This book kept me up all night. If you love all things horror, spooky & so meaningful this is the right book for you.

*deep inhale* yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

This book is insane.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I immediately signed up because there really is a sad lack of good m/m horror books out there in the world, but I'm happy to say that the ranks have grown by one. A cover this beautiful deserved a good book to go with it, and I'm so glad this one stepped up to the plane. You most certainly can judge this book by its cover.

This book has everything.

Cute boys. Blood. Monsters. Blood. Violence. Some more blood. Representation. Creepy boarding schools.

Did I mention blood?

What few issues I had with the book as a whole pale in comparison to how much I enjoyed everything else about it. And while I wasn't particularly sold on how the last quarter or so of the book, the trip it took to get there was worth it.

It's hard to say much more about the book without spoiling it, so I'll just say you should totally read it if you don't mind a lot of darkness and a tiny bit of blood.

This was a good book. I was hooked from the very beginning. The author uses such wonderful detail to allow the reader to visualize what is going on. It felt like I was in the forest with Andrew and Thomas. this book was creepy and gory and had me thinking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying, this story about two boys fighting monsters in the woods behind their boarding school is the perfect little dark fairy tale. Terrifying and gruesome, this one kept me up at night and made me fall in love with the two main characters. But man I just really wish I could give them both a hug.

Thanks to Feiwel and Friends and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don't Let the Forest In follows Andrew, and his best friend Thomas, as they fight off monsters outside their boarding school every night. Thomas is an artist, and it seems his drawings are coming to life, and Andrew's macabre stories are maybe their only way to safety. There's also a growing tension between the boys, and it leads to dangerous consequences.

I really enjoyed Drews's debut here. The character work was interesting, and the visuals were captivating. Sometimes Andrew and Thomas's dialogue was a little too similar and I got lost, but that's definitely something that can be fixed during edits. I'll definitely have my eye out for more of Drews's work!

I loved this book. It's hard to even find all the right words to describe my feelings. I really appreciate the opportunity to review an ARC of this book.

Usually I write feedback almost immediately after finishing but I had to take a couple days to think about this one. The ending left me a little emotional, and it takes a lot for a book to make me feel more than just fleeting emotions.

Don't Let the Forest In is a dark psychological horror that touches on some deep subjects that may be difficult for some people, but I feel will also deeply resonate with many. As a YA novel, I can't help but think that a book like this would have been a real benefit to me when I was a teenager struggling with things that the main character is dealing with in this book. I also think this might be the first asexual main character I've ever seen? I'm sure others exist by now, but they don't seem to be very common.

The story itself is beautiful, the characters are all distinct and have their own personalities and motivations, so no one blends into the background even in its short page count. I feel like the book also didn't drag on or overstay its welcome in any way. It was beautiful and a little otherworldly at times and reminded me a lot of that feeling of being an angsty teenager trapped in your own head.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy a dark, angsty and romantic horror story.

Soooo this book was crazy. A lot more graphic than I expected, and definitely twisty. I spent a lot of time wondering what exactly was happening, and I’m pretty sure that was intentional. All in all solid read.

Thanks to NetGalley for this book. It will be out this October!

To start, thank you to Netgalley for early access to this title! Don’t Let The Forest In by CG Drews is a dark and twisting story for fans of The Wicker King by K Ancrum. Two boys dealing with malevolent outside forces, as well as their own feelings for each other. With asexual and anxiety representation, this story almost begs the question: What would a darker and more mature version of Bridge to Terabithia be like? How do two young people fight monsters that may or may not be real? Drews gives us a very well written tale littered with good representation and relatable characters. I only wish this story could’ve been longer. Our main characters almost suffer from a lack of depth because of all of the action that had to be packed into such a small amount of pages. I wanted to know them better. I wanted to be able to relate to them harder. All in all, this is a solid story delivered to us in a nice little package. Check out Don’t Let The Forest In on October 24, 2024!

