Mack is ashamed of the fallout from her trial at reality TV and is left out of sorts when she meets Louisa. Louisa and Beau are charismatic, and along with Chloe and Jack want to use abandoned property that Louisa's father owns to build a homestead. They're all disaffected millennials that are sure the world is about to combust in the end stages of capitalism, and apparently, all of them have secrets of their own they'd rather keep.

There's often a lot of talk about how millennials don't care about anything and are "destroying" various industries. But they're constantly anxious about the state of the world and their place in it, especially when there doesn't seem to be the place for them that was promised after grueling years of school. Without much focus for these anxieties, these five people decide that they want to try homesteading and living in a more sustainable manner. It inevitably involves complicated sexual relationships between them, particularly Louisa, Beau, and Chloe, but the five of them have their own tangled geometry of emotions, especially when Mack realizes that Louisa and Beau know more about their homesteading neighbors The Collective than they really want to share. She feels the need to dig for the truth, but the truth is a malleable thing when she wants to make their story match the old journal of a homesteader that had been on the property a century before.

Caite had written the engaging and brilliant Dead Letters and We Went to the Woods is no different. Going off the grid is an impulse a lot of people have, especially in a hyper-connected world that seems to want people to be available and "on" all the time. Unlike the reader insert character in Molly Dektar's The Ash Family (review here), the idea to retreat from the world is one that everyone goes into willingly. Mack is less of a cipher than Berie from that book, and she withdrew from the world for a selfish reason. She wanted to escape the vitriol of social media that followed her very public humiliation, and her desire to escape follows her relationships here as well. Her desire to know about everyone else, particularly Louisa and Beau, seems to be as much an escape and way to ignore herself.

There are aspects that readers may want to know about beforehand: mentions of mental illness, a suicide attempt, the death of a dog, 2016 politics and a massive winter storm. They're dealt with inside the text in a rather respectful way, and not just for shock value. Ultimately, none of them were prepared to truly step back from the world and weren't equipped to deal with a reality they had no control over. It's sad and gripping at the same time.

Caite Dolan-Leach is a helluva writer, but I'm not sure this novel will be everyone's cup of organic, locally-sourced tea. A group of well-educated, idealistic young people move to a derelict farm in upstate New York to form a self-sustaining, "intentional" community -- although they seem loathe to actually declare their intentions.

The drudging-yet-occasionally-joyous work of subsistence farming, and the daunting, soul-draining details of living in true winter without mod cons are portrayed accurately yet lyrically. The prose is reminiscent of 19th Century fiction, apt because the story draws parallels between The Homestead, the project of our five millennials, and the Utopian communities of the mid-1800s, with many a reference to the hippie communes of the 1960s. (The tie-in to the Transcendentalists -- via a surviving 19th Century journal - was my favorite part of the book.)

This novel offers polished, intelligent writing, quirky characters, depth of content, and well-crafted suspense. Yet, despite all the physical activity (both laborious and sexual), these characters live so much in their heads that it's hard to get a read on any of them. Maybe the point is that we the readers can't know them because they don't know themselves.

This seems to be a sequel of sorts to Dolan-Leach's first novel, Dead Letters, as it shares some characters, settings and events with her earlier novel. I couldn't tell whether her portrayals of the misguided, searching young adults was meant to be parody or justification of their polyamorous self-absorption. A lot of first-world problems, you know?

In fact Mack, the narrator, alludes to this from a distance of both geography and time late in the book.

The only bones I have to pick are with the suggestion in the final paragraph that perhaps no lessons were learned; with the inadequacy and inaccuracy of the publisher's blurb; and with a few continuity glitches (at one point in a trip Mack bemoans the fact that her ancient pickup truck lacks a jack to charge her phone; 20 miles later, deep in a forest, she plugs it in to charge.)

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.

3.5 stars

Five pretentious millennials move off the grid to start a commune in upstate New York. Over the course of a year, not much happens. It’s a long and slow year. In the end, their idealism leads them to tragedy.

