Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

First off, the writing in this book was so good! The dark fairytalesque imagery seeped into my skin, making me a part of the story as I was reading it.

I gave it 4 stars only because there were a few scenes that weren’t really needed to progress the story. They took me a bit out of the flow of the beautiful, bloody, monstrous tale that was this book.

There were so many times I was inspired by the imagery cast in this story. So many times my heart was torn to shreds by the love between these 2 very broken beautiful boys. Definitely recommend reading!

Psychological horror at its best. The boys are well written and the creatures remind me of the witches from Madoka Magica in that they seem so otherworldly and different from everything around them.

I don’t really know how to describe this book.
Don’t Let the Forest In, by CG Drews, has left me utterly speechless and full of questions. However, I’m also left with a feeling of completeness, which is strange for a book that has a very open ending. In a way, I think this book is like a beautiful hallucination, like everyone who read it only imagined they were.
In short, this book felt like a horrifying, bloody, and utterly romantic dream.
Don’t Let the Forest In follows our main character, Andrew Perrault, who is in an upsetting and confusing state of change. He is struggling with his sexuality, his attraction to his best friend, and the ever-increasing state of anxiety he is in.
The only two people who are able to protect and calm Andrew are his twin sister, Dove, and best friend, Thomas Rye, who have been by his side for years.
However, things take a turn when Andrew returns for his last year of high school at Wickwood Academy. Thomas is acting strange and paranoid, while Dove is avoiding Andrew and seems increasingly upset about his association with Thomas. Andrew soon discovers that Thomas is grappling with nightmarish monsters made of the forest near the school and soon joins in to help protect those he loves from these creatures.
However, is any of it actually real?
Starting with the characters in this book, I must say that each one seemed designed as an extension of our main character, Andrew. He is anxious, confused, and uncertain about who he is and what he wants. I loved to see these aspects represented in such a book, but what I loved most about his character is that he is asexual. Representation of this is hard, and what most don’t know is how isolated and unwanted asexuals can feel. CG Drews presents Andrew’s confusion about being ace very carefully and deliberately.
It was handled with a lot of care, and I think many teens will be able to relate to Andrew’s struggles in this way.
As I said before, the side characters seemed designed to be an extension of Andrew. Dove was someone we read about a few times but seemed to exist solely as a comfort for Andrew. She, as his twin, was literally created to be a full extension of him. In a way, I saw her as a hidden side of Andrew. Carefully put together and extremely honest.
She seemed a lot like she was a part of Andrew, that manifested as a side character.
Thomas, too, felt that way. His wildness and fighting nature felt like they were aspects of Andrew realized as a character to help balance out the three sides of him.
Andrew himself, Dove, his twin, and Thomas, his wildly brave best friend.
All felt like parts of one main character split into three pieces.
Discussing the villain, there is no true understanding of who that is. Is it Bryce Kane, Andrew’s bully? Is it the monsters in the woods? Is it Andrew himself?
There is no clear answer or representation. All I know is that, at times, everyone in this book felt like a villain. Even Andrew appeared to me as a villain when reading his story. We couldn’t trust his own thoughts or what he was saying, just as we could not trust Dove or Thomas.
Moving to the plot, I don’t exactly know how to describe it. Many themes and emotions are so deeply woven into the lore that it is impossible to sort through everything.
We have horror, which is represented in Andrew’s terrifying stories, and the manifestation of these stories into monsters made of trees and plants. We have romance, personified in Andrew’s desperate and possessive love for Thomas Rye. We also have action, thriller, and so many more genres splashed amongst these pages.
It all feels like some sort of fever dream.
Even Drews’ writing seems plucked straight from my dreams or, perhaps, my nightmares.
Drews utilizes dark imagery and captivating metaphors to describe Andrew’s anxiety and grapple with himself. Her writing style is extremely fresh and unique, with just enough horror and strangeness to make us question whether we are even reading a book. At times, everything felt so real, and putting down this story was impossible. Everything that occurred, as described in Drews’ haunting words, felt real to me.
But was it?
In the end, I was left confused yet fulfilled. The ending of this book is not conventional at all. It relies heavily on imagery and the reader’s own understanding and perception of the story to make conclusions. What happened to Thomas and Andrew, whose love seems fated to fail? What about Dove, who makes so few appearances yet is so crucial to understanding the book, and, in a way, Andrew? There are so many things left unanswered and unexplored. Even the existence of these monsters is put into question.
Is any of it real at all?
There is no obvious answer.
But, there is one thing I know. Don’t Let the Forest In is captivating and tenderly, yet brutally, beautiful. This is a book I will not be forgetting soon.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ, ᴀɴᴅʀᴇᴡ ʜᴀᴅ ᴄᴜᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴠᴇʀʏ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴍᴀꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴏ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴᴅʀᴇᴡ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴅᴏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ. ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ ʜɪᴍ. ʟɪᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ.

