ARC/NetGalley

The Truly Devious trilogy by Maureen Johnson about a teenage sleuth at a mysterious upscale boarding school, was one of my favorite YA series in recent memory. So I got a little nervous when I heard a series I thought was concluded (and concluded well) was adding another chapter. Well I shouldn’t have worried because not only is The Box in the Woods great, it may be my favorite of the entire series.

Stevie Bell and her friends are invited by an eccentric millionaire to solve a decades old murder at his newly acquired summer camp. Creepy, campy and fun adventures ensue. And yes there is a box in the woods.

While this story is technically a stand alone and does not REQUIRE knowledge of the previous 3 books it is enriched by them and also they’re great. Why haven’t you read them? This is a great series for people who love the mystery and suspense of true crime but don’t like it too gory.

When I saw this beauty pop up on Netgalley I knew I had to request it immediately. More Stevie Bell? Yes please! Even though this is technically a stand alone book we get to see the beloved Janelle and Nate again. And of course the infamous David. 👏🏼
This time Stevie is asked to help crack a cold case murder of 4 teenagers back in the 70s while working as counselors at a camp. This gave real Jason Camp Crystal Lake vibes and of course the hilarious Nate makes the comparison throughout the book. (I love him).
Not sure if this is to be considered a novella but it was definitely a quick read. We get some flash backs to the characters in the 70s as we did with the Ellingham case. There was some suspense and excitement. A general mystery of whodunnit. But. I wanted more. More background on the case, more build up and more of the gangs banter. I still enjoyed this book but I really hope there will be more of Stevie Bell.

I was very excited to be back with Stevie and the rest of the gang again after the trilogy ended, and it lived up to my expectations. I love the characters so much, and I would happily follow them in more adventures (in fact, I demand it. Please, Maureen Johnson, give me more.) The mystery, for me, is almost always secondary to the characters, but I liked how it played out. We got more Nate! My only minor quibble is that I could have used another 50-100 pages. It was over too soon!

The Box in the Woods is a fun addition to the Truly Devious mysteries. We follow Stevie and her friends to summer camp as they try to solve a group of murders in a small town. Would definitely recommend if you enjoyed the Truly Devious trilogy!

#TheBoxintheWoods
A wonderful end to a great mystery series. I absolutely recommend this series to young adult who enjoy a great mystery!

I loved this book! Maureen Johnson never fails to write the funnest mystery novels. This was an excellent addition to the series, and it lived up to all the others beautifully. Rating this 4 stars because it wasn’t anything ~revolutionary~ but it was a super fun read :)

And Maureen Johnson nails it again!! This book is amazing!! I was trying to guess everything and did not see that ending coming! I can’t say much because I don’t want to spoil anything! I really hope this isn’t the last book in the series because I love Stevie and all the characters so much!!

What happens when Stevie becomes a camp counselor to solve an old mystery that happens at a camp in the woods? You get a book that's half chilling old B scary movie and half Stevie Bell gems. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this one. I somehow found time to read this that was not in the middle of the night because I'm a baby who can't take a hint of scary past midnight.

But if you liked the other mysteries for their mystery, this is for you. It's not a boarding school mystery any more so that particular charm is gone, though there are some emotional things happening but it's not the majority of the book. The majority is mystery, which works for me.

I really enjoyed this book, it was so fun to catch up with the characters from the Truly Devious mystery books. I’m fairly sure that I would not have enjoyed this book as much if I was not already a fan of the other books. It was so easy as a reader to slip back into the world that Maureen Johnson has created with these characters. I’m hopeful that this is the first in a several books that follow Stevie Bell and her crew of friends.

