Courtney Gould can have my soul in exchange for more books. The writing in What the Woods Took is so atmospheric and this author just honestly has a talent for superb storytelling. What the Woods Took is thrilling and suspenseful, full of realistic and beautifully flawed characters, and the way the plot was executed was *chef's kiss*. I can't wait to read more from Courtney Gould in the future.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Actual rating: 3.5

Courtney Gould presents her third novel, What the Woods Took. A YA queer survival horror, readers follow five "troubled" teens who have been sent to wilderness therapy. It doesn't take long for the adults to go missing, leaving the teens to find for themselves in the woods. When they start to see impossible things, it becomes difficult to know who to trust and what is real. Told from the perspectives of Devin, a lesbian foster child who has been kicked out of one too many schools, and Ollie, whose dad accuses him of stealing his grandmother's pain pills from her cancer treatments. What the Woods Took pulls no punches and puts the entirety of the kids' lives into question.

Content warnings for mentions of kidnapping, sexual assault, homophobia, drug abuse, death of a loved one, body horror, emotional abuse, and more. Please read with care.

While there are five teens in the wilderness therapy program, the story told is really the story of Ollie, Sheridan, and Devin most of all. I felt it was interesting to have less weight given to Hannah and Aiden except through the lens of the other characters. This choice, in part, makes sense for numerous factors, but still sits a little awkwardly for me. Gould does well with creating real discord in the group and creating a real threat to survival, but there is a feeling of plot armor that is inherent for our main three characters.

I have learned that I likely should consume these types of stories via audio, since I tend to struggle with becoming initially invested at the start of the story. I did read this book entirely via ebook and found that the pace picked up about a third of the way in.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to the target demographic or to fans of this type of story. I am grateful for the opportunity to read this book early.

As someone who has a close friend that had to go to a troubled teen wilderness 'therapy' camp and who has always been fascinated by the awfulness of this abusive and scam of an industry, WHAT THE WOODS TOOK combines a supernatural horror story similar to THE THING and brings in some really effective real world horrors. I liked the slow burn pacing, as well as the characters as all these kids are definitely damaged but cetainly don't deserve to be thrown into this horrific situation even WITHOUT the supernatural stuff. I really liked this book, and Courtney Gould really has a unique and unnerving horror voice.

I wanted so badly to be sucked into this book. I wanted so badly to love it. But I just couldn't get myself to care what happened to these characters. Maybe it was the slow burn, with the real plot not beginning until halfway through the book, or maybe it was just the headspace I've been in recently, but I just didn't find myself reaching for this one or wanting to stay up reading more. That is not to say it isn't a good novel. I think the idea of the story is intriguing and I think it will be a book that so many other people love. But it just wasn't for me, right now.

Five teens, one experimental therapy program, and a forest filled with monsters... talk about facing your monsters. When Devin Green is taken in her bedroom by strangers and thrown into a van she realizes that her "parents" had planned it and that she is now being enrolled into a experimental therapy program in the wild where teens learn to change their self-destructive ways and survive a fifty day hike through the wilderness. Devin is determined to escape while the other teen who is taken from the same area as her, is determined to just see it through.... but unfortunately for the teens as their hike begins and they cross a barrier.... something darker... something beastly is out to get them... and will use their darkest fears against them to steal their bodies or rip them apart. The teens will have to find a way to escape the killer creatures and trust one another to find a way out of the wild. This was a mixture of teen coming of age and of horror/nature horror thriller. It's a unique story and read and one I think others will definitely enjoy. I do really like Courtney's writing style and the way she crafts stories. The book itself was a unique read, and while it wasn't my favorite from her it was still one I did like reading at least once.

Release Date: December 10,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday B

What the Woods Took, by Courtney Gould, is a masterpiece in paranormal YA horror! Five teens are sent to a brand new wilderness therapy program, taken from their beds in the middle of the night. Their guides are two adults barely older than themselves. It starts out just as terrible as you would expect - they aren't even given tents to sleep in. But it only gets worse when they cross the river and weird mimic creatures emerge from the woods, first taking their guides and then closing in on the teens. The teens' bonds grow stronger, but it's the mimic's forest and they will have to fight to survive. Fragile relationships are tested, as are weak survival skills. Gould creates a breathtaking world that leaves you turning that next page over and over again, because you just have to find out what happens to Devin and the others. 4.5 stars.