ᴋiʟʟ ꜰᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ.

Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews

TW: Child Abuse, Child Death, Body Horror, G0re, Anxiety, Self-Harm, Bullying

🖤 Forestcore
🖤 Touch Him and Die
🖤 Asexual MC Representation
🖤 Gay & Bisexual MC Representation
🖤 Lesbian Side Character Representation
🖤 Botanical Body Horror
🖤 Boarding School

If you love dark horror laced with obsessive, desperate young love and gasp-inducing twists, DON'T SKIP ON THIS BOOK.

Did you like the unforgiving, dark vibe of the Cruel Prince series but want more forestcore horror in a modern boarding school setting? THIS IS IT.

I am head over heels for not only this book that I devoured in one day, but also, after reading it, I immediately added the author's entire library to my TBR.

This visceral horror novel uses beautiful prose about vines and leaves and rot to underline in blood the stories of the two main characters, Thomas and Andrew. Thomas is thorny, easy to anger, and protective, while Andrew is often seen as withdrawn and weak due to his panic attacks. Both are extremely flawed characters and struggle to navigate their relationships, take care of themselves, and manage school because of it (let alone not dying to horrific monsters that are hungry for blood).

The story is riddled with the sharp thorns of two boys navigating their sexual identities and feelings for each other while also dealing with horrific monsters of both the fairytale and human varieties.

Without telling too much about the plot, this book's emotional spiral was very compelling, and I finished the book with my hand over my mouth and my heart pounding. The continuing rising dread from multiple angles is so, so well written, and the desperation by the end made me stay up late to finish because I knew I wouldn't sleep otherwise.

I cannot recommend this enough if this all sounds interesting to you. There is a lot of violence, tragedy, and dark twists, but if you love a horror book that will casually rip your heart out, this is it.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄
📔 Dark academia
🤝 Friends to lovers
🦇 Gothic fiction
🏰 Dark fairytales
🌿 Eco horror

- 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓
The story follows Andrew and his best friend, Thomas, as they return to their boarding school at the start of the school year. Andrew is a writer and Thomas is an artist; together, they create dark fairytales about monsters in the forest. They soon realize that the fictional stories they created are manifesting as real monsters and the entire school is at risk. The boys go into the forest each night to fight the monsters until they can no longer keep the forest out of the school. As Andrew and Thomas scramble to find a way to stop the monsters once and for all, secrets come to light that could change everything they think they know.

- 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒
This was beautiful and horrifying and I am obsessed. I could not put this book down and was honestly devastated when it ended. The ending completely took me by surprise and my mind is still spinning from it. This had a lot of LGBT+ representation and did so in a way that felt so real and vulnerable. I cannot wait until this is released and I will 100% be buying a physical copy. 5/5⭐.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Panmacmillan Children for the e-ARC**

Holy.... my ,what a book. I was expecting it to be good, but not that good and enrapturing, to draw so much on my emotions. So beautifully written and vivid. The book forces the reader in with the first sentence and doesn't losen it's grip until the end. If I wasn't so tired, I would have read it in one setting.
"Don't let the forest in" is horror, but in a fairytale kind of way, perfect for me because of the creepy wonder speckled throughout. The characters feel so full and strong in their development, their relationships is so endearing, sometimes frightening in a beautiful ways. There os definitely a layer of psychological horror woven in there, adding a layer to the story, making it imposible for me escape it.
I loved the concept and the realisation, the way clues are hidden in the symbolic et meaning of events and reactions. The sort of romance put me on the edge of my seat, screaming for the boys to act upon their feelings, to talk. It felt so real. The monsters part were... creepy and wonderful, everything I whised for. I need more book like that, beautifully crafted, a bit on the whimsical side but grounded in a sense of reality too, with diversity representation (a really good ace rep here, lovely.)
Suffice is to say, I will absolutely re read this book and will buy a copy to contemplate on my shelves and use to push other people to read the story.

