Thank you so very much for giving me the chance to review this gorgeous book, which I couldn't put down. What Lies in the Woods is a haunting tale of family, friendship, mental health struggles and trauma, all wrapped up in a satisfying mystery, set in the always gorgeous pacific northwest. The narrator of this audio book was perfect, too. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to my partners @macmillan.audio and @librofm for the #gifted audiobook.

Twenty-two years ago Naomi, Olivia, and Cassidy were playing silly little girl games in the woods. But the games came to a quick end when Naomi ended up stabbed 17 times.

⚠️Three traumatized young girls
⚠️A serial killer
⚠️Small town secrets…lots of secrets
⚠️An ominous atmosphere that supplied all the creep factor

This one had a strong start. I found myself completely engaged with those early details… just WHAT happened in those woods?

But I found my excitement wane as the plot quickly became messy and started to feel a bit too
clichéd. I don’t necessarily mind a predictable or implausible plot if well executed. However, the execution was a miss in this case, which made the predictable and implausible even more frustrating.

🎧The one thing that kept me hanging on even through the blunders… Karissa Vacker. I am a big fan of her narration, particularly for thrillers. And for this book, she totally delivers!

I am having the worse reading luck.

I did not like this book at all.

Naomi, Liv and Cass were childhood friends all from different backgrounds. They would play in the woods and found a dead body that they decided to "worship" . On one of these outings, Naomi was stabbed 17 times and left for dead she never truly got a good look at her attempted killer. She was eventually saved an the testimony of the girls helped sent a serial killer in the area to jail for rest of his life.

Until he dies and Naomi receives a letter from the serial killers son saying she made a mistake and he didn't do it.

This sent Naomi on a spiral and back to her hometown to retrace her steps of that horrible attack and find the truth.

This got real cheesy fast. The lead character was unbearable. It started off so good , the middle dragged and I just wanted to find out if my hunch was right by the time the ending came clunking around.

Not memorable or fun read .

I enjoyed the audiobook of the novel "What Lies In The Woods". I feel like the narrator did an excellent job in reading as well! I was intrigued by the main character, Naomi, who was resilient despite her struggles, and thought the pace of the plot and its twists was just right. The book kept me engaged and I was surprised by the reveal. It was a quick, enjoyable read!

Twenty-two years ago, Naomi and her friends were playing in the woods when Naomi was stabbed 17 times and survived to put the man in jail. Now, years later the girls come together due to the death of the supposed attacker but there is only one problem… they lied about what happened that night.

What Lies in the Woods is a entertaining thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat wonder what was going to happen. I didn’t guess the twist at the end which kept for a thrilling conclusion once all of the pieces came together.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker. I listened at a 1.5x speed which is my usual speed and the pace was good. I enjoyed the emotion she brought to the characters and found the different voices to be clear and distinguishable.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

In a Nutshell: Good enough, though not mind-blowing. Not sure how avid thriller readers would find this plot, but I, a dabbler in this genre, was entertained.

Story Synopsis:
Twenty years ago, three eleven-year-old girls (Naomi, Cassidy, and Olivia)) were instrumental in sending a serial killer to prison. The girls didn’t escape unscathed. One of them almost died, and still lives with terrible scars on her body. Another has mental health issues, while the third has control issues. Yet, they were all made out to be heroes for their brave declaration.
Except for one thing.
All three of them were liars.
All three of them have been keeping secrets.
One of them wants to reveal the truth of what happened in the woods.
But someone wants to stop her.
The story comes to us in the first person pov of Naomi.

Where the book worked for me:
✔ I am not an avid reader of this genre as I find most books pretty much the same in pattern. What made me try this title is that the serial killer was already caught and imprisoned, and the story deals with the aftermath of the gruesome attack. Unusual enough!
✔ For once, Naomi, the lead female protagonist, is not an alcoholic. She doesn’t hide her scars from the world, and despite her self-doubt, lives an unapologetic life. I liked her portrayal to a great extent. (I can’t remember the last time I liked a lead character in the thriller-mystery genre.)
✔ Though Naomi is still an unreliable narrator, her reveals are firmly controlled by the author. It’s not like Naomi lies to us outright (most of the times); she just doesn’t tell us something until and unless she wants to. I don’t mind this kind of unreliable narrator. The ones who contradict themselves with every subsequent chapter are the irritating ones.
✔ Naomi’s first person pov has limited rambling. It’s only in the final quarter that the inner monologues become too much.
✔ The author throws in enough of twists along the way. As we all know, whenever authors point fingers in the direction of one character, it becomes clear that THAT character can’t be the culprit; it’s always someone unexpected. So imagine the trouble (and the fun) when the author points fingers in the direction of almost every character. I kept guessing and second-guessing the identity of the villain.
✔ Though there were many characters, the proceedings never became confusing. The author takes her time to let us “know” the characters. (The “know” is in quotes because we never truly know any of them.)
✔ The woods are made use of wonderfully rather than just being a part of the title.
✔ It is somewhat slow at the start, but soon begins to pick up pace until it is almost galloping at the climax. (Still undecided if this is a good point or bad!)


