Hazelthorn is an atmospheric, botanical, Gothic adventure. This book had me questioning everything and wanting to solve every mystery along the way. This book does contain body gore and bloody scenes. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline as it kept my attention and was a unique premise. It was giving Crimson Peak/The Haunting (1999) vibes which I thoroughly enjoyed. I love when a house or elements of a house feel like their very own character. This book was a wild ride, it will keep you engaged and wanting more.

CG Drews is a phenomenal writer. Full stop. Will auto-buy anything they write from today henceforth.

This book was so exceptionally good that I'm actually a little devastated that I finished it. The atmospheric tension from page one is unmatched, and is consistently great through the last word on the last page. I am baffled by how deeply moved (and also scared) I was by the beautiful Gothic imagery.

And the themes?? My god. The very real experience of not feeling "normal" and clawing tooth and nail to find your place, found family, queer love, autism and anxiety, and firmly taking back your autonomy when everyone wants a piece of you. I can't say enough about how deeply I love Evander and Laurie, and will be anxiously waiting for everyone I know to read this story so we can all squeal into the ether about how endlessly perfect this novel is.

A hearty THANK YOU to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. Now I just have to wait 3 (long, torturous) months to see it on my shelf!

With Hazelthorn, CG Drews cements their status as the reigning queen of gothic body horror that aches like a love song. This is Wuthering Heights meets Annihilation in a haunted greenhouse—claustrophobic, seductive, and dripping with floral dread. You will not emerge unchanged.

Evander, our trembling, obsessive narrator, is the very definition of a beautiful, broken thing. Raised in a mansion that feels more mausoleum than home, he's spent his life following the rules etched into his trauma:

Never leave.
Never enter the garden.
Never trust Laurie—the boy who once tried to murder him, and who he cannot stop craving.
Oh yes. It’s that kind of book.

But when patriarch Byron Lennox-Hall dies under suspiciously rotten circumstances, Evander inherits not only the estate but the full rot of its legacy: a decaying house, a family of secrets, and a garden that wants him very, very badly. With Laurie back in the picture—feral, charming, and possibly still dangerous—Evander must decide if the boy he fears most is the one person who can save him… or the one who’ll finish what he started.

🌱 What’s blooming inside?

Murder mystery wrapped in creeping vines
Complicated, obsessive, maybe-doomed love
Plants with appetites
Isolation and inherited trauma
Queer yearning so sharp it cuts like a pruning blade
Lyrical prose that makes decay feel divine
Drews writes horror like a fever dream—lush and lyrical until it sinks its thorns into your throat. The Hazelthorn estate is a character unto itself: damp, alive, and watching. And the garden? It is the kind of horror that seduces first, devours second.

📚 Perfect for fans of:

Andrew Joseph White’s transgressive, body-centric horror
The decaying surrealism of Annihilation
The gothic dysfunction of We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Obsessive love stories where no one is safe (least of all the reader)

Hazelthorn is a masterwork of botanical horror and gothic yearning. Equal parts eerie and intimate, it asks: What are you willing to let consume you? The garden? The house? The person who once tried to kill you… and might be your only salvation?

Beautifully written but the story fell a bit flat for me. I really enjoyed the horror elements and wanted more of that, though we did get a lot more compared to Don't Let the Forest In. I wish the big reveal had happened earlier in the plot, I think there was a lot more that could have happened if so. Overall, a plant filled tale of semi horror and fantasy with a good scoop of boy love. Thank you for letting me review this ARC!

Rating 4.5 stars. That atmosphere and energy is written so well. If you like the creepy crawly forest and plant horror vibes this is such a good book that really dives into that. This is, in my opinion, more of a mystery than a horror, or at least a mystery/horror situation. I would go into this with the view that this is a mystery because although the plant horror is really incredible, the main plot line is trying to figure out what is going on and why. Also the reason I say that is because the beginning feels abrupt, especially in comparison to their other book, 'Don't Let the Forest In'. That being said, this is such a fantastic book and perfect for any type of spooky manor. The other main theme of this book has to do with identity and relationships, specifically being a young LGBTQ+ person. The relationship between Evander and Laurie is so good and Drews did a wonderful job at writing about obsession and the complex feelings that come with being friends and enemies with the same person. Highly recommend!

Listen.
Can I just say how much I LOVE THIS AUTHOR. Hazelthorn has all the garden horror, creepiness, and mental instability that I never knew I needed. It's psychotic and monstrous. I had NO IDEA where the story was going, but I was figuratively bleeding onto the pages to figure it out.
Read it. You can thank me later.

There aren’t enough words to describe how much I loved this book. It was everything I wanted and more. Dark and haunting and beautiful and tragic. Perfect in its prose and pace, the twists and turns of the plot like vines winding through the garden. I’ll be reading everything CG Drew’s writes.

