haven't read anything by this author before but will be picking up more by him in the future! Again, I love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Staircase in the Woods centers around a group of friends who’ve known each other since high school. During a camping trip as teens, they find a staircase in the woods. One of the friends goes up the staircase and vanishes, never seen again. Years later, the remaining four friends reunite to try and find out what happened to their friend all those years ago.

This staircase very much reminds me of Stephen King’s “It” because it has some very similar tropes. However I quite enjoyed the setting and vibe of this book. As someone who read a lot of the old reddit stories about staircases in the woods, this was such a fun take on those stories, it’s eerie and creepy but also a coming of age story. This story is themed around trauma, loneliness, love, and forgiveness.

4⭐️

The Staircase in the Woods is an incredibly unique story that blends the fundamental roots of friendship with the mysterious phenomena of free standing staircases found deep in the woods. Each character presented in the story has relatable problems that can easily be applied to the average person's life. The story follows a group of 4 friends on their search for their friend who has been missing for many years.

I found this story to be original and creative. As someone who enjoys the darker psychological side of things, I found myself genuinely disturbed with some of the images portrayed in this book. Which is exactly what I look for when reading a thriller/mystery/horror novel. I enjoyed the story and was captivated, I needed to know how it would end. However, the ending was not what I expected, and I am craving a full ending to this story.

In all, I am giving this book 4 stars. As I mentioned before, the creativity and originality that Wendig put into this book is evident though characterization and the story line. I am thoroughly impressed with the discomfort and sheer horror it made me feel.

I was preapproved for this ARC, which is the first time this has ever happened. And I’m so glad. This was amazing. I was completely sucked into the story of these five friends, and I felt like I really got to know them. The story in itself is creepy and mysterious. The writing is phenomenal. This was a tense read and I was enamored with figuring out WHAT was going on. Also, I’ve always been obsessed with those random staircases people find in the woods. To have someone take that and make horror from it was absolutely phenomenal and scratched an itch I didn’t know I had.

This will be out in April of 2025. I can’t recommend it more highly. Put it on your list!

3.5 ⭐️

First, thank you to Random House Worlds/Del Rey publishing, Chuck Wendig, and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this title in advance of its release date of April 29, 2025 in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a group of friends that find themselves in a strange, ever changing house when they go after a friend that went up a staircase in the woods and disappeared. The book takes place mostly in the present but does spend some time in the 1990s explaining how the group came to be friends, and how/why their friend climbed the mysterious staircase. While this is 3rd person narrative, it jumps viewpoints constantly which wasn't jarring, but added to the story by giving insight into all character thoughts and feelings.

The plot of this book was very interesting, but I do feel that it dragged on in parts. For example, the ever changing house became tedious after awhile. The main house plot point of "it changes, it's terrible, and it can change into something personal" was established early on but the author had them go into many different rooms, all having the same gist. And, to be honest, the whole house as the bad guy was a bit hard to swallow. I was interested in the book leading up to the disappearances and highly invested once they were in the house. Then them getting out seemed to drag and I found myself just wanted to get to the end. That being said, that characters had wonderful character development and they were diverse enough in the personalities that they were interesting to follow.

I did not hate this book or feel that it was a waste of my time, but I did not overly love it either.

This is a book full of things I want to gush about, deserving of praise I’d love to heap upon it. Yet part of the reason I want to, a big part of the reason, is because the book wasn’t what I expected. It moved in ways I’d have never guessed when I picked it up. Part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much was because it managed to surprise me like that. So I need to watch what I say, I think, to make sure reading this review doesn’t make it too easy for anyone else to see what’s coming.

But there are things that are safe enough for me to go over, I think. This book leans into the horror trope of a group of friends coming back together to confront something that happened during their childhood. I think I’m becoming something of a sucker for that trope, the mixture of nostalgia and terror and ties that bind, and this book does it well. It also does a wonderful job of keeping a low-grade creepiness running throughout the book, picking its moment to ratchet up the unease in key moments. The pacing of it, the lulls and peaks, is wonderfully done and keeps you dialed in throughout the entire story.

But overall, like I said earlier, I can’t really say too much about it here. It’d be too easy to clue you in on things that I think most readers would prefer to discover themselves. So if this book has caught your eye, if you think you’ll enjoy it…you’re probably right. And you owe it to yourself, I think, to find that out for yourself. Go on, set foot on that staircase…see what awaits you at the top.

