Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Don't Let the Forest In follows teens Andrew and Thomas in their senior year of high school, as mysterious events begin to happen around Thomas.

Don't Let the Forest In is one of those reads that sweeps you in and won't let you go until the book is over. From an engaging plot to perfectly creepy atmosphere, everything about this book drew me in and kept me there. Andrew and Thomas were fantastic characters to read from, and I loved the way the book balanced their interiority with what was actually happening around them. I loved the poetic writing and the twisty plot, which was deliciously predictable and perfectly executed. I will say, this is quite a dark book, potentially triggering for some readers, but I loved the bold commitment to fully portraying the horrors of this world.

The plot was interesting, but I didn't t like the book. I didn't like the writing or the characters. It was boring and felt like nothing was happening for a lot of the book.

This book was so well written and utterly captivating. The prose was so poetic and it made the monsters in the forest feel real. You really got a sense of Andrew’s anxiety and I loved the way he went from weak to strong as Thomas depended on him. As the story progressed, I started having questions about what was going on and how it was going to end. I loved how all the loose ends were tied and the ending was left in a haphazard bow. My mind is blown. I haven’t read a horror book in a long time and this was everything I needed.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC copy of this book!

This book made me lose sleep. It was unpredictable in a good way and I will think about it the rest of the year.

At first, I thought it was kinda slow because of the first few chapters and how they didn't make sense to me (in the context of the title and synopsis.) But once it started to talk about the monsters, that's when I couldn't stop reading.

I am undecided on who's my favorite character because Andrew and Thomas are tied but as an aspiring amateur writer, I'll choose Andrew. He is the kind of character I would like to meet in real life and have a serious talk with (even though he probably would avoid me.)

My favorite aspect of this book is how everything is told in a careful way so nothing really spoils what's to come but it gives the reader just enough curiosity to think "is this what I think it means?"

The end killed me (and I ended up crying but I also blame it on the cold I have at the moment.)
Overall I enjoyed reading this book and it definitely has a place among my favorite ones.

This book was hauntingly beautiful. The writing was so atmospheric and descriptive. I had to switch to audio otherwise it would have taken me forever to finish because I just wanted to take tiny bites of the story.

The characters were complex and flawed and beautiful. And the twists at the end blew my mind.

This kind of eerie young gothic love makes one wonder if it's true love or diabolically insane with a dash of sinister. Tread lightly, or this might just capture your entire soul.

Happy Halloween.
Surprisingly I actually have a spooky book review for today.

Bound by shared secrets and a growing obsession, Andrew and Thomas must confront the deadly monsters and nightmarish creatures that threaten to consume anyone they care for. As they fight side by side, their connection deepens dangerously, leaving Andrew to wonder if saving Thomas might mean risking everything, even the boy he can't bear to lose.

Aside from my dislike for YA motivations I really enjoyed this read! The spooky and eerie vibes and the relationship between Andrew and Thomas really mirrored each other well. Both Andrew and Thomas were presented as realistically flawed humans, them exploring what they mean to each other, and even their youthful motivations were presented in a way that ‘the what if’ is really just as scary as the monsters that are after them.

If you love earthy monsters, exploration of identity, academic settings, and a mix of mystery solving this would be a great read! I’d skip if you really don’t like YA motivations and slightly (and really I mean very slightly) predictable plot. I definitely didn’t see it coming, but I did have a brief thought about the ending. I will say this book reminds me of a spooky version of another ya novel, I won’t share which one because it’ll spoil the ending. But if you’re curious and want to know, DM me! I would also say if you enjoyed Ace of Spades, I believe you’d enjoy this one as well.

Things haven't been the same for Andrew, Thomas and Dove since their argument at the end of last year. Thomas broke his phone so twins Andrew and Dove spent the summer without a word from him. They used to share a love of Andrew's grim fairy tales and Thomas' sketched depictions of the monsters that fill the darkness of them. Now the new year is beginning, their senior year and Andrew is determined to make things right between the three of them, but that means hiding his feelings for Thomas and finding out why Dove keeps avoiding him. He will also have to face the demons of his own stories, as Thomas' drawings are coming to life in the forest just outside the schools walls.

I have been following CG Drews on Bookstagram pretty much since I started on there, so when I saw that her newest book was coming out, I snatched up an E-Arc from Netgalley.

