I want all of my horror to come with this kind of emotional gut-punch, please and thank you. Hazelthorn made me feel like I was wrapped up in the same thorns and strangling vines as the garden in the story.

Our main characters, Evander and Laurie, are the exact brand of feral that I want in a hate-to-love relationship. Despite the horror story setting, these two feel like a true representation of a 17-year-old. They’re confused, they’re emotional, they’re learning that adults don’t always act in your best interests. The way the writing sometimes seems almost like stream-of-consciousness just feels right for who these boys are meant to be. Angry, feral, defensive, and scared.

CG Drews has created another set of wildly co-dependent sad boys that I will be obsessing over for a long time. The writing in this book will crawl into your brain and make a home for itself. The descriptions of the horrors they encounter are long-lasting nightmare fuel. The pacing is just right - nothing takes so long that you forget an important fact, but it doesn’t go so fast that you don’t have a chance to sit in the terror. You do feel EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT of fear.

Pick up this book - just watch out for the monsters.

AHHHHH I loved this so much!

CG Drews has quickly become one of my favorite authors! Their absolutely crazy imagination is inspiring to say the least.

This book was such a great rollercoaster of emotions along with twists and turns. It’s always so much fun for me when I don’t know if I can fully trust the main character as a narrator, which is what happened here. The slight romance in this authors books are always an added treat that I long for. The ending was shocking and heartwarming somehow!

If you were a fan of Don’t Let the Forest In, you will love this book! C.G. Drews takes botanical body horror to a new level with a hungry garden and a mystery that will keep you guessing. Evander is a lonely teen on an isolated estate who is kept locked away, including from the grandson of the estate’s owner, Laurie. When the owner of the estate dies and Evander inherits the estate, Evander and Laurie must work together to find answers about the murder, Evander’s growing feelings that something is not right with his memories, and the hungry garden ever encroaching on the house’s inhabitants. This is a masterful YA horror novel, and it kept me on my toes until the end. C.G. Drews can do no wrong with horror novels. Special thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing for the ARC.

This YA body horror with an unreliable narrator is beautifuly written. You don't know what's real. You don't know what's going on. And you don't even know what genre you're reading. But it all turns into this haunting, heartbreaking book. Highly recommend!

I went into Hazelthorn not knowing much about it, solely because of much I loved Don’t Let the Forest In, and I am so happy I read it that way. “Pain is meant to take up space or else we wouldn’t know how to scream. Fuck making your agony silent to avoid disturbing others. Maybe they should be disturbed.” Another beautifully written book by CG Drews! I was captivated and so thoroughly engrossed, that at times it felt like I was Evander. I adored Laurie and Evander, and their strange dynamic that unfolded with each sentence. I was grasping for more from their first appearance together to their amazing last appearance. Hazelthorn, the book, and the estate will not be something I forget anytime soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the arc.

After reading & obsessing over Don’t Let the Forest in earlier this year, I was counting down the SECONDS until I could read Hazelthorn.

This book goes from a murder mystery with knives out vibes to botanical body horror with almost vampiric/canibalistic notes, an unreliable narrator & the most beautiful queer romance & yearning. It’s everything I could have asked for and more. The prose is as beautiful as it is unsettling. CG Drews writing is so immersive, I was captivated from the first sentence & they did not let me go until the last.

Even if the twists seemed predictable you never knew what the truth actually was. I can not wait to read this book again knowing how it ends. I almost don't want to say it because I loved DLTFI so much, but I think Hazelthorn is my new favorite. CG Drews I would read your grocery lists!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC!

So hauntingly beautiful. Mysterious and macabre. Uncovering the secrets of Hazelthorn throughout haf me on edge. It was intense and sad and beautiful all in one.

Holy heck this was SO GOOD!

Seven years ago Evander's best friend, Laurie, tried to kill him after their parents died. Now he lives in Hazelthorn under the care of Laurie's recluse grandfather. He isn't allowed out of his room. He and Laurie can never be alone together. He must focus on getting better in the aftermath of his near death. When the old man ends up dead and relatives begin to arrive at the house, Evander cries murder. But quickly he realizes there is more going on at Hazelthorn than thought. Why is the garden trying to get inside? And why can't Evander stop obsessing over the boy who tried to kill him?

This is a beautiful gothic horror novel. Drews' prose is luscious and visceral. Every description comes to life and I felt like I was Evander, questioning my own sanity and feeling trapped by the house and the information I didn't know. This book is full of twists and horribly wonderful body horror. And throughout it all is a beautiful exploration of what it can feel like to not be "normal" in a world that wishes you were. Just over all a beautiful book.

I would like to start off thanks Netgally and the publishers for the privilege of reading an eARC. This has in no way influenced my review.

OMG I CANNOT get enough of C.G. Drews' writing. Hazelthorn has the same flow as Don't Let the Forest In pulling you through the story desperate to know what happens next. Hazelthorn makes you ravenous for answers like the garden is ravenous for blood.

