My First Nat Cassidy and definitely not my last - this book was an action packed, fear inducing, chase thriller that had me on the edge of my seat literally from the first page (it sounds dramatic but it’s true!)
Jess finds herself on the run with a mysterious five year old boy after an odd encounter with his father. She can’t think of anyone less equipped to handle this situation than herself, however she quickly grows attached to the young boy, making it her mission to keep him safe. The events that occurred when they first met begin to intensify in frequency and strangeness, making this mission nearly impossible.
Not knowing who to trust or where to go, Jess may need to take a chance on the one person she trusts the least - herself.
This book has really shone through for me. I can see why a few parts wouldn’t hit the mark for everyone (check those triggers!) but I truly enjoyed every bit of it. I can’t wait to explore more of Nat’s books to see what he has to offer!
Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am being honest when I say, I was pretty disappointed in this one. Cassidy's last book, i devoured and still sing my praises for. Maybe I had super high expectations, or it could be the bizarre turn this took. I just was not sold on this one. I did enjoy the pace, and writing. It just didn't hit home for me.

A great fake-out, since I was most definitely set to experience a werewolf tale. Instead, I got a book about a young kid with god-like power. While this may have annoyed me in a different context, the subversion of expectations was deftly handled. I appreciated the characters, but one of my pet peeves with this kind the power set on display in the book is that its limitlessness makes it inherently silly. This is why when the cosmos is re-arranged, or characters from an older movie are running around it kind of takes me out of the story. At least with stories like Carrie or Firestarter the powers were scary in their scope without getting ridiculous. I struggled a little bit with those elements, and the ending, but felt it was worth the ride.

I'm sorry to say that this was probably one of the worst books I've read all year :( i was really sad that I did not enjoy this more than I did...

Cover art was amazing, plot in theory was amazing but it was just so much horror and gore that it just felt like the author wanted to make you feel sick with her images. and maybe that is what her goal was, but it just didnt work for me. I felt like we got a little bit of a back ground on the kid and how they became the way they are but it was just not "convincing" enough for me I guess.

I honestly probably would have DNF'ed this book if I had bought this on my own and was not given a free copy that i had to review.

Brillant! Nat Cassidy has such a unique way of telling a story and taking something you think you know and flipping it on it's head. Another 5 star read for me.

If you go into this book thinking it’s just another werewolf story, you’d be wrong. Nat Cassidy managed to completely surprise me with this one. I highly urge anyone that wants to read this to go in knowing as little as possible. Trust me, it’ll be a better reading experience this way. I’m going to be vague in my review for this reason.

I’ve loved everything I’ve read from Nat Cassidy, from Mary, to Nestlings, and Rest Stop which was very different from his previous works. Like I mentioned previously, this book took me by surprise. I have to admit that stories about werewolves aren’t my absolute favorite. This book took a different approach. I love when an author can pump new life into old monsters.

I won’t go into detail about the story but I will say that it’s action packed. If you like books that are fast paced, then this is for you. The action doesn’t really stop once it starts and it starts almost as soon as the book starts. Just get ready for an adrenaline and horror filled ride. As always, Cassidy creates characters that feel like real, flawed people.

When the Wolf Comes Home kept me guessing until the end. When I finished reading, I admit I stared at the wall. This book may hurt to read but it was so good. It’s about the monsters inside of us and fear itself. After you finish reading this, which I insist that you do, I recommend listening to the Talking Scared episode where Nat Cassidy discusses this book. Also definitely listen or read the author’s note at the end. I can’t wait to read whatever Nat Cassidy writes next.

Seriously, I need people to go read this book. Don’t question it, just jump in.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and the author for the ARC

Where do I begin with this book? Well, first with Nat Cassidy's writing, which is just as excellent as it was in Nestlings. All the characters felt real and unique. I especially felt connected to Jess and what she was going through. I also could relate to so many of the themes in this book and what Nat Cassidy was saying with this book. His author's notes at the end of his books are some of the best and never skip reading. them. If you want to pick this book up, but are scared, stop being scared and read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded down

A down on her luck comedian encounters a scared boy running from his terrifying father. Soon she realizes this scared child is more powerful than she could imagine.

