3.5/5. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ALC!

Overall, I would say this book is entertaining. There's a semi-scary plot (which unfortunately emerges a little too late for me), a group of people you may be cheering to see get their just rewards, and an ecological message with a threat. It's not among my favorite horror books, but I wouldn't rank it my worst either.

We follow Jen, a student who seems dispassionate about anything people related. She lost her father to the forest when she was young, but she refuses to believe that he has died. That is, until she receives messages from old friends and her estranged mother that they have found his remains.

Determined to prove them wrong, she returns to her hometown and her old group of friends (and ex-boyfriend). With these friends, they decide to go to the last place her father was found - all for different reasons. When they get there, the find more than they bargained for in the forest.

I think the comparison to Midsommar is found in the small town vibe combined with the obnoxious group of college-aged kids who you are hoping don't make it out. From there, I think this is a very light dusting of the folkloric horror that Midsommar brought. It has its place, but there wasn't the same atmospheric mystery. In fact, the mystery was pretty obvious (at least to me) and the plotline contained twists that I feel were a little predictable. That said, the plot wasn't full of <i>bad</i> twists and it did flow to make a complete and satisfying story.

Justis Bolding did an excellent job narrating and each character had a distinctive voice, which I appreciated. The production quality was very good and it was an enjoyable listen.

Is this one of the best creepiest books I have read in a while? Yes!
It was just so creepy. I am a city girl who wants to preserve nature and then look at from a a visators station. I am not like our protagonist.
Our girl and her besties go into the woods looking for why her dad died. And then people start dieing in the most bizarre ways.
I was listening to this while dealing with a spider infestation at work and I am actually working from home now due to extreme creepiness.
The ending was a little weird. Maybe a lot weird actually.
But it worked.
I loved the narration too.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me at all, if I was reading instead of listening I think I would have DNF fairly early in.

The story follows a deeply unlikeable main character and with many more unlikeable characters then following. I didn’t buy the interactions between what are supposed to be friends, they don’t even seem to like each other? I also really didn’t like the main characters life choices or views on the world, very judgey.

I also wasn’t a massive fan of the narration or the performance, the way it was done it made me like the main character even less than I already did sadly.

I really struggled through this as the bulk of the book is a lot of recapping history, relationships and the main characters sex life. There were no real horror elements until close to the end and by then I was sadly checked out. I wanted to love this but it fell short of what it promised me.

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars to They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil. I received an ALC of this book from the publisher/NetGalley. This book took me a long time to finish, which sounds like a bad thing but is actually not. Originally it was because I wasn’t rooting for anyone, and I pretty quickly figured out the plot twist, but I stuck around to see how it ended and oh my did it not disappoint!
We start with Jen, who just found out her father’s remains have been discovered after he went missing in the forest six years prior. This leads to her friends, including her ex-boyfriend, going on a hiking trip with her in his memory. What goes on from there can only be described as a gory terror filled adventure through the woods. A little Blair Witch, but with some fun supernatural folklore sprinkled in about the importance of protecting our forests.
This was a great audiobook! I found the narrator engaging and I liked the way she did everyone’s voices. The writing was good (although this is something I notice less in audiobooks), and I did enjoy the overall plot and atmosphere. The writing definitely felt appropriate for the setting of the book, and I appreciated the atmosphere the author created.
What I loved most is that this didn’t end how I thought it would. I’ve been seeing a lot of “good for her” books lately that subvert the typical horror ending, and I thought this was really clever.
Overall, although this book was very slow to kick off (nothing big happening until about 60%), I really enjoyed this and would read more by the author.

You know just what you’re getting into with the title and the cover of They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil. Jen Monroe returns to her home town after her father’s remains are found in the woods. She’s always felt like he’s alive so she sets out to retrace his steps to find out exactly what happened to him. Justis Bolding as the narrator kept me enthralled with the story and I finished in two sittings. The social commentary of preserving the forest is the big picture. The horrors are presented piece by piece. A scene near the end rubbed me the wrong way when Jen rubs someone’s back and it makes me nauseous just thinking about it. As the saying goes, you can’t see the forest for the trees. ALC was provided by RB Media/Recorded Books via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I so wanted to like enjoy this one more than I did. The first half of the story wasn’t anything special, it felt like I’ve read the story before. The second half does become interesting and some wild things happen. I do like how it ended because I didn’t really see that coming. But the rest seemed like it all fell into place as expected.

