This book is as beautiful as it is horrifying. The author's way of writing is mesmerizing. They explain everything with the perfect amount of detail, and their pacing is incredible. Every page of this book had me wanting more. The concept of this book already had me hooked, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop. If you're looking for a good gothic book to read this Halloween then I highly recommend this one.

Perfect for fans of "A Cure for Wellness" and Andrew Joseph White, "Hazelthorn" grips readers in a tale of horror and horticulture. Drews creates a Gothic masterpiece, with Hazelthorn house and its sinister garden at the center of it all. I loved reading about Evander's story, and all of the V.C. Andrews-like twists and turns that came with discovering the horrific secrets behind his guardian's family. Laurie and Evander were such a great pair to read about, and I LOVED their connection at the end. Their relationship was so dark and twisted (and slightly cannibalistic) and I could not get enough. This book had so much detail, and didn't hold back on the creepy elements, which definitely made this a unique reading experience. I also appreciated how Drews coded Evander as being autistic, and how well Laurie understood him and advocated for better treatment of him.

I was really drawn to the covers of CG Drews books. The two most recent have compelling, and creepy, faces with tons of greenery. So I decided I had to read them. The first I read is the most recent title, Hazelthorn. The story is about Evander, a boy who has had a dark and rocky past. First his parents die in an accident and he is taken in by a family friend, a strange man named Byron Lennox-Hall who lives in a sprawling manor being overtaken by the gardens and greenery. Then Byron's nephew, Laurie, attacks Evander, almost killing him.
Now a teenager, Evander spends his days locked in his room and medicated. His only company being Byron and Byron's manservant. Then suddenly Byron is dead and Evander is declared heir, leaving the rest of the Lennox-Halls furious. He now must survive the family, solve the mystery of Byron's death, and discover the truth about how he ended up in the manor.
Readers who enjoy gothic horror with a bit of mystery and romance, will enjoy this story. Evander is coded as autistic, though I don't believe it is ever explicitly stated. (Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC)

3.75/5 stars rounded up!

Another beautiful cover, no surprise there! I've also realized that I really enjoy how C.G. Drews writes their characters and the tone within their stories. Their writing is beautiful and atmospheric.

I loved the creeping, haunting tone within this story. I had a sense of unease while reading this and I liked how the characters referred to Hazelthorn. I enjoyed the mystery although something about this story did fall a little flat for me. It was a quick read but I almost felt like it dragged at times. I do think this book embodied "gothic" and I don't mind when gothic reads turn a bit slow.

The real treat was how these characters were written. Evander and Laurie had my heart. I loved seeing how their interactions and relationship would progress. This book was filled with absolutely beautiful prose.

I know C.G. Drews has another book releasing too, You Did Nothing Wrong, in March of 2026. I'll definitely be picking that one up as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Hazelthorn was phenomenal!!!!! It had my attention from the very beginning. I could not put this book down and ended up reading it all in one sitting. It's so insane jus how good this book was. I had high hopes for this book and the book lived up to my expectations of it! 10/10 book

This was so, so good. I started reading it late at night, thinking I would read just a few chapters but ended up having to stay up all night trying to finish it!

Evander has been stuck at Hazelthorn for years, sick and stuck in his bedroom since Laurie tried to kill him when they were ten years old. Evander and Laurie share the same guardian, Laurie's grandfather, after both of their parents died in a car accident together. Since then, Evander has been stuck at the estate, while Laurie has been away at boarding school, Wickwood Academy. When Mr. Lennox-Hall dies under mysterious circumstance, Evander is sure someone in the house murdered him. His first suspect is Laurie since Laurie tried to kill him after all. But now, Evander has to deal with Laurie's crazy relatives who have all been left out of the will. Hazelthorn and the entire Lennox-Hall fortune has all been left to Evander.

Lots of twist and turns! I can't wait to read whever CG Drews writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

CG Drew’s Don’t Let the Forest In continues to resonate with readers at my library, so I was eager to dive into their latest novel, Hazelthorn.

