“Life didn’t fit against his skin and it never had and sometimes everything was just too much.”

Andrew Perrault is on a journey, one filled with anxiety, disordered eating, depression, questioning where and how he fits into his world, and doing so in a place that is both a waking nightmare and a slumbering hellscape. Andrew is a schism between what is real and what isn’t, and CG Drews uses florid prose and vivid imagery to draw the lines between what blooms in Andrew’s mind as real and what readers see as impossible to perceive, yet brilliantly terrifying all at once.

Don’t Let the Forest In is the darkest of dark fairy tales. The woods bordering Wickwood Academy aren’t a setting; they are a character, a living, breathing, murdering space devoid of conscience or remorse, but full of needs and an appetite for flesh and blood. The landscape not only takes its due, it demands it from those who dare to enter and disturb. Those who love the legends of the forests and what they often symbolize: the unknown, the dangerous, the mysterious, the obscured will find that in this disturbing place.

Andrew and the boy he loves, Thomas Rye, and the forest are allegory and archetype. What is real and what isn’t is not as integral to their story as whether they will survive when they become consumed by their fears and anxieties, and the forest comes to collect its pound of flesh. With that in mind, Don’t Let the Forest In is not a YA Romance novel. In fact, though Andrew loves Thomas, is in love with him, a significant part of Andrew’s narrative involves his asexuality and his reconciling that with his love for Thomas. Drews exams this in some powerful ways.

We all get that it’s imperative to have books available in the world that offer teens and young adults the opportunity to see themselves, that they aren’t alone in their feelings, that what makes them feel different doesn’t mean they’re broken. Don’t Let the Forest In does that. It’s esoteric and honest, unhurried and delivers some great twists that made me go back and read chapter one again to see how it all fit together. It also includes mentions of physical abuse, death, and body horror, so consider yourself cautioned.

I'm still trying to pull my thoughts together after that ending, but here are my initial impressions while they're fresh in my mind.

The writing was gorgeous and atmospheric. It really did feel like a beautiful, brutal fairytale, just like the stories Andrew wrote.

The relationship between Andrew and Thomas is messy and beautiful and impossible to look away from. I was thinking about this book even when I wasn't reading because I needed to know what happened with them next.

And I didn't see the big twist coming until just a little before. I love when books surprise me!

I was going to give this 5 stars all the way up until the last page. I really don't enjoy ambiguous endings, especially in a case like this. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the ambiguity of the ending essentially stole the end of Andrew's character arc. It will never be clear if or how he changed, and I think that would have been powerful to see (no matter whether it was a negative or positive arc).

I'm off to wrestle mentally with that ending some more, lol!

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

<i>Don't Let the Forest In</i> is a haunting exploration of love, identity, and mental illness. The story centers around Andrew, a young boy haunted by his inner demons, whose intense connection with his twin sister Dove and deep infatuation with his best friend Thomas shape much of his world. Both Andrew and Thomas channel their complex emotions through creative outlets—writing and artwork, respectively—adding layers to their relationship and underscoring the novel's exploration of artistic expression as a form of self-discovery and coping.

Writing this review was a challenge, but only because the book left such a profound impact that I needed time to process it. The author’s poetic and evocative prose creates an eerie, haunting atmosphere that resonates long after the final page. The sensitive treatment of mental illness and sexual identity offers a raw glimpse into the struggles faced by both boys, portraying their experiences with honesty and depth.

And then there’s that ending—a masterfully executed twist! No spoilers here, but I found myself rereading certain sections, marveling at the subtle clues the author planted along the way. The conclusion is as satisfying as it is mind-bending, drawing everything together in a way that both shocks and satisfies.

