This was an incredible book. Horror, grief, friendship, love. All of it was beautiful and all of it hurt.

I absolutely loved this book. It was dark and whimsical, and tragic, I love Thomas and Andrew, and I thought the artist and poet making and defeating monsters was a cool element to the story. I did guess the plot twist early on, but that didn't diminish the emotional impact of the reveal. I also loved the Ace and Mental Health Rep.

I love a good dark academia and this book did not disappoint.

"Andrew would write them as a story someday. He’d make the blackest parts beautiful and he’d write the kisses bloody and the vengeance sweet."

Andrew Perrault returns to Wickwood Academy after a breakdown the year before with his close knit group made up of himself, his twin sister Dove, and Thomas. Dove, who is all brains, schedules, studying, and serious, Andrew, who is anxious, introverted and all dark, twisted stories that do not end happily, and Thomas, who is a rebellious hurricane, and an artist who can match Andrew’s dark, twisted stories in any artistic medium.

The year begins with Andrew trying to understand why the year’s beginning, which should be the same as always feels so different. Why are Dove and Thomas still not talking? Why can’t they make amends? Why has Thomas begun to act so secretively, and why don’t the exhaustion driven, under eye bruises ever leave Thomas’ face? Why has Dove began to push Andrew out, when she’s always been the glue holding him together?

"It was strange, Andrew thought, how when something moved in the dark, everyone’s first instinct was to go inside under the covers. As if monsters couldn’t open doors and crawl into bed with you."
When strange things start happening around the school, Andrew and Thomas realize they are the only two who can save it from their haunting monsters, brought to life from Andrew’s dreadful stories and Thomas’ masterful art.

This is gorgeously written, with the most beautiful, haunting descriptions. It has amazing representation of asexuality, school bullying, grief, and trauma.

3.5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed this book! I love the idea of monsters coming to life and wreaking havoc on a school. It was spooky with a light mix of gorey in certain parts. I did struggle to get through it a little bit, though, because I read to get away from everything going on in the real world and I felt like that was mixed in here just a bit too much for my taste. I also found Andrew to be a little annoying (although the ending kind of made up for it because now it kind of makes a little more sense as to why he is the way he is). Last thing; I love when bullies get what's coming to them ;)

I didn't know what to expect from this book at first, other than being about a wicked scary forest.
Our main character is asexual, but not aromantic, and has a huge crush on their friend Thomas.
A psychological mess of a story, but in the best way possible. Unreliable narrator for sure! I trusted nobody!
Very sharp, cutting, harsh and abrasive writing style. Nothing is said in soft words. The whole book feels dark and brooding.
The end surprised me, but not in the way I am normally surprised by a mind-gamey book.

4.75 rounded up!

Wow. Let’s start with the atmosphere in this book, I had such a clear picture in my head right away and throughout. The dark academia and creepy forest vibes were so well done. This author is so talented at painting a picture with words. The prose in this story is dripping with vivid, creative description.

It took me until JUST before the huge plot reveal to figure it out and at that point you were definitely supposed to put it together! This is my favorite kind of twist because if you go back, all the pieces you need to put it together were there but I totally missed them. It was so well done.

I very much enjoyed the exploration of sexuality in this book and felt it was tastefully woven into the story. I absolutely loved that Thomas always treated Andrew with respect about his questioning. This was my first queer novel and I thought that portion of the book was so well done.

Highlights from my notes:
“This is whimsical af and also very dark”
“I want to give Andrew a hug and read all of his stories”
“Heavy on the metaphors but I mean this in a good way”

Highly recommend reading this if you are ok with some body horror. It’s a haunting but beautiful story with multiple mysteries to be solved.

I’m obsessed with Andrew and Thomas. The atmosphere of this book is incredible; I truly felt like I was in the forest along with the characters, even when they weren’t IN the forest.

I did find that I was reminding myself a few times that teenagers aren’t the brightest or most rational folks - which really is important to remember in a story like this.

I love these beautiful, haunted, cursed, wonderful characters and everything they do.

I definitely felt like I was lost in a dream within these pages. How much is real? It’s left with the empty confusion that comes with the very feeling of losing someone.

I needed this, at this exact time. Beautiful and tragic. And worth every minute spent and every stray thought that brings you back to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an arc.

I absolutely could not stand the main character in this book. He was a pick me and had noooo confidence. It was super annoying. I knew exactly what was going to happen from the beginning & so I dnf'd and started reading spoiler reviews. I was right. Maybe horror isn't for me or maybe this is just to ya this tims.

