First I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listeners copy of this book.

I’m not even sure where to start with this book. It was fantastic. I loved The Nestlings last year and this one was just as good. It was so strange and out there in the best possible way. I had no idea what to expect with them book and it took so many unexpected turns.

It was gory and graphic and just wonderful. I loved the character development in this book. You don’t always get that with horror stories but this was so well done. The author was able to move the story and character development along without sacrificing one for the other.

This book starts out quick with the action and doesn’t let up throughout the entire thing. I loved the audiobook version of this book. Helen Laser is one of my favorites and this audiobook was no exception.

I’m still torn on the ending. It was messed up and kind of messed with my mind a little.

Overall, I rated it 4.5/5 stars rounded up to 5 for this review.

This is not my first Nat Cassidy book, and I think at this point he will become an auto-read for me. Wow. 5 easy stars for this one. The narrator was fantastic! And the story moved with such great pace. I was caught up in every moment of the story. Shocked and stunned and yes, sometimes confused but in the best way. It was scary and gory but worth it. I loved this!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook!

This is an incredible ride! Nat Cassidy is a great storyteller and the narrator really helped bring this story to life. It's fast paced, it's gruesome, it's sprinkled with humor. It's easy to see why this is such an anticipated book to own.

When The Wolf Comes Home was a very fun and unique horror book. This book deals with good vs evil in a really unique and thought provoking way.

Jess is a struggling actress and on her way home she finds a 5 year old boy in the bushes near her apartment begging for her help. After a terrifying run in with the boys father they end up having to run for their life.

Over all I would recommend this book for fans of horror that like their books alittle on the weird side.

This was an arc gifted to me by the publisher but as always my reviews are honest and my own.

🖤 When the Wolves Come Home Review 🖤
Poor Jess… just when you think things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Nate Cassidy pulls you deeper into a storm of heartbreak and haunting twists. This story doesn’t just tug at your heartstrings—it tears them to shreds in the most beautiful, brutal way.

It all begins with one brave, selfless act—coming to the aid of a terrified child. That moment, simple yet powerful, marks the beginning of the end for Jess. From there, everything unravels. One by one, she loses everyone she’s ever loved, sacrificing everything to keep the boy safe from the clutches of his abusive father.

But safety is fleeting.

As Jess and the child flee their demons, the plot tightens with every page. Tension coils like a trap, and just when you think escape is within reach—they come face to face with their monsters once more.

Cassidy masterfully crafts a tale of resilience and terror. It’s a gut-wrenching, unforgettable journey that lingers long after the last page.

The audio was fantastic - the narrator switched to the kid’s voice seamlessly and it was perfectly creepy. I think if you like classic creature features & Stranger Things you would love this story. They're on the run the entire time...but the kid cannot be trusted. He creates new realities based on what he believes is real. Very cool concept. The ending was soooo good. The wolf is a metaphor. It's not about a wolf really. But it kind of is? Just read it and you'll understand.

This is a very fast paced thriller style horror with plenty of daddy issues and character development. I could see it playing out as a movie 💯

You MUST read/listen to the Afterward. It is incredible and honestly I might re read the book knowing what I know now. Like what. Obsessed. I will now be devouring the rest of Nat's books.

Nat Cassidy is such a great storyteller! I got this one thinking it was a werewolf story, which I was super excited about, because WEREWOLVES! But this was so much more than werewolves and shapeshifters! At the heart of it, this story is a compelling reflection of human nature at its awful core, and very reflective of society today. We all operate on the belief that we do things or act a certain way, not because we think they are right, but because we know they are right. But are they? Who’s to say what the definition of right is for another person? This story explores all of that in all of its glorious gory detail. Cassidy is an impeccable writer and very adept at putting the message in his story without you even realizing it. The characters were so, so good! But be careful getting close to these insanely good characters, because you never know who’s going to be a victim of the shapeshifter, or become one themselves. By the time you get to the end of this book, you’ll be asking yourself, “Who’s really the monster?”

Huge thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

I've been really enjoying Nat Cassidy's work over the last couple years, so I was excited to hear about his latest release, When the Wolf Comes Home, which sounded like it would bring something to Cassidy's work--and it did just that! Nat Cassidy truly is one of the best horror writers on the scene right now due to his ability to craft stories that have both terrifying elements and thought-provoking, multi-faceted aspects that provide incredible depth to each story. I was immediately drawn into this story and was really captivated by the premise.

We begin by following a fairly typical story in LA featuring Jess, a young actress who is trying to book auditions and make her way, but hasn't quite had that big break yet. She currently works at a diner, which isn't really providing her all that much in the way of excitement or fulfillment. One night, she happens to come across a young boy just outside her apartment. With no idea who the boy is where his parents are, she decides to try to help him out--and quickly discovers that there is more to his story than just being lost than she thought. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say that once Jess and the boy realize they can’t stay in her apartment for a number of reasons, the two set off on a journey of their own. Along the way, Jess uncovers some truly shocking truths about the boy and how he ended up in his current situation.