Wow. I am absolutely floored by the journey this story took me on.

I don't read horror very often, but every once in a while I'll get in the ya horror mood. And that mood is: a light-medium body horror story that incorporates nature and has a sometimes ambiguous plot with a yearning romance and the most beautiful, lyrical writing you've ever read. That may sound hyper-specific, but you'd be surprised! CG Drews has my niche DOWN. I really enjoyed their previous novel, Don't Let the Forest In, but Hazelthorn is even BETTER.

In Hazelthorn, we follow our main character, Evander, who is the ward of a billionaire on his secluded, overgrown estate. When Evander's guardian is murdered, he makes it his mission to discover the culprit. There were really only two other people on the estate at the time. One of them has gone missing, and the other is the boy Evander has been obsessed with his whole life. Evander's task only gets more difficult as his guardian's creepy relatives keep showing up and the garden keeps trying to drag him in.

I like mystery/suspense novels where I can use context clues to infer what's going to happen. BUT, I don't like it when I can guess EVERYTHING. CG Drews was, again, perfect at writing my niche! I had enough breadcrumbs to piece certain plot points together, but other details went completely over my head. The reveals had me going, "oh my gosh that is so smart how did I not see that this is amazingggg." Literally everything I wanted to happen, happened. It was truly fantastic.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

The beauty of the writing in Hazelthorn is only equaled by the absolute horror, both physical and emotional, that is dealt throughout the book.

Evander has been kept in the mansion of the Lennox-Hall family for the last seven years, since his parents died in an accident and he was taken in by Byron Lennox-Hall. He must never leave the estate, or go into the gardens, or, for his own safety, be alone with the dangerously charming grandson of the family, Laurie. When Byron dies of an aneurysm, Evander inherits everything. And the rest of the family is not happy about it.

I wanted to wrap poor Evander in a blanket and feed him some soup. The poor child - for he is seventeen - undergoes horrific surgeries and is medicated every night, and he doesn't quite know why. He only knows that the gardens are encroaching on the house, and that there was no aneurysm. Some murdered Byron, and despite how cold and distant he was to Evander, he was still the only family Evander knew.

As Evander begins to peel back the layers of what is truly happening with Hazelthorn, he finds that Laurie has severe trauma of his own, and that the bond between them may not be as either had previously imagined.

The prose here is stellar, I absolutely loved every lyrical turn and ethereal, bloody image conjured by CG Drews. They are a standout author and I look forward to their next work of art.

Hazelthorn is a lush and disturbing gothic horror that seeps under your skin like the vines creeping through its pages. CG Drews crafts a story that’s equal parts eerie, beautiful, and grotesque—an intoxicating mix of family secrets, obsessive love, and botanical terror.

Evander makes for a deeply compelling narrator, fragile yet resolute, haunted by both his past with Laurie and the suffocating presence of Hazelthorn itself. The twisted, near-romantic pull between the two boys brims with tension, equal parts danger and longing, which keeps the reader teetering on edge. The garden as a living, hungry force is both a brilliant metaphor and a chilling antagonist, its slow encroachment amplifying the novel’s claustrophobic dread.

With its intoxicating blend of murder mystery, forbidden desire, and creeping body horror, Hazelthorn is a dark and memorable addition to the gothic horror canon—unsettling, atmospheric, and impossible to look away from.

What a masterpiece this was !!!

I am greatful to be able to have the opportunity to read the book before it's release and to not even exaggerate, I loved every inch of it, the shrouded mystery, evander just being an absolute loveable main character, Laurie and evander having this hate or maybe love relationship, byron the person you are, and how chapter 28 left me in shambles, and how it ended, everything was perfect and tied togather, and now all I am wishing is to read more of this book and more of evander and Laurie 🖤☘️

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

Creepy mansion, blood thirsty garden, evil distant relatives?? The plot of this story really kept me interested. There were so many twist and turns it had my head spinning! Although CG Drews’s flowery writing isn’t really my thing, kept making me have to reread certain sections to understand what’s going on so it kinda took me out of it… but if you loved ‘Don’t Let the Forest In’ you’re 100% going to love this book!!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group & Feiwel & Friends for this ARC!

I fell in love with CG Drews' writing when I read "Don't Let the Forest In" last year and really couldn't wait for her newest novel. I had immensely high expectations, I admit, but now that I've finally devoured "Hazelthorn", well... I was right to do so. This book is glorious and Drews has cemented themselves as an auto-read author for me.

We're thrown into the thoughts of a very strange boy living in an old gothic mansion surrounded by a creepy garden that slowly but surely tries to taker over the house. Evander has been kept in the cage that is his room for years, cared for by the lord of the manor who adopted him when Evander's parents died in an accident. Evander suffers from a strange illness, prone to mysterious "episodes". He also suffers from having to deal with Laurie, grandson of his caretaker, who years and years ago tried to kill him. Then one fateful day, the door to Evander's room is unlocked and he finally leaves his cage - and on that very day, his caretaker dies right in front of him.