I would like to thank Macmillan and Fierce Reads for sending me an E-ARC of this book!

CG Drews crafts a nightmare spun in webs of beautiful words in “Don’t let the forest in.”
Their beautiful writing a stark contrast to the creepy and unsettling atmosphere of this book.

We follow both Andrew and Thomas, a shy boy who loves to write stories and a wild unruly boy whose art is so amazing it seems to come to life.
Literally.
The boys discover that the monsters they write and draw about are coming to life within the forest by their school, and it’s up to them to figure out how and why, and also stop them before everyone becomes endangered.

The pacing of this book was perfect to me. Bits of information are fed throughout the book, and the forest and monsters make their appearance gradually before everything is interconnected and brought to a head at the end.

I’m also so pleased with such the LGBTQIA rep in this book: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Asexual all have their place in this story, which as a queer reader brings me so much joy.

Without spoiling anything, I do believe the ending of this book was perfect for the genre of psychological horror and achieved what the author wanted to achieve. It leaves you with an uneasy feeling and wondering what on earth happened.
Loved this immensely. 5 stars to C.G Drews 🖤

Spoiler-free CW: eating disorders; death; body horror; violence; gore; some light homophobic remarks; grief; panic attacks

Don’t Let the Forest In is a YA Horror novel following Andrew, a boy whose macabre fairy tales chill to the bone, and his best friend Thomas, an artist who brings Andrew’s monsters to life with his dark drawings—in more ways than one. The forest at their boarding school is off limits ever since a mysterious event last year, but that doesn’t stop Andrew and Thomas from climbing the fence. And it certainly doesn’t stop the monsters from getting out.

I had an absolute blast reading this book. The prose is beautifully atmospheric and morbid. I love how each page is stained with ink and blood (metaphorically of course). It’s lyrical, it’s angsty, and it belongs on your bookshelf.

Some chapters end with Andrew’s stories. Each one is short, but impactful. I could read many more of those and not be upset.

I really liked Andrew’s deep devotion toward Thomas. It seemed to simmer down as the plot started to really move, though it didn’t go away, just kind of felt like an afterthought at a couple key moments. It came back in the back half in a major way.

Andrew’s asexuality was also a pleasant surprise. His twin sister’s roommate is in the GSA, which prompts some conversation about sexuality. I’m not entirely sure the GSA scenes were completely necessary, but cutting them would remove some much needed representation and discussion. Being asexual myself, I found it so refreshing that C.G. Drews included it. It shows that devotion doesn’t have to have a sexual element to it. Even if that devotion is unhealthy.

The last act of the story was a roller coaster. If you’re like me, you’ll be saying “what??” and “is that true??” after every page. I mean that in a good way! The plot twists were very twisty, and I really loved how even though we get answers, the ending leaves us with more questions. It’s worth a second read just to pick out Drews’ masterful yet subtle foreshadowing.

I can’t say more without spoiling it, but I could go on for ages! I’d definitely recommend if you like sort of paranormal, fairy tale type stories!

don’t let the forest in is an excellent mix of ya thriller + mystery. thought i guessed the twist early on, i still very much liked how it played out.

i do wish more character dynamics were more fleshed out—i feel like the ending was a tad bit rush, but it still wrapped up everything pretty nicely.

andrew is an anxiety bae whom i just love so very much! i love the different type of anxiety rep within this book. there’s not much i can say without diving into spoilers, but if you’re into fast paced horrors with real life monsters, this book is for you!

5 stars.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★/☆☆☆☆☆

thank you netgalley and macmillan publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

Very macabre, which I'm not always a fan of, but definitely a page turner. Really wild twist with a lot of commentary on mental health that I wasn't fully expecting, even though I feel like there was plenty of foreshadowing. I'll probably keep reading books from this author. They have me intrigued.

So I finished this book but the whole time it just felt like it was missing something. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was but it was a pleasant read nonetheless. I would absolutely recommend it to people that enjoy this genre.

Don't Let the Forest In is a YA gothic horror and, my goodness, is a hauntingly good time. We follow Andrew, a high school senior at Wickwood Academy who writes creepy fairytales to share with his best friend, Thomas. In turn, Thomas produces whimsical and terrifying sketches to go along with Andrew's stories. Upon returning to Wickwood for his senior year, Andrew soon discovers that something is off with both Thomas and Andrew's twin sister, Dove; Thomas keeps going into the off-limits focus and Dove keeps avoiding the both of them. Andrew is completely devoted to Thomas and determined to help his friend. Even if that means fighting the monsters from Thomas' drawings, which keep coming to life and seem determined to kill anyone that Thomas holds dear.