I found Jess to be someone that I could easily connect with and relate to, and it was easy for me to become invested in her rather chaotic and unexpected journey in this book. Her reactions to the bizarre events happening around her felt pretty understandable given the truly extreme and just plain weird nature of them. I also appreciated that she had a bit of 'just go with it' vibe that felt entirely warranted, which I thought also showed that, as her core, she is someone with a pretty good heart who just wants to take care of herself and help those who need it.

I also really appreciated the book’s focus on fear as a theme, especially in how it affects the boy. But not only does When the Wolf Comes Home explore how fear literally affects the characters, it also dives deep into fear itself: what is it, what shapes our fears, what goes into fear, and what fear can drive us to do. The power of fear is real, and it's very present in this story. This book also goes to some pretty dark places and tackles some tough topics, which I thought Cassidy--as usual--tackled with nuance and care and did so wonderfully well.

People don't always expect horror books to be very emotionally moving or to explore deeper themes (which is odd, considering how often horror deals with grief, anger, trauma, etc...but I digress), but When the Wolf Comes home is genuinely a bit of a gut punch of a story. There's a lot of tragedy woven throughout the story, and the ending is also sure to bring out some emotions in readers as well. I thought it was the perfect conclusion to this story, even though it’s a difficult one, and I think it really drove home everything that had been explored in this book.

When the Wolf Comes Home is a hefty story packed into a focused and concise narrative, if that makes any sense. The topics explored are fairly ambitious, but they're handled in a very streamlined and complete way. I thought the pacing was excellently executed and it felt fast-paced at times, but not too rushed, and still plenty of time exploring the inner mind of our protagonist and everything going on around her. I don't think I found my interest wavering at all while reading this, and in fact I went through it pretty quickly because I just couldn't seem to put it down.

I listened to the audiobook version of this and thought the narrator did an excellent job! She captured the tone of the story and Jess' experiences perfectly. I also enjoyed Nat Cassidy's own appearance, and I highly recommend sticking around to hear (or read) his author's note at the end, as I felt it added a lot to the story and provided a wonderful glimpse into some of his inspirations.

When the Wolf Comes Home is quite a chaotic and tumultuous journey, but it's one that I was hooked on the entire time. I can't recommend it or Nat Cassidy's work enough!

From the start this was very intriguing. The audio was done very well. The way it started with the little boy and his dad being abusive was really sad, but it kept me interested in listening to see what was going to happen. Then the way the FMC took care of the boy was really sweet. This book was very creepy at times, had elements of the big bad wolf. I recommend listening to the audio, it was really good.

A romp of an audiobook! This was so entertaining and greatly alleviated the story. Loved it so much; the cadence of the narrator was especially delicious. The sound effects were also top notch.

Wonderfully dark, wholesome, devastating, and so thought provoking. It was wildly creative and not nearly as horrific as some other horror novels out there, but still one of the best I’ve read. A favorite of the year, no question.

Going in, I thought this was going to be a werewolf story. I didn’t read the full synopsis, but werewolves and Cassidy just felt like the perfect combo. Is there a werewolf? Maybe… 😉 Imagine your worst fears could come to life. Literally.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook arc of When the Wolf Comes Home! The audio is phenomenal, complete with a wonderful afterword read by Nat Cassidy himself. I devoured this one.

This is one of those books I want to gift to everyone and just tell them: Don’t look up a single thing. Just read it.

I went into this book without looking at anything but the cover . And this book was so much different than what I thought. Without giving too much away I will say that the author transported the reader into a world of uncertainty and horror while still maintaining very human-ness of the characters. Brutal at some points and emotional at others, this book was the Perfect Blend of weird and wonderful. I already know who in my book buddies I can recommend this to and I will be looking into other books by this author. The afterward by the author was something that I'm thinking about even days later, it was impactful and makes me want to read other novels by him.

I hadn't read a book by Nat Cassidy yet, but the description spoke to me so I picked this audiobook up. Oh man, oh man, oh MAN. This is an incredibly tense, evocative, and complicated book. Before I say anything else: PLEASE NOTE THE TRIGGER WARNINGS INCLUDED AT THE START OF THIS BOOK. Including some I'll list here: violence, gore, body horror, death of parent, child death, child abuse, medical content, needles, stalking, and kidnapping. And that's just a start.

"When the Wolf Comes Home" is about fear. Largely, it's about being a parent, what that means, the choices we make regarding our children, fears we have/fears they have, etc., but it's also about control. Control is something of an antonym of fear, because we use control to navigate said fears: we control our emotions, our reactions, our actions. Even with a phobia, we exist in a world made of pure fear, and we have to find our own ways to survive all that.