This was absolutely the best book I've read in awhile. The prose is gorgeous, the atmosphere is consuming, and the characters are almost painfully real.
Starting with the prose, I loved everything about it. It was visceral in description and make me feel sick sometimes. This is a very gore heavy book, so keep that in mind if you are intending on reading. Each time Drews wrote something about the forest, it made my skin crawl. The imagery was very heavy, but well-written. The style may not be for everyone, but I loved it. It felt balanced and overall well crafted.
The atmosphere was terrifying. The forest almost felt like a character itself.
I loved Andrew's stories that were scattered throughout the novel. They were haunting and beautiful at the same time. I honestly loved everything about Andrew and Thomas. They were messy and flawed, but I think that that is what makes a good character.
The queer representation felt accurate and respectful.

Overall, 5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC!

If you don't like vivid gross imagery please avoid this one at all cost. The descriptions of the what I like to call forest gore are so graphic at times that I felt like I needed a shower. It was kind of jarring how these boys went from dealing with creepy forest stuff to dealing with normal boarding school stuff like a bully and slipping grades. This was such a wild ride and so atmospheric. I felt like I was in the woods with Andrew and Thomas. There are also great LGBTQIA+ rep in this as well and talks about asexuality are a big focus in here as well. Highly recommend reading this one during the day and away from the woods.

okay first technical arc review BARE WITH ME.

i’m not the biggest horror fan but i AM a fan of co-dependent queer relationships and this GAVE THAT TO ME!! it was so gripping and almost suffocating and i deeply enjoyed. it was also very wonderful to see a very dependent relationship not focused on sex at all, and the discussions of asexuality felt natural and comforting in a book that is deeply Not.

i finished reading this at work and now i have to continue my shift with a feeling of dread and nausea in my chest. but in the best way. there were parts i felt it could have done without, like much of the more school-like mini-plots, but overall it was masterfully crafted and very unsettling. do make sure to pick up a copy when it’s released later this year, especially if you’re a fan of obsessed queer relationships.

thank you to netgalley and macmillan feiwel and friends for the arc!!

Special Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc!

I think that this book was... fine. Like truly nothing to write home about. I do like the premise behind it, but it never got me the way it looked as if it wanted to. I';m still interested to see what CG Drews does next.

This is a horrifyingly beautiful story about two boys, Andrew and Thomas, battling monsters that they have created. The writing, imagery, is absolutely stunning. This author grabs you from the start, slowly dropping breadcrumbs and building tension, making it impossible to look away. I loved how dreamlike the story is, keeping you wondering what is actually real. I adored this book and will recommend at publication. Thank you for the opportunity to read in advance.

This was by far one of the best YA books I’ve read in a really long time. This story made me feel so many emotions. I absolutely adored these characters. My mind was trying to figure out what was going to happen the entire time and I honestly didn’t see that ending happening. But as soon as I read what happened all the pieces/hints throughout the whole book started replaying. It made so much sense and I can’t believe I didn’t notice. It was written so beautifully and the words just flowed into such a beautiful story, heartbreaking but a beautiful one.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. I loved this one so much, thank you!

This is a beautiful nightmare in novel form. The author dances between the lines of love, folk horror, anxiety, and full blown creature feature with a delicacy which must be read to comprehend.

I would go so far as to say that this is a love story at it's core. But it's a brutal, terrifying, unrelentingly dark love story. Andrew is a boy starting his senior year at an elite boarding school. His only real friend is Thomas. They couldn't be more different. Thomas is bold, full of hard edges and doesn't cater well to authority while Andrew is timid, filled with anxiety and depression, socially inept. He's also asexual and is madly in love with his best and possibly only friend.

Andrew writes dark twisted tales. Fairy tales of monsters and blood and loss. Thomas draws the pictures based on those writings.

And then, the monsters become real and they are after the boys. Night after night the boys fight these monsters while slowly coming apart mentally and physically.

