I’m heartbroken and haunted after this read. Beautiful, macabre, and deeply unsettling, Don’t Let The Forest In sent me reeling. The prose is entirely disconcerting. Every sentence left me yearning for more. The forest imagery persists throughout, becoming more intense and literal as the novel progresses. The body horror made me want to vomit — it’s so so good.

The story is set against a backdrop of a dark academic-esque boarding school — a wonderful setting for a story told by a narrator who doesn’t trust himself or his own eyes and seems to be walking on shards of broken glass.

The characters are perfectly horrible. I was invested in Andrew’s story from the moment he (and his twin sister) stepped foot into Wickwood, and got even more enthralled when Andrew noticed the blood on Thomas’ sleeve. Andrew’s anxiety and the way people treat him delicately really spoke to me.

The on-page discussion of being asexual was also done extremely well. Somehow in between the horror story, there’s an excellent discussion of identity. Yes, there’s blood and killing monsters, but Andrew also grapples with his shifting relationship with Thomas, and making new friends.

Every fan of horror, of the cruel version of love that twists perceptions, needs to read this book when it is released. You will be shaken to your core by this rotten fairy tale. I will be thinking about this book for a while. Happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, this is a beautiful cover. There is something mesmerizing and haunting about it.

I started reading this book on my commute ride home from work and I flew through half the book by the time I got home. That is a testament to how addicting this book was. I was sucked in.

The banter between the main characters was great. The setting was eerie and the writing was really easy to read and accessible. There were also many lines that I wanted to underline. I also did not see anything coming.

As someone who doesn’t really read psychological horror, this book had me hooked. I would highly recommend this book.

Initially the cover was what drew me in but the story in itself was so captivating that I finished it in one sitting.

I think the author did a great job at creating a unique blend of fairytale whimsy and psychological horror with poignant, lyrical prose and atmospheric details. The characters were also well fleshed out with complex relationships, though I feel they acted a bit younger than they were; they usually came off as 8th graders rather than high schoolers.

My main issue was with the pacing. The beginning-middle where quite slow and dragged a bit while the final reveal and the ending felt a little rushed.

Overall "Don't let the forest in" is a very gripping tale about our protagonist Andrew who navigates the complexities of his own identity as an asexual individual and with the unexpected manifestations of grief and loss told through a horror lens.

I was so excited for this! CG's writing is so lyrical, and her disaster forest boys are my new obsession! Fans of K.Ancrum "The Wicker King" will have found a new obsession with "Dont Let The Forest In.

Definitely not a book that was made for me, totally for a younger audience. Ended up hating most of the characters and the story itself is A lot of stuff that has been done time and time again.

This book is amazingly beautiful the horror was creepy and Andrew’s story is one I won’t forget for a long time
Very much enjoyed this one!

This book is beautiful, dramatic, and full of beautiful words. The horror is done masterfully, and the relationship is great.

This book wound itself around my bones and grew inside of me. I won't ever forget Andrew, and his story will haunt me for a long, long time. It was an incredible, tense read in which I felt the desperation of the characters as their world crumbled around them. I specifically appreciated the asexual rep in Andrew, which was handled with sensitivity and care. CG Drews is an auto-buy author for me now, and I'm excited to be ripped apart and devoured by whatever they write next.

Thank you to CG Drews, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this eARC of Don’t Let the Forest In.

The cover art and synopsis had me hooked immediately - I was very interested in diving deeper into this creepy boarding school monster tale. Unfortunately for me, it just didn’t quite hit home. It was, at times, very creepy. But it was also equal parts confusing and focused entirely on a subplot that felt unnaturally mixed into the horror side of the story. I would have enjoyed it more had the author leaned harder into the whimsical narrative and letting that carry the story, instead of the focus being so much on Andrew and his underlying desire for Thomas. I appreciate the representation that was shown in this story, and I think a lot of people will like it. It just wasn’t quite my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and most especially to CG Drews for the eARC of Don't Let the Forest In.

