“We tried to forget. We didn’t tell the story. Not the real one. Not ever.”

As children, Naomi Shaw and her friends, Cassidy (Cass) and Olivia( Liv) believed in myth and magic. Being raised by a negligent father who was drunk most of the time, Naomi found comfort and companionship in her friends, whose lives were very different from hers. The eleven-year-olds invented games and imagined mythical adventures. One such game was the Goddess Game, where they pretended to be goddesses from Greek mythology. A surprise discovery in the woods, one that they kept to themselves, only fueled their imagination further and their game became more elaborate and intense. However, that summer would change Naomi’s life forever. A gruesome act of violence in the woods leaves Naomi fighting for her life after being stabbed seventeen times and leaves both of her friends traumatized. They identified the attacker, a serial killer who was responsible for the death of other women, who was caught and jailed based on the testimony of the three girls. Naomi’s memories are foggy at best but she and her friends survived to tell the tale. But, they lied and twenty-two years later, after the killer dies in prison, the three friends reunite in their hometown of Chester, their guilt and secrets pushing them in different directions. Liv, who struggles with her mental health issues, has been digging into the past and wants to own up to their lies and reveal what they had hidden from everyone; Naomi, who still bears the physical and emotional scars from the attack, is willing to hear what Liv has to share as she tries to remember what really happened in those woods over twenty years ago; Cass, the Mayor’s daughter and a single mother who has built a life for herself in Chester, would rather not revisit the events that occurred all those years ago.

A lot is going on in Chester. Secrets and lies permeate the atmosphere of this small town. As the narrative progresses, Naomi begins to realize that her memories of that night were tainted and there is a lot about that night and the attack that she has never remembered. But some people would rather let sleeping dogs lie and would do whatever it takes to stop Naomi from discovering the truth.

Kate Alice Marshall’s What Lies in the Woods is sharp, well-structured and absorbing. Naomi is a convincing protagonist – scarred by the violence she has endured, emotionally unavailable for the most part, cynical and distrustful of the world around her, she is immensely flawed and has not made the smartest choices. But she is a survivor and resilient. Initially, a slow burn, the story picks up at around the 30% mark. There are a lot of characters we meet along the way, but it is not hard to keep track of who’s who. The novel is narrated by Naomi, in the present-day in the first person. Flashbacks take us back to the events that occurred during her childhood. Full of twists and red herrings, this book had me hooked till the very last page. While one of the twists is not difficult to predict, this book kept proving me wrong as the story progressed and topped it with an ending that I did not see coming! (I love it when that happens!) Well-written, chilling, atmospheric, and suspenseful, Kate Alice Marshall’s What Lies in the Woods is a gripping read that I thoroughly enjoyed. This is the first book written by this author that I've read and and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Many thanks to the author, Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this gripping thriller. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is scheduled to be released on January 17, 2023.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this book. At first, I thought it was slow and I really didn’t like the main character. However, by the end I did like her. The characters were dark and messed up. This book will question if you really ever know who your friends are. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was that in the one sentence you were in the present and the next sentence you were in the past. It got kind of confusing. I had to reread a paragraph over to know what was going on. Overall this was a good book and I would recommend for people to read it.

I took a short break from reading and this book totally sucked me back in! The twists! The turns! Just when I was for sure I had it figured out, I was wrong, again! This author is spectacular in leading you to what you think may happen and totally throwing you a curve ball! This was one heck of a ride. Thank you netgalley and publisher for gifting me this eARC!

I am totally in the minority with this review. I thought this book was one of the worst I’ve read in a long time. The characters were unlikeable, devious, unhinged and despicable. I understand that was the point! But it was a “turn off” to me. The language was base, gruff and off putting. The plot was totally unbelievable. I wanted to ditch finishing it so many times but was granted it as an ARC and wanted to fulfill my obligation. I cannot write one redeeming sentence about this book and will not give specifics, as to not create spoilers. Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall is a thrilling, frightening story that keeps you awake to the jolting end. Some of the thrills are predictable but others aren’t so the engagement factor is very high with this deftly plotted book. The characters are all flawed in some way and you learn to what extent as the book twists and turns. Worth staying up to finish as your adrenaline that builds from the beginning won’t let you easily sleep.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read this exciting ARC.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of What Lies in the Woods in exchange for an honest review.