Or do they? Because Andrew has a twin sister who has seemingly abandoned him and Thomas. But there are secrets in store for all of them. Viscious brutal secrets.

The feelings between the boys is the core of the book and the creatures they've created are absolutely horrifying. There will be blood and nightmare inducing monstrosities. It's as beautiful as it is gruesome and this darkly twisted novel of love and monsters, sacrifice and bloodshed, and commitment and torture will be one that you'll want to read. I highly recommend it.

Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews is heavy on the fantastical elements and the pining between its two lead characters, Andrew and Thomas, but never goes beyond a surface-level in exploring the relationship between these two boys and the darkness behind the fantasy they build for themselves. However, I loved the horror and the clear love for fairy tales that Drews put into this book and it successfully made me turn it page after page in two days to see how it ended.

I did appreciate the varied queer representation in the book and how the characters, from the two leads to the supporting ones, felt like actual people and teenagers exploring their identities alone and with each other. Andrew and Thomas are strong characters to root for and I found myself wanting them to get through safely to the end. I could see why they gravitated towards each other and the base for this relationship was strong. I especially liked that they were different people when they were together and when they were around other people, which made their vulnerable moments even more moving.

However, I wasn’t won over and I didn’t truly believe in their feelings for one another. As the story progresses and their emotions become more intense, I didn’t feel as if my investment in them grew at all. When it comes to obsessive and potentially unhealthy relationships, this one actually felt pretty tame. I was told more than shown how much the two needed one another. I was also disappointed in the treatment of another important character that mattered to both boys and while the reveal around that character definitely could have worked, it came so late that all the interesting impact it could’ve had was dulled.

The fantastical aspects were spot on for the most part and one of my favorite elements of the book! I loved the body horror and the gradual infection of fantasy that creeps into the real world. There are definitely some striking images that Drews conjured that truly do feel out of a fairy tale and while I feel that there were some missed opportunities to use the fantasy to contrast with the horrors of the real world, I loved most of it.

Another element of the book that made it 3 stars for me but that other readers might love is the writing style. I found it overly indulgent sometimes and a lot of times when it came to the relationship between the boys and to the inserted stories Andrew writes.

Overall, I found Don’t Let the Forest In to be a mostly satisfying read with a lot of heart and lush imagery. Even if it didn’t quite enchant me, I think it’s worth picking up so you can take the trip through these tangled and dark woods yourselves.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This review will be published on my blog (clearsummers.wordpress.com) and Goodreads on October 15, 2024. A review will be published on Amazon on the pub date.

The cover has strong "Beauty and the Beast" vibes.

The dedication is "For the monsters in your head." That's hilarious, and I love it. That said, I found the actual prose to be overwritten and heavy on the vibes, which just isn't my thing. I ended up stopping after chapter 1 (5%).

To preface, I don't read much in the way of horror (I'm not a "scary stories" person), but a lot of our teens do love it. I can see teens enjoying this story, likely with a solid three to four stars.

I don't know that there's the crossover potential for adults. It doesn't feel like there is based on the popular adult horrors I've skimmed, but that said, because I'm not heavily into horror, I could be entirely off the mark on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC.

What a trippy little thing.

“Don’t Let the Forest In” draws you into a story where monsters and make believe lay side by side in the dirt with an inviting smile illuminated by blood red teeth and Andrew was warned not to go into the forest but with Thomas by his side why should they obey the rules?

I am always going to love a story of this nature (no pun intended) because there’s something so beautiful and frightening about what lies within a forest. Be it fairy tale magic or the stuff of nightmares getting lost amongst the trees is something I will forever enjoy and this book did wonders for me.

The plot is weird and confusing and I’m sure I missed so much between what is and what isn’t but I had a fun time with each piece. The backdrop of the academy and the parallel to the poet and the prince gave off this sort of dreamlike state for the entirety of the book and left you wondering if you could trust a narrator who was clear he didn’t trust himself at all.

The characters were interesting and I really enjoyed our mains with Andrew and Thomas being what seems like an unlikely pair of friends and their loyalties to one another but whether that did more harm than good I can’t really say. Their scenes together were so payed and tangled up like the vines they were running from it left you wondering just how much could be real if any at all and I think those questions help add to the tension of the story.

