Being a teenager sucks, especially if you are even the least bit vulnerable. Sometimes you just want to be anywhere else other than where you are right then. Sometimes you just wish you could manifest someone or someplace that could handle you in all your cruelty and kindness; in all your hard and soft places. That could handle all of you, without reservation.

Don’t Let the Forest In is an exquisitely messy tale of grief, queer love, coming of age, sexual identity, mental illness, creative genius, and pain that reached inside of me, grabbed onto my heart and guts from page one and didn’t let go until the last page was read. My guts still feel a little twisted and my heart bruised, but I’m better for it as a person (despite how many tears soaked my pillowcase and shirt).

Author C. G. Drews has said it took five years to bring this book to the public, and it really shows. The storycraft shown here is a clear-cut case of laborious love. The prose has been groomed until it shines, the characters have been tended to until they resonate just right, the worldbuilding has been vividly etched, and the story itself has obviously been nurtured from a seed to a fully grown tree full of ripe fruit. The whole thing just shines with purpose and determination.

The imagery and atmosphere of botanical horrormance books is something I cannot and will not get over. There’s something so enticing about stories that are just one step over the line from the notion of “ripe”, which is how some people choose to write about young adults. Botanical horrormance tends to deal with the imagery and notions of what happens when “ripe” goes wrong: rotten, spoiled, expired, trashed, ripped, exploded, squashed, torn, buried, and even so destroyed it just becomes part of the forest’s detritus. I don’t think this is a coincidence and I enjoy the juxtaposition.

I had been waiting all year to read this book and it did not disappoint. I loved it even more than I thought I would.

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Coming of Age/Dark Fantasy/Disability Rep/Fantasy/Romantasy/Horrormance/LGBTQ Fantasy/LGBTQ Horror/LGBTQ Romance/Paranormal Fantasy/Paranormal Horror/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy/YA Fiction/YA Horrormance/YA Horror/YA LGBTQ Romance

First it must be noted that this book has fantastic body horror/gore.

But the plot doesn’t feel very anchored. The other characters outside of Andrew/Thomas should have been more present and/or we needed way more flashbacks to previous years. I would have loved to see much more of Lana and Chloe and ESPECIALLY Dove. There’s a twist that quite simply doesn’t land because Andrew and Thomas are so isolated - and Andrew is such a passive character.

Honestly, it would have made a brilliant novella, since most of the connective tissue was so thin. Then the prose could shine without the need to expand to fill space.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian for letting me read this early!

HOLY SHIT I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! The writing was so beautiful and dark and haunting, I’m glad I waited until October cause the vibes were immaculate. At the same time, I’m devastated I waited so long to read this BECAUSE I LOVED IT SO MUCH MY GOD.

The creepy forest/fungal/nature horror was so well done. The perfect amount of body horror and surreal imagery. The constant creeping fear of the forest getting in, infecting them, corrupting them with its dark magic was to die for!

Andrew and Thomas were each such deeply complicated and tragic boys. I felt so much for Andrew’s struggles with asexuality and anxiety, even if it felt a little close to home. Thoma’s sharp edges and his fear of being alone while pushing everyone away broke my heart, oh god.

I also really really adored how VICIOUSLY Andrew and Thomas loved each other. It was so dark and codependent. They were so twisted into each other. There’s a line at the end about loving someone so much it ruins them and then yourself, and oh boy is that exactly the kind of love I adore reading about.

That said,,, that ending,,, oh boy. I do love the sense of urgency hurtling over a cliff as we approached it, and in that sense the last few chapters felt like a sudden stop after a short drop. But it was sudden. And the unreality of all of it kind of left me with some question marks, especially with Andrew’s unreliability as a narrator having just been put out front and center. I’m not sure what happened at the end but I don’t honk it matters to Andrew. He’ll always have his own litter world.