From the first line, this book had me hooked. Drews' writing is gripping and beautiful and so incredibly atmospheric. The monsters really clawed their way off the page, and I could feel the moss and taste the mud right alongside Andrew. I'm pretty sure I may have even been stabbed by an antler or two when all was said and done. There were times when I just wanted to pause and appreciate a particular word choice or phrase -- and I probably would have, if I didn't absolutely need to know what happened next.

Andrew and Thomas are terribly haunted high school boys and they are compelling characters separately, but it's their devotion to one another that really propels the story forward. They would absolutely, 100% murder a monster (maybe even in the form of a bigoted high school boy) for one another, and I applaud them for it. I was happy to spend every page rooting for them: come on boys, kill that monster and just kiss already!

This is one that I did not want to put down and would have finished in one sitting if it wasn't for pesky work getting in the way. It is certainly one that I will be recommending to anyone who enjoys horror and books about incredibly intense friendships. Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book!

Reading this book felt like there were cold, terrible hands, tearing me apart. I often felt secure, connected, in ways a book rarely gives me, but just as soon as I'd finished cherishing one page for the joy it gave, I was shattered to pieces by the next.

While reading this book, I had praised it on social media. I begged people to read it, to keep their eyes out for the title upon it's release. I said, "reading this book isn't enough, i have to consume it. i have to chew on the words and swallow every line".

The author replied, and added their take: "bonus is that Don't Let The Forest In will eat you back".

At first I thought that was a charming, funny way to put it. Provocative. Fitting in with the book's theme, and true to my experience so far. But I had only gotten halfway through the story at that point, and had no idea how true that claim would be.

This story is beautiful. It's dark and horrible and somehow leaves you feeling gutted by your own hands. I cannot praise it enough, and I doubt I will ever let these boys go.

“it hadn’t hurt, the day he had cut out his own heart.” the way this story made me feel is beyond any words. the idea that drawings are coming to life to kill their creator and anyone close is such a unique idea. i was hooked from the very beginning, trying to piece together what was actually going on. all the metaphors and atmosphere of this book was immaculate. i loved every minute of this story, especially Thomas and Andrew’s banter. literally had me giggling while reading. the fact that everything is so detailed, the academy and the monsters, made this book that much better. the chemistry between Thomas and Andrew literally had me screaming waiting for the confession. when i got to the twist my jaw hit the ground, i was totally not expecting that. this book went above and beyond all my expectations, although the ending wasn’t my favorite because i wanted more, i’m gonna hype this book up for the rest of my life.

Don't Let The Forest In does an incredible job of joining horror and emotion. We follow Andrew, back for his senior year at his boarding school where he hopes to spend another year with his twin sister, Dove, and best friend, Thomas. But right away, some things feel different. Dove and Thomas aren't talking to each other, and Thomas is acting uncharacteristically. Thomas, blood on his sleeves and secrets in his head, seems to be covering something up after his parents were reported missing.

And then the horror start. The forest, which students are banned from entering, starts to encroach upon the school and it's Thomas that's holding back the monsters. He's protecting Andrew, Dove and the other students but it's getting harder. So Andrew joins him in keeping the school safe, which dealing with Dove's reclusiveness, his own mental health, school bullies, and their changing relationship.

This book did not hold back the horror - it's deliciously dark, filled with secrets and twists, and was written so well that I kept thinking about it even while doing other things. This is a book that's going to stick with me for a long time. If you enjoy books like The Wicker King and The Forest Demands Its Due, this is a must-read!

How far would you go to protect the people you love?
This question is answered in the psychological horror book that absorbed my psyche until I put it down.
I lost myself with each page I turned, every sentence I read as I learned more about the main characters of Andrew and Thomas. The ending had me gasping with it's twists and turns up until the very end.
This book is easily in my top 3 books I have read so far that blew me out of the water.
I cannot wait until October for the world to read this phenomenal book

An engrossing tale - with a certain emphasis on (delightfully) gross. Despite the warning title, this novel makes the reader almost helpless against letting the rich characters and fascinating albeit terrifying forest in.

If you're looking for a macabre mystery with a creepiness that demands your attention - devour this now.

As a lover of horror, the story drew me in, but ultimately the obsessive, angst-filled, ultimately lovely dynamic between Andrew and Thomas solidified this novel as a new favorite.