What the Woods Took is horror that reaches you in many ways. The "troubled" teens in the this very problematic wilderness therapy program are simultaneously fighting their trauma and in real life monsters. To survive they have to face their own demons. The atmosphere of the book is creepy and pulls you in. Devin, Sheridan and the other characters are well-developed and grow in their own ways throughout the books. Their stories were hard to read at times but I found myself rooting for them all to survive and thrive. The narration made the stakes feel even higher.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

4.5 Stars

This book sucked me right in and was gripping that I couldn’t stop reading, despite the horrific circumstances playing out in the story.

I love a good “lost in the woods” trope and throwing in “troubled teens” who have been sent to YET ANOTHER toxic “wilderness program” made it exceptional and multidimensional. This reference might show my age, but this gave me all the nostalgic feels that Higher Ground did (it’s a teen show from the early 00s that had a similar vibe, just not the horror).

How Courtney wrote this book really has you feeling like you are slipping into madness with the characters because the reality of their situation CANNOT BE REAL….RIGHT? Except it is, and it’s terrifying and paranormal and honestly, will make me think twice before I go into the woods.

If you want a horror book full of unsettling moments that will fly by, look no farther. It had incredible depth to the character storylines and genuinely tackled abuse, PTSD, depression and anxiety in such authentic ways.

This was phenomenal and just what I wanted to fill the Yellowjackets void in my heart. Just creepy enough to spook me but not give me literal nightmares.

This was my first experience with this author. Overall, I found the story interesting, but it didn't really draw me in. Devin is sent to a program for troubled youth, but things take a turn when people start going missing in the spooky woods. If this is meant to be horror, it didn't frighten me at all. It had a bit of creepiness to it, but not enough to really make an impact. A lot of the story felt really slow, and not much was happening. The narrator did a good job, though.

New author for me. Overall - an interesting story but as a whole - it didn't hook and grip me. Devin is sent to a group program for troubled youth. But things start to take a turn - people go missing in the eerie woods, etc. If this is considered horror - it didnt scare me at all. It was somewhat creepy but also not. Hard for me to pinpoint why the tension didnt get me. I'm describe this as definitely a slow burn plot development. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this audio book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I've read two other books by this author, so when I received a NetGalley widget to download her newest release, I jumped at the chance.

Experimental therapy programs were new to me, but apparently they're real. And that's exactly where Devin finds herself after being taken by two men from her bed, shoved in a van, and transported deep into the Idaho woods where she's dumped along with four other "troubled" teens. Along with two counselors, they'll hike and camp for fifty-two days. But they soon discover they're not alone in the woods.

What a setting - a remote forest that feels contained, almost like a locked room mystery. As inexperienced campers, the teens are less than thrilled about being there, and Devin hopes to escape ASAP. The woods are dark and eerie and grow more threatening when inhuman faces and visions of people who couldn't possibly be there appear. When their counselors go missing, it becomes not only a quest to survive what's in the forest, but also their personal demons.

The beginning is riveting as Devin is taken from her foster home, immediately pulling the reader into the story. Coming from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances and with mixed personalities, the teens are a nice blend. Each is very distinct with different voices. One of them is a horrible person from the start, but I'll grudgingly admit they underwent a redemption - although that didn't sway my opinion very much. During their struggle to survive, this group undergoes tremendous growth and form strong friendships that endure when all is said and done. But don't expect all of them to make it.

With monsters that can appear both human and inhuman, this book is sure to send tingles down your spine. Recommended for readers who enjoy survival stories, well-executed character arcs, and spooky tales bordering on horror.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This felt a little slow for a thriller for me. I liked the main character but not much else. While the premise seemed really interesting, the actual story didn’t quite cut it for me and I had to dnf

A fun, queer YA survival thriller in a spooky forest! I enjoyed this a lot - it was fast paced, the characters felt distinct, and there's a fun creepy supernatural element (though that doesn't really happen until about halfway through). The audiobook narrator did a great job distinguishing between all the characters as well.