The characters? The only character I kind of liked was Sammy…
I just didn’t find them to be interesting or have much going on for them. The main character was irritating as a narrator in my opinion.

I listened to the audiobook for this which wasn’t too bad. I think at times the audiobook saved it. At other times it just hammered home how whiny the lead was at times.

Overall not that bad but it didn’t live up to what I thought the vibes would be.

Such a solid slow burn! For fans of Megan Miranda… this one is for you! I loved the character development, the storyline and the twist!

Based on the synopsis, title, and cover, I went into this thinking I would absolutely love it. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I have mixed feelings about it. The characters are all awful, with none of them are likable, which made it hard to root for anyone. It also read more YA than adult, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I like to know that going in, and this wasn’t tagged as YA.

The eco horror elements were done really well. I thought that aspect of the story was fantastic and one of the book’s strongest points. The pacing also stayed steady throughout, which kept me reading. Unfortunately, the abrupt ending left me unsatisfied and wishing for more. Overall, a solid idea with some good execution that I know the right audience will actually love.

Thank you NetGalley and RBMedia for the gifted copy.

This was definitely a slow burn horror. Nothing truly happened until later in the book. I enjoyed the story as a whole, even if the characters were kind of insufferable. I didn't like the affair plot line. It just wasn't needed in my opinion. I also wish there would have been more lore in the story. The narration was wonderful though.

3.5 stars rounded up

✨ Initial Vibes

Another day, another book steeped in misogyny—internalized, generational, and otherwise. They Fear Not Men in the Woods sets up to be a slow-burn horror story, but it often feels more like a case study in unresolved family trauma, poorly managed friendships, and questionable romantic entanglements. (Seriously—Jen is sleeping with her grad advisor, who also happened to be her dad’s college classmate. Paging Dr. Freud.)

📖 What It’s About

Six years after her father, a forest ranger, disappears in the Washington wilderness, Jen Monroe returns to her hometown to bury what appear to be his remains. She’s not convinced they’re really his, and soon she finds herself on a trek back into the woods with a very tangled group: her ex-boyfriend (the town’s logging heir), her estranged best friend and that friend’s boyfriend, two other male hikers, and a mysterious, hot Finnish girl named Sammy (possibly a nod to the Sámi people?).

As the group ventures deeper into the forest, strange things begin to happen... but the actual horror doesn’t kick in until around the 60% mark.

❤️ What I Appreciated

The setting is eerie and rich with potential. Forest horror is a personal fave, and I was hoping for a tense, slow-burn wilderness thriller.

The themes, like grief, family dysfunction, and gendered trauma, had promise. There’s a sense that this book wants to say something about the way women are punished (or punish themselves) for wanting too much.

There’s a certain “this would make a fun Shudder movie” quality to the last act once the horror finally arrives.

😬 What Didn’t Work (for me)

The pacing. The horror doesn’t start until deep into the book, and until then, it’s a lot of internal monologue, flashbacks, and tangled interpersonal drama that doesn’t serve the central mystery.

The affair subplot. The relationship between Jen and her advisor takes up so much space and adds very little. It mostly functions as an Electra-complex-adjacent case study, slowing down the momentum.

Lack of lore. There’s no local legend, no creepy old-timer warning them off, no half-whispered stories from people who’ve seen too much. Without a “keeper of the lore” or even speculative theories, the reveal lands flat instead of unsettling.

Jen’s relationships. The dynamic between Jen and her best friend feels underdeveloped, and Jen’s general disdain for her made me wonder why they were friends to begin with.

The reveal. Comes in the last few pages with minimal foreshadowing or build-up, which makes it feel abrupt, not chilling.

💭 Final Thoughts

This could’ve been a powerful story about feminine rage, generational grief, and the darkness that lives in the woods and within us, but the story spends too much time on emotional detours and not enough on building dread. If the horror elements had been introduced earlier, or the lore more deeply seeded, this might’ve landed differently. Still, if you like wilderness settings and slow-burning psychological unravelings, there may be something here for you.

🧠 Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️
(2.5 rounded up for potential, setting, and the final act delivering some chills. Deducted for pacing, lack of tension, and one affair too many.)