This book shouldn't have worked for me. It started with a clear and easy to follow premise that was reminiscent of countless "monster of the week" TV shows, almost silly. However, this was written by Nat Cassidy. That means it had some of the most profound, heart wrenching moments that elevated what could have been such a simple story. As always the afterword broke me to pieces, bent over sobbing at how real and relatable everything he said was. people are incredibly complex. Nat writes from such a place of honest vulnerability that I don't think I'll ever pass one of his stories up.

When the Wolf Comes Home is a haunting, genre-blurring novel that showcases Nat Cassidy’s knack for blending horror with heartfelt human drama. The writing is lyrical and sharp, pulling readers into a world where emotional and supernatural terrors bleed together, grounded in raw psychological realism even as the plot veers into the mythic and grotesque.

Absolutely loved this! It was so unexpected and would be best appreciated going into it with little background knowledge. I was pleasantly surprised where it took me!

Fantastic! It was a really unique way to tell a werewolf story. I had so much fun reading this and will recommend it to others

A wonderful exploration of trauma, abuse, and shame, mixed with enough hope and humour to keep it compulsively readable. Fast-paced, with interesting main characters and a perfectly absurd premise. Kicks off with a bang and ends in the only way it could have, but I felt something (not sure what) was missing from the middle.

4.25 rounded down

This was the first Nat Cassidy novel I've read, and I can't wait to pick up his others.

When the Wolf Comes Home
Written by Nat Cassidy
Read by Helen Laser
Book 60/250
Genre: Horror
Format: Audio/Digital, ARC
Pages/Time: 304/11hr 6min
Published: April 22, 2025
Rating: 9.5/10
Narration: 9.5/10
Horror: 👻👻👻👻

“No one will be spared when the wolf comes home.”

This book is not at all what I was expecting. And because of that, When the Wolf Comes Home, was far better than I even expected. I don’t know why I was surprised; Cassidy is a fantastic writer that is able to channel horror in a way that is uniquely terrifying to any parent. Cassidy takes what on first glance appears to be a straight up werewolf creature-feature and turns it into this fantastic insight into childhood fears and fatherhood. I can’t really dive too far into the plot because I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that fans of “Firestarter” by Stephen King, and “Mongrels” by Stephen Graham Jones will be very happy with this book. WtWCH is terrifying, heart-wrenching, and emotional from start to finish. Yet another smash hit from a new titan in horror.

Nat Cassidy writes hard hitting emotional stories full of atmosphere and horror in such a unique way. This is my least favourite by him but mostly cause I didn't resonate with the character and the conversation as much as I did in Nestlings and Mary. This one deals a lot with abandonment and daddy issues, which happily I have none of, and found it harder to relate to this story because of that. It also moved a little too fast for me, I wish we had spent a little more time at the start with our main character before the "on the run" story started. I never expected where this story would go though and I very much enjoyed it, it kept me on my toes, second guessing what's real and what's not. I had theories some worked out some didn't. It was a lil more gorey then his usual stuff as well.

𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜:
After a horrible day at work, struggling actress Jess discovers a terrified child hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a monstrous, bloody encounter with the boy's father, Jess and the boy run for their lives. Before long, they're fleeing across country with danger nipping at their heels, and their worst nightmares coming to life.

𝙼𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎:
I don't just recommend this book. No. I recommend you read it, desperately encourage it to others, and then feast upon their enjoyment, shock, and misery as they read the book. That is what I did, having read this on my kindle, then practically forcing my husband to buy the physical copy when we saw it in store. "It's absolutely unhinged," I said. "You'll love it! It's a banger and so much fun," I added, pushing the book into his hands. I may have actually cackled as the bookseller rang it out.

And, yes, he does love it. He's so glad he's reading it, one of his favorite books of the year thus far. I've checked in daily to where he is, excited to hear which new insanity he's reached. But he also has no idea what is still in store, and I cannot wait for him to find out.

