I loved the characters and the pacing of this story. The chilling atmosphere that just oozes out of the pages kept me interested as I read.

I’m not a huge fan of YA, honestly most often I don’t like the YA books I pick up. I finished this in about two days because it kept me wanting to continue, and I was motivated by the quick progress I made reading it.
The romance definitely felt like something I would have giggled at and gotten butterflies over if I’d read this book in middle school. I have no doubt this is going to be a favorite of many young people. I wish I’d had the opportunity to read more queer horror like this when I was in the target age. It was a quick and enjoyable read and I can’t wait to see what the author comes out with next.
SPOILER:

I did enjoy the book, there were some parts of the lore I didn’t quite understand and wished I’d gotten more information about, some holes I didn’t feel were plugged up as much as I’d like. I thought the plot device of him conveniently forgetting a traumatic moment was a little eh. I think I would have liked if that were more overtly supernatural, or felt like something more than a coincidence that was convenient for the mystery. There were definitely some spots I would have liked more information about but it was overall an enjoyable read.

I’m not sure if it’s intended to be a series but I think it has potential for that and if another book comes out I’ll definitely read it.

It is entirely possible that I requested this book for the cover and I would just like to give a shoutout to the artist because the cover is lovely.

I admittedly did not finish Don’t Let The Forest In. I was intriqued by the intenseness of it. A boy who isn’t just in love with his friend but completely obsessed with him?

How else do you justify the back copy of “Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.”

I just wasn’t prepared for how much of a turn off that would be to start in. There were actually quite a lot of turns off for me and ultimately I would just have to say that this story wasn’t for me.

The story actually starts before the book does, which felt like I was robbed of a scene. Andrew, a writer, gives Thomas, an artist, a story about a boy who loves his best friend with just enough details for Andrew to claim it’s not about them.

Then Thomas’s phone breaks over summer break and they have no contact until they return to their boarding school.

As it’s 2024, the idea that anyone, let alone a teen on Summer break in a possibly abusive home, would not be in contact with anyone raised some flags for me. Was I really supposed to believe he didn’t log into his email? Instagram? Twitter? Nothing? He just let his phone die and dropped off the grid?

Andrew then claims to be worried because of how Thomas’s parents are but he obviously wasn’t that worried since just accepted it all happening.

Then they return to school (which is the start of the book) and Andrew notices a scab on Thomas’s chin and blood on his sleeve.

And he wonders if his best friend, his obvious love interest, killed his own parents.

And that’s where I stopped reading.

I keep having this issue with horror lately where the leap these characters take is taller than the Empire State Building. I feel like, in an effort to get to the horror part of the story, that writers are leaving out key building points.

There is so many things I could say about this book. And not any of it do I know how to express my absolutely ruinous adoration of it without littering my review with spoilers. However, what I can say this is such a C.G. Drews book. The way Andrew has this earnest thirst for survival but also sees himself as a sacrifice. Someone so far behind everyone else in his peer group and not worth loving, and yet, despite this belief, people prove to them over and over and over again what it means to love and that they are not a sacrifice because death isn't something they owe everyone else. This story is as much about love as it is about violence and monsters. Even if it is by no means a romance.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"All my stories are about you. They will always be about you."


Don't Let the Forest In was hands down so freaking good. This book had me in a goddamn chokehold and wouldn't let me go until the very last page. From the very first chapter, I started to develop so many questions and just wanted to know more about Andrew, Thomas, and Dove.

I absolutely adored Thomas and Andrew. How quickly they would protect each other just felt so genuine. I also really liked how Andrew wasn't so quick to talk about romance and feelings. He took his time trying to analyze his feelings and realizing that he was asexual and that it's okay to feel the way he does. Thomas never pushed and basically accepted this long ago. The romance between the two was definitely slow-burning, and I'm really happy with how it played out.

As for Dove, she was a mystery. She, like Thomas, would drop everything to protect her twin brother from the bullies. She also cared so much about school and had an adorable competition with her roommate Lana. In a perfect world, I could see her and Lana together and being happy.
I just feel like they will always challenge one another for the better.