But there is no controlling a child. You can try, as characters in this novel do, but when it comes down to it: that child has their own autonomy. If you try to "control" a child, they will likely have one of two reactions: acquiescence or resistance. They will learn to adapt your behaviors/lessons, or they will oppose you and defy your attempts. Ultimately, we can only control our own actions and reactions. We cannot foist our will upon another, even if they're too young to understand different.

The lessons in this book reflect back on control often. Although you get little of his perspective, the boy's father tried to control him prior to the inciting incident that opened the book. Jess, the protagonist, picks up his baton and tries to teach/control the kid thereafter. But they both end up at the same conclusion: he cannot be controlled. And what does that mean?

Fear is too big a thing to ever control. You can heal the symptoms, but can you ever fully relieve yourself of fear? And a child fears most of all, because they have no prior experience, no context with which to understand the world. For instance, I have 30 years of life to help me navigate new challenges daily. Kiddo had five. Less, considering memories aren't exact when you're too young for words. So he, rightfully, feared everything. And what happens when your fears are a trigger for even scarier things? Well, that's what this book is about!

"When the Wolf Comes Home," follows stressed-out, mid-crisis Improv-wannabe, Jess, as she finds a scared young boy and attempts to protect him from the real world (and fantasy) dangers that follow them. Among said dangers are wolves, monsters, animated characters, and hat-bats. Levels of danger vary. Soon enough, she comes to realize that the danger might not be "after them," after all, but running alongside them. The boy has powers. Jess, an ill-equipped waitress and reluctant caregiver, is thrown into a helluva situation. She adapts by using the number one rule of improv: Yes and.

Nat Cassidy's writing is full of visually complex ideas and creations. It's never hard to picture what's on the page (or spoken through the radio, in my case), because Cassidy is so descriptive and exact. Every confusing notion is followed by a simile or metaphor that knocks you right back into the world of Jess and her charge. The characters and set-ups are if not perfect, then sooo satisfying when they pay off. The characters are fully realized, fully themselves. They could walk off the page and you wouldn't bat an eye (not just because of the fantasy powers depicted).

The ending is dark. Shocking, and hard to read. This isn't a happily-ever-after story. But if you read this, you'll understand that there really couldn't be one? The themes of the story are too complex, too real for this book to end anywhere close to happy. This story contains a lot of death. As depicted on the cover, no one will be sparred. I enjoyed this book a lot, but it was very hard. Very difficult and heavy. And I say all this with the disclaimer that I do not have/want children. I do not feel the maternal instincts indicative of my gender, feelings that may affect many audience members. Be warned, this is a heavy book.

When the Wolf Comes Home
Nat Cassidy
04/22/2025
MacMillan Audio

Ok, now I see why this is one of the most anticipated horror books of the year. I had zero idea going in what this book was going to be about. The only thing I knew was that everyone loved it. Hot damn! = And PPPPPlease read all the way to the end to the forward. It is worth it.

This book is a story about fear, the unknown, what you cannot see, what you think you see or know and what happens when fear controls you. Each page is full of horror, heart and a little humor sprinkled in making a heck of a wild ride that you will not forget. Loaded with visceral, gore-laced scenes and unrelenting action, When the Wolf Comes Home is a book that readers will be talking about for a long time to come.

Read the blurb – that’s all Im going to say. There are layers of things to take apart in this book – and whether you are a horror fan or not – you should read this.

Damn, watch out folks, Nat Cassidy is coming for the crown! This is the golden age of horror novels and its books like "When the Wolf comes home" that really solidifies that sentiment. This book is incredible. I didn't read anything about it going into it, and I was so surprised by what it was actually about vs. my assumptions. This is a book about fear and when we let it consume us, and that's pretty much all I'm going to say about the plot. The action starts pretty quickly in this novel and doesn't slow down. I'm not always big on a road trip story, but it worked just so well with this book.

Not only does Cassidy blend humor into his horror so masterfully, but he also will grab your heart and hold it in a chokehold. I was laughing and crying in between all the horrifying, bloody scenes. The characters are so real and developed. Cassidy consistently has also created such great female characters, and Jess is no expection.

If you've read Cassidy before, you know each one of these books are so personable to him (I always look forward to reading his afterwords on his books) and its so clear to tell since his books have such heart to them. This book should be dedicated to anyone with daddy issues.

I listened to the audiobook . The narrator did an amazing job at emoting the lines perfectly. I'd definitely recommend giving it a listen. There were pieces of it that Nat Cassidy narrates himself, which I always love.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mcmillan Audio for the audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nat Cassidy quickly became one of my favorite authors, after I read Mary last year. He’s a fantastic storyteller, and I want to read everything that he writes.