Where the book could have worked better for me:
❌ The ending was much over the top. A few of the explanations were farfetched, and some were plain silly. I would have gone with a higher rating had the ending been better.
❌ Some of the big reveals about certain characters were quite predictable.
❌ The three woman characters do take stupid decisions at times. I still can’t understand why characters think going for a walk in the dark woods at night all alone is a good idea. All three ladies are kooky in one way or another.


The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 11 hrs 16 min, is narrated by Karissa Vacker. I’ve heard many audiobooks by her and enjoy how she attempts to voice each character distinctly. I am still not a fan of her ‘male voice’, but other than that, no complaints. She is really good and makes the audiobook a treat to the ears.


This is the author’s debut adult work. (She has written only children’s and YA fiction prior to this.) She has handled the book mostly well. Some toning down of the exaggerated moments at the end would have worked in favour of the plot. But even as is, the book is interesting and entertaining enough to read.

This isn’t a thriller but a psychological drama. If you read it as a psych or crime thriller, you will be disappointed for sure. Recommended to those looking for an entertaining mystery with some unexpected twists. This won’t have a long-term impact, but as long as it lasts, it delivers pretty well.

4 stars.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “What Lies in the Woods”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

While I did enjoy this one, it wasn't my favorite thriller by any means. It kept me guessing and I really enjoyed the narrator and writing style, but it got too convoluted in my opinion. I had inklings of what would happen by the end of the book and most of them came true. While it was enjoyable for the most part, it carried on longer than necessary. Thank you: NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Kate Alice Marshall for allowing me to read/listen to this one in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know what I enjoyed more… Reading this book, or trying to figure out a way to write this review without spoilers. When I tell you I wanted to talk about EVERYTHING dealing with this book! I know there’s some things I won’t be able to say and it’s killing me! But I guess I’ll do my best. Because this deserves the hype that people have been giving it!

Ok so first off let’s talk about the plot. I LOVED that they told us right away what they lied about. I hate those thrillers that will give you half the details in the hopes of keeping you from guessing who the killer is. In this one we learn pretty early on what happened and they start to answer why they did it instead. I also liked the way the rest of the clues were doled out. Because listen, I was questioning literally everyone lol I was even thinking maybe it WAS who they said it was even though they admitted lying! It was so good.

Which is why I feel so foolish for worrying. Ok so I was not a fan of one of Marshall’s MG books. Idk I just couldn’t get into it. I tried reading one of her YA books and I did like that one, so now I have to re-examine what happened. Because when I tell you I couldn’t put this down! I had to stop at like 80% because the work day was over and I usually only listen to audiobooks when I’m working. But I couldn’t stop this one. I ended up doing household chores just so I could have an excuse to do something and still listen. I just couldn’t stop.

The predictability is another thing I wanted to talk about. When I read thrillers or mysteries, I ALWAYS try to guess the culprit before the main characters. After all the books I’ve read, I’m usually pretty good about it. But this one stumped me. I guessed one part of it, but there was still a lot of stuff that I was missing. And usually this comes because the author withholds certain details until the last minute and that annoys me. But Marshall didn’t do this and it made me love this even more. She gave us all the facts and the info and I still was only able to guess one part of the mystery correctly.

The characters were cool too. I couldn’t trust any of them lol And I mean that. It sounds weird because you shouldn’t trust anyone in a thriller anyway, but I didn’t trust anyone from the very beginning. Even the main character admitted to lying lol And I LOVED that they weren’t told as drunks or drug addicts to be unreliable. I’m so glad we’re moving away from that era. I’m over it. There are other ways to make someone unreliable and this author did a great job at it. However, since everyone had a sob story, it made it a little hard to remember who everyone was. The authors throws reminders out, so you don’t forget completely, but sometimes they might be few and far between.

