It was really hard for me to put this book away. I pulled an all-nighter to finish reading it. The numerous plots and suspense left me, chapter by chapter I read with bated breath!

An excellent debut perfect for thriller or mystery fans. A gripping suspenseful tale of small town mystery cloaked in folklore and superstition. Cheyanne left her hometown wanting to leave the traumatic childhood that saw three children found dead in the woods. The woods that local legends report to be home to evil entity. I enjoyed this enthralling mystery that leads the reader to continually question what is going on and if the secrets to be unveiled are supernatural or human horror. The story was easy to read and told from multiple POV of childhood friends, Cheyanne and Natalie. The pages flew by. I enjoyed the atmospheric small town murder mystery and would read future books by this author.

Happy Thriller Thursday🖤 This debut thriller was horrific and well written. The story is told from dual POVs and set in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. This town has been dealing with sets of three children being kidnapped and later found murdered for generations. The folklore surrounding these murders is that there is evil that lives in the woods that surround the town. 5 years after the last set of children are murdered, another child goes missing and the town must figure out how to stop this chain of events from repeating once again.

I really enjoyed this read and recommend it to read during a vacation this summer!

Thank you @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

Conclusion of the story was solid. I still feel like some of my questions were still not answered. But overall it is good, slow burn, atmospheric thriller that you don’t want to miss!

This was an atmospheric story from a debut author. Greene did a good job of capturing the feeling of Appalachian woods haunted by generations of stories about a mysterious being from “the town that eats children". I would have preferred the story without the supernatural vibes, especially when you know early on that a man had been wrongly convicted for the murders.

The dual narration threw me off at the beginning; I wasn't sure who was going to be our protagonist. While I liked the character of Cheyenne, I thought she lacked a little depth as did Natalie. Cheyenne's mom was all over the place, but it was seemingly a trait she possessed even in her younger days. The "Hickory Man" harkens back to stories of the "Wicker Man", stories that, as the book reveals, are necessary to keep a sense of order and control in these little towns.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. It held my attention, but there was a lot of repetition, and just a sense of wanting more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance reader's copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5 stars rounded up*

There is a lot to love about Katherine Greene's debut thriller, and a lot done well. I'm an absolute sucker for a compelling setting, and she's nailed it with small town Appalachia with a sinister undercurrent. The blending of local lore and custom with deadly consequences is a formula I couldn't get enough of. The main character could've used another layer of character development, but I think this is a very encouraging debut and entry into the genre.

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

The Woods Are Waiting has something for everyone. Mystery, deep superstitions, an old town where everyone knows everyone and if you weren't bought up there, you are an outsider and probably not welcome. There is history in Blue Cliff and children have been going missing and turning up dead for centuries.

Told from Cheyenne and Natalie's points of view. We find out about the missing children and what happened to them. Who is the Hickory Man and why does he want the children?

Blue Cliff is such an interesting place filled with a history of families, many generations having lived there. I loved reading about the legend in the woods of the Hickory Man. The Woods Are Waiting is one of those books when you have a colder evening and want something a little more sinister. More psychological than graphic, this book does all the unsettling things to make your mind imagine the noises and smells of the forest. There is mild romance in this book and I say mild as it really does take a back seat. You will be told so many clues, but it's up to you to work out who's telling the truth and lying. Is there really a Hickory Man who walks to woods and takes children like the rhyme suggest or is there someone sinister living in the community of Blue Cliffs?

A solid mystery, I didn't work everything out. In fact it wasn't till the end (And I will not give you a single spoiler I promise) when we hear about the who's and why's that I realised where I was being taken! I loved the atmospheric feeling this book gave off and couldn't stop myself reading to find out who had taken the children. I also appreciated that Cheyenne and Natalie didn't try and be detectives and mentioned repeatedly leaving it to the police to work out. Jack was a lovely addition to the friendship. I could feel the wholesomeness of the friendship which stems back years. Constance was amazing! I loved her and her old ways. I'd have liked to hear more about her herbs and what she did with them. It was great hearing about the tigers eye in the roots of plants.

