Wow… 4.5⭐️ if you’re looking for a gripping thriller this hit it out of the park. This a YA thriller but you don’t realize that it is except for the age of the characters.

It was really smartly written where you really get spooked with all that’s going on. I also enjoyed that the story dived right in. The author painted some great visuals with her descriptions. It’s such a fine balance between creating great imagery to be surrounded by a story and feel like the author had a love affair with a thesaurus. Courtney Wood was the former and did it right.

I listened to the audio AlC and the narrator Lindsey Dorcus did a great job with the material without being overly dramatic. Listening to it added to the enjoyment as I felt like I was listening to a scary story around a campfire.

I am thankful to have gotten an audio ALC for free from Netgalley and Macmillan Young Listeners to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I thought this had a great, original premise of the monsters in the woods and how they were a metaphor for the pressure these troubled teens had to give up on their life and how they were able to come together and fight back and become their own little found family. It had some fun twists along the way as well and a decent, true-enemies-to-lovers story where the love interest was so terrible to start that I'm genuinely impressed the author pulled off making her likable in the end. It had strong characters with really good development, and all in all was just well done. I recommend.

Forest books are my jam. I aspire to reach the same level of horror that the movie (but not the book) The Ritual inspires. Creepy stuff in the woods will always attract me, which is why I found out about and started reading this book on the same day.

What the Woods Took is a horror novel about 5 teens that are kidnapped and brought to the woods for "wilderness rehabilitation" - an unorthodox therapy designed to set them on the right path in life (a la The Program, which is an awesome documentary on Netflix). Once in the woods, the teens begin their journey towards betterment only for their counselors to go missing, leaving them all alone in the forest. The kids aren't likely to work together, but they have more to fear than each other - because something is watching from the woods.

I really enjoyed this book. The bones of the story were great and the actual monsters were absolutely terrifying. There is a lot of tension that leads up to the first monster reveal, and when it comes, it hits you in the face like a truck. From the beginning, we aren't really sure if the monsters are real or if the forest is just dangerous in the way that a normal forest is (bears, mountain lions, etc.). Getting confirmation of the fear and the horrific way that the monster is described is a serious gut-punch and lands really well after the build-up of tension before. There is a bit of drag before getting to this big reveal, though, and I think younger audiences might begin to get impatient with all the hiking scenes.

One thing I would have liked to see a little more of was character development. While the book is relatively long, I found it hard to really latch onto and like any of the characters in the book. Even after spending several weeks worth of travel with them, they still feel shallow. Ollie hates his dad, sure, but what is the more underlying reason for this? What has Devin's foster experience been like, past the most traumatic one mentioned late in the story? The characters never felt like real people for me, especially Hannah, which made her sacrifice at the end feel unearned.

The narrator of the audiobook did a great job of voicing the characters, and I appreciated the effort of giving every main character a distinctly different voice so that it was easy to tell who was speaking when. The minor additions of sound effects like a yawn or talking with your mouth full also gave an extra layer that isn't always there in audio recordings.

Overall, I did enjoy the base of this story and would read more from the author. Gay representation that isn't all sunshine and rainbows is refreshing, and this book felt more "enemies-to-lovers" than some romances written with that particular trope in mind. This gets a solid 3.5 stars from me and a recommendation for those chomping at the bit for a good monster-in-the-woods story to snuggle up with this winter.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a compelling and eerie thriller that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Gould crafts a suspenseful, atmospheric story of troubled teens who find themselves facing far more than just their own inner demons in the remote Idaho wilderness.

The novel begins with a gripping premise: Devin Green, a foster teen with a troubled past, is abducted and dropped into a mysterious wilderness therapy program with a group of other teenagers, all struggling with their own issues. They’re promised that if they survive a 50-day hike through the woods, they’ll emerge as better versions of themselves. But of course, things quickly spiral out of control, and it doesn’t take long before it becomes clear that there’s something much darker at play in these woods.

The setting of the Idaho wilderness is perfectly crafted – the atmosphere is thick with unease, and the forest itself feels almost like another character, full of secrets and dangers lurking just out of sight. The tension builds slowly but steadily, as supernatural events unfold, and the teens begin to realize they’re not just fighting to survive each other but something much more monstrous.

Devin is a relatable and complex protagonist. Her determination to escape and her struggle to trust the others around her add depth to her character. Her interactions with the rest of the group – especially with Sheridan, the cruel and sharp-tongued bully – add layers of conflict and tension, not just between the characters, but within the group itself. The book does a fantastic job of exploring the emotional wounds these teens are carrying, with themes of trauma, self-doubt, and the desperation to survive, all while trying to outwit the terrifying forces hunting them.