This thriller was fast paced and hella interesting. It really made me think. I hate to say it that way, but I don’t know the last time I was THAT into a thriller where I actually had to actively try and figure it out. This was fun and I really hope Marshalls dives even further into the adult thriller genre. I can’t wait to see what she does with it.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this ALC.

Fans of a twisty thriller, this one’s for you! At eleven, Naomi and her two friends play a children’s game in the woods and end up sending a man to jail for life. Now as adults, one of them wants to reveal the truth of that day- but the truth is way different than they could have imagined!

I love a dual timeline in a thriller, this one goes back and forth between the girls as children and now back together again. The timelines culminate, and give twist after twist!! The characters were imperfect, relatable, and engaging- even the small town side characters. I was totally engrossed in this one from the start! Make believe, romance, and murder all in one twisty package.

The narrator Karissa Vacker absolutely nailed this performance. She was engaging, clear and confident. It was always clear who she was speaking as. Vacker is quickly becoming one of my favorite audiobook narrators!

What Lies in the Woods is a perfect mystery about long kept secrets amongst friends.

Naomi Shaw survived a brutal attack in the woods when she was 11, 22 years later she is confronted with revisiting that day and the lie her and her friends told to put away a serial killer.

It is the perfect blend of games girls play in their youth, the secrets they decide to keep, and how some secrets can’t be hidden forever. This book was enthralling and such a quick read. I found the characters well developed and I tore through this to find out what happened.

What Lies in the Woods is a perfect example of what a solid 3 star thriller looks like for me.

I was excited to pick this one up after choosing it in January's Book of the Month box. The premise sounded interesting, and it gave me Slender Man vibes. I was interested in and enjoying the story as I was listening to the audio, but now that it's been a little while since I've finished it... I can't really remember much about it, which is why this review is going to be pretty short.

I enjoyed the twists and turns. I know there's been quite a few reviews of people saying it was predictable, but I honestly didn't guess any of the twists. I was just along for the ride, haha. I did really enjoy the audio because Karissa Vacker narrated it, and she's quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators! She also narrates A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things.

Overall, this thriller was just okay. It was great as I was listening, but it's not a memorable story for me.

3.5 stars!

WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS was a suspenseful read that gave me YA/Riley Sager vibes and I loved it. I love a plot that involves a group of school-aged friends that reunite years later as adults, and this definitely had some twists that I didn’t see coming.

I enjoyed the audiobook and thought the narrator was a great fit for the characters.

*many thanks to Flatiron Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

Kate Alice Marshall will forever be an auto-buy author, out of all her books I have only disliked one of them and for her to now be releasing adult books is AMAZING. I was thrilled to receive the audiobook through netgalley and got a copy of the physical one through Book of The Month. This book was fantastic and had so many twists, you honestly couldn't trust anyone by the end of the book. It was beautifully written and very unpredictable. You don't realize the things we do as children can come back and haunt us as adults.

I am not sure of the 3.5 stars is because this month I have read better stories in this genre, or because it really fell flat.

I love when I am devouring and feel like I can’t move left or right without disrupting the storyline and what might come next.
And this book just fell flat to that.
I enjoyed the storyline, the few twist that were in there were predictable, but that is about it.

So I consider it a beach read of Mystery and Suspense.

Thank you @netgalley for my ebook in exchange for this honest review

Thank you NetGallery & McMillan Audio for allowing me the opportunity to listen to this book.

This book had so many twists and turns. Just when you thought you knew where it was going the author added another twist. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, I couldn't stop listening.

Can't wait to read something else from this author.

This was pleasantly surprising, the plot twists were satisfactory and the narration was great. I would've liked more time spent on the ending, and I wasn't a big fan of the climax scene because the MC was somewhat passive, but overall this was a very strong suspense and I would recommend it to fans of Alice Feeney and Candice Fox.

