3.5 stars!

This book did feel very magical and I really loved it overall. I loved the different stories woven together to tell Clara and her town’s story.
I felt pulled out of the magic usually during the dialogue between characters, it felt childish to me - particularly between her and Axel. No 19 year old boy I have ever known talks like that…
I disliked Henni and felt she was a drag as well as way too passive. Ella also was rude. Clara was great despite her friends - brave and unrelenting in her search to recover her mother.
Overall, I’m glad I read it and can’t wait to read the next installment of this story!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed how the author created this world and then wove so many of the Grimm's Fairytales into its lore. It was very creative and fun to read. It is a bit dark and twisted, just like the original Grimm's Tales, while also being refreshingly clean. I liked all of the characters and the sweet romance. I do think the wondering in the woods went on too long and that this should have been a standalone. I was unaware that it was the start of a series and probably will not pick up the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this arc.

I was very generously given an uncorrected proof of this book from Wednesday publishing. I had a great time with it! I really enjoyed the way Kathryn wove the Gimm fairytales into her own story. The world building was great and I really like our main character. I was hooked from the second I read the words "tell me the story of how I die". That was a great hook line in the summary but even better used in the book! From the second I picked it up I didn't put it down. It was a wonderful ride and I found myself already wanting to get the sequel before I was done with this book. I can't wait to be able to grab a finished copy and wait with all the other fans for the next installment.

I really enjoyed this YA mystery, interwoven with fairy tale characters and a sweet romance. Perfect for teens and adults alike!

Clara, Axel, and Henni have found a way into the Forest Grimm and seek to free those who have been lost. But the forest has twisted their loved ones beyond recognition. And if the Book of Fortunes is to be trusted, they will have to do things that feel completely wrong in order to set all things right.

Henni's presence in the story often felt cumbersome. I wasn't always sure why, exactly, she was there. And the magic was unpredictable. I won't go so far as to say there were plot holes, but definitely spots in the story where magic came into play that just felt like perhaps I had missed something that might have helped me understand what was happening.

This book will have a sequel coming as well, which I look forward to! The language and content are clean (if a bit gruesome, along the lines of Grimm's fairy tales!)

The Forest Grimm is a fairy tale lover's dream of a book! I truly enjoyed it. In fact, I could hardly put it down. I was fascinated with the world Kathryn Purdie made for us. Everything from the people in town to the Forest Grimm itself fascinated me. This book has adventure, slow burn romance, traveling, friendship being tested, the meaning of sacrifice and love!

While I loved the twists that Purdie puts on the fairy tale characters are fantastic, my favorite part of The Forest Grimm is Clara. Our main character is brave and strong, fierce and compassionate. Clara is also disabled. She has what Purdie calls an "S curve spine," also known as scoliosis. Clara wears a heel lift in her shoe to help adjust her gait which is a common treatment in helping lessen the pain. Personally, as someone who has chronic leg pain, reading about a character who goes through something similar is incredible. Representation matters. Having a disabled character in a fantasy world is incredibly rare. I'm forever grateful to Purdie for this. Reading about Clara and her disability and seeing how it realistically affected her journey was something that will stick with me for years to come.

While it was not bad, it felt like another YA fairy tale retelling book that failed to make good on promises and premises. I liked the premise, thought it was an interesting take that had not been done before. Unfortunately the writing did not deliver. While the plot was sound, the characters fell flat. I think it would appeal to younger readers who would enjoy a simpler tale with an interesting take.

Okay so I liked the concept. But I think this one is maybe just too young for me? There was something I can’t pinpoint that I didn’t like. I love that it’s fairy tales like Red Riding Hood and other Grimm fairy tales. I think it was neat to weave that into the title.

But the pacing was slow and then fast at times, like it couldn’t find a common ground. I also felt like I could just put it down any time and be fine. I wasn’t engrossed in the story.

2.5 rounded up to 3

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I was SO pleasantly surprised at how unique and interesting the story developed into being! There are so many fairy tale retellings out there, and this one stands its ground. I loved the mash-ups, the characters, and the whole adventure. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This story was a cool mashup of different fairytales and the cover is quite beautiful! The prose was gorgeous, and I can definitely see this being a great book to curl up with for the fall!

Kathryn Purdie's The Forest Grimm was a delight to read, a true fairytale. It was whimsical, dark, and magical with a touch of mystery.


Clara's stubbornness is also gonna get her killed but she already knows that it's literally in the cards. However, Clara is determined to save her mother, who went into the cursed forest, even knowing it's her end. Clara cares for her friends, is brave enough to face her fate, and loves her mother with her whole being. Clara is easy to like.


Among a wonderful cast of characters, there are a few important ones. Axel, Clara's childhood friend who she has a close bond with. He's a charmer but in the best possible way, Axel is a kind soul who helps those around him including going into the forest. I adore him. Henni is Clara's best friend. She's the sensitive artist who seems super sweet but there were times when Henni wasn’t sweet at all and got on my last nerve. Finally, there is Clara's Grandmère, that is a woman with secrets.


A forest that is as magical as it's deadly, yes! A midnight ball, a deadly path, lush gardens, a gothic castle, and more. Kathryn's world-building was perfection and the plot, genius. While the story itself is an original fairytale it very much feels like an origin story. The little village of Grimms Hollow is where the Grimm fairytales start. All the stories are true, they're just the twisted versions that we know. Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and more are all represented just not in the way that readers would think. Like I said genius. I'm a sucker for a magical Forest and Kathryn gave me that with the and more. There were at least two plot twists that blew my mind, making me enjoy the story that much more.


This is my first Katheryn Purdee book. Gods, are they all like this, hauntingly beautiful and emotionally devastating. That ending, my heart broke a little bit for Clarathought. Originally I thought that The Forest Grimm was a standalone, turns out it's not. The forest awaits in the second book, The Deathly Grimm. I can't wait to see what twisted fairytale the main characters encounter next.

The forest Grimm is a dark thrilling twist on classic fairy tales. I found it hard to put down especially as each grimm character was introduced. I thoroughly enjoyed the slight terror and goosebumps I felt reading this late at night. The humor disbursed through the book was done perfectly to take an edge off the darker aspects. Not only did you get the classic fairy tale vibes and characters but I also had a sense of Alice in wonderland as I was reading it. Maybe it was the mushrooms and dark magic. I loved the slow burn/it was always you, romance aspect. All in all I am excited to see where this series goes.

Thank you netgalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this mix of brand new story and fairytale retelling. I LIVE for retellings, and this was chock full of well known (and crazy) characters from many of Grimm’s tales. The world building was fantastic and I enjoyed the plot, which was fast moving and easy to get into. The Grimm’s dark atmosphere mixed with whimsical can be felt in this book, which is *chef’s kiss* for me.

Actual rating- 3.5 stars
“the forest doesn’t allow anyone to enter anymore, not unless they’re destined to be Lost- and no one willfully chooses that”
Reading this book was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The premise is based around a magical cursed forest and how seventeen year old Clara went into that forest to save her mother among other “Lost” people. Little did they realize that they were a lot more lost than they had originally assumed.
I quite enjoyed the story, the magic system, the beliefs, the jumble of different fairy tales. I really loved how the author took inspiration from the original Brothers Grimm fairy tales, it made the book that much more spooky and the perfect fall read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an eARC of this book

This is a wonderful retelling of fairytales and enjoyed the dark plot that came with it. It had a good pacing, story plot, and a unique world building set in the dark forest.

Highly recommended if you into YA fantasy and a good classic retelling stories.

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

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
SPOILERS AHEAD

Overall The Forest Grimm by Katherine Purdy is enjoyable with a lovely message regarding fate. The only con I would attribute would a a smidge of predictability. The Forest Grimm is an easy read revolving around a girl named Clara and her two friends, Axel and Henni. The cadre enter The Forest Grimm at great risk to themselves to save their family and fellow villagers who previously entered and became “Lost.” Clara and Axel in particular grip with their not so unrequited love for each other while trying to save and defend themselves from their fates, the forest, and their lost friends.
Particularly, I enjoyed how Purdue played on classic fairytales, rendering both Clara, her friends, and the Lost both the heroes and villains of their own respective stories, without the plot seeming overused.
Tropes: star-crossed lovers, fairytale retelling

Clara and her childhood friend, Axel venture into the treacherous Forest Grimm to procure a magical book with the power to break the curse that plagues her village. There wasn't anything particularly captivating about the plot description but this is exactly my type of book so I decided to give it a chance. And I'm glad I did! This was a very solid fairy-tale retelling that would appeal to fans of The Hazel Wood and The Bone Spindle. The pacing was spot on. The characters were multi-dimensional. The romance was sweet. All in all, I highly recommend.

The Forest Grimm is a creative fairy tale filled with twisted secrets. Clara lives on the outskirts of the Forest Grimm, a magical forest that sealed itself off from her town after dark magic was used. People who enter the forest now become Lost and are unable to leave. Clara is determined to enter the forest and save her mother. With her friends Axel and Henni, Clara embarks on a quest to break the curse and save those who have been Lost. Once in the forest, she realizes that the time away has taken a terrible toll on the people who remained inside. Will Clara be able to rescue her mother or has the forest claimed her for good?

The Forest Grimm is influenced by several fairy tales, but especially by Little Red Riding Hood. I really liked how Kathryn Purdie experimented with darker interpretations of classic fairy tales. Clara is a very determined and caring character. The forest has many dangers and traps that require Clara and her friends to work together to survive. Clara also has a physical disability, which makes her journey into the forest more difficult and requires her to wear a shoe with a special lift in it. Axel and Clara have a very sweet romance, which I’m excited to see explored more! The ending of the book made it seem like there’s more stories to be told in this world. I’m looking forward to returning to the Forest Grimm! Readers who enjoy Isabel Ibañez, Elizabeth Lim, and Rebecca Ross should check this book out!

Thank you to Kathryn Purdie, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

I really enjoy fairy tale retellings, so I liked this story. Clara is a likable protagonist for the most part, with her intrepid chums Axel (who turns out to be in love with her) and her best friend Henni (who honestly doesn't seem to be that great of a friend). The dark journey through the Forest Grimm to save Clara's mother and Henni's sister. Ella, Axel's former beloved makes sense, but the character arcs aren't fully fleshed out. You get some backstory about Axel and Ella falling out/Axel being love with Clara, but the romance doesn't really follow through the threads of the story. The fairy tales were sprinkled throughout, however, it was kind of unclear why certain members of the Lost became possessed fairy tale characters. Obviously, magic exists (Clara's grandmother reads tarot cards, and, surprise, turns out to be able to shape shift into a wolf!, the Book of Fortunes, etc.), but the magic system isn't fully explained? And Clara, with her red cape, is clearly intended to be Little Red Riding Hood, but...why? And what does her having a limp have to do with it? And the red rampion-what exactly was the significance? And Hansel and Gretel were 6 but like older and then wanted to eat Clara and her friends but were Fiona's (Rapunzel's?) children. The story threads were a little convoluted and I didn't think it was wrapped up in the end, but perhaps it's more fully fleshed out in the next book? The story itself wasn't bad, there were just a lot of details that didn't necessarily further the plot. So, I would recommend to those who like fairy tales and aren't put off by a bit of inconsistency.

To be completely honest, I did not love this story. The author seemed to sacrifice character development and relatable emotion in favor of a fast-paced plot. Despite the intriguing take on Grimm's fairytales, I was unable to connect in any way with the story and ended up skimming large chunks. The Forest Grimm was not my cup of tea.

It's dark, it's broody and the retellings weave into a beautiful story set in the Grimm Forest in a way you will not expect. This was beautiful in how it was told and refreshing for a Grimm take.

People have been slowly becoming the Lost from a small village in the Grimm Forest including our main characters mother. The magic of the forest takes them over and they disappear into the forest never to be seen again. Not long ago the forest had gifted the village a book that gave you one wish. As long as you never told anyone what that wish was, it would happen but when someone misuses that wish the forest takes the book back and turns on the village.

Our main character wants to go in and find her mother along with the other missing villagers, but the forest refuses anyone entry. When the cards show a shift in her future from an early death to a possible change she decides she will do whatever it takes to save her mother.