I'm a big fan of Gretchen McNeil and her adult horror didn't disappoint. The sense of place in the Lost Groves and in Barrow, the small PNW town where Jen returns to get to the bottom of her forest ranger father's disappearance, are beautifully realized. When the horror element snaps into place, it SNAPS. Overall, this has complicated relationships, dark humor, and a propulsive thriller pace that doesn't relent once the trees start crowding the characters. The addition of the wood nymphs is FANTASTIC and even though I'm NOT a forest girlie, I found myself wanting to shuffle off my human form and joining them in the Lost Groves.

I would give this one 3.5 if I could give half stars, some elements really worked for me and some did not. I didn't mind Jen, I fear not an unlikeable/flawed main character! The reveal of the horror elements at about halfway into the novel worked for me as well, as did the beginning of the novel, but I almost DNFed and called it quits about about 95% because I was very not into the final reveal. But, I think this is an interesting read and will be good fodder for book conversations, as I imagine it will be divisive! Light on horror but does the atmosphere and foreboding well.

I wanted to love this as the blurb sounded really good but I just didnt like the writing. I was expecting more of a creepy vive than what I got.

Rating - 2.5 Stars

Thank you to DAW and NetGalley for the ARC!

They Fear Not Men in the Woods follows Jen, a young woman who returns to her hometown after finding out her father, who has been missing for several years, has finally been found dead. As she returns for the memorial, her and several friends decide to venture into the woods, in search of answers as to what happened to Jen's father -as well as other hikers who have gone missing in the area.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The characters just felt very flat and one-dimensional. Jen was not very likeable. I didn't find myself rooting for her at all during her journey. And for a book that is pitched as a feminist horror... Jen had some horrible comments about other female characters in the book, which was disappointing. Jen's friends were equally as unlikable to me.

The horror aspect of the book also fell a bit short, for me. The true horror parts didn't start until over halfway through the book, and even then things dragged a bit until the very end. It felt like a lot of setup for very little payoff, in my opinion.

As for the sort of "twist" in the story, it felt a bit obvious. It frustrated me that Jen felt a bit oblivious, for a character that was meant to be smart and focused. (view spoiler)

But, there are some things I did like! I enjoyed the atmosphere. The author did a good job of creating some tension and heaviness through the setting. (view spoiler). And some of the horror descriptions near the end were very visceral and well written!

Fans of The Ritual by Adam Neville and the film the Witch might enjoy this!

This was a tough one for me. It was hard to get interested in the first few pages and something about the MC/narrator struck me as unpleasant. I'll give this author another try in the future.

I ended up really enjoying this book and sped through it. The description of liking it if you liked Midsommar is very valid.

You really got me in the last 25%! The first half of the book was a little bit slow, but the build up to the end was also important so I understand why it had to be that way. There were some things that happened that made me go "oh yeah, this is a lot like Midsommar" but I also liked how unique it was in the way it was told.

I felt it was predictable where things were headed, but enjoyable. The characters though? I hated every single one of them haha. Even Jen is intolerant and annoying.

That being said, save the forest! 🌳 🌲

thank you to netgalley for the chance to read this book early!

An oddly educational yet spine tingling read, definitely not the kinda book you’d want to read prior to a camping or hiking trip. I’ll definitely be paying more attention to nature from now on!

So far, this book is my favourite book I’ve read this year. As an outdoorsy person who loves horror, I really felt like this was the perfect story for me. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, including the MC, but I really didn’t mind because I enjoyed the story. The way the MC reacts to certain events was…cold. I will say, I certainly don’t look at trees the same way anymore when I’m hiking! The only thing that drove me up the wall a bit was there’s a lot of “white people bad” rhetoric when SEEMINGLY every character and the author are white. I found that repetitive and a bit off-putting but I still love the book as a whole.

Well, what an adrenaline rush of a book this was! Even though I was already confident that I would enjoy "They Fear Not Men in the Woods" because I've read some of McNeil's previous books, and loved them, my expectations were met and exceeded. Fans of forest or botanical horror, which sounds niche (and admittedly is so) but is nonetheless a growing subgenre within horror, will love this one.