The monsters in the woods – both literal and metaphorical – are suitably terrifying, and the book does a great job of balancing the horror elements with the emotional stakes. It’s not just about physical survival; it’s about confronting the darker parts of themselves and what happens when they’re pushed to their limits. While the horror is certainly chilling, it’s the emotional depth and the unraveling of each character’s past that truly sets What the Woods Took apart.

That said, while the novel is overall a strong read, there are moments where the pacing slows, especially in the middle of the book. At times, it feels like the characters are stuck in repetitive cycles, which can slightly detract from the overall tension. But these slower moments are often redeemed by the sudden bursts of suspense and action that bring the story back to life.

The ending is both haunting and poignant, leaving readers with lingering questions about identity, survival, and what happens when we’re forced to confront the darkest parts of ourselves.

Overall, What the Woods Took is an atmospheric, gripping, and emotional rollercoaster of a book that will resonate with readers who love a mix of supernatural horror, psychological tension, and deep character development. It’s a strong, unsettling read that explores both the monsters in the woods and the ones that live within us. I highly recommend it to fans of dark thrillers with a touch of the supernatural.

4 stars!

This series does a great job not only showing the trauma of wilderness therapy and how it hurts kids, but also makes you scared to ever go camping or hiking again. Perfect horror novel, now I need to go turn the light on.

I loved the deep dive into the trauma that children who go to these type of camps. The dual POVs between the characters, and the pain they are experiencing. But also, the horror that the woods is experiencing is just. Top tier.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould in exchange for an honest review. What an interesting story. Put a group of troubled teenagers in the woods with under experienced counselors, something in the woods, and get them scared. Obviously this book had a lot of tension and suspense in it. I really enjoyed the dynamics of the characters and how they each reacted to extreme stress. Well written book.

Not your typical horror story, and I loved it! Great read that follows a group of "troubled " teens trying to navigate the woods as part of a behavioral program. Not only do they have to work through the trauma and issues that led them there to begin with, but now have worry about surviving "the creatures!" *Won't spoil what the creatures turned out to be because it's part of the good stuff! Highly recommend, especially if you're looking for non-ghost horror.

Narrator was easy to understand, characters easy to identify, great flow even at over 1.50x .

I really enjoyed the building up to about the midpoint of the story. The second half kinda lost me a bit, partially I think due to the goofiness of the monsters (I just struggled to take them seriously based on the description given). I loved that we were given characters with different flaws and were able to observe how they interacted with each other and worked through conflict. I HATED Sheridan through most of the book (and truthfully still think she sucks and literally indirectly killed one of the characters with her words) but I enjoyed her arc through the end. Why were we given no background on Aiden though? I lowkey forgot he was there most of the time, and he kinda didn’t matter in the end… Anyway this was a very fun spooky read (that I was obsessed with in the first half omg) but also has its flaws that decreased my interest a lot about halfway through unfortunately.

Would absolutely read another one of the authors books, the vibes we’re immaculately spooky!

4.5/5 stars

This was such a good intro to horror book!

I’m not a big horror fan. In fact I’ve only ever read less than 5 horror books and this one was so, so good!

I was sold when this was compared to Yellow Jackets the TV show and if you loved it, you will love this book too!

The audiobook was very well done and I really enjoyed the narrator. I listened to this while at work and all in one sitting. It was that good!

I promise you will not be disappointed by this story. It will have you gripped from the very beginning and you will not see any of the twists coming.

This truly was a great book with or without audio, but I’m a audiobook girly so I really enjoyed this experience.

I found this to be a really clever albeit creepy book. With the setting being a wilderness "camp" where you literally hike through the wild and camp in tents, the characters are pretty vulnerable. When unusual things start happening, the characters believe it's their imagination until something big happens and then they know it's not just that. This story was truly imaginative - - it was unnerving and a little brutal while also delivering a message (or several messages). I was hooked from the beginning and kept going to see what would happen next.

I was fortunate enough to not just receive an early copy of the ebook, but also the audiobook. This enabled me to go back and forth between them which meant I was consistently immersed in this story until I finished it. The narration in the audio was really good and lent itself to the spooky atmosphere.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copies. I chose to read and listen to them and review them.

50 days in the woods against your will is hell BEFORE you add in absolutely f*cked up monsters to the whole scenario.

I really enjoyed this! It was a well-written horror that had some great creepy moments and some neat twists that kept me glued to the story. I found the choice of dual POV odd at the beginning, but it actually made the story way more fulsome the deeper into it you got. Plus, the one character has one hell of a development arc, and I'm so impressed the author pulled it off as she did.

Will absolutely be reading more from this author in future!

This concept was really good, I just don’t think the YA thriller genre was for me. This is tense, dark, and very interesting, but I feel like left more to be desired. I didn’t expect there to be a sort of supernatural twist in this, and which I understood it more. It felt like it was thrown in with not much explanation or backstory. I did love the characters in this book and their arcs! They have tremendous growth throughout this story which definitely kept me engaged. Overall this was a good read!