AND THE TWIST? Ok I will admit i am usually SO GOOD at guessing twists, they do not get past me. I only guessed this twist like two chapters before it was revealed. I thought something COMPLETELY different had happened, so that first sneaking suspicion of the twist hit my like a ton of bricks. BUT IT WAS SO GOOD. I tried to think back on those elements but (much like the boys) I was so caught up in the horror of the forest, in their warped little love story, that I hadn’t even been paying that much attention to That Stuff EVEN THOUGH ALL THE CLUES WERE THERE. This will def be a fun book to reread with the twist in mind ☺️

Fully 5 star read, I cried so much and it was so good 🥲

" If you cut open my chest"- Andrew's voice was wrecked-"You'll find a garden of rot where my heart should be"


"Don't Let the Forest In" by CG Wells is a rotting, dark whimsical fairytale of longing, grief, and self-discovery, where nature eerie embrace consumes you whole. Andrew, his twin Dove, and Thomas are inseparable friends, attending the idyllic and exclusive Wickwood boarding school since childhood and enjoying their home away from home in the forest surrounding the grounds. Andrew delights in writing macabre fairytales that Thomas brings to life in nightmarish drawings of forest creatures, a written and drawn bond recollectiong of their emotions during the years. During this new school year, these stories become all too real and chaos ensues as they navigate their changing relationships and follow the trails of blood and rot to the forest's edge.

Wells' new and upcoming novel pulled me in with its evocative writing and gripping tension that kept me hooked from start to finish. This young adult novel was a frenzied, nightmarish, and beautifully crafted descent into self-doubt and the conundrum of trying to be true to ourselves while facing societal pressures. I found myself endeared with Andrew, his story highlighting many of the challenges and internal conflicts that come with understanding your identity, as he explores his feelings for the person who holds his heart. Thomas and Dove are perfect planets for the constant evolution of Andrew's universe as reality blends with a haunting, almost sentient presence that stalks the forest around the academy, the shifting and surreal landscape of the protagonist's mind that made me question what was real and what was not. I enjoyed the horror aspect of this book, a dark metaphoric, fairytale rendition of the many emotional battles faced by many. I loved the asexual representation through Andrew, an integral part of the story that gives a nuanced, authentic, and relatable portrayal for so many individuals exploring their identities. Also, the monsters! Imagining the monsters that the characters both wrote and drew was both amazing and horrifying. The battle scenes were vivid and well crafted, coming alive on the page and perfectly balancing the tension with the story's emotional depth. I lived for Andrew’s little chapters of his fairytales, interspersed throughout the narrative. They brought the horror to life and reminded me how fairytales also speak to the many unsaid and unnamed horrors of our daily lives.

This is a must-read for anyone looking for some queer dark fantasy for this fall/winter season that explore the intersections of queerness and identity through the lens of the supernatural. I'd also recommend to fans of Ryan LaSalas! This gem and The Honeys live within the same universe in my mind now. Andrew, Thomas, and Mars are my holy divinity for now.

Thank you NetGalley, publishers, and CG Wells for an advance readers copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this one is not for me, and it’s also on me for requesting this ARC and not doing enough digging into the TW’s. My rating of 1 star is not a reflection of the authors writing, it’s 100% the content that didn’t sit well with me.

This book was so good. I wasn't disappointed. It has all of my favorite things. Dark mysterious forest, private school, gay kids, horror, monsters, beautiful writing, and a tragic ending. I think I need to go and by myself a physical copy right now

So I technically didn't give this a rating but to submit this I would place it at 3, as this could be more enjoyable to others. I was able to read this early through NetGalley but unfortunately it was just not for me. I got about 70/75% through and I just kept losing interest. I don't feel like the love interest/romance part flowed well. I would've preferred more just about the monster and forest aspect of the story and I would've have liked it a lot more.

i am definitely more afraid of the forest after reading this book! The entire book reads as either a lucid dream or reality with some serious disruptions, creating an extremely fun, enjoyable ride.
I loved the connection between Andrew and Thomas, especially how they would do anything for the other. The idea of their art and storytelling creating reality by story and illustration was fun to follow. The monsters are creative and terrifying.
A scary, unique and engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

★ 4.75 stars

Huge thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of Don’t Let the Forest In!

“But the October boy didn’t flee. He climbed the tree and kissed the lonesome monster until it devoured him whole.”

You know a book is good when its climax is hard to read because you can’t see through the tears in your eyes.

