One of my favorite books of all time is Stephen King's IT. A part of me things I didn't enjoy this book as much as I should have because I took too much time comparing the story line to that. Teens who reunite, a trope that's obviously been used again and again, did not work as well as it could have for me.

I've heard good things about Triana's work, so I'll probably look into it, but That Night in the Woods fell flat for me. I had a hard time connecting with the story, in large part due to the fact that most of the characters bothered me. The majority of the story seemed to focus more on descriptions of them than the actual story, and by the time anything happened, I had already checked out.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I got this book as an ARC on NetGalley and really enjoyed it! A reunion of old friends to put to rest a traumatic event that tore their friendship apart 20+ years prior, only to end up re-living it again.
A little gory for those that may not like that sort of thing but the details and descriptions were so good!
Little tidbits of secrets spread out along the way kept me interested but I felt that the ending felt rushed and lacked depth. It just kinda, stopped.
Overall, I liked it!

Review Copy

THAT NIGHT IN THE WOODS was a really tough book to rate. I absolutely loved it to start. It reminded me of IT; the coming together of old friends at the death of one, the small town and, for some, the rekindling of feelings.

But, due to the formatting of the book, I had to read it on my laptop and was unable to highlight and save phrases to remind me what I wanted to say. At this point, I'd like to point out that there were errors that I hope the editor points out to the author. They may not seem important, but he thought important enough to write them, I hope they get corrected.

The ending was chock full of Triana type horror and gore. Was it out of place? I'm still not sure even after waiting and sleeping on the novel before writing the review. I wanted to give WOODS five stars, but wasn't sure it deserved it even though I read it practically non-stop. I finally settled on four stars and wished again for the opportunity to give partial stars,

In spite of whatever problems I saw, THAT NIGHT IN THE WOODS is a must read, especially if you are a horror fan.

First off thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this arc.
This is a quite the slow-burn. It does pack a punch at the end but ultimately found the pacing off throughout the story. I felt the author did more “telling vs showing” which at times was tedious. I found the horror in this one a bit lacking for a good chunk of the novel as well. There were two great sections that were page-turners, but it wasn’t enough for me. I also just personally didn’t like the direction the ending took.
There are multiple POVs but this is not done in a jarring way. I did initially like the characters and building tension. Additionally, I enjoyed how the story reminded me of Stephen King’s IT (a friend group going through something terrifying/traumatic then and now) - the flashbacks were not confusing or needless. Ultimately, I will check out more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for this ARC.

This is a story about a group of friends reuniting and reminiscing about "that night" in Suicide Woods. They were teenagers at the time, but decades later, none of them have forgotten the terrible events that took place. They were all reluctant to come back together, and with good reason, because what they thought was a memorial for a member of their group turns into another night they'd never forget.

Kristopher Triana is the real deal. It's been 15 months since I've Gone to See the River Man. No, I did not check my Goodreads list for that number, I just now divide my life into "Before River Man" and "After River Man". No lie, I still think about it probably once a week.

I was so pumped to read this one. The first half is all the stars and the second half is not quite as strong, but overall, it's solid. It's perfect storytelling, even in the parts where the story itself is a little chaotic, if that makes sense.

My main complaint with books by authors I love is always wanting more, and this book is no different. The end works, but felt a little rushed, but that's probably more of me just not ready to part ways with another Triana story.

I received an ARC of this book (thank you NetGalley) and I am SO glad I did. This book is basically “It” meets “The Blair Witch Project.” A group of friends reconnect after twenty(ish) years to finally receive some closure about a horrific night they experienced when they were teenagers.

The way Triana develops his characters is fantastic, I feel like I know each of them. Knowing so much about the characters really solidified the decisions they made. It was refreshing to see characters act in a way that is realistic in their circumstances.

Parts of the book felt a little slow, but once the action started it didn’t stop. Full of twists and turns I was constantly trying to guess what is going to happen, and most of the time I was wrong.

This book is the perfect horror book for anyone looking to be scared. Definitely take this one on your next camping trip!

That Night in the Woods is a great read. It follows the story of a group of high school friends who go out on Halloween expecting to have a memorable time in the forbidden woods better known as the Suicide Woods. During their night out, tragedy strikes and they were never the same again. Years later the death of one of the friends makes them all reunite and they finally talk about what happened on that night that changed everything. I wasn't expecting the twist at the end!