Set within the confines of Hazelthorn, a secluded private estate tightly guarded by its owner, the story follows Evander—a seventeen-year-old boy confined to his bedroom due to a mysterious illness. He spends his days immersed in books, waiting on his next dose of medication and meals. His quiet routine is frequently disrupted by Laurie, the grandson of the estate’s owner and Evander’s reluctant adversary.

Without spoiling anything, I’ll say that Hazelthorn twists and coils like ivy around a crumbling mansion. Readers who admire Drew’s lyrical prose and richly atmospheric settings will not be disappointed. I was gripped from beginning to end, often stunned by the story’s revelations.

Highly recommended for YA collections, especially in libraries where gothic horror and dark literary fiction are in demand.

3.5 rounded up - I can see how this book can be a 4- or even 5-star for readers, especially those who enjoy intricate and dark descriptions of emotions. Personally, I found the descriptions of Evander's state of mind a bit lengthy and craved more action—yes, the protagonist is lonely and gaslit and his memory is unreliable, but I'm a "show, don't tell" type of reader. Except for that, the premise is fantastic: our protagonist, Evander, is shielded from the outside world and essentially kept prisoner for his own (medical) good by a mysterious guardian. Evander remembers that Lysander—his childhood friend and the grandson of said guardian tried to kill him in their youth—and his mundane yet regulated existence is abruptly interrupted by Lysander's arrival to the house. Evander is confronted by feelings, doubts, and unreliable memories; and then everything changes and horror creeps in...
This is a contemporary-ish story but it evokes Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden" in the best and DARKEST way. C.G. Drews also excels at body horror. I recommend it to the readers who like such stories, with appropriate amount of angst and enemies-to-lovers trope!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! Bring back men yearning for men.

After finishing Don’t Let the Forest In, I knew CG Drews would be an automatic author read perpetually. The way they write romance on a soul level and the beautiful horror of a living garden is perfection.

~~

Evander is a sickly boy locked in an estate for his own sake after his best friend, Laurie, tried to kill him seven years ago. Laurie returns to Hazelthorn from Wickwood Academy, and Evander is inextricably attached to him, despite their horrific encounter that he struggles to remember.

When his guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, Laurie’s grandfather, dies unexpectedly in front of Evander, he starts an investigation into his death to discover the hidden truth of Hazelthorn. Evander is named the sole heir of Byron’s wealth and inherits not only the estate but a bloodthirsty pack of Lennox-Halls hungry to take advantage of Evander’s position and health.

Laurie rejects his investigation at every turn and makes his desperation to stay at Hazelthorn clear. Evander tries to reconcile his feelings towards his wealthy and arrogant counterpart while struggling to understand who or what he truly is and why he was locked away in the first place. But Evander isn’t the only one who still has scars from the encounter that tore them away from each other, and the garden where he was almost buried alive wants him back.

~~

CG Drew’s newest novel is a gothic horror literary masterpiece. I found myself screaming over the hauntingly beautiful prose and the masterful exploration of botanical body horror. Like Don’t Let the Forest In, CG Drews employs a personified setting of the garden, which wreaks havoc on the mental stability of their characters and has a horrific and dangerous background to the novel.

He is a thing most foul. He is uncontrolled.

Evander’s journey of discovery into who he is was tremendous and heartbreaking. Readers can relate to Evander’s seemingly chronically ill condition and mental health. Drews also delves into abuse and how the mind makes things up to justify the things being done to a person.

He is gasoline poured into Evander’s open mouth of flame, and the worst part is how he likes the taste.

He would core him like a pear and throw away the soft, rotted skin until he saw him as he really is: horrible and beautiful and real.

Laurie is a charmingly complex and dynamic character whose realness is only seen by Evander. He is a lovable character because of his flaws and adoring loyalty to Evander.

He wants their twined fingers to grow together like soft green vines across a rose trellis. If he is to be held, to be touched, he wants it to be like this and only by this boy.

The dichotomy and evolution of Evander and Laurie’s feelings towards each other is a stunning journey. Drews writes romance the way we all yearn for a person made just for us.
CG Drews has written another masterpiece, and I wish I could eat the pages of this story to have it live inside me forever.

