I really loved this book. It had me all in my feels from start to finish. Andrew and Thomas's dynamic is so well written. I would read anything CG Drews puts out, her writing style is just smooth and draws in the reader. I wanted to know how it ended and kept turning the pages. Thomas pain broke my heart, but I loved how they were able to fight off his demons together. The cover art is what caught my attention on Netgalley first, then I started following CG Drews on Instagram and now I want to read her other horror book, which is more adult than YA. I can't wait for more from her! This book is for you if you like YA Horror, LGBTQIA+ and emotion, lots of emotion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC copy of this book!

I really liked the premise of this book. I really liked the characters and the relationship between Andrew and Thomas. While not fully romantic until nearing the end, I liked how codependent they were on each other. It really showed in how quickly Thomas was willing to defend Andrew and how far Andrew was willing to go for him.

What I didn’t like so much was how abrupt the ending felt as well as the big twist. It answered maybe one question and left me with a million more. It would have 100% been a 5 star if that ending stuck the landing, but for me, it didn’t. It was too vague to be a really ending that I would enjoy. I’m not even sure what happened in the end given several factors or what really started everything given that Dove’s death began the curse. Why was Andrew’s stories what drove everything if Dove was the one who died? That just made no sense to me.

Ending aside, I really liked the writing. It was the kind of flowing, perfectly written horror that let me envision exactly what they were up against. The descriptions were so vivid, I felt inclined to walk into the woods outside my house to smell it, if not for the unease the story left me with at the idea.

Overall, I do recommend this book. I enjoyed it a lot and I look forward to more from the author!

4/5 stars

T0 Publisher:

at LOC 747, there is a line that says "too many kids sneaked out." I feel it should be "snuck out".

Don't Let the Forest in is a haunting tale that follows Andrew and Thomas, two boys that attend the same boarding school and have been best friends for quite some time. However, when they return to school for a new term, rumors surround Thomas. His parents have gone missing and Thomas won't speak about them. As the mystery unfolds, their relationship grows and the horror creeps in, making this a gripping tale of love, infatuation, and the monsters we create.

I thought that the character work in this novel was incredibly strong. Both Thomas and Andrew were very complex characters and I felt Drews gave a very strong sense of their relationship. as the story unfolded. The skills of drawing and storytelling Thomas and Andrew possessed also gave the book a very fairytale feeling, with a dark twist- which I really enjoyed tone-wise!

I also loved the more horror-based elements of the story and felt myself gaping at the descriptions of the monsters in this tale. Drews has a fantastic skill for description and it was definitely very prevalent here!

Overall, I would absolutely recommend Don't Let the Forest In, especially to horror fans!

I went into reading this book totally blind, knowing nothing of the plot or the author, aside from having seen CG Drews's atmospheric and memorable TikTok's. I'm so glad that I picked this one up.

Although the first third of the book was slower paced, I felt that CG did a wonderful job building up the tension that led to the ultimate first confrontation. The ending was satisfying, with a twist that (albeit I saw coming) was satisfying. The characters? Oh gosh, I just want to give them a big hug. Thomas and Andrew certainly now hold a small part of my own twisted little heart.

Eerie, dark and haunting, Don't Let the Forest In will be the tick tick tick in the back of your head, begging to be read any time you put it down.

The perfect Fall season read. Featuring obsession, yearning, ace rep, monster hunting, and thrilling/haunting atmospheres

I was so excited for this book because of its promise of a dark, gritty tale. While yes, it is very dark, haunting, and at times disturbing, I had a hard time getting into it. It looks like I'm in the minority here because so many were consumed by this book, but it took me weeks to finish because I kept wanting to do/read other things.

