What the Woods Took is a novel that starts out conventionally enough - a book about a group of five teens taken to a wilderness rehab facility by a pair of counselors, to deal with their various issues. The novel focuses largely on Devin, a nearly 18 year-old who has been in the foster care system for years, and is about to age out, but also on the others teens present: Ollie, Sheridan, Heather, and Aidan, who, at 14, is the youngest of the group. The first week goes along as expected, with the reactions you'd expect to teens in such a situation - withdrawal, anger, sniping at one another, and so on. But they reach day 10 - a milestone in the planned 50 day trip - and their counselors mysteriously disappear. After that, things get stranger than your average wilderness survival program.

This novel deals with some mature themes - substance abuse, suicide, child sexual abuse, emotional abuse - all things that could cause parents to send their children to a program such as this. As the teens deal first with the program itself, and then with the issues caused by their vanished counselors, these issues are dealt with in empathetic and compassionate ways. Because of these themes, this novel is recommended for older teens and adults.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun spooky YA book. It kept my attention throughout and had some good creepy parts. The horror aspects kind of reminded me of another book (not listed to avoid spoilers), but I enjoyed all the different rep in this one- mental illness, LGTBQ+

This was so spooky and weird. I honestly would not have picked this up if I knew exactly what kind of monster we were dealing with (they freak me out so so bad), but I'm glad I did!
This had great characters that I really enjoyed reading about. Devin and Ollie were both such strong voices and I loved the different ways their brains worked. Especially Ollie, who was so sweet and levelheaded, and it perfectly balanced out how impulsive and rage-y Devin was. I really connected with Devin's character. She has so much pain and rage inside her, and it was really beautiful to watch her comes to terms with the fact that it was okay to be angry, but that she was misplacing her anger.
Sheridan was a very interesting character. At first I really hated her, but then I found myself agreeing with her and eventually I really liked her. I liked that she didn't become less of a bitch, only softened around the edges. Aidan was also a sweetheart, but I do think he read a little younger than 14 (I spent most of the book assuming he was about 12). Hannah was a hard character to pin down, but her scenes with ollie and Aidan were very sweet.
I won't spoil anything, but I will say this book was definitely very creepy to me. If you aren't scared of the particular supernatural creature in this book then I don't think it'll read as horror- more like a spooky atmospheric contemporary. (I just personally am terrified of this specific creature lol).
The sapphic rep in this is great, just like it always is in Courtney's books. I really enjoyed Sheridan and Devin together- it's so clear even from the beginning the they're two sides of the same coin, and I think they just fit so well together.
This book is about survival and the horrors of the troubled teen industry, but it's also about found family and the good that can come from terrible things. As a lover of any book with found family, I immediately found myself rooting for them, and I thought the ending was almost perfect (IYKYK).
I don't want to get too into the plot because honestly anything past the description is kind of a spoiler, but I will say I think it moved really well and was super interesting. It was also the perfect use of dual POV.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy of WHAT THE WOODS TOOK by Courtney Gould!

WHAT THE WOODS TOOK is a YA horror novel following a group of teens sent to an intensive wilderness camp and therapy program for their various misdeeds. The book opens with Devin being kidnapped from her foster home in the middle of the night, something she soon realizes her foster parents have signed her up for. She, along with the other teens and their two counselors, are to spend fifty days hiking and roughing it in the wilderness to create good habits and a better future.

The hiking and the lack of supplies seems horrific enough, especially with the addition of a cruel camper named Sheridan who seems determined to be in Devin's face. When the counselors go missing and the teens are left on their owns, they discover there are even bigger horrors in the woods around them.

I will admit that it is the cover of this one that initially caught my eye when I was offered a copy, and I'm glad that it did! I wound up really enjoying my time with this one. I primarily read it on audio, but I was happy to have the eARC as well since there were times I wanted to just sit and binge read in the quiet at night!

There is a lot of setup in the beginning and I was starting to wonder if I had misinterpreted the synopsis. I really wound up appreciating the time we took getting to know the characters and the situation. As someone who works in mental health, I also appreciated that one of the characters pointed out some of the things that were really, really not legal and for sure not above board with this whole 'experimental therapy' process. By the halfway point things really start to take off and go weird and I got even more invested. I think the author did atmosphere well with the woods setting, mixing the horror with the survival vibes.

If you're looking for a fun YA horror with a bit of romance and found family aspects thrown in as well, WHAT THE WOODS TOOK might be for you!

"What the Woods Took" is like if "Where the Wild Things Are" was a nightmare. Devin is a foster kid who is used to fending for herself. She has spent her entire life acting out and being sent from broken home to broken home, but when she is stolen from her bed and thrust into a Wilderness Explorer program for troubled teens, she's sure she has hit rock bottom. Armed with nothing, but her vicious words and a powerful right hook, she is determined to survive this program if only in spite of the system that chewed her up and spat her out, even if she has to suffer through horrible group mates, non-stop hiking, and gross food options. However, Devin soon finds that there is something about the forest that feels inexplicably strange. When the group leaders go missing Devin discovers that the forest is more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.

This book includes:
- troubled teens in a behavioral wilderness program
- nightmares come to life
- generational curses and broken spirits
- camaraderie
- LGBT protagonist
- TW mentioned but not on page: child abuse, drug abuse, depression, suicide

This book is WOW. I typically don't reach for thrillers or horror, but I am so glad I took a chance on "What the Woods Took." This book dives into nightmares both real and imagined. It has a compelling atmosphere of paranoia, dread, and anguish that entranced me and had me staying up late just to keep reading. The story has so much depth, to a degree I don't often expect from YA. If you're the type of reader who loves to be surprised and appreciates a good amount of suspense, I can't recommend this book enough.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Courtney Gould, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/ and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

4⭐️

Devin Green woke up in the middle of the night at her latest foster parent placement to two men standing in her room. She soon finds out that her foster parents signed her up for a wilderness therapy program. She was taken to the woods of Idaho along with a group of other confused teenagers and two counselors. A few days into the program, things started turning weird. The counselors went missing in the middle of the night and the teens start seeing people that couldn't be there. Left to fend for themselves, the teens realize that they have to work together to escape.

I was hesitant about reading this once I realized it was about the troubled teen industry and wilderness therapy, but this ended up being better than I could have expected. I liked the way there was such a variety of what each kid in the program did. I feel like there's never an instance that would warrent sending your kid to wilderness therapy, but some of the teens 'crimes' seemed so out of proportion to others.

I loved how being stranded in the woods gave the vibes of a locked room mystery. The teens having to put aside their differences and learn to trust each other to get out really drove the story. The mimics turning into people the characters wanted to see added to the tension and had me questioning who was real or not. The relationship between Devin and Sheridan was nicely done and proof that even if someone sees us at our worst the can still learn to love us anyway.

Thanks Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC to me!

Well, this book quelled any desire to go camping in the woods anytime soon!

When Devin is taken from her bed in the middle of the night and sent off to an experimental wilderness therapy program, she’s ready to fight and run. And it turns out, she and her fellow misfit teens might need those survival instincts more than she thought… because there’s something wrong with these woods.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘬 is such a great blend of freaky forest horror, with some scenes that leave you with the same feeling of unease as Blair Witch, mixed with a cast of complex characters, each with their own backstory. The deeper they venture into the woods, the further their relationships develop, and the more they realize they might not leave these woods alive.

This book is filled with banter, arguments, mistrust between the teens; like The Breakfast Club but if they were involuntary campers hunted by otherworldy creatures.

What these kids see in the woods is straight from nightmares…

🏕️ There’s Something VERY Wrong with the Woods
🏕️ Misfit Teens on a Wilderness Therapy Hike
🏕️ Constant Undertones of Mistrust & Betrayal
🏕️ LBGTQ+ Rep
🏕️ Mental Illness Rep

I went into this book blind to the actual story and was shocked when things that go bump in the night appeared! What a wonderful surprise and enjoyable read. The characters and setting were developed with heartfelt emotion and anxiety for their more than one bad situation. I would highly recommend this read and plan to look into Courtney Gould's backlist.

“She’s made of every bad thing that has happened to her, just like she is made of every good thing. She’s made of every good thing before the woods and every good thing she found in its unyielding grip. She’s made of Ollie and Aidan and Hannah and Sheridan. Sheridan is made of her too.”

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a book that explores self-growth through hard times. The story follows 5 “troubled” teens who have been sent to a Wilderness Camp in hopes of “fixing” them. Things go wrong a little over a week into the 50 day program when their counselors disappear and they have to rely on what they’ve learned (and each other) if they want to survive. But there are still unanswered questions. What happened to their counsellors? And Why do they keep seeing faces in the woods around them?

Time and time again you see the characters struggle with things that have done or experienced in their past, and you watch as they bring out the best in one another. Gould does an excellent job of portraying these changes through interpersonal interactions and changes in the character’s facial expressions and tone.

I’m not generally a horror fan, and I had a difficult time getting through the set up of the story, but once it really got going, I couldn’t put the book down. I read majority of this in one day. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the show Yellow Jackets.

I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

What the Woods Took is a paranormal thriller and survival novel about a group of teenagers left to fend for themselves at a wilderness therapy camp.

Devin, Ollie, Sheridan, Aiden, and Hannah are teenagers whose parents have sent them to the REVIVE Teen Rehabilitation program for various issues, including drug use, drinking, and rebelliousness. The program involves hiking and sleeping outdoors to help the teens get back on track. But days into the trip, the two adult guides disappear, leaving the teens to face the wilderness on their own. They soon discover that they aren’t alone—monsters lurk behind the trees.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find most of this book gripping, despite the high stakes. The teenagers came across as angsty and annoying, and the one-dimensional depiction of the parents didn’t help (especially Devin, whose cliché series of terrible foster parents felt overdone). While the scenes with the creepy monsters were entertaining, the rest of the story fell a little flat.

A horror novel that is compulsively readable and genuinely creepy, taking a situation that could very well be real life to the next level. The action starts immediately with a teen pulled from her foster home and brought to a “wilderness therapy program.” It’s a thing of nightmares and would make a great Netflix series! I can’t wait for more people to read this. Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

Wow! I went into this book blind, and I was not disappointed. Devin, the first teen we meet, is taken from her foster home by two men. She is confused as to why she is being taken somewhere and why her foster parents aren't saying anything. She ends up at a camp with a few other teens and two counselors who are just as young as they are. This is a new form of therapy for difficult teenagers. You can feel something strange about this program from the beginning, and the counselors seem way over their heads. When it comes to dealing with teenagers, there are, of course, going to be issues, and that is true with this group. While most want to complete the program, one teen named Sheridan has difficulty following the rules and getting along with the others. I don't want to reveal too much, but they must all work together to leave the woods alive after they find themselves alone. There's also something strange about the woods; it feels like they are being watched.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced e-arc!!

What the Woods Took is a psychological thriller and horror blend with social commentary about the dangers of teen wilderness therapy. Devin, Hannah, Aidan, Ollie, and Sheridan embark on a journey that will indeed change them for the rest of their lives. There is