What The woods Took is a YA supernatural thriller with LGBTQ representation.

Creepy, atmospheric and tense! I absolutely devoured this one! From the beginning of this book I was hooked and it kept me turning pages.

The book follows two main characters, Devin and Ollie and a band of other teens through treacherous woods.

The beginning of the book starts off running and then its pace did slow as characters are introduced and backgrounds are explained. After this it picks back up and I literally could not put the book down.

In the middle of the night, Devin is essentially kidnapped and finds herself in the woods of middle of nowhere Idaho where she’s has to complete wilderness therapy.
Things seem okay (at least as far as they can be), but then the group of teens start seeing and hearing things that aren’t there. And when they wake up one morning and their counselors are no where to be found, they have to work together to survive and make it out of the woods.

Check trigger warnings as this book discusses several hard topics.

*Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

HAPPY PUB DAY TO @gayowyn and WHAT THE WOODS TOOK!✨

This book was gritty, full of trauma and drama, TENSE, TENSE, and did I say TENSE(?), full of heart, a book where you’re really rooting for the characters, full of found family depictions, and showed the resiliency of the human spirit.

A middle of the night “legal” kidnapping, wilderness survival, trusting strangers to help keep me safe and alive, the disappearance of those who were charged with keeping you safe, chaos ensues. This book is seriously my biggest nightmare put to pages in a book! It was truly giving a confined closed room thriller….but in the wide open wilderness which may personally more terrifying to me!

ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS BRAVO TO @gayowyn ! I think books are meant to make you feel something and look introspectively at life and this was such a great representation of that for me! This may have been my first book by this author, but it will definitely not be my last!

5.0⭐️

⭐️WHAT THE WOODS TOOK, out NOW⭐️

Special thanks to @wednesdaybooks who gave me a review copy of this book!

#whatthewoodstook #courtneygould #wednesdaybooks #stmartinspress

What happens to a group of troubled teens gets lost in the woods with no adults to help them get out? What the Woods Took explores this and the troubled teen industry with this spooky thriller.

What I liked: my favorite part of this was the ambience and the potential for something worse to happen. The spooky parts are spooky because we get just a taste of what could happens that builds the tension. This book was creepy and maintained this throughout the entire book. The characters were well rounded in such a closed space setting. The characters were all very independent of each other, but yet helped show the character development nicely.

To keep in mind: While I love creepy books, I could not read this one at night especially since all of the creepy stuff happens at night in the book. If you are sensitive to this, then make sure you read it when it is light out.

Rating: 4 ⭐️ This book was so good and I could not put it down. There was some great character development mixed in with real-life issues. This book was creepy and maintained a consistent atmosphere throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Courtney Gould for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly put this arc off for a while because I am a
✨ chicken ✨ but I did it mom- I finished it! (On pub day but still-better late than never!). Have I watched Yellowjackets? No. Have I read every single episode synopsis? Yes. So when I say this is giving Yellowjackets but not as insane, that’s what I’m working with. I love a good YA horror *lite*.

I couldn’t put this down- it was like every nightmare fuel TikTok I’ve watched too late at night about skinwalkers and mimics and Appalachia and I couldn’t stop. It also is a bit of a critique of the very real and sometimes (most of the time?) flawed wilderness therapy programs out there. Check triggers for this one!

I’ve already told our TL to order it for the library!

This one scared me (in the very best way) but YMMV because I am basically scared of air. :)

A group of teens involuntarily sent to a wilderness therapy program are forced to quickly reconcile their differences and gather any strength they have when they find themselves with no adults to guide them through a forest full of monsters.

I loved this one primarily for the deep character development. We get to know the history of each teen, how they ended up in this situation, what their struggles are. Each one is so complex; we don't know who we can trust or who can pull it together enough to help them all escape. The monsters also terrified me. Seriously, what could be more scary than an entity that can read your memories and take on the shape and sound of the person who most emotionally destroyed you?

I rounded this one up to 5 stars; it was paced so well, just an overall beautifully done horror novel with some complex characters.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for this ARC!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from What The Woods Took but it was an intriguing read. There were moments when I truly felt myself completely immersed in the story and its characters.

