Wilderness Reform by Matt Query; Harrison Query is an intriguing slow burn suspense novel.
I thought this was an interesting book and concept.
I enjoyed the characters and the setting really sucked me in.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

OLD COUNTRY is one of my most recommended books to non-readers as it reads like a movie. This is not that but definitely is for readers! It has all the horror elements I love but keeps you on the edge of your seat as you KNOW something bad is coming. I was raptured by Ben’s world and felt like I was next to him. That ending? Perfect.

I am really thankful to Atria Books, Simon Books, Matt Query and Harrison Query, and Netgalley for granting me advanced reader access both digitally and physically to this book before publication day, July 2, 2024.

Ben is smart, smarter than the adults around him realize. He can use that to his advantage, especially once he ends up at the wilderness retreat for troubled teens he is sent to after getting arrested. His skills come in handy with the counselors at the retreat, as well as with some of his fellow troubled teens. While making some friends, he expects I think to coast along until the program is over and he can go home. Except he notices something weird with the counselors, especially the leader Reid. One night after retiring to bed, Ben and his cabin mates find something that cements Ben's distrust in the adults and makes him determined to uncover what is happening at camp.
This is more of a slow-burn horror. We get to know a bit about Ben and the boys he is rooming with, and while we are aware from the beginning that something weird is going to go down from his reaction to one of the counselors we have to wait a bit for the tension to build before the creepy reveals. I really enjoyed Ben as our main character and is part of the story. There are plenty of twists and turns, and just strange moments that keep you guessing as to what's really going on. Which I didn't fully figure out until it was revealed

This is the first book I've read by these authors and I would definitely read more.

Ben is barely a teen when he’s sent to a wilderness camp for troubled teens. Immediately he noticed the counselors are off; over friendly and upbeat. As he gets to know them more, he begins to understand there is evil involved.

Old Country is one of my favorite horror novels, so I was very excited for this one. This one has the same creepiness and spook factor, but is a much slower pace. There is a lot to get through before it gets really good. I enjoyed the survival aspect of this one and the main character, Ben , and his plight. Some of the details about fishing and trapping felt overdone and could have been shortened but I can see how it added to the atmosphere.

“This bond between the three of them went beyond trivialities. It was created by something dark and dangerous they faced together, something no one else in the world would believe if they tried to convince them.”

Wilderness Reform comes out 7/2.

The author's writing style did not make this one I felt enjoyable to read. It did not carry me along and propel the story forward in my opinion. There were some really interesting things that happened in this story but unfortunately it was not for me.

I was excited about this one as I gad read some great reviews … but it’s way too slow a book for me .and I just couldn’t get into it at all

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review

The Query brothers love layers: Layers of meaning to their book titles, to names, to themes, to characters, and more. Maybe that’s Harrinson’s influence from being a screenplay writer? Who knows. All I know is that the layered meanings in their books is one reason why I absolutely love a Query brothers book. The other reason comes down entirely to the influence of Matt Query on the plot, worldbuilding, and writing: His depth and breadth of knowledge concerning wilderness and nature makes these books not only breathtakingly imagined, but wholly realistic in their scale and terror. When I was reading this book I absolutely knew I wasn’t reading an exaggeration of how dangerous or beautiful the Northern Rockies are, because I bet Matt Query backpacked those mountains before he and Harrison wrote this book (heck, they both might have).

A huge theme in this book is how adults not acting as they should, caring for the children in their communities and fostering their talents, leads to them having to scramble to make their own way in the world and run wild. That’s how our main character, Ben, gets sent to wilderness reform camp for the summer. It’s there where he finds adults are the same everywhere: they’re not truly invested in what’s best for the kids. They’re invested in what’s in it for them. So Ben has no choice but to make his own way and hopefully save a few other souls while he can.

I was really invested in the plot of this book and I actually love the Query way of slow-burn horror. The horror of it all is always made clear pretty early on–it’s just the intensity of the horror that keeps ratcheting up, and it gets so much worse as time goes on. The main issue I had with this book was the narrative style. It was a little too clunky for me, sometimes abruptly switching from third-person omniscient to third-person limited to head jumping. I still highly recommend it, but just be aware of the narrative.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Coming of Age/Horror/Supernatural Horror

Wilderness Reform

Available July 2
Preorder now

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review.


Old Country was in my top 5 favorites last year, so I was SUPER pumped for this one...

Maybe my expectations being set SO high didn't do this book any favors...
But let me explain...

Wilderness Retreat is a slooow burn...
This book takes its time creating an eerie, uneasy feeling deep inside you... It's very atmospheric and it's easy to envision everything that's going on... It's just that there's not a whole lot going on through a big chunk of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ending, but I feel like the pacing was just a bit off in this one.

It could have been 50 pages shorter... I feel we would have gotten the same story, and I might not have felt the drag... it might've packed a bigger punch. I don't know. But this is just my opinion, based on my preferences.
Others are going to think the pacing is perfect. It's horror. It's art. It's all subjective.

I did really enjoy the complexity of the characters though, and the respect they were portrayed with.

Ben, our protagonist, truly adds sooo much to the story though. I loved following his character, and I was cheering him on every step of the way.

So, I mean, yeah... it's a good book, don't get me wrong; and I still look forward to their next one. It just wasn't Old Country.

But it wasn't meant to be.
And I'll certainly be recommending it.

3.5 / 5

This was so weird! I liked it I think? The premise was definitely interesting, but the writing style was not my fave.

This one takes a bit of patience at first but know that this will build to a nicely creepy horror novel. Ben, a 13 year old opts to go the Bear Springs wilderness reform camp when he's caught committing a crime because the sentence is shorter and well, it's camp. Except something is odd about this camp. The early chapters see Ben learning all sorts of handy wilderness skills but also wondering about the counselors. And he's right to do so. No spoilers from me on this one. Ben might convey as older than 13 but remember he hasn't had an easy childhood and he's one determined kid. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read that would make a good movie.

This is an extreme slow burn, my book peeps, and I don’t do well with those! 🫣 There were some great tension-filled, horrific scenes but the story dragged between them. The ending was great, albeit a bit predictable. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The MMC Ben came off as a very smart-mouthed punk to me which didn’t help either! 🤨 Yet he also didn’t act and think like a 13-year-old; felt like he was more in his late teens/early twenties. I know the authors were trying to portray him as a genius, but he just irritated me instead! 😅

Overall, it’s a great plot and I’m sure there are slow burn lovers out there who would devour this! Sadly, it was just okay for me.

TW: animal death (hunting)

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Matt and Harrison Query for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Wilderness Reform coming out July 2, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I loved Old Country, so I was excited to receive this book! I think the plot was really interesting. Camp stories are always creepy and full of mystery. I love the beautiful setting of Montana. It’s definitely a wide, open space. I think the characters were interesting. There was definitely a lot of slow burn and suspense. I think most of the action happened at the end. I would’ve liked a little more action throughout the book. But overall, I loved it. The writing is so good! Excited to read more books by these authors!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys camp stories!

Thank you Netgalley & Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an eARC 🔥

"Wilderness Reform” is a thriller about a camp for troubled teens in the middle of nowhere, Montana. The counselors seem nice, but something's off. The main character, Ben, is a smart and resourceful kid who teams up with his cabin mates to figure out what's really going on. Each of them has a special skill that helps them get closer to the truth. It's like a survival story, but with a supernatural twist!

The authors do a great job of building tension and suspense. You'll be guessing what's happening and who's behind it all. The pacing is quick and intense, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The writing is descriptive and immersive, making it easy to visualize the setting and feel like you're right there in the wilderness with Ben and his friends.

What I loved most about this book is the characters. Ben and his friends are all unique and relatable, with their own strengths and weaknesses. They're not just typical "troubled teens" - they're complex and multidimensional, with their own stories and motivations .

This is easily my favorite book of the year so far! The cover, title, premise, everything drew me in like a moth to a flame. I love camp and survival stories. The idea of juvenile offenders all staying together in the mountains and something going terribly wrong was too tempting to pass up.

I love a slow burn when it is done well. This book is an example of it done well. There was just enough suspense to keep me hooked. While there were a few times when I wanted something to happen sooner, in a way that kept me on the edge of my seat more. Also, there has to be a good payoff when something finally does happen, which again this book delivers. So the pacing, while slow, totally worked for me in this case.

The characters were amazing and I loved each of their personal stories, particularly the main character Ben's. Was not really expecting all the humanity on every page and the compassion I felt for these kids.

I also enjoyed the written rendition of their accents. I could hear them clearly in my head and it helps bring the character to life.

I am not much of an outdoorsy person but I secretly wish I was, so I also loved learning about their activities, training, the landscape, and all the animals they encountered.

If there's one thing I wish the book had more of, it was a tense moment here and there. At times the story seems to lead up to one, but then nothing really comes of it. Like the interaction with Ben and one of the counselors (Nick?) at the library. It would have been more suspenseful to me if the counselor had suspected Ben of something in that moment. Or if Reid had caught Ben sneaking around at some point during his investigation. Just an "oh, crap!" moment where everything seems to stop before moving on again.

My actual rating is a 4.5 rounded up, and I don't round up very often!

Thank you so much to Atria Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Wilderness Reform is a thriller about a wilderness camp for troubled teens but the camp has mysterious events and disappearances. It takes survival and discipline to a terrifying new level. This book drew me in by the amazing cover and with the camp story. This author did a good job writing this book but I did feel like the book dragged on for a bit. The characters were really good and I enjoyed the character Ben. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend this one to anyone who likes a good horror book. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this one in exchange of my honest review of Wilderness Reform.

Wilderness Reform was a fun read, especially for summer! After watching a docuseries on Netflix about wilderness reform camps, I was intrigued with this book. The “twist” was a good one. It was not at all the direction I was expecting. As I was reading, it was quite clear that something wasn’t right at Bear Springs… but not what I thought. I’ve always been interested in history and folklore legends, and I loved that there were bits sprinkled in Wilderness Reform.

I really connected with Ben’s character. I know his struggle of wanting a better situation for your siblings and feeling helpless. I loved his determination and wit. Such a strong main character.

My only qualm with this book was the pacing. It’s definitely more of a slow burn feel. Most of the action happened in the last few chapters. The suspense built throughout the book, but it felt quite slow. I wish there was more action in the earlier chapters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC of Wilderness Reform.

I have serious issues with wilderness reform, so I thought "why not read a thriller about it."
Thoughts while reading: It is kind of weird that these kids are using the words they are using. Words like "fellas". as far as I can tell this doesn't take place in the 1930s.
Is Ben like a witch? Do boys actually talk this much? Because girls don't.
Thoughts after finishing the book: This is a good. I liked it a lot. It is long winded in some places, like we don't need long beautiful sentences for every single thing that happens in a book. This reads like poetry.
Anyway this was weird AF and I enjoyed it.

This book is decent. I cannot say that it was all engrossing, considering the suspense it should have delivered, but it was an okay read.

Thank you Atria for the early review copy of Wilderness Reform. This is a book that I wanted to love, like a lot more than I did. It's a strong premise that gets smothered by slow pacing... a plot that might require a little faster pacing, a little more hooks you in and won't let go style. There is strong character development/focus, which I tend to love, but in a book that wants to be plot driven, the character focus feels off. I also tend to not engage as much with suspense/horror that goes into the supernatural, it just isn't quite my thing, and I feel this book moved more into that genre than I had hoped for (I guess I prefer my scares to return us to examining humanity more and how reform/conversion camps can contain human horrors).
A book filled with possibility but with ineffective execution.