Read over a 24 hour period I really enjoyed The Woods Are Waiting. This book takes a while to let you know what happened, but the ride is worth it and I feel everything was tied up nicely. That ending chapter with the walk in the woods... Loved it! A solid 4 stars I think any will appreciate this mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I was very excited to pick up this book by Katherine Greene. I like thriller/mystery books and I enjoy books that have a supernatural/urban legend twist. This book fit that spot. The book follows three friends in their small town in Virginia where there is a local legend of something in the woods. I enjoyed the mystery and I did not see the ending coming. Greene did a good job keeping me guessing throughout the novel. I wasn't a fan of some of the characters, but maybe that was the point? The pacing of the story was slow at first, but it picked up towards the end. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books!

The Woods Are Waiting by Katherine Greene

My rating:
3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the small town of Blue Cliff, for many years children have gone missing. They are eventually found dead by drowning. When another child goes missing, the town is yet again reminded of it’s dark past.

This story is narrated by Cheyenne and Natalie. Cheyenne decides to come back to town to help her mother Constance who has especially taken this missing child very hard. Constance believes that the Hickory Man was responsible for the deaths of the children in the past and believes in old rituals of herbs, coins, and dirt in shoes will protect the children from the Hickory Man.

This book was okay to me. Sadly it was very similar to books I have read in the past and it just missed the mark for me. I figured out what was happening before it was revealed and overall I was not really spooked. It did have some creepy parts. I enjoyed the story told by both Natalie and Cheyenne’s perspectives but was ready for the book to be over. About halfway through the book it started to get interesting but then it fell short towards the end.

Thank you @netgalley and Crooked Lane books for the ARC! It will be published July 11, 2023 if you want to read it!

#netgalley #Arc #books #bookstagram #bookreview #whatliesinthewoods

I really enjoyed this book. Cheyenne our main female character comes from a small town with a nefarious history of children being killed. While Cheyenne left her small town she's drawn back after another child goes missing and her mother is in turmoil over it. While caring for her mother Cheyenne begins to uncover the secrets of their town. Though I found some of it a little predictable the book kept me engaged the entire time. I really enjoyed the unraveling of the story the thriller style with some horror and supernatural elements. Definitely a great read.

Thank you netgalley for the arc.

This book had great promise for me but unfortunately it just fell short. It starts out great but fairly quickly loses something. I think maybe it's the personal effect. It just did not ever capture my attention like I usually enjoy. The main characters were a bit drab and unlikable. That is my opinion.

Children go missing and are later found dead. A young man, Jasper, who is new to the small town of Blue Cliff is quickly accused of the heinous murders. Even though he had no reason and certainly could not have done all the murders as they date back to the early 1900s. But someone is taking children and then placing them where they will be found. Dead.

Cheyenne grew up in this town and left five years earlier after the murders of three best friends. Little kids who everyone knew. They went missing at different times and then were found dead. It appeared they drowned but looks like their clothes were never wet. Cheyenne's mother is a bit odd but also very concerned about the woods and the killer.

Natalie was Cheyenne's best friend and is now dating Hunter. I did not like Hunter. He should stand up for Nat when his parents treat her bad about this killer thing. They are very closed minded about who the killer is. Set on the fact that it is one guy who was released from prison because there was evidence he was very much innocent.

Jack was also a part of Chey and Nat's friendship ring. All three did everything together growing up. Chey and Jack dated until she left town. She didn't keep in touch with either of her friends which was not a good thing. I found that a bit unbelievable also. Best friends keep in touch. You keep in touch with the person you love unless something bad happened between you then you break up and move on. I just found this aspect of the story hard to believe also.

This story is told between Chey and Nat. They each have opinions about things and lives in this town. This is suppose to be a very small town yet they do a lot of socializing. Historical society things. Seems there are some rich people who don't really care if the real killer is found. There is also a kind of fairytale affect that is told throughout this book. I've not heard of it but it seems to fit. Though it sure didn't help any of these kids. I also figured out who the Hickory Man was like way early on so no surprise here.