C.G. Drews does it again! Another lovely mix of boy angst/pining and wtf did I just read! It gives the same vibes as Don't Let the Forest In while being a completely different and new story. I am not much of a horror person, but I absolutely loved this! I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Perfect for readers who love gothic eerie properties, secret gardens, or gardens with secrets that affect the family, inheritance, murder mystery, and achillean love. It is well written, flows well, and without noticing, I read it in one sitting. We are caught trying to solve the murder mystery but also doubting if those who look like villains are actually villains and those who appear as victims are, in fact, victims. The end is quick and straight to the point (fun too.).

This was grotesque in the absolute best way possible. I was hooked from the start. The evolution of the relationship between Evander and Laurie was beautiful, and the final reveal caught me by surprise. I found the story completely disturbing, but I was drawn in nonetheless. Truly great work.

this was REALLY good, jesus. it's c.g. drews so the prose is always going to be immaculate, but more importantly, the plot to this book is great. i won't spoil, but there are many twists here and clear character growth from both the protagonist and his love interest that i really enjoyed.

speaking of the protagonist... i liked him a lot. it's always refreshing to find imperfect 'victims' in media as well as characters who come to like their so-called 'weaknesses.' very nice! would read it again.

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

I really liked Hazelthorn. I was looking for a thriller/horror novel that would be engaging and quick enough to pull me out of a reading slump, and this hit all the marks.

The characters are 17, so I think it’s technically YA, but be warned: the book is eerie and gruesome, leaning heavily into botanical and body horror that could make some readers uncomfortable. Definitely check the trigger warnings.

What I loved most were the vibes and the setting, an enormous, decaying gothic mansion. It gave me Saltburn and We Have Always Lived in the Castle vibes. The second half leans more into the horror elements, slowly unraveling the mystery behind the manor, the deaths, and Evander. Even though I guessed all the plot twists, I had a lot of fun reading. Also, I think there’s some really good disability rep here.
Now, a couple of things I didn’t like, spoilers ahead.

I genuinely didn’t understand Evander’s obsession with Laurie. He spent his entire life believing that Laurie tried to kill him… so why all the talk about wanting to taste Laurie’s mouth, to feel his arms around him? That romantic angle made no sense to me, and honestly, I hated it. Not every book needs a romantic subplot.
I also didn’t love the writing style, it felt flat and repetitive, and often tried to force-feed me revelations I could easily infer on my own.

All in all, though, it was a solid read. I can definitely see why it would appeal to a lot of readers.
3.5 stars, rounded up.

What a delightfully fucked up weird little book and I mean that in the best way possible. I loved every moment of this. From the atmosphere and vibes of the settings to the characters and the themes of rage, the deep feeling of not belonging, and not feeling right. It's almost like if you took The Secret Garden and made it gay, dark and horrifying.

Once again C.G. Drews' writing is absolutely incredible. Lyrical and descriptive setting up the perfect mood for this entire book. There were so many quotes that I highlighted on my kindle. This definitely starts out a little slow, it takes awhile to feel like you have your footing remotely in the story, but even then the writer that C.G Drews is rips that footing from right under you in the last 30% of the book.

My only real complaint was the pacing of Evander and Laurie's relationship. It's not quite insta-love but it almost feels like it with how quick Evander is infatuated and almost pining after Laurie despite supposedly hating his guts. It's definitely complicated but I was we got a little more pure hatred before that. Regardless though we still do get a lot of good banter so I can't complain too much.

I most definitely recommend picking this up if you're interested in a dark atmospheric gay story about autistic rage.

4.5
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. Hazelthorn is a dark gothic atmospheric horror novel that grips you and won’t let go until you finish. All i wanted to do was sit down and finish this in one sitting. I was definitely confused when this book first stated but suddenly secrets keep getting uncovered and it was so gripping. This book was the perfect length and the story was paced really nicely. The side romance that we get in this book was so so good and i would an entire book of just those two characters being happy. Beware this book has a crazy amount of detailed body horror and while it is a young adult novel there were definitely moments that had me cringing. This book needs to be moved to the top of your fall tbr because i haven’t read anything like it.

A passionate queer romance filled with gothic horror and the grotesque. Dwells on themes of self exploration and self acceptance as well as loneliness and isolation. Had unpredictable twists!

I thought this was going to be a middle-of-the-road, typical Y/A read- nothing wrong with that, I was fully prepared for an easy, albeit horrific, read. Well, horrific it was! I wasn't prepared for the depth Drews would bring to his characters, or how deeply attached I would feel to the MC. I was also nOT prepared for the twist in this, which, no spoilers, but it absolutely sent me off my rocker. Drews' imagery and just general writing were so heartbreaking and detailed and so gross and gorey for a Y/A??? I had to stop reading at times due to feeling nauseous, which is a huge compliment from me as I feel I'm pretty used to gore and grossness! I really enjoyed this read and will definitely be picking up some of Drews' earlier work, and I'm super excited to see more from him in the future!