Mack, a 20 something former PhD candidate, has moved back home to live with her parents and hide out from the fallout from her humiliating appearance on a reality TV show. In response to what she did on the show, she is relentlessly trolled on social media. After she meets Louisa, Jack, Chloe, and Beau at a party, she is quick to attach herself to their group. When they suggest moving to an abandoned farm and starting a cooperative, she is more than willing to move with them as living off the grid offers her another layer of hiding from the masses.

Since the five members of The Homestead don’t want to definitively define the mission of farm or define relationships with one another, things become murky. They believe corporations are destroying the world and want to fight back. But their real enemies are much closer than they realize, creating a subtle level of tension that grows throughout the novel. Their relationships with one another add another layer of tension. They frequently swap sexual partners and rarely talk about their feelings. Or so it seems to Mack, as the reader is experiencing The Homestead purely through her eyes.

Mack makes for an interesting narrator. Even though she prides herself on being an academic who studies anthropology (people and societies), she is not very good at observing what is going on right in front of her face. Too concerned with her own shame, she is not ready to fully reveal herself and idealizes The Homestead and her new companions. I wish I had the opportunity to know more about Beau, Lisa, Jack, and Chloe, as Mack’s renditions are sometimes scattered and not fully realized. I felt like I only had glimpses of their characters vs. a full picture.

While I didn’t love We Went to the Woods, I did enjoy the historical elements that focus on 19th-century Utopian societies. At the same time, the characters are spoiled brats and I found myself wanting to slap them repeatedly. The final sentences left me feeling unsatisfied.

This book isn’t going to be for everyone. It is a character study and a commentary on a social experiment that moves slowly with little action. A lot of the narrative is a detailed retelling of important events, which don’t seem all that significant to the reader--the day they got the goat, the day the dog showed up, the day they harvested raspberries, etc. However, Mack’s voice and questionable point-of-view pulled me into the world of The Homestead. Overall, We Went to the Woods offers an interesting examination on Utopian societies and communes.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Five millennials try to live off the grid with horrible results in We Went to the Woods.

Mack has a secret that caused her to be unemployed and shunned by the world. When she meets Louisa at a high society fundraising party as a bartender, she meets Louisa’s friends, Chloe, Beau, and Jack. She also buys into Louisa’s plan for the group to move to upstate New York and live off the land. Unfortunately, the romantic picture by Thoreau doesn’t work as they expected. Sexual tensions and rivalries, lack of farming/survival skills, and headstrong roommates cause the drama here.

I enjoyed the build-up to the group’s arrival at the Homestead. However, I really couldn’t get past three things. First, I didn’t like or care what happened to any of the characters. Second, you knew from the beginning something “horrible” was going to happen because of heavy foreshadowing rather than building up suspense to naturally lead the reader to that knowledge. Finally, it seemed full of stereotypical rich spoiled millennials. Couldn’t they have put one person who wasn’t such a dick in the story? Someone to root for? I didn’t see anyone like that throughout this novel. If it bothers me, a baby boomer, I could see it being perceived even more negatively by real millennials.

While I didn’t enjoy We Went to the Woods as a thriller because it didn’t have the correct pacing, it may be acceptable to some readers as literary fiction. The discussions of the history of communes and living off the land was interesting. However, I think it is a difficult read if you need to like or identify with a novel’s characters. Overall, a 3 star read for me.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Although this book was very well written, I had a hard time finishing it. I wasn’t fond of the characters and a lot of the story didn’t interest me. I think it is a bit too dark for my taste. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review

We Went to the Woods had an interesting plot and the writing was beautiful. Despite this, the book was not my favorite, simply because I didn't find it believable. I couldn't relate to the characters and I found the writing almost too flowery. I think this is a great book for someone, but just not for me.

I really wanted to like this book! The book centers around a group of people that decide to start their own off the grid farm. It seemed like this book tried too hard. The characters were not warm or relateable.