This book gives all the creepy vibes and makes you not want to go to the woods ever! It is a great story to read anytime but especially around Halloween. The story unfolds really well and I can picture this becoming a movie at some point! Thank you Netgalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🕸My Thoughts🕸

This is my third Kristopher Triana book and my second five star(other was 4.5). I always seem to be attracted to books where a group of adults meet back up because of something that happened when they were kids, so this book was like dangling candy in front of a small child. Loved the story. Loved the writing. I can never fully believe that the author is indie/small pub because his writing is top tier.

Thank you to @netgalley and @kristopher_triana for the advance copy of this book.

Wow, okay. I have some thoughts.

One of my favorite novels is IT by Stephen King; I read it in high school and I've been chasing that first-time-read feeling ever since. This novel scratched that itch.

A group of high school friends have to come together as adults to understand what happened *that night* once and for all? YES, PLEASE.

The whole time I'm reading about that night from the teens' perspectives, I'm feeling only slightly anxious about what's going to happen. They end up being adults, right? They'll be fine...ish. So when they're adults and the scary stuff starts happening, my anxiety for them skyrockets. Now I don't know who is going to be okay or if anyone will walk away from this...and man, I love that feeling when reading.

There are some saying the last third or so of the book was underwhelming because it was so different. Maybe it's because we all were feeling that nostalgia for 80s/90s teens getting involved with scary monsters and then going back as adults to revisit it. Personally, I liked the direction that Kristopher Triana took the story. It made it different, made it stand out. It kept me guessing.

I loved this and wish I could read it for the first time again.

That Night in the Woods is a standalone horror thriller by author, Kristopher Triana. My only other book by this author was Gone to See the Riverman which still stays in my brain as one of the most horrifying books I’ve ever read. I’m happy to report this one is not extreme horror, and more of an ‘old-school’ horror featuring an incredibly creepy and nightmare-inducing setting. More of a spooky than gory, this one will make you want to leave the lights on. The story follows a bunch of adults returning to their home town for one hell of a reunion. I enjoyed the multiple POV and split timeline. This one was a race-to-the-finish which I couldn’t put down. I read it in one sitting. The book is well-paced and sucks you in from the beginning. The wood scenes were heart-pounding and atmospheric and make you want to keep reading to find out just what happened that night in the woods. I’d highly recommend this fun-to-read horror novel. Thank you to Cemetery Dance Publications for a copy of the book to review.

This book was definitely interesting. It took a turn that I didn’t expect, but it was a good read. It had a super spooky feel to it throughout the first 2/3 of the book that would make this a great read for Halloween season. The last 1/3 threw me off a little bit, but was still pretty intriguing. It did give off classic Halloween vibes, which I really enjoyed. I would say give this book a read if you’re looking for something spooky to scare you a little bit 😉

I have seen so many amazing reviews of Gone To See The River Man, but have been hesitant to read it because I don't want to be disappointed. Well the joke is on me because if it is written half as wonderfully as this one I'm a fool. This story kept me guessing the entire time as to what in the world was happening and what motivation Scott truly had.

There's nothing like memories of childhood friends and the secrets they hold tightly. Going home again came be healing for some and a nightmare for others. The character development was spot on and I felt connections with the friends from the beginning. This story kept me guessing what happened that night, what had Robin really said to Corey, and what role did Traci truly play.

Do demons truly walk amongst us or is it the ones we love most out to deceive and threaten our very grips of reality? Can the woods really come to life? Can you fully trust any old friends or their intentions?

What a fantastic story.

That Night in the Woods is a story about six friends from high school who decide to spend the night in the creepy suicide woods on Halloween night. After that night they lived with that trauma for 25 years. One fateful day, one of the members of the group died unexpectedly and the friends come together to memorialize him, or so they think.
The creepy setting created combined with all of the fall feels made the first 70% if this book a definite winner for me in terms of spooky season reads.
Then it got a little weird and I want to forget those little things at the end happened. I wanted to love this so much. I did enjoy it. But give me something different for the last few chapters.
Overall a solid 3.5 stars

This book has everything I love, which I don't want to say because I don't want to spoil anything. Kristopher Triana is easily becoming one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for providing me with my FIRST EVER ARC in exchange for an honest review! Not only was it five stars, but it’s Kristopher Triana, so I was super lucky with this book.

“That Night in the Woods” is so easy to get invested in. First of all, I love stories that surround “THAT night” or “THAT one time,” or “THAT incident.” Those unforgettable days where something dramatic happened, and there was no coming back from it. I know I had several of THOSE moments growing up, and now in early adulthood, I still do. It was easy to feel like you were right in the room with the high school friends turned middle aged adults. After Steven Winters unexpectedly passed away, the executor of his will, Scott, invites all the friends they used to hang out with back to their hometown to discuss Steven’s final wishes. But the visit is more than just a weekend retreat- slowly, more and more deadly secrets are revealed, and the group is forced to come to terms with what REALLY happened the night of Halloween 1995. The same night they thought it would be a good idea to go camping in the infamous “Suicide Woods.”