The dark, academic setting was beautifully imagined and I loved those creepy moments that were woven into the story. The horror scenes are what kept me reading, because they are done devastatingly well in this book. However, I found the writing style to be a bit much at times, and I struggled to find depth in the characters. Overall, it was a decent read, but left me a little disappointed in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for allowing me access to this book. This book was everything and more.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ • 5

Don’t Let the Forest In is undoubtedly one of the best books I’ll have read for the entire year. I went into it with very few expectations because I hadn’t read any of CG Drews’ other works, but after having finished this I can say that I definitely intend to read others in the future.

The book was really emotion-provoking in that it felt very raw, as the story is told through the perspective of the main character who becomes increasingly more and more unsettled… Which has devastating affects on both his life and the relationships he has with other characters.

I will say that the ending is somewhat open-ended and can be left up to interpretation as it’s not 100% clear as to what actually happened. It does seem that—that was the author’s intention, but it could potentially leave the reader feeling like things were unresolved or that the characters didn’t get a real closure. For me personally, I tend to dislike books that don’t have a definitive end that wrap up everything without leaving things ambiguously but… I didn’t mind the open ending in this, and thought it did suit the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review!

4*

Creepy and queer, Drews had me by the throat from the first page.

From the unsettled expectations of Andrew's return to Wickwood Academy, to the play of art and fairy tales and monsters come to life, Drews weaves a story of tragedy, love, and the the eeriness of horror that was difficult to put down.

This was fucking FANTASTIC.

THIS is how you do a YA horror, how you do gay representation, yet balance both and do each well enough that they both get attention and don’t feel left out.

This was just something special, perhaps.

I am not asexual, nor bisexual (just simply gay) but I think both were done tenderly and with enough respect given that both the reader can understand, and the book can make it feel IMPORTANT, which matters the most.

I also think the horror is done amazingly well (“Pleasure. Horror. Lovely. Horror.”) and given so much creep factor and so much…reverence, that you are sucked into the book and sent on a whirlwind that makes you feel caught up and just as insane as the ending.

And SPEAKINF OF THR ENDING, WHAT THE FUCK?? OH MY GOD??? TEN OUT OF TEN WHAT WAS THAT.

Andrew has it hard enough handling the bullies at his boarding school, a confusing crush on his best friend, and a twin sister pulling apart from him for reasons he doesn't know. But all of that falls aside when he discovers his best friend, Thomas, battling monsters of rot and decay in the forest. A twisting, gothic tale of what it means to be a monster and the obsession of two boys. Overall I found it a fun and quick read that kept me hooked.
The flowery language works well with the story and in my opinion elevates the horror. I really appreciated the way Andrew struggles with his queerness and there are a couple scenes that I felt a lot of comfort in. I absolutely adored the way the forest and rot and monsters are written, it really makes you feel the decay in it all. The twist felt appropriate though I didn't see it coming.
At times I found Andrew to be annoying and yes, rather whiny. Though I don't think it lowered my enjoyment all that much, it still irked me. There was a moment that I thought it was going to go in a direction that really would've ruined it for me, and while I'm glad they didn't, it bothered me to even include that fakeout. The twist itself I don't know if I quite liked it, it felt a bit low stakes for that far into the book.
I'd recommend this to fans of gothic horror, dark academia, queer horror, or who wants a quick but solid YA horror. It isn't groundbreaking but it's entertaining.

This book was a fun ride!

I didn't have any preconceived notions going into this book and I'm really glad that I came in basically blind.

It's hard to articulate the great things about this book. The way the author handles mental illness and the panic attacks of our main character shows how much they care.

I think this also a good introduction to body horror.

I definitely think people should give this book a chance.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for an ARC.

A haunted forest ripe with monsters that can only come from fairytales, an old academy nestled beside it, and two boys who must fight those monsters they’ve created set the scene for “Don’t Let the Forest In” by CG Drews.