It took me far longer than I care to admit to actually pick up and read this novel - but once I did I couldn't put it down. While the first half was slow, it held enough in it's relationships & characters' interwoven narratives to keep me engaged while the second half was more explosive and the resolution satisfying. I definitely recommend.

Seeing all the glowing reviews, I guess I'm in the minority with this rating because I found this book to be dull. Don't Let the Forest In had all the ingredients to make an enjoyable read as I love dark academia aesthetics, woodsy settings, and themes of codependency. Unfortunately, though, it did not work out for me.

Rather than high schoolers, the characters acted much younger. Of course, I didn't expect the characters to act like adults, but the way they acted was like overdramatic, angsty middle schoolers. The book is described as having this all-consuming codependent friendship, but it didn't read like that for me. Andrew and Thomas's friendship was superficial, like it was all developed off-page, therefore I could not connect with them. On top of this, the characters just felt like caricatures. We have Andrew, the stereotypical loner character, Dove, Andrew's cooler twin sister, Thomas, the mysterious best friend and love interest, and Lana, the scary misunderstood "mean" girl, among others. There were also bullying scenes that were cartoonish and over the top like how you would see in a movie.

This book was a beautiful and dark masterpiece. A tale of young love, loss, and finding how to cope with both. The main character Andrew is in love with his roommate and best friend Thomas, but unsure if that love is returned. He is also dealing with his personal trauma the only way he knows how - diving into his stories and Thomas. The story got better and better with each page and the twists had you wondering what was real and what was imaginary. I gave this book 4.5 stars only because it read a little more YA than I am used to, but regardless this was a beautifully written masterpiece.

This review is based on an ARC of Don't Let the Forest In which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Feiwel & Friends).

4.5 stars

*flips to the beginning for immediate reread*

I have been procrastinating this review because I do not know how to put into words how incredibly, unexpectedly good this novel is--"good" doesn't even come close. This is my first C G Drews novel, and I am simply anguished at all that I have been missing out on!

The storytelling and world building here are what really get me. I was so invested in the plot, the characters, that when I began to grow suspicious of an unreliable-narrator situation, it felt like my world was upending. I devoured this novel. I found myself going to bed and waking thinking about it, needing to know what comes next, covertly reading at work. And still, the moment it all came to a close, I had such an urge to start all over again, knowing all I know now. Talk about re-readability!

Days later, I am still thinking about this story. And I've been telling everyone who asks, "This book is so good!!" Monsters, secrets, romance, horror, macabre, whimsy, art, humor, friendship, and a sibling story--all cohesively laced together and tied up with a ribbon. I still see the decadent imagery when I close my eyes...

Major props for the anxiety and ace representation here. The traits are executed well, without the whole book being about gender identity and mental disorders.

Wow, this review kinda sucks, huh? Just read the book!

I have started and stopped this review several times, because I'm having trouble conveying just how uncomfortable and heebie-jeebied I am by this book. I read it with mouth agape, flesh crawling, and chest tight, and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. The book begins with Andrew and his twin sister Dove returning to boarding school in the fall as Andrew tries to reconnect with his best friend, Thomas, after a fight they had in the spring. These two have a kind of dark symbiosis, with Andrew writing haunting stories and Thomas illustrating them. As the plot progresses, the very monsters Thomas has been drawing begin encroaching on the school, and Andrew and Thomas unite to destroy them and find their source. Andrew's fear of the monsters, anxiety about his relationship with Thomas, and unease with himself lead to him unraveling as the threat from the monsters grows stronger. As his grip on reality grows weaker, it becomes more and more evident that something is very wrong with his version of events, and there are even darker things lurking in the shadows of his mind. This dark fairy tale is rotten to the core: from Thomas and Andrew's all-consuming, obsessive love to the nightmarish, putrid monsters that attack in the night. Throw in an unreliable narrator and a creeping sense of doom, and you've got yourself Drews' twisted tale of life imitating art.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This story is beautiful. A rapture for the eyes to feast on, and I have no choice but to purchase it once it comes out. Obsessed.

