this was such a wild ride!

I recieved an ARC from netgalley and went into it pretty blind. I sort of assumed it was a werewolf book--but it's even BETTER.

I don't even know how to describe it. I agree with the other reviews that say this has very 80s pulpy paperback vibes. It is a terrifying "chase" story with a supernatural/sci-fi element that I really enjoyed. It's very much about "daddy issues" but not in the annoying way that I hate--Nat did this in a way that made my heart ache (in good ways and bad) for both of our main characters. It is also a book about fear, about how your inner most fears can overtake you if you don't overcome them, and idk, I kinda loved the whole message.

(it did make me cry and that doesn't often happen so, there's that too). I've loved Nat's other books too and I think this one has officially secured him in the ranks of my auto-read authors :)

Title/Author: Nat Cassidy

Page Count: 304 pages

Publisher: Tor Nightfire

Format: NetGalley copy

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Mary, Nestlings

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9781250354341

Release Date: April 22nd, 2025

General Genre: Horror/Thriller

Sub-Genre/Themes: Child abuse, LA/Hollywood/Actors, domestic drama, family, found family, boys, strangers, werewolves, monsters

Writing Style: Fast pace, chase-based plots

What You Need to Know: Jess, a young actress waiting tables in LA, finds a five-year-old boy hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. She takes him in only to discover he is terrified of a monster who turns out to be the boy's father. After an encounter quickly turns violent, they run for their lives and the monster hunts them

My Reading Experience: Nat Cassidy is quickly becoming a name to watch in horror fiction. His debut novel, Mary, is a unique homage to Stephen King’s Carrie, while Nestlings leaned into the domestic terror of Rosemary’s Baby. With When the Wolf Comes Home, Cassidy showcases his versatility again—this time delivering an emotionally driven story that, strangely enough, gave me Who Framed Roger Rabbit vibes. It's a strange combo, I know.
A compelling "found family" bond is at the heart of this novel, with the relationship between Jess and the unnamed boy. Their instant bond is tender and sweet, especially in how Cassidy explores themes of abandonment and complicated "daddy issues." He handles these with a unique sensitivity and depth that many readers will find moving. But personally, the story’s tonal shifts left me feeling on the outside looking in--I could not get invested. Parts of this book have goofy or cartoony special effects that were off-putting to me and took me out of the narrative.

Final Recommendation: Perfect for readers who enjoy a fast pace, violence and gore turned all the way up, daddy-issues themes, and high-stakes chase-plots. Cassidy’s talent is undeniable, and I’ll still be following his work. This one just wasn’t quite my flavor of nightmare.

Comps: Mongrels by SGJ, Night's Edge by Liz Kerin, The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig, The Fearing by John F. D. Taff

When the Wolf Comes Home was my first Nat Cassidy, and I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it was nothing like what I got. It was one of my most anticipated releases for the year, and it was so insanely good, I loved every moment.
We started with a bang and basically never let up. Although there are truly horrifying, spine chilling moments, the real horror of this book is about facing your fears, whatever they may be.
I did guess the twist fairly early on, but it still made it no less haunting and anxiety inducing. It may have made it even more so.
This was such a mind blowing, introspective, surprisingly emotional read and I’m now a big fan of Nat Cassidy’s writing.

Thank you so much to Tor Nightfire for providing me with a digital review copy via NetGalley.
Publication date 4/22/25

This book is so amazingly traumatic with all the feels. I sobbed for about fifteen minutes after. I still need to collect my thoughts for this entirely but just know you need to read this.

Having been thoroughly captivated by Nat Cassidy's previous novels like Mary and Nestlings, I went into "When the Wolf Comes Home" with incredibly high expectations, eager for more of his unique brand of character-driven, literary horror. And I have to say, Cassidy delivers yet again, though perhaps with a slightly different, more propulsive energy this time around which I found genuinely thrilling.

The core strengths I admire so much in his work are all powerfully present here: the stellar, insightful writing; the deeply relatable characters thrown into horrific circumstances; and the intelligent exploration of complex emotional themes simmering just beneath the surface horror. I was immediately invested in the protagonist Jess's story – the struggling actress suddenly forced into a protective role for a runaway child ("Kiddo") after a violent encounter. Their developing bond, forged in terror and desperation as they go on the run, felt incredibly authentic and genuinely moving amidst the escalating nightmare.

Cassidy masterfully balances the brutal, intense horror elements – and this book certainly doesn't shy away from violence or gore – with moments of profound emotional insight, particularly examining fear, trauma, and the unexpected strength found in desperate connections. While perhaps faster-paced than some of his earlier work, I felt the relentless momentum perfectly served this specific 'on the run' narrative, amplifying the stakes and the constant sense of danger.