Besides that, the overall paranormal mystery was fascinating. It kept the pages turning and had me constantly guessing every little thing that was happening. Sure, some things that happened had me constantly worried and biting my nails. Other things were okay with me because karma is the Antler King

Of course, I'll stick to my day job because I missed so many clues before the big twists and reveals came my way. I still enjoyed the heck out of this book and felt so many emotions throughout it. I can't wait for this beauty to be published and for everyone to adore it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start out with the positive aspects of this book. It has very beautiful writing and visuals, just very lyrical and well put together. The premise was really interesting and I really loved seeing where it might go. The asexual representation was a great touch. However, I feel like something was missing plot wise. It had a great setup but lost me along the way. It wasn't that it was confusing or anything, I actually guessed the plot twist pretty early on. I just was hoping for it to go off the deep end a bit more. The side characters needed more to them as well. I felt like it was deliberate, but still, it just felt like they were lacking something. It was a very haunting book and very beautifully written. It's just the pacing and plot that I felt needed work.

I loved this book. It is a spooky, raw and terrifying YA horror about two artistic boys with a shared passion for horror. Andrew writes short horror stories while Thomas illustrates them with his horrifying monsters. Only now the monsters in Thomas's drawings have come to live in the forest. Or so it seems.

The book is entirely told from Andrew's POV and he is somewhat of an unreliable narrator. I think he was written very well, his mental illness is written very well, and I liked his insecurity surrounding his asexuality, I don't see that as often and it was handled well.

Andrew's and Thomas's relationship was far from healthy, but it wasn't supposed to be. This is a horror book, neither of these boys are okay and they're also battling monsters, the relationship made sense as it was in the context.

Along the lines of the story, I started suspecting something about how all this works, and while in the end I was right, there were also some plot twists connected to this I did not see coming at all and this book had me at the edge my seat for most of the second half.

The horror in this book is well described and terrifying, especially combined with Andrew's pre existing anxiety, and I think it's a great YA horror and would recommend it to horror fans.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for allowing me to receive an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book, genuinely, will most likely be my favorite book of the year. Not only is it beautifully written, but the book has a main character that is important for younger generations. I feel as though many modern books focusing on LGTBQ+ youth, tend to prioritize the concept and anxiety surrounding coming out to friends and family. And although this is an incredibly important topic to be discussed, not many books involve the act of questioning or the process of identifying ones sexuality. With this book having an ace narrator who is questioning and trying to learn how to accept this about themselves, I feel as though it can help give perspective to younger LGBTQ+ individuals.

I am so deeply grateful that I was able to read this book, and I will forever be thinking about Andrew and Thomas and their beautifully tragic story.

