Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my eARC of What Lies in the Woods in exchange for an honest review.

This book is filled with twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing throughout. I felt like I was always one step behind and that kept me wanting to continue reading.

The story at times felt a little prolonged but ultimately, the storyline was well developed.

Thank you Flat Iron and Macmillan Audio for my copies!

I devoured this one on audio in a little over a day. The narrator did an amazing job of getting me into this story and wanting to fly through it to find out what happened. I've seen mostly amazing reviews for this one, and I will say I agree with all the positive reviews. I was certain I had this one figured out, but I def did not! This was a Book of the Month choice so if you were thinking about it, I think its a really solid pick. Great if you love binge worthy and entertaining thrillers.

The promise of magic, the mercurial mood of your best friend, the danger inherent in the waiting woods, all of these combine to make a tense and compelling look at the way the friendships formed in your childhood will follow you and shape your life. Highly recommend. This one will be great for thriller discussions and reading lists.

A great thriller that caught me from the very first page. Full of twists and turns this book will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what is coming next. Highly recommend!

This is my first novel by Kate Alice Marshall. Will be going back to check her catalog and read more. Next up I Am Still Alive.

I want to thank NetGalley, Kate Alice Marshall and Flatiron Books for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily

I was not prepared for what I found in this book or how much I loved it. But I so did.

Kate Alice Marshall was the author of a book I also really enjoyed, Rules for Vanishing, which I read a couple of years ago and brought to the show. That book was very, very ghosty. And also, fairly YA in its tone. But really, so, very ghosty/paranormal.

So I think that's what I was expecting here.

That's not what this book is. And it's honestly better for it.

What Lies in the Woods is a smart, fresh take on the "friends went through something awful in their childhood and now are reuniting" trope. Which honestly is a trope I am so, so tired of and I try to stay away from.

But here, we get something much more interesting. This book is a deep dive into memories and trauma, what we "remember" and what leads us to believe we know the truth of a situation.

This book is twisty, too, but not in the way we normally think of twisty. It's not filled with big huge bombshell moments like a popcorn thriller would be. No, this is smart crime fiction, so we're fed clues along the way that lead you to think you might just be able to figure out what really happened all those years ago in those creepy woods. My theories would start out as sparks and then I'd be super sure I'd figured it out and then some other small, subversive piece of info would come up and my theory was shot to hell. But that's not because of red herrings, it's because I hadn't thought of some possibility. Man, Marshall is so smart and she got me time and again.

But she let me play along and y'all know that is my favorite kind of crime fiction.

Also, a word here about another old saw for me: pacing. I am so tired of books with mushy middles. Where things just spin needlessly for 100 pages at the center. You do not get that here. This book is perfectly paced. The action isn't over the top, but we are constantly journeying forward, finding out new pieces of info to add to the case journal I was keeping in my mind. This was so fun.

If you like Catherine Ryan Howard's books, I think you are going to really enjoy this one. I absolutely did.

*4 stars* Thank you Netgalley for the arc. I will continue to read whatever Kate Alice Marshall writes. She does amazing atmosphere and character development.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This was my first time reading this author and I’ll definitely pick up more of their work in the future.

I enjoyed the dual timeline mystery element of the story and I was surprised by the several twists throughout. The book switches between a trio of young girls who are best friends and the aftermath of what happened to them when they were younger.

4/5 stars!

Naomi and her two best friends—Cassidy and Olivia—believed in magic twenty-two years ago. The girls lived for the magic of the woods, the cover of the trees, the feel of nature. Creating a Goddess Game, the three girls could always be found in the woods. Until one day, Naomi Shaw is found covered in blood and stab wounds. Cassidy and Olivia witnessed the entire attack, eventually using their recollections to put a known serial killer behind bars.
The three girls are seen as heroes and survivors, but when the serial killer dies in prison, the truth threatens to come out. A web of lies and false memories rise to the surface as Naomi returns to the place she swore she would leave forever.
Reminiscent of many Slenderman retellings, What Lies in the Woods is definitely my favorite thus far! I could not put this book down. The writing style and character development was beautifully done. The mystery was so enticing. There was even a touch of romance added in, which created a relief during the most difficult parts.
I found myself highlighting so many parts of this book, as well. Marshall writes such hauntingly beautiful sentences. She really allows you to feel empathy for the characters. Their deepest fears and inner thoughts are so beautifully conveyed, the reader can't help but cry alongside each character.
Of course, the final reveal was the best part! I was audibly gasping as I was devouring—and I mean DEVOURING—the last pages. I could not read fast enough! I was so entranced, I found myself skipping sentences and hurriedly running back to reread what I'd skipped. It's been a long time since I've read a book that I've been so completely lost in. I highly recommend this one!

What Lies in the Woods is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out What Lies in the Woods asap.

DNF @ 27%

I cannot stand the main character at all, and I don’t like the writing. It felt like a YA book, and I don't have any problems with YA at all... but it's not what I wanted. I was invested in the beginning, but then I lost all interest and became bored and irritated with Naomi's character. She's rude, and I didn't care one bit what happened to her for that reason. Cass was also awful, and Liv acted like a little baby. Personally, I won't be recommending it to others but I'm sure I'll mention it among new thrillers.

