What a talented writer. Drew retires so viscerally and it is biting but in the best way. I’m so thankful I got to read this.

This book is a love letter to writing, the macabre, and to love itself. The deep longing that one feels in the space between your attraction to someone and not knowing if they return the same feelings for you. ‘Don’t Let The Forest In’ does for a monster filled forest that ‘The Night Circus’ did for the magic of the circus. The setting and the descriptions are a huge part of what makes the story so vivid and enticing to read.

I loved the idea of becoming out of control of a situation you didn’t realized you created. The mushroom monsters a literal manifestation of the artwork you poured your heart into. Andrew is the writer and Thomas is the artist and unfortunately their inner worlds converge into reality in a horrific way. Their monsters and how they function becoming a terror that threatens to destroy them both.

I am such a sucker for beautiful writing and pining loves so this really hit so much of what I live for. It has horror, beauty, and heartbreaking romance. I can’t recommend this book enough. The whole time their fighting against each other thinking their darkness would ruin the other, but ultimately their darkness is what makes the pair complementary. The two are trying so hard to protect each other while figuring out how to survive an impossible situation.

If you somehow have missed out on this book I suggest you pick it up as soon as possible. If you love horror, gorgeous writing, and a darkly magical love, you will adore ‘Don’t Let The Forest In’.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow this book was exactly what I wanted it to be and it did exactly what I wanted it to! So emotional, rare, and heart wrenching. There is no way I can explain the plot because you just need to go in and experience it completely blind.

This was just such a beautiful book and I recommend it!

Right when you think you know what’s going on, there’s a twist and a deeper meaning! I devoured this book. I loved that the book makes the reader look at their own fears and how we handle them. This was beautifully written, and had many poetic lines. It broke my heart, and kept my attention. I loved the asexual representation, and I loved the magical realism. If you’re into The Raven Cycle or Summer Sons, I think this would be an excellent book for you to pick up. This book is so artistic, filled with chemistry, a handful of queer kids, a haunted forest, fairytales, and secrets. I adored this one..

Don't Let The Forest in is equal parts dark fairy tale and YA love story. It is beautifully written with captivating and horrifying monsters. I cannot rave about the imagery and the forest creatures enough. It is an entire vibe. The story centers around Andrew, a troubled teen who struggles with overwhelming anxiety and his own identity. He secretly loves his troublesome yet brave best friend Thomas, who may also be in love with Andrew's sister, Dove. Yes, it's a tangled web they weave. But as the forest of their isolate boarding school starts coming to life and targeting them, their deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed.

There was so much to praise about this book and I will absolutely recommend it to others, but I wanted to love it more than it did. It was slow to start as the author was building the characters and dynamics, but that was also the biggest challenge for me in this book. I'm sure others will love the Andrew and Thomas, and I'm so glad to see ace and bi representation, but Andrew grated on my nerves. He often came across as whiny, selfish, and over dramatic. I actually started this and stopped it as a result, returning a few months later. About halfway through the pacing catapulted and from there it was a fun ride, in part due to Andrew's character arc.

That being said, I loved how disturbing and lush this story was and I'm sure it'll be a perfect fit for some readers. I simply wasn't the best audience.

Thank you Macmillan and NetGalley for access to an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.
(3.5 stars rounded up to 4)

This story was beautifully written. I am loving this new subgenre of cordycepshorror. Andrew's story grips you from page one. It is full of the yearning of youth, and the confusion you feel with your first love and first heartbreak. The craft with which the novel was written was gorgeous, and dark. Reminiscent of fairy tales worthy of the Grimm brothers. The twist at the end was so unexpected, it made me want to go back to the beginning and re-read it again to look for signs I had missed. I do feel the story dragged a bit in the middle but I was glad I saw it through.

**4.5 stars**

Absolutely stunning. The toxic relationships, the horror, the obsession, and the beautiful writing came together so well. I was captivated. I do want to know what the hell is wrong with the faculty/adults in this book. The ending left me speechless.

It's a very ambitious book, one with two unreliable narrators. I do think that the ideas aren't super unique, I feel like I've read bits and pieces from other authors before, and it was hard to get a sense of any of the characters because you're thrust into the action. There's something to be said for that, but it doesn't really give the reader time to care about these boys, or any of the side characters.