The premise alone is incredible, but it doesn't stop there. The atmosphere Drews creates around Hazelthorn estate is dense, creepy, scary, fascinating. Their writing is flowery in just the way I adore it and it really fits the overall story and vibe here. The imagery is vivid, the brutality graphic.

Evander's story is heartbreaking, brutal, beautiful. The relationship between him and Laurie - whose story is just as heartbreaking - is the fascinating centerpiece of the book. Both of there characters make you fall in love with them easily and I don't think I'll forget them ever.

"Hazelthorn" deals with heavy themes of autonomy, self-worth, abuse especially for neurodivergent people. "Be quiet, behave normal, don't stand out" - things Evander has been told all his life and which many people that aren't perfectly neurotypical will know from their own experiences. The most cathartic moment of the whole book is when a character told to be a quiet, docile little thing is finally allowed to scream out their rage. This book feels very personal, too, and after reading the acknowledgments it's clear that it is.

The easiest five stars I've read in a while. Genuinely cannot wait to read every single tiny thing Drews will write from now on.

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

TW: blood, gore, medical and physical abuse. Do check the author's TWs.

Evander has lived in his bedroom since he was taken by the billionaire Byron Lennox-Hall and given three rules to follow: never leave the Hazelthorn estate, never go to the garden and never be left alone with Byron's fascinating nephew, who tried to kill him seven years ago.
Evander is still obsessed with him, though. When his guardian mysteriously die and Evander becomes the sole heir of all his fortune, everything is turned upside down. The empty house is now filled with relatives who wants to control him and his finances and Evander is sure Byron was killed and the only person who can help him is Byron's nephew, Laurie. Weird things starts to happen, though. The garden feels out of control, wanting to breach the manor's walls and get in and Evander finds himself plagued by nightmares that leaves him with soil in his mouth and vines around his ankles. The garden seems bloothirsty and family's secrets start to be unraveled and Evander has to investigate what, exactly, he's inheriting.

After Don't let the forest in, CG Drews comes back with another botanical horror and I'm totally here for it! Unsettling, eerie, scary, atmospheric and brilliant, Hazelthorn is a story of a murder investigation, a bloodthirsty garden, bloody family secrets and two boys who try to find the truth and survive it.
It's hauntingly beautiful and so poetically written and the author is fantastic at scaring the hell of out me! They wrote complex, fascinating and mysterious characters and I do love them so much. Evander has been locked in his room, medically and physically abused, forced into a form he doesn't fit, forced to be scared and quiet and the only death of his guardian, Laurie's company and words, let him be more and more himself, more confident in what they did to him and the unfairness of all. While his investigations goes on, Evander starts to uncover more and more about himself, his guardian and the whole manor he has to inherit and the horrible secrets in it.
On the other side, Laurie is the charming, apparently obnoxious company and their relationship is made of, initially, fear, and then attraction, bickering, fights and taking care of each other, while trying to survive relatives and the manor itself. Their bond is the most hauntingly beautiful of all and I do enojyed a lot seeing them taking care of each other, sharing secrets and unveiling truth, trying to stay together and love one other.

Complex and traumatized boys, a sentient garden and a secret that will change everything forever. Hazelthorn will bite and scratch you and you'll be glad for it.

Thank you NetGalley for my ebook. This was an amazing book that I couldn't put down and can't wait for it to be published.

What an amazing and interesting premise. I know when I read something by C.G. Drews, it will never disappoint. Their descriptions are always so wonderfully vibrant, and evoke a very gothic horror vibe without fail. This book is fantastic, and so fresh and new in the storyline. So especially beautiful in the descriptions of plants, this stunning Dark Academia/Horror book twists and turns through the travails of Laurie and Evander following the death of Evander's benefactor. I would absolutely highly recommend this book if you want something spooky, beautiful, engaging, and unable to be put down.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Love the cover and title 💝

‘Evander lives like a ghost at Hazelthorn .’ evander can never leave the estate, go into the garden or be alone with the grandson Laurie ‘

‘Laurie is dangerous to evander and when evander inherits Hazelthorn he must look for a new guardian ‘

💓there’s secrets in the garden and Laurie and evander seem to potentially need to ream together to find Byron’s killer.

The writing is beautiful and detailed and easy to adore Evander.

Hazelthorn is a perfect start to the fall season. It was creepy, eerie, and knew how to keep me at the edge of my seat. This is my first book I’ve read by C.G. Drews and I absolutely want to read more. The writing was beautiful and very descriptive. I felt like I could feel what Evander was going through. His anxieties and fears were so palpable on the page. There were twists and turns that kept me reading- I finished it in one day.

The only thing that stopped it from being a 5 star was the ending. It felt like it wrapped up too fast and convenient. I wanted a little more. Even though I felt that way about the ending, I highly recommend this book!