"What Lies in the Woods," is a gritty, disturbing story about a girl named Naomi. When Naomi is 11, she is stabbed 17 times while playing in the woods with her friends. While Naomi doesn't see her attacked, her friends claim they saw the assailant, and while in the hospital Naomi is led to believe that she did too. Long story short, the young girls put the assailant in jail. This story picks up in the future when the man Naomi believes stabbed her, dies in jail and she receives a letter from his son, that his father did not do it. Naomi, questioning herself, returns to her hometown, where she uncovers something very sinister.

This book was not a page turner for me, as it was very disturbing. While I loosely figured out the ending, it still had plenty of surprises. This book is more of one, you spend time reading and unraveling all of the dark twists and turns. While Naomi was not my favorite character, she was developed very well, and I was rooting for her until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Echoing other reviewers – Wow! Don’t know why I’ve never read this author before, but I will correct that oversight immediately. Deception laden mystery at it’s best!
A complicated labyrinth of childish fantasy mythology and murder set in the Pacific Northwest. An unimaginable brutal attack on a young girl. The aftermath forever altered the lives of three ordinary school friends who just enjoy playing Greek Goddess Games in the woods.
Cassidy is the mayor’s daughter with a brute of an older brother, Oscar. She escaped the attack hiding with Olivia. Even all these years later Olivia (Liv) is mentally destroyed, guilt ridden, suicidal, unbalanced and on the edge.
Naomi shouldn’t have survived her horrific attack. Years later her memories remain blurred, contrived, buried or nonexistent. She is determined to retrieve those buried memories. Her testimony was pivotal in the conviction and sentencing of Stahl but, was he the one? Were her memories correct? Was it all a lie?
Cody used to hang out with Oscar getting into mischief. He’s the hero who found and rescued Naomi. All grown up and respectable now, married, kids and a State Representative. He’s always looking out for Naomi. But, was he the hero?
A podcaster, Ethan, shows up to exploit the victims yet again for his story. Is he the new friend trying to help as he claims to Naomi?
The layers of lies go beyond imagination. I tend to make notes as I read with my theories and who my main suspect is. Not even close! There were small details I figured out, the overall reality of what really happened was impossible to guess. The characters are authentic, the plot is excellent, a recommended read for anyone looking for a strong, suspenseful mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “What Lies in the Woods” by Kate Alice Marshall and to Flatiron Books. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

What Lies In The Woods is a childhood secret concealed by trauma, deception and despair. It’s a gruesome discovery improbably folded into a fanciful kids’ game that makes innocent girls complicit in something darker than they realise. It’s the scene of a horrifying attack that causes ripple effects still impacting on people over two decades later and setting in motion something unstoppable and deadly.

It’s the debut adult novel by Kate Alice Marshall who proves to be just as accomplished in this arena as she has been with her previous YA horror books. This time around, she steers away from the supernatural eeriness that’s become her trademark and instead delves deeper into the horrors of the human psyche with richer and more complex characterisation on offer. This isn’t to suggest that YA novels lack complexity, but there is a lot more to mine from a character in her thirties with a whole host of mental and behavioural issues stemming from surviving a brutal attack in her childhood! Our protagonist Naomi self-medicates with alcohol and a destructive taste in relationships to repress memories she believes are better off left unexamined, but the death of the man she helped to convict inevitably unearths hidden truths and skeletons buried in her youth.

Some readers may be impatient with the slow-burn beginning which explores Naomi’s present-day circumstances and how the stabbing has shaped her personality, however this works very effectively in fleshing out her character as well as revealing how she will make self-sabotaging decisions that aren’t in her best interests. Why she feels the need to punish herself is just one of the many mysteries we encounter in this book. Naomi may not be the most likeable character, but despite her prickly distrust and ever-present cynicism, the walls she has put up around herself are only too understandable. I particularly want to highlight the sensitivity with which the author treats Naomi’s coping mechanisms—for instance, a lesser book would’ve taken salacious pleasure in describing her casual hook-ups and depicted them in titillating detail, but the focus here is always on what Naomi’s actions reveal about her state of mind instead of judging or glorifying her behaviour.

Flashbacks are regularly interspersed throughout the story to introduce or further develop central characters and dynamics plus drop hints about the secrets the girls have been keeping for years. Sometimes flashbacks can be a detrimental narrative tool when they pull the reader away in the middle of an action scene or meaty character moment, but in this book, they’re incorporated with care and precision to hook our attention and dole out tidbits of information relating to the ongoing mysteries.

Genre-savvy readers are liable to predict at least one of the reveals, but the joy of What Lies In The Woods is the masterfully diabolical plot layered with red herrings that convinces you beyond doubt of a particular fact only to blindside you with incontrovertible proof that establishes the exact opposite. The blurb may fool you into thinking there is only a black-and-white reading of the central dilemma it poses—did the girls lie about identifying a serial killer and if so, does that mean the man they put in jail is innocent? But we’re in the hands of a phenomenal storyteller who takes a seemingly simple premise and weaves a thick, tangled web to ensnare the audience with unreliable testimonies, ulterior motives and enough twists and turns to leave us stranded in the middle of the woods right alongside Naomi, lost and desperately searching for answers.