This was an excellent spooky, good YA read. IT DOES NOT HAVE SPICE IT IS WRITTEN DOR YOUNGER AUDIENCE- that being said it IS excellently written and I recommend it for any and all who want some excellent romantic ELDRITCH queer horror.

3.5 stars!!!

I was really excited about this after seeing the author talk about it on their social media, and have you SEEN the cover?! But I never felt fully invested in the story or the characters. The concept of the main character's artwork coming to life and haunting the woods near the school's campus was super interesting but I wish we got a little more information on how it worked. I'm still a bit confused about everything considering the big reveal at the end, but I'm pretty sure that's the point so I'm not going to falt the book for that. I think I just like having more answers, especially because this is a YA book. Otherwise, the romance between the MC and the love interest was super cute and I was rooting for them! I loved that this book had so many different identities! It's super important to have Queer representation in YA books, and I would've appreciated it if I was able to read this as a teenager. This was my first book by CG Drews and I'm not going to write them off as an author. The horror in this was super creepy and the atmosphere was so beautifully crafted; I'm a sucker for gothic horror. I'm looking forward to reading their backlist and whatever they write in the future! There's only up from here! I'm curious what this author could do with an adult novel (if they ever choose to write one someday) but in terms of a YA novel, this was pretty good!

Dark, twisted, and utterly captivating- good for us forest rot girlies. I've been following C.G. Drews forever and I was afraid this book was going to be overrated. Reader, it was not. I've bought multiple copies to give as gifts. That's how much I love it.
Highlights
~ floral body-horror
~ heart-twisting asexual angst
~ prose so lush I wanted to lick the page
~ Australian snacks FTW
~ who's really the monster here?

Let's talk about our boyssss. Andrew writes twisted fairytales; Thomas paints haunting images to match. Their relationship is an obsessive whirlwind of creativity, intense devotion, and mutual destruction—completely inseparable, terrifyingly beautiful, and perhaps deeply unhealthy. Some readers might clutch their pearls at just how tangled, feral, and codependent these two boys are, but that intense emotional rawness felt absolutely authentic to me. Remember when you were young (or are) and love felt like something wild, something that would consume you alive? That’s what this book captures perfectly. I'm still that all or nothing person so I felt represented~

The writing? It's pure magic. Darkly gorgeous lines drip from every page, a mesmerizing dance of beauty and brutality. Sometimes reading felt like holding your breath underwater; everything muffled but intense, desperate to come up for air yet unwilling to break the spell. If purple prose is your jam, you'll feast on every sentence. If it’s not, be warned: this book is unapologetically decadent, sometimes almost overwhelming in its richness. For me, it was exactly right—atmospheric, eerie, and gloriously unsettling.

Now let's talk about the horror. The monstrous imagery here is genuinely nightmarish, marrying floral beauty to grotesque terror in ways I won't forget anytime soon. The body-horror isn't subtle—it's raw, visceral, and poetically disturbing. Think flowers bursting from skin, bodies reshaping themselves into grotesque masterpieces, secrets blooming violently into the open. Drews doesn’t hold back, and the payoff is vivid, shocking, and deeply unsettling.

I adored the asexual representation, too. It's gut-wrenchingly authentic, filled with yearning, confusion, and tender moments of self-discovery. Andrew’s internal struggles around intimacy and attraction were depicted with delicate honesty; he feels deeply flawed yet achingly real, making it easy to empathize with his sense of being fundamentally broken or wrong. The depiction was careful, respectful, and painfully relatable.

But the real brilliance lies in the messy, obsessive, symbiotic relationship between Andrew and Thomas. They're toxic, maybe, but authentically so—bound to each other by art, fear, longing, and a shared intensity that's equal parts frightening and beautiful. It's uncomfortable, sure. It's not picture-perfect romance. It's tangled, obsessive teenage intensity—two boys tearing each other apart even as they desperately cling tighter, two artists who feed on each other until the line between inspiration and destruction blurs beyond recognition.

The setting itself only deepens the sense of unease: a haunted forest, a boarding school where whispers turn deadly, and artwork that refuses to stay safely on the page. This atmosphere is brilliantly constructed, creeping under your skin slowly, building suspense until the tension snaps with a breathtaking final twist.

