Fear doesn’t start with the monster. It starts with the moment. The tiny crack in your life where everything shifts—permanently. In “When the Wolf Comes Home”, that moment is a dirty needle in a diner bathroom. Jess, a struggling not-yet-anything actress stuck in the purgatory of what-could-have-beens, gets stabbed while cleaning up someone else’s mess. It’s humiliating. It’s a full-body “I’ve had enough” kind of day. So she quits.

She goes home, bleeding and pissed off—and that’s when she finds him. A five-year-old boy. Alone. Barefoot. Hiding in her bushes, being attacked by birds. Because why not add Hitchcock to the trauma cocktail.

What Jess doesn’t know is that this boy isn’t just a lost child—he’s the beginning of something worse. He’s a walking consequence. And then there’s the naked man now claiming to be the kid’s father. But that man is not right. There’s a wrongness to him that hums beneath the skin. Something designed, then discarded. It’s not supposed to exist. But it does. And Jess, because she’s broken in a very specific, deeply human way, decides to make a run for it with the boy anyway.

This book is not about cheap scares. It’s about fear as inheritance. Fear that morphs. That becomes generational. That redefines your identity in real time. The kind of fear you internalize before you even know how to name it.

Jess is so raw, so vividly real. She’s not a badass. She’s not even functional half the time. She’s grieving a father she didn’t really know and definitely didn’t understand, and that grief is sticky. It’s not sad—it’s complicated. And when you’ve lost someone who wasn’t there for you, you don’t know if you’re mourning them—or the version of them that never existed in the first place.

When she takes the kid in, it’s not heroic—it’s instinct. Maybe guilt. Maybe a desperate need to finally be needed. But once the man shows up and the chase begins, you realize this isn’t just a road trip thriller. It’s a psychological and supernatural pressure cooker. The kid? He’s not just scared. He’s unsettling. And the things he’s afraid of? They start appearing. In the real world. Bloody, brutal, impossible. Jess is trying to protect him, but from what? His father? The world? Herself?

And that’s when the book really takes off—part road trip horror, part emotional exorcism, part cautionary tale about how trauma lives and breathes in the people we become.

And then there’s Cookie. Jess’s mother. She is chaos and hairspray and love so deep it turns into fear. Cookie doesn’t know how to protect Jess from the world, so she tries to protect her from herself. She loves her—truly, to her core—but love has made her blunt. Sharp. She’s scared the truth is going to break her daughter. And that fear? It colors everything. Their relationship is messy, but it’s full. It’s fierce. It’s real.

Cassidy doesn’t just give us monsters. He gives us trauma. Guilt. Rage. Grief with claws. This book simmers in dread, refusing to name the thing outright because that’s what real fear does—it hides until it’s already inside the house.

Is it perfect? No. The story meanders. The metaphors get heavy. The pacing stumbles in the middle like it’s trying to catch its breath. But the emotional weight? The specificity? The sense of dread crawling under your skin? Unforgettable.

Four-and-a-half stars. For grief with no good answers. For the terror of raising or protecting something you don’t understand. For the people who love us so hard it hurts.
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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook.

I’ve never cried while reading a thriller or horror novel, until this one. From the beginning, I was hooked. It’s tense, haunting, and emotionally raw in a way I didn’t expect, but what truly resonated with me was the theme of fractured father-child relationships The exploration of that emotional distance hit hard and felt incredibly personal.

I was completely invested in Jess and the boy. Their bond, their fear, their desperation, it was all so tangible. Jess, in particular, is written with such emotional depth, and I found myself aching for her.

The narration elevated everything. The narrator, including Nat Cassidy at the end, delivered such a powerful performance. I could feel Jess’s angst, her fear, and her relentless drive to protect and understand.

This was my first Nat Cassidy book, but it absolutely won’t be my last. It’s rare to find a horror story that blends dread with genuine heartbreak so seamlessly, and this one will stick with me for a long time.

Didn’t see this one coming, but it clawed its way into my heart and left me teary-eyed, shaken, and completely impressed.

BRILLIANT. From the content warning all the way to the final word of the author’s afterword.

The writing is thoughtful and engaging, and the story unfolds in such a unique way that I was hooked from the very beginning. The narration? Absolute perfection.

There’s a steady feeling of unease throughout the book. I wasn’t terrified, but I was deeply engaged. My heart raced. I cared about the characters, especially Jess, who felt so real and relatable. Her journey kept me rooting for her the whole time.