Picked up an early ARC of this through NetGalley (big thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group & Feiwel & Friends for the ARC) thanks to the Youtuber caricanread's recommendation - and holy moly is it good. It's botanical horror, gothic horror, and Victorian horror, rolled into one. This publishes on 10/28/25, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a story with these genres. It's also wickedly creative! It reminds me a lot of Ava Reid's work, especially Juniper and Thorn.

Only thing that could be a turnoff for some potential readers is the purple-y prose; it's not too out of place with the genres it's inspired by, but it may be too flowery for some. There were some parts where I was dying to read what happens next, only for the writing to go on for another paragraph about how MC feels wretched. Fortunately, the book isn't too long, so it doesn't get grating, but I can see this being annoying for some people.

Anyways, you should definitely check out this book or request an ARC!

Stunning, heart-wrenching, captivating. I feel consumed by Hazelthorn in more ways than one.
"He is too far grown into Hazelthorn, and it into him."

This is my first exposure to CG Drews and I will absolutely be returning for more. I was already sold by the time I read the author note, particularly about the necessity of queer, autistic rage. More than ever, in a world full of spiraling panic, limited autonomy, and harmful systems, as Drews writes in their note, "...we deserve to feel pain loudly and to feel injustices bloodily."

"If you start unlocking doors, you might find things you don't want to see. Or worse, you might wake up."

"Evander has torn holes in his threadbare universe and he wrenches open the door and explodes outside."

Although I struggled with a bit of repetitiveness in the writing style towards the beginning, the characters, atmosphere, and thoughtful plot pacing kept me moving forward. I found myself deeply invested in the characters-particularly Evander and Laurie-and the sinister claustrophobia of Hazelthorn. As a disabled queer person with chronic (and often mysterious) pain, I identified deeply with Evander's health struggles, as well as his overwhelm, hesitation to move freely, and expectations of bodily revolt.

"This is what it is to be awake: pain that eats. He is a hollowed-out gourd of a boy-shaped thing, pawing at the soil as he drags himself away."

"Evander feels himself slipping sideways, at a loss on how to hold on to his own skin. His lungs fill with dead leaves and the broken corners of sentences he can't force out."

"His body is not his own, rather a cavity for dead moth wings and ruined wishes, and he thinks maybe it always has been."

Hazelthorn is a genre-bending joy, mixing gothic style with psychological horror, murder mystery, and a lush botanical atmosphere. Though unexpectedly scary and a touch nauseating at times, the themes of self-acceptance, identity, autonomy, and queer romance keep the novel alive and wholehearted.

"They would have been fervent terrors back then, riotous with life and each other; now they only haunt the places where together they once were lovely."

"Maybe the thing he truly wants to understand is how he, too, can hate this boy and yet long to use his own bones to build a shelter around Laurie's raw, bleeding heart."

"He belongs to this boy in the way a flower belongs to its god."

Thank you to Macmillan and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.

Evander is a boy who is confined to his room in the Hazelthorn Estate after almost dying as a boy. When his guardian suddenly dies, Evander finds he has inherited everything in the estate instead of the rightful heir, Laurie, the boy who tried to kill Evander 7 years ago. While extended family arrives to try and contest the will, Evander is busy trying to solve the murder of his guardian and uncover the mystery and horror of the gardens on Hazelthorn Estate.

I wasn’t sure CG Drew’s could top their previous novel Don’t Let the Forest In but they have completely outdone themselves with Hazelthorn. This book masterfully blends queer romance, mystery, body horror, and an absolute feeling of dread that will stick with you even after you are done reading.

“He really needs to pull apart the wicker cage of his ribs and see if he can find the reason he’s so obsessed with that boy hidden amidst the rot.”

What sets this book apart from others in the genre is the way the horrific descriptions and haunting prose get under your skin and stay there for awhile. I am going to need time to recover from this book but at the same time I cannot wait to reread.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

I got an ARC copy of this from NetGalley and I'm so glad I did. My soul could not wait until October for this.

It is not enough to read this book. I wish for it to consume me. I can't think of how to write a review without mildly spoiling and I wouldn't do that. please please read this book

5/5 ⭐️

This book is most definitely my favorite read of the year thus far. Potentially a contender for one of my favorite books period.