Don’t Let the Forest In is at its best where it’s a piece of speculative horror fiction. Drews’s writing brings together the visceral agony of anxiety so emblematic of being a teenager and feeling like the heart of you is antithetical to fitting in (AND that your otherness is visible to everyone else, too) with the dark atmosphere of the haunted forest. They don’t let the reader look away from scenes of body horror, from the monsters tearing apart two young boys determined to protect each other but who are wildly outmatched by their foes. I felt lasting and immediate concern for both Andrew and Thomas’s wellbeing while reading, and that tension carries through both in the forest and out of it/in the school setting. I found the monsters themselves very imaginative, both those that drew upon existing fairytale mythos and those fully of Drews’s own design. Tying them to the creative work of the protagonists was lovely—they literally have a hand in their own destruction, and are tied directly to the horror of it all.
Where I struggled with DLTFI is in the character work. I found a lot of the dialogue to feel very stilted/scripted, especially between A and T, which was a shame because that made it harder to root for them as a couple, because I couldn’t feel their chemistry together. The confession of their feelings toward one another was drawn out and melodramatic as opposed to tense, desperate, and messy, which I think was the goal. It’s doubly a shame, because there were moments of it (chapters 4 and 5 stand out especially, because they show the relationship as it was in the past and contrast it to now, as opposed to just saying outright that A would do anything for T and vice versa) so I knew while reading that Drews COULD do character work, and just didn’t in some scenes.
And then, very often, characters just DONT talk to each other, seemingly for the purpose of building tension. They just keep burying secrets and not saying them. The lack of communication means there’s not enough info to be intriguing, it’s just repetitive and gets tiring, and there’s not even drama between the characters as a consolation prize. I especially felt the absence of Andrew and Dove’s relationship in the story. I feel like a lot of A’s feelings about her and T (the romantic jealousy and worry about their friendship outside of A) and Andrew’s feelings about missing her as a sister personally could be fixed with a few Dove-centric scenes (eg. A actually asking T to bring D in on monster hunting instead of just thinking about it and T saying no vehemently. A assumes T wants to keep her from the monsters and keep her safe and jealousy ensues! Or Dove trying to join them here and there while they’re both being all secretive before stubbornly going “who needs y’all” and avoiding them back instead of just not being around from the jump.) As it is now, she feels like a convenient way for Andrew not to notice Thomas has feelings for him, another thing we’re told rather than being allowed to feel naturally, until it becomes clear that she’s a hallucination of Andrew’s the whole time (which… given that A has been acting like she’s alive and talking about her a lot to people, shouldn’t have someone sounded an alarm about him way sooner?)
The “telling” also slowed down the pacing of the plot, especially in the first half. I found myself tiring of the lampshading of “the thing that happened last year” without being given an explication which would allow closer readers to infer more about how that past ties into the main plot of this book. That lack of explication made the speedy pace of the last 1/5th of the book more confusion than tense and attention-holding.
I also found myself frustrated with the confused/changeable characterization of the protagonists. It felt like their personalities and closeness to one another and etc switched depending on what the plot needed in that moment. Eg. At one point in the narrative Thomas, who until that point had been described as an effective protector for Andrew, is described as one who “bites people only for attention”. It feels that a lot of those inconsistencies are done to make the prose lovely, but the pretty phrasing gets in the way of clarity of characterization, and in the way of continuity (chapter 12: “Andrew would’ve noticed the lack of charcoal smudged sleeves and paint in [Thomas’s] hair”, but only a few pages earlier, Andrew DID notice even from a distance.)
I really do enjoy the prose though, and I feel it’s a good match for Andrew’s anxious, sharp, surprisingly tough character. The asides to his stories he wrote were lovely and I liked tying them to the supernatural elements that come later on in the book. They feel like special hints of what’s to come and I found them especially lovely. It’s impractical, but I do wish we got T’s illustrations to accompany them too.
I know I mentioned the dynamics being stilted earlier, but Drew’s did a great job seeding the obsession between Andrew and Thomas. Their dynamic is entrenched (ch 4), and I loved the internal tension of Andrew’s shame at his dependence at first, and how that changes and develops. His devotion is what he gravitates toward: Being Thomas’s.
I did like how Andrew changed as the story progressed. Taking the agency to go after Thomas and take up monster hunting of his own volition was great to see. And his growing madness as the forest grew within him was great, too. I just felt there was too much withheld or drawn out early on for that character arc to feel earned.
Overall, I think DLTFI is a story that has so many lovely elements, from the supernatural/fantasy horror to the teen drama to the exploration of queer identity, and I think that for another reader, they could come together to perfection. It just wasn’t quite right for me. I would recommend it to teen readers with an interest in queer narratives that don’t completely center on queerness, and fans of fairy tales with haunted forests.

- Tw for disordered eating, body horror, mentions of child abuse, homophobia from peers, mental illness, self harm

This was a hauntingly beautiful read. This book is unlike anything I've ever read, blending visceral horror with deeply emotional themes. The protagonist, Andrew, is a raw, blunt voice that carries the story with an intensity that left me both captivated and unsettled.

Wickwood Academy set the stage for a tale about grief, freedom, friendship, and staying true to oneself. The forest isn't just a setting; it's a living, breathing entity that reflects Andrew's inner turmoil. The narrative delves into his struggle with asexuality and identity, portrayed with an honesty that adds depth to the surreal and often nightmarish events. The writing is striking, filled with lush descriptions and a sense of horror that grips you from the first page. Andrew’s deteriorating mental state is captured in a way that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, making the story both unsettling and compelling.

The characters, especially the complex relationship between Andrew and Thomas, are well-developed and intriguing. I didn't want to put this down! Their co-dependent bond is tender yet tragic, adding another layer of tension. The ending, ambiguous and haunting, stayed with me long after I finished the book, making me ponder the nature of reality and the monsters we harbor within.

While the pacing and mix of horror with everyday elements felt jarring at times, this book remains a masterful piece of young adult horror. It’s a dark yet delicate tale, perfect for those looking for a richly layered, atmospheric read. Overall, it was a chilling and thought-provoking story.

I had been looking forward to reading this book as the reviews were amazing and the plot looked so interesting. However, this one was a miss for me. I could not connect with the characters, and the story just felt all over the place.

The writing style was interesting and as so many others loved the haunting and disturbing style, I personally found it too much at times almost contrived. Andrew’s writing was fantastic, as well as the description of Thomas art. I do understand what the author was trying to convey especially how the book ended yet for me it didn’t work.