And then the author’s note at the end? Wow.
I already thought the book was great, but hearing the personal story behind it made me love it even more. Cassidy’s ability to turn pain, identity, and transformation into something so bold and moving really struck me.

I’ve crossed paths with a big bad wolf here and there and was able to shape-shift my way out of it. So, I not only got emotional when the book ended, but the author’s note left me breathless.

Until the next one… Nat Cassidy. I for one can’t wait.

Thank you Macmillan audio, Net Galley and Nat Cassidy for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s a yes for me!!🖤

DeAnn @deannsreadingriot

📖 Book Review 📖 Who says that fairy tales are for little children? Nat Cassidy is here with a brand new story that will make your skin crawl and your stomach turn…and might even make the Brothers Grimm a bit uncomfortable. The classic horror elements are modernized in the grime and grit of Los Angeles as struggling actor Jessa grapples with the death of her estranged father. One dark night she encounters a lost boy outside of her apartment, and the true nightmare begins. When the Wolf Comes Home is a chilling fairy tale that will have you questioning who the real monsters are in life.

The premise of this story was amazing and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout but what was that ending though?? Also, the audiobook narration was expertly done. Definitely worth a read/listen.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Whelp. Binged that in a day! This was a total ode to early King at his horror heights mixed with Twilight Zone. Action packed, gore, a kid, special powers and a woman trying her best to stay alive. If you like a classic horror read this is the one to read!!

Wow! This was my first read by this author, and I'm immediately adding their backlist to my TBR. This book uniquely melded some great horror tropes and kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the multiple POVS, but I got more attached to Jessa and the initially nameless boy she rescues and goes on the run with. The pacing was great with persistent danger, and I enjoyed how it all played out. The narration really brought the story to life.

"Sometimes Daddy says I'm too bad to be alive...I don't mean to be bad, and I don't want to not be alive so I get scared."

"...You get to be a certain age and they stop calling it scared and start calling it anxiety."

"Nobody hides like tears. We could learn a thing or two from them."

"Maybe the true horror of the werewolf is the change is never permanent. Maybe the true beauty of the butterfly is that it is."

There's so much to unpack in the sure to be a modern horror classic, When The Wolf Comes Home, by new master of horror literature, Nat Cassidy.

First, it isn't the werewolf story you think it is; in fact, though there are terrifying gory violent attacks of a wolf like creature ripping humans apart, that's almost a sub plot in this twisty, dig deep raw emotional horror masterpiece.

There's a scared 5 year old boy hiding in the bushes. Jess tries to help him but a monster comes after them. Jess runs with the boy leaving dead bodies wherever they go. Everyone she cares about, who tries to help, is torn to pieces. As the truth of the boy and monster comes to light Jess is gutted; because there's just one way it all ends.

Voice actress Helen Laser has reached a new level of acting with Jess. To keep up that level of frantic fear, while calming a child, and finding humor in the crazy of it all, is a super human ability.

Fear is the theme; what happens when all your fears come alive?! It's also about how our parents shape us, genetically and emotionally. Please listen to this dynamic writer's afterward, a tribute to his Dad. It's where the quote about the butterfly is from and it left me in tears. When The Wolf Comes Home is more than horror. It's brilliant literature.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via #Netgalley for a fair & honest review. Opinions are my own.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for my free ARC of When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy — available TOMORROW, Apr 22!

» READ IF YOU «
❤️‍🔥 are a sucker for horror stories with heart
🐺 have ever been accused of having an overactive imagination
📝 love when the author's note makes the book even better

» SYNOPSIS «
I recommend going into this book relatively blind, so I'll only provide the briefest of synopses: Jess stumbles upon a runaway little boy on night, and her world changes drastically in an instant. Running from danger together, Jess will be forced to wonder if her reality will ever be the same again.

» REVIEW «
This book blew me away. I didn't know what to expect, really, but what I got was one of my favorite reads of the year! Nat's characters are always really impactful for me, but the ones in this particular story will not leave my brain for a loooong time. And don't get me started on the author's note!!! I recommend never ever skipping an author's note in any book, but this is one case where you actually MUST read it—no exceptions. And in addition to the excellent narration of the audiobook by Helen Laser, Nat reads the author’s note himself, which really makes it special.

This book continues my favorite trend in recent horror stories, which I think we're calling "horror with heart," but which actually just means they leaves me a sobbing mess at the end. I'd be surprised if anyone could read this book without getting emotional by the closing few chapters. And? Just when you think it's over, you get hit with a concept that kind of gave me an existential crisis. An amazing piece of fiction that I think everyone, including non-horror readers, should pick up this year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nothing to fear but fear itself, unfortunately, fear in this book has teeth and a body count! I felt like I was being chased too while reading this. I was so locked into this story I ended plenty of phone calls just so I could get back to it. If you love horror reads with gore and suspense, and the growing sense of “oh no, this is worse than I thought”, then you guys are going to love this book!