An odd book to say the least but one I am absolutely recommending to every one I know and plan to revisit when the weather matches the tone of the book in the fall.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange of a fair and honest review**

This masterful cover art speaks volumes about the creepy, sensational, ominous, yet uniquely artistic themes of this YA fantasy-horror, queer novel that you absolutely must add to your reading list immediately!

I devoured it in one sitting and found myself liking it even more than I expected, despite piecing together the mystery a little earlier thanks to my overworking spidey senses that are always searching for underlying meanings. The concept of monstrous drawings coming to life to hunt down their creator and loved ones is a perfectly creative plotline. The intense chemistry between Andrew and Thomas had me squirming in my seat, screaming at the chapters, “Just kiss him already, damn it!” I'm always a little impatient when I see smoking passion between characters. The gothic school theme, the detailed descriptions of the monsters lurking around the haunted forest, and the dynamics within the school, including popular kids, bullies, queer kids, and wallflowers, were portrayed realistically and made us care and root for Andrew even more. Even though I’m a middle-aged woman, I easily connected with Andrew's characterization, which helped me embrace my own quirky, outsider, sensitive childhood self.

Here's a recap of the story: it opens with Andrew Perrault’s return to Wickwood Academy with his polar opposite twin, Dove, who is a high achiever, competitive, and a social butterfly compared to Andrew's anxious, socially unadapted, shy demeanor. Andrew enjoys creating twisted fairytales with non-happy endings, ending in tragedies, and the only one who can see him as he is is Thomas Rye: rebellious, quick-witted, talented artist boy who becomes Andrew's guardian angel after the school bullies target him, becoming the third member of the tight bond he shares with his sister, Dove.

Thomas brings Andrew's twisted fairytales to life on paper, creating artistic, powerful, and extra-frightening monster drawings.

Andrew is thrilled to reunite with his friend after the tragedy that occurred nearly five months ago, changing their lives. But as soon as he steps foot into the academy, he realizes that nothing is as it used to be. Dove is still angry at Thomas after their fight, and Thomas is acting suspiciously, trying to hide a blood stain on his sleeve. The surprise visit from the police officers to question Thomas only makes things weirder. Gossip starts spreading around the school, with students speculating that Thomas may be the murderer of his abusive parents.

Could it be true? Why is Thomas distancing himself and disappearing into the woods every night? Could he have a secret relationship with Dove? Andrew grapples with jealousy over his unrequited feelings for Thomas and fear for him if he's involved in something malicious. What exactly is happening in the woods when darkness falls? Could it be related to the monstrous universe they created together?

Overall, this book is eerie, tragic, haunting, but also a heart-wrenching, beautiful love story that I highly recommend you read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends for sharing this amazing book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

“I think someday you’ll hate me.” Thomas’s voice stretched with a loneliness Andrew had never heard before. “You’ll cut me open and find a garden of rot where my heart should be.” —
“When I cut you open,” Andrew finally said, “all I’ll find is that we match.”

This book is a living breathing thing that had my mind painting the most beautifully gruesome scenes. I’m having to gather my thoughts, because when I finished all I could say was “WOW.”

This is my first arc, and boy am I happy it was. This story grows inside of you and doesn’t let go even when you turn the last page.

I haven’t read many books where the author can produce such *visual*s. You feel like you’re in the forest, you feel like you can *taste* it.

With queer AND ace representation, complex characters with very real emotions, and a nightmare so tightly sewn into reality that you’ll question everything, this book is 5 stars.

If you love dark academia, tortured characters, deliciously macabre settings, this is for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for allowing me to receive this arc and read this beautiful book.

Oh my gosh. Don't Let the Forest In was the perfect combination of twisted horror and mystical fantasy and I loved every minute of it. The characters were so genuine and real, and they made reading this book an absolute joy. The writing was stunning as well, each sentence crafted so immaculately. Also, that twist, absolutely did not see that coming. I will definitely be picking up more releases from C.G. Drews in the future.

The plot of this story was pretty good, however it was very much YA between how it was written and how the characters acted.

Obviously nothing against the book itself as it’s clearly labeled YA, but just wasn’t for me. I had trouble connecting to the characters because they came across to juvenile.

I would recommend this to readers under the age of 16 or for someone who just wants to get into more horror type books without it being to dark.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.