In Andrew’s own words, this story is a paper cut. This story left me staring at a wall when I finished and will absolutely haunt me, as predicted by CG Drews. It is dark and twisted and hauntingly whimsical, it is like fairytales nawed to their bones where the pixie dust has been wiped away to reveal the sweet rotting truth beneath. This story is incredibly well written, and stunning in its description of not only the characters but their emotions and the forest as it slowly devours the pages. The trio of friends is beautifully described as: “Since Dove loved to study, and Thomas breathed art, and Andrew craved stories, they all had pledged their hearts to this library.” And this is only a tiny taste of the descriptions in this book! At times it seems like Andrew is being swallowed by the forest like quick sand, the more he struggles the faster it grabs him. There were numerous times I did not know what was real or not, and much of what I knew was real was so rotten and horrifyingly stunnning I couldn’t take my eyes of the page. Truly, this is some of the most beautifully written words I’ve read, and the darkness of this twisted fairytale only enhances that. If you enjoy
House of Hollow, ninth house, one dark window and the overall creepy fairytale essence, this book is for you.

“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”

Wow. My first five star book of the year. This is one of those books that when you finish it, you are left astounded and just need time to process what just happened before you dive into another book. I want to spoil it so bad because I just want to talk and talk about it, comparing our thoughts and feelings. This book is about Andrew and his mental health problems. Trigger warnings: self harm, death, violence, murder, depression, struggling with sexuality. Andrew is in love with Thomas, but only in love, as he is asexual. This book is heavily Andrew's processing on his sexuality, his feelings, how he copes, what he's hiding. I'm not sure if I want to think that this is supernatural, mental health, or a mix of both. And I love that. I love open ended books, usually.

I think I do believe that it is mental health and not at all supernatural, which will make for an interesting reread when this amazing book comes out. I love finding hidden gems!!! It will certainly bring a much darker turn for the book, thinking this way. Also, guys. THE ENDING?! Oh my God. I am in shock. I have no words. I want to scream. I freaking love Thomas so much, it's not even funny.

I'm sure some people will be upset that an asexual character is being portrayed like this but I want to note: asexual characters can have mental health problems that affect them negatively just like straight people. It really is a pet peeves of mine when people say lgbtq+ people can't be evil, or have a disorder, or anything negative. It is not villianizing (usually, though there are definitely books out there where it is). It is not saying lgbtq+ = bad. But just like straight people, the lgbtq+ community can have bad eggs too. It's the nature of the world.

Pleaseeeee check this book out. Check for trigger warnings and I'll leave you with a slight spoiler: BEWARE!!!

SPOILER: sleepaway camp vibes

Dont Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews 5/5 stars⭐️ This was absolutely incredible. Definitely going to be in my top books of the year!

Release date: October 29, 2024

This is a young adult psychological horror following Andrew Perrault and his best friend Thomas, both seniors in high school. Andrew, secretly in love with his best friend, would do anything for him. Protect him, lie for him, even kill for him. When Thomas’ parents go missing, he starts to act strangely. Whenever Andrew asks him about it, Thomas shuts down and doesn’t want to talk about it. Andrew, desperate to figure out why Thomas is acting so weird, goes in the woods looking for Thomas, only to find him fighting a nightmarish monster. Andrew and Thomas work together to fight these monsters and figure out why they won’t stop coming to get them every night, all while growing more and more obsessed with each other.

This is a devastatingly beautiful queer love story with an asexual main character that absolutely tore me apart and I loved every second of it. It’s creepy and beautiful at the same time. It has twists and turns, especially near the end, that I was absolutely not expecting! Would highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing Group for sending me a digital copy for me to review and enjoy! These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

4.5*

"May this one haunt you."

C.G. Drews knew exactly what they'd done after writing this book and throwing the aforementioned line in the acknowledgements.

Was this novel potentially overly-angsty and occasionally unrealistic? Yes. Did it still captivate me and rip my heart in half? Yes.

The writing was self-indulgent, but still beautiful. The main character was *a lot*, but also one of the most relatable characters I've read (and that's coming from a 24 year-old woman). The atmosphere was tense. The horror, particularly the body horror scenes, were disturbing. The queerness and mental health issues spoke to my soul.