Told in first person by one of the participants, WE WENT TO THE WOODS, by Caite Dolan-Leach, is the story of a group of five individuals who attempt to create a self-sustaining community in upstate New York. Our narrator, Mack, has a hidden agenda in joining the group, and at the same time though, she can't help getting wrapped up in the romantic vision of living off the grid. As they days and weeks unfold, physical relationships start and quickly intertwine within the group and secrets about each participant come out that forever change the idyllic vibe that Mack was attracted to and wanting to wrap herself in like a warm blanket. As time moves on in the community, called Homestead, Mack discovers nothing is quite what she thought and her year with the group takes turns she never conceived of.
Dolan-Leach's writes the story through the eyes of Mack, one of the participants, and there is a strong vibe of reluctant sharing by Mack, as if she questions sharing anything and everything from her time with Homestead. But that reluctance fuels the reader's desire to read on and find out why Mack is so tentative to share what really happened. The secrets are revealed slowly and with care and the reader starts to piece together the whole truth along with Mack. Their is also aura of animal magnetism to the novel as well, most likely due to the intimate interaction with the people, the animals, and the land at the Homestead. There was a subplot or two that are distracting from the main drive of the story, but overall the book keeps it moving and building towards the climax and leaves the reader with a satisfying resolution.
WE WENT TO THE WOODS is mesmerizing tale of rediscovery and the truth about keeping secrets.

This isn't a thriller, and it's not a particularly well-plotted mystery, either. That being said, Dolan-Leach has a compelling voice and the characters are well-defined and interesting. I enjoyed parts of this book immensely, but other parts felt like a lot of words around not-very-surprising surprises. It felt like the first draft of an intriguing story by a young writer-- it could use some cuts.

This is a character driven novel after a public humiliation that cause a group of 5 people move to an isolated plot of land and work together to start their own community where they grow their own food and live off the grid. The story unfolds slowly and its not until the middle of the book that we find out what really happened. Overall this was an interesting read the details that the author created is quite amazing. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

Mack is in a slump and cannot bear to look at social media platforms at all anymore. Things have decidedly gone downhill since her involvement in a reality tv show, so when the opportunity comes to escape from the world she is more than ready. She along with four other twenty-somethings decide to create their own utopia: a commune in upstate New York called the Homestead. No electricity, no running water, and no facilities. Everything must be done by hard work, and Mack thrives on it, making it her project to write about and finally create the book she was meant to write.

I'm giving this novel 3 stars because I was intrigued enough to read it all the way through, but essentially nothing happened and I was left feeling like I'd been preached at about the evils of the modern world.

The central idea of this novel - in which a group of privileged young people go to live "off the grid" in a woodland cabin - is great. Unfortunately, the execution leaves something to be desired, as there are so many subplots spinning off in every direction. There is a historical plotline as well as one about the main character's experience on a TV gameshow before she became friends with this group, as well as lots of relationship/friendship issues and a lot of political debates. None of it ever quite comes together. With that said, there's still enough here for this to be an enjoyable and entertaining read. I don't know anything about the author, but I'd guess that she is young and will go on to write more sophisticated work in the future.

When The Secret History is mentioned in the description of a book, there's a lot of potential that it needs to live up to. While I wouldn't necessarily agree that We Went to the Woods is on that same level, it's still a fascinating look at a small group of idealistic young adults.

The idea of living off the land, a return to the old way, it's not new. The utopian societies of the early 20th Century, the communes of the 60's....all good ideas, mostly. We Went to the Woods follows five young people who want to return to a simple life, to take advantage of the land, to separate themselves from society for political, ethical reasons. Mack is the newest friend and still not totally convinced, yet looking for an escape from past mistakes.

It's a modern tale, of the little guy vs. big business, of a powerful leader and misguided youth, of having ideas for change. It's a fantastic tale of youth and errors.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did.

I enjoyed the concept of the book. A group of young adults looking to make a difference in the world. Practicing sustainability. Growing their own food. Trading with local farmers. Trying to find purpose. I can appreciate the mission.

Unfortunately, I found the prose to be too long and drawn out. It felt like it was taking forever to get to the point and there was way too much existential/philosophical discussion between all the characters without a ton of movement in the story line itself. There were times when the story seemed to be picking up and moving forward, only to retreat back into a stagnancy.

