Many of the reviews are mixed, and I agree. I don't think I'm the right audience for this, so I decided to give a middle ground eval.

A painful DNF at 75%. I don’t hate this. But I don’t like it either? I was intrigued from the beginning but the further I got the more it dragged and the less I looked forward to reading it. I love the idea of it and the way fear affects the kid but not enough to finish this.

By 60%(?) I was so bored and just wanted it to be over but it wasn’t. It’s been my before bed book so I tried reading it during the day and even then I got through a page and put it down. This is just not for me.

With 3 certified bangers in a row, Nat Cassidy is one of my favorite horror authors and this book is a must read. When the Wolf Comes Home is complex, breakneck paced, and full of surprises. Cassidy’s writing style hooks you with relatable and realistic protagonists- I laughed and cringed in equal measure. THANK YOU to Tor Nightfire for the ARC in exchange for my review of When the Wolf Comes Home, which is available now! This is one of my top reads of the year so far- go read this now so we can talk about it!

Nat Cassidy is now an automatic purchase author. His writing is detailed and fast paced. His characters are well developed and you can tell he puts himself into everything he does. I bought a copy for my home library and have been enthusiastically recommending.

What an incredible journey. I read most of this on a plane, because I left my book in my luggage and this was one of the only new books I had on my phone. And I'm so, so grateful that I left that paperback in my luggage, because I adored When the Wolf Comes Home so, so much. In many ways, it's upsetting and complicated and heavy. But the way the narrative twists and addresses fears and family traumas that are deeply, deeply human... it's incredible. I'm sure it might be a little too on the nose for some, but the conceit really worked for me. This is the first Nat Cassidy I've read, and I'm definitely going to be seeking out his other work. Definitely recommend.

As a parent, this book had me absolutely sobbing at the end. Nat Cassidy is a genius. Not only was the horror just so creative and fun, but the allegory being akin to the horrors of new parenthood and the helplessness of parents to protect their children from the world really struck me. This is one of my new favorite books EVER.

I love and will read anything Nat Cassidy writes, this was no exception. Nat writes characters with such raw and real emotion and reactions that you can easily get lost in the pages, the lines blurring between reading and listening to a close friend tell you a story themselves. His stories are some of the most unique storylines I’ve ever read.
Thank you for another amazing ride through your mind Nat.

When the Wolf Comes Home is a genuinely scary horror novel. I loved Nestlings and I can't believe Im saying this but WTWCH tops it. Cassidy has such a way with words that I could picture each scenario, as if it was really happening. I was here for all of the shocks and completely entranced by every single word. What a stunning novel that I will be thinking about for quite a while.

Count on Nat Cassidy to amplify and flesh out the most basic fears and suppressed vulnerabilities into a strong narrative that pushes the reader to question how far their empathy extends. Kudos to him for this three-book streak of insightful, deeply personal, and painfully relatable stories. Can't wait to see where his writing takes us next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nat Cassidy and Tor Publishing for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

So this one starts off so crazy action packed and gory that I was instantly addicted and flew through the first half. However, it quickly slows down and I found myself feeling more meh about the whole thing. I loved the idea and most of this novel, just a little bit of drag in the middle.

Nat Cassidy is kind of a hit-or-miss for me. I liked Nestlings and didn't really like Mary: An Awakening of Terror. But my expectations were absolutely superseded as soon as I started reading When the Wolf Comes Home. This is such a fast-paced book that packs so much into less than 300 pages (and a relatively short timespan). It began with Jess, our main character, getting herself into a...sticky situation that had nothing to do with the main 'wolf' plotline, and then things escalate so quickly from there that she doesn't even have time to deal with it. Her discovery of the little boy outside her apartment complex is immediately followed by one horrifying bloodbath after another. Aside from the scary/gory scenes (which I thought were done so well), I wasn't expecting the thoughtful commentary on good and evil as well as parenthood. The few chapters that were from the perspective of the detective and Jess's mother only served to highlight those themes, and I really enjoyed those as well. One of the best horror books I've read all year.

Wow! The most propulsive read maybe ever?! This should be turned into a movie immediately.

Jess is a struggling actress working night shifts at a diner. When she gets home from work one night she finds a terrified five-year-old runaway boy in the bushes behind her apartment. After a bloody and violent event with the boy’s father, Jess decides to take the boy with her and run. This description isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.

The way Nat Cassidy captures female leads in his stories is immaculate. This story felt so rule in an 80s horror movie way. The dimensions of the characters and their stories felt real. I haven’t stopped thinking about the ending for days. Wholly unique story from start to finish. I love Cassidy’s writing style. Written slightly different from Mary but both perfect for the individual stories.

The audiobook was excellently executed as well. I also appreciate the detail Nat Cassidy takes in writing the foreword and afterword. Especially the afterword gave so much context that made me appreciate the novel even more.

Another well-executed horror (but has some elements of a mystery/thriller)from Nat Cassidy. While the storyline is not necessarily new it was an interesting take on what fear and trauma does to us as humans. It was fast-paced and the writing drew you in completely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

After Jess, a struggling actress, wraps up her diner shift early, she returns home and discovers a disheveled little boy hiding in the bushes outside of her apartment. She gently coaxes the boy out, and using her distinctive humor, gets him to trust her enough to tell her he's in serious danger, and now, she probably is too. That's when the stuff hits the fan and all heck breaks loose in the form of the boy's viciously-violent father.

Jess has no choice but to run with the boy in tow, but is anywhere going to be safe from the one hunting them, who seems to have preternatural skills? Initially, Jess believes she knows the precariousness of their situation, but it gets way more perilous and downright crazy than she could have ever predicted.

Wow, wow, wow; that was my initial reaction upon finishing When the Wolf Comes Home. I hadn't looked at any reviews prior, so I wasn't sure how others were receiving it, but I immediately knew it was a top contender for my favorite book of 2025. I cried actual grown-ass lady tears for the last 1/2-hour of the audiobook, which is fabulously-narrated. There were minutes, legit continuous minutes, towards the end where I had full body chills after a big reveal, when I realized what had actually happened.

This was the first time I've read from Nat Cassidy, and I'll be honest, this wasn't what I anticipated. He incorporates much more dark humor than I expected, and I was living for it. I thought I was getting one type of story when I picked this up, but it went in a wildly different direction and I loved the creepy-creativity behind that turn. The thought of these events actually happening IRL, like what would you do!?

In spite of the gruesome nature of this story, I still managed to connect to it in a deeply-emotional way. It took me by surprise. I felt so many different things, for example, a protective love for Jess and the kiddo. Why did you do this to me Cassidy? I don't like to feel things!

((j/k: I love it))

Please be sure to read the Afterward from the author if you pick this one up. It's beautifully done, straight from the heart and I feel like it gave me an even deeper understanding and appreciation of what he achieved with this story. Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I loved this so much and am looking forward to going back and reading Cassidy's entire backlist now.

This book wrecked me, and is hands down my new favorite Nat Cassidy novel.

The parts I will never get out of my head are Jess's thoughts about her father. My dad left when I was 3 and I never saw him after that. He passed away last year, and I wasn't even in his obituary. Like Jess, I spent every birthday wondering if a card will finally be in the mailbox, or wondering what he liked to have for dinner. What kind of car he drove. Nat Cassidy put all of those childhood and adult feelings into writing, and I was SOBBING. It's no wonder the MC was so compelled to help when she found a boy needing help.

Not only was my heart in pieces for myself, but also the characters in this book. It was a slaughterfest, ok? This one is chilling, and a horror masterpiece.

I was gifted a copy of this ebook from Net Galley and Tor Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This book is currently available. Three and a half stars. Nat Cassidy is always a solid read for me. This was an interesting take on the werewolf trope. Parts felt like Night at the Museum and I definitely felt The Shining influence in it. I'm glad I read it and will continue to read from this author.

I'm really sad to say that I ended up DNFing this one. I just don't think this is my personal taste of horror. I don't think it was bad and I'd still recommend it.

WELLL... EXCUSE ME Nat Cassidy!!!!

Holy balls this book was SO DAMN GOOD!! What a horror book that I absolutely devoured. I have really become such a huge fan of Nat Cassidy and her writing always is phenomenal!

Talk about THE werewolf story. NOTHING like you will ever read. All the shock that you get and how much Cassidy pulls the rug out from her readers. I felt like it was whiplash for me.

This is definitely one of my TOP horror books for 2025 and I'm already begging for another book by her!!

5/5 stars

DON'T MISS THIS ONE!!

I love when my horror comes with a heaping healthy of emotional turmoil, and this one really did it for me - so, so good. This reminded me a lot of the Silent Hill games, not exactly in subject matter (although there are some similarities!) but mostly in that a lot of the horror comes from what the main character is dealing with internally and mentally, and I love that sort of thing so much. This wasn't my first of Cassidy's books but I think it's up there as my favorite now.

This is my first Nat Cassidy book and I'd say it's time for me to read more of his books.

I feel like this book is a love letter to fathers, specifically bad and/or absent fathers. And it's a love letters to the children who are born to them. Surrounding this sentiment with monsters is so appropriate. I very much enjoyed the FMC, Jess and found myself relating to her. Not just the job waitressing while struggling to get her foot in the door of her preferred career (though I can't say I've ever wanted to be an actor) but also that what drives her is wanting to be kind to people, even to her disadvantage. So when a child falls on her doorstep (almost literally) her first instinct is to help him which leads her on this crazy path of trying to survive while also trying to protect him. And struggling with these huge dilemmas on the way that seem to have cosmic repercussions. But throughout it all she leads with kindness, love, and humor.

The writing and twists and turns of this book kept me engaged and needing to know what happens next. I enjoyed how the story would slip between narrators throughout which kept it going. It was done in a way that I didn't find confusing. And there was body horror that was so well done! I recommend!