It was so hard to pick a standout quote from this book. Don’t Let the Forest In has some of the most beautifully devastating language I’ve read in a while. It's vivid, imaginative, and downright heartbreaking. Andrew’s inner thoughts are told with experimental formats that just added to his unreliability as a narrator. I’m still not sure what’s real and not real, but I think not knowing is the best part.

“‘Everything inside me is in ruins…for you.’”

The YEARNING in this narrative. Hoo boy. I adore romances where the couple just crashes into each other all blood and teeth and longing. This is a vicious sort of love I could get lost in. Especially with two complex characters in such a cruel setting. It was kind of giving If We Were Villains at times.

If I had to come up with a critique, it would be that a little too much was withheld– I liked the mysteries, and the climax was brilliant, but I did find myself annoyed at some points with just how left in the dark the reader was, to the point I was more confused than intrigued. But again, it wasn’t a major issue. I did finish this in three days after all.

Also– the Oreo scene killed me. I need a fanart of it ASAP.

If you’re looking for a queer dark academia book rife with angst and forest horror, Don’t Let the Forest In is the book for you.

To anyone who ever wished they could get their horror fix with a bit of doomed romance tossed in for fun, this is the book for you. Don’t Let the Forest In follows Andrew and Thomas as they return from summer break to their Virginia boarding school. The synopsis will tell you these boys have got a monster problem on their hands, but I’d dare to say they might have even bigger problems than that. This book had some twists I didn’t see coming, and even now I’m thinking about the ending. Everything about this book was dark and twisted and creepy, with some of the most beautiful and disgusting imagery I’ve ever read. I loved everything about this book and wish I could recommend it to everyone who ever asks for recs from this day forward, but alas. There are content warnings for gore and body horror etc. and while my ARC didn’t have any of the illustrations the finished version will have, I can’t stress enough that if the monsters are drawn exactly how they’re written, this book is not for the faint of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can never put into words how amazing this book is. It is both lovely and horrifying, unsettling and stunning. Drew has a lovely way with words and beautifully explores loss and love. It's odd, but I can't help but compare this to a Hozier song: hauntingly beautiful and full of depth. Please do yourself a favor by checking it out

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: October 29, 2024

4 stars
I'm not really sure what I read, which is what the author was going for. I do know I liked it even if it was pretty different from typical genres, which was to be expected. There is a little bit of a What Moves the Dead vibe aimed a little more at YA readers.

⋆⋆⋆¾ — i am soo happy about this because i actually guessed the "big twist" like halfway through. do you know how rare it is for my deranged half-baked theories to actually become true?? okay, that's not fair to the book because this was a very well planned reveal, and there were hints carefully placed throughout. but i'm still genuinely pleased.

this was an intriguing, well thought out novel, and i mostly liked everything. my only criticisms are that the prose wasn't necessarily creepy / dreamlike enough for the atmosphere the book was trying for + everything coming to a stop at random times so lana and andrew could describe homophobia or definition of asexuality was a bit? the latter was definitely not incorporated well and didn't have the similar style of writing that the rest of the book did so it was annoying, i guess.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

I finished this book and in the best way possible I just sat there wondering what the hell I just read? That ending was...something and I'm still a little confused about it but the vibes were immaculate so im going with it.

The writing in this book was absolutely incredible and probably my favorite part of this. It was lyrical and horrifying and so hauntingly beautiful. The vibes and setting of this book were perfect and I'm so glad I decided to wait till October to read it. It's the perfect time to do so.

I also love the characters in this book and their relationship. It was messy and beautiful and just so wonderfully fitting for the vibe of this book. I was also so excited to see well done asexual representation! It was so unexpected because I didn't know much about this book before diving in but it was so fantastic to see myself in these pages in a way.

Overall absolutely loved this book and highly recommend if this is your kind of read.