Overall, "When the Wolf Comes Home" absolutely solidified my admiration for Nat Cassidy's writing. It's thrilling, insightful, deeply emotional, and packs a considerable punch, managing to be both a white-knuckle horror ride and a thoughtful character study. Another outstanding, must-read novel from him, in my view.

This book didn’t just scare me—it shattered me. It’s not about gore or jump scares. It’s about the kind of fear that settles in your bones and lingers: grief, trauma, personal failure, fractured families, and the monsters we internalize just to survive. The horror here is deeply human… and that’s what makes it so terrifying.

The story opens with a boy fleeing his father after a violent outburst. Fast forward to Jess—a struggling actress working the graveyard shift at a grimy diner. She’s grieving the loss of her estranged father, dodging the emotional weight of her relationship with her mother, and barely keeping her head above water.

After a gross, traumatizing encounter in the diner restroom (hello, mystery needle!), she calls it a night. But just when she thinks her shift from hell is over, she meets the runaway boy… and something starts hunting them. Something feral. Something that used to be his father.

What follows is a pulse-pounding, emotionally wrecking survival story that morphs into something much deeper. I wasn’t just on edge—I was unmade by this book. It held up a mirror to so many quiet fears and ugly truths that we pretend don’t exist.

Highly recommend reading the author’s note—especially if you’ve ever wrestled with complicated family dynamics or felt like you were becoming someone you didn’t recognize.

Five out of five stars. For the horror, the heart, and the haunting reflection it leaves behind.

In a haunting evening for our cool girl with daddy issues heroine Jess, a quiet and unexpected adolescent boy crosses her path as well as a howl into the night. Jess tapping into her lack of mother instincts works to keep the child safe while on the run from the unbelievable. I’m pretty sure I uttered what the f—— about 30% of the way.

Jess is bland, a very guy coded fmc with daddy issues, and I wish she had more personality. Beginning Jess is very much the person in horror movies who only makes bad decisions. The werewolf adjectives were visual and detailed and easy to feel the overall fear of it. The plot moves pretty quickly from the intro and through too many throwaway characters. But don’t focus on the characters- this a plot story. As usual, the author sets up a story for the reader of an engrossing horror that is there. I would have loved some development background on the characters, like the detective, as that felt more like an afterthought or a throwaway and I thought, was he really necessary?

Not the story I expected, which was a nice surprise. But it was so much like a twilight zone story, I couldn’t get that one out of my head. The idea of fear as a child, really just being relabeled as adult anxiety, the sometimes ideas of being a single parent, can make a pretty scary story.

When the Wolf Comes Home is an early and strong contender for my favorite horror book of the year. If 2024 was the year I wouldn't shut up about Bury Your Gays, then 2025 belongs to this one.

(Also, if you haven't read or listened to Bury Your Gays yet, please please please go do that.)

First up, I want to caution you against reading the publisher's description for this book if you can. One of the comp titles includes a massive spoiler. Instead, trust Cassidy’s own content warning at the start of the book. And I don’t just mean the list of nasty things to expect — I mean the explanation that this is a book about fear. Specifically, how fear can consume and drive us if we don’t face it in healthy ways.

He also cautions readers not to expect a happy ending. Fair warning.

So, what’s the story? Diner waitress Jess is having a really bad night. She accidentally pricks her finger with a used hypodermic needle while cleaning the restroom. In her rush to get to the ER, she leaves her phone behind. Then she finds a little boy hiding in the bushes. And when his dad shows up… well, that’s when things go from bad to much worse.

What follows is a tense, surreal road trip for two unlikely allies. The horror set pieces they encounter are vivid, inventive, and deeply unsettling. If you have a child in your life, I think you'll connect with the little boy's fears. I, for one, have a two year old and can attest to the terror that Target during Halloween season can cause to the uninitiated.

Jess is a great protagonist. Her improv background gives her a unique toolkit for surviving this bizarre and dangerous situation. But what I really loved was the depiction of Jess's relationship with her mom, Cookie. Cookie is a delight, and her conversations with Jess often bring some comic relief to the book's tension.

The pacing here is perfect. No lulls, no fluff, just forward momentum. There's violence and gore, but nothing that made this scaredy cat too intimidated to keep on reading. Well. There is a scene involving a certain movie from the 80's that is not for kids, but that I definitely saw as a kid. That was honestly the most disturbing part for me since it tapped into some of my own childhood nightmares.