Great book that had me guessing and trusting no one! This was a great thriller with several twists in the book. Good book about coming of age, being honest, and multiple other issues. Enjoyed this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

I read Rules for Vanishing by this author and really enjoyed it so when I saw she had written an adult thriller I had to check it out.

I really enjoyed this book. There were more twists that most thriller books have and only one of them did I guess exactly right- and it was the mid-book twist that I'm pretty sure was meant to be figured out.

The story of this book reminds me of a true crime case but to reveal the case would reveal the twist so you are just going to have to trust me on that one.

I really liked Naomi, even though she was her own worst enemy. After what she experienced of course she would be damaged. The author really showed a true version of how a trauma victim would think or feel and that is an aspect that I really enjoyed.

The Goddess Game was interesting and I loved reading the flashbacks about it. The magic of being a tween and trying to hold onto that innocence is something that I think all adults can relate to and the author really did a great job of translating that feeling to the page.

I could go on and about every aspect that I loved but really- just read this one. It's definitely worth the read and I will definitely be following this author for news of any of other releases because she's phenomenal.

What a great read! I loved the characters and felt that the twists were very unexpected. In most stories I can see them coming. But this one had some surprises for me.

I think this novel had some emotion to it that made it more than just a creepy suspense.

I adored this thriller. Fast-paced, intriguing story, likeable heroine (which I feel is rare in psychological thrillers!). I was hooked from the first page. I’ve recommended this to everyone!

#What Lies in the Woods #KateAliceMarshall #FlatironBooks
This is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the dark secrets and lies that can be buried deep within friendships. The story follows Naomi Shaw, who, along with her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent a summer playing in the woods, When Naomi was attacked, the girls helped put the man responsible behind bars. Six other murders were also attributed to him. It turns out that they were not entirely truthful.

The characters are complex and layered with Naomi engendering sympathy as she struggles to come to terms with her past while also facing new dangers in the present.

The book explores themes of trauma, trust, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets.

This is a well-crafted thriller that will appeal to fans of the genre.

There is something about thrillers that I could say it is my favorite thing. The secrets. The secrets and how everything unfolds and they always end up out in the open. I think the reason this attracts me so much it's because we all are hiding something. It can be something small and it can also be something big. Regardless of the size of what we are hiding, we are hiding something.

When the book I pick up is covered in them, that's when I have a blast reading. I spend the majority of the time figuring out my characters. Some authors give life to them better than others but I did not had any problem with our main lead and her friends. The suspicion is planted early on and I did not trusted anyone. It was a very fun read even though not my favorite one. I would like to read more from this author, for sure.

“There is a wilderness in little girls… Beneath a canopy of moss-wreathed branches, we joined hands and pledged ourselves to one another forever- a kind of forever that burns only in the hearts of those young enough to not know better. Forever ended with the summer. It ended with a scream and the shocking heat of blood, and two girls stumbling onto the road…Our parents always spoke of the moment when they found out- of hearing that three girls had gone into the woods and only two had emerged.”  

THIS BOOK GAVE ME CHILLS FROM PAGE ONE. Absolutely loved the writing of this author and can’t wait to see what she writes next. She is very talented at throwing red-herrings everywhere and at some point I think I thought nearly every single character in the book might have been the guilty one. Ilove the magical way she painted the intensity of young friendships. I also found it super satisfying that all of the tiny little things that didn’t sit quite right with me while reading ended up making perfect sense with the end reveal. The last ¼ of the book I had so much adrenaline going that a) my cat sneezed and I jumped half of my skin and almost screamed and b) my apple watch yelled at me about my elevated heart rate for probably an hour. READ IT!

Great amd twisty thriller!

Positives:
The 22-year old initial mystery.
The goddess game and lasting friendshship of the original victims.
Naomi's tricky relationship with her alcoholic, hoarder dad.
The twists along the plot. and the fact that the girls were not 100% truthful about the day in the woods.
The title
The pace

Negatives:
Some of the main character's poor decision making skills

WOW! If you are looking for a crazy wild thriller, pick this up. Three girls go into the wood to believe in magic, but one is almost killed.

Years later, one of them wants to come clean. But once everything starts unraveling, you’ll never guess the end!!

A staggering thriller that’s both serpentine and stunning. This follows three best friends Naomi, Liv and Cass and the aftermath of being eyewitnesses in a trial that put a man in prison for life.

The story begins when the man their testimony helped put in prison for life dies of cancer and the three women are reunited for the first time in a long time. Each of them are feeling a bit restless and then one of the three girls winds up dead. Secrets and lies begin to be revealed both past and present.

This thriller did have a mental health element as many do and I feel that this is one of the better ways I’ve seen it captured in fiction where it didn’t feel predatory or fall into demonization and stereotyping.

Overall I really, really enjoyed this book and think if you too like thriller novels you should definitely check it out!

5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.