There were a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the story that I found unsettling and unresolved (i.e. who set the tractor on fire, the significance of The Experiment, what happened to Beau, why Fennel was so shady about sending people away from The Collective, etc.).

All of that being said, I did like the characters and their somewhat disturbing dynamic. And I enjoyed Mack's constant internal battle and unease with The Homestead. There was some good tension here. It just never really evolved in the way I was hoping it would.

The premise of this book drew me in. However, I had a few issues with how the book was laid out. You learn early on that the main character did something that was devastating to her personal life. It seems devastating. When we finally learned what happened, I was pretty disappointed. The storyline was difficult to follow with the addition of another homestead location being brought in. There was not much backstory on the characters which would have added to the story early on. Overall, the book was okay but I'm not sure I would recommend it to my book club friends.

Beautifully written, suspenseful and overall a great read. The concept is great. The pac the story unfolds is perfect. Thank you for the opportunity to read this excellent book

We Went to the Woods is a book that is probably a case of I’m simply the wrong reader and maybe others will love this one. I say that because this one ended up being absolutely nothing like what I had imagined it to be which was perhaps horror or some kind of dramatic thriller. Instead it’s basically a contemporary version of a hippie commune.

Mackenzie (Mack) is the lead character of this story, a twenty something who has had some bad experience in her life leaving her jobless and wondering what to do with her life. Mack’s mistake keeps following her as she gets recognized everywhere so when she meets four others, Louisa, Chloe, Beau and Jack, who are looking to go off grid she decides to join them.

My problem with this is there is basically nothing going on in the whole book other than the five disillusioned, spoiled millennials that move onto an old farm they call The Homestead. They plant crops, get a few animals, trade with other locals and have some interaction with another commune. Yay! There’s complaining about corporate America, the presidential election, chemicals etc etc. as they “live off the land” with only occasionally running back home to mommy and daddy. So for me I feel I’m being nice with giving it 1 1/2 stars since it was such a slow, dull read to me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The author does a good job of capturing millennials, an even though I cannot find any of the characters likeable, I do recognize that they are a fairly accurate portrayal of their generation. In my opinion, this book falls short in its plotting. With characters who are difficult to like, with motives that are never fully exposed, there should be a plot that keeps the reader interested and provides some sense of conclusion. The story plods along and lacks details that would provide depth and closure. Without providing spoilers, it’s safe to say I have several unanswered questions, but since I don’t care too much about the characters, it’s not going to keep me up at night.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

WE WENT TO THE WOODS starts out super strong, mysterious, and promising. Mack, who we meet in South Africa and missing two fingers, alludes to an experiment that she escaped from (and is the only survivor). As we rewind a year, we see her joining the Homestead - a sustainable living community of 5 people in upstate New York. They are young, idealistic, and all in love with each other. Very reminiscent of another 2019 release THE ASH FAMILY, this group is aware of the cultish dangers but manages to stay somewhat sane. There are hints of dangerous acts of activism though, which much like THE ASH FAMILY causes rifts in the group.

The novel had such a great concept (I also liked that the author placed characters from her first novel in the action, though I’m not sure what the point was) but it had a lackluster second half. I expected a much larger, explosive ending. It did seem realistic though - all of this could have easily happened. I just wanted more.

3.5 stars

We Went To the Woods is a bit of an enigma. It is a combination nature story, eco-friendly experiment, suspense tale, millennial adventure. If that sounds confusing, then you get the point. The plot setup in the Prologue doesn’t seem to connect with the actual conclusion of the book, so we can add that as well.

So, why is my rating not lower? Because for all of the intellectual fault-finding, I couldn’t quit reading this book. For some inexplicable reason, the characters and the premise drew me in and didn’t let go until the last page. I was genuinely concerned for these young people and their drive to follow through on their passionate beliefs.

If the synopsis in any way catches your interest, read this book. It may be dark and difficulty to see, and you may feel turned around at some points, but you will not forget your visit “To the Woods.”