I read the ARC for Hazelthorn several weeks ago, but I had been putting off reviewing it for quite some time. It is incredibly difficult to put into words how much I enjoyed and resonate with this book.

This book so beautifully analogizes the experience of longing for queer people, as well as neurodivergence in a world not built for those whose brains are wired differently.

The horror aspects of this novel are quite delicious (for lack of a better word). I was captivated by the way Drew writes. The descriptions are often beautiful, despite describing scenes of suffocating overgrowth and decay. I found the experience to be a fever dream that I didn't quite want to wake up from.
I WILL be purchasing a copy once this book officially releases. Once I have a chance to reread it and digest it more thoroughly, I will update this review with more details (I am a bit afraid my excitement over this book might lead to spoilers, and there are still a few months to go before it releases).

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. Any and all opinions shared are my own.

Hazelthorn is a remarkable and captivating masterpiece within the realm of gothic horror. From the very outset, the novel envelops readers in an atmosphere thick with eerie tension, where every meticulously crafted description is at once lush and chilling, painting a vivid and immersive world that feels hauntingly real. The story’s compelling mystery unfolds with measured precision, drawing you deeper into a web of suspense that keeps you riveted from beginning to end. What truly sets this work apart, however, is its seamless fusion of dark, brooding romance with the horror elements, creating a narrative that is not only thrilling but also profoundly emotional and resonant. The novel’s lingering presence in the mind long after the final page is a testament to its evocative power and exquisite storytelling. For anyone who delights in the haunting allure of gothic fiction, the richness of queer narratives, or the art of masterful, atmospheric writing, Hazelthorn comes wholeheartedly recommended as an unforgettable reading experience. I'd say it is equal in rating t0 that of CG Drews Dont Let The Forest In. 5 stars

once again this author has delivered a MASTERPIECE!! if you like nature horror and spooky plot lines just go read it ahhhhhhhh!!

Unsettling and hauntingly beautiful YA botanical horror!
Perfect for all of your creepy crawly, family intrigue needs! Twisty, turny, in the same vein as "Don't Let the Forest In" also by CG Drews. Fans of this author will not be disappointed! Loved it and can't wait for more from this author!
Every time I thought it might be getting slow, it drew me right back in!
*Check Trigger Warnings (it is a horror)

I loved this book! It was a perfect for me type of book. Fungal, botanical, Victorian, secrets, all the good stuff. I have been recommending it to people nonstop. I’m hesitant about romance stuff because it’s often unrealistic, but the amount in here was perfect, so sweet, and realistic. The book is finding oneself. It has sci-fi and horror. The plants are more intelligent than we think. I really really enjoyed it.

If you loved The Secret Garden as a child but wished the garden was evil and dangerous, this is the book for you. Hazelthorn is botanical horror meets gothic in a beautifully twisted, atmospheric story that subtly grows its way beneath your skin and takes root. While this book is Young Adult, the writing and story feel older; I would recommend Hazelthorn to adults as well as teenagers. I love the gothic genre, and this book is perfectly gothic; atmospheric, creepy, filled with toxic broken characters in an old manor that hides something dark and hungry. I would recommend Hazelthorn to readers who love the gothic and the strange, botanical horror, and deeply atmospheric stories that read like a dark fairytale.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Publishing Group for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

C.G. Drews has done it again!

Evander is so scared but also so much stronger than he knows. Laurie isn’t as confident as he seems, but he’s carrying far more than anyone realizes. Everyone around them has been pulling all sorts of strings. And their shared past might just be the key to everything.

I laughed. I tried to play Sherlock and piece the clues together as they came. I fell in love. I yelled, “Just kiss already!” quite a few times. And I cried. A lot.

The writing is so poetic and beautiful. The story was viciously compelling. The range of emotions was endless, and that’ll stay with me for a long, long time.

If you enjoyed Don’t Let the Forest In, you’ll definitely love Hazelthorn. And if you didn’t enjoy DLtFI, then there’s honestly still a chance you’ll enjoy Hazelthorn.

This was a perfect story, and I will be devouring everything C.G. Drews writes.