After watching a documentary recently about a real life “wilderness camp” for troubled teens, this story felt very real life. That being said, there was a constant comparison in my head to “real life” and “fantasy.” I think the characters fell a little flat to me. I did enjoy the narration and that helped give the story a little more excitement, but overall, this story was just okay.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ narration
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ story

Stolen out of their beds and sent to wilderness camp, five teenagers set out into the woods to face the monsters of their past. But, as the days pass by and danger strikes they find that the woods are filled with creates ready to use their deepest fears against them and not everyone will make it out of the forest alive.

Lindsey Dorcus was an amazing narrator. She brought to life these complex, broken, healing, characters and gave them each a distinct voice.

For fans of Yellowjackets or The Wilds, you’ll eat this up. It’s the perfect mixture of these two shows.

I think that this book could’ve been longer. There’s so much more that the author could’ve explored that would bring even more depth to the book. The concept of mimics was very interesting and I think that there could’ve been more information about them.

Overall, I think this was such a beautiful healing journey for these characters who fight tooth and nail against themselves and the figurative and literal demons from their past.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was fucked up in the best way. It kept me intrigued the entire time, I literally could not stop listening. All I knew about this book before reading was that it was about a wilderness therapy program, which is already horrifying, but add in mimics in the woods? fucking terrifying and one of my worst nightmares. But I loved seeing how the characters ended up coming together, to the point that it almost felt like a coming of age story. In a way, it was beautiful.

i saw the yellowjackets and girl, interrupted comps and i had to have this one. ultimately, i'm not sure that either of those comparisons delivered here, but i found this book too be a fairly quick read.

in the middle of the night devin is woken up by two men in her bedroom. think mid-to-late 90's dr. phil/jerry springer we're-sending-out-kid-to-military-school kind of vibes. which, okay - i'm definitely familiar with the teenagers who have been taken from their homes and thrust into hell camps by their rich, evangelist parents. i think that's what i thought this was going to be more like. but no, in this case devin is submitted by her foster family for fighting in school. logistically, i'm not sure this make much sense to me, but okay.

i think i thought this book would be different and probably would have preferred it had the supernatural twist had not been present. i think the insidious aspect of parents submitting their children into this kind of suffering intentionally is the true horror.

in the woods, inhuman faces start appearing and suddenly the counselors are gone. the kids think that this is part of the plan - they've got some food and supplies, so they begin to plot together to discover a way out.

i think the supernatural elements were pretty scary to start, but once more was revealed about them i cared a lot less about them. i think horror for me is more in the not knowing, personally. and though there were discussions of mental health, discussions about insidious things that have happened to kids in foster care, there's a LOT of bad parenting, i don't know if i feel like any of those things were discussed thoroughly insomuch as thrown in for the drama. perhaps this is just me realizing that i've grown out of reading ya literature.

anyway, i think for most interested in this kind of thing they'll have a good time. for me, this one was just okay and once the creatures made their appearance i mostly skimmed the rest of the book.

I enjoyed this so much! I have read all of Courtney Gould’s books and this one is by far my favorite. I was hooked from the very beginning and I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen to these characters. This had such a creepy feel to it. I think I was constantly inspecting each character to see if they were acting…different! It was thrilling. I listened to the audiobook which was perfection. The narrator really brought this story to life. Highly recommend picking it up. I can’t wait to see what is next for this author.

I find this to be interesting! I didn’t know I would be taking on this journey with all these different turns in the story! But overall, the story was gripping, mysterious, intriguing all the way til the end! An enemies to lovers LGBTQ story…and camping going all the way wrong! Loved the story! Listening to the audiobook was a good experience!

This was a great read. It wasn't scary in my opinion, but it was a little creepy.

I thought the exploration of wilderness therapy and the damage that can be caused from it was really good.

I also really liked how Gould explored the trauma that teens can face due to external and internal pressures. How unrealistic parental expectations can be hurtful for the kid.

I also like how this book shows that we as a society don't always believe survivors and we would rather call them crazy rather than listen to them and believe them.

The narrator, Lindsey Dorcus, was AMAZING. She had a great flow in her voice that kept me engaged. She portrayed all the different characters well. You could hear the sneer in Sheridan's voice. And later in the book she made this creepy sound that made that part of the book perfectly terrifying.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the audio arc!

We are following Devin as she is being taken from her foster home, and placed into wilderness therapy in the middle of the night. She get the camp in the middle of the wilderness where she is paired with other kids who have also been taken from their homes for the purpose of disciplining these kids and helping them to change their ways. However, the counselors that they have there are only a few years older than they are, so there begins some friction between kids and counselors.

This book definitely leans horror and some of the elements are shown as the story evolves. However, I thought that the story had some slower parts even though it very much takes on a survival plotline.

It was just an okay read for me, but I did enjoy the narrator.