In this book, we have Stevie who is invited to work at a summer camp where 4 people were tragically murdered during the summer of 1978. Stevie was able to invite some of her friends along, so Nate and Janelle are there to help her along the way. Because this is a stand-alone mystery I feel like some of the ending was rushed to reveal the “who did it” part of the story.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars. However, if I was not familiar with the characters, I would have probably given it a 3-star rating.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
#TheBoxintheWoods #NetGalley

When I heard that Stevie Bell was coming back to solve another cold case, I was amped. My favorite murder girl back to solve some crimes! And a summer camp murder from the 70s to boot!

This installation follows Stevie and some familiar faces as they spend their summer at a camp to try and help solve an old murder so that the new owner of the camp can create a podcast about it. Excellent. We follow as Stevie deals a little with imposter syndrome after putting the Ellingham murders to rest and has to try and prove herself again.

I loved how much we got inside Stevie’s head in this one. For as much as Maureen Johnson writes about how Stevie feels the need to prove herself in the first three books, the style of it is different here. This time around, we get the anxiety that comes with having a spotlight on you, having people know your name, and having people expect something from you. More than that, it’s expecting something of yourself.

As for the actual solving of the murder at the end, I felt a little thrown because it was not something that I think a reader would have been able to figure out on their own. Those are, I feel, the best mysteries. But this was all still enjoyable enough that I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it for this alone.

I hope that this isn’t the end of Stevie and the crew. I’d love for them to return to Ellingham and to have Steve deal with… I don’t know. Maybe just normal high school life.

I’m just kidding. I obviously want her to solve all the cold case murders.

4 stars!

Everyone has something to hide or a story in which they leave something out. Maureen Johnson draws the reader in from the start and continues with quick pacing to create a fun suspense read that is a great quick pick. When Stevie is called in to solve another cold case at a camp, she assembles her friends from Ellingham Academy to solve the murders of four teens years ago has haunted a small town for a generation. It begins with intrigue, danger (of course), crafting on a new scale, and sleuthing through a town full of characters all interconnected to the case, This is a stand alone title, but it explains how the cast of friends adds their unique skills to help solve the case. Fans will not be disappointed.

Maureen Johnson knocks it out of the park again! In this stand-alone follow-up to the Truly Devious trilogy, we rejoin Stevie Bell and her friends from Ellingham Academy as they work together to solve an unsolved murder that took the lives of four teenagers.

Fans and newcomers alike will be hooked after taking this thrilling ride. Stevie and her friends are just as fun to follow as they were in the Truly Devious series, and prior knowledge of the series isn't required to enjoy THE BOX IN THE WOODS. It's a book I'll definitely be purchasing for my library collection, and after reading I was inspired to go back and finish the Truly Devious series, which I enjoyed but never ended up finishing back when the books first came out. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a fun thriller you can finish in an afternoon.

Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series is perfection. Absolute perfection. This followup book shows Stevie's life after solving the Ellingham murders, and asks the question: is she as good as she thinks she is? The Box in the Woods takes place at a summer camp in a small town, and (as Maureen Johnson does so seamlessly) goes back and forth between the 1970s and the present. All of Stevie's friends are back in this book, as well, each getting jobs at the camp or taking some time to visit. Unlike the original trilogy, this mystery is solved in one book with no cliffhangers. I highly recommend this book (and series) to anyone who likes a good mystery or some great story telling!

So excited to get back to these great characters in a new stand alone book.

After solving the century old famous cold case at Ellingham Academy, teen sleuth Stevie has been called on to help solve another infamous murder case from the 70s. Along with her friends Janelle and Nate, and boyfriend David, Stevie and her friends spend the summer working at Camp Sunny Pines. In 1978 the camp, then known as Camp Wonder Falls, was the site of the brutal murder of four camp counselors, dubbed the Box in the Woods Murders. Was it a serial killer? Was it a drug deal gone bad? Stevie is on the case, and hoping she and her friends make it through the summer...alive!

