Thanks to Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

Karissa Vacker is just THE BEST thriller audiobook narrator. While this story is really compulsive, Karissa definitely just elevated the experience even more.

What Lies In The Woods revolves around a 22-year-old murder, and we quickly find out the case isn't quite as nicely wrapped up as it was thought to be. There's a cast of shady characters, and while I found myself wanting the best for our MC Naomi, she definitely also made her own mistakes. Dark and haunting, this is a great thriller read with multiple twists and a fast-paced ending, and I definitely think audio is the way to go!

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall was a fast paced, exciting thriller, but unfortunately it was rather run of the mill for thrillers these days. Naomi and her 2 best friends, Cass and Liv, played a game in the woods when they were young girls, called the Goddess Game. The game was cut short when Naomi was attacked and stabbed 17 times, the summer the girls were 11. Though Naomi wasn't able to remember many details of the attack, her friends were watching from a hiding place and able to provide enough information to send a serial killer to jail. Twenty some years later, Naomi is back in town to visit Cass and Liv, after finding out the man they sent to jail all those years ago has just died. Naomi uncovers some dark secrets in her hometown and many, many lies as she struggles to remember what really happened in the woods all those years ago. Some of the twists seemed pretty obvious to me, but there were definitely still a few surprises! Karissa Vacker is an excellent narrator and really was perfect to narrate the story as Naomi. Though it wasn't anything extraordinary, thriller lovers will still really enjoy this one!

Ok I absolutely LOVED this one start to finish. First let me just say, this narrator is phenomenal. The way she changes her voice for the male characters is truly an art.

The story was very fast paced and kept my interest throughout. Though I did guess one major plot twist, another one I didn’t see coming. Great final book of 2022. Will look for this author (and narrator) in the future.

3.5 stars

This is Marshall's debut adult thriller, and while I liked it, I didn't love it. There are some surprises, but I did find it a bit predictable and the explanations for everything were a bit too OTT for me to completely buy into.

Naomi and her two childhood best friends Cass and Liv, created "The Goddess Game" in the woods one summer when they were eleven. Naomi was attacked and stabbed 17 times, she survived and the girls all identified Allan Michael Stahl as the attacker. He was a suspected serial killer so it was a relief when he was put behind bars. Now, twenty-two years later, Naomi receives word that Stahl has died from cancer, and she goes back to her hometown to talk to her friends who still live there and maybe confront the secrets they have been keeping from everyone.

One of the problems I had with this book were the large number of characters and none of them were very well defined. At one point a name was mentioned and I struggled to remember who he was in the scope of the story. There are a few good surprises that I didn't see coming, and everything was thoroughly explained in the end so that's always a positive for me. Yet like I said above, there are some OTT things that left me alternately rolling my eyes and wondering in bafflement how, small town or not, things could be so well covered up and hidden.

The storytelling was a little uneven, long periods of time would go with nothing happening and then bam! everythinghappensallatonce It is a decent mystery/thriller novel, just not one that will be super memorable for me. I know many others have liked it more than I did, so check out their reviews. I listened to the audiobook and Karissa Vacker and her whispering aren't a good match for me, but she does the story justice.

What Lies in the Woods was a fast paced thriller that caught my attention right from the start. Naomi can’t forget the past because it is etched in her face. Left scared from the many stab wounds, Naomi has tried to create a life, but she will always be the girl who survived. Naomi, Cassidy, and Olivia were young girls playing games in the woods when Naomi was brutally attacked. Luckily, their witness testimony was enough to put the man responsible in prison. But the girl’s had secrets, they did not tell the whole truth. And now years later those secrets are bubbling at the surface. Naomi returns home, to the place of the attack, to get answers for herself. She isn’t the only one who wants to know the truth. There are also people who want to leave the past buried, and willing to go to extreme lengths to keep it that way.

I devoured this audiobook. The story line kept moving, keeping a reader at the edge of their seat. The narration was very well done, creating a great listening experience. I thought I had it all figured out, but the end left a punch of surprises! I hope to be able to read more from Kate Alice Marshall in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Kate Alice Marshall for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Creepy woods, small town and secrets? What’s not to love!

I enjoyed this audiobook! I could not stop listening and wanted to digest everything that was going on in this story. Everytime I felt like I had everything figured out, BAM, twist after twist. I honestly did not see them coming. This book also made me reflect back on the games that me and my friends would play when we were kids.

This is my second book narrated by Karissa Vacker and she absolutely nails it every time! She portrayed every character well and brought them to life for me.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for my audio copy!

What Lies in the Woods? Secrets! Lies! & more twists than I can count!!!

Eleven year old Naomi Shaw was stabbed seventeen times and left for dead. Instead, she lived to tell the tale. Her testimony sealed the fate of her attacker, a presumed serial killer, and he was sentenced to life in prison. As much as she has tried to put the past behind her, the scars that have marred her body for twenty plus years are a daily reminder of what happened in the woods all those years ago. Now, added to her fading scars are the fresh emotions that have accompanied the news of her attacker dying in prison, her childhood best friends desire for a truth to be revealed, and a podcast host snooping around town seeking answers if his own.