Something that I cannot go without in horror novels is the slow building of dread, in one way or another. There are many different ways to write horror, and some stories work out wonderfully by relying on explicit gore and macabre entrail festivals, but I as a reader don't particularly enjoy being doused in carnage and blood because it doesn't do anything for me. Although I respect both writers and readers of such horror stories, I'm more of a creepy vibes gal, and that's the reason why I enjoyed "They Fear Not Men in the Woods" so much. Even though this story starts far away from the actual forest, nature was present from the get-go thanks to Jen's ferocious love of the same wilderness that might or might not have swallowed his father whole. There was a ruthless side to her knowledge of the forest and nature that made me like her a lot more than I would have otherwise, and was what hooked me from the start.

In this sense, I also really enjoyed the characters despite not necessarily liking them. The book follows a seven-person expedition into the depths of the Washington wilderness surrounding a small town where nothing ever happens, after all, and I was very pleased to find exactly what I expected in the character department. I love to see intrincate webs of lies and deceit mixed with post-teen drama, and this book provided exactly that through Miranda, Todd, Chaz, Benny, Ellis, and Dmitri. It was also really interesting to notice the parallels here and there with the real case of the Yuba County Five, which the author mentions at the beginning of the book.

Regarding the plot, I did enjoy myself as the characters navigated the forest in Jen's quest for truth. Since this is a horror story, I don't think that the plot can be separated from the writing, and what made this book work for me was most definitely the wildly atmospheric writing. McNeil's prose was eerie, unsettling and abrasive, which fit with who Jen is as a character, and I got shivers here and there as the gang ventured deeper into the woods and got further and further away from home.

Not just that, though! I also quite liked that Jen was a flawed character from the get-go. Having grown up in a rather dysfunctional household with a negligent mother who suffers from alcoholism and a loving but often absent father, she was bound to have sharp edges all over, and it was interesting to have a main character who did and said questionable things that are to be expected from young adults who are trying to figure things out. While there might be other readers for whom it isn't as enjoyable to have a main character who doesn't see any issue with being involved with a married man, which is completely valid, I personally enjoyed finding out more about who Jen was and what made her become so callous and cynical as to have an affair with someone whose marital status she is well aware of. There were some bitter comments about certain things that society deems "feminine", such as French manicures or put-together outfits, that definitely made Jen feel a lot more solid and real for me, since they were opinions that many young women who struggle with their identity say or think at one point or another. While she might not be the most likeable person in town, Jen was definitely an interesting main character that I enjoyed following around.

Regarding what ends up happening in the forest, all I can say is GOOD FOR THEM. Social commentary through storytelling is an art I am growing very fond of, and I feel like this book did a great job regarding the catastrophic consequences of exploiting natural resources for personal economic gain without any consideration of what that means for the environment or the intrinsic value of ancient forests and biomes.

All in all, quite a satisfying read for me! Loved it!

***

SUMMARY: Young Jen Monroe's father disappeared in the woods six years ago, and despite what everyone else keeps trying to tell her, Jen knows that he's still out there. So when a friend from her hometown hits her up to say that they have found Hank Monroe's remains, and identified them using dental records, Jen refuses to believe that there isn't any foul play involved. Why now, ten years later? Why in quite an easily found spot that she, as well as volunteer rescue teams, searched when he first went missing? Why is there no body? Why won't anyone talk to her about how they found Hank's remains, and why does she have a bad feeling about what her ex-boyfriend, heir to the town's logging company, might know about her father's disappearance? Armed with the unwavering belief that something must've happened to her father, and joined by six other young adults from Barrow, Jenn decides to venture into the forest that Hank Monroe vanished into all those years ago to find out what really happened to him.

This was a pretty middle-of-the-road horror. I like horror that deals with haunted forests or strange beings in the forest, but this just fell flat for me. I wasn't really a fan of any of the characters, I didn't really feel the suspense throughout the novel, and by the time I got to the big reveal, I just didn't care.

I recently read an excellent horror novel about forests and trees so I guess I came into this one with a lot of expectations. I was a tad let down.
I found the beginning boring and unnecessary. I just did not like some of the characters with their weird way of talking and questionable decisions. I stuck with it and that was only because I wanted to know what happened to Hank. The story starts to grow on me from chapter fifteen.
The writing is good and descriptions of the forest, the trees and the hulderfolks are detailed and vivid.
I liked the ending only because you find out what is going on in the woods and what happened to Hank. But what about the rest of the folks – the accomplices to what happened to Hank – what happens to them? Another book or is that it?

Love, Mom was one of those reads that left me with a lingering sense of unease—and I mean that as a compliment. From the first chapter, I knew I was in for something strange, and Iliana Xander delivered a twisted, eerie tale that defies easy categorization.

