I highly anticipated this read by Triana, but the story felt flat for me. I couldn’t engage with the characters, found them very shallow and uninteresting. The horror scenes weren’t all that gripping. Unfortunately, it felt like a stereotypical teen horror movie with cheap thrills.

That Night in the Woods is built around a trope that I really like, trauma that occurs in your teens and you get together twenty years later to finally confront what happens. Because this is written by the author of one of my favourite horror novels, I thought, what could possibly go wrong with this book? It turns out that even a really good author can have a one-off.

First of all, the characters were so stereotypical they just made me want to drop them all off in the middle of that forest and hope whatever was in there got them all. And I am not generally a violent person, but they sucked the living energy right out of me. I get their behaviour when they were teenagers, but to continue that same behaviour as 40-somethings just did not work. I get the author was trying to show how traumatized they were from what happened, but...there had to be a better way to do it. We have Mark, the out-of-work construction worker with two kids from two separate moms who has been in jail a couple of times, who smokes and drinks and ALL he thinks about is sex. Jennifer, newly divorced, has no personality although the other boys apparently all had something for her as a teenager. She can't make decisions if her life depended on it, especially when lover-boy Scott is around, and this is as a teen and as a 40-something-year-old. Corey, the character I liked best, constantly talked about what a nerd he was because he liked comic magazines. What? And Traci? I get her alcoholism, but not her lies. Together, it was hard to tell who was who at times.

The build-up at the beginning was slow, something I didn't actually mind, as I like it when the tension builds up this way and then becomes explosive and you can't put down the book. Unfortunately, the tension never really builds in the way it was meant to. The characters are given bits and pieces of information through Scott, and none of them questioned this at all, didn't even ask for paperwork or anything, especially with Traci being a lawyer? This would have sent my spidey senses tingling right away. They are given mysterious journals, pieces of information about Steven's life and death, all being doled out bit by bit by Scott. Instead of questioning this behaviour, they react like a bunch of teenagers, squabbling and making stupid decisions, forgetting they are adults who can decide for themselves what they can do or not do. I found I just had to suspend belief way too much during all of this and I kept shaking my head in disbelief. And there was no blasted way you would have got me back in that forest after what happened all those years ago. No *^%%* way!! And when we finally got to the part where it was supposed to get scary, I was like, Are you kidding me?

That Night in the Woods had so much potential, but I was so deflated by the end. And speaking of the end, what was that? The one character who fought and fought decides to just give up, just like that, with no explanation? Overall, there were a couple of moments that were chilling and horrific, but the overall experience left me shaking my head and feeling so disappointed, especially after the last book by this author. It wasn't badly written by any stretch of the imagination, and I do think a lot of people will enjoy this book, I just wasn't one of them.

An interesting and chilly story, and the goosebumps on your arms will have nothing to do with the weather. I loved the premise, and for the most part I thought it was carried off really well. We get some flashbacks to when the MCs were kids, which added some depth to the story. Not sure how I feel about the ending, but overall I enjoyed reading this, and it would be perfect for whenever you want some spooky vibes.

This book was unfortunately a DNF for me. I was not enjoying the story and got to about the 50% mark before putting it to rest. I do like Kristopher Triana books so this was sad for me to not enjoy, but I just couldn't get into it. However, I do feel like others may enjoy this book it just maybe wasn't my time to read this.

A group of old friends who share a secret reuniting at a cabin in the woods?

You would think that this book would hit all the high points. Initially it started off strong, but I got bored with it when they all were together.

This was a very fast paced book.
It is full of jump scares and twists and turns. I found the characters hard to connect with

The woods' atmosphere and Halloween vibes set the scene, but there's a bit too much focus on characters' issues. It starts as a thriller, ending in horror. I liked the suspense but found the characters a bit meh. The story unfolds slowly, with glimpses into their past, creating a love-hate relationship with the read. Overall, it's a so-so recommendation for horror fans.

Triana is a newer author to me coming into my life with Gone to See the Riverman last year. I read that book in January and then lost my mind when I heard the sequel was due out. Both the Riverman books were in my top reads for 2023.... That Night In the Woods was not as lingering.