We get to know these characters on a deep level, which I will ALWAYS applaud. They all have their flaws, but most are likable. Jennifer is innocent enough and easy to relate to. Corey is gravely underestimated with a heart of gold. Traci and Mark are both a bit rough around the edges, but you can’t help but root for them and deep within, they carry great compassion and strength. I loved getting to hang out with all of them, and when the story was nearing its end, I wished I had gotten to do it for an even longer period of time.

I’ve seen some criticisms surrounding the ending. I don’t want to spoil this story (especially because I loved it so much,) to anyone, so I won’t be getting into too much detail. Nevertheless, the ending, and the cluster of emotions leading up to it, did make perfect sense to me. Sometimes, acceptance can take hold over one’s will to fight. That’s all I will speak on it for now, as you truly must experience it for yourself, but for me, it didn’t dull the book’s sparkle.

One of my favorite things about Kristopher Triana is how he can truly rip me out of my bedroom and make me feel like I’m in a totally different world. He’s definitely one of my go-to authors for reasons exactly like this one. He keeps the dialogue natural and interesting, and the atmosphere is vivid and inviting without being overly descriptive or redundant. Even when the unexpected twists do come- and boy do they- you can look back in the story and see where you might’ve missed some hints. He eloquently avoids plot holes and keeps a consistent storyline that still manages to surprise its readers.

I truly believe that this story will entice mystery fans, drama fans, and horror fans alike. With enough of each to satisfy even the pickiest of readers, Kristopher Triana has yet another winner on his hands, and I’m so happy I was given the opportunity to witness it early.

“That Night in the Woods” will be released into the world in October 2023. It’s definitely the perfect book to get you in the spooky spirit. Do yourselves a favor and keep an eye out for this one, which no horror enthusiast will want to miss!

That Night In The Woods was a really good book. Flowed well. The story was good but sadly the trope this year is a little over done and I personally am burnt out on it. Which shows the difference of each persons individual review because I'm sure someone who didn't read as many thrillers would be blown away completely. This book is so good but for me it missed the mark because this trope is so over done lately.

Couldn't get past chapter 3. I was just not engaged with either the story or the characters. I've heard excellent things about Gone To See The River Man, so I will certainly give that a try. This one was just sadly not for me. Giving it 2 stars because the writing is not be ad. And I would recommend to master readers of the horror genre. Maybe I'm still too green for this. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for making it available.

“Once you’ve experienced real terror, the desire to be scared for fun not only disappears, it stops making sense.”

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! That Night In The Woods was a wild, jaw-dropping ride. This isn’t my first read of Kristopher Triana’s work. If you want extreme horror that fills you with dread and leaves you feeling a little empty inside, I highly recommend this or any of his books! Truly one of my go-to horror authors! Be sure to check your content warnings!

This story follows a group of teenage friends and the eerie woods that have a horrid reputation. It jumps back and forth between the group as adults returning to their hometown, trying to make sense of what happened all those years ago and them as teenagers during a night in the woods that continues to haunt them. I loved that this book gave a Stephen King’s It vibe. Not only that, but there were many references that made this feel nostalgic at times.

My favorite thing is that Triana knows how to write characters that make you feel every emotion! That Night In The Woods definitely built up the anticipation in the first half of the book and left me at the edge of my seat because I just HAD to figure out what the hell was going on. The second half was fast paced and felt like a movie. This is a great intro book if you’ve been looking to get into horror or this author’s work!

Thank you for the ARC !
I loved the first 70% of this book. The ending seemed like it turned into a different book altogether, kind of threw me off which is why I have it four stars. The majority of this book was definitely top scariest books I have read to date, and I do tend to be hard to scare with books. The premise was amazing. Part slasher/part paranormal with a bit of mystery. I just wish the ending was a bit more of a twist that really tied everything together instead of going off course. Still a great book and kept me not wanting to put it down.

Thank you to Kristopher, and Netgalley for an ebook copy to review.

This was my 2nd book from Mr. Triana the first was 'Gone to See the River Man'. This book was just as fun and thrilling it is such a good thrill ride. I loved the setting in the woods with a group of friends. It really sets the atmosphere of horror. This will be a wonderful Autumn read for the Halloween season. Maybe take this on your next camping trip. (I used to camp as a kid...I don't anymore...no nothing strange in the woods happened.).
If you're looking for a good fright check this one out.