Don’t Let The Forest In by CG Drews is about twins dove and Andrew who are Australian go to a private Academy in Virginia with their best and Andrew‘s only friend Thomas. It used to be the three of them but it’s a new year in Dove for some reason isn’t forgiving Thomas for some slight that Andrew isn’t privy to. She also is studying all the time and not even hanging out with her roommate Leanna and Andrew fears it’s because she is sick of being around him he clings to his friendship with Thomas it doesn’t take long for strange things to start happening in the strange events culminate into a monster story that even leaves the reader guessing as to what is going on. I found throughout the book had a feeling of desperation when reading Andrews feelings and emotions as if he was a boy on the edge and so for that point I found the book very emotional and at times I had to put the book down and come back to it later. When it got to the twist with dove and Thomas I was like OMG and then when I got to the twist twist I was like WTF I do think CG Drewes is an awesome writer and the story was very entertaining and I do recommend it I just think for me as a reader it just got too emotional for my taste. Andrews feeling of not being enough or of being on the point of falling apart I DK I have never had a book affect me like that so I don’t know what happened and would be lying if I said I did so I do recommend it. If you like great monster stories I do believe this is one of them, but read at your own risk. #NetGalley,#McMillan children’s publishing group, #CGDrews, #Don’tLetTheForestIn,

If this book had come with any way of being properly warned about what was inside, I would've never requested it. I had seen warnings about a lot of the potentially triggering content in this book, but the two topics this book truly deals the most with I hadn't seen mentioned at all. I had been so looking forward to reading this book, and every bit of my reading experience was a let down. The author says that if you were staring at the wall when you finished that they'd done their job right.

I was staring at the wall, not because I was trying to piece together the terribly constructed threads of the story into something vaguely resembling a coherent understanding, but rather because I was questioning why I ever wanted to read this, and coming to terms with the hours of my life spent reading it that I wouldn't be getting back. The true tragedy here is that there were so many cool ideas going on with this book and absolutely none of them were delivered coherently, and portions of what appeared to resemble the concept of a plot were dropped at random and never returned to throughout the book. It felt like more of a collection of edgy scenes and less of a cohesive narrative.

Also having two of the biggest twists come on the heels of each other where they directly negate each other and having no way of knowing if either of those twists was the actual truth due to the unreliability of the narrator was such a frustrating note to end on especially when I had struggled to get through this book to begin with. I love horror but there's such a massive different experience depending on if the story that sucks you in and pulls you down the dark spiral or if you never quite get pulled below the surface and unfortunately this one never managed to reel me in.

Having followed this author's book journey for a long time I was incredibly excited for this title and was definitely NOT disappointed. I don't normally read horror but this book is so deliciously entrancing you yourself feel like the forest is absorbing you. This book checks all the right boxes for a gothic and dark story with beautiful writing.

Absolutely tore through this book! Gothic, dark, and so intriguing. Drews manages to convey the atmosphere of a stuffy boarding school, the angst of teenage life, and the complications around discovering yourself so vividly. Thomas and Andrew are both so relatable and so unique. I couldn’t get enough of this story.
If you liked the vibes of Bunny by Mona Awad or The Hike by Drew Magary, this is the book for you.

*2.5
Definitely a mixed bag for me. It is absolutely an angsty, Tumblr era story. The novel had beautiful prose and imagery but at times I felt as if it conflicted with the storyline/led to confusion. I felt a bit disconnected for our teenage characters due to the writing style. In the end, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to gain from the read or the overall message it was trying to convey.

Not sure that I was the right audience for this one. I'm sure there are reader's out there who would love this one and it would be right up their alley!

A big thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan pPublishing for the opportunity to read this novel and give my honest thoughts!

Okay, the writing style of this book was absolutely beautiful. It was like a dark fairy tale full of whimsy and horror. It was so easy to get swept away with this story. Andrew was such a beautifully written protagonist. I loved reading from his point of view. There is a lot of mental health and queer representation which I loved, but it tends to lean more into the heavy side of that subject matter so just be aware. The big twist really took me by surprise because I was 100% expecting something else to happen, but it was so well done. As far as the horror element goes, I felt like it was light horror and I was okay with that. It’s not horribly gruesome or graphic. I would have liked a little more from the ending because it felt very abrupt, but all in all, I really enjoyed this story and definitely want to read more of Drews’ work.
CW: body horror, disordered eating, violence, bullying, homophobia, mentions of child abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.