This book was so creepy! We start out with our foster kid Devin being taken from her house in the middle of the night. She thinks she's being abducted so she yells out for her foster parents, but they just go along with it. Turns out, she's on her way to an experimental wilderness therapy program. She is dropped off deep in the woods with other kids and they have 50 days to try to "fix" themselves with the help of 2 counselors. But when the counselors go missing, and the kids (I say kids, but they're like 17/18) start seeing strange things in the woods, they need to figure out if it's even possible to get out alive.
Something not mentioned in the synopsis which I feel like usually is, is that this book is a dual POV between Devin and another kid, Ollie. Since the group splits a few times, it was appreciated having both sides, I just wish that there had been a distinction between which POV we were in. They changed mid-chapter and it was not indicated, so sometimes it was just a little confusing.
I really didn't like Devin at the beginning/middle. I do think she was supposed to be an unlikeable character, so that was well done. Her camp rival was Sheridan who I also really didn't like in the beginning/middle, so went they went at it I kind of just rolled my eyes. Ollie was a much more likeable character. He tried to be the mediator a lot. The others in the group where Hannah and Aidan. They were more side characters.
The atmosphere of this book was great, I mean who wants to be dumped deep in the woods and then spend the next 50 days trying to get out? We felt that distain and anger. But when the counselors went missing, it just got so creepy like the woods were almost alive and jumping off the page. The pacing was well done too. Sometimes the group was together and sometimes apart and that worked well with the pacing as well as the intrigue.
The plot was so immersive. It's the kind of plot I like that starts out as real life, but then shifts into something paranormal and you almost don't see it coming. It was really enjoyable and quite unique. I liked the journeys that the campers went on within themselves as well as interacting with the others around them. They all had their own secrets that came out gradually that really gave us their whole picture.
The audiobook narrator was great, I just think the book would have been more effective with 2 narrators, especially since as I said, there was no distinction between POV changes.

🌲Book Review🌲
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Summary- Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction―one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways―and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness―they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods―inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves―and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other―and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts- this was a super solid supernatural YA thriller (rare I know!). Thank you so much @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks this one comes out December 10th, so keep your eyes peeled for it in bookstores soon! I loved the premise of a children reform camp in haunted woods. There’s a little bit of romance, a whole lot of drama, and a ton of spooky supernatural vibes. I highly recommend this one but would recommend going in kind of blind. It’s a fun ride, try not so spoil it for yourself !
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QOTD- what are you looking forward to this weekend ?! I’m going Christmas shopping with my bestie and seeing gladiator 2 with my husband !
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What the woods took is a gripping young adult thriller perfect for fans of survival stories with a supernatural twist. The story follows a group of troubled teens sent to a wilderness therapy program against their will. Drama runs high as the campers clash, but everything changes when they wake up to find their counselors missing.

Struggling to survive on their own, the teens discover they’re not alone in the woods. Creatures called “mimics” lurk among them, taking on the appearances of their peers or loved ones. The tension skyrockets as trust crumbles—no one knows who is real and who isn’t.

With vivid pacing, relatable characters, and chilling Lord of the Flies vibes, this book is a heart-pounding exploration of survival, paranoia, and self-discovery. Perfect for fans of adventure, mystery, and psychological thrillers, it’s a must-read that will keep you hooked to the very end.

What the Woods Took is a slow burn that will keep you captivated until the very end. Devin Green hasn’t had an easy life, and she certainly doesn’t expect anyone to genuinely want to help or take care of her. Having been in and out of foster homes, she knows she will soon age out and is waiting for that moment.

Then comes the abduction in the middle of the night. Devin is taken in a van along with another teenager and is told they are going to participate in wilderness therapy. The group consists of a ragtag collection of misfits, and Devin immediately dislikes Sheridan, a girl with a chip on her shoulder, which leads her to attempt to isolate her.

The hikes and food are mundane until the camp counselors go missing in the dead of night. Devin and the others are on a mission to finish the hike and reach the supply stations, or they risk dying alone in the wilderness. Along the way, a touch of horror is introduced as the kids navigate toward their destination. The audio production was fantastic and really helped with the switch in POVs. The beginning is quite slow to build, which was my only complaint.

This is one of the first books I’ve read that truly felt like horror. I felt like I was being gaslit the entire time. I read 100+ books a year and consider myself pretty good at foreshadowing, and I felt like I was being dragged along by some white river rapids with no idea at any time. Amazing. I am literally only 75% of the way through and I am still just as riveted as I was the very first chapter!