*The Staircase in the Woods* is a creepy, suspense-filled ride about four friends who have to face some dark, long-buried trauma when they return to the woods where it all began. With a chilling mystery, supernatural twists, and an ending you won't see coming, it's perfect for anyone who loves a tense, haunting horror story.

The Staircase in the Woods is a book about the power of friendship, plus how much it can hurt when they go astray. The book also looks at how going to war can harm a person’s mind, and then how they subsequently hurt others.

It was a smidge too long, but overall, it was an excellent story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC of “The Staircase in the Woods”. This was my first Chuck Wendig book, and it did not disappoint!! I was so excited that this book took place very close to my own hometown. I loved recognizing the places mentioned throughout this novel (ex: Perkasie). I didn’t really have much idea of how this story would play out. I will say it took a turn that I didn’t expect. I really wasn’t sure how this novel was going to end the entire way through. I usually base a lot of my reviews on the ending. And I have to say I actually didn’t hate it! I thought this book kept my attention the entire way. Definitely had elements of spookiness in there. I would recommend this book to any horror/supernatural lover. Even any bookworm that also moonlights as a gamer.

1998-5 high school friends head into the woods, but only 4 come back out. And in the middle of those woods was a staircase that should not be there, and leads to nowhere-or so it seems.

Embodying an “IT” vibe, Wendig gives us 4 protagonists who have lived their lives trying to ignore the trauma that happened to them so long ago. But as adults, their nightmare is back to haunt them, and they can choose to conquer it, or shrink back in fear. A choice is made, and we (the readers) follow the 4 friends through a house of horrors that may never let the go.

This story has all the tension, baggage, and absolute terror you come to expect from a good horror story. The trauma is the bond for our 4 screwed up characters, and it’s the compulsion to step into the unknown in desperation for answers that drive them forward, and has us cheering them on. But with each chapter, the tension intensifies-crushing us in its vice and refusing to let go. Wendig keeps the pacing steady, and the horror coming, right until the very end of the story.

I enjoyed this journey into the supernatural and terrifying. I highly recommend this to any horror fan.

Unnerving, strange, oppressive, claustrophobic. Chuck Wendig’s Staircase in the Woods was a highly anticipated read for me so I’m grateful to Netgalley for the ARC. Wendig is an all time favorite author for me and someone who rises to the level of classic Stephen King very often. In this new novel he gives us a group of childhood friends who are now all grown up and haunted by something that happened to them as kids. Sound familiar. This is one of my favorite tropes so I’m not complaining at all. They meet years later to try to find answers to that event, but instead are forced to confront a horror beyond imagining and in doing so are also forced to confront the truths of their pasts and their lives. Who they were and who they’ve become. As always Wendig’s writing is fantastic and his characters well crafted. My only gripe would be that it did drag a bit about midway through. Felt like an awesome idea maybe stretched a little too far. Still I enjoyed it.

Phenomenal read! "The Staircase in the Woods" has an extremely intriguing title and it did NOT disappoint! Author, Chuck Wending, is a very descriptive in his work and seamlessly transitions through different timelines. Characters were relatable and you were rooting for each one at varying points in the book. Highly recommend!

This was a creepy, gory, depressing, brain-bender of a tale about friendship and found family. Trying to describe the numerous psychological aspects of this book would involve spoilers, which I don’t do. I’ll just say that’s there’s a lot to unpack here. This story has more layers than a haunted house has rooms.

Here is the blurb

"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 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. . . ."

I enjoyed this book on the whole and can see it has potential for a second book? The characters in the book are a sad bunch and at times I found them difficult to warm to and root for! I think Owen was the character I most liked. Overall a good premise which mostly delivered despite my lack of empathy for the characters at times.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I could actually visualize it as it proceeded, because the writing was so specific and the imagery so unique. I love a good horror book, and this one I truly could not tell where it was going. I couldn't put it down and immediately pre-ordered a copy so I can have it to lend out. Amazing!

I was hooked by the title The Staircase. If I was anywhere and just saw a random staircase standing freeform, I would be insanely curious. After reading the book, I might just walk on by. Because the book may begin with stairs but it isnt about them, the stairs. It is not about pathways or journyes. This book is about hope and what happens to it when it is twisted and corrupted and lost. It is a story about the quicksand of negativity and what it means to need a branch but also what can happen if you never reach out for one. I was captured and held from the first page and I was not disappointed.