I just finished this engaging thriller last night ! #whatliesintheWoods is an atmospheric thriller, set in the woods, timeframe: the 90s, back when #witches and #goddesses were something kids and teens were obsessed with. In this story by #katealicemarshall three best friends: Naomi, Cassidy, and Olivia at age 11 explore the woods, playing their goddess game, doing lil rituals trying to invoke magic. Before the end of summer, Naomi would be brutally attacked by a serial killer, stabbed 17 times, barely surviving but scarred for life - inside and out. 20 years later she returns home and meets those demons head on - the memories of that horrible time - how her friends were there for her - how her dad had trouble coping with life in general let alone this tragedy, and she starts to doubt her memories. What she winds up doing is reinvestigating all of the events that happened which sets off a chain of events involving the murder of her friends and her own second brush with death. This story went places that I really did not see coming. And for reasons that are as simple as : self-preservation at all costs.
It’s amazing to me how complex and fluid our ethics can be when we feel it’s us against another, even if it’s someone we love. This book has a lot of complex flawed characters and I loved that. I really enjoyed Naomi as a character and the audiobook was brilliantly narrated by @karissavacker - one of my favorite narrators! I’m giving this book a 5 star on Goodreads - this just published in Jan 23 - check it out- I highly recommend!
Thank you @macmillan.audio @flatiron_books @netgalley !!

As a young child, Naomi Shaw found magic in the woods. The otherworldliness of the surroundings and the infectious spirit of the place completely engrossed her imagination. What began as the germ of an idea soon became something more tangible. Naomi recruited her best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, to join her in the woods. The trifecta practiced their Goddess Game, conjuring their own version of magic. The treetops transforming into a grand cathedral ceiling became the home of their spiritual ceremony. The summer of wonder was soon interrupted by a brutal attack. A man invaded their place in the woods. Naomi was stabbed 17 times but lived to identify her attacker. The man was charged with her attempted murder and the killings of 6 other young women. The girls were heroes.

Years later, Naomi is still haunted by the trauma of that fateful summer in the woods. The scars on her face are a physical reminder of the tragedy she endured. The real trauma, however, isn't something that can be seen. It's the guilt that she's harbored ever since she identified the man who attacked her. The attacker's death in his jail cell reopens old wounds, forcing Naomi and the other girls to grapple with what they did. You see, they lied about seeing him attack on that fateful night. Now they'll have to reckon with the truth of what really happened deep within the woods.

In What Lies in the Woods, Kate Alice Marshall conjures a tale of childhood innocence, generational trauma, and the complexities of the criminal justice system. Her publisher provided me with a copy of the book to listen to, and I was pleased to see that Karissa Vacker was narrating. Her reading of the work perfectly captured Marshall's atmospheric prose, allowing the characters and their chilling story to whisper off of the pages. Marshall employs a past/present perspective through shifting chapters that reveal bits of the truth in tantalizingly suspenseful bites. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that one of the characters in this book was named Ethan, the second book that I've read in a row to do so. I always get a kick out of that! Overall, the book unfolds at a deliberate pace, allowing the characters the room they need to come to terms with their chilling transgressions. I was completely thrilled by What Lies in the Woods.

Kate Alice Marshall knew what she was doing when she wrote this! This is the first time I have read something by here and I plan to read some more of her work. What Lies in the Woods is definitely a book I will add to my annual reads because this was well-written and beautifully executed.

Naomi is the survivor of a vicious attack that changed the town of Chester. With her friends Cassidy and Olivia, a secret was kept amongst them... until Olivia decided she couldn't keep the secret any longer. I had an idea of what happened, but I still enjoyed listening to the story unfold. There were some plot twists that had me like, "Whoaaaa! What?!" I listened to the audiobook and appreciated the narrator for not sounding monotone. As an educator, this is definitely a book that I will recommend to my students and other fellow book readers.

Y'all. I loved this story. There are so many secrets, so many players and so many twists and turns! I feel like a lot of these kinds of books can be at least a little predictable, but I absolutely did not see this one coming.

To be fair, there were one or two small twists that I had kind of suspected, but overall I was surprised by so much more. I don't want to give away too much as I hate spoilers, but this is a very very good read.

As far as narration, at first, I wasn't sure if I would love the narrator. Literally at first. The first maybe 3 minutes I thought were way too slow. But after that, it turns out that I actually kind of loved her. She does such a great job and you could almost imagine she was telling her own true story.

I love the main character Naomi. This is a woman who has been through so much in her life, and while she is definitely a little rough around the edges, I admire her ability to not shy away from what happened to her. Yes, she probably has a lot of very unhealthy coping mechanisms. I mean, not probably, she definitely does. But I love the fact that she is very adamant about not hiding her scars. By the end of this book, you realize just how strong this woman really is, and for me, it was inspiring.

Ethan is one of the twists I had expected, and regardless of what he did, I actually adore him too. He very much has his own hidden agenda but I really think he cares a lot about Naomi. And I don't know, he seems like a really nice guy.

Overall loved this book. I would recommend to anyone who likes a good mystery that isn't super predictable.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook