4.5 stars!
As with all eleven-year-old girls, Naomi Shaw and her girlfriends played make-believe games in the woods near her home, their favorite being that they were all Greek goddesses.  One day, while Naomi, Cass, and Liv were playing Naomi, was attacked and stabbed and was left fighting for her life.  What happened that day?  Who stabbed Naomi and why? Did Cass and Liv see who did it?

Kate Alice Marshall takes us on a mystery ride of twists and turns as we try to learn exactly what happened that day.  Things are not as cut and dried as they once seemed. 
This engrossing thriller had me completely convinced that I knew just how things had played out that day in the woods but Marshall took me down some crazy pathways that had me second-guessing just who did what. And in the end, I was wrong! 

The narration by Karissa Vacker was excellent as she was able to successfully change her voice for each character.  Intonations and her smooth voice added to the enjoyment of listening to this audiobook. 

If you're a mystery thriller lover, this is definitely one you'll enjoy. 

My thanks to #NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the pleasure of listening to this great thriller.  This opinion is my own.

The first half of the book was great then I felt it started to drag a little. I had a hard to finding any of the characters likable which I think was the point but it took me some time to get through the book and finish it. The audio was great and made it much easier to get through. The plot was amazing but I think it could’ve been executed a little better. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Naomi was an eleven-year old almost-murder victim who has returned home as an adult, having supposedly moved on from her victim status. After the tragic, suspicious death of a friend, she begins questioning everything she thought she knew about the circumstances of her near-death experience as a child, and finds herself perilously close to being back in the same situation.
This is a pretty standard murder mystery - entertaining enough, but nothing special.
Thanks to #netgalley and #flatironbooks for this #arc of #whatliesinthewoods in exchange for an honest review.

I was definitely in the mood for a dark thriller, when Netgalley sent me an email with this audiobook ARC. What Lies in the Woods follows Naomi when she returns to her childhood town where she was the victim of an attempted murder that put a serial killer behind bars.

The tension and dark atmosphere is thick right from the beginning and definitely drew me in with the obvious mysteries lurking in Naomi's story. However, I didn't really find Naomi to be a compelling character - she's super self-destructive and honestly just frustrating sometimes - and I had trouble to connecting to her. Mostly I got annoyed when she kept actually saying out loud "I know I should go to the police BUT..." or "I know I should do the logical thing BUT..."

However, I found the mysteries here to be really satisfying, and there were definitely some twists and turns along the way that I didn't expect (and some I did). I wish the ending had been a touch more uplifting and less open-ended, but overall I enjoyed the read (and the narration was fantastic) and would recommend to those looking for a dark thriller with few gratifying surprises.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a decent debut novel. It is a slow burn told from the perspective of Naomi. She is semi famous due to a horrible tragedy when she was 11. She was almost killed by a serial killer and she and her childhood friends were responsible for putting him away. As an adult, she is a photographer floating from one bad relationship to another and avoiding her home town. When she learns that her almost killer has died. She finally feels free…of the lies/secrets that she has been keeping.

She returns to her hometown and is reunited with her childhood friends, their parents and a host of other people I couldn’t keep straight. There was minimal character development and along with the slow plot, it was hard to hang in there to find out exactly “What Lies in the Woods”. The plot was convoluted and the actual story/true culprit was pretty obvious.

Highly enjoyed it. Even took me by surprise - maybe because I don't catch as much when I listen but it was nice not to see every tiny thing coming. Major points but not the kitty bitty stuff, so that makes it soar for me.

Karissa Vackers narration never fails to pull me in. I must admit the men all sounded the same but it didn’t necessarily ruin my enjoyment, it just made the need to focus a little more on who was talking.

This was my first book by this author and it was an enjoyable albeit predictable read. I did like the protagonist Naomi and found her easy to like. The rest of the folks were a bit tougher but I’m sure that was intentional.

I think a lot of readers will enjoy this read. The author sets the scene well and introduces us to quite a few characters and suspects.

This story grabbed me right from the beginning and never let go. Three eleven year old girls, best of friends, spend a lot of time together playing in the woods in this small logging town. One day, only two of the girls come out unharmed. The third girl survives a brutal stabbing and that's where the story begins. What really happened that day in the woods and why? This story uncovers secrets as to what happened to Naomi all those years ago in the woods and why. As the reader, there were so many aha moments and then, wait, what? The book has great narration and is very suspenseful as this mystery and its conspirators are revealed. Jan 2023 Pub Date

Whoa. Keep yours ears open when you listen to this one because its gonna get wild.

Naomi was nearly murdered in the woods as an 11 year old girl with her two friends Cass and Liv. She was stabbed multiple times but saved by a young local man, Cody. When she gets a call from Liv to return home over 20 years later because she found Persephone, the twisty tale starts to unravel. Who is Persephone? What happened in the woods? Who’s lying?

I loved the title of the book! It’s perfect for the story. If you’re ok with reading a book where the crazy gets crazier and can handle a bit of implausibility, this thriller will be for you. I enjoyed this listen and may have scared myself a few times walking around my house listening to it. 😆

This book was so full of twists and red herrings it was unbelievable. I couldn’t put it down and throughout the entire thing I thought I had the answers…just to be twisted again and proven wrong!

@kmarshallarts did a fantastic job of weaving this thriller in such a way that it keeps you on your toes until the very end.

As for the audiobook, the narration was perfection. I am VERY picky when it comes to my audiobook and this one was literally music to my ears! @karissavacker did an outstanding job narrating!

So go and pre-order this book if you want a fast paced thriller to kick of 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Kate Marshall, and NetGalley for the gifted ALC. I LOVED this book! If you are a fan of thrillers, you need to pick up this book ASAP.

As a true crime lover, I noticed a few subtle nods to an actual case which was a ton of fun without feeling like it was ripping the actual plot from those cases! The character development was great, there was some light romance interspersed and the pace of the book was perfect. Also, if you like audio books, the narrator @karissavacker did an amazing job!🥰

Content Rating: Appropriate for upper YA

Synopsis:

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.

4.5 Stars (rounded up for GR)

Twenty two years ago, three friends Naomi, Cassidy and Olivia spent the summer in the woods, doing as all young girls do and using their imagination in the Goddess Game. Until one day, Naomi was brutally stabbed 17 times. After a miraculous survival, she identified the man who hurt her. However, all of these years later, Naomi starts to question whether they got the right man…

What Lies in the Woods is my first of Kate Alice Marshall, and from what I know her first adult mystery. But I can definitely say I hope there are more just like it coming from her in the future! This was an atmospheric, psychological thriller that was gripping and mysterious throughout. Multiple red herrings had me thinking I guessed it throughout the way and playing detective right along with Naomi. With the use of some ultimate sleuthing, I did figure out parts of the final reveal, however there were so many elements to it that it still held some surprise.

Different elements were included such as trauma and a little bit of grief, which were all handled so well. These emotions really added to the heightened intensity of the climax and connection to the story. Overall, a very well done thriller that should be on thriller lovers’ radars as it comes out in a month!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my DRC in exchange for an honest review. Full review to be posted on my IG @manis.and.manuscripts one month prior to and again on pub day!

The games we play when we are children are priceless. Made up of imagination, dreams, and magic! Naomi Shaw and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, were playing in the woods. They made up a game and spent hours playing and believing in their Goddess Game. They made a discovery in the woods and vowed to keep it as secret. It became a part of their game. It was all fun and games until Naomi was attacked viciously. She survived seventeen stab wounds. When interviewed by the police, Naomi identifies the man who attacked her- a serial killer wanted for the murder. The girls testified and he was put away. The town did a huge sigh of relief. A girl survived, a killer was put away and life could go back to normal - except the girls lie!

When the man they identified dies in prison, the three old friends reunite in their hometown. Naomi has been traumatized since the attack. How could she not be? She also knows deep down that the man she identified as her attacker, may not have been the one who stabbed her. The three friends bear guilt and carry secrets. But they are not the only ones. The town holds secrets as well.

This started a little slowly for me, but I was intrigued with Naomi, a wedding photographer who put her scars on display so people knew what they were getting with her. As her friend calls her, readers see Naomi grapple with both her present and past. Things really picked up for me when Naomi went back to her hometown and began interacting with her father, friends and a podcaster named Ethan.

What really happened in the woods? Who is responsible? Those questions kept going through my mind, and I was shocked when the final reveal occurred. What a shocker! Put that down into the I-did-not-see-that-coming department. Well done, Kate Alice Marshall, well done!

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a fantastic job.

This one kept me on my toes and fully invested in the plot. I found this book to be well thought out, riveting and shocking! I can't wait to read what Marshall writes next!

Great book!
This story kept me listening! I finished in a day.
You'd think you knew who, then things would happen and you didn't know after all.
Heavy on the F-bombs though. But considering what all was going on, they were mostly justified.
Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite narrators and she didn't a wonderful job as usual.

This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time. This is a masterful telling of a twisted story with unexpected happenings around every corner. Naomi is attacked as a young girl and the man is put away, but when he dies the truth begins to come to light. So what really happened? Read this one to find out. I was so shocked by so many of the characters truths and the mind of the author is absolutely amazing. I enjoyed every minute and hated to see it end. 5 stars easily!

This is so messed up, dark and twisted! I didn’t want to put it down since I couldn’t wait to figure out what happened. Some of the twists were fairly obvious, but some were too deranged to even think of.

I will say, I really struggled with the MC Naomi. I understand how and why she is so self destructive, but it really got frustrating to read over and over again.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

What Lies in the Woods
by Kate Alice Marshall
Narrated by Karissa Vacker

Rating: 4.6/5.0 Stars

What a thrilling, wild ride! What Lies in the Woods, by Alice Marshall, is such a great listen that kept me listening raptly from the beginning to the very end. Naomi and her BFFs, Liv and Cassidy, met a serial killer. Naomi almost died. She was one of the lucky ones. Or is that really what happened? This is the story of friends revisiting a dark time in their past when Naomi was almost killed by a serial killer. Now that he's dead, they're all back home, but there's someone out there that thinks that what they claim happened all those years ago may not really have happened...

This was a real page-turner from the get-go. Naomi is a very flawed and imperfect character, yet I liked her and was rooting for her the entire time. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but I definitely recommend this listen. I loved the way that Ms. Marshall crafted the story and she takes the reader on a journey that revisits the past but comes together in the present. Ms. Vacker did an amazing job with her performance. I'd easily and happily listen to more stories narrated by her. She's easy to listen to and does a great male voice as well.

Thank you so very much to #MacMillanAudio and #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC.

I would listen to anything Karissa Vacker narrates. Three best friends are responsible for putting a serial killer into prison. Twenty years later, what actually happened in those woods is far from what they told. Each carries a secret.

Folks, we have a winner here! A decades old secret, a childhood game, dark sacrifices, and a small quirky town where absolutely no one can tell the truth. As lover of twisty thrillers, this story has all of the pivotal elements that keep you guessing. Unreliable friendships and deeply flawed characters are the heart of this meandering novel. I especially loved the love/hate relationships between Naomi and her dad. A super fun read!

The audiobook is excellent.and very well done. Karissa Vacker is now one of my go to narrators.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Readers Copy.

Over 20 years ago, as only young teens, Naomi and her friends Cassidy and Olivia put a murderer behind bars. while Naomi was left with scars from 17 stab wounds, her friends made it out alive, but the three were able to pick the man who stabbed her out no problem. They were town heroes. Now Oliva wants to tell the truth of what happened, and Naomi is determined to find out what really happened to her.

Phew! I did not expect this one! I was immediately drawn in to Naomi’s story as she headed back home after her almost murderer died in jail. I obviously figured there was more to the story about her attack, there wouldn’t be much of a book if there wasn’t, but I was not expecting what we got! This one kept me on my toes trying to figure out what had actually happened in the woods with her friends, and left me with my mouth hanging open.