Holy fuck.

I don’t know if any words I write in this review can properly do justice to the absolute madness and beauty of this book. From the very start, Hazelthorn hooks you and slowly unravels the secrets behind the haunting and atmospheric mystery within the manor. The characters are so compelling and I came away being fascinated with each and every one. Evander and Laurie’s relationship is one I’m sure I’ll continue tit think about for a long time after reading this book. The yearning and obsession between them was just so good. The setting is also so vivid and chilling but impossible to look away from at the same time.

The main thing that made this book so good was the writing style. I read Don’t Let the Forest In by the same author last year and was drawn in by the cover and further drawn in by the prose. It feels like art, with the botanical descriptions woven in with the characters’ actions and emotions. That carries over into Hazelthorn. The emotions and feelings can be felt so deeply through the page and even when what’s actually happening is horrific or disturbing, it still feels beautiful. The characterization of Evander and Laurie feels so believable and unique because of the words that C.G. Drews uses to convey their rage, love, and joy. Themes of oppression and the silencing of those deemed ‘insane’ were handled with care and genuine empathy. The representation in this book was also amazing, and the messages are important and come across through lovely metaphors.

Hazelthorn has buried its way into my head and will not leave for a very long time. I absolutely devoured this book, and it’s an incredible blend of horror, mystery, dark fantasy, and young adult, all tied together with a wonderful love story. I would highly recommend reading this if you enjoy any of the above genres. It’s absolutely amazing, and you won’t regret picking it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing for the eARC! I’m definitely purchasing a copy come October, I NEED to revisit this beautiful book again and again.

I thought that this was a good and spooky young adult read. It read fairly quick, but I enjoyed the plot and the characters.

This book is a punch in the gut. Having read Don't Let the Forest In, I thought I knew what I was getting into, but CG Drews took the atmosphere and horror to a whole new level in this one. Hazelthorn is darker and more brooding, the writing lush and sophisticated. I loved the setting, and I loved the contrast of the garden of cultivated cruelties in this one versus the wild, elemental forest in Drews' previous book. This is definitely a title for older YA readers both in terms of prose and themes.

I call the book atmospheric, but don't mistake that for slow! I feel like "atmospheric" is sometimes a euphemism for slow and overly descriptive in the book world. This novel never wallows in purple prose. Every description contributes and the plot clips along at a breakneck pace without feeling contrived. I genuinely wanted to find out what would happen next, and Drews did not disappoint with what I am coming to think of as their signature plot twists.

Despite the elegance and intensity of this book, I did not enjoy it per se. (That said, is horror even meant to be enjoyed? Or is it meant to be appreciated, which is something else entirely.) As far as personal taste, I didn't love the characters, though they were well-drawn and compelling. Additionally, the types of trauma and toxic relationships in this book were potent and important to write about, but ultimately felt more well-represented in extant YA literature than the dangerous codependence of Don't Let the Forest In. (Or I suppose, more accurately, in the YA books I have sampled, romantic codependence is sometimes depicted, but not as the problematic thing that it is.) Lastly, if I'm being honest, me reading this on a bright spring morning was definitely a mistake. This book would be best saved for a chilly evening or a dark afternoon rainstorm.

First of all, HOW am I supposed to write a review when it feels like an entire damn garden is vining through my brain?! ((I wrote that sentence and have been staring at it for ten full minutes, trying to process anything that vaguely resembles a coherent thought.))

Hazelthorn has been so strongly anticipated for me that I created a NetGalley account solely to request it and try to get an early copy in my grabby little goblin hands. And, hey, it worked, so no regrets! Also, I was right to crave this book the way I did because C.G. Drews is absolutely brilliant, and this book is beautifully devastating in every way I never knew I needed.

A word of caution going in: the author's note at the beginning is amazing, BUT if you are someone like me who doesn’t want to know about the trigger warnings ahead of time, I would skip the note and come back to it after. Either way, make sure you read it!

When it comes to content, this book had my whole heart when I saw "botanical body horror" in the synopsis. And the writing gives you the very best iterarion of that- combined skillfully with what starts as a murder mystery but evolves into a story of beautifully haunted characters. Underneath it all, we explore something so much deeper through the interpersonal relationships and through the growth and realizations of Evander and Laurie. I like to stay spoiler-free, so I can't elaborate more, but I can say that these are characters that I felt so deeply for and that I know will stay with me forever.

I always like to share what didn't work for me about books, but the only thing I can think of here is that I don't have one of those Men In Black flashy things to wipe my memory so that I can experience this book again as if it were brand new.

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, and C.G. Drews for this complimentary copy.))

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review!

“It’s all rotting, the Hazelthorn estate.
And he’s rotting along inside it” (6).

I don’t know where to start. When I got the email I had been approved for this, I got so excited. Dropped all of my plans for today in favor of spending the entire day reading this. And it was well worth it. Gut wrenching, a bit traumatic, but so, so worth it. It fully immersed me into the world and the characters, as well as the mentality of Evander. I had a playlist of dark academia movies while reading that most certainly helped the vibe (Kill Your Darlings, Saltburn, and The Goldfinch). The yearning, the eco-horror, the dark academia vibes, the devotion?! Perfection.

Firstly, the wording. The artistry Drews uses when writing is something that I have been obsessed with since Don’t Let the Forest In, and it only multiplied today. The ways that they string together words to turn emotions and feelings into fantastical, horrific art is just inspiring, to say the least. I ate up every metaphor, every description, every feeling Evander was having. In part, because I understand him. As a queer, neurodivergent, disabled person with people-pleasing tendencies, growing up in a household my anger wasn’t allowed, it felt almost as if I was rereading old diary entries at points. I understood him, and I wanted to give him some hot soup and a nice candle and a really soft blanket.