When I read the synopsis of Don't Let the Forest In, I thought it sounded like a great fantasy read, but I was wrong. While there are fantasy elements, this book definitely leans more into the horror genre in the style of the original Grimms Fairy Tales. I absolutely loved reading the bits of Andrews stories and I think I was more engrossed in the descriptions because I didn't have Thomas' drawings to lean on (you'll find some of them in the print edition).

This book is the perfect mix of character and plot focused. The world building doesn't come at you all at once but in vibrant sprinkles throughout the pages. The characters are so complete that at any moment it feels like they could walk right off the pages, even the side characters with bit parts. Don't Let the Forest In is a completely engrossing novel that will have you hooked from the first chapter.

Author Katee Robert reviewed this book in a reel/tiktok and said that it left her "bereft" and I would have to whole heartedly agree. I never imagined that a horror novel would leave me feeling so grief stricken after I was forced to leave the world behind. Andrew, Thomas and Dove felt so incredibly real to me that saying good bye was just too much and left me crying for hours. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars from me and I would give it a million if I could. This is absolutely in my top 3 reads of the year and I will be telling everyone I know that they NEED to read this book!

How can a story so beautiful, so sensual be so gory and creepy and horrific? I love this book and I love this author and I’ am looking forward to other books they’ll write in the future. Thank you for this arc.

Read this if you like:
-LGBTQ+ representation, including ace MC
-dark academia
-Stranger Things

 
I really enjoyed this dark story about the monsters we create. If your spooky season reading list calls for a book of eldritch forest monsters, dark academia, and love that feels more like hunger, then this book simply must be on your TBR.

The vibes are creepy and tense throughout. Andrew and Thomas battle monsters that are straight out of Stranger Things by way of Holly Black's Elfhame. The dark fairytales woven throughout the story are vicious and memorable. Overall, this is a gripping and entertaining read.

I found the tone to be dramatic at times, but this is a common feature of YA stories. There was some repetition as well, and I found myself skimming the narrative during the monster-fighting scenes. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking for YA horror with LGBTQ+ representation and romance, dark academia meets scary fairytale vibes, and characters who would kill for one another.

I loved Don't Let the Forest In and read it in one sitting (at night to add to the ambiance). It follows two high school seniors, Andrew and Thomas, after they come back to their boarding school after summer break. However, they find that their beloved forest near campus is now off limits, but they must sneak out to fight monsters of their creation that show up in the forest at night. From there the book has multiple turns, many of which I didn't expect.

This book was creepy, atmospheric, dark, obsessive, and beautifully written. I found myself highlighting multiple quotes and bookmarking pages. One thing that stuck with me was Andrew describing the short, dark, sorrowful fairy tales he writes as "papercuts". I loved reading these "papercut" stories interspersed throughout the book, and I would read a second book just of them. As an asexual person, I also loved (and cried) reading about Andrew starting to come to terms with his sexuality and his yearning for his best friend. Sometimes I read a book that I really wish had been around when I was a teenager and really struggling with my asexuality myself, and Don't Let the Forest In was one of those.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not said this in a while, but this is a book I will be buying physically with my own money now that it has released so that I can have it on my shelf forever.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars
The writing in this book is masterfully done, beautifully grotesque and grotesquely beautiful. As someone who typically has trouble visualizing things, stories that are heavily reliant on description to get things across are typically hard for me to connect with, but I didn't have that issue at all with this book. All the descriptions are intricate and well-delivered.
Andrew is such a painfully relatable main character. He's damaged and afraid and wants to do his best but has no idea how. There's a strength in finding that about yourself.
The only reason I'm rating this book under five stars is because of the ending. I'll explain as well as I can without spoilers. While it makes enough sense, the direction it took is one that I personally don't like and am not comfortable with. The perception of that is up to the reader, and this is more due to personal preference than an issue with the quality of the story, but I have reasons for these preferences and stand by them.
I also feel like there are several loose ends that could have been tied for a more fulfilling ending, for me at least. Leaving the questions open-ended gives everything an air of mystery and space for speculation, which was presumably an artistic choice of the author's. While a valid route to take, I personally feel most fulfilled as a reader when all my questions are answered.
So my complaints are mainly due to personal preference, things I found less fulfilling than I had hoped. There were also a handful of moments in the story that didn't quite make sense, but they were few and far between enough to not make a large impact.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed a solid 95% of the book. It was gorgeous and horrifying and painful in the most satisfying way. I absolutely plan to read it a second time for the full experience, to pick up on things that I hadn't known initially to look for.