I love this book even with all the issues I could sit here and nitpick, like the fact that a private school for the rich doesn't have cameras. The only issue that I truly had with this book was the ambiguous ending. I loathe when a story ends and I'm just sitting there, mouth agape, needing to know what happens next. Despite this, I still could only take off half a star.

This book will absolutely be haunting me.

Sometimes there was no stopping pain. There was just seeing how much you could swallow before it spilled out your throat.”


Andrew, Thomas and Dove are inseparable while attending the prestigious Wickwood Academy. Andrew and Dove are twins. She is described as a shout and he a whisper. They met Thomas when they entered the academy at 12 years old and stayed together ever since. Andrew is a writer of wicked tales and Thomas loves to illustrate Andrew’s twisted stories. The novel opens on the first day of school their senior year, where everything is just…different.

C.G Drews crafted hauntingly beautiful prose that I happily highlighted throughout this novel. Drews hit the nail on the head for boarding school life and also explores issues such as sexuality, eating disorders, grief, guilt, love and so much more. This story has many twist and turns, that I now find myself immediately giving this novel a second reading just to see all the pieces fall into place.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC.

“I like how you are. There’s an entire world of ink and magic stuffed inside your head, and I think it’s beautiful.”
•
I requested this novel based first on the beauty of the cover. I appreciated the pencil drawn thorns and roses before I really understood what they meant. Then, when I read the summary, I knew I had to request this just to figure out what was going on!
•
Andrew is not a typical MC. He seems to be quite frail and wrought with anxiety. He struggles socially and emotionally. But he thrives when it comes to imagination. His literary creations are dark, twisted, and powerful! And lucky for him, his best friend, Thomas, makes up for his lack of physical prowess while also being in the arts himself. This writer and artist combo are a tight knit pair until Thomas begins to act strangely, secluding himself from Andrew and returning to their dorm room with strange wounds. Andrew’s world begins to collapse and he must find out what is happening to his best friend before it’s too late.
•
Drew’s prose was hauntingly beautiful. I could probably highlight page upon page and still not have covered all of the quotes I loved. There was a decent amount of backstory that helped bring the characters and their relationships to life. They were real teenagers with very real, sometimes uncomfortable problems. The story takes some dark twists and turns and had me on edge many times. The psychological aspect of this YA horror had me questioning what was real or what was simply happening in Andrew’s head all the way to the conclusion.
•
There were only a couple of times that I randomly felt like the spell over me was broken. I really can’t pinpoint if it was a rough patch in dialogue or if it was an event that seemed misplaced, but it didn’t last long enough to ruin the story for me.
•
If you’re looking for a well written, YA psychological horror that deals heavily with mental illness, sexual orientation, and doesn’t hold back on brutality, this is the one for you.
•
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this digital archive of Don’t Let The Forest In. And Drew’s, very, very well done!

C.G. Drews has a beautifully twisted mind that is more than evident in this macabre fairytale full of monsters, romance, and mystery. I enjoyed every second reading this book. The story of the main characters Andrew, Thomas, and Dove takes so many turns and is told in an imaginative and original way. The romantic tension between Andrew and Thomas was palpable and I found myself being dragged into the depths of the forest and its monsters before I knew what was happening. This is definitely a book that is easy to get lost in. The monsters are actually quite scary, which is refreshing for a horror novel. I loved the dreary atmosphere that anchored me in the story every time I began to read it. I almost miss it now that it’s over! Definitely a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love psychological thrillers and I love horror novels so this psychological horror was right down my alley! I was immediately enthralled by the world and found myself totally invested in piecing together the mystery. I really enjoyed the concept of these drawings coming to life to hunt down the person who created them and the people they love and it's just a concept I haven't encountered before and absolutely devoured. The gothic/dark academia atmosphere mixed in with the monsters and haunted forest mixed in with school dynamics was a great combination that made this fantasy-like story feel rooted in reality. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend!

