This was so interesting and truly gripping. I read a lot of mystery, and I can say this one really kept me interested. I also really enjoyed the way the author handled more sensitive topics like mental illness and medication. I found the setting to be spooky and interesting, and I really enjoyed the small town atmosphere. I really appreciated the way the story progressed and the way things unfolded. Overall this is a really solid thriller, and I think I will look into the author's other books.

Magdalena is living with her grandparents after being released from treatment at a mental health facility. After she reconnects with some old friends from summers past, she realizes she won’t be able to hide why her parents don’t want her anymore and why she had to flee New York City. After wandering into the woods to draw one day, she happens to meet Bo. Bo lives in the woods in his family totally off grid and Magda quickly falls in love with him. When someone is murdered in the woods and rumors begin to circulate about a drug dealer who fled to the woods with his family, Magda begins to question everything she thought she knew about Bo and herself.

Magda's character was a bit problematic for me. She is suffering from schizophrenia and I don't know if I fully agree with how her illness was portrayed. I am in no way an expert on this but at some points I was questioning if the depiction of her struggle was always accurate. That being said, there was a good cast of supporting characters. Another thing that irked me was how ignorant the grandparents were. Magda would be gone for hours at a time, almost whole days and they would never ask about where she was? Odd. The plot takes on a lot in this young adult thriller but the ending is jam packed with action that had me biting my nails and that is the main reason for my rating. This one is heavy for young adults with topics like drug abuse and mental illness. I didn't love but I did like most of it!

This was a crazy ride of a read! Lena is a schizophrenic just released from the hospital to spend time with her grandparents in Washington State. It is a well written YA thriller with great characters, an action-packed plot, and a perspective of what it is like to have a mental illness. There were times in the book when I asked myself, "Is this really happening or did Lena make it up in her head?" If you love a great mind-tripping thriller, this is the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Great story and loved the slight romance. Really enjoyed the characters and how the plot moved and how the characters changed throughout the book. I would read this author again.

I was super intrigued by this story from the beginning. The first half of the book I wasn’t entirely sure where the story was headed and then bam! Action central. This book was a wild adventure. Good twists and turns that I certainly didn’t expect. I did have some struggles following some of the twists, but then once I understood what was happening I was into it. I think fans of thriller/suspenseful books will enjoy this one. I think this one would make a great tv series!

Thank you to Net Galley and SourceBooksFire for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for my ARC. This is a captivating YA thriller that will have you racing to the end of this rollercoaster ride! There were many times I thought the story was heading a certain direction, but the twists and turns were surprising and unpredictable. This YA thriller was compelling and at times, disturbing. It is not for the faint at heart, but definitely for those that crave a rush of adrenaline. The final twists lead to a very satisfying conclusion. Apperances can be deceiving in this well crafted mystery.

The description of this book first caught my attention. It was intriguing, mysterious, and I kind of had to know what it was going to be like. Josephine Angelini did not disappoint. What She Found was gripping from the start.

The main character, Magdelena, is interesting to read. She is this enigma because we get snippets of her life before where she is now living with her grandparents in this small town for the summer. She is trying to live a fairly normal life free of her past mistakes. She meets a boy and love ensues. I was instantly suspicious of Bo. His character had me questioning everything. I wasn’t sure who I am suppose to think is guilty of these things. I was also very suspicious of all Lena’s friends in town. Everyone had a little weirdness about them that I questioned.

Angelini did a wonderful job of making me question everyone. I honestly had no idea who the killer was going to be and how this story was going to play out. I definitely did not see the end coming. I devoured the last 50% of this book in a single day because of how good it was. These characters were so interesting and their backstories really made this story what it was. It added layers that a lot of stories are missing. The writing, while the story jumps back and forth, was smooth and was easy to follow and read quickly.

All lovers of a good mystery should read this book. While it is categorized as a YA Fiction or Teen book, this book is so much more than that and anyone would enjoy it. It’s definitely a psychological thriller. Everyone should pick up a copy.

j'ai trouvé que l'ambiance de ce roman était très bien faite, la tension monte graduellement et on ne sait pas vraiment à qui on peut se fier. Notre héroïne Magdalena est à la fois touchante et agaçante, on va découvrir des choses sur elle que l'on aurait aimé ne pas savoir et en même temps on la plaint pour tout ce qu'elle a traversé. Les rencontres / retrouvailles qu'elle va faire dans cette aventure vont changer son monde et forcément, les révélations finales m'ont étonnée et fait percevoir les indices laissés ça et là d'une façon différente. Le final nous scotche donc et nous permet aussi de les quitter d'une chouette manière. Un roman qui bouscule, fait réfléchir à la portée de nos actes et nous tient en haleine !