This is how excellent and horrible and wonderful and deranged this book is. Read it, buy your friend a copy, share the unique experience.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Nightfire @tornightfire for access to the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

There's really nothing to prepare you for the insanity in this book. Just strap yourself in, grab your helmet and bite guard, and hold on for dear life because you're going on a wild unique adventure. You'll be traveling at warp speed with sharp turns while holding hands with creatures straight out of your worst nightmares. Enjoy the ride and try not to wet your pants! My thanks to Tor Nightfire for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely incredible. A truly amazing intersection between horror and emotional complication. Highly recommend.

Jessa's life may be in a bit of a lull, but things are going generally fine until the fateful day that she pricks herself with a used needle while cleaning the restroom of the diner where she works. As she is deciding how to handle this latest dilemma, she finds a terrified young boy in the bushes behind her home. What follows is a never-ending nightmare that finds Jess fleeing across the country from the boy's father, who may or may not be a superhuman monster that will do anything - no matter how violent - to retrieve his son.

Nat Cassidy is, my mind, one of the greatest horror writers of the generation. After reading Mary, I was tossed into a relatively drastic (by my standards, at least) reading slump because I could not fathom another book that would impact me in the way that story did. Seeing Cassidy pull that book together - a book that depicted a viewpoint utterly alien to him as a man - was truly impressive. When the Wolf Comes Home continues to showcase Cassidy's incredible writing and has solidified him as one of my auto-buy authors going forward.

Let's start with Jess. Poor Jess is having a really bad day at the start of the book, and I'm sorry to report that things do not get better for our girl as the book goes on. Jess get the familiar horror stereotype of being a little off and a little lost in her life, but Jess wears this common trope gloriously with a side interest in improv comedy and a morally gray view on the world. It was truly refreshing to read a character who absolutely did not have her shit together and was not shy about telling us. Jess is all over the place with her emotions, which I think is a much more reasonable way for a horror heroine to act than for them to be calm and rational while being chased by the literal devil.

Now, on to the kid. I don't think its any secret that I'm not a fan of kid characters in most books, and I will rate things down if the kid character irritates me. Our kid character in this book definitely did irritate me throughout - who wouldn't be at least minorly annoyed by a kid who seems to trail violence wherever he goes? - but, like Jess, I found myself repeating over and over again, "He's just a little kid." I thought the way the author handled this boy was unique among the "little kids in horror" genre and I liked the ways that Jess interacted with him because she wasn't always patient and she wasn't always nice. The relationship between these two was really satisfying to watch because it wasn't a perfect arc from strangers to trust. It was bumpy, and messy, and still had threads unresolved by the end just like in real life.

The horror elements in this book are gnarly, with the ever-looming threat of capture hanging over the plot with interspersed scenes of grisly, intense violence. I thought the pop culture callbacks that show up were handled well and a few even made ma chuckle while reading. There's nothing quite like a famous actor chasing you with murderous intent, am I right? But really, I think that the best parts of this, like Mary, are the bits that clearly come directly out of the mad [compliment] mind of Cassidy himself. Never in my darkest, most imaginative moments could I have dreamed up the threats that pop out of this book. I will never shop in Target safely again.

When the Wolf Comes Home is an absolutely fantastic allegorical horror that ranks up with great classic horror writers like King, Shelley, and Jackson. I will be adding this book to my ever-growing pile of books that could have been over quickly if the main character did not have an innate need to save a random child. Good on you, Jess. Couldn't be me.

It's no secret I love Nat Cassidy's books, and this one was no exception.

When the Wolf Comes Home was entertaining yet explored the horrifying aspects of things both real (like grief and fear) and imagined (like a wolf-esque monster invading your living room).

I loved the complexities of emotions in this book as main character Jessa attempts to deal with the death of her estranged father while simultaneously handling a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Her complex relationship with the boy she comes to be in care of was also very relatable.

All in all, this is a book you could read simply as an entertaining horror or one you can take a lot more from. I found it to be poignant and relatable as well as surprisingly emotional.

An easy 5 stars from me! I will be recommending to everyone and anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so incredible and fun, yet also sad and disturbing all at once. I did not see the twist coming and genuinely enjoyed this from start to finish. Nat Cassidy may be an author I am picking up more and more now, after reading Mary a few years back, I knew he was a good writer with very good ideas, but after reading this touching and dark novel, I know I am officially a fan. Thanks so much for the review copy! This will be a book I recommend for years to come.