I read the Truly Devious series last year, and really loved the trilogy! Such great characters, engaging plot and author Maureen Johnson is an excellent writer. I was excited that it was announced there was going to be a stand alone book bringing back Stevie and her friends, but solving a new crime. I will be honest, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous ones. Johnson's writing is still superb. So much detail and research goes into these books, that even though Stevie is in her teens, she feels like a seasoned detective. The plot is original, and I did enjoy that it had the feel of a 70s/80s slasher film set at a sleepaway camp.

But I think because it was a stand alone book, the pressure to solve and finish the case in one book was too much. The reveal of the killer at the end felt rushed, and the resolution felt like it was coming from left field with information we hadn't been given throughout the book. Yet we were expected to believe that Stevie had solved the case even though she had the same information we had. The book was a bit short, I would've loved 50 or even 100 more pages where she was able to ascertain all this information, so it didn't come as such a head scratcher when it was revealed at her suspects meeting. I also felt like the strong point of the previous novels were the characters, and I felt that besides Stevie, we barely got any time with Janelle, Nate and David. It felt like the dynamic amongst them was off.

With that said, this is still an entertaining and engaging book. If Maureen Johnson is to write anymore stand alone books from this series, of course I will still read them and I will still recommend them to other readers looking for a fun, original detective series. Thank you to Harper Collins, Katherine Tegen Books and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy.

I loved the Truly Devious trilogy and was so sad when it ended. But a stand alone Stevie Bell novel made it all better. It was great to have Maureen Johnson showcase her character's detective skills outside of her usual area of expertise. I love trying to figure it out alongside Stevie. What a ride!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Box in the Woods takes place after the events of the Truly Devious series.

Stevie Bell get a unique opportunity to solve another mystery while under the guise as a camp counselor at camp Sunny Pines. Together with the help of her friends and the colorful camp owner Stevie dives into a mystery that has haunted the town of Barlow Corners since 1978.

It's noting but good vibes, wonderful times, and murder when you are with Stevie and the gang. This story takes place at a summer camp and right off the bat Stevie is hot on the trail. There is lots of action right from the start and is quick paced. The mystery is intriguing and has an interesting twist I didn't see coming. The characters are very relatable and the setting makes you sympathies with them. I was very happy reading this and I really hope we get to read more about Stevie.

Great addition to the Truly Devious series!

The Box in the Woods is a stand-alone mystery with characters from the Truly Devious series. The crew is at a summer camp, with Stevie Bell trying to solve another cold case. I loved the change in setting, and having the mystery solved in one volume. The ending felt maybe a little rushed, and I do not really understand Stevie's relationship with David. There is a weird dynamic there. The other characters and relationships make up for this flaw though. Mystery fans will enjoy and I will definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed the Truly Devious trilogy (except for David. I was never quite sold on him as a love interest), and so I was really excited to see that Maureen Johnson was planning more stories in this universe. "The Box in the Woods" is a standalone mystery set in the Summer after the Truly Devious case. Stevie is invited to investigate a famous cold case that took place at a small town summer camp. Of course she says yes immediately, and takes Nate and Janelle along for the ride.

Stevie is a great main character, once again throwing herself headlong into the details of murder. This time she also has to deal with the fact that the murders in question are only a few decades old, and so most of the victims' friends and family members are still around, watching her conduct her investigation. Nate and Janelle are a delight as always, both in their capacities as Stevie's best friends and in their new roles as camp counselors. The story is paced well, the details of the case are nicely laid out, and the resolution to the mystery is satisfying. I hope that Johnson continues to write mysteries for Stevie. I'll read all of them.

Excellent edition to the Truly Devious Seres. Johnson does not disappoint, and if anything, she gets better with each installment. The mystery is well-thought and readers will be guessing throughout the entire book trying to figure out the murder's identity. The edition of musical references of the 70's add and excellent layer. Young readers are going to love this one.

Put this in the hands of readers who love Stephanie Perkins, Karen McManus, and Holly Johnson

I adore these characters. I am in awe at the way Maureen fits all the pieces together. I love a good reference to Frances Glessner Lee. Fingers crossed for a book 5.