WOW!! What a knockout! This is Kate Alice Marshall’s debut adult thriller but for sure it won’t be her last.

Naomi, Olivia, and Cassidy have been BFFs since… forever. Each of them are wildly different; Cass- the strong leader, Naomi- the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and Liv- the quiet, insecure one. Yet, together they bond and make magic in the woods. But one day, when they were eleven, tragedy strikes and changes all of their lives. Naomi is stabbed 17 times and left for dead; the other two witnessed it. A serial killer is put away with their testimony.
22 years later he dies suddenly and everything is brought back up to the surface. Liv is tired of lying. But about what? What really lies in those woods?

I was lucky to have received an ALC of the novel. Karissa Vacker has become an automatic yes for me when it comes to audiobooks. She has such a gift. I believe this is my fourth or fifth Karissa audio already this year. The complexity of characters and tonality of her voice makes me forget that it’s just her.

After starting the book I was so swept up in it I had to have it so I joined the BOTM club for the first time so I could get it this month! It’s that good!

Out now!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy!

With a hint of a more sinister Pretty Little Liars, this book hooked me pretty quickly.
Naomi was attacked a child and carried out of the woods barely surviving. The man who did it was put away in prison. Or was he?

This books follows Naomi as she uncovers more of the past and the mysteries surrounding that summer and that night. What really happened? What lies in the woods? And what lies have been told to cover it up?

This book had so many twists and turns while reading. It never ended up going the way I thought. I never knew who Naomi could trust or couldn’t trust. Thats what makes a thriller so good in my opinion—always being on the edge of your seat but unable to pin point who did what.

I loved this book! I’d give this a solid 5⭐️ rating.

A good thriller that keeps you on your toes. Personally I couldn't figure out what was going to happen until it happened. Kept me engaged the entire time

Just WOW! This is my first time reading something by Kate Alice Marshall, but definitely following this author. This read had me guessing all the way till the end I almost feel like I have whiplash. A deliciously dark and twisty read.

In a small Washington state town, three 11 year old friends played a dangerous game they called "The Goddess Game". They made small sacrificial offerings to the human remains of an unknown woman they decided to call Persephone. One day though, while innocently eating her lunch sandwich, Naomi becomes the victim of a brutal stabbing attack by a local serial killer. Her friends run out of the woods to get help assuming she was dead, but she miraculously survives the attack. She becomes a bit of a local celebrity, but her wounds never entirely heal and she openly wears the scars. Even though her friends Cass and Liv made it out of the attack unscathed, they hold scars and secrets too.

The audio book was well narrated. The atmosphere felt tense, like you could really imagine yourself in Naomi's shoes, never entirely feeling safe. Highly recommend. Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

"The flesh does not acknowledge linear time... The past is written alongside the present on our skins."

"Oscar was before...after...and now."

There were so many jaw dropping thrilling moments in the twisty What Lies In The Woods by debut adult thriller author Kate Alice Marshall that I kept going back to relisten to what I just heard to make sure I wasn't losing my mind.

When Naomi was 11 years old she played a game called The Goddess Game with best friends Cassidy and Olivia in the woods near their town until the day Naomi was attacked and stabbed 17 times as her friends ran and hid away. They identified wanted serial killer Allan Michael Stahl as the attacker and it was their testimony that finally sent him to jail. Only, it was all a lie...the truth left in the woods.

Now 22 years later Naomi is told Stahl has died of cancer in prison. Olivia calls and says the truth needs to come out. Ethan, a true crime podcaster, wants to interview her because he feels some things don't add up and then there's Oscar...who is still here.

Narrator Karissa Vacker is impressive handling so many different characters all hiding something. She was so believable when lying and that made the reveals that much more shocking to hear. This thriller is why we love this genre.

Oh, there was another girl left in the woods that day and I wasn't the only one asking, "What are we going to do about Persephone?" Then there's persistent Ethan who, "...had a face made for sincerity." Are they just nuisances or the truth to "What Lies In The Woods?"

