A fun, queer YA survival thriller in a spooky forest! I enjoyed this a lot - it was fast paced, the characters felt distinct, and there's a fun creepy supernatural element (though that doesn't really happen until about halfway through). Would recommend for any fans of the genre, and for those looking for more queer representation.

I am, as always, a big fan of Courtney Gould's work and What the Woods Took is no exception. Equal parts gritty, real-life scary, and spooky scary, I could not put this book down. I have said this before and I'll say it again that her writing encapsulates the small town, claustrophobic feel of a Stephen King. There are parts of this book where I needed to take a walk after reading. She's incredible at atmospheric horror and her talent shines throughout this story. I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who will listen.

🌲Book Review🌲
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Summary- Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction―one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways―and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness―they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods―inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves―and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other―and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts- this was a super solid supernatural YA thriller (rare I know!). Thank you so much @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks this one comes out December 10th, so keep your eyes peeled for it in bookstores soon! I loved the premise of a children reform camp in haunted woods. There’s a little bit of romance, a whole lot of drama, and a ton of spooky supernatural vibes. I highly recommend this one but would recommend going in kind of blind. It’s a fun ride, try not so spoil it for yourself !
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QOTD- what are you looking forward to this weekend ?! I’m going Christmas shopping with my bestie and seeing gladiator 2 with my husband !
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What the Woods Took is a haunting and atmospheric thriller. When Devin is kidnapped from her bed, she can’t believe that her foster parents condone this. Yet to her shock, they’ve agreed and enrolled her in a wilderness therapy program. Devin soon finds herself hiking through the woods, with a strange team. The person she can’t stand the most is Sheridan, who ruthlessly gets under her skin. Soon, it starts to feel like there’s something else in the woods with them. Can the group work together to survive what lurks in the shadows?

What the Woods Took is very difficult to put down after a certain point! Readers who seek the thrill of a creature stalking your steps into the woods will love this book. I enjoyed the emotional journey that Devin, Sheridan, and Oli went on (along with the others). They truly had to face their fears and worst case scenarios before the woods would relinquish their grasp on them. The idea of the “mimics” was very creepy and definitely gave me chills. There is some heavy content, as the teens have gone through a lot, but I thought it was all written with care.

Readers who want a thrilling journey through woods filled with horrors will devour this book. There was excellent LGBTQ+ rep in two of the main characters and I appreciated how they were allowed to be such complex characters. What the Woods took is an emotional journey filled with anger and hope alike. It’s a powerful story and I'm looking forward to what Courtney Gould writes next!

Thank you to Courtney Gould, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I read it in one sitting, but the descriptions of the monsters really pulled me out of the story. Personally, I liked the author's earlier works more than this (especially Where Echoes Die).

Spoilers
I just kept picturing the monsters in their "true form" as Gumby....🤣

4.5/5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book, it hooked me from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the depth of the characters and the progression of getting to know them through the story as they changed and evolved. The split POV was quite interesting and I really enjoyed getting a view on both characters and their interactions and feeling about the other characters. One thing I would say (besides a few spelling errors that i overlooked) is that this book didnt feel quite like “horror” although it has elements of suspense and thrill that leave you guessing. Overall a great read I definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and allowing me to read this book early.

Trauma-bonded found family + dark and spooky woods + enemies to lovers = a recipe for the perfect novel to cozy up with on a dark winter night.

Courtney Gould drops 5 “troubled teens” and two overconfident “counselors” into a an unknown forest and so begins our tale of trauma, redemption, strength, and tenderness. I love this book so much!!! It’s not often that you come across a novel that completely sucks you in and speaks to your soul all while making you afraid of the dark (and quiet).

Gould made these unlikely friends come to life on the page. I truly felt like I could hear the leaves rustling in the wind while reading. Both surprisingly heartwarming and thoroughly spooky, this story will stay with me for a long time!

Devin is the kind of character I love. She’s tough and she knows it. She can take care of herself, because she’s always had to. She’s strong and opinionated but also empathetic and brave. I loved her from the first page. Sheridan is the kind of character I don’t see as often. She is sullen and snarky. She is angry and selfish. She refuses to care about the others because she doesn’t see the point. We love to hate her.

Ollie, Aidan, and Hannah are characters that a less skilled author may have left somewhat hollow or blank but Gould takes her time with them until each one feels as full and interesting as our main characters. Ollie is a kid who has given up, he has low self esteem and isn’t sure how to be useful. Hannah is sad and wracked with guilt and shame. Aidan is young, yearning for approval, and unsure of himself.

Then, slowly, as the forest literally transforms around them, they each begin to transform too. We follow them on this journey through the woods as they learn to rely on themselves and on each other. In the end, they emerge stronger than before.

I won’t say too much, but the tenderness and bond between Devin and Sheridan was so beautifully done. It left me breathless and punching the air with joy.

This is the kind of book that grips you until the last page and leaves you thinking about it long after.

Tense, dark and downright creepy!
Troubled teens are taken from their beds in the middle of the night and brought to the middle of nowhere for wilderness therapy.
Questionable counselors who are only a few years older are supposed to lead them
through daily hikes, activities and setting up camp. When one day there is an unsettling feeling in the woods and the teens find themselves stranded with missing counselors. They now have to survive and find a way out when creepy things start to happen in the woods.
Hooked me from the beginning and I was on the edge of my seat!

A group of troubled teens, wilderness therapy with questionable counselors, and creepy woods…. sign me up!!! These were the three key elements that led to such an amazing story called What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould.

We follow the group as they are dragged from their beds/homes and brought to the middle of nowhere for a wilderness hike, and forced to confront their troubles while trusting complete strangers with their safety. Yet with one activity, our FMC Devin finds herself feeling unsettled and constantly looking over their shoulder. The group doesn’t realize how life changing this experience will really be.

This was emotional, tense, and at times really creepy! It was a perfect Ya Horror book for all ages. I loved the found family aspect, and the monsters. Gotta love a good monster in the woods! Courtney Gould wrote another brilliant story that I just couldn’t get enough of.

What the Woods Took is a slow burn that will keep you captivated until the very end. Devin Green hasn’t had an easy life, and she certainly doesn’t expect anyone to genuinely want to help or take care of her. Having been in and out of foster homes, she knows she will soon age out and is waiting for that moment.

Then comes the abduction in the middle of the night. Devin is taken in a van along with another teenager and is told they are going to participate in wilderness therapy. The group consists of a ragtag collection of misfits, and Devin immediately dislikes Sheridan, a girl with a chip on her shoulder, which leads her to attempt to isolate her.

The hikes and food are mundane until the camp counselors go missing in the dead of night. Devin and the others are on a mission to finish the hike and reach the supply stations, or they risk dying alone in the wilderness. Along the way, a touch of horror is introduced as the kids navigate toward their destination. The beginning is quite slow to build, which was my only complaint.

What a ride that was! I was on my toes devouring this book and I just couldn’t get enough. Did I see any of that coming? No. Was I glad I was taken by surprise? YES!

What the Woods Took is a fast paced YA thriller. The book tells the story of a group of teens who are unwillingly taken to a wilderness therapy camp in the Idaho woods. During the group's 50 days of adventures in troubled-teen counseling via all day hiking, sleeping on the dirt, and eating survival food - their counselors go missing. Now they must learn to trust each other to get out of the woods while trying not to suffer the same fate.
I thought the story was very well written and narrated. It was action packed enough to keep me reading and the characters were very real and relatable. Thank you to NetGally and the publishers for both the book and audio.

While it wasn’t horrible or poorly written, it just wasn’t what I was looking for in a book. There was a moment near the beginning when the horror element was starting and that one moment had me creeped out, but after that, the horror element just faded away which was disappointing. The beginning was also pretty slow and there wasn’t as much action as I would’ve preferred. I do think that the characters' backstories were well written and I honestly think that if this story was just about them trying to overcome their self-destructive tendencies without the horror element, then it could’ve been a good novel.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me a copy of this book.
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What the Woods Took follows Devin and Ollie as they are both kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken to the middle of the woods for a "troubled teen" program called REVIVE. Obviously stuff happens to the group and their counselors in the woods and soon start seeing some strange things in the forest.

I was hooked from the start of this book. It honestly starts off with a bang and does not slow down. I definitely felt super creeped out reading this and now have a fear of a supernatural creature but the plot and characters were so good I could not stop reading.

This was a really fascinating look at psychology, trauma, adolescence, and acting out, with a fantasy/horror twist. I was really engrossed in the plot and the characters. While it's aimed at YA there's a lot to enjoy for adults too..

This was bananas and went in a totally different direction than I thought! I can totally picture selling this to my students based on the premise. I will definitely be adding this to my library, as my kids can't get enough mystery/horror.

I really liked the plot, that it was reminiscent of yellow jackets but it was really hard for me to get through this one. I would've liked more focus on the creatures in the woods. I did enjoy Sheridan and Ollie's character though! I enjoyed watching them grow.

✨Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St Martins Press/Wednesday Books for the gifted digital and audio copies of this book!✨

2.5⭐️ rounded up.

This book didn’t wow me.

I loved the queer love story in this book, and that was about it.

The plot didn’t feel original. A lot of it was derived from other popular movies/books.

A lot of the story was really slow and nothing was going on.

The narrator was good.

Overall, not great.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.49 out of 5 stars

Posited as: "Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted when a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program find themselves stranded in a forest full of monsters eager to take their place."

I thought this was going to be a light read. Granted, I have seen neither Yellowjackets nor Girl, Interrupted, but the idea of wilderness therapy appealed to the side of me that signed up for psychology e-mails and believes wholeheartedly in nature deficit disorder.

Light read it was not. Creatures that take on the appearance of not only loved ones, but also unloved ones, ones who tormented some of the kids in this camp, who melt back into whatever monstrous form they actually are by melt-morphing back. Horrifying.

But the atmosphere of it all was unnerving. The silence, the vacuum-void of natural ambience...

Okay. I am getting to it.

Devin. Foster child, about to age out, acting out. Foster parents at the end of their rope. Sheridan. A rich girl, lavender hair, bullish bully. Ollie. Outcast. Thin, livewire relationship with his father. His grandmother dying in their living room, one minute at a time. Hannah. No one quite understands why she is there, she seems to have a normal enough life, other than the fact that her parents sent her to this camp when she's only messed up once in her life. Aidan. Forgettable character. I can't remember why he's there.

They are being taken on a 50-day excursion into the woods where they will (hopefully) learn life skills and detox if necessary and learn how to get along with others and work as a team and come back as normal, sweet people. They are led by barely-older-than-them Ethan and Liv who are allegedly there to assist them with their transition into not-troublemakers.

After a spectacularly bad decision to have the campers cross a raging river, they make camp for the night. In the morning, the counselors are gone. Initially, some of the campers think this is part of the program - forcing them to come together in order to survive and get out of the forest, but slowly they come to realize that something bad has happened.

Devin decides she is going to try to find a campground on the map, and Sheridan, who has made her life hell so far, is coming with her. Meanwhile, the other three are going to try to follow the trail to the next stop where food should be.

The campground is a bust - burnt to the ground, so Devin and Sheridan head out to find the others. Soon, the campers will discover that there are mimics in these woods - able to take the form of those the campers know, but they don't know what they want, only that they are not benevolent, and they are sure they had something to do with the disappearance of the counselors.

Okay, so yes, there were some YA tropes in there, including enemies-to-lovers, but that's not a fair assessment of the Devin-Sheridan relationship building, and it felt like it was all background to the horror of being in an endless forest with limited food and creatures that can create a stillness and silence that signals that they are near. Honestly, this was so much better than I expected.

I am looking forward to reading more by Courtney Gould.

okay yeah, this is perfectly marketed for "fans of Yellowjackets" because WOW! I am blown away by this book. It was creepy. It was wonderfully written and so engaging. It had characters that kept me guessing. I read it in one sitting!