I cannot even begin to express how much I loved this book. Not only is it a wild and terrifying ride, but it's also a deeply emotional and difficult read.

The psychological horror, the violence, the terror... and then you add in the underlying elements of fear and how it effects you and the genuine worry that comes from raising a child and how you can mess that up, even unintentionally... wow. Just wow.

I loved these characters. Jess and Kiddo. Their pain and fear was visceral. It jumped off the page and straight into my heart. I spent moments of this book in shock and genuine fear and then more than a few in desperate, heart broken sobs.

I won't be forgetting this book. It's a story I will continue to remember and think about for years to come I'm sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm really sad to say this wasn't a new favorite from NC.

I'm conflicted about how to rate this. Parts of it really worked for me, the horror, THE BODY HORROR!!, the road movie energy and relationship between Jess and the kid. I think I'm not a fan horror with a ton of action In it, I prefer my horror to be more slow moving, creeping a lot, while also being horrific and deep (Mary, Nestlings)
Without spoiling anything about the main part of this plot- it just got a little too goofy for me. Some chapters were short and snippy, to the point while others felt long winded and overdone and the ending wasn't my favorite it felt underdeveloped, so it may be different in the final product vs this E-ARC.

I did love his authors note a ton, made me tear up!!

I will still pick up anything NC writes, just wish I had loved this more!!

When the Wolf Comes Home is the kind of horror that doesn’t just scare you, it consumes you. I could not put this one down. It is BRUTAL, and it drags you into a terrifying game of survival.

Jess thinks she’s just helping a lost little boy. But when an encounter with his father turns deadly, she realizes she’s stepped into something far worse than she could have imagined.

This book is wild, blood soaked and packed with tension. Cassidy doesn’t hold back and gives us action, heart and pure terror. This is not one to miss.

Everything nat Cassidy does is perfect. I’ve never been disappointed and his work just gets better and better. Nothing bad to say at all.

Daaaaaammmmn. This book messed with my head!!! It is next level, old school, gory guts-out, horror. Not gonna lie, my stomach churned a few times. Here for it.

This book isn't for me. I'm clearly in the minority. I did enjoy Mary by Cassidy but When the Wolf Comes Home is exhausting; it felt like the longest book ever but it's only 300 pages. It's creative for sure and the background of Junior was really interesting but I really don't care about any of these characters.

After reading Mary and Nestlings, it's wild to say that this might be his best book yet, but somehow it is. I will be seeking compensation for the emotional state I was in after finishing this novel

This book was a ride—violent, heartbreaking, and completely unrelenting. It starts with Jess, a struggling actress, finding a runaway boy outside her apartment. What follows is a brutal, surreal chase as they try to escape his terrifying father, with blood and horror trailing behind them. Just when you think you know where it’s going, Cassidy takes things even further.

I’m a huge Nat Cassidy fan, and this one didn’t disappoint. He never holds back, and the way he blends raw emotion with absolute terror is masterful. I wouldn’t say it topped Mary or Nestlings for me, but it’s still an intense, unforgettable read that’s well worth your time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this ARC!

Nat has become one of my favorite horror authors recently and this release was highly anticipated. Once I started reading When the Wolf Comes Home, I couldn't stop. I love how Nat wrote this story and I could feel how much heart he put into these pages. Cassidy's horror books are unlike any I've read from other authors. He is such an amazing storyteller and you can't help but love his characters.

Without spoiling too much about this book, I can say that this one is for all the kids who were scared of the big bad wolf.

No one will be spared when the wolf comes home.

“Love is a shape shifting monster.” Oof, this novel has a lot to say about love and shape shifting and it’s a bit of a shape shifter itself. Every time I thought I knew what I was reading, it revealed itself to be deeper and more devastating than expected. It shifts rapidly between fun and heartbreaking and gory, twisting 80s/90s pop culture, MK Ultra lore, and daddy issues into a beast all its own. My god, this hurt my feelings. The way Cassidy presses on the backs of our necks, his invisible hand knowing that we all have wounds from complex relationships with our dads, no matter how lovely and/or terrible they are. Who’s the hero in the story? Well it’s not that kind of story. Thank you, Nat Cassidy, for the heartache—it was fun and beautiful and, as I manically type this at 3am, you’re my wolf tonight.

Woof (pun intended), this book was an absolute horror masterpiece!
I’ve always been a big fan of Nat’s writing, but When The Wolf Comes Home is easily my new favorite of his. This book is nothing like you expect—it’s a shapeshifter in its own right. Just when I thought I had a handle on where the story was going, it twisted, evolved, and morphed into something completely unexpected.
The story follows Jess, a struggling actress who discovers a young child in her backyard. From that moment on, the book does not let up. It has the relentless energy of an old-school horror action movie, yet Nat masterfully balances the terror with humor and deep emotional weight. I love the current references to pop culture as well. The existential dread in this book is next level. There are so many layers to uncover, and as a parent, the themes of parent-child relationships really struck a chord with me. The constant question of "How do you protect?" lingered in my mind long after I finished reading.
A quick note on the audiobook: I was lucky enough to have both a physical copy and the audiobook, and I have to say—the narrators did an outstanding job. The audio version truly enhanced the experience, making it even more immersive.
Final note—don’t skip the Author’s Note at the end. Nat shares a deeply personal connection to the story, which I think will resonate with many readers. It certainly did with me.
4.5/5
Huge thanks to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced e-copy, physical copy, and audiobook!

*When the Wolf Comes Home* by Nat Cassidy is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Cassidy’s writing is sharp, drawing you into a dark, eerie world where suspense builds with every page. The characters are complex and their journeys feel raw and real, adding to the emotional intensity of the story. If you're a fan of chilling mysteries with a twist, this book is an absolute must-read! Another hit by Cassidy!

Wow. This book had me hooked from the very beginning and did not let up. It’s an action-packed homage to action horror and is filled with all kinds of the Easter eggs horror fans love.

Jess is an aspiring actress who isn’t quite living her dream when she’s thrust into the role of caretaker for a young boy on the run from his monsterous father. The relationship between the boy and Jess is touching, funny and so real to life. Their journey, both physical and emotional, anchors the book in reality.

As for the plot - just when you think you’ve figured things out, you realize that nope, you still have a lot to learn. Nat Cassidy is a very cinematic writer and makes it so easy to visualize the incredibly wild and gory events of the story.

This is a must read for horror fans! Thanks Tor Nightfire for the arc of this book.

Fear can be paralyzing causing our brains to go to some dark places or to make what we fear much more fearful however, when those fears are faced head on, they can be beaten down and reduced to nothingness. Nat Cassidy shows just that in his latest (greatest) novel, When the Wolf Comes Home.

In a beautifully written story, Cassidy shows how paralyzing fear can become and the struggles it takes to overcome said fears. Cassidy cements his name in the horror world with yet another powerhouse of a novel.

This was my first 5/5 review of this year and it’s worth every star and then some. Cassidy has an amazing talent at writing believable characters that you can’t help but love and also, characters that you can relate to in many ways. What Cassidy also does well, is keep you thinking and wondering throughout the story so that there is always a surprise or shocking moment you did think would happen.

If you haven’t read Cassidy before, it’s not too late to start before this newest masterpiece drops! Go on, stop reading this and start reading one of his novels!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for gifting me the opportunity to read this hellishly amazing ARC.

Who doesn't love a good werewolf story? It's one of those mythical creatures I don't think you can get wrong just by having them in your story. Adding in supernatural horror and family problems is another thing I'll never get tired of.

Nestlings still remains my favorite of Nat Cassidy's novels (check out Rest Stop and some of his work on Shortwave). I highly recommend readers stick around for the afterwords of all of Nat's books...it's just good shit.

OK:

I've been gushing about Nat Cassidy since I read Mary so I'll keep doing so even though this wasn't my favorite. This was engaging, darkly humorous, bloody thrilling, and pretty heartbreaking at times.

Nat writes characters really well...like extraordinary well--flawed in actual human ways (if that makes sense?). His use of horror while also exploring trauma, fear and other pains of the human condition is unmatched which is why I believe he is one of the most valuable contributors to contemporary horror today.

This may not be the werewolf horror story that some may expect and maybe that'll disappoint some people; all I can say is that I'd recommend putting those expectations aside. I always find it better to go in to books pretty much blind anyways.

A woman finds a five year old boy in the bushes outside her apartment, leading the two of them on the run from what at first appears to be an abusive father but is actually so much more. What makes a monster? How much room should we allow fear in our lives? This is the wearwolf book I never knew I needed! It’s classic horror, it’s funny, it’s deeply moving and emotionally intelligent. I’m honestly stunned by how good this was.

It's a Wolfy Wednesday
Honestly, I'm really surprised I haven't talked in depth about this book yet. It definitely Feels like I have, but that's probably because, even though we finished it in January,
@tonyshorrorcorner and I haven't stopped talking about it.
It is THAT good. "I already want to reread it" good. "Top 5 of 2025" good. "@catnassidy how did you DO this?!" good.
It's brilliant—a masterclass on Fear itself. It's also ridiculously cool and deeply empathetic.
Oh, and batshit. None of this should surprise you if you've read Nat's previous work. But that dial is cranked higher than we've seen before.
There isn't really a way for me to talk about this book without spoiling it. I'm left sounding deeply hyperbolic just to tiptoe around specifics. I'll leave the well crafted reviews to people way better suited to it (I know I'm biased but@tonyshorrorcorner has a great one) but with THREE starred reviews so far you can hopefully trust l'm not actually overselling this.
This book should be studied.
Get this pre-ordered yesterday and devour it when it arrives. You won't regret it.
Huge thanks to @authorcassandracelia for bringing the physical ARC to our writing date yesterday so I could snap a photo not using the eARC. And of course thanks to @tornightfire and @netgalley for the chance to read this early. Can't wait to have it on our shelf!

I had to DNF this one. Nothing wrong with the book itself, and Cassidy DID give a TW for needles and blood born pathogens so...it's really on me. I probably wouldn't have requested this ARC if I had known about that trigger warning in advance. I just can't do blood born pathogens. They really trigger my anxiety. I love Cassidy and will absolutely read his future books. I just couldn't do this one. Giving stars because I love him, and I know that his writing is fabulous.

Jess is a struggling actress working a thankless graveyard shift job while hoping her next audition pays off. I liked her a lot. She has been through some emotional family turmoil, but hasn't let it change her goals. She doesn't have much in the way of friend or family support, but she just keeps on keeping on.

Her plans are interrupted when she hears a whimpering in the bushes outside of her apartment complex. What follows is a night of murderous mayhem that has her and a strange little boy embarking on a road trip that leaves a slew of mutilated bodies in their wake.

If the title or cover has you expecting just another werewolf story, you are in for a shock.

At some time or other, you will have heard or read the positive affirmation that if you can dream it you can be it.

Well, what if what you dream or see is terrifying? What if you don't want to be it, or be part of it, or bring it into reality? Not so positive now is it? What if everything you fear becomes reality?

That's all I will say about the plot so as not to spoil anything for you. I went into this blind, and for maximum enjoyment so should you.

Part survival horror, part secret government agency, a bit of humor and loads of gore made this a fun, even if over the top crazy read.