5 star read! Wow! All I can say is this book was full of twists and turns, very mysterious and unpredictable. I was HOOKED from the beginning and honestly couldn’t put it down. One of the best thrillers I’ve read in awhile. Kate Alice Marshall does an amazing job creating in depth and difficult characters and their relationships. I loved the magic of the childhood friendship and memories and also the concept of trauma and trust. I can’t say enough about this, definitely worth reading!

When Naomi was eleven, she was viciously attacked while playing in the woods with her friends Cassidy (Cass) and Olivia (Liv). Her memory of this event is practically nonexistent; all that she knows—or thinks she knows--comes from what others have told her. Convinced and pressured to rely on the recollections of others, Naomi makes sure the police get a conviction. She rationalizes that she did the right thing. But, is what they say really the truth of what happened? Is she a liar?

As an adult, she returns to her hometown and encounters the people who played a pivotal part in her childhood. She decides to find out what really occurred. She turns to her two friends, looking for support and information. However, they do not want to revisit the events of that day. Naomi rationalizes that their trauma is what holds them back. Cass is a leader who takes charge of situations; she is used to having people do what she wants without question. When Naomi asks her for help, Cass reacts as if Naomi is questioning her truthfulness and friendship. Liv wants to help Naomi but is too fragile to react; when she decides to, it is too late.

This is a book about memory, trauma, trust, friendships, expectations, and redemption. Our author returns often to the concept that we have stories that belong to us that are made up of our trauma and memories. They define us to others, but they also define how we see ourselves. For example, after the attack, Naomi was a troubled teenager. Her mother was dead, and her negligent father is a drunk. The people of the town view her as a troublemaker, never taking into account that she may responding to her trauma and may be asking for help. Naomi us unable to express herself appropriately. She’s afraid to share her real-self: her doubts, pains, and alienation.

Naomi is an aggravating character. She is mistrustful yet naïve, always believing that her friends—despite evidence of the opposite—are beyond reproach. She goes through a painful growth throughout this book trying to find out what she really wants from herself and others. Tied into this is a great whodunnit mystery.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book.

In my opinion this was a great book. The main character is a woman by the name of Naomi who runs into several obstacles leading back to her childhood. There are several twists and turns. I thought that I had the plot figured out but then I was wrong and the book surprised me. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and Negalley for the advanced coy.

This was excellent! I was very lucky to read an advanced copy of What Lies In The Woods through NetGalley. It was a great book and thriller! There were several mysteries intertwined throuout that kept me guessing. Naomi the lead character is an extremely complicated person. She's funny, raw, blunt, off-putting, and uncomfortable. It was nice to see a complex person who you at times were very frustrated with and yet still rooted for. It was fast-paced and the pacing was great. Everything felt necessary and there wasn't any filler material. It was a great suspenseful mystery and I highly recommend this book!

This was hands down one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read. It held my complete attention through out the entire thing; I never felt bored. I thought about it constantly when I wasn’t reading. I guessed one of the twists but the other two at the end totally threw me off! This premise was amazing and I loved it! I’ll definitely be recommending this one!

#WhatLiesInTheWoods #NetGalley
A MUST READ. 5 ⭐
Well, this book was a roller coaster ride for me. I've not read such a good book from a long time. The author has done an excellent job.
Naomi, Liv, and Cassie have been best friends since they were kids. Woods, a make-believe world, and a human skeleton bring them together. However, one day goes horribly wrong when two girls stumble out of the woods and one is left hugging a tree stump after she'd been stabbed by a serial killer and left for dead. Now, decades later, that serial killer is dead and Naomi must return to the woods after receiving a strange call from Liv - Liv knows who the skeleton is and wants to tell all of their secrets.
Who is who and what are their motives? Read this book to know more.
I loved it and finished it in a single sitting. Characters were so good and so was the narration.
Thanks to Netgalley and Flattron Books for giving me an advance copy.