3.5 🌟 rounded up

While this is categorized as horror, the horror part doesn't come into play until well into the book's second half. I still enjoyed this, though. It was interesting, and the reveals at the end were twisty and horrifying. Some characters are pretty unlikeable, and the FMC spends a lot of time complaining about things, but I think it sets up the background nicely.

Narration was done by Justis Bolding. I thought she did a great job and would listen to another book she narrated. I’ve seen mentions of the narration seeming “too young” or YA, but the FMC is still in her early 20s and in college, so that seems appropriate.

Recommended for fans of eco-horror mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ALC.
hear

3.25 stars on Fable!

Thank you RBMedia for the ARC!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook version, it was a great change of pace from my current reads. I've always been a sucker for horror stories taking place in the woods, so I was immediately intrigued by the premise. Although I'll say it takes a while to pick up speed and I easily called most of the story, the last plot twist got me smiling.
I was a bit surprised by the accent the main character seems to put on her sexual encounters/sexuality, but it was simply something I wasn't expecting in a horror book.
Overall, entertaining horror, rather predictable but still a fun read.

What an interesting mystery! I really liked the premise of this and always go for a haunted or dangerous wood as a setting. This book did not disappoint with the tension it brought and the twist at the end was well done.

Audio Review: Enjoyed the narrator for this one! Narrated by Justis Bolding.

Story Review: This was a bit disappointing overall for me. My issues with the FMC: She wasn’t very likable, and the book started off with her in a relationship with a married man and she had the nerve to be annoyed by his wife, who was simply warning her away for her own good, because the wife knew her husband cheated with multiple people. The FMC didn’t seem to care about the people who went into the woods w her, including a friend from her past, until almost the very end of the book. As for the horror part of the story: The creepy, somewhat horrifying things didn’t begin to appear until about 65% through the book. And the most horrifying stuff doesn’t happen till 88% in. And as the story went, it was pretty easy to see where the story was going and piece everything together. So I didn’t really get the horror aspect I was hoping for, nor anything super twisty. - In this story you’ll find the war between environmentalists and logging companies; a daughter who refuses to believe her father is dead; a horrible mother figure; backstabbing/betrayal; and a forest that protects itself at all costs. (Also a little bit of bi-awakening)

Release Date: September 9, 2025
Run Time: 10 hrs, 18 mins

Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Recorded Books and Netgalley for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil is a pleasantly creepy slow burn horror. The story was somewhat slow in the beginning but it really helped build the suspense and the eerie atmosphere. I've always loved plant horror and this is no exception. There were some gruesome somes scenes that had me shivering. Although my favorite part was the unexpected ending. I never would have guessed it but I really liked it. The audiobook narration was excellent. The narrator did a great job bringing the creepy story to life.

I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that if someone invites you on a camping trip to honor a missing loved one in a cursed-feeling town where trees whisper and loggers mysteriously disappear, the correct RSVP is absolutely not. But our girl Jen Monroe? She’s got a PhD in Bad Decisions and an open tab at the Trauma Café, so she says yes like she’s in a horror-themed rom-com called “Actually, This Trip Will Kill Me.”

“They Fear Not Men in the Woods” is pitched like it’s gonna make your skin crawl off your bones and start its own commune. The vibe is going for “Midsommar” meets eco-activist TikTok, but somewhere between the opening credits and the big finale, the plot gets a little lost in the woods... and forgets to bring snacks.

Jen is returning home to Barrow, Washington, which is giving off strong “haunted lumber town” energy. Her dad disappeared years ago while trying to protect old-growth trees from being turned into suburban coffee tables, and now, surprise corpse! They’ve found his remains. Jen’s like “Nah, not my crunchy dad,” and comes back to do some sleuthing slash trauma spelunking. I wanted to root for her, I really did, but in the first half of this book, she’s the human equivalent of a red flag waving at a bear.

She’s also in the middle of an affair with her married boss (ew), gets invited into the woods by her ex-boyfriend (double ew), and casually calls other women “lunch-shift strippers” for having manicures (ma’am?). It’s a lot of pick-me behavior and emotional chaos before we even get to the creepy part. Honestly, the scariest thing in the first half might be Jen’s taste in men.

Now, eventually we do get to the promised horror. Around the halfway point, the vibes do a full "Blair Witch" pivot. The woods start closing in, secrets unravel, and suddenly there’s a supernatural conspiracy that goes full “Annihilation” with a side of angry flora. The pacing finally picks up, the body count starts ticking, and the trees are no longer just metaphorically judging you.