My FAVORITE part of this book was the ending. And not because it ended, but because it was so satisfying and real. (Which added to the very real horror feel of the entire book). All in all, this was GREAT.

I'm a bit mixed in my review for this one. This is the third book I have read by Gould. Her prose is as gorgeous as always, her characters are generally well-rounded and believable, but the story wasn't as engaging for me as her books usually are. "What the Woods Took" has a bit of a slower build, and there are moments when the storyline is bogged down by more trivial moments. It takes a while to get to the spooky bits, are what which I came to the book for.

I was also reminded heavily of "Wild Bird" by Wendelin Van Draanen, so I felt like I'd read some aspects of this story before. In that story, a drug-addicted rebellious girl is taken in the middle of the night to go to a camp in the wilderness to rehab her. This story was incredibly similar, just with monsters.

Overall, this book is very atmospheric, and once it hits the spooky parts, it definitely became more interesting. It just took a while to get there.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook version was very well done and worth listening to.

What the Woods Took is a fast paced YA thriller. The book tells the story of a group of teens who are unwillingly taken to a wilderness therapy camp in the Idaho woods. During the group's 50 days of adventures in troubled-teen counseling via all day hiking, sleeping on the dirt, and eating survival food - their counselors go missing. Now they must learn to trust each other to get out of the woods while trying not to suffer the same fate.
I thought the story was very well written and narrated. It was action packed enough to keep me reading and the characters were very real and relatable. Thank you to NetGally and the publishers for both the book and audio.

4.5⭐

Such an incredible book! The writing is fantastic, the character were so well done, and the plot ahh so good!! It was a darker read, it tackles some fairly harder topics, but they were very well handled in my opinion. The characters were all incredibly well written, they went from being fairly annoying characters and grew so much into people you couldn't help but root for. The horror element was so good, I personally thought it was creepy and unsettling. I felt like it was easy to get absorbed into the book and really picture the woods, I always love a book where it's easy for me to envision what the author was trying to present. I need to go read Courtney's other books now because wow.

If you love darker YA Horror with LGBTQIA+ characters you'll probably love this one.

An endearingly prickly protagonist is sent into the woods with a group of other teens for a "better behavior through survival"-type trek. Things get very dangerous very fast, requiring the teens to overcome their fears and prejudices to defeat supernatural monsters. The story is easy to follow and never drags, at the same time it gives enough backstory for emotional involvement and satisfying character development

✨Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St Martins Press/Wednesday Books for the gifted digital and audio copies of this book!✨

2.5⭐️ rounded up.

This book didn’t wow me.

I loved the queer love story in this book, and that was about it.

The plot didn’t feel original. A lot of it was derived from other popular shows/movies/books.

A lot of the story was really slow and nothing was going on.

The narrator was good.

Overall, not great.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me an audio ARC in exchange for review.

3.75 stars

This is what I would categorize as like classic YA. Something I’d read now that I also would have loved 20 years ago. What The Woods Took is dark and eerie full of suspense and honestly a horrific nightmare experience for these kids.

Heavy on the growth and acceptance coming of age and found family aspects the writing kept me on my toes which I appreciate a fast paced book. I also love the variety of characters they were all so different (Ollie is best boy). Remind me not to let anyone ever sign me up for group survivalist therapy though.

The narrator was fantastic and I felt like I was watching a movie with the combined good writing.

Thank you!

I listened to the audiobook of this arc, but I’m not sure if I would have read it myself if I would have liked it anymore than I did while listening to it. I really wish I knew this was a YA thriller before getting into this, that was a bit of a letdown for me. This also started off very slow and confusing. Even when the story started to “pick up,” it was still really slow and couldn’t keep my attention the entire time. Sadly, this just wasn’t for me and I’m realizing I’m not a huge fan of YA thrillers. I prefer the more adult thrillers that are dark, scary, even more gory or horror. This story felt more like a book for teens who are just starting to read thriller books, which there is nothing wrong with that, I just need a lot more going on in my thrillers to keep my attention. I also didn’t really care for the sci-fi/paranormal(?) aspects of this story, I want to “believe” what’s going on but the sci-fi parts felt far fetched & nothing really unique.