I was super confused while reading this book since everyone had called it a thriller, something that I could not get behind for labeling the genre for this story. The first 60% of the book deals with a mentally unstable girl coming to terms with her issues and her past deeds, trying to do the best to make amends and be a good person with the blossoming of love (it felt very much like a contemporary read). And then from 60% to 80% the tone of the story switched to a psychological mystery and then finally, finally the last 20% of the book was the thriller that I originally picked up the book to get to.

Those who love unreliable narrators, What She Found In the Woods has the best, most unreliable narrator that you could hope for. I had no idea what to think about Lena, who she really was, or what she was capable of. The second half of the book certainly threw everything I expected on it's toes, keeping me guessing and wondering who was really the bad guy here.

Overall this was a very dark story, definitely geared for older YA or adult audiences. The story deals heavily with mental illness, suicide, addiction, death, murder, abuse, sex, violence, and basically any other sad and overwhelming feeling you can think of. This was in no way a light and fluffy easy read, it was hard and dense and intense, but very interesting and unique. Pick this up if you want a slow burn psychological thriller.

What She Found in the Woods is definitely a story with a wild and deadly adventure, one that will keep you on your toes until the last page. It's a different and unique story with an unreliable narrator, filled with several dark moments that leads to a thrilling conclusion.

At first, I will admit I had trouble grappling with the story and the main character, Magdalena. It felt like the story was pulling me in multiple directions. But then, all the plot points perfectly weaved itself together and created an addictive mystery thriller story that kept my eyes glued to the page. I had to know how everything was going to end and what was going to happen to Lena.

Lena is definitely one of those narrators that is constantly unreliable, mainly because she has a past she can barely piece together. She's on drugs to help her cope with the repercussions of something she did at her old town, which led to her mental breakdown. She has no one to rely on in this new town; yes, she meets friends and a mysterious boy named Bo who lives in the woods, but no one who could possibly understand what she's going through.

But then a body is found in the woods, which leads to the discovery that the person was murdered. And so begins the wild hunt of who Lena can trust and who really is the killer. Can Lena trust the people around her? Can she even trust herself?

Angelini's writing pulls you in, especially since she's created a compelling setting and enthralling story. She presents a main character that is battling a very dark past and a mental illness. Lena's mental illness is so well described in this book and represented in a way that some people will be able to relate to. She's not the type of character many people can rely on, but she grows throughout the book, which is something I always like to see. Angelini's characters are all mysterious and are hiding some dark secret, and each secret is soon brought to light.

Overall, this was a book filled with mystery, thrilling moments, and intense scenes. I've been a fan of Angelini's work for years and this book does not disappoint. I recommend What She Found in the Woods to anyone looking for a twisty mystery, unreliable characters, and mental illness representation. It's a book I believe many people will have trouble putting down.

I was annoyed with this book because it did that thing!! Where the synopsis LOOKs really super good and then it falls along the way and I’m left trying to think if I’m bad at picking books or if the books are bad at picking me.

I could barely connect to ANY of the characters. I found them so unlikeable and there were so many problematic elements, which was a big reason why I didn’t like them. I can deal (and probably even like) unlikeable characters, but this was on another level. Like even when I decided to dnf and skipped ahead a bit (to see if there’s something that would interest me), there was nothing.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I have been a fan of Josephine Angelini's work since her days writing the Starcrossed trilogy, and while this was a very different genre in comparison, it did not disappoint. I am so happy to have another story from her that I fell in love with!

Magdalena (who goes by both Magda and Lena depending on the situation that she's in) is a well-written and flawed antihero who spins a wonderful narration for this thriller. It's part psychological, part murder mystery, and all suspense. I couldn't put it down! I loved Lena's journey of discovery and acceptance, as well as her romance with Bo. I highly recommend you read this one, as well as the author's other series.

Buy, Borrow, or Bypass: If thrillers are your thing, then this has to be your next read and your next addition to your collection. I'm hoping to get a physical copy for my shelves soon. If you think you might not like it because of topics surrounding mental health, drugs, and blood descriptions, then either borrow or bypass this one. (This is not an exhaustive list of trigger warnings, just the ones that stuck out to me.)