Marshall shows she can’t put a foot wrong with this confident debut in the adult thriller genre, spinning an intricately compelling tale of friendship and magic, sorrow and betrayal wrapped up in a suspenseful murder mystery. What Lies In The Woods examines the cost of survival and the scars that childhood leaves both physically and emotionally with vividly drawn characters, effortlessly polished prose and a brooding, immersive setting. If you haven’t discovered this brilliant author before, I urge you to pick up her previous books ASAP while you wait for release day.

This book kept me on my toes. This was my book of Kate's and it was a great read. I did not see the ending coming at all! Book also contained a couple open mouthed moments when the chapters ended.

Naomi Shaw has spent years of her life trying to recover from a vicious attack that left her scarred inside and out, but what if everything she thinks she remembers about the attack is a lie, and the truth is even worse? Five stars to this twisty, somber thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

*Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for this ARC. It releases to the world on January 17th, 2023.*

Three young girls go through a horrific experience and send a killer to prison. They're famous for their trauma. New developments in the case cause them to meet up in the town where it all happened. This should be a happy time but, there are secrets that they're hiding.
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I really enjoyed this book. The pace was good, it was entertaining and there was a good level of suspense. It was a bit predictable and clearly drew from some real life cases but there were interesting and entertaining side stories as well. I would recommend this book to friends.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Woah! This is a creepy one. This made me flip flop who I thought it was, what was going and just made me question life. I kept getting frustrated with Naomi but, the friendships of the young girls shined throughout. This was a strong mystery or psychological thriller.

This was well-written, well-structured and well paced. I thought it was not only dark and suspenseful but, it dug into some deep topics!

This was my first ready by Kate Alice Marshall and I am definitely going to be reading some more by this author!

I want to give it 4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley an the publishing team for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WOW, this book! I loved every minute of reading it and I can’t say enough good things. The story is dark and full of creeping tension. The incidents of trauma and the journey to recovery is emotional and heart-breaking. All of the lies and secrets build into a twisting puzzle. The author gives us a trail of breadcrumbs to follow, with so many red herrings that I never knew which direction the plot was going to go. As we learn more and more about what happened in the past, we begin to understand how it has all culminated into the present events. There’s a deep exploration into childhood imagination, how we see the world differently in our innocence, and how those memories can become distorted over time. The story examines the stark realities of grief, abuse, mental illness, and broken families. This is an exquisitely crafted experience. Just when you think you’ve figured it all out, another bombshell implodes everything you thought you knew, pointing you in new and equally believable directions. This story is everything; it deserves all the hype and all the stars. I’m officially obsessed with this author’s writing and I will be sure to pick up anything they publish next. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to read and review this title. I will be getting a physical copy for my shelves as I could definitely see myself re-reading it in the future. If you like the dark, twisty, psychological thrillers, then you should absolutely read this one!

This was a very good read. Give it a minute to pick up, as it does start a tad slow at the beginning. Once that foundation is set, it'll keep you guessing until the very end.

4/5 ⭐

What Lies in the Woods is a bit of a slow-burn thriller, in the sense that it begins with a focus on a crime committed many years previously and the impact it had on the main character, her friends, their families and the community in which they lived. As the story unfolds, we realize that the reality of what happened that day long in the past may actually be quite different, and the true nature of the characters in the story is not what it appears to be at first. This book is not only an engrossing read, it's an exploration of the nature of memory and trauma, and a look at the way true crime media alters the way we look at violent crimes, victims and survivors.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This is my first book by Kate Alice Marshall and definitely won’t be my last.

The story starts slow but picks up quickly. You are literally guessing until the end. What is the secret? What is the lie?!

A book you can’t put down!! I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure everything out before the end of the book. Every twist was so well delivered I was waiting and hoping for more. Alice Marshall delivered!

A MC that I didn’t find infuriating, however, I did feel there were a few unanswered questions on my end. Some of the character development from past to present felt open ended. I don’t think it affected the main plot of the story so it was more of a personal thought. The only negative for me.

A must read though.

Thanks so much NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What Lies in the Woods is the story of 3 women brought together by a dark secret and life altering attack at age 11. Everyone makes up games with their friends as child (whomst of us hasn't pretended to make potions out of stuff we found in the woods), but not every childhood game stems from a dark secret. Years later, the death of their presumed attacker brings our main character, Naomi, home to Chester where she is forced to reckon with her past (and ger lack of memory from it) and the webs her and her friends spun as children.

I was so excited to receive this ARC! I'm a huge fan of Kate Alice Marshall's other works, and while this one is quite different, I think it absolutely embodies the genre it occupies. Though this one doesnt have an extensive supernatural bend like some of Marshall's other novels, I appreciate the allusion to the whimsy and magic of childhood imagination. Sometimes it is hard for authors to break out of the YA space, but this had just the right amount of complexity and darkness.