What Lies in the Woods kept me intrigued from the jump. Constantly guessing...and second guessing just what had happened in the woods twenty two years ago. All in all I think there was just too much going on. Too many characters. Too many subplots. Too many twists. Naomi's down on her luck, too messed up to be loved character was super likable to me, but all the side characters felt like too many to keep up. In the end, some even felt unnecessary to the storyline. I enjoyed the narrator as she kept a pace that constantly felt like an intense buildup and gave it just the right amount of creepy vibes. The story could've been a little shorter and a twist or two left in the drafts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook with my promise of an honest review. 3.5 stars

A solid psychological thriller with lots of twists, atmospheric vibes and a solid cast of characters. While not a YA book, there were flashbacks to the past, when the girls were 11, which added an extra layer of suspense and was honestly quite creepy. The audiobook, narrated by Karissa Vacker, was fantastic! She did an amazing job with emotions and the transition between characters was seamless. However, at times I do wish I was reading the book over listening as there were so many men that the names started to blend together.

It took me a while to decide if I wanted to give this 4+ stars or 5…. There’s a lot to be considered.

- The narrator is very good; esp with the girls. Very distinctive. Great emotional connection. However not as much with the guy voices (still good and they don’t all sound the same, just not AS distinct as the girls) but for some reason that doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to knowing who is who. It does matter when it comes to your emotional connection to the character. (Though in this book, it doesn’t seem to matter as much.)

- the writing is done very well in the sense that it’s a very engaging story. Good twists. I’m very glad I read it. There’s so much detail.

However, in the end, it felt like the author had many details she wanted worked out but lost the time to do so. She dragged out so much of the suspense that she didn’t leave time to dive deeper into the nitty gritty so that when you got to the end, you’re bombarded with the answers all of a sudden and it’s very confusing. I listened twice to the last 30 min of the book and I still am confused on some things.

Looking back, I feel that she could’ve tied certain things together earlier, giving you even more suspense (less “dragging it out” feeling) and making it so you feel that “ah ha” moment at the end. It left me feeling wanting of a better ending. But I’m hopeful for maybe a second one to follow :)

So close to 5 stars. This is why I’m giving it 4 stars. But I loved it and would recommend it

"There was magic in the world. We only had to find it."

At an age of innocence, three young girls are searching for magic, caught up in childhood games filled with myths and rituals, goddesses and monsters, hiding the secrets and lies that bind them together. Everything changes the day one of these girls is attacked, stabbed seventeen times, yet she somehow miraculously survives to tell her story.

Twenty two years later, Naomi bears the physical and emotional scars of that fateful day while Olivia struggles with mental health issues and Cassidy, a single mother and the mayor's daughter, has never escaped her hometown. Trapped by the ghosts and shadows of the past, Naomi sets out to learn the truth of what really happened that day in the woods. But is it better to discover the truth or to simply live in the comfort of ignorance?

"The truth belonged to me and I would be the one to find it."

What Lies in the Woods is a cautionary tale about the dynamics of friendships between young girls, often toxic in nature with a darkness that lies in their hearts. Did these girls invite the darkness in or was it always there, lingering beneath the surface waiting to come out?

A look at the ripple effect of lies, this story was filled with a mix of emotions. Anger and fear, guilt and grief, betrayal and trust became tangled into an intricate web of lies and secrets. Though it started out slowly with a frequently used 'final girls' theme, it evolved into a plot that was layered with complexity and characters who each had an agenda of their own. With numerous twists and surprises at every turn, this kept me on my toes throughout and I was always anticipating what would happen next.

"I could see the cracks running through the foundation of everything I'd believed."

What would you be willing to do to protect your secrets? When do they become worth killing for? And who can you really trust? Can you even trust yourself?

Karissa Vacker narrated beautifully through a full cast of characters, embodying the distinct personality of each as she portrayed the depth of feelings and emotions within expertly. Her voice made this book enjoyable to listen to, keeping me engaged until the end as I wondered what each character had to hide. She was an excellent choice to bring out the heart and soul of this story and I'm glad I chose the audio version to experience it.

** Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ALC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available January 17, 2023. **

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author. When I started this story I was excited for what they promised would be a twisted thriller ride. It took me awhile to get into this book and I almost DNF’d it but around the 40% mark it caught my interest and I needed to finish it to know what happened.
3 friends grow up playing a goddess game that one day ends in violence. As adults our main character Naomi sets out to find the truth on what happened the day she was almost killed in the woods and if the serial killer she accused was in fact responsible.
I will say that I did have a hunch that one of the characters was going to be involved in the incident but it was still a good story.

Loved this book.

The secrets we keep and the lies we tell always come back to haunt us at some point in our lives. And they shape who we are and will be. This book had so many lies and so many secrets. Every time I thought I had it figured out, BAM, another twist. I truly had no idea what the ending would be and I love that.

I devoured this audiobook in 2 days. Great narration and even better writing.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kate Alice Marshall, and publishers for exchanging this ARC for an honest review.

Rounding up but 4.5⭐️⁣
⁣
What a twisted, dark, mind bending thriller. This was unputdownable and I love every single twist and turn. ⁣
⁣
Naomi was left for dead in the woods with 17 stab wounds and her two best friends ran out of fear. She’s alive and a serial killer is sent to jail for her stabbing. ⁣
⁣
25 years later, she gets a call that her killer has died from cancer but it brings up hold wounds and makes her question if she sent the right person to jail. Two other girls are now dead. Childhood games and a tight knit town make it so you aren’t sure who to trust. A podcaster Ethan is helping Naomi figure it out, but can he be trusted?⁣
⁣
What lies in the woods?! What’s the truth and what’s a lie?⁣

I loved the narrator for this as well! They really brought the story to life.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A day in the woods changed the lives of Liv, Cass and Naomi over 29 years ago so when the man that they sent to prison as a result of that day dies in prison, Naomi sees it as a catalyst to unravel the lies that have been spun since that fateful day.
When best friends Cass, Liv and Naomi were 11 years old, they believed in magic and fairies and goddesses. One summer the 3 of them went into the woods and 1 of them came out covered in blood. Naomi was a walking miracle-she survived being stabbed 17 times. As a resumed the trauma she blocked out what happened to her, but now she is ready to process what really happened that day, and as a result, nothing is what it seems. And she finds she can’t trust anyone.
This was a slow burn with most of the twist and turns coming towards the last 1/4 of the story. And it was pretty obvious from the beginning who the villain was going to be, so it was just a matter of figuring out the origin story.
Be warned there are lots of triggers: rape, abuse, suicide to name a few.
The narrator is one I have to to very much enjoy listening to and to look for when considering an audiobook. She does a great job of bringing the characters to life.

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio ARC.

I found this book boring. I stopped at the half-way point and googled spoilers, and I'm glad I didn't finish based on some reviews. Nothing really happens, just a lot of talk about what happened in the past. I never felt intrigued or curious. The writing wasn't bad so I would consider reading something else of hers.

Audio version- fantastic narrator!

This was crazy but so entertaining! Great premise, characters and pacing. There were some great plot twists, most of which I didn’t see coming. It wrapped up nicely, was sad it was over.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Macmillan Audio for a copy in exchange for a review.

Every time I thought I had this novel figured out, there was another twist that took me by surprise. Naomi Shaw is basically a Final Girl. She survived an attack witnessed by her 2 best friends, Liv and Cassidy. 17 stab wounds and she lived to put away a serial killer. But it seems the girls lied. And now Liv wants to tell the biggest secret they kept for 20 years. A secret worth killing for.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

A week off is definitely meant to be relaxing. For me, I could not wait to chill out in pajamas for a week all cozied up to all the books I had lined up!

First up was What Lies in the Woods

This was the first time I loved the audio so dang much that I had to pick up the book itself just to make sure I didn't miss one little detail.

I am new to the whole "audio world" but I find that if I pick a specific book I know I will love that its actually quite enjoyable. Chores and driving were never something I looked forward to, however, when I am consumed by the audio I am listening to, chores become something that I cant not wait to get to !

The narrator did an exceptional job telling the story! I had permanent goosebumps up and down my arms the entire time I was listening!

I was completely thrown into the plot without a minute to waste. This is not a slow burn but instead a heart pounding thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Reading or listening, it does not matter which option you prefer, you are bound to love this book so much.

I did figure out the major twist a little early on but it didn't stop me from absorbing every last detail of this book. The characters were well done, and although they were definitely not the warm and squishy type, I was still able to form a connection of sorts with them.

I have said it 100 times...

Kids are Evil
Books about kids are evil
I love evil children...

This book is sure to give the strongest readers nightmares so I will advise you to prepare yourself for some sleepless nights!

5 stars!

That’s to NetGalley for this arc and the opportunity to listen to this audiobook before its official release. I really enjoyed it! The story kept me wanting to listen and figure things out. Some of the reveals I admittedly saw coming so it wasn’t full of shocking twists as may have been intended. It did have lots of distracting leads that made me question if my guesses were incorrect. The characters were not particularly like able. I mean they are mostly bad people, not just flawed but I was rooting for some of them anyway. The narrator did a pretty good job of making the voices for the many females differentiated. The title has many interpretations and I love that. I also really enjoyed a “character “ that was central to the book but not actually present; it was a different plot line than I had seen before. That’s hard to do in the thriller world! So was this book realistic or believable? Not so much. But was it a fun ride? I thought so!

I read this in 1 day. but I'm not really sure i liked it. I was a lot of back and forth and the twist was a bit predictable. I rated it 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4.