This is a dark story filled with romance, horror, mental health, YA sexuality, and friendship. Although there is a lot to follow between many characters, it is easy to follow. The writing style is very imaginative and expressive. The beginning is slow paced, but the twists were fun and unexpected. I could see this book becoming a TV series or movie that young adults and adults would thoroughly enjoy. The ending is not going to be for everyone , but I appreciated that it was enigmatic and leaves room for interpretation.

“…to stop your horror maybe we have to stop you—“


Don’t Let the Forest In is going to be a Fall favorite for me. There are a lot of things that I enjoyed most about this book but most of all:
1. The asexual representation- this is something you don’t see a lot of and it was so good to see. On the flip side, I do think Andrew was written a bit like a trope and deserved better writing.
2. The prose- so beautiful. I adore the way CG writes and will definitely be reading more from this author.
3. Messaging about mental health, eating disorders, sexual identity, grief and so many more important topics, especially for YA stories.

Some things I didn’t really like:
1. I love horror, and I really love YA horror. This was more of a romance than a psychological horror story. We spend a lot of time with Andrew simply wanting Thomas. It’s almost drawn out too much. There’s some horror sprinkled in and we get more in the ending chapters. I wish there was more.
2. It does take awhile for you to get into it. The beginning isn’t as strong as an opening as I needed it to be. It delivers in other areas but it did take me a bit to get invested in the characters’ plight.

I didn’t really love the ambiguity of the ending. With a story written this way, I think it would’ve served the readers best for it to not be left up to interpretation. It takes away from it, in my opinion.

Overall, this was a beautiful read and one that will be on my tbr every Fall season!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan’s Children’s Group for allowing me to read this book!

<b> many thanks to NetGalley and C.G. Drews for the ARC I devoured of this book </b>

Wow.
I don't want to give anything away, because there is so much that happens in this book, but I am just shaken. I feel like in the time I read this book, the marrow of my bones turned to spongy moss with my blood going thick as sap. That my whole self was one with a dark and gloomy forest, entropy turning me into more fragments of the parts of me that loves stories and art and the darkness of the world outside our heads and inside them into dust motes that could be flakes of my own stardust, or the plumes of spores from the pulsing fungi of the forest that buries its secrets of bones and blood and sorrow deep deep in the roots.

The pacing was very well done, and the narrative had me following the twists right on Andrew's heels at a pace that almost had me barreling over him and on the edge of my seat wondering how much more can the poison fester in the garden before it gets cut out?
I can't compare this book to anything other than my own experiences with loneliness, desperation, and finding solace in others who make their own worlds, and making worlds of your own. I loved the final twists and how the forest and the monsters and the stories all come together in a way I haven't seen in this sort of monster hunter (and sort of dark forest magic eldritch abomination style horror?) story. The relationship/romance between Andrew and Thomas felt real and visceral and raw, an open wound with moss and vines festering and pulsing within it, but also the timid green of the sun through the canopy, the earth cool and welcoming.

I have already ordered my copy of this book, set to debut October 29th, to have the physical copy of this gorgeous story in my hands. It felt amazing to be able to read a story like this, I'm left feeling inspired and yearning for more from Drews and to reread this again during October, which seems dangerous in and of itself...(hehe)
That ending though!!!
This book is cinematic in writing and pacing and setting and overall feel. I would love to see this book come to life as a stop motion in the vibe of Tim Burton and Henry Sellick, like NBC and Coraline! My dreams will be filled with decaying forests that whisper my darkest thoughts for long nights to come, and I have this ARC to thank in the best and most loving of ways.
Thank you for this story.

The writing style in this book didn't really grab me. Although it wasn't hard to get into it, I didn't feel much connection to the side characters. They felt very one-note and there were a couple of them I didn't see the point of entirely.

The plot twist was cool, but the ending left me wanting more closure. It was a little too open-ended for my liking. Still, knowing the twist now, I'd most definitely give it another shot to see if I missed anything. Overall, it's a bit of a hit-and-miss, but worth a second look if you're curious.

(Also, I really thought Andrew would be my favorite character going off of the summary but it ended up being Thomas!)