Thank you so much for giving me an arc of this! This book was spectacular. It was emotional, terrifying. I cried and I was also terrified. I will now side eye every Halloween mask. I did not expect the deep level of emotional trauma that this touched. It was just amazing. I loved the narrator also! And I also loved that Nat narrated the afterword himself as well.

Nat Cassidy has done it again! He was written such a fantastic book with the best references and metaphors available. After reading his book Nestlings, which i absolutely loved, I didn’t think it was possible for him to release another book better than that one and boy was I wrong. Nestlings was a 5 star read for me and I loved it, so when I tell you I loved When the wolf comes home I really really loved it. I absolutely love Nat Cassidy writing. His use of imaginary in his stories is excellent and it really makes the readers fully capture the essence of his message. This is a fast paced and thrilling book with some gore and a little humor and honestly the content warnings in the beginning of the book are excellent and all you really need to know before diving into this book. The narrator for this book did an excellent job and I love that Nat Cassidy is also a narrator ,he just did it so well! I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Nat Cassidy already or maybe someone that has never read anything by him trust me this will not disappoint. Something I also love about Nat Cassidy is that he has a great foreword and acknowledgements at the end of his books and this one really explored his feelings behind the concept of shapeshifting and the reason why he wanted to write this book which I thought it was phenomenal. There are some great and heavy topics discussed In this book and the way the characters navigated the obstacles they encountered was fascinating and truly refreshing. Although this is a fictional story there was so much I took from this book and I do believe that the overall theme of fear was very well executed. Nat Cassidy will continue to be a favorite author of mine and not to mention an auto buy author I will buy everything he puts out and will be purchasing a physical copy of this book as it is now my favorite of all his works. I can’t wait to see what he has In store for us next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced readers audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I have no idea what is happening in this book but I'm so here for it! This modern day horror, thriller is not for the weak. The writing is fantastic and funny. Even the trigger warning at the beginning made me chuckle.

What is fear? What is real? The horrors that lie within. No one is spared when the wolf comes home.

The audio of this book is superb. Do yourself a favor and listen to this book. The narrator is 👌

Thank you @netgalley and @mcmillanaudio for a copy of this title. All my reviews are my own.

This book is so amazingly traumatic with all the feels. I sobbed for about fifteen minutes after. I still need to collect my thoughts for this entirely but just know you need to read this.

Phew, this is one horror novel I would not recommend reading in the middle of the night with the lights off! The audiobook is phenomenal and immersive, which only makes it scarier. It’s truly an exploration of fear at its core, and done beautifully.

This book starts off with a bang and doesn’t slow down. It’s also completely unpredictable, which is the reason I am not expanding on the plotline (you’ve just gotta read it).

I became totally emotionally invested in the characters, which only added to the psychological terror I felt reading it. Jess, the FMC, is easily one of my favorite protagonists I’ve come across in a long time. She’s fierce, brave, and crazy smart. The characters were also immensely witty and there were some laugh-out-loud moments that I wasn’t anticipating!

This is one of those books that I know is going to stick with me for a long time. I already want to reread it, which is something I never do! Need your next horror fix? This is it.

Big thank to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

When The Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy, narrated by Helen laser and the author himself. after a long night of being on her feet at her waitress job Jess pulls into her apartment building to see what looks like a neighbor’s disagreement and shock on shock a young boy staring at the chaos. Trying to do the right thing Jess, gets the young boy to safety just in time to see a monster attack the fighting neighbors right after her new young companion says “he’s here!” Jess, who is clearly very good at reading the room or actually the front yard decides it’s time to get the hell out of there. this is when every strange monster someone can conceive of either knows learns or is following Jess and the young boy who we know is kiddo. it even visits everyone who gives them help from Margaret her coworker to cookie her mom. Is Jess safe anywhere or is the monster they’ve been running from, been with them the whole time? you know an author is awesome when in the middle of horrible torture scenes he also tickles your funny bone and Nat Cassidy did that in spades. I listened to the audiobook and thought Helen laser although at first struck me as an odd narrator although really good but once she got to the scenes where she had to show real emotion she really proved what a great actor she is. When listening to the audiobook I had no clue that the male narrator was Nat Cassidy but OMG he was awesome as well. this was such a mind blowing mic drop story and I was just blown away I’m still picking pieces of myself up since finishing. when I was done with this book no lie I went and looked up the author and downloaded every book I could find written by him and you will see my reviews coming soon. I loved this book and as a fan of horror I cannot recommend it enough. There is way more to the story than what I put in this review just be prepared for unthinkable monsters and torture that begs belief. Especially cookies hand with the note in it. Love this book. #NetGalley, #McMillanAudio, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #WhenTheWolfComesHome, #NatCassidy, #HelenLaser,