I take notes with some media. Usually for things I really like or for mysteries to solve, so of course this book, being both of those, earned many frantically scrawled thoughts and ideas. It was just a bit of a call out when Evander was, essentially, doing the same thing, not gonna lie. But it was endearing.

Laurie was a character so well written and well done. Drews wrote this yearning, lonely boy so, so perfectly. Meeting him and truly feeling his hatred for Evander, the disdain and such. Then, as the story progresses, seeing all of his actions in different light. Not making his standoffishness just a cruel act, with no real ‘aftercare,’ so to speak, for Evander, showing how all of his actions were built from devotion. I don’t want to risk going into spoilers so won’t say more, but hopefully what I’m saying makes sense. The ‘act’ he was putting on was perfectly construed. And their relationship, good god. I can’t get over it. Drews wrote it so viscerally devoted and obsessed with each other in a way I won’t forget for a long, long time. Not only did Laurie love Evander, he always loved Evander. While knowing all of Evander’s darkest moments. And he didn’t love him in spite of it all, he just loved him with it all.

The story itself grew like ivy. I don’t know how Drews did it, and maybe reading it in one sitting made this even more prevalent, but I could feel a change as I read. No, I don’t know a change in what, or how. But it felt as if I could feel ivy and vines wrapping themselves around my thoughts the deeper I got into the story. Not in a negative way, but just like a lighting change, in a way. I truly don’t know how else to describe what I mean by this, and I don’t doubt it makes no sense, but hopefully you understand that this is a good thing. I had to take multiple moments just talking to my cat whether it be my theories or just about what was happening because I’d get so worked up over it. The emotions put on the pages were conveyed perfectly. At times, mainly in the beginning, it reminded me of some cozy-feeling Tennant-era Doctor Who episode. Not even close to the same as, but those feelings of nostalgia were there nonetheless.

I loved this book. The tendrils of Drews’ words are wrapped around my brain and, I fear, are putting up a massive fight and will settle there for a while, matching the ones that set down roots last year after Don’t Let the Forest In.

Hazelthorn must be infused with Heart Rot tea because my heart exploded by the end of this book. I genuinely couldn't predict any of the twists (there was one at 98% I kid you not), turning the page and crying at least five times, and I sobbed for Laurie and Evander. I've never fallen more in love with characters than I did with these two. The pining, the longing, the banter, and their past-- everything culminated in the ending, no loose strings to be found. The foreshadowing was at once subtle and glaring. I need to reread this book over and over. The life-wrecking tropes? The forest rot signature of CG? Hazelthorn put me through a lot, but not as much as Evander and Laurie went through. I feel like I lived a lifetime and a half just by reading their story. The mystery was insane but the love story was even better, because tell me why CG gave us a happy ending? Look at the cover and expect a happy ending-- you can't. But we got one and I am sobbing at their feet. I'm a sucker for all-consuming love, and this book took cannibalism as a metaphor for love to a whole other level.
If you loved The Secret Garden, you'll love Hazelthorn; just throw in a murder mystery, two boys in over their heads, and drawings of poisonous plants. Hazelthorn is just as good, if not better, than Don't Let the Forest In. Utterly, captivatingly, hauntingly obsessed with CG Drews' thorns.

Okay, so I knew this was gonna be good but I don’t know HOW good. Don’t Let the Forest In was the best book I read in 2024, and now Hazelthorn is definitely going to be the best book I’ve read in 2025 and we’re less than 2 months in! Also, I didn’t see this coming but I loved this even more somehow??? It’s just so good - the writing is phenomenal, the setting is gorgeously crafted and vivid, the characters pull you in leave a mark immediately. The plot itself is extremely well thought out and well-paced, with hints and twists at every turn of the page. I kept putting it down while reading it because I didn’t want it to end, but alas, here we are. I’ll just have to reread it when it comes out!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
I absolutely devoured this book. The writing was incredibly haunted and beautiful; I loved all of the botanical descriptions. I was on the verge of tears from the yearning, mystery, and plot twist. Really, really enjoyed this one.

“If he is to be held, to be touched, he wants it to be like this and only by this boy.”

Hazelthorn was gruesome and lovely. Read the first sentence of chapter 1 thinking, "oh hell, wow," and the feeling just slowly amplified to the end lol. Evander and Laurie’s slow crawl to radical rage and the reclamation of autonomy was the racing pulse of this story, and I think it’ll make an impactful addition to YA and horror shelves.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC! Buzzing to get my hands on a copy this October~

SHUT UP THIS WAS SO GOOD.

I'm not sure a book has ever made me cry, gag, and yearn before.

This was such a wild ride, I absolutely loved it, easily a new favourite. The prose was absolutely beautiful, the themes hit me, the plot twists had me by the throat.

Everything about the book is unique: the way the genres morph from a murder mystery to botanical/folk/psychological horror to a unhinged gothic retelling and back again; Evander and Laurie's dynamic (which had me gnawing on my kindle); Evander's entire characterization.

I stayed up until 2:30am to finish this - the last 70% of the book had me TENSE, okay.

I loved Don't Let the Forest In and it was one of my favourite reads of 2024, but there was something about Hazelthorn that drew me in and devoured me in a way that I haven't felt with a book in a long time.

A huge thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the ARC! I am going to be so obnoxious about this book, oh my GOD.

After reading Don't Let The Forest In I knew I'd read, and love, anything by C.G. Drews. The way they write their characters feels so real, emotions are raw and visceral and haunting.

Hazelthorn beautiful and scary, I could not put this book down. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me look at myself in a new way.

Remember:
the garden
wants you
back