I loved it. A masterful tale of fear, When the Wolf Comes Home held me within its jaws from the start.

While both thrilling and scary, the beauty of this story lies deep within its heart. The MC’s anxiety and self-doubt resonated deeply with me, and I was incredibly moved by the story as a whole. When the Wolf Comes Home examines the impacts of trauma, grief, and complicated family relationships on our lives.

I was simultaneously holding my breath in suspense and bawling my eyes out while reading this terrifying and poignant novel.

What to expect:
🐺 fast-paced, thrilling action
🐺 emotionally charged
🐺 sprinkled with humor
🐺 a chase, a monster, twists, and gore

Helen Laser is phenomenal on audio. She’s a top narrator for me, and her performance is stellar. I loved that Nat also steps in to narrate as well.

As always, I deeply appreciated Nat’s author note. His personal insights and inspiration always add an even greater understanding and depth to his story.

I loved this book! So fast paced. I could not put it down. We follow Jess, a struggling actress, who discovers a five -year old runaway hiding outside her apartment. After a violent encounter with the boy's father, Jess and the boy find themselves on the run. The writing is both chilling and profound with jaw-dropping twists and gut-wrenching emotional depth.

The novel explores themes of fear, anxiety, and the legacy of parental failure, making it more than just a horror story. The character development is superb, particularly the relationship between Jess and the boy, which adds a layer of emotional complexity to the narrative. This is a must read for horror fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advance listening copy in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own.

OK. I guess I’m in the minority here, as I see a ton of 5 ⭐️ reviews. Don’t get me wrong… the writing was good. The characters strong. Just… not my cup of tea/coffee. 😬

Not. Yet. Released…. Due out on 4/22/25!!

Jessa is an aspiring actress, working at a diner. When a mishap occurs, she is given bathroom duties, and unfortunately for her, stabs herself with a used/dirty syringe! Being a RN myself, I shiver with this news!! 😮🫣

But, that’s just the beginning. It only gets worse from here…

When she goes home she finds a little boy hiding in the bushes… from his father… who apparently is insane, or something like that.

She RUNS with the boy, trying to protect him. But there’s something OFF about him. And the more time she spends with him, the more people die in their wake. A horrible, nasty death…

But Jessa begins to bond with kiddo. And she really tries to keep him safe…

I’m going to end it here, but just know there’s A LOT of death, gore, chasing… and a huge wolf-like creature involved. Also, there are A-LOT of Daddy issues raised in the book!
If this genre calls to you, don’t miss this one!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.
Kudos to the author for the ‘Graphic Content’ warning, and the afterword. They were terrific and should not be missed!

#WhenTheWolfComesHome by #NatCassidy and narrated phenomenally by #HelenLaser.

***** THIS HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED!! Look 👀 for it on 4/22/25!! *****

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

THANK YOU!!! To Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook!
I'll be honest, I didn't read the entire description when I requested this book. I never do. Sometimes descriptions give a little more info than I care to know.
So imagine my surprise when a REAL werewolf appears and not the metaphor I was expecting.
I am so glad I continued to listen.
This was wild!
Please, I beg you, listen all the way to the end. Past the end of the story to the authors afterward and acknowledgements. This book will make so much more sense. I actually teared up.
Excellent narration!
And Nat Cassidy has a new fan!

When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🐺 Horror that bites AND makes you laugh

**Note:** Listened to this as an audiobook and HIGHLY recommend that format - the narration takes this already wild ride to another level!

Y'all, I devoured this book like a werewolf at an all-you-can-eat buffet! Nat Cassidy has somehow crafted a horror novel that had me white-knuckling my blanket while also howling with laughter. This isn't just horror - it's COMEDIC horror done so right that I'm still processing the emotional whiplash.

The premise seems simple: Jess (struggling actress, relatable queen) finds a little boy hiding in the bushes, and suddenly they're running from his seriously unhinged father. But then we discover this kid can manifest his fears into REALITY, and honey, things go from zero to blood-soaked FAST.

The vibes we're tracking:
🔪 Gore that doesn't feel gratuitous
😂 One-liners that made me snort-laugh
🤯 A twist ending that DESTROYED me
🎬 Literally screaming "MAKE THIS A MOVIE" the entire time

The pacing is relentless - Cassidy doesn't give you a moment to catch your breath. One minute you're giggling at some perfectly timed dark humor, the next you're hiding under your blanket because WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?

That ending though? I'm still picking my jaw up off the floor. Talk about a sucker punch I didn't see coming!

If you're looking for predictable werewolf tropes, look elsewhere. This is something far more unsettling that burrows into your brain and sets up camp. It's fresh, it's disturbing, and I'm officially declaring this my favorite horror read of the year.

Someone please option this for a 2027 movie release because I need to see this play out on screen while simultaneously watching through my fingers.