ARC REVIEW (4/22/25): when the wolf comes homes by nat cassidy 🐺 after a violent, bloody encounter with the boy's father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives.

what to expect:
🩸 fast paced action
👻 emotionally rooted
🖤 sprinkled with humor
🕸️ a road trip chase
🗝️ creature feature

this was my first nat cassidy and it was SO good. I’ll be thinking about that halloween mask scene for months! the sheer obscurity of it had me giggling. the horror tinged references were the cherry on top!

as soon as I finished reading, I immediately went back into the audio and RElistened to my favorite scenes- something I never do! hell, even the afterword was moving. a fascinating take on fear and the control it can have on your life.

when the wolf finally comes home, no one will be spared. thank you macmillan audio for an early copy! the audiobook was fantastically narrated by helen lazer & nat cassidy himself 🎧 5 shapeshifting stars!

Hands down one of the best horror novels I have read in a very long time. This is not my first book by this author, but it is probably my favorite.

When the Wolf Comes Home grapples with many complex topics all mixed in with one of the creepiest stories I have ever read. This book had my head spinning and my heart pounding and I loved every single minute of it.

When the Wolf Comes Home is an early and strong contender for my favorite horror book of the year. If 2024 was the year I wouldn't shut up about Bury Your Gays, then 2025 belongs to this one.

(Also, if you haven't read or listened to Bury Your Gays yet, please please please go do that.)

First up, I want to caution you against reading the publisher's description for this book if you can. One of the comp titles includes a massive spoiler. Instead, trust Cassidy’s own content warning at the start of the book. And I don’t just mean the list of nasty things to expect — I mean the explanation that this is a book about fear. Specifically, how fear can consume and drive us if we don’t face it in healthy ways.

He also cautions readers not to expect a happy ending. Fair warning.

So, what is the story? Diner waitress Jess is having a really bad night. She accidentally pricks her finger with a used hypodermic needle while cleaning the restroom. In her rush to get to the ER, she leaves her phone behind. Then she finds a little boy hiding in the bushes. And when his dad shows up… well, that’s when things go from bad to much worse.

What follows is a tense, surreal road trip for two unlikely allies. The horror set pieces they encounter are vivid, inventive, and deeply unsettling. If you have a child in your life, I think you'll connect with the little boy's fears. I, for one, have a two year old and can attest to the terror that Target during Halloween season can cause to the uninitiated.

Jess is a great protagonist. Her improv background gives her a unique toolkit for surviving this bizarre and dangerous situation. But what I really loved was the depiction of Jess's relationship with her mom, Cookie. Cookie is a delight, and her conversations with Jess often bring some comic relief to the book's tension.

The pacing here is perfect. No lulls, no fluff, just forward momentum. There's violence and gore, but nothing that made this scaredy cat too intimidated to keep on reading. Well. There is a scene involving a certain movie from the 80's that is not for kids, but that I definitely saw as a kid. That was honestly the most disturbing part for me since it tapped into some of my own childhood nightmares.

This is a deeply affecting read, and I think Cassidy nails his thesis. I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, which I highly recommend. Helen Laser is becoming one of my favorite narrators, and she brings so much emotional depth here. Cassidy also narrates a few passages himself, which adds a layer of intimacy that really works.

This book is already getting buzz, and I think it’s well deserved. You’ll be seeing it on a lot of best-of-the-year lists, and for good reason. This is capital-H Horror — harrowing and intense — but it’s also proof of what the genre can do at its best. It's not just scary. It's meaningful.

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this gifted audio, in exchange for an honest review! When the Wolf Comes Home is out on April 22, 2025! When the Wolf Comes Home was a 4.5/5 stars for me! This one was by far my favorite book by Cassidy. I absolutely love creepy kids and the kiddo in this one was pretty terrifying. I loved the characters in this one, they felt really raw. A lot of the plot reminded me of It by Stephen King, which I loved. The ending made me a bit mad, in a good way I think? It was the reason for the knock of a half a star. I really enjoyed this one overall!