This is a deeply affecting read, and I think Cassidy nails his thesis. I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, which I highly recommend. Helen Laser is becoming one of my favorite narrators, and she brings so much emotional depth here. Cassidy also narrates a few passages himself, which adds a layer of intimacy that really works.

This book is already getting buzz, and I think it’s well deserved. You’ll be seeing it on a lot of best-of-the-year lists, and for good reason. This is capital-H Horror — harrowing and intense — but it’s also proof of what the genre can do at its best. It's not just scary. It's meaningful.

Once again Nat Cassidy writes one of my top horror reads of the year. In it, we follow Jess, a struggling actress, who is having a rough night after an incident at work. She’s in damage control mode when she unexpectedly finds a small child hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. Just another crisis to add to the list. But things are about to escalate significantly after the kid’s father shows up and everything descends into absolute, blood splattered chaos. Now Jess and the kid are on the run for their lives but what Jess doesn’t know is that things are about to get a lot worse..

This was an intensely fast paced wild read. You think you know where the story is going and then, a whole new level of dread sets in as you begin to realize what’s actually happening and the tension and anticipation just rachet up. I loved the balance of dark humor, horrifying tableaus of gore, and moments of absolute absurdity. (Roger Rabbit, kids love it!😨) Having a balance of horror firmly grounded in reality mixed with the fantastical was a really compelling approach.

The characters are relatable, complex, and easy to get invested in, leading into some truly emotional, gut punching moments. There is so much I want to say, but I truly think readers are served best going into this as blind as possible!

I can’t recommend this enough especially to readers looking for a fresh fast paced intense read with dark fairytale meets Twilight Zone vibes meets horror.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: April 22, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

I’m leaving this review very simple because when it comes to Nat’s books, they are something you have to read and experience for yourself without having anything ruined for you. I give this book an easy 5 stars. Nat is an auto read/auto buy author for me. I will eat up and devour anything that Nat Cassidy writes and when I found out I was able to get my hands on a copy of this book I was delighted. This book was all of the favorite things that he does with his books. Humor, trauma, dark feelings, chaos all wrapped into this very unique book leaving you at the end feeling like you just read your newest favorite read! The backdrop, the writing, the characters, all done in such a way that you can see and feel the raw emotion and feelings from start to finish.

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire

When The Wolf Comes Home was a very fun and unique horror book. This book deals with good vs evil in a really unique and thought provoking way.

Jess is a struggling actress and on her way home she finds a 5 year old boy in the bushes near her apartment begging for her help. After a terrifying run in with the boys father they end up having to run for their life.

Over all I would recommend this book for fans of horror that like their books alittle on the weird side.

This was an arc gifted to me by the publisher but as always my reviews are honest and my own.

I adored Mary: An Awakening of Terror and Really Enjoyed Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, so I was quite tickled to get an ARC of When the Wolf Comes Home. While I feel it is the weakest of the three, it still has an emotionally hard-hitting plot. The fast-paced action sets it apart from his previous novels. The relationship development between Jess and 'the boy' is very natural, and the boy especially is characterized perfectly. At times I could picture exactly how a five-year-old would be delivering the dialogue and how he would sit, laugh, or play, based on my own family. I give The Wolf 3.5 stars out of 5, rounded up. I might have even rated it higher had Cassidy not already knocked it out of the park with Mary. I'll always return to this author and look forward to whatever he comes up with. Thanks NetGalley!

What is the role of a parent to a child? There is the standard expectation of that nature and nurture factors or influence on the shaping of a person. But how does that change when the standard two parent household doesn't exist? When through loss, abandonment, divorce or other familial change that standard shifts and the child supposedly resilient becomes an adult either to repeat the past or forge a different future. This is a long introduction to say that Nat Cassidy's latest, When the Wolf Comes Home is centered on the idea of families, and the relationships of parents and children.

Our main character is Jess, a thirty something trying to get her big break in LA, but instead continually stuck in no-where improv groups and minor tv roles that mean finding work in cheap diners to pay the bills. After a rough night on shift at the diner with an accidental needle stick, Jess finds a 5 year old boy in her backyard being attacked by birds. Shortly after getting the boy to her apartment, a naked man appears outside and gets into an argument which escalates into a fight with two of Jess's neighbors. Then comes the horror. A huge wolf-like creature appears killing many of the apartment residents and breaks into Jess's apartment seeking the child. For Jess this is the cue to get the hell out, and she takes the boy on a desperate flight for survival. And like any of us who had one, that flight is for mother.

What unfurls from this monstrous beginning centers on the boy, who though young, is much more than he at first seems. It makes the stakes both that much bigger and the plot is able to challenge the concepts of our world and what reality means. It is a hero's journey, but who the hero is is definitely up for debate. There are many strong thematic concepts at play: loss, abandonment, fear, mental illness or the general struggle of life. Who survives, and what will be left of them?

Recommended to readers of horror, alternate realities or those intrigued by the phrase: "Genetics... you can run, but you can't hide." (Cassidy, pg 286).

Fear takes on a whole new form in this story about a young boy on the run from his abusive father... who might be a killer shape shifting wolf... and the only person he can turn to is Jess, a struggling actress.. can they survive the bloodbath heading their way? This had a really interesting premise but it just kind of fell off for me. I was intrigued but found myself checking out while reading it unfortunately. I adore horror books but this one just wasn't for me, and that's totally fine! I do think other horror fans could have fun with this.

Release Date: April 22, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

When Jess finds a runaway five year boy it ends with a violent encounter with his father. As they try to avoid the father, violence and death follow them.

This was a really fun and imaginative story, but also dark and violent. It has an interesting psychological background that makes you think but also is heavy on action and there’s never a full moment. There are many possible triggers and the book starts with a very humorous content warning.

“That no one will be spared. That the wolf always comes home. In fact, sometimes it’s already here.”

When the Wolf Comes Home comes out 4/22.

This book is packed with action and bloody gory scenes. Net Cassidy doesn't spare any characters in this thrilling ride, so be prepared to confront the topic of fear. I couldn't put it down during my flights from Austin to NYC and back. The nonstop action kept me glued to the pages and got all sort of emotions from me. 4.5⭐️

When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy is a horror-thriller about Jess, a struggling actress who finds a runaway boy near her apartment. After a violent clash with his father, she goes on the run with the child—only to discover his fears manifest into terrifying, real-world horrors. The story explores trauma, fear, and the dark complexities of parenthood and protection.

This was a wild, horrifying ride and an incredibly scary story! Nat Cassidy's description of the shape-shifting wolf will probably give me nightmares. His inclusion of other fantasy/fictional elements in the story was really unexpected, and made the story more fun. Nat Cassidy is great at writing "weird", unique horror novels, and this one is right up there with Mary: An Awakening of Terror (and probaby Nestlings, which I haven't read yet!).
This books has received rave reviews, including glowing recommendations from Stephen King and his son Joe Hill! I chose to give it 4.5 stars because I did not like the fate of one of the main characters, but I won't say who to avoid spoilers. Other than that, I highly recommend this one!

"No one will be spared when the wolf comes home."

One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a violent, bloody encounter with the boy's father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives.

WHEN THE WOLF COMES HOME by Nat Cassidy was a scary, sad, beautifully horrific road trip of a novel that will sit with me for A LONG TIME, if not forever.

Cassidy tends to put a lot of himself in his work and this one is his most tender yet. Weaving together monsters and humanity and the moments of overlap, WHEN THE WOLF COMES HOME will have you running for the hills and calling your parents all within the same breath.

There were also a few elements in this story that felt cherry-picked for me specifically (I won't go into any detail here as they were truly fun to meet head-on within the story without the prior knowledge, but just know that they were 10000% *chef's kiss*)

Catch me out here championing this book (alongside Stephen King lol) for the foreseeable future!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the early copy for review - out April 22!

This was a beautiful, thrilling, and eerie read. Jessa is a relatable character that you want to root for. It’s so easy to put yourself in her shoes in the situations that she’s put in. There are several twists and turns in the book that I didn’t expect but kept me on the edge of my seat. My heart broke multiple times while reading this, and just when you think things are resolved, something else comes out of the woodworks. Overall, a fantastic read and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Reading this book was like being dissected alive. In a good way, I suppose. It changed something in me on a cellular level.

The beautiful thing about horror is that it can be used to explore the things we can't say out loud. The shapeless things. The weight on our chests when we wake up in the middle of the night. The tension I feel in my shoulders as the albatross around my neck gets heavier. The fears and anxieties that pool inside every one of us.

When The Wolf Comes Home is all of that. The story is so uniquely human that it astonishes me that anyone (including myself) is managing to review this without just shrieking and crying and punching their desk. What Jess and the boy go through is wild and bloody and insane, but it's also something that each and every one of us has gone through or is going through at this moment. The madness is brutally effective allegory and real terror wrapped in 80s action-horror packaging. Each character carries weight - no one is inconsequential, no one is anything less than a person even if they're only presented to us in a single sentence. I was so attached to Jess and the boy that I physically couldn't put the book down - it felt like I had to be with them as they travelled their path.

You're going to suffer reading this book, but it's a worthy suffering. No one will be spared.