Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a really really good book. I finished it in less than three nights.
The plot was interesting without being over the top with the Hickory Man.
Several surprises I did not see coming until the very end.
Well written. Author did a great job!

An-I I can’t-put-down book!... I read way to late into to the night because I had to know the end!!
This book combines some serious supernatural creep factors with human creepiness. And it worked flawlessly. This was dark and gritty and terrifying. The characters were brought to life and really felt real. The story was horrifying and suspenseful. So many twists and turns culminating is a breathtaking finale.
So incredibly well done. Absolutely brilliant

The Woods are Waiting
A Novel
by Katherine Greene
This was a fairly good read. Just slow and almost fillers to move the book along. Had to wait until the end to know the guilty one. It just did not hold my interest enough to read butt in days.

I loved how this story developed, and how it explained how important friendships are. A great storyline as well, I did not expect his ending at all, and I enjoy a good spooky twist at the end. I do believe that there was a lot of character monologue where I felt it was unnecessary. No need to re-explain or re-iterate how or why one character has this or that kind of persona. I really enjoyed Connie and reminded me of an aunt I have. I love when a character turns out to be different than the stereotype.

I didn't care for this book. I found it to be a slow-burn and repetitious. Nothing happens until the end and the villain wasn't surprising at all. For a better book along the same lines, try The Whisper Man by Alex North.

This was disturbingly good. We have Chey who left town, leaving everyone she loves behind, after a horribly traumatizing incident, and a pile of people who are reluctant to forgive her. Then you have her mom. Her mother believes and has always believed there is a way to protect the town's children but it requires bloodshed. Things have been done to the people in her family for generations to make sure they keep up the rituals. Chey isn't feeling it and has some serious baggage about it.
Things happen and Chey has to figure out why.
It was a good read. I was surprised by the ending and so happy I read it.

A very solid mystery/thriller, especially for a debut!

Childhood friends in a secluded town are searching for an explanation about missing, and later found dead, children. The premise is a classic one, but definitely approached with some creativity. At points it has a texture of horror to it, which was a pleasant surprise, especially since thrillers can get a bit predictable.

Overall, a good story with some interesting twists.

The Woods are Waiting is a mysterious, dark, fast-paced book. I found it so creepy and intriguing, and I truly didn't know what was going to happen next. I even dreamed about the characters while reading the book. I just kept trying to figure it out!

I really liked this book! It was creepy and unpredictable. I love stories set in the woods or having to do with woods and that is where the majority of the action takes place here. The supernatural element was spooky and the twist was great!


Nestled at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, the small town of Blue Cliff Virginia has a deep, dark history. Children have been going missing for years. Five years prior, three children were found in the woods. Cheyenne grew up in those woods with her eccentric mother. She was raised to believe there was an evil entity that stalks the woods.

Jasper Clinton, a stranger to the town was convicted of the crimes. The town breathed a sigh of relief with the monster behind bars, that is until another child goes missing. Cheyenne and her friends are determined to figure out what is going on. They are not prepared for what they uncover.

"Keep silver in your pockets;
Walk with dirt in your shoes"
"Stay away from the hickories;
Stay away from the trees"

To sum up the novel in three words: eerie, shocking, mind-blowing

The Woods Are Waiting is a creepy and atmospheric thriller set in a small town in Blue Cliff with superstition and dark eerie vibes. There's been a few cases of children unexpectedly dissappear in the woods and was later found dead (or possibly murder). It's the boogeyman in the woods, says the townsfolk, whereas some claims it's an outsider living in the town.

When there's another case involved, plus the mental health of Cheyenne's mom is worsening, she's forced to go back to the hometown where she escaped the hauting past years ago. Now, Cheyenne and her best friend--Natalie are planning to dig out the truth behind the mystery of vanishing children, not knowing their lives might be in danger.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Bones for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

An atmospheric, dark thriller in the same vein as Small Angels and Jackal about the monster living In the woods. I wish the story had focused more on the Ashby history and folklore of the Hickory Man and less on relationship drama. I thought the author did a good job creating the small town vibe (beliefs, traditions, superstitions, etc.) and bringing the characters living in Blue Cliff to life. Overall, the writing kept me engaged - a solid debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a surprise for me! I was tricked by the pretty cover and immediately was hooked into this. This book creeped me out in the best way. I had to watch a funny movie afterwards to cleanse myself. I think this is my new favorite thriller!

A solid debut thriller! The author did a great job setting up an eerie atmosphere which made it difficult putting the book down. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!

Creepy, claustrophobic, dark, eerie: I’m not talking about my soul, I’m talking about this book that absolutely matches with my bleak mood!

The opening of the story literally made the little hairs of my neck stand on! I shivered and barely restrained my inner screams! That nursery rhyme and bleak description of lost boys scared the living daylights out of me!

The dark atmosphere, slow burn pacing, well built characterization picked my interest. I didn’t want to put it down! Absolutely a solid read for lovers of slow burn, scary, mysteries with supernatural vibes!

Let’s take a quick look at the plot: Imagine a small town in the foothills of Appalachian mountains.
Cheyenne Ashby left her town Blue Cliff, Virginia, trying to forget the town’s dark history and haunted past. Growing up with mentally not stable mother who performs unusual and eccentric customs related with the evil entity lurking in the woods where their house has been built already ruined her childhood memories.

Five years ago, three missing children’s bodies were found in the woods and a man named Jasper Clifton was arrested for brutal murders. But is he the perpetrator of those bloody crimes or the real reason about brutal deaths of children was linked with a supernatural entity!
Cheyenne returns back to town when another child gets missing. She needs to dig out the harsh truth to find out what is really going on at her small town!

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!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Well enough, but a little flat. You can definitely tell what she's going for, and I'm not willing to say she doesn't achieve it, on some level at least. But...eh, yeah, kind of...flat.

The Woods Are Waiting by Katherine Green is an atmospheric thriller with underlying supernatural vibes. A young boy has gone missing in a small mountain town, where children have a habit of going missing. Cheyenne left town five years ago after the last string of missing children, but has returned due to her mother's increasing mental instability in the wake a a newly missing boy. Some of the town blames a man who was new to town, others in town blame the local boogeyman.
I loved the beginning of this book; The opening nursery rhyme and the descriptions of the three missing children really set the creepy mood. I enjoyed the mystery, and the possibly supernatural elements of the story. I did find that sometimes dialogue was used by characters in lieu of the author describing an event or situation, which can sometimes create an unnaturally flowing conversation. Mostly though, I found The Woods Are Waiting to be a solid read that I would recommend to readers who enjoy creepy thrillers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy of The Woods Are Waiting in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This was an atmospheric, eerie slow burn that mostly achieved what it wanted to do. The writing was the highlight, as I could feel the tension within the town and the claustrophobia it created for the characters. I was expecting more time focused on the investigation, and I was disappointed it was relegated to the middle end. I also felt for the characters. However, at times they felt juvenile and flat. Also, there was some repetition which dragged the story down. I sympathized with them (especially the mom), but they just weren't that compelling. The only compelling character was the villain.

I also felt that the end was wrapped up exceptionally conveniently. Some pieces weren't addressed, and while I get that this leaves things open-ended, it did feel like things weren't developed as well to at least address some of the loose ends.

Overall, not a bad mystery, and the writing, especially engaged me and made me want to figure out the monster.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

So amazing! Without giving anything away, the mystery felt like a grown up version of Scooby Doo (no gang though). A supernatural element with a very real crime.

This is probably my favorite book out of the last 10 I've read.... I struggled to put it down at night in order to go to sleep. I live right below the Georgia part of the Appalachian mountains, and found the descriptions in the book, particularly of Blue Cliff, sounded quite.... familiar. I, too, grew up surrounded by what some would consider "strange" stories, customs, and superstitions, and for some reason, spent this entire book thoroughly convinced that the Hickory Man had been killing children for decades. Has he, though? I'll stop there, before I give anything away, but will say that I lived this book, will recommend it to anyone who will listen, and look HARD for future titles by this author.

First, Stephen King made the world afraid of clowns and now we are going to be really scared of nursery rhymes!

Get ready for it when the book comes out next year!

The writing! Chef’s kiss! I stayed up whole night reading the book and it’s we all need when we read a thriller suspense book.

The writing is so good. It’s haunting. It’s lyrical (wasn’t expecting it of course!). It’s memorable. It’s playful. It’s almost sinful.

It’s the story of two women who seems to know the darkest stories of their hometown. Someone or possibly a monster is killing children in the woods. Now they are going to find out some ugly truths behind these disturbing crimes.

The execution is so well done you will see. Short chapters. Interesting characters. Atmospheric feels during the entire read. A much welcome read for murder mystery thriller lovers.

If you love We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, definitely go for this book.

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books, for the advance reading copy.