I was very disappointed in this book and I truly hate that. I am never happy when this happens but it does at times. It breaks my heart to have to say it about a debut author's book but I do have to be honest. It just didn't capture me. It fell short and was just way to predictable for me.

Thank you #NetGalley, #KatherineGreene, #CrookedLaneBooks for this ARC. This is my own true honest thoughts about this book.

I give it 2.5 stars and recommend you read it for yourself. You may get a different take than I did. It just wasn't there for me.

A quick thriller with superstitions and lore thrown in., I really enjoyed this book, was predictable but still a "fun" thriller.
Thank you to the author ,the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is one of the best debut books I've had the pleasure of reading! The characters are fantastic and the setting is a character in itself. The mystery is full of tension and twists. The reveals are shocking. I really enjoyed the dual pov's. This is one not to be missed!

A huge thank you to the publisher @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for providing me with this ARC for my honest review.

If you're looking for a good spooky read, this is it!  I was drawn in from the 1st page, and the ending was a complete shock!  The dark atmosphere of the small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia was perfect.

Cheyenne Asby left Blue Cliff, VA 5 years ago to get away from the dark, disturbing past of her town.  But when another child goes missing, Cheyenne's eccentric mother is beside herself.  Cheyenne is called back to Blue Cliff by Uncle Donnie, the police chief, to help her mom.  Back to the unusual customs and superstitions linked to something sinister in the woods.  She reunites with her best friend and her one true love, but can they forgive her for leaving without a word?  Can they come together to help discover the truth of what is in the woods?

The setting and the characters made it really easy to get lost in the book.  As I said before, I never saw the ending coming. I was totally shocked!  This was definitely a great debut thriller!  I can't wait to read more books by this author in the future!  I definitely recommend this book!

3.5 / 5 Stars!

The Woods are Waiting is an eerie suspenseful thriller based in a small Appalachian town that loves and lives in the very same woods that haunt them.

Known by the rest of the country as "the town that eats children", Blue Cliff, VA is forever reeling from the tragic loss of their little ones. When another boy is taken, Cheyanne Ashby is called home to the place she desperately tried to leave behind. Not only must she face her mother, whose mental health is seemingly in a steep decline with the disappearance of another young soul, but also the love of her life and best friend that she abandoned.

Blue Cliff welcomes their youngest Ashby home, but Cheyanne doesn't have the patience for the town's (or her mother's) old-world traditions and fears. Surrounded once again by stories of the Hickory Man, the demon who is said to stalk the woods and steal their children away, she cannot help but rail against the nonsense seemingly poisoning her mother's mind.

As she, Jack, and Natalie are once again drawn into the secrets of their hometown, they can't help but wrangle with the questions that every answer brings. The Ashby family has been said to protect the town for generations, using their magic and charms to keep the Hickory Man at bay. But their traditions have never worked to keep the children safe. He always takes them. One by one, and always in threes. Trying to stop that from happening leads them closer to a horror they could never have anticipated.

This started off slow, but once that setup hit, the book took off running. The moment we step into Blue Cliff, it's eerie — and devastating. The town is in shambles as another one of their children has disappeared into the woods after they already put who they thought (well, who some thought) was the murderer in jail. This was full of old Appalachian magic and traditions which I haven't gotten as much exposure to as I'd have liked and thoroughly enjoyed getting to read about.

The stories of the Hickory Man and the way they had sunk their claws into every nook and cranny in the town were downright horrifying in more ways than one. To see an entire town who had grown up there their entire lives, on and on since the first settlers, be so consumed by fear of this thing...it made you really question if the stories shared some hint of truth or not. That atmosphere really made the book for me. I could feel the woods, hear them, and understand each person's connection and fear of the mysterious thing that surrounded them.

Each of these characters had something to learn: Cheyanne, Jack, and Natalie, though I thought Jack's own story was sorely lacking. He was a part of the three, who had all been best friends first and foremost even after he and Cheyanne had started dating, but he never really displayed WHAT he wanted for himself besides her I was happy to see Natalie's growth. She needed it and I was rooting for her the whole time. Cheyanne had to learn the hard way, but I don't think there was any OTHER way for her.

My main issues were the overabundance of telling. There were times, especially in social situations when the author didn't seem to trust that the readers would understand the nuance of the situation or what people were saying and would over-explain the situation to us. It was distracting, and honestly unnecessary. The setups were enough to get the point across through the interactions themselves.

But the most egregious error here was that the game was given up entirely too early. I knew who/what the killer was far too soon and by the time the author tried to throw us off again, it was too late. We already had the pieces, and they were too convenient not to be able to put together. I wish we had been given more to figure out as we went along.

I enjoyed the ending. The ambiguity of it left enough questions that it wasn't a total let down and I was able to walk away satisfied despite my misgivings. All in all, I thought this was a really solid book and I'd be happy to read the next by this author!

*My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.*

Is The Woods Are Waiting a mystery, a thriller, a folk horror story? Whatever it is, I read it in one day and it's a creepy story. I was hooked from the first. The book takes the reader to Blue Cliff, Virginia, deep in Appalachia. For more than a century, Blue Cliff has been the site of child disappearances and murder. Legend says the Hickory Man lives in the woods, and all residents know to keep to the paths. Five years ago, three children disappeared and their bodies were found after a few weeks. Cheyenne Ashby fled Blue Cliff when that happened. Her mother, Constance, is the local "wise woman" who seems to have a special affinity for the woods. But now another child has gone missing and Constance seems to be in the midst of a breakdown. Cheyenne is summoned back to her home town to care for her mother. While there she reunites with her best friend Natalie and her old love Jackson. Can the three determine if human hands are responsible for the missing boy or is there something other worldly at play? I did determine the villain pretty early, but I still enjoyed this book. Greene did a good job at creating an insular community and characters. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

A fantastic creepy small-town mystery, one that keeps you guessing as to whether it's a supernatural issue or just plain bad humans. Very nicely described, great characters. Definitely a page-turner.

While perusing the NetGalley selection for my next read, I was immediately drawn to the premise of Greene's debut thriller. Let's get honest for a minute. I am a sucker for a town boogeyman story, and I will go there. Every. Single. Time. Cursed towns? Sinister killings? Generational disappearances? Creepy woods? Obviously, that's a yes, please.

Now, here's more honesty. When I sit down to immerse myself in the belly of the beast and prepare to meet the monster, I'm not expecting a literary masterpiece. I'm not looking for beauty or poise. I want to be creeped out by the unknown. I want to enjoy the dark journey and have a good time as I go. That being said, I felt Greene accomplished much in her freshman novel.

I loved the back story. I thought she was successful in setting the reader up for the trajectory of the book. I enjoy the inner struggle of is the boogeyman real, is he not? Thankfully, she did give us much to play with.

Another positive was that she was also able to capture the rural feel of a small town at the edge of the woods. It felt atmospheric and almost as if you, the reader, were the uninvited outsider.

Now for a few misses. I was not a fan of the characters, with the exception of Constance. She was my saving grace and the only one to come across with any depth. I was intrigued by her and was quite wrapped up in her declining mental health. As for the others, they felt flat, unlikeable, and forgettable.

I would have loved for more of a creepiness factor, as I was unimpressed in this area. I thought her story was well laid out and developed. There just wasn't many spine tingling moments for me. Being scared is half the fun, and it's what I'm most looking to achieve.

Final thoughts? Overall, it's a perfectly solid, entertaining read that doesn't try to shock with the absurd. Predictable, but well written. I will look for future reads by this author!

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was dark, moody, atmospheric, creepy and generally very thrilling which is exactly what I wanted from it after reading the synopsis!