If you’re drawn to slow-burn stories that lead to dramatic, unforgettable conclusions, <i>Don't Let the Forest In</i> is a must-read. This is a tale that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

I can't even say it was an emotional rollercoaster, because it wasn't, not exactly. It was like a car going up and up and up again, and you know that you'll have to fall at some point because that's how rollercoasters work, there is always a drop. But the drop doesn't come and you are getting more anxious every second, with your heart beating faster and faster, because the higher you'll get, the scarier the fall will be. Well, that's exactly how I felt. The tensions ramped up while reading and I felt compelled to keep going while also afraid of what I was going to find. All the emotions Andrew felt were so well described that at a certain point, I couldn't detach his emotions from mine. I was feeling what Andrew was feeling and even when I stopped reading I still felt on edge, restless and kind of ready to jump at anything.

And after that twist (that I only guessed two pages before it was revealed) I feel like I need to read the whole book again!

The only thing that left me a bit meh was the fact that one of the twists was very straightforward to guess - it was actually explicitly mentioned several times - but the main character did not guess it till the very end. Maybe he was refusing to see it, as he did with the other twists, but it still felt kind of weird that he didn't even think about it.

I love things that make you double-guess your reality. You wonder whether what you see is real, what can you trust? Who can you trust? Is it all in your head? Not being able to trust yourself or your senses is one of the scariest things for me. How do you know what's real?
But in the end...does it even matter? If it's real for you, that should be enough.

And the writing! So evocative, I wanted to highlight half of the sentences in the book😂

I already miss the characters, I wish I could spend more time with them. I just want to hug Andrew and Thomas and tell them that everything will be okay. And even if it won't, that they'll have each other.

And I have so many questions now! There were several questions that were not answered, so that makes me hope that there is going to be another book, but who knows🫣

Rating: 4.75/5

It’s very rare for me to be at a loss for words…but y’all I’m at a loss for words. This book is pure poetry, plain and simple. I read it initially as an eARC, but this is one where had I been reading the physical copy I’d have highlighted entire pages. The writing is haunting, atmospheric, magical, and just plain eerie. It grabs you by the throat and never lets you go. I know I’ll be thinking about it for a while to come and can’t wait to reread and annotate my gorgeous physical copy!

Beyond the beautiful writing, Don’t Let the Forest In is such a compelling story. I was immediately invested in Andrew and the mystery behind Thomas’s behavior. I’ll be honest here, sometimes I shy away from YA because I’m a 34-year-old married mother of 2, but while reading this I felt like I was transported straight back to high school experiencing all of Andrew’s intense emotions right alongside him. I figured things out pretty early on, which usually disappoints me, but I honestly didn’t mind it because I was so engrossed in the storyline! The mental health rep was also amazingly done and so appreciated.

Okay, now brb while I attempt to emotionally recover from this.

Everyone. Read. This. Book.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the gifted ARC!

I honestly don't think that I am going to be able to get this book out of my head for quite some time. This is just one of those stories that sticks with you. Don't Let the Forest in is a YA psychological horror that is incredibly creepy and mysterious while weaving in elements of first queer love. I did really enjoy the representation in this story. It was such a driving force in this book. If body horror is your thing, then this book will be perfect for you. I can't fully understand how such terrible and scary things can be written with such beautiful prose. It really changed how this story made me feel. The entire book felt really tense and mysterious that compelled me to read faster and faster. I am still shocked by the twists and turns towards the ending. As I was reading, I couldn't help but have small flashbacks from The Spiderwick Chronicles. I can't remember if I am remembering it correctly, but I couldn't help but think this had similar vibes, yet somehow still darker. I highly recommend this one for the fall season. It is just so well done and absolutely nails the spooky season vibes!

You might be ready to let the forest in if you love nature that comes alive, eerie and haunting creatures, illustrations that peer into your soul, a boy having panic attacks in the forest and writing that feels like you’ve melted into the pages.
This is a book that will be replaying in my head endlessly and will probably have worn out pages with how many times I will be rereading it.
You know when you syke yourself up for a book or movie for months, and as you pick it up to start it, you have that small moment of dread, that minuscule paranoia that it won’t match up to the hype that has been created in your own head? For me, Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews was nothing like that. The vivid imagery that they spun within the pages felt like I was being pulled in, like I could feel and taste the way the forest was taking over Andrew’s world. The captivating way that Andrew’s feelings and anxieties were described was like my own chest had been cracked open right alongside his and Thomas’ and I was drowning in the chaos unfolding right there with them.