The plot also felt so forced; the setting is a high-end, elite & wealthy boarding school, yet there is absolutely no security, or actual care of adult supervision. The same bully’s with no consequences. The kids are sick, mentally unstable, physically injured yet no one notices? This is just too OTT. I understand it’s fantasy reading but for me I need some plausibility.

There are tons of great reviews so I could be odd girl out

I would like to to thank NetGalley, the Publisher, as well as the C.G. Drews for the ARC, I truly appreciate the opportunity of reading and sharing my thoughts on this work.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This had me hooked from the start ! Nothing I can say will do this book justice. Just read this book!

THIS BOOK! I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I read it. It was a delight from start to finish--great characters, great plot, and especially haunting worldbuilding. I can't wait to read it again and again.

From the first line, I was hooked. Andrew's voice grips you instantly and refuses to let go. This is such a delightfully weird book with characters you can't help but root for, even though you know they're unreliable. The way Andrew's mental health and his exploration of his sexuality was portrayed felt incredibly relatable and authentic.

This is a story that stays with you, haunting your thoughts long after you've finished reading.

Don't Let the Forest In is a YA psychological horror that is heartbreakingly beautiful. It takes place at a boarding school that is surrounded by a mysterious forest that the students aren't allowed in, starting this year. Our main character Andrew and his best friend are both creatives: Andrew writes harrowing short stories, and Thomas draws the creatures. Suddenly, these monsters are coming straight from his sketchbook to real life and the boys have to figure out why and stop them from harming everyone at the school.

I really really enjoyed this book!! This is the type of YA that you can read as an adult and still enjoy and relate to the characters. I loved that both of them were creatives, it made their relationship so much more. Andrew was such a well rounded character, I felt like I was inside his head and experiencing all of the crazy things happening to him. My only fault with this book was I felt that Thomas couldve been a little more flushed out from the beginning besides just being the "bad boy". But the side characters were really well done as well, the high school dynamic was created perfectly.

Let me tell you, this book was creepy!! The monsters and other scary imagery was awesome, pretty much everything was based on nature which is my favorite type of horror!! The writing style was one of my favorites too, very poetic but macabre at the same time. Basically every sentence was written beautifully and each emotion conveyed through physical similes. Drews really hit the nail on the head for how it feels to struggle with anxiety.

The characters relationships were pretty realistic as well, I loved Andrews struggle with coming out and coming to terms with who he is. It felt very real and raw. His love for Thomas was so sweet, but also "touch him and die" vibes. I was just rooting for them the whole time!!

If you love chilling stories with unexpected twists in a dark academia setting, this book is for you!! This story had me so emotional, I could not put it down, and as soon as I finished it I wanted to read it again.

I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early e-copy of this book. My first ARC ever!!

This book was gory and gruesome but so beautiful and magical. I ADORED Andrew and Thomas and I loved the parallels between them as the poet and the prince. I have never read a book like this where I was madly in love with the writing but felt partially scared. Andrew's anxiety felt so incredibly real and I could feel the words come alive off the page in the descriptions. Andrew's description of his NEED for Thomas was so beautiful and poetic but also terrifying. This book was magic and the ending was just.....incredible. Still pondering it multiple days after finishing it. A MUST-read for lovers of queer young adult gothic/horror stories with enchanting writing.

Once I started this one, I simply couldn't put it down. No review I can give will ever do it justice. Don't Let the Forest In is a tale with love, monsters, and incredible heartache that will take root in your mind and never let go. Thomas and Andrew's story will haunt me forever - and I'll be all the better for it.

This book is a perfect dark read for its autumn release. Skip the Halloween party and settle in with this beauty!

I received an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publishers - and thank you CG Drews for a new favorite! Never stop telling stories!

I want to start by saying check the trigger warnings when you read this. Since there's no standard for them that I know of yet, you can find them on the copyright page, which might make them a bit harder to find. Quite honestly I think they deserve their own page because they really are quite severe in this, to the point where even things that don't normally bother me did.

This really is an excellent horror book. It starts off strong and just grows from there, using both the traditional monster jump scares and a growing sense of horror as it goes on. I do want to say I'm a fan of Andrew Joseph White's books, and this is not like his at all. White's books (the ya ones anyways) are promised to have everyone as okay as they can be in the end, and at no point does this book have that. I think that CG Drews was determined to traumatize their characters as much as possible, but it works for this story.