The story follows Jen Monroe, who returns to her hometown after hearing that her missing father's remains have been found. Jen has always believed he’s still alive, and her return to the deep forests of Barrow, Washington, sends her down a disturbing rabbit hole of grief, denial, and something even more sinister. When she ventures into the woods with her ex, the line between memory and madness begins to blur.

The horror is slow-burn but effective. It’s atmospheric, with a strong sense of place and an undercurrent of dread that creeps up on you. Think Midsommar vibes with a Pacific Northwest filter. I appreciated how the story played with unreliable narration and emotional trauma. At times, I wasn’t sure what was real—and that was the point.

If you’re into horror that leans strange and psychological rather than straightforward scares, this one is for you. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

An eerie, eco‑horror thriller set in the Pacific Northwest, this novel follows Jen Monroe’s return to the woods after her father’s remains are found—only to discover the forest may be alive and vengeful. With sharp, atmospheric prose and visceral, folklore‑tinged terror, McNeil delivers a compelling blend of mystery, trauma, and supernatural dread. Perfect for fans of Midsommar and folk horror, this deeply unsettling journey into an unforgiving wilderness is vivid, haunting, and impossible to leave behind.

Jen Monroe works for the Forest Service, following in her father's footsteps. They had a special bond, right up until he disappeared in a forest of very old growth trees several years ago. She returns home to Washington when she gets word that they have finally found her father's body. Or did they? She decides she needs to go up into the remote old growth area to try to find him, or get some closure if he really is dead. Surprisingly, all of her old friends from the small logging town want to go along for the ride, which is actually a very challenging hike that some of them were not prepared for. There is drama and deception as they all have an agenda of some sort, and this is where the horror begins. I loved this book! It was a way cool blend of horror and magical folklore. The characters were complex and there was all kinds of backstory with the loggers and lovers. I like reading books that are set in my backyard in the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

A haunting, atmospheric plunge into the heart of the forest and the horrors it hides, this modern horror novel is a must-read for fans of Midsommar and Catriona Ward. With eerie, cinematic tension and a creeping sense of dread, it explores grief, obsession, and what lies beyond the trees. Jen’s return to Barrow feels like stepping into a nightmare disguised as memory, and the truth she uncovers is more chilling than she ever imagined. Equal parts psychological and supernatural, this feminist horror story will cling to your spine long after the final page.

I enjoyed the vibes and the prose, it's a simple yet effective story that you can finish in one sitting easily!

I had such a great time reading this book, it was thrilling and I had to know what was going to happen next!

This book had all the vibes and atmosphere. Eco horror and sinister disappearances have all the trapping for a banger of a book. Unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me the characters were extremely unlikable and the pacing for a little off which sadly had me losing interest in the book itself. Definitely a good start to promising career in adult horror would be willing to give more books a try!

When Jen receives word that her missing father's remains have been found, she's more than ready to leave the affair she's having with her professor to return to her small-town home in the Pacific Northwest. It's been five years since her father disappeared into the forest, and she isn't ready to give up the hope that the body found isn't his, especially since she knows she covered the spot where he was found during the initial search. Along with her old friends - her ex Chaz, best friend Miranda, Miranda's boyfriend Todd - and a few new friends, they head into the forest looking for the area where Jen knows her father was heading. But the old growth forest holds many mysteries, and her companions have ulterior motives.

I've read this author's YA books, and this was a step up in sophistication while still being a fast-paced read. While I might have liked a little more background on the town and the lumber company Chaz's family owns, the mystery of the trees had me enthralled. Sammy added an interesting layer to the mix, sparking Miranda's jealousy and also another side of Jen. Given the title, I was expecting some kind of folk horror but this only had echoes of something like that. The trees were the creepy part! I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

i really wanted to love this one! the vibes felt exactly like something i'd love and i read a lot of this sort of book, so i expected to come out of it with a strong 4 star rating. but... nah. the mystery is obvious to the point of boringness, because, well, duh. most of the characters are completely unlikeable. the big dramatic horror reveal at the end was so obvious I predicted it by 10% in with literally exact accuracy. the protag's thought processes seem to take a massive jump just a few chapters before the end, and she seems to be completely uncaring about the people who (while unlikeable) are both theoretically her best friends and didn't really do anything bad at any point. i liked the mushroomy-botanical vibes and some of the elements definitely had that element, but... eh. could have used a few more reworks and a stronger ending. 2.5 stars, rounded up. tysm for the arc.