I was quickly attached to the characters as things began to unravel and rooted for their survival. While I wasn’t necessarily the target audience, I enjoyed this story and wouldn’t mind reading more from this author.

This book is being voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, and Courtney Gould.

YA Thriller • Horror • Supernatural • Queer
Pub Date • 10 December 2024

🎉 Happy publication day & thank you @wednesdaybooks and @macmillan.audio for the free galley and ALC!

Loved this gripping and creepy walk in the woods. Recommended for fans of We Used to Live here and anyone who loves spooky campfire stories.

High paced starting with a middle of the night snatch-and-grab abduction, I sat at the edge of my seat and couldn’t look away.

Five troubled teens are sent off by their parents & guardians to rehabilitation camp via “wilderness therapy” — nominally 50 days off grid, with no technology, roughing it in the grueling Idaho wilderness.

Chaperoned by two camp counselor types, they’ll navigate what lurks in the dark and will have to decide who they can trust and who might not be everything they seem.

Beyond the atmospheric writing, strong character building led to a satisfying buildup, showing how each juvenile delinquent’s journey started, revealing their personal nightmares, and allowing us to watch their growth from zero trust to mutual understanding, co-reliance, vulnerability, an even a couple of romance subplots.

Just finished reading and I loved it. The story was engaging from start to finish, with well-developed characters and a plot that kept me hooked. I liked the writing style and the themes explored really made me think. It’s one of those books that stays with you. Recommend it to anyone looking for their next great read!

A survival story in more ways than one.

I loved Gould's previous two books and her third did not disappoint! Gould is so good at writing deep, heartfelt teenaged characters in atmospheric coming of age horror stories with a side of romance and found family. It's everything I want in a YA horror. Highly recommend this one!

They had me at “Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted”!
What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is another phenomenally written story that was damn near impossible to put down!
I’m a big fan of Gould’s previous work and I must say this book was amazing.
Her writing style is intriguing. She instantly sucked me in with her atmospheric writing and amazing characters.
Her characters were flawed and realistic. The characters were wonderfully complex and flawed, which drew me into the story so I was already hooked when the real suspense began.
It’s a brilliant, twisty, surprising read which earned five stars!

a tense and eye opening read that follows a group of troubled teens that all get sent to a wilderness camp by their families due to issues with their behavior. the topic of trauma is a strong motivator for the characters actions and later development in this story. the main cast: Devin, Ollie, Sheridan, Aidan and Hannah all grow so much throughout this experience and form bonds with each other as they feel a sense of kinship and understanding of one another’s situations. i think this book opens up conversations on the dark things teens have gone through and how they can feel isolated from their family due to the immense amount of pressure.

the horror elements where interwoven well, with these shapeshifting beings called “mimics” who feed on anyone who’s on the edge of giving up. they take over that person’s whole persona, until nothing is left of the original. i liked seeing how the characters worked through their own feelings and Hannah specifically had a really intriguing arc towards the end. all the characters are great though tbh and the romance between Devin and Sheridan was handled in a way that felt organic. i had a good time reading this and thought it felt so real and intentional with everything it set out to portray. i just love when authors use horror in this kind of way.

Devin Green thinks she is being abducted in the middle of the night only to learn her foster parents are a part of this plan. She is being sent to a so called wilderness therapy program for troubled young people in the middle of the Idaho wilderness. When plans to escape don't come to fruition she begrudgingly settles into the fifty day hike with the other campers with the exception the beautiful but cruel Sheridan. Devin soon realizes there is something strange going on with the woods. One morning the campers wake to find the counselors missing. They are alone in the terrifying woods but realize they must work together to save themselves.

Courtney Gould is an auto buy author for me so requesting this was a must and I was thrilled to be approved to review this book. I absolutely loved this book. It was scary and challenging. I was on the edge of my seat and completely creeped out at points. Devin really crawled into my heart, she was such a great character. I also really loved Sheridan and all of the other teens in the group. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this one. Courtney really knocked it out of the park with this one and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

I really love this author so I was disappointed that I didn't like this story. It felt unbelievable and I didn't relate or care about any of the characters except maybe Ollie. By 40% it was barely keeping my attention and a struggle to keep reading. I will definitely continue to read this author but maybe this story just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review.

Goulds novels are always so full of emotion. I enjoy them all as each one is unique. Thank you @netgalley for my advance copy!