Member Reviews
In true Maureen Johnson style, The Box in the Woods will keep you reading and engaged throughout. This was a lovely additional Stevie story that didn't feel like a missing piece to the Truly Devious Trilogy. As a library worker, I have recommended this book to multiple teens (as well as adults who enjoy YA lit).
The thing I really enjoyed about this book was that fans of the series will enjoy another story, but it's not hard to read it on its own and still get the details you need to know. A fun mystery that's perfect for a stormy night.
Stevie and the gang are back. It is summer break and Stevie gets invited to a notorious camp to solve the murders in the box in the woods. ARC from NetGalley.
When I found out about this new addition to the Truly Devious series, I was excited to see what would happen next for Stevie Bell. Although the original mystery wrapped up in the third novel, this fourth introduced a new mystery reminiscent of a summertime horror movie. Fans of the series will be happy with this one, as well.
This series is so good for readers who love mystery but also appreciate a wholesome story. While the books can be stand alone, they are better together.
Stevie Bell, a modern day Nancy Drew, is back in action in this contemporary take on the classic whodunit. Set in a remote wildnerness camp, Stevie and friends are on a mission to solve a decades old murder that has haunted the small community of Barlow Corners. Mystery fans will delight in the story and the clues that unfold page by page.
Technically The Box in the Woods is a stand alone novel, but we still have Stevie Bell from the Truly Devious series solving mysteries. I'm glad this one was a fourth Ellingham Academy mystery because that mystery was solved at the end of the third book in that series and was wrapped up nicely. So it was nice to see Stevie tackling a new cold case mystery. As she's proven she has a knack for solving those.
This is a RETURN. TO FORM.
After being disappointed by the third and, as I thought at the time, final book in the Truly Devious "trilogy," I was left wanting more. I knew Maureen Johnson could write an amazing, compelling mystery, so when I saw this book was coming out, I was ecstatic. A summer camp murder mystery, reminiscent of oh so many teen slashers (which, yes, of course Nate references. He is the Randy of the friend group. iykyk). I absolutely love slasher movies, and reading Johnson's take on them was a joy.
She kept the format of alternating chapters between the past and the present, which I always love. Seeing the crimes as they were discovered in real time gives a little extra oomph than if you just read about them in the past tense, playing catch up in the present day. I love my girl Stevie and her pals Nate and Janelle. David...wasn't as bad as he has been in previous books, but now he's just boring? He is honestly my biggest gripe with the series as a whole. Get a better boyfriend, Stevie! The new side characters introduced as part of this case were interesting, though a lot were thrown at you pretty fast and it took a little while for me to be able to remember who was who. The ending was surprising but made sense in retrospect, and Stevie's big monologue moment to determine who the killer was all those years ago was AWESOME!
This does serve as a standalone, with no spoilers to who the culprit is in the first three books, not even naming the characters who die, so you could read this without reading the previous books if you wanted to have a fun summer camp mystery romp. I definitely recommend the whole series though!
I loved this book more than the first three. I love how it brings back all of my favorite characters, but in a standalone the begins and ends in one book. A perfect summer read! I did not see the end coming.
Stevie Bell's story picks up in this fourth Truly Devious book with a fresh storyline set at Sunny Pines Camp- the location of the infamous Box in the Woods murders. At the invitation of the camp's owner, Stevie and her friends venture to Sunny Pines to work on a true-crime podcast covering the murders. As usual, Stevie gets more than she bargained for when their own lives appear to be at risk.
One of the things I liked most about this book was that it opened up a fresh story for Stevie that can be read without necessarily needing to read the other three books first. As a middle school librarian, I often tell my students "that's the (second, third, etc) in a series- are you sure you don't want to start at the beginning?" The Box in the Woods, as a standalone story, gives students a chance to enjoy these characters without needing to be dedicated to several books before finding a resolution.
Maureen Johnson's writing is engaging, as always, and is worth taking the time to read!
A cold-case murder mystery at a summer camp? Sign me up! Johnson has brought back Stevie Bell, her heroine from the Truly Devious trilogy, and the Nancy Drew of this generation. I am so glad to see that Stevie's adventures will continue, and The Box in the Woods is a fantastic beginning to what I hope will be many more mysteries. Stevie has been tapped to solve a gruesome cold case, the murder of multiple counselors at a summer camp in the 1970's. It sounds like the beginning of every horror movie from my childhood, but Johnson takes the familiar set-up to a whole new level. Perfect for fans of true crime podcasts, the Fear Street movies, and every mystery lover out there!
I enjoyed this latest installment of the Maureen Johnson's series. It was not as great as the first one, but it was still worth a read. I like a good mystery, and the idea of high school age students being intelligent and independent is a great way to inspire the same in young adults. I will probably recommend this for my more mature readers.
Maureen Johnson's books are always on my recommended reading lists for fans of YA - teens and adults will enjoy this new mystery.
This is the perfect continuation to the Truly Devious Series. Students with love spending more time with Stevie and her gang. I love that this installment is set during the summer time. This is a perfect stepping stone series for students who devoured Nancy Drew. High recommend! Also, great anxiety representation.
5 stars! I have given every book in this series 5 stars and this one was no different! Maureen Johnson has really out done herself with this series! I can't wait for more!
Though a little slow to start, the mystery and action pick up pretty quickly and you find yourself racing to the end to find out whodunit!
A really solid sequel to an already beloved young adult mystery series. I’m glad to have gotten around to reading this one. You won’t be disappointed!
From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.
I really liked the series previous three books but this one felt lacking. It's almost like the ending came completely out of nowhere. It had nothing to do with the story in my opinion. I wish this one would have been just as well written as the previous three. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Fabulous entry into one of my favorite series. I especially loved seeing our protagonists in a brand new setting.