This story gave me "I Know What you did Last Summer" vibes for the first few building chapters and then BOOM hit from the left field. I enjoyed unwinding the mysteries of these strange woods and the group of people who visited them one dark night. It timehopped between today and yesteryear comparing one "never to be spoke of night" and a reunion that was only possible due to the death of a group member.

I look forward to reading more of Triana's work in the future.

“That Night in the Woods” is an unputdownable read. You’ll want to keep turning the pages to see what horror lurks.

With that being said, I found the ending to be underwhelming. I would still recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the horror genre nonetheless.

Thank you NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for gifting me this advanced copy.

Five high school friends are traumatized when they go camping in the woods where young people have been committing suicide. Many years later they come back together to honor a friend and they face what happen all those years ago.

The sections in the woods had great atmosphere and were creepy in a way that had the characters and me wondering what was real. Some of the book takes place on Halloween night which added its own atmosphere as well. Although I do love great character work I think there was a bit too much focus on the characters problems and relationships. I like where the story ended up leading in the end. It felt a bit more like a thriller through most of the book, but it definitely turned horror in the end.

I would recommend checking out this book if you like horror book that focus on the issues of life. I especially recommend reading around Halloween.

A decent spooky read. Nothing special, but it goes by quickly and entertains sufficiently. Thanks Netgalley.

This was my first book by the author even though i have another by them.
It was a great introduction, I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the creepy atmosphere - time to pick up the other book i have then!

Need a Halloween read? Well look no further! Triana is known for his extreme horror but this isn’t that. This is a more traditional read with lots of character development and plenty of reasons to never revisit an old flame. Did I mention the Suicide Woods? The secret amongst this group of old friends? The scary things in the dark?

How about a divisive ending? I don’t know about y’all but when I hear that an ending to a book is divisive, it makes me want to read it more to see which side I’ll fall on. Well, readers, I happened to fall on the side of YES with this one. 😏 If you know me, you’ll know why. If you want to know what I’m talking about, go buy this book, read it and let’s have a chat.

Some may find this a bit of a slower pace than his other novels but lemme tell ya, the nostalgia is real and I love it when an author changes it up a bit. There was a lot I could relate to in this read… and thankfully a lot I couldn’t. 😂 Add this to your scary Halloween stack. Go.

I really enjoyed this book! It was A gorgeously spooky story. I highly recommend this book along with the authors other works!!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher and author for my advance copу♥️


That Night in the Woods" is a scary book that takes place in the woods. The author, Kristopher Triana, does a great job of making you feel like you're there with the characters. He uses the woods to make the story feel creepy and uncertain.

The characters are well-written, and their relationships are complex. The author slowly builds up the tension, making you feel more and more uneasy as the story goes on. The climax is intense, but some readers might want more answers.

The ending is haunting and makes you think about the story long after you finish reading. Overall, "That Night in the Woods" is a suspenseful and scary book that's perfect for horror fans.

That Night in the Woods is a horror that follows five adult friends who all experienced a tragedy as teenagers on Halloween night. Unfortunately, this book did not hold my attention after the beginning and I was not scared in the least as I was in Kristopher Tirana’s other work (Gone to See the River Man).
The book is more character focused than action focused and that may just be a personal preference. I Would still recommend this book to fans of Triana.

This was as very interesting read. I’m a big fan of Triana so I was psyched to read this. I loved the setting. I loved that it took place during Halloween. There were plenty of unlikable characters but Triana knows how to write such people. I definitely didn’t see the end coming.

There’s nothing like a really creepy horror book that takes place on Halloween to really get you into the Christmas spirit!! LOL ANYWAYS, this was my first book by Kristopher Triana that I read and I knew that I really wanted to get into his horror books considering I’ve heard so many great things about them. When I first started reading this book, I did feel that it started off a little slow due to the character building and meeting all of our main characters and getting into where they were in their lives. However, once we got past the introductory parts and where it was leading up to for the main plot of the story, I was instantly hooked.