Speaking of twists—this book packs plenty. Around halfway through, everything shifts, and suddenly I found myself racing through chapters, heart pounding, desperate to unravel the mysteries tangled in the roots of the forest and Andrew’s mind. The ending? It’s raw, ambiguous, and emotionally wrenching, the kind of finale you need days to recover from. It leaves you questioning what was real, what's monstrous, and whether there was ever hope to begin with.

Was this a comfortable read? Absolutely not. It was strange, disturbing, and often painful. But there's beauty in that discomfort, in the intensity of emotions and the vivid prose. It pushes boundaries and dares readers to confront their own darkness, reminding us that horror isn't just monsters hiding in shadows—it's also the truths we hide from ourselves.

If you love stories that combine chilling horror with emotional intimacy, lush prose that bleeds poetry, and characters whose flaws are as compelling as their strengths, this book will own your soul. It certainly took hold of mine and hasn't let go yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions expressed are honestly and fiercely my own. In fact, I own 4 copies of this book if that tells you anything.

I truly have only good things to say about this book besides I hate the word “freaking.” But this was such an excellent story. I don’t know what else to say except read this!

What did I just read??

Don't Let the Forest In is an exceptional YA horror following two best friends at a boarding school—Andrew Perrault and Thomas Rye. We see them at the start of a new school year when Thomas is interviewed by the police for the mysterious disappearance of his parents. On top of that, Thomas is sneaking out at night to the forest neighboring the school and Andrew doesn't know why. Andrew would usually confide in his twin sister, Dove, about the situation, but she's been strangely avoiding him since they arrived. As the school year continues on, the boys grow closer and discover more about each other and what really happened with Thomas and Dove last school year. But the more we find out, the less we know for sure.

After devouring that book (and endless Reddit threads), I can honestly say, I don't think anyone knows for sure what happened by the end. If you hate open endings or unreliable narrators, you may not like this. Even though the prose bordered on middle-school poetry, I liked the moody atmosphere and I was really rooting for these boys to admit their feelings and get together. (Both gay and asexual representation were well done.) I was also surprised by how dark it got considering it's YA, but I loved it (obviously). I would highly recommend this to fans of We Were Liars or The Honeys.

This was PERFECT! I love the atmosphere and the characters and everything about it. It was creepy and lovely all at once. The poetic language had me captivated and IM DEAD.

“Everything inside me is in ruins for you”

Posted on Goodreads:
Holy shit. This was a masterpiece. The characters were alive and horrific. The writing was gorgeous and gothic and feral. I have quotes on quotes on quotes saved in my (now treasured) ARC in my Kindle. This book had lines that made me feel such complex emotions again. I felt the yearning and the despair and the desperate panic. I don’t want to leave the writing behind. I have for sure found a new buy anything author.

Thomas and Andrew had such an interesting dynamic. I am not going to even hint at spoilers because I am desperate for everyone to read this book just to be able to experience the forest in the way that the boys did. This was an amazing book and I am so happy I got to experience it.

P. S. The ending made me sob my eyes out.

I know this is going to be one of those books that has a place in my heart for awhile, if not forever.

This story has everything. It’s beautiful. Haunting. Heartbreaking. Dark. Unsettling. Uncomfortable. Uplifting. Somehow it’s all of this and still leaves you wanting more until the very last (ambiguous) page.

The Setting: Wickwood Academy

There’s something about castles that I just love so much. A castle-turned-boarding school? Love that, too. This dark story is set in an idyllic location: an old, pristine school with your typical ivy-clad walls, manicured rose bushes, antique canvases hanging in the hallways. But just over the fence that borders the school property is a forest so vast and dark that it’s off limits to students. Mainly because of happened in them last year…

The Characters: Thomas & Andrew

Thomas and Andrew are best friends. And I did not expect their dynamic to crush me like it did.

I think because these two boys are madly (and secretly) in love with each other, the stakes are so much higher than a typical “will they, won’t they” romance plot. They have so much more at risk if they confess their feelings – especially if they aren’t reciprocated.