Spooky times call for spooky stories, and few times are spookier than the week of Hallowe’en. So it is with great pleasure that I present my review of Don’t Let the Forest In, a young adult novel from CG Drews. Don’t Let the Forest In is a psychological horror novel set in a prestigious boarding school, Wickwood Academy. It’s there that Australian-born twins, Andrew and Dove, first met Thomas. This is the trio’s senior year, but even on the first day back, everything seems to be going wrong.

Dove and Andrew have been fighting before they even arrive at the school, and all Andrew wants to do is find Thomas so that the three of them can resume their standard undefeatable crew behavior. Thomas is acting oddly, though, even for him. He seems more on edge than usual, there’s blood dried on his shirt, and he’s not talking to Dove. Previously, Andrew would write stories to vent his darker side. Thomas would illustrate them. Dove would serve as the boys’ connection to the real world, anchoring them and helping them through their academic struggles. Now, police are showing up to question Thomas about his parents’ whereabouts, and Andrew doesn’t know if he can even trust his twin. He doesn’t want to alienate Dove by discussing the way he feels about Thomas, he doesn’t want to risk losing Thomas by admitting that there may be more than just friendship between them, and he really doesn’t want to think about the possibility that Dove and Thomas are already engaging in a more serious relationship.

As the year grinds on and Thomas seems to be more exhausted, though, a secret comes out. He’s been sneaking out of the school into the woods at night to fight monsters, his own drawings come to life. The darkness within Andrew’s stories spilling from the pages of Thomas’s sketchbook now threatens everyone at Wickwood. While Andrew volunteers to go out in the dark to do battle alongside Thomas, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be enough. Even destroying the sketchbook doesn’t stop the horrors from tumbling out into reality. Andrew already knows he would kill to protect Thomas. If it comes to it, could he kill Thomas in order to save Dove and the rest of his schoolmates?

Don’t Let the Forest In is a fantastically dark adventure, and I’m ridiculously grateful to NetGalley and MacMillan for sending me an eARC in exchange for a fair review. It’s out in the world as of yesterday, October 29th, and is an absolutely perfect Hallowe’en read. Go get it.

This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2024/10/30/dont-let-the-forest-in-a-review/

This book was really compelling. On a sentence level, it was really interesting and I found the concept of the monsters and forest creatures to be super interesting. However, I didn't find the themes tied together well, and I don't think the story resolved well. The fourth act twist didn't really add to the narrative, and all of Andrew's problems went unresolved. Instead it felt like a gotcha twist with an ambiguous ending for shock factor. As a YA novel, I think this failed. I did enjoy it, but I wish it had been more cohesive overall.

I was crying by the end of this book. This book has everything that I love : horror, exquisite writing, queer representation, asexuality, monsters, body horror, grief and stories within stories.
“ ‘Just don’t go into the forest,’ his father said. ‘Andrew? Promise me that at least.’ ‘Okay,’ Andrew said, but he couldn’t mean it since the forest was Thomas’s favorite place.”
I have to admit I was confused at times. The writing is like a fever dream. I gasped at the reveal. I was thinking that I needed to start the book all over again. ARC was provided by Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Though with a predictable ending, I found great joy and, weirdly, comfort, in reading Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews. Andrew reminds me of Charlie from Heartstopper and I found myself drawn to him in the same way. This boy, so full of anxiety that he can barely function sometimes. This boy who is so afraid of everything that when he sees the monsters in the forest, he’s not afraid. And he finds power in this lack of fear. The only thing he fears is losing Thomas. He fears losing him just about as much as he fears fully having him. The love and obsession these two boys have for one another is enviable and also fear inducing. They are the type to want to carve into the other and crawl inside, and that still wouldn’t be close enough. But god forbid they actually admit their feelings. All while trying to navigate senior year, potential new friends, infighting, bullies, and, oh yeah, mysterious monsters that keep appearing in the forest and that are starting to infiltrate the grounds of the school itself.