That Night In The Woods is a story about these group of adults who were best friends back in the mid 90s until a night in what’s called the “Suicide Woods” occurred that changed their lives and their friendship forever. Now we fast forward to them reuniting for the first time after this night 25 years ago, and figuring out what really happened to them that night and why they never spoke again. Eventually, it turns out that something sinister and terrifying happened to them that night that completely changed the course of their lives, and a lot of the characters in this friend group are wondering why they were all brought back together to talk about that night.

I genuinely really loved this book and how creepy the atmospheric setting was, and for someone who’s not into books that are extreme horror, I thought this book was perfect when it came to how much horror it actually contained. I was a little confused by the storyline towards the end of the book, but I thought the flashback scenes of that night were just so terrifying and creepy that it almost felt like you were there in the woods with the characters as they were trying to survive. I also thought some of the plot twists and turns were so crazy that I definitely did not see any of them coming. Overall, I really did enjoy this book, and even though this book wasn’t a perfect 5 stars for me due to the slow beginning and the confusion with some of the storyline towards the end and the turn that it took, I thoroughly had a great time reading this book and I can’t wait to read more Kristopher Triana books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have loved every Triana book I've ever read, and while I still have a few to go from his backlist, one thing I love about his writing style is how he develops his characters. However, the characters and the pacing were my least favorite things about this book.

I felt like the pacing crawled, especially in the middle, and I just couldn't get invested in the story nor could I care much about the characters,

Of all the different kinds of horror stories, the slash-and-gore fest is the one I dislike the most. There seems to be no point to the violence, which intensifies, until it seems to head towards a deadly collision. It’s all a bit too overwhelming for my taste.



More than 25 years after high school, Scott Dwyer invites his old high school friends, Jenny, Tracy, Corey and Mark to his house in their old hometown to honour the memory of their old friend Steven who has died recently.



Something truly scary happened the last time they were all together in the woods behind Scott’s house, back in 1995 during Halloween. These woods were infamously called Suicide Woods, because a number of teenagers went into the woods and killed themselves.



Severely traumatized, the friends all fled town after high school, never returning until now. In all these years, they have had no contact with one another, never seen or spoken with another one of their friends, until now.



But this reunion is anything but innocent. The horror that terrorized them still awaits them. And this time it’s not about to let go.





The author brings us up to speed on the lives of Jenny, Tracy, Corey and Mark, in their early forties, as they face stagnation in their lives. It is clear that the thought of returning to their hometown scares them all for some reason, and yet their curiosity trumps their sense of reason.



Unfortunately, this update about each of these four characters comes over four long chapters, delaying the point at which the story actually starts. Also, what was the point in giving us all those details about the character’s personal lives, if it wasn’t going to matter at all except to let us know that they were all unhappy with their lives.



Even once they meet, the real point of the story takes a while to show up. The friends are too busy fantasizing about each other, and basically reverting to their teenage selves, forgetting that they should have evolved.



What the author says about places being haunted by the emotional impact of the deaths of the victims and of the feelings of the killers and those who survive the victims made sense.



The book needed to be proofread. There were lots of spelling and grammatical errors that could have been avoided. In describing Traci, the author uses the phrase, ‘extenuating those long legs,’ when he should have used the word, accentuating.



But some lines in the book were well written and stood out. Here’s a sample:



Blaming scary movies, heavy metal, video games, and gangster rap was just a pathetic effort to explain and understand human atrocity. If someone had murder in them, their influences were irrelevant. They would have gone on to kill, no matter what. Lust, greed, and politics were the true instigators.



Sometimes the mind forgets because it must do so to stay sane.



People say the beasts come out at night. But it’s not the night; it’s the darkness. Whether the darkness of the woods or the darkness of a movie theater—it’s all one. In darkness the evil things know they won’t be seen. In the shadows, they can do whatever they want to a little girl.



I plodded through this book, wishing it would end already, but only because I generally make it a point not to give up on a book. That Night in the Woods is the sort of book that might appeal to others. It just wasn’t for me.