The shocking pieces that broke apart through this book I won’t even get into, because these are things that you need to experience on your own, and when you do - please I beg of you, come back and tell me what you feel.

As the author guessed in the acknowledgements, I was, in fact, frowning at the wall after I turned the final page.

I sat with this for a while. The confusion and irritation at the unclear ending. The curiosity if I understood and caught everything. The absolute rage I felt for the adults, especially for Andrew's father, who let these kids down.

The language was beautiful and repulsive. I loved Andrew’s fairytales included throughout the book. The body horror will upset some readers, but I found Andrew’s internal experience just as distressing to read. The story was seeping with dread, despair, and loneliness. I cried with Andrew on and off throughout the book, feeling the godawful young queer longing for a friend and the belief that you aren’t good enough for them. Andrew's disgust for himself and belief that he is a bad person was so hard to read, as were the palpable depictions of social alienation and grief.

"He was so tired of suffering because he moved through the world differently from everyone else. [He] never seemed able to cope...the world didn't fit against his skin...he felt too much and hurt too often and couldn't pack his emotions into neat, palatable boxes. He needed help. He needed someone to hold on to. He needed to be believed."

"[He] was so used to no one liking him, no one caring, that when they did, he was always terrified of the day they'd stop."

"Being left aching and hollow was a familiar feeling. A comfortable pain. [He] had always been an empty boy."

"'They're just meant to hurt.' Like a paper cut--a tiny sting that meant nothing more than I'm alive I'm alive I'm alive."

This was a tough read. It brought me back to feelings I had as a teenager that I didn't want to revisit, and then demanded more. At the same time, I know the trees will tempt me with what I now know, and I will have to return.

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley, for this eARC.

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

brb, let me collect my thoughts and my heart that this story aggressively sunk its teeth into and ripped to shreds.

*deep breath*

what an absolute masterpiece. this book was so beautifully written that I highlighted quotes on almost every page. I can’t wait to share my favorites once I get a physical copy!

this story is rich with gothic horror and twisted fairytales as it follows the lives of two boys who would do ANYTHING for one another no matter the cost.

Thomas and Andrew have been childhood friends since they began at Wickwood Academy. Thomas is all broken sharp edges yet has a softness to him reserved only for Andrew. He’s fiercely protective, impulsive, and loves sweet treats.
and Andrew. my sweet angel baby Andrew, who gets lost in his mind and anxieties, and is driven by his macabre writing.
I fell in love with them deeply and was quickly not only fascinated by the depth of their characters but rooted for the success and questionable actions.

here are the vibes:

🌲folk horror
🌲“touch him and die”
🌲ace representation
🌲 sinister forest
🌲academia setting
🌲twisted fairytales

the last 10% of the book had me in an absolute chokehold and I couldn’t put it down. when I got to a particular part I audibly gasped alone in my house and then proceeded to sob. this book simultaneously left me in a state of shock and awe and is truly the perfect read for autumn🍂

release date: today!!

thank you Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for this arc in exchange for an honest review.🫶🏻

An eldritch delight, this book was simply lovely and made my dark, forest-loving little heart happy!

I enjoyed the writing and highlighted beautiful passages throughout, especially the descriptions of feelings. This is YA, and these are teenagers, so the overwrought, oppressive nature of said feelings made sense and felt relatable. The plot isn’t covering new ground in its base notes, but the characters felt original and the commitment to the horror elements was delightful.

Flawed characters just do it for me, and I was a sucker for these messy, broken boys. Andrew and Thomas were so completely wrapped up in one another, and the selfishness of young love was embodied by the monsters springing from the pages of art. There were some themes of mental health and sexuality that perhaps could have been explored more, but overall I had an amazing time and definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for queer YA horror!

Stunning, stunning book! I've been looking forward to reading this since its announcement and it wasn't a disappointment! So so glad to have read this and something that I will definitely purchase a physical copy of!

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and Net Galley for the chance to review this ARC!

The acknowledgements at the end of this book says "if you've turned the last page and are now frowning at the wall, then everything is as it should be," and that is exactly how I feel. I am breathless and deeply moved, but also disturbed in the way only Dark Academic horror can bring out. It's gruesome and visceral and heartbreaking. It's moving and compelling. It's powerful.

I don't know where to start. The depiction of grief is absolutely riveting and gut wrenching and, if you've experienced it before, relatable. It's the combination of grief, social anxiety, questions about sexuality, and general mental strife that creates such turmoil, and it's beautifully and heartbreakingly depicted here. I could write a thesis about the importance of the asexual representation in this book as an ace person myself, and all the confusion that comes with it. I could write a separate thesis about mental health and grief and the ways to represent that in literature and how much I adore the way it's been done here.

I cannot wait for more people to get their hands on this book, to read it, and to frown at the wall like I am, and will be doing for the next several hours.

Bravo, C. G. Drews, on this absolutely amazing book.

Here is my review for don’t let the forest in! This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year!!! I was so exited to get my hands on it early. Thank you net galley

**Net Gallery Approved Review**


Have you ever had loved someone so strongly, you do anything for them and I mean anything...

This book took me on a journey that can only be described as love born in a forest turned into a battle of survival. 2 boys who would do anything for another including fighting battles day and night. These monster that are coming from the forest are terrifying and truly nightmares born from darkness of the heart. Monsters lie in every corner of this story. Our teens have figure out why their beloved forest turns into nightmares before they kill them and everyone they hurt anyone else. Maybe the monsters they fight are the same ones they fight in their head? Or just creations being puppet by a malevolent entity? What do these monsters want and how far are our heroes willing to go to make them stop?

What I love is our author does shy away or hold back in their imagery of who and what you are reading . The setting puts you into their world of ink and wont let you go even in the light of day. It truly feels like the beast are right in front of you and the characters are very well done and have depth to them. The way the author brings the beauty of nature and the macabre into every person and item and place and monster in the story is a work of art! A true dark academia treasure! You are truly will be on a ride of emotions as these teens struggle and battle their feelings for each other and even who they are as a person. A question that came up for me is a person purpose in love and should it over rule your identity?

This book really put me in a Halloween mood, I truly recommend this book all year round but if your looking for a spooky, bone chilling, mind wrecking, tear jerker read grab this book by Halloween!!

What a great book to finish out October with. CG Drew's is such a great storyteller and can't wait to read more.

3.75 stars

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for this advanced copy!

This book was insanely trippy. Everything about it left me reeling and unsure of what was real and what was not and I really enjoyed that. I'm honestly convinced that everything took place in Andrew's head and that he was having a mental breakdown after the events of the previous school year. However, I think the author did a great job of making you really unsure of whether everything was real or not and that feeling of being unsure really lends itself well to the story, especially the ending. I'm still unsure even now whether it was real or all in his head, that's how well the author weaved the story together.

The characters were really interesting and I kind of love how unhinged they got by the end of the book. I truly think that Andrew became obsessed with Thomas and in a very much unhealthy manner and it was incredibly interesting to watch his decent into obsession as the book progressed and how sort of out of touch with reality he became as the book moved along. The way he talked about wanting to bury himself into his chest and steal his rib bones and things like that were just crazy. I truly have no words for it at all.

I also really enjoyed the monsters and the stories that were included in the book. I could really picture the creatures in my head and the stories really added the fantastical background to them that very much had Grimm's fairy-tale vibes to them.

Overall, it was a really interesting book and very much lends itself well to the Halloween season. I honestly feel like I need to reread it to see if I can pinpoint whether it was all real or not because I'm so unsure.

This book was a captivating read, with twists and turns I thought I had figured out, but was constantly proven incorrect. The characters were very relatable, especially to people in the LGBTQ community. I took one star off as it felt the story got a little repetitive. However, if I could give a 4.5 star rating, I would due to the final chapters. I highly recommend everyone reads this book if you find mystery/horror/subtle romance interesting. Please note, there are some gory scenes throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for this ARC Copy! 4.75 Stars

Oh.My.Gosh... This book absolutely blew me away. It was literally everything I was looking for for spooky season. When I received the ARC it was painful to wait but I knew that I needed to wait for the right season to read it and it was absolutely perfect. The mental health rep, the ACE and questioning rep, the troubled boy and the twins who are inseparable all set in an elite boarding school that just happens to be nestled up to a forest.
A boy who writes the most troubling fairytales, and a boy who draws the horrors he sees on the pages find themselves in a battle with the forest that used to be their refuge.

Definitely check your trigger warnings on this one, it has some body horror, but it was so well done and the gothic fairy tail aspect filled with eldritch horrors keeps you hooked from start to finish.

DON'T LET THE FOREST IN is a book i've been longing for my entire life and not a word i could say here will do justice to its sublime beauty. it's a verdant, surreal, and horrifying story of queer love, grief, and rage that made my veins burn as it grew through them and into my heart. it is the story of two boys—andrew perrault and thomas rye—whose fairy tales and monstrous art come to life and threaten the existence of everything they hold dear. it is about what happens when you are pushed to sacrificial depths in the name of the person you love more than any other.

this is a love letter to the act of creation, an ode to feverish obsession, and a desperate prayer for those who feel broken, those who feel like monsters, and those who pour their heart and soul into their work, who channel their pain into art. utterly compelling, gorgeously written, and unapologetically queer (the asexual representation here made my heart sing), DON'T LET THE FOREST IN is one of my favorite novels i've ever read.

i read this book like a person possessed. i could not tear myself away from it and when i was forced to, i thought of it constantly until i could return to it. it is one of those rare novels that holds up a mirror to parts of me i've kept locked safely away. it made me feel loved and it validated all the times i've gotten lost in my head or explored my heart and found them treacherous places to be. there is, after all, no real line that separates love and horror, and DON'T LET THE FOREST IN is the perfect showcase of that. it is not a story i will ever forget, and i am immensely grateful that it exists.

The macabre writings and drawings of Andrew and Thomas have been coming to life at night. The boys face monsters head-on and must battle for their lives and their sanity. Their world spirals further into darkness as the forest creeps into the school.

Don't Let the Forest In is lyrical, destructive, and looming. I was left with a chill in my bones and a shiver down my spine. I wanted to grab these two boys and squeeze them tight, even while the thorns on their bark skin cut into my flesh. Drews is, as always, cutting and vivid in the imagery she creates. The dark forest and obsessive love between Andrew and Thomas combine to create a sumptuous rotting horror of a story. There is a softness here, but it is like the softness of velvet moss covering a sharp knife. It gets in you and infects you with its imagery until it lives inside you forever afterward.

This book was absolutely delicious. I was immediately pulled in by the haunting and gruesome stories that Andrew writes. I’m extremely excited to see the illustrations to go with them in the published book. The descriptions of Thomas’ artwork were grotesque and chilling, and I loved them. My only (minor) gripe with this book is that the final question is unresolved. I read mostly standalones because I like having resolution at the end of my books. That being said, at the end of the book Drews notes, "If you've turned the last page and are now frowning at the wall, everything is as it should be." I was doing exactly that. This is one that needed to ruminate inside me. I’m looking forward to reading this again on release date and diving back in for more clues and horror.

4.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the eARC of Don't Let the Forest In in exchange for an honest review.