I like to think that I'm pretty good at predicting the twists in most thrillers, but Kate Alice Marshall was able to stay a few steps ahead of me in this one. The author does an excellent job of creating red herrings to throw off the reader. This book is so full of twists that I think I have emotional whiplash after reading it.

This one is definitely worth picking up if you like psychological thrillers, mysteries, or true crime.

CWs for murder, mentions of suicide, violence, hoarding, sexual assault, OCD, PTSD.

Crossposted to goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4798630037

What Lies in the Woods was an overall compelling but standard thriller. The story centers around Naomi, who along with two of her friends, was attacked in the woods when she was younger. Many years later, following the death of the suspect in prison, Naomi begins to doubt what really happened that day.

I enjoyed this thriller and thought it was a pretty quick read. I also recall being surprised by the twists, but I finished this book fairly recently and already can’t remember much else. I’d still recommend this for fans of twisty thrillers that unite people after an earlier crime (I do tend to like this trope myself!). Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing a digital ARC of this book to me.

This book follows Naomi, a childhood victim of a near fatal attack in the woods who is now an adult whose attacker has died of cancer in prison. However, she and her two friends, Liv and Cass, who were in the woods with her that fateful day have secrets of their own that are about to come out.

Overall, there’s nothing making this book inherently awful. It’s an enjoyable enough murder mystery thriller. However, it does nothing particularly special. The twists and turns are predictable. The characters are all very one-note. The pacing was a bit slow, due in part to the fact that I was always multiple steps ahead of Naomi’s understanding of the situation. If you are new to this genre, this might be a good read for you to get acquainted with it. However, I think a seasoned thriller reader could easily skip this one without missing out on anything.

Note: Check the triggers for this book before reading.

I was really looking forward to having this book keep me awake at night, terrified and thrilled at how it would end. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me and I found myself struggling to get through parts of it. The ended did surprise me though and as the answers unraveled, I was happy to find that it was not as I predicted. However, I felt that the characters were two dimensional and I had little vested interest in finding out what happened to them. Lots of plot twists and turns... and a surprising ending!

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Genre: Thriller
# of Pages: 336

Read if you enjoy:
- Secrets on secrets
- Small town crimes/drama
- Searches for the truth
- MCs that overcome hardship

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: At 11 years old, Naomi and her friends were roaming the woods playing imaginary games. That is until the day that Naomi was brutally attacked. The identification of the man and her testimony are key in putting away a serial killer. But they had secrets, and they all have lied. For decades, their secrets have remained hidden. When the accused man dies in prison, it triggers a lot of memories , emotions, and the unraveling of secrets begins. The question is, how dangerous are the truths that have been hidden for nearly 22 years?

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:

🪵 The admission of secrets right out the gate had me hooked. What is the secret? Wait…there are more than one? Perfection. Things slowly unravel throughout the story until ultimately the big reveal. Twisty, turny and dark.

🪵 I really appreciated the complexity of our MC, Naomi. She has undergone a LOT of trauma. From her alcoholic dad, to her mom who stepped out on her at a young age, a brutal stabbing she miraculously survived, and her community who has placed her life under a microscope. This story really unravels the impact these events have made on her life, her trust of people, her relationships, her view and trust in herself. She questions everything she knows

🪵 A lot of descriptions and themes surrounding mental health throughout (though not identified/labeled). I feel this is important to share as it may be triggering to some.

🪵 I think that the ending wrapped up everything nicely. I closed the last chapter feeling satisfied, my questions all answered.

🪵 This book releases on 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

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⚠️: Stabbing, Abuse, Sexual Assault, GSW, Loss of Friend, Manipulation, Delusional behaviors, Suicide, Alcoholism, Hoarding



Thank you Flatiron books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. I appreciated the opportunity to read and share!

Reading this book was like watching a car crash, in the best way possible. You see it coming, but you can’t stop watching. You can’t do anything to stop it, but you need to know what happens, if everyone is going to be ok. I did see one of the major twists coming, but I do read a lot of thrillers. Over all, a really good book, it kept me hooked.

Naomi has run from her small town past, and changed her name so that her past doesn’t define her. She can’t get rid of the scars, but that’s what happens when a serial killer stabs you 17 times. But somehow she survived and with her two best friends put him behind bars. They meet up when that serial killer dies behind bars, and her friend Liv calls her and tells her that she found Persephone. That summer the 3 girls were goddesses, completing rituals to please Persephone. But who is Persephone really? And why can’t Naomi remember the attack that nearly killed her. Why is she not convinced that the serial killer was truly behind it?

This book follows Naomi and her two best friends from childhood. Seems normal, right? Except for the fact that they play a, what ends up being, dangerous game.

The plot of this book was relatively fast and flowed really well. However, the mystery could have been solved towards the first 30% of the book if the reader pays attention and picks up on the clues.

I will admit, a lot of the characters were not trustworthy and unlikable.

Thank you for providing an early access copy of this book for an honest opinion.