Folk horror is my favorite thing in the whole wide horror subgenre world. So this book really talked to me while reading the premise and description. After reading the whole book I think tha t the folk horror part could have been better. The pacing was also very slow and my interest had som hard times being kept up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

They Fear Not Men In The Woods is out of this world. Part murder mystery, part rouge environmentalist, part feminist goddess of the forest all in one. And you will love it all! 💫💫💫💫💫

Jen Monroe's dad went missing. She receives a message from her best friend that some of her father's remains have been found, and she needs to come for his memorial. Jen arrives at her old home town, her mom is the same awful character she has always been. Deep down, Jen believes her father is alive. So when her ex-boyfriend Chaz and all 6 friends decide to go looking for the Lost Grove trail to pay their respects to her father, things go completely wrong. Chaz has his own reasons for seeking this trail, and it isn't for any good reason.

Loved this thriller! It is different, and the folklore, storytelling, and vibe were so good. There is some gore and disembowelment, and all bad people must pay for wanting to hurt the forest and trees. I hope we have a second installment where we see Jen and Sammy delve deep into how the magic in the forest works and how they are able to shape shift and survive!
Thank you, Netgalley and DAW, for this magical ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

I’m a thriller girlie and starting to get into horror novels; I’ve been needing something that goes beyond the “mysteries and thrillers” genre and this book, I think, was really good. It’s definitely a creepy and atmospheric book with Midsommar vibes, which I loved.

What a fascinating book! This was a a slow gothic burn with an incredible flora and fauna horror twist.

They Fear Not Men in the Woods was interesting to start with and had me easily enamored with the style of writing. While the plot wasn’t the most interesting to begin with, the underlying tension and technical writing gave me enough to be gripped.

And then half way through it falls off the edge of a cliff in the best way possible. Our main cast of characters is hunted through the woods and the ending was EVERYTHING. My only wish was that this aspect happened sooner. The first half and the second half felt very different and the second half was what I wanted from this.

Giving Annihilation meets Midsommar, We Fear Not Men in the Woods is nearly perfect for all the weirdos that talk to trees and hear them talk back.

Folk eco-horror with a "good for her" protagonist, compared to Midsommar and Catriona Ward, what could go wrong?

Well. A fair bit, judging by my rating, unfortunately.

Jen Monroe grew up idolizing her forest ranger father, and when he disappeared in the woods one day, she continued to believe that he was alive. When his remains are found, Jen returns to the hometown she's stayed away from and the people she's cut ties with, where her adamant belief that he's still alive leads to her, along with some old friends and an ex-boyfriend, going on an exploration of the woods where he disappeared. While there, they encounter more questions than answers and the woods are deadly in a way that they couldn't imagine . . .

There's a lot going for that quick (and badly-written, sorry) plot summary. I liked the idea of creepy woods, atmospheric folk horror (this was not a thing, don't expect it here), and also the fact that the relationships promise interesting character development and emotional beats. Sadly, the latter really only works if you don't hate every single character and are therefore rooting for the woods to just end them all.

The characters were shallow and really archetypical. I struggle to think of any who had more than maybe two personality traits or who showed any growth (other than the spoilery kind of growth 👀). They were all so frustrating, not least because they were presented through the eyes of Jen herself.

As a main character, Jen was . . . difficult. She's gritty, yes, and also could fit into the archetype of "bisexual disaster" which is always a great archetype, but man, does she ever hate women. And people in general. Jen is an equal opportunity hater of all! But her dismissive thoughts toward other women seemed very pointed and very much "not like other girls" and this alone made it extremely difficult for me to enjoy being in Jen's head.

I will give the book one little bit of credit beyond its great premise, and that's that it did compelling body horror quite well!

Was this a terrible book? No, but god, was I glad to be done and away from Jen's narration. Even a "good for her" ending couldn't save this for me when Jen was the "her" in question.

Thank you to the publisher, DAW, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

They Fear Not Men in the Woods had some good parts in terms of atmosphere. Its problems were in the characters, who failed to really connect at all, and in the rushed ending. That said, I’m not sure how you end something like this without rushing. The pacing was not a problem for me, as I expected something diving into folklore and the woods to be a bit slow.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

They Fear Not Men in the Woods was a bit on the slow side for me. Not enough was going on at any given time to really hold my attention. Even though Gretchen McNeil is one of my favorite authors, this one just wasn't for me.

I REALLY liked this, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a fun and frightening read. I really liked Jen, our protagonist, mostly because she just kind of sucked. Don't get me wrong, she was sympathetic, but I'm kind of obsessed with her just being a jerk at times, particularly to Han's wife. Her internal monologue is pretty voicy, which added to it for me. The other characters were also solid, though I have to say that I didn't have a great grip on what Dmitri was like as a person. Was Miranda slightly annoying and needed to build some solidarity with other women? Yes. Was she also so real for a lot of it? Also yes, I too would be like that about hiking in the backwoods.

I was really surprised by how frightening this book was. I read a fair amount of horror, and I'm used to being tense but not viscerally afraid. Maybe this was because I read a decent chunk of the back half at 2 AM when I couldn't sleep, but I was properly scared. I think perhaps it's because I have done some hiking in the woods and even been by myself in the woods when I was younger, and I cannot IMAGINE how frightened I would be if this happened to me. McNeil also has a way of describing the body horror in a particularly visceral way that made me cringe. Very scary, I was scared.

Plot-wise, it's solid. I guessed at least the vibes of most of the twists, if not the exact nature of them, which is honestly ok by me, because at least things weren't coming from nowhere. I wish the climax had been a little slower; it feel a little like a mad dash in a way that didn't really let the characters process events, and then the book ends.

Overall, a quick and frightening read that somehow makes me want to go on a hike.

2,5/5⭐️ Sadly, this one just didn’t work for me. I went in so excited (as the blurb promised folkloric woods-horror) but it opened with one of my biggest reading icks: an FMC knowingly engaging in an affair with a married man, even proudly stating “[He] wanted me. I’m special.” From there, my connection to her (and the rest of the characters that got introduced) only frayed further, as more interactions and relationships were introduced that I couldn’t get behind.

As for the horror? There are a few eerie moments, and the story does have an overall “feeling of dread”, but I wouldn’t call it horror until the last 10%, with a single unsettling scene around the halfway mark. The pacing also felt off — meandering and heavy on unnecessary details, only to rush through the ending… though I will say, the conclusion was original and leaned nicely into a “good-for-her” vibe which I did enjoy.

This book is full of beautiful writing and descriptions and yes, the author knows Washington! Unfortunately I didn't connect with any of the characters and as the book progressed they all progressively got more and more on my nerves. The ending felt rushed and fell flat for me. I'd read from this author again but I wouldn't run to pick the book up.

2.5 stars

There's some good horror in here - the last 30% or so legitimately kept me up at night - but it was let down by profoundly unlikeable characters and a lot of wandering around in the woods for the first 70%.

The main characters are all pretty awful. There's not much to like or root for in Jen, and her "friends" are worse. On top of that, the misogyny is rife. The women in this book are Jen (not like other girls), Jen's jealous, airhead friend, Jen's boyfriend's jealous wife, Jen's tacky mother (who is described with dripping disdain in a way that feels classist and sexist), and a mysterious woman who is very clearly not what she seems.

For me, it took too long for the characters to start figuring out what was going on, and by then I just didn't care very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil.

They Fear Not Men in the Woods delivers a haunting premise with strong atmospheric writing and an eerie sense of dread that builds as the story unfolds. Jen's return to Barrow, Washington, and her quest to uncover the truth behind her father's mysterious disappearance, had all the right ingredients for a gripping feminist suspense novel: a moody forest setting, complex family dynamics, and the lingering trauma of the past.

The themes around environmentalism, grief, and female agency were compelling and timely, and the forest felt like its own character-dark, ancient, and watchful. There were moments that really kept me turning pages, and the set up for something more supernatural was intriguing.

That said, the story didn't fully live up to its poetential. Some of the plot twists felt predictable, and certain characters-particularly the supporting cast-lacked depth. The pacing dragged in places and the ending left me wanting a bit more clarity and emotional payoff.

Overall, this was a decent read, but it wasn't up to the expectations I had put on it.

This book was good. It was a little predictable and maybe a bit too long. I did like that the trees came alive, it gave an eerie feel to the book.

I’ll start with the positives. The premise—promised to be a feminist eco-horror compared to Midsommar—was intriguing enough for me to request the book. The book largely delivered on that promise. The author understands how to set a scene, making the woods feel more like a character than a setting, and they were my favourite character by far. It was very atmospheric and gory, but I wish this were the focus of the book’s conflict rather than the interpersonal drama within the group. The eco-horror picked up in the second half of the book, so I was a little more engaged with the plot (ignore my comment at 94% where I said that things were finally getting interesting). It was a little predictable and tropey, but I’m desperate for some positives here.

The negatives far outweigh any positive aspects I enjoyed about this book. I found all the characters insufferable in ways that I couldn’t even find enjoyable, especially the narrator, Jen, and it was a struggle to get through her internal monologue. The entire plot about her and her married boss(?), which opens the book, became entirely irrelevant past those first few chapters. She does not seem to have any interest whatsoever in the well-being of her friends and has complete tunnel vision when it comes to what she wants. The pacing drags in the middle section to the point where it felt like I was walking alongside the characters in the woods on their multi-hour hike in real time. The horror elements appeared too late in the story to redeem any of my dislikes that came before, and much of it was lacklustre. There is a chapter where all the characters run for their lives from nothing. One character has magical healing powers, and Jen doesn’t question it because they are Finnish, and that is enough of a correlation for her.

I wish I could’ve liked this one, or that the entire book had the same enjoyment as the final 10%.

☆☆☆☆.5 - 4.5 stars

💫 Jen, a forester is tormented by the grief caused due to her father missing and by the strange whispering she hears in the woods. She is summoned to her hometown regarding the news of her father's death and meets a new mysterious girl who immediately catches Jen's attention. As she and her friend searches the forest where Jen's ranger father disappeared, the secrets starts revealing, the trees are not what it appears to be and the creepy whisperings starts to echo around that may even outweigh the secrets they carry.

🍡 I requested for this arc as soon as I read the description and oh boy was it good! I was completely hooked from the first page. Jen was maybe an unlikeable protagonist but I unlikeable protagonist so it wasn't an issues to me. The writing is beautiful, with descriptions of nature so vivid you can see the scenary burned into your retina. The horror is not something that will make you jump up in a second. It is slow, creeping and will send a chill in your spine, like the way ice melts slowly and drips as water. The first half of the book is more like a mystery thriller with some creepy elements thrown. The last pages are the ones where true folk horror type of viscreal horror begins. It is morbid, gut wrenching (pun intended) and deliciously slow. I absolutely loved the message give in the book regarding nature, which is something absolutely necessary in today's age. The ending was so up to my liking and I would have been totally okay with reading a little bit more too.

🎨 One thing that made me not give this a 5 star was the fact that the story did drag and ponder over some instances unnecessarily. Also Jen making some weird sterotypical comments which made me cringe while reading it. Other than that, this is a very engaging folk horror read which will make your toes curl as you go on reading.

Thank you NetGalley and DAW for provding me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was good. Not my favorite read but enjoyable nonetheless. I would say this feels more like a domestic thriller than horror. The horror elements too long to develop for this to be a favorite. If the synopsis intrigues you then definitely give this one a go.

Thank you to DAW, NetGalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the ARC!

They Fear Not Men in the Woods is an atmospheric slow-burn horror that takes you deep into the remote forests of Washington state.

The story follows Jen, a forestry student, who returns to her hometown after her missing father’s remains are reported to be found. Jen has a hard time believing that her father, a longtime, experienced forest ranger, could have died in the woods he spent so much time in.

Determined to discover the truth behind her father’s disappearance and death, Jen agrees to join a group of old classmates, including her ex-boyfriend, on a camping trip to the area of the forest where her father had gone missing. The truth may turn out to be far more twisted than Jen could have imagined.

The strongest point of this book has to be the concept for me. The idea of a man going missing in a place he dedicated so much of his life to protecting is very unsettling. Having most of the story take place deep in the woods, multiple days of hiking away from civilization, was the perfect choice, and helped with building tension as well. Tying into the concept, another aspect of the book I enjoyed was its atmospheric quality. I think the author was successful at drawing the reader into the forests of rural Washington. The descriptions of the trees, the soil, the sounds that fill the woods, etc. were all very vivid.

Unfortunately, I felt like the execution fell flat in some ways. I commend the author for taking a step out of her comfort zone and stepping into the world of writing adult horror, but I found that much of the dialogue and the writing in general still read like YA to me. I thought most of the characters were pretty immature, and as someone in their mid-20s, I was not convinced that the main cast were also around that age. I also felt that the tone was inconsistent in areas. There would be tense moments that were disrupted by Jen making a little joke to herself in the narration. As I don’t believe the intention of the book was to be a horror comedy, these moments felt odd and out of place to me.

Despite its flaws, I do think that this book would be a good read for those out there that enjoy slow-burns, folk-horror elements, and forest settings. I think this may particularly be good for “new adult” readers that are beginning to branch out from YA.

Pub Date : September 9, 2025

This book left me speechless.

I’ve found myself a part of the woods, feeling close to them my entire life. My home away from home, the place I went to read, to escape. I felt at home climbing into the canopies and watching the world from the highest branches. When I finally saw the redwoods, I was in awe. This book took me back to those places- to the sacred world that is the woods. I could feel the cool air of the forest, and I’ve walked the trails described. How beautifully this was written, how stunningly the scenes played in my mind.

Jen’s dad goes missing- but how? Her dad is a seasoned ranger, a talented man who is at home in the woods. He’s been working to save the most ancient grove in the forest from destruction and just, vanishes. Jen knows he’s not just gone, he couldn’t be! But when searches lead no where and they finally close the case, Jen moves to go to college and work in the redwood forests near Eureka, CA.

When Jen receives a text from her best friend that her father’s remains have finally been found, she has to go back to her hometown to get closure, but something isn’t right, so she and her friends start on a journey into the woods to find him, but as they get deeper in the woods, something sinister lures them deeper.

Five stars aren’t enough.

Thank you NetGalley and DAW Books for the privilege of reading this ARC for an honest review.

DNF @35%

It's taking too long to get to the actual plot of the book. And I don't care for or about the main character. She's having an affair with her married professor and then acts like she's a victim when she finds out he's cheating with another student. 🙄

I love a forest story! They Fear Not Men In The Woods had great atmosphere and incredible tension. I really enjoyed.