The Plot: Fighting Monsters

The monsters are for sure a metaphor for the ever-growing maddening passion between Thomas & Andrew (right? This has to be right). As they become more intertwined, the monsters get stronger and more vicious. And the fact that they alone have to battle these monsters before anyone can find out…it directly relates to what they are both facing internally. But they are willing to face them, together, in order to keep the other safe and protected. And only after Andrew defeats one of the monsters singlehandedly does he realize that he can admit his true feelings to Thomas:

“I killed it myself.” Andrew dug fingers into Thomas’s shirt. “I’m s-s-strong enough now. I’m so-so-so much more than I used to be…I’m strong enough.” Andrew was laughing, or maybe crying. Their fight seemed so meaningless now. “I want you. Please, I-I-I want you more than anything. Don’t let me go.”

The Writing

The writing is beautiful and poetic. Short, dark fairytales are sprinkled throughout so that we can get a glimpse into Andrew’s macabre world that has been the source of these forest monsters.

Some of my favorite lines:

“Prove to me that you can. Hit me.”
Andrew stared.
“I need to know that you can do it.” Thomas let go and took a step back. “That you can defend yourself from me.”
They stood an arm’s length apart, both breathing too fast as if they’d run a thousand miles and still not outpaced the dark. Between them the world crumbled into a cavernous black void.
“No,” Andrew said.

“Do you like me?” Thomas said.
No, they couldn’t do this. They had an unspoken agreement to never do this. Panic clawed up Andrew’s throat and his heartbeat seemed too fast, too loud. What what it even look like, to cut their feelings out, bloody and aching and raw, and compare them? To find they didn’t match. To be left with guts vivisected and no way to sew themselves back up so they looked the same as before.

“Do you feel this? I am here and I am here and I am here.”

He’d thought there was a monster in the mirror and he only meant to kill it.

My overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC!

actual 3.75 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I don't read much psychological horror but have been interested this didn't disappoint!!

We follow Andrew who attends Wickwood Academy with his twin sister Dove and their artistic, hurricane of a friend Thomas. Something happened last year between them and something else is stirring in the forest near the school. And what's all this with rumors how Thomas murdered his own parents and won't talk to him? His escapism comes from writing twisted fairytales with no happy ending and monsters. All while Andrew falls more in love with his best friend Thomas while struggling with his sexuality and coming to terms with being asexual.

Following Andrew was so twisty and I never knew what was truly going on. Seeing his struggles with feeling like everyone sees him as fragile and could any second fall apart. His fears about choosing between his twin or his best friend. Making new friends who accept his sexuality and dealing with bullies. The feeling the forest is growing inside him. His mind was a perfect place to be to feel eerie.

This felt like a great intro to psychological horror! Perfectly young adult and kept you moving throughout the whole book trying to figure out the truth. The beginning was a bit harder to get through and try to understand but halfway it picked up and i devoured it. Excited to check out more works by C.G. Drews

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews is a YA dark academia, psychological horror tale that will have you guessing until the end. Set at a boarding school, we follow Andrew and Thomas as they find themselves drawn to each other. Drews has a very poetic tone in this novel that draws you in and had me holding onto each page like its your salvation.

The dual-plot point format was very refreshing and I really enjoyed how Andrew and Thomas’ relationship. Their chemistry was undeniable, but they were each complex characters, forever connected by the experiences they’ve had in the forest. The creatures/monsters are beautifully described and I was completely immersed in the story and how Drews illustrates the world.

And oh my god that ending! I am definitely keeping an eye out for more works by C.G. Drews!

Thank you to Macmillan and Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Eerie and haunting, this YA novel explores topics like sibling rivalry, LGBTQ, and coming to grips with ones self. I loved it!!

CG Drews has crafted such a great YA horror! Unsettling in all the right ways yet still filled with so much love, I can't wait to read more from this incredible author!!

Teenage me would have been obsessed with this book!
This was such an atmospheric read. There were parts that were incredibly beautiful and the ace representation was amazing. Some of the best I read. What stop this being a full five stars was that this was a bit to YA for me. This shouldn’t take away from the book because it is a YA book and an amazing one at that. This rating I feel has more to do with how my tastes are changing overall. I know though that if I had this book when I was younger, when asexuality was barely a thing and never talked about, I would have felt incredibly seen and not have felt so alone. 5 stars as a YA book, 4 stars as my personal rating.