The book is the perfect read for this time of year. I just read it today, the night before Halloween, which happens to be when the ending of the book is set. The damp decay of the forest fits perfectly with my own surroundings, as the last of the leaves turn and fall. The balance of horror and teenage nonsense was well done, though I would have liked more of the school setting. Neither Thomas nor Andrew are really doing the whole school thing, not turning in assignments, etc, but no one feels the need to interfere? But our narrator, Andrew, is unreliable. He’s so focused on fighting the monsters in the forest, and obsessing over Thomas and his sister, Dove, that he could hardly be bothered. Pretty much anything I find fault with can be explained by Andrew’s point of view being the primary window into the story.

Any fan of dark academia will enjoy this book. With queer characters, a private school with a creepy forest, the fall setting as well as what may well be a love triangle, Don’t Let the Forest In is a perfect read. If you liked A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, or The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven, this book will be right up your alley! Be warned, there is not a happy ending here. There are moments of joy, of revelation, of relief of burdens lifted. But it’s not a happy ending. Blood, and gore, as well as disturbing creatures, the eating of non-food items like dirt and maggots run though this book and are worth a warning. Such things are always more palatable for me to read than to see, though some might find it disturbing.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s always such a pleasure to read such things at the perfect time, when the outside world matches the world of the book. It’s a special kind of immersion that is simply unmatched.

What a haunting novel. While at times I thought it felt a bit juvenile, I realized as an afterthought this was an intentional thing, as the characters in this book are still children, so the fact that the author was really able to capture that sort of feeling, one that brought nostalgia calling from estranged interactions of a reader, was truly a talent rather than a disesteeming factor. I found the interactions with Tomas and Andrew entirely familiar from a similar relationship of my childhood, one I thought unique to myself, but this novel disproved that theory.
There is a special way the author can mix this narration and characters with twisted prose that wouldn't work for any other type of novel, one macabre and sepulchral and genuinely horrific in some moments. The author doesn't necessarily capture this feeling of horror but rather this rising feeling of dread, surging skyward towards the finale, where it is not one a chaotic action-packed climax, but an unforgettable moment of character development, self-acceptance, and actualization.
The only con I found within this novel is sometimes the prose, while dark a delectable at times, felt a bit forced, something that could have happened in the revisions. It took me out of the stories at times to see recurring similes and metaphors, just worded slightly differently. All in all, this novel was a dark and twisted tale, yet, peculiarly unforgettable.

I kept seeing this book hyped over and over on social media (special shout out to the author for the A+ marketing), and the combination of an asexual lead, a queer romance, and forest horror more than had my interest.

And oh wow was it SO worth it. I need to go back and read it again to see the hints and pieces I missed the first time, but the growing terror of the monsters in the forest feeding off of Andrew and Thomas's creations - at the same time as their complicated growing relationship - and the overarching mystery of "what happened last school year?" were SO well done. It's a story that has stuck with me since I finished it, haunting me and making me question the realities of what I read.

I cannot wait to see what else CG Drews comes up with, because I'll be first in line to read it!

WOW, this book tore my heart out in the end in such a beautiful way. You just don’t realize how intimately you are getting to know Andrew until the last quarter of the book, and my investment in the story shot from 3.5 to 5 stars in that time. The monstrous forest and its creatures are wicked and chilling, but the intense complexity of the characters and the relationships is where this book finds its real weight.

I wanted to love this so badly.

In terms of the writing style, the lyricism and descriptions are ensnaring. The short fairy tales woven through the book are gorgeous and terrible, and it is lovely in its rhythms.

The relationships depicted, both new and old, are relatable and felt grounded and real. There's a scene where Andrew gets dragged to the GSA meeting so his new friends can make sure he's okay, and the power of a friend you can be silent with was so beautiful.

Andrew is a disaster, surrounded by incompetent adults. That's ten times as true for Thomas, our love interest, because oh my god how the world has failed this boy, and how shitty everyone around them is for what they do and how they treat him. Wickwood should burn for how all of this played out - it has so little to do with the monsters unintentionally created by Andrew and Thomas and everything to do with the very terrible humans.

Parts of this were predictable, and I think that's what disappointed me. I wanted this to tell a story that felt new, like the language does, but instead I saw a lot of it coming. The very end did surprise me, and it's that note that I think makes this worth reading.

In the end, we can heal. It just doesn't always look the way we think it will.