Hazelthorn. An ARC that is gonna end up on my top 5 list of the year! This was like if Knives Out and Rose Red came together in a gay romance. 😂

After seven years locked away in a crumbling mansion, Evander inherits Hazelthorn and with it, a murder mystery, a forbidden romance, and a garden that seems alive and hungry. As he uncovers the truth behind his guardian’s death, Evander must decide whether he can trust Laurie, the boy who once tried to kill him, or if Hazelthorn itself will consume them both.

This book hooked me from end to end. I wasn’t expecting such an addicting romance either! Evander starts off so bruised and broken and blooms into an incredible character by the end!

I know I talk about writing a lot but I’m an author. I’ve gotta share some of these quotes because they’re stupid good:

🌱 If you put my name in your mouth, I will always listen.

🪴 There is nothing else to me but the hollow spaces I’ve carved out for you.

🌿He is Icarus with wings of swan feathers, who chose to fly into the sun because it looked like a pretty boy.


See? How beautiful. And that’s just THREE. I highlighted probably 30. Haha

The twists and turns of this story had me reeling and I spent 20 minutes just gushing about this book to my husband and I want to talk about this with other people tooooo!

This absolutely perfect delicious book releases October 28th and I WILL BE SCREAMING ABOUT IT.

Obviously 5 ⭐️— I don’t even need to say it lol


Thanks sooo much to Netgalley and Macmillan for this arc. I would have never known what brilliance lay beyond those pages with you!

I ripped apart this book. 100% ate up every bit of it and couldn't put it down.

Evander's external and internal struggles are just a piece of what made this book so perfect. This book wraps a vine around your limbs and holds you down to suck in every piece of it.

It's a botanical delight, heavy on the body horror. C.G Drews prose is my favorite part of this however. Their ability to just describe an emotion down to your bones, feeding it into you on every page just sits with you. So many lines in this book just caused me to sit and stare for a few moment's, re-reading them each a few times just to give them the peace I thought they deserved.

This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far and thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ability to read this arc!

Autism representation. Queer representation. Monster representation. Haunted house representation..? "Hazelthorn" is giving haunted garden meets haunted mansion meets haunted boy battling chronic illness while trying to solve the mysteries of his past that he can't remember.

C.G. Drews transforms standard body horror into botanical eldritch nightmares. Not only do they paint word pictures with dripping, gory descriptions of hybridized plants and animal viscera, but in "Hazelthorn" in particular, they appeal to those of us with other sensory issues in the worst of ways—I almost felt my way through this more than I read it.

There is so much crunching in this book. Crunching of limbs. Crunching of bones. Crunching of dead leaves and broken glass and gravel parting way for shovel blades. Evander's reactions to sounds (crunchy or otherwise), social interactions, smells, etc. are so reminiscent of my own experience living in a world that wasn't built for people who process input differently. I was nearing sensory overwhelm just from reading about him becoming overstimulated. Get out of my neurodivergent brain, C.G.!

You will love Evander. You will love Laurie. You will love how beautifully and violently they fall apart and put themselves back together—maybe even getting to the bottom of these haunted boys' histories—one torn stitch and bloody embrace at a time.

"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."

Shaking, screaming, crying, losing my miiiiind! This book? This book is IT! My mind's still reeling and I'm high on the anxiety and tension and confusion and obsession this book channelled and I want to chew my arm off because Hazelthorn is SO GOOD!! Every time I thought I'd gotten ahead of the story and worked things out, another curveball got thrown at me and I loved it!

If you enjoyed Don't Let the Forest In you're going to love Hazelthorn! I'm not usually into horror but Drews' books have me thinking I might be, just like Summer Sons did. They've both got that same dark, messed up, off-kilter, "what's up with the outside?" vibes alongside MCs who are not live, laugh, loving but are instead having a straight up terrible time because of Reasons. They're also both beautifully written and I wish I could add a gazillion Hazelthorn quotes in this review.

Evander's a fantastic MC who's just trying his best in circumstances that are less than ideal. I can't get enough of him and Laurie and whatever those two have going on. It is platonic? Is it romantic? Who knows but baby it's homosexual. Their animosity/friendship/hatred/romance/rivalry gives me life and it had me screaming more than once. Laurie is baby and Evander is baby and I'm OBSESSED with them!

Hazelthorn drove me to the brink of insanity and then drop-kicked me right off the ledge and here we are, with me wanting to eat the pages of this book, because nom nom finally some good food!

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