This book has a gorgeous cover, and the writing is really beautiful. The LGBTQ+ representation in this book is really important especially for younger audiences, and it was really fun to explore asexuality and other identities throughout this story. Unfortunately, overall, this book was just ‘meh’ for me. It started out really slow. I liked the last third of the book when the monsters started appearing more, but it wasn’t enough to outweigh the first two thirds. The ending was a bit confusing to me, but it didn’t leave me wanting more or make me want to go back and try to figure it out. I would definitely be willing to pick up other books by this author though!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC to review.

All around a very solid book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters the author built. It got off to a bit of a slow start, but once it got going it didn’t stop. The last thirty pages of the book wrecked me.

Have you ever read a book that was so achingly beautiful? That’s the only way I can describe this book. My heart is physically in pain after finishing, for a multitude of reasons.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous. C.G. Drews has a wonderful and haunting way with words that’s left me speechless. Twisted monsters and evil forest motifs just set the perfect ambiance. This was a book I never wanted to end. You never quite know what’s real and what’s just in Andrew’s head, his way of describing the world around, and it serves the story exquisitely.

Finally, the ending! I usually hate open-ended and did it even really happen? type endings but this one… This one I’ll be thinking about forever.

I will be purchasing this book when it officially releases, how could I not?

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭."

2.5 Stars

Have you ever seen a book cover so beautiful and macabre that it just screams "read me" and then the story itself is a total let down? For me, this is that exact situation. Judging a book by it's cover art really can be a double-edged sword... you either miss out on a GREAT book with less impressive artwork or you are completely underwhelmed after falling in love with it. Clearly, I am in the VERY slim minority here when it comes to how I feel about this story. The beginning was hard. Even up until about 50% thru, I was considering DNF'ing.

Before I get into my issues and why I rated the way I did, let me praise the two things I think are great about this story. First off, the spectrum of representation in this story is refreshing. The author touches on themes of identity, mental health, and even eating disorder. While these are not easy topics to discuss or convey, they are very important to talk about - especially for the target audience of this story (teenagers). Second, Drews has a gorgeous writing style. Despite my enjoyment of the story being what it was, the prose is beautiful and I'd absolutely be willing to try another book by this author just because of that.

Onto the things that I really wasn't feeling:/

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. I struggled here so much. This story is labeled as "YA psychological horror" and based on the blurb, I was expecting to be thrown into this insane world of horrors come to life. What I was not expecting was how focused this book was on sexual identity and being okay with one's self the way they are. While that is an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT aspect of a story, especially for a YA book, I wish there would have been more indication that desire and romance was a major part of the plot. While that's not a bad thing, I wish I had known that that's how the story was going to move forward. The only thing that kept me going was the author throwing a bone here and there with something creepy to make me think that something was actually going to happen (spoiler, nothing really happens until about 75% of the way through).

I also found that I was 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫. I don't know what about him put me off, but something about his attitude throughout the story really kind of threw me. I think it's the angsty teenager vibe that surrounded the story... though I'm not so sure, because I did enjoy Thomas' character for the most part.

Lastly, the story as a whole/the ending. Without spoiling anything, I truly had a hard time connecting the pieces. 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝. I did enjoy the creepy parts, I just don't quite know... how it fits together? I guess? I can make the basic surface-level connections, but to me, the two stories kind of felt disjointed from one another. Maybe it would be worth rereading just to see if I'm missing something or can see the foreshadowing, but I don't think that I can drag myself through what I struggled through the first time.

Overall, I think it definitely fits into the YA category and will do really well there. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected to, I think had I went into it knowing that 'horror' was more of a vessel to move a story along rather than then entirety of the plot I would have liked it the slightest bit more.

Thank you to the publisher, CG Drews, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

If you love the cover, just know the story within is just as twisted and beautiful. Wow. Just wow. Every single thing about this reminded me of gothic romantic literature (which is basically the center point to everything I love most in life). I think maybe only 2% of the book was left un-highlighted. There’s so much I want to say about this book but I feel drunk off of it and can’t quite focus my thoughts…so more to be added later to my social reviews. Again, just wow.