What She Found in the Woods was a wild ride! One part Girl, Interrupted (girl in a psychiatric hospital) one part Girl on a Train an (impaired and unreliable narrator) one part Deliverance (horror in the woods.) With a romance.

Magdalena (referred to in the story as both Magda and Lena) has been sent to live with her grandparents in the Pacific Northwest after a stint in a psychiatric hospital. She’s on multiple medications and has been writing in her journal as a way to make sense of everything that’s been happening to her. Slowly, we get the story of what brought her to this point.

That might actually be enough story for one book, but wait ... there’s more. Lena starts volunteering at a women’s shelter, one where the residents are mysteriously disappearing. She also starts taking long walks in the woods, where she meets Bo, a boy who lives there with his family, completely off the grid. Is there a sinister reason his family is hiding?

Slowly, the threads of Lena’s past and present start coming together as she tells the reader more and more about what happened to her, and becomes more and more involved with Bo and the women at the shelter.

What She Found in the Woods was much darker than the typical YA thriller, and much more complex. (I’m not surprised; Josephine Angelini has written some pretty elaborate YA fantasy with time travel and mythology and dual timelines.) I did eventually guess who was responsible for the murders, but it took me some time to figure it out.

If you are a thriller lover like I am, consider trying this – it was a wild ride and definitely unique!

Wow oh wow was this a crazy wild ride. I love books where we don’t know if we can trust the main character because they are an unreliable narrator. Magdalena has just come from a ninth month stay at an insane asylum; she is recovering at her grandparents’ home where she used to go for the summers. She is on a lot of drugs to recover after her mental break down. We don’t know what happened, but throughout this story we get bits and pieces of what happened to Lena.

While Lena is at her grandparent’s house, she has no one to discuss what happened and she has so much guilt suppressed inside of her. She spends most of her days hiking on the trails behind the house and just spends time by herself. One day while hiking a boy name Bo lands on her picnic blanket. He is a wild boy from the woods and they get to know each other. At the same time Lena starts volunteering with her new friends at a women’s home and serves food. While volunteering girls are going missing and are ending up dead in the woods. The same woods where she hikes and sees Bo. Something strange and dark is going on in this town.

So many stories are going on in this book and you can’t stop reading. I mean I was sitting on the edge of my seat flipping pages. While at first this book seemed all over the place, the story weaved together and everything made sense in the end. I honestly didn’t see the twist coming and the author had me thinking something completely different. While there were faults in this book, I did really enjoy it. I wish it would have been longer and some of the aspects more drawn out, but on the other hand it was very fast paced. I would put this in a weird thriller category, because so many things were strange, but I think that’s why I liked it so much. It was different and unique.

Well that was a wild ride! The Netgalley description was even vaguer than the one posted on Goodreads so I truly feel I went into this one blind. I suggest everyone does the same, because the author, Josephine Angelini, truly knows how to tell a fierce story!

The plot hooked me immediately because I wanted to know why Magdalena was running from her past. Once and élite socialite she was now alone in the world with no one but her grandparents. What happened? We get small flashbacks here and there that slowly let the reader see into Magdalena's past and reveal to us why she is trying to rebuild her life.

Magdalena has a run in with Bo and the story gets even more complex. Bo lives with his family deep in the woods, illegally on public forest land. Why does his family live like this? Are they running from their past also? What are they hiding and can they trust Magdalena to keep their secret?

This whole book kept me excited to read the next chapter. It kept me engaged and I wanted to read and read so I could put all the pieces of this puzzle together.

I don't want to over-hype this because it's not the most thrilling mystery I've read, but it was a fun and quick read for me and the story line was truly original.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me an eARC to read and give my honest review!

This was a 4 star read for me and I hope you all enjoy every page!

"What She Found In The Woods" by Josephine Angelini is due to be released here in the U.S. on Dec 1, 2020 so preorder now!

Happy Reading!

This worked so fricking well for me. I haven't read a lot of thrillers, so this honestly blew my mind. Going from Starcrossed, Angelini's other novel I read a few years back, to this was such a giant leap and I really appreciated the author's note at the back of the book. This literally blew my 1am mind. I absolutely loved the twists and turns.

“I don’t have friends anymore.” He realizes I’m telling the truth. “What happened?” I look out at the sun that just won’t set. “I told a very big lie,” I say. I look back at him. “And I got caught.”

The writing in What She Found in the Woods was tragically beautiful. The way Angelini wove words together made such profound statements that really drove the book home. I felt like the book gave good red herrings while still keeping my interest on the twists and turns. I felt it did drag a bit in the middle, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t stand.

Also, let’s talk about how this book tackles major issues that are always portrayed in such a negative or exaggerated light. There was discussions of mental health, toxic masculinity, drug use. Some were written in a light to make someone a “villan” or “unstable” which really irks me. Let’s not. Other stereotypes were written to not diminish the character. The author discusses how they, themselves have dealt with some of these issues, and you can tell the writing was coming from a first hand experience. It was just very raw, and on the “ugly” side because it was real. I applaud the author for that.

I kept reading because I wanted to know WTF was going on with Magda girl! I will say I turned the pages furiously because I had that itch of wanting to know and not knowing was killing me! I felt like the buildup was amazing, the reveal, meh.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It was different, and had enough steam to keep me guessing. Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks for the gifted copy! This is out Dec 1st.

I was so excited to receive this arc as Josie is one of my fave authors ever :) What She Found in the Woods is unlike anything she’s published before. The first half read as contemporary, and the second half read as psychological thriller, which might sound weird, but Josie made it work, it was very seamless.
Our MC Magdalena alternates her narrative from about a year to 9 months ago (leading up to the present) when she said a very big lie which had disastrous consequences, to the present when she moves to the west coast to live with her grandparents. She reconnects with some childhood friends, and while hiking in the woods near her house, meets Bo, a guy around her age who grew up in the forest with his squatter family. Meanwhile, women are turning up dead in the forest and Magdalena is trying to find the killer. The last third of the story totally made it for me, I didn’t see most of the twists and turns woven in. If you like mystery/ thrillers, then I highly recommend this book. One star less because the first half’s pacing was a bit too slow, though I realize that information was necessary to get the whole story.

I've been burned by some thrillers recently, so I was pleasantly surprised by What She Found in the Woods. The pacing was excellent, and this was a real page-turner.

Magdalena returns to the Pacific Northwest for the first time in years after mysterious trauma within her prestigious circle in New York. It is clear from the start that Magda/Lena has secrets to hide and that she is pretty heavily medicated as a result. Upon arriving, she touches base with some old acquaintances, but she really springs back to life when she stumbles across a boy she has never seen before on one of her daily hikes.

Angelini does a fantastic job of weaving flashbacks throughout that build tension and provide hints without ever feeling disorienting. The times where we flip to a flashback feel realistically triggered by what is happening in the present day for our protagonist.

I think that the first two-thirds of this book-- the part that relies on building up tension and setting up the mystery-- is stronger than the last third's action and resolution. It wasn't necessarily because the last part was weak, but it may have just felt slightly different in tone compared to the beginning. I will say that many of the hints are pretty heavy-handed, and I had pretty accurate suspicions from early on. That did not change my enjoyment of this book.

There could be some complications in here with some potential demonization of mental illness, but to me, it felt appropriately nuanced. There was no real love for Western medicine, but there was also some acceptance of how it can be used properly and the necessity of it.

There were also some plot holes that were never quite resolved, but, hey, it's just a book; it doesn't have to be perfect.

WHAT SHE FOUND IN THE WOODS had a lot of promising potential, but the execution of it left a bit to be desired. I didn't find myself too interested in many of the characters, and thought that the red herrings were either too obvious, or ended up being plot holes that could easily be explained by 'mental issues' without actually having to work for an explanation. Magdalena and Bo were more interesting on paper than they were on the actual page, and while I did like the slow reveal of Magdalena's past and the scandal she is running away from, it felt that too much was heaped on top of the initial issue that isn't really fully explored. I did, however, like the mystery as to why Bo's family is living in the woods, and the way that unfolded kept me guessing a little bit, even if the bigger questions surrounding it were not as hidden. But that said, the fact that there is a medical aspect to one of the family member's back grounds, some of the advice that that character gives Magdalena in regards to her medication is SO bad and so irresponsible that it was incongruous with that character's background within the context of this story. That feels like a bunch of gobbledy-gook, I know, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers....

WHAT SHE FOUND IN THE WOODS is a book I didn't connect with, but would still recommend to readers who were just starting out in the unreliable narrator story tropes.