I received a free copy of this audiobook from MacMillan Audio via #NetGalley
for a fair and honest review.

I almost snagged this as my January BOTM, but was excited to see the audio available on NetGalley.

I enjoyed the audio a lot. The narrator had great inflection and range, so even listening at 2x-2.5x speed, it was easy to keep up and want more.

Cassidy, Liv, and Naomi were bonded by childhood trauma, but two decades later it seems as though the nightmare from their youth hasn't actually ended.

Naomi is a strong protagonist. She's neither likeable nor unlikeable--but she is honest about her faults and has good insight into her own psyche. If Naomi is brutally honest, Cass tends to be the b**ch with the golden smile, and Liv is the broken one with demons that can't be tamed.

That said, it's clear from the outset that these three girls operate to protect each other, but a bit unclear who else may be out to take them down.

The story moved at a quick pace. I didn't feel bogged down by multiple story lines, by flashbacks, by investigations leading down new roads to new people. Instead, it all felt natural and intentional--leading the story where it should go.

The end I had 95% figured out early on, but was still happy to work through it with the narrator and fit together all the final pieces. Definitely a worthwhile thriller/mystery that I've already started to recommend!

Overall: 4.5 stars

I'll tell my students about: language, sex, sexual abuse, sex jokes, kidnapping, rape, pedophiles, mature content, trauma, murder, blood/gore, physical violence, emotional abuse, alcohol, crime, mental health issues

**Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ALC prior to publication. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to this book. I love a suspenseful thriller and this book did not disappoint. I try not to guess too often on the whodunit, but I thought I had this one figured out. Then, I changed my mind on who it was, and again was wrong. The ending, while it seemed a little rushed, wrapped the book up beautifully and did not leave me with any additional questions. Highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publishers for allowing me the ARC of What Lies in the Woods. 6 Stars for this book! Probably my favorite from the past couple years. I really enjoyed the Plot and Characters in this book. I started recommending it as soon as I finished it, which took less than 48hrs, because I was hooked from the beginning to the end!!! There was only one Twist that I saw coming, other than that the Author did a great job with for shadowing and leading the story in a way where even with me guessing, I was not completely sure of the ending by mid book. I really enjoyed this beginning of the year read and I look forward to reading more from Marshall!!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the Audiobook "What Lies in the Woods"

I really enjoyed this book. Nicely tied up thriller. Little predictable, BUT still sprigs of surprises along the way.

Yes, I would definitely recommend this!!


Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.

And they were liars.

For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods―no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.

WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

◾️This book was so much fun to read! I’ve been on a thriller kick lately and looooving it. This one kept me on my toes at the end and I had no idea how the story would wrap up!

◾️Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Twenty-two years ago, Naomi was playing in the woods with her best friends when she was brutally attacked. She managed to survive, but has scars from her seventeen stab wounds. Naomi and her friends were able to identify the attacker and help put him in prison. None of the three girls have shared their secret about what really happened that summer in the woods, but present day events are threatening to unearth their dark past…

◾️I really enjoyed this one! My only issue was with the pacing. The last 25% of the book had so many plot twists my head was spinning. Having only the audiobook, I was confused by how many twists there were. I ended having to text a friend who had already read it to help explain certain twists for me. 😂 But I overall really enjoyed this one and would have probably rated it even higher if I had read the physical book!

Wow, that was a crazy ride!

Thank you, Netgalley and the author/publisher, for the opportunity to read (listen to) and review an advanced reader's copy of this book. This in no way affects my review, all opinions are my own.