One of the best novels I’ve read in awhile! I truly could not put this book down. Every time I thought I had something figured out, I was wrong (I did get one thing right, for the record). I wasn’t in a reading slump, but if I was, this book would have pulled me right out of it. It was also awesome to see some bi representation in the main character. I genuinely cannot recommend this book enough - I rarely give 5 stars but these is beyond earned.

Naomi survived being stabbed seventeen times while playing in the woods. Her testimony, plus that of her fellow eleven-year-old friends, Olivia and Cassidy, put a serial killer behind bars. Twenty-two years later, the killer has died in prison, and the girls are forced to figure out and face the whole truth about what happened that day.

AAAAAAGH THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. Did I guess a few of the twists along the way, despite some well-executed red herrings? Yep. Do I care? Nope.

The writing was beautiful and really captured the frantic, painful intensity of girls' friendships. Naomi was frustrating AF, and I loved how Marshall addressed the (often self-destructive) ways people deal with trauma so realistically. The story was sad and thrilling and hooked me from page one. READ THIS BOOK.

I need to go back and read Marshall's backlist -- she's a new auto-read/auto-buy author for me.

HOLY MOLY! What twisty story!!! Just when I thought I had it figured out, it changed! It really left an impression.

Naomi is damaged due to a horrible event that almost cost her her life. She has been living with the scars - physically and mentally - for a long time. and then a death that could've provided closure just opened up old wounds. All of a sudden Naomi is in danger and her life will never be the same. The people who she thought were on her side are not who she thought they were.

This is a book that will not disappoint.

My favorite thriller of the year so far! Three best friends go into the woods one day, with one of them being brutally attacked. With the girls testimony, the attacker is sent to prison - the only problem is, the girls are lying. Years later the girls are brought back together after the death of their attacker. Their lies and secrets begin to catch up to them, and the hunt for what really happened in the woods that day is on.

I love the suspense and mystery Kate Alice Marshall wove throughout the book. There are some great twists and turns along the way, and I kept changing my mind on what I thought the truth was. I highly recommend going into this book with as little information as possible and just enjoy the ride.

Kate alice marshall is a phenomenal author and knows how to keep you on your toes. I haved love every single book i did rrad from her and to read this one was even better than her past. And creepy things happen in the wood sign me the heck up.

This was sent to me from netgalley for
review and my opinions are my own.This is Kate Marshall's
debut adult novel.Three 11 year old best friends make a pact to enjoy summer playing sinister games in the
woods - until they stumble upon an unspeakable crime. They vow to keep it as their secret- but are troubled by it. If that isn't enough, an attack in the woods happens to the group of friends and they put man in jail. 22 years later, that man dies in prison from cancer. Main character,
Naomi heads home to connect with her other two friends to discuss the past and relive what actually happened. I'll be honest, while this sounded really good it was confusing in many the chapters. I would of loved more of the past to really understand character development
and the personalities. I felt no real connection with any of these girls. It lacked depth. Definitely a slow burn in a lot of
Chapters but still full of twists and I did enjoy it in the end. Not my favorite but not my least fav! Debuting 1/23

An absolutely excellent adult offering from Marhsall. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Absolutely could not put down this spooky, atmospheric thriller. Unreliable narrators, small town intrigue, the most imperfect heroine I've encountered in a long time...a perfect read for a cozy winter night in front of the fire for any true crime junkie who also admires the slightly supernatural.

I havent read a suspense/thriller in forever, and oh my god, this one was so damn good.

Naomi has never really recovered from the vicious attack that nearly took her life in childhood-but after she returns home to discuss her attackers death, the secrets of their childhood resurface, promising danger for them all.

I thought marshall gave naomi such a presence and a voice, i felt like i really knew her. i liked hearing about the goddess game- all weird loner kids had some variation of devotion to an imagined game, even though this one was super dark. I even liked the ending. Highlt recommend.