Andrew and Dove Perrault and Thomas Rye have been best friends since they were twelve-years old at Wickwood Academy. An academy that boasts students of the elite in society to feed into ivy-league colleges and prosperous careers. Thomas and the Perrault twins come from wealthy families but also from homes that are not the happiest, sparking their camaraderie. While Dove is well liked and popular, the two boys have always struggled to fit in and with being bullied. The twin’s broken home leaves them a mostly absent father whose career is more important and Andrew with extreme anxiety. His only coping mechanisms are to put pen to paper and spin his feelings into dark tales of princes and poets, of monsters made of the forest who demand a blood tithe and Thomas Rye, the autumn boy with paint on his shirt and charcoal on his hands. With Thomas’ parents’ eccentric personalities and art careers, he is the tortured artist of the school. Taking Andrew’s macabre stories and bringing them to life.

It is their senior year at Wickwood Academy and Andrew hasn’t talked to Thomas all summer. Upon arriving at school things are tense between the three friends. Andrew’s anxieties are at full throttle. Dove and Thomas are not talking, and Andrew doesn’t know why. Thomas is taken into questioning by police and the principal for the disappearance of his parents and Andrew could have sworn he saw blood on Thomas’ sleeve. As the school year delves on, it is clear to Andrew that Thomas is keeping something from him. Something that is haunting him and keeping him up at night, going into the out of bounds forest. When Andrew follows Thomas into the forest one night, the grim and terrible truth of Thomas’ secret is revealed. Leaving them with no choice but to try to stop what they’ve created or die trying.

I absolutely was taken with this book from the first few chapters. I honestly had no idea or theories of what was truly going on or happening until the last couple of chapters. Drews’ writing is poetic, dark and all around atmospheric. I highlighted so many twisted but beautiful, dark but enlightening passages and lines that had me enthralled. Some of the things that I truly appreciated were the queer and asexual representation throughout and mental health representation. This book has all the vibes that I love- elements of a dark fairytale type setting, creepy, gory elements of horror, and the intriguing pull of a good mystery. This is a horror, psychological thriller with a kind of fantasy element woven within. There are dark concepts, elements of self-harm, thoughts on self-harm and harm to others. It is a story of dependance, of irrevocable love that explores all facets of what that love means- the dark parts, the bad and the good. It is a story of two boys who would do anything to protect each other. Even if that means to lie and to kill but mostly to destroy the monsters of their own souls. I will definitely be picking up any books by this author moving forward.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Well, this was something else.

I loooved the forest and how creepy it was. The story was good, the characters were realistic, the writing was fantastic, and the imagery was great. It was a bit slow in the beginning with a semi aimless path to the plot, but it really picked up and sucked me in. It didn't really feel like a YA novel at times with the horror aspect. In a good way, I enjoyed it. I'm not one to go out of my way to read a lgbq book, but I think the plot was worth a recommendation.

I'm not sure how to feel about the ending, I'll just say I was not expecting that. Now I'm going to go stare at a wall and digest.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me a copy to read and review honestly.

* Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

"Everyone's first instinct was to go inside and hide under their covers. As if monsters couldn't open doors and crawl into bed with you."

Don't Let the Forest In is about Thomas and Andrew, best friends who attend Wickwood Academy together, and protect each other from the world. Only, upon return for their senior year, Thomas is acting weird, and Andrew will do anything to find out what's going on. When he follows him into the forest one night, he discovers Thomas fighting monsters that look suspiciously like the monsters in Andrew's stories, and Thomas's drawings.

Objectively, this is a beautiful story. I think the plot is there, the mystery aspect kept me guessing along the way, and while I did not like all the characters, they were well written and convincing. I think in some ways, though, this was just not for me specifically. I found myself wanting to skim some of the lyrical/poetic descriptions, and was regularly fed up with the lack of real communication and the riddles everyone kept speaking in. That said, I read the book in one sitting and enjoyed a lot of it, so I still recommend it.

If you're a fan of gothic, dark academia about forests and monsters, this book will be perfect for you.

I'm between a 3.5 and a 4, so I'll leave it at 4.

Okay, first of all: this cover??? STUNNING. It's what drew me into this book in the first place. Then, I read the description, and I was intrigued. I would say this definitely delivered. It's beautifully written (I highlighted so many lines!), queer, unsettling, and very atmospheric. The way C.G. Drews described things, especially Andrew's feelings, was beautiful.

A lot was going on with Andrew, so he was very compelling as a young character. Throughout this book, he struggles not only with his intense feelings for his best friend Thomas but also with his sexuality (he's ace), his anxieties, and, oh, yeah, with the monsters that start coming to life in the forest, putting him and Thomas in danger.

The atmosphere of this book was very tense and eerie. Things feel very strange from the beginning and some things don't add up, especially Andrew's relationship with his sister Dove, but that makes sense in the end. This isn't just about monsters, it's about loss, coming to terms with your sexuality, being afraid of how you feel, and growing up.

That ending was sooo... tragic? Strange? I don't even know. It threw me off for sure, but it seems that was the author's goal. To leave you "frowning at the wall," and that they did. Overall, I really enjoyed this and it's the perfect book to read in October if you want a YA fantasy horror with a bit of romance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The twist was completely unexpected and well written. The last few chapters of it had me in tears. I never wanted the book to end and I've had a difficult time finding another book that feels the same. I'd love to read a sequel or from the perspective of one of the other characters.

This book is great for LGBT readers. It's great to see representation on literature. The book was way to digest and her through. Thank you to CG Crews and net galley for this ARC.

I am on my ya queer horror train recently and this certainly didn't slow it down. It started a bit clunky, but it didn't take long for it to get its feet and get going- around the 25% mark. Andrew being so soft was so important to me, and I loved him with all my heart. The last 20% of the book I simply could not put down, and I DID cry!!! However, I struggle to come to a decision on how I feel about Dove's death- the book is inextricably supernatural, but her death was entirely accidental and realistic. While on one hand I enjoy the dichotomy, I do also kind of wish the forest had more of a will of its own and went after the boy it wanted the only way it knew how- by removing her sister, his protector. Overall, it was such a minor blip in my mind I truly don't mind it, it just felt a bit more disconnected from the living forest story I expected going into it! But really truly I loved this book, and the candle I hold for queer ya horror will never extinguish (even if i AM turning 30 next year).

Coming off of reading this book I want to write some dark twisted fairytale that ends in a tragedy, but this book was not a tragedy to read. 'Don't Let the Forest In' reminds me of 'Wilder Girls' but without the YA Dystopia being shoved down my throat. At the very first chapter, we are set up with Andrew who is an Australian going to a private school in America along with his twin sister Dove. Something horrible happened right before summer break and that mystery hangs like a cloud over the book, darkening every interaction that happens.

I love the idea of a storyteller who writes horrific fairytales becomes connected to a boy who only draws monsters. There could be a lot to be said about their relationship and how it could be seen as beautiful or one that feeds on each other in a horrible way. While reading the book I kept thinking 'These two are going to eat each other live', and in a way they do. If there is any criticism I have it's that we don't get to see a bit more of their ending. There are a lot of questions hanging in the air and I wanted maybe a page or two more to explain what is going to happen to them, but that's just me, and that's a minor nitpick.

As I read the book I wished for images of Thomas's art. They sound breathtaking and I wish I had some sort of talent to see them in front of me. The descriptions are corruptingly whimsical and it reminded me a lot of Holly Black's rendition of the Fair Folk, only these have more teeth.

The plot twist at the end was obvious after the halfway point, but how it went down was satisfying and to me that means the book did what it needed to do. For me a book doesn't need to surprise me, it needs to handle the reveal in a satisfying way. I've seen other YA books do similar reveals and fumble the ball, but not this one.

I'm giving 'Don't Let the Forest In' four stars. For my system, that means I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves angsty art boys, dark fairytale vibes, Queer and Asexual rep, and dark academia. I'm going to be sending a link to my horror reading groups as this book gets closer to publication, and I wish it was out for Pride, but honestly, it coming out right before Halloween is a perfect fit for this book.