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.

What Lies In The Woods is a mystery centered around a woman who survived a serial killer's attack as a child and the 2 friends who were present for the attack. They reunite as adults when the killer dies in prison. Old doubts quickly rise to the surface as new questions are asked, all calling into question the reliability of their memories of the attack.

This initially sounded like a somewhat familiar story, but it was elevated to a higher level by Marshall's complex characters, skillfully layered plot, ominous atmosphere, and immersive storytelling style. I found myself picking this book up every time I had a few moments free and flew thru it in less than a day.

Small town secrets and lies, a 20 year old crime, unreliable eyewitnesses, a podcaster searching for answers, and a present day death all work together to form a well done, engrossing mystery that will keep lovers of both mystery and crime fiction quickly turning the pages until the final revelation.

I've loved every book of this authors that I've read, and this title is a welcome addition to my list. I look forward to seeing more adult titles from Kate Alice Marshall.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for providing a copy for me to read and review.

I was initially pulled into this story, with its poetic writing, creepy woods setting and deeply flawed main character. But it slowed down and got sort of crime focused so I put it down for a bit around the 30% mark. Picked it up later, and things really started rolling around 50%. It becomes a bit of a whodunnit, but everyone has a motive and I truly couldn’t predict the ending. I thought the writing was quite beautiful for a mystery/thriller. The characters are all flawed in thier own way, as they should be from a traumatic past, and they feel very authentic. This was my first read from Kate Alice Marshall and I will definitely look into other work by this author.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

I absolutely loved it !!! Thrilling. Actions. Suspense. Mystery. It was griping and made my heart race in anticipation. One of my favourite suspense mystery books. I was hooked from the beginning and intriguing. It was best book I've read.

I thought this book was an overall good thriller. It tore at my heart strings which I liked. I would recommend this to someone who is a lover of thriller.

Completely twisty book! It’s a little of a slow burn but once it gets going the twists don’t stop! Highly recommend for a quick thrill!

Wow! This was so much more than I expected. The characters are complex. The mystery gripping. I was sucked in and couldn't read fast enough. I was stunned by the reveals! It isn't often that happens and is the hallmark of a great mystery.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall is a gripping thriller. It's set in a small town and about three women who have been bffs since they were in kindergarten. They were 11 and playing in the woods when Naomi was attacked and left for dead. The book is about what happened in the aftermath of the attack and how lies always lead to the truth coming out. I read this book in 3 hours and wanted to read it again.

Naomi Shaw was 11 years old when she was out in the woods with her friends Liz and Cass and was nearly killed. Now 22 years later her attacker has died in prison and her friend Liz has admitted to lying. Naomi’s memories are very hazy and she begins to wonder if the wrong person was convicted. This is a very gripping edge of your seat read. Thanks NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC!

Holy cow.

This book can be summed up in a singular sentence: twist after twist after twist. In her typical fashion, Kate Alice Marshall keeps you guessing and guessing. And when you're SURE you figured it out? Guess again.

The writing style is fast paced, descriptive but not in a way that drones on, and the chapters are the perfect length to keep you reading well into the wee hours of the morning!

I managed to guess ONE of the many twists and turns that Marshall offered and I DEVOURED this book over the course of 24 hours. This is a 5 star read you won't want to miss.

I will add this, if you're expecting something supernatural (which I was), you won't find it here. What you WILL find is an exploration of friendship, betrayal, and how far a town will go to keep its secrets. Don't miss this one!

Atmospherica and claustrophobic story of childhood trauma, small town secrets and an overall gritty read.
Naomi Shaw is still recovering from an attack by a serial killer as a child. She and her childhood friends were able to identify the man and put him behind bars for life. When the accused killer dies in prison, the friends return to their small town to reconnect. Naomi has blocked most of the experience out, but her friends do remember, and they seem to be keeping some of the events secret from her. Suddenly Naomi is not sure if the serial killer did attack her. Beginning to panic, Naomi begins to work with a podcaster to try to get to the bottom of the events of her childhood. Be prepared for a gritty and dramatic story! If you love small time secrets, atmospheric stories, flawed and damaged heroines, then What Lies in the Woods is for you!

What Lied in the Woods had me sucked in from the first chapter. Kids play games, especially dark ones when they are trying to drown out reality. Naomi and her friends perception of Persephone, is totally believable through that lens. The thrill and twisted crimes that resulted in the woods had me on edge till the end.

This was a satisfying thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing almost to the last page. Well written and I look forward to reading more from the author.

I really enjoyed this book. It was my first by Kate Alice Marshall and she did not disappoint! The mystery took a couple of turns that I wasn’t expecting and the end made my jaw drop. Twice. Perfect amount of mystery and action. The only thing I didn’t love was the main character - at times I had a hard time connecting with her and a couple of the decisions she made didn’t seem plausible, but the storyline was good enough that it stayed enjoyable. I will definitely be reading some of her other work and I recommend this to all thriller fans when it comes out in January.

YouTube review:
https://youtu.be/BcjhdIWQ8Gk

I absolutely loved reading this book! Naomi is such as interesting character to follow as she returns to her small town years after an attack that almost killed her. I did wish for a couple of the side characters to be a bit more fleshed out, to really get a feel for a better impact with the story.

While slow paced in the beginning, it really picked up the paced about a third of the way through. I couldn't put it down after that! There were so many twists, many of which I didn't see coming. This is by far my fav book from this author and I hope she continues to write in the adult genre!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC!

Naomi, brutally attacked in the woods as a child while her two best friends watched, has struggled her whole life to leave the past behind. After the man who committed the crime dies in prison, the friends are reunited but the threads of the past begin to unravel.

I love the hook of this novel -- "We tried to forget. We didn't tell the story. Not the real one. Not ever."

This thriller had so many twists--some expected, most not--and kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end. The writing is sharp and engaging, keeping the story moving at a quick pace. I had been worried about this being a run-of-the-mill thriller with flat, unbelievable characters, but was pleasantly surprised by this book! Most everyone is layered, flawed in a believable way that served to keep me a tad unbalanced the entire time.

For fans of thriller/mystery, this shouldn't be missed.

I almost gave up reading this book a few times and found myself wondering about the high ratings on Goodreads, but I am glad that I kept reading. I did not particularly care for the protagonist, Naomi, but the plot twists made up for my lack of connection with the characters. By the end of the book I couldn't wait to find out if my predictions were correct. I would recommend that if you feel like giving up on this book, don't!

Kate Alice Marshall has written middle grade and young adult books for several years. Now she’s proven herself to be a talented thriller writer as well.

I was pulled in from the first sentence of this book and I never got pulled out. Naomi and her two friends loved to play intricate imaginary games in the woods. One day Naomi is attacked by a serial killer, but she doesn’t die. Twenty-two years later she comes back to the small town she grew up in because of news about this killer.

However, not everything is as it seems, not the past, not the present. Marshall takes the reader through this thriller in an expert way. You will not want to put this book down. You will be surprised, you will be appalled, you will think “I just knew it!” But did you really? Do you really?
This enjoyable mystery thriller will be on the shelves in January. If you are a fan of these genres, be sure to check this out.

A solid 4.5 stars from me.