I have read many thrillers/mystery books. So, you could say I have pretty high expectations when it comes to the plot, characters, setting, etc. This book definitely met my expectations! It kept me drawn in, and the twists and turns in the plot were fantastic. I like how the author wrote this from a first-person perspective. It was interesting to dive into Naomi's mind, since I'm a sucker for morally grey characters and unreliable narrators. I think what would have made this book even better (even though I don't know how the author could have done this) is some first-person chapters of other characters involved in this whole mess of a mystery. Another thing I really liked is that I did have my suspicions, but I was definitely not prepared for some of the twists and how some of my suspicions were both accurate and then again not quite. Great read!

Naomi survived a brutal knife attack when she was eleven, witnessed by her two best friends, Olivia and Cass. Their testimony put away a serial killer who had murdered six other women, but is that how it happened? Twenty-two years later Naomi’s attacker dies in prison, and Olivia announces she wants to tell the truth about that day. What is the truth? Naomi wants to know because the details are hazy at best.

Naomi, Olivia and Cass had a complicated friendship in the present and the past, which is revealed bit by bit. Naomi tells the story, and we uncover pieces of the truth gradually along with her. Digging around doesn’t make people happy putting Naomi in danger all over again.

What Lies in the Woods was atmospheric, edgy and a bit dark! Nice and twisty. This one kept me guessing and the final reveal was surprising, but also not out of left field either.

I’ve listened to quite a few books narrated by Karissa Vacker and she’s fast becoming one of my favorite audiobook performers! She does a wonderful job of making each character distinct and her voice is rich and smooth. I listened at my usual 1.5-1.75x normal speed.

I really enjoyed this! Very twisty, and even though I saw most of them coming, there were a few that I found really surprising and tense. Really enjoyed Kate Alice Marshall's adult debut!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC! 4.25 stars! What a twisty, anxious thriller! This started a little slow imo, but made up for it with the numerous twists and turns.

What a suspenseful read? Karissa Vacker made this one come to life as the narrator on the audio. I could not wait for the big reveal at the end. It was an incredible twist! This was action-packed and a fascinating delivery of evidence.

There were plenty of characters that could have carried out a horrendous incident. That incident occurred when 3 eleven year old friends spent their summers tracking through the woods on a fantasy of mythical characters. When they experience a shocking discovery in a cave, someone attacks them in the woods. Naomi suffers 17 stab wounds that luckily did not sever a fatal artery, but left her severely scarred. What her and her friends Cassie and Olivia experienced is shocking and bonds them to reveal who the killer is. Stahl was a serial killer and sentenced to life thanks to the girls' testimony. He died in prison of cancer and it has haunted Naomi that it was not him. She has experienced bits and pieces of her memory and something is not right about what they said in court.

Twenty two years later, strange events and occurrences with some shady characters are back in Naomi's life. She feels she cannot trust anyone even her closest friends. When one of them dies, she begins to panic. A Phenomenal story-line!
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This wasn't the best thriller and I think it's very forgettable but I enjoyed it while I listened and would definitely read this author again. However, this wasn't veto original or earth shattering.

𝙰𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚕𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙸 𝚙𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝-𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚞𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚜𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢.

This was an excellent book. The twists gave me chills and had my jaw on the floor. The narration was excellent as well

What Lies In The Woods was a fabulous mystery for anyone who loves mysteries and psychological thrillers. The story centers around three women who used to play in the woods as children until they were attacked presumably by a serial killer. Two girls manage to run away one gets severely injured but survives. Their testimony puts the killer away and the town rallies around them - but years later when the death of the presumed killer in prison brings things back front and center, Naomi who was injured and survived disfigured begins to question aspects of their story only to discover that her friend Olivia has also started to dig things back up. This was fabulous, so twisty and compelling it kept me wanting to continue to figure out what is really going on. The side characters made the book even better - there is even a true crime Podcaster !
I listened to the audio narrated by Karissa Vacker and loved it. There were quite a few people and I was able to follow and know what’s going on without any problems.

4/5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Three best friends with a traumatic childhood start to question what really happened to them 20 years ago.
This was a book that pulled me in and kept me guessing until the end!