The horror elements themselves? Pretty solid. There’s some unsettling journal entries, gross-out forest imagery, and a slow realization that this land does not want them there and is absolutely done with being nice about it. The final act has teeth (sometimes literally), and Jen’s transformation from aimless mess to someone actually confronting generational grief and environmental violence? Kinda hit. She may have started the trip as the worst plus-one in history, but by the end she’s a little feral, a little enlightened, and maybe just one spiritual crisis away from joining the forest hive mind.

But let’s be real: the pacing is rough. The first half is all awkward reunions and passive-aggressive conversations about loggers. It’s like watching the least fun high school reunion slowly turn into a sacrifice ritual, which could be amazing if we got there faster. Instead, we spend chapters watching people we hate go camping, and by the time the good stuff hits, you’ve already mentally killed half the cast yourself out of boredom.

The audiobook narrator, Justis Bolding, absolutely deserves a shoutout for dragging this thing through the slower parts with pure vocal charisma. Jen’s emotional tailspin is somehow more bearable when delivered with some bite and weariness. It’s like listening to someone on the verge of a breakdown and a forest murder simultaneously, which... is pretty much the plot.

So yeah. It’s weird. It lags. It’s got cool ideas and a messy execution. But there’s something here, under all the moss and trauma and interpersonal toxicity, that almost hits. If you’re into eco-horror, forest revenge, and watching emotionally stunted people get humbled by the wild, this might work for you. Just brace yourself for a long, slow hike before anything really creepy happens. 3 stars.

Thank you to RBmedia and NetGalley for the early access to the audiobook. I got to witness the most toxic camping trip since “Yellowjackets” without leaving my house.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

If this review seems harsh, it is partially due to the marketing of this novel. This is marketed as horror, set in the forest, and it leaves a lot lacking here. Additionally, the voice of our main character is so young, that it feels just past YA, so this may be great for someone looking for a new age horror with more character than setting and plot. It's not done poorly, in my opinion, it's just a voicy familiarity that is not my favorite style, and I know it's quite popular for many.

For the first half of the book, we are following a character that is focused mostly on reflection of her current relationships, and this falls solidly outside of usual characters I like to see in horror. There is very little atmosphere. Jen thinks her father, reported missing, is still alive.

Then we get to the part past the midway point where we finally chase her Dad's journey into the wilderness with a bunch of characters that she doesn't like, and we don't, either, save for the magical forest attuned lady from a faraway land (Finland) who surpriiiiiiise has something in store for everyone later. The predictability here didn't bother me, though.

There is a section from about 80-95% of the book, where the ending shines. The journal of a lost man, the atmosphere, and the takedown of some of those who were involved and/or complicit in her father's death that were really creepy and well done and will have me coming back to check out this author's writing, but for this story, I'll leave it for others.

Jen left her small town in the North Cascades after her father, a forest ranger passionately working to save old growth from loggers, disappeared. When she gets a call from her estranged mother that her father's remains had been discovered, she does not believe he is dead and sets off into the woods to find the grove he was protecting with a group of friends and friends of friends, most of whom work for the logging company. Something is lurking in these woods, and they will not all survive the journey.

Horror is not my usual genre, but sometimes I love a good horror novel; it just has to be the right subject. With a setting that I adore (and have chosen to live near despite having no family nearby) and an intriguing premise, I found myself fully sucked into this book through every twist and delicious turn.

I did this as an immersive read, and the narrator added so much to the text. The fear, the accents, the horror: it was perfection!

I recommend this to anyone who loves the woods and sees how we all must work to protect them.

Thank you to Net Galley, RBMedia, and Recorded Books for the ALC. All opinions are my own!

DNF at 15%

When I saw the cover for this book and read its intriguing premise, I couldn't wait to start listening. Unfortunately, I'm several chapters into the book and the plot isn't holding my interest. Worse, I find the main character is obnoxious and deeply unlikeable.

I'm sure other readers will enjoy this eco-horror story, but unfortunately it isn't for me.

DNFing at 15% in. Unfortunately this is immensely boring so far. I cannot connect with the main character, she is insufferable. The affair aspect already started the book out on a bad note and the inclusion of politics of any kind is where I draw line in books. I'm reading to escape reality, not listen to anyone's soap box.