The main thing I did not like and major reason for starting loss here is how codependent Andrew and Thomas are. I know that this is intentional for the book, but it is seriously toxic and maybe I'm just too old for ya now but I wonder why no one intervened.

There is ace rep in this book as a last note. I think it was very good, though it also describes ace as not getting crushes either, which isn't right and I believe falls more under aro. Otherwise, it's very good, especially considering how hard it is to find ace mlm books, in my own experience.

I fell in love with this YA fantasy-Horror book quite unexpectedly, it was as beautiful as it was haunting, and I loved every minute of it. Andrew is an awkward teen who is driven to write dark stories full of monsters with unhappy endings. Thomas is an artist who sketches the monsters in Andrew's stories. Once upon a time Andrew ripped out his heart and gave it to Thomas, not sure if he would understand or feel the same. But what Andrew doesn't know is that Thomas will do anything for him, protect, even kill for him. But when Thomas's parents go missing, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve, rumors begin to take hold that Thomas is responsible for his parent's death. When Thomas begins changing, looking disheveled, tired, and losing interest in his art, Andrew is determined to help his friend even if it means gong into the dark forest to find him fighting off a nightmarish monster. Thomas's drawings have come to life and are killing those close to him. The boys try to protect the other's Thomas and Andrew battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters and Andrew fears the only way to truly stop them is to destroy their creator.
This book will be one that stands out in my mind for a while to come. It was beautifully written, gripping, heartbreaking and terrifying all in one, a must read for 2024.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for early access to this book.

If you are terrified of what lurks in the forest or wish Doodlebob was allowed to be murderous, this book is for you.
"Don't Let the Forest In" made my skin crawl and heart race. I tried to figure out what was causing all the insane things to happen and every time I thought I was right, I was wrong. CG Drews crafts a story that is creepy, beautiful and haunting. It is simultaneously a coming-of-age story and a ghost story to be told around a campfire.
Andrew and Thomas are characters that I loved, despite their glaring flaws. I felt at any moment they may shatter under the pressure they placed on themselves while also recognizing how strong they were as two teenage boys taking on the world together. I wondered what was real and who was telling the truth as I quickly turned each page to soak in what was coming next. The characters simultaneously process who they are and who they want to be while determining the best way to battle supernatural forces.
Anyone who loves the idea of mutant forest creatures escaping from a sketchbook, not quite knowing what to believe and teenagers sorting their weird teen emotions will devour this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s publishing for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have extremely mixed feelings when it comes to this book. Starting with the positive, I loved the concept of this story and it a lot of creative elements that made it very enjoyable, like the descriptions of the monsters and the forest growing inside of characters. The writing in general was also a highlight, there were a few quotes that I even decided to highlight which isn’t something I often do. There were a lot of forest and woodsy metaphors that really helped to create the atmosphere and I liked that as well. I also enjoyed the incorporation of the main characters stories throughout the book and I loved the obsessive nature of the main relationship.

In terms of things that I didn’t like so much, the psychological aspect to the horror would have to be one. It only really appeared close to the end and for a few moments, at which point they were well done , and so I would have liked to see it appear more throughout. In general the horror part of the story seemed to be overshadowed by the romance and theme of finding your identity, and while I liked that, I wished it would have taken a backseat and let the horror be the focus because that was really when the story worked the most for me. It might not bother others as much if they are able to connect with the main character and therefore have more investment in those elements, which was something I wasn’t able to do. I thought his anxiety was well written but aside from that I had very little investment and interest in his character.

I earlier talked about how good the writing was, and while that is true, the dialogue didn’t measure up to the descriptions of the woodsy things sometimes. There were a couple instances where to me it came off as unnecessarily melodramatic, in a way that made it feel contrived. This was even more annoying since there were already so many instances of the book being very poetic and so in those moments it really felt like it was trying to hard to keep doing that.

The other issue for me was with the ending, and that’s because I can’t really tell you what happened. It was written in an extremely vague way that I felt should have been expanded because as it was it wasn’t only confusing, but super short which made it almost feel abrupt.

Overall while this book definitely had its positives, mainly in the writing area, I would have enjoyed it more had we seen more of the monsters and had a more of a polished up ending. Since it had its ups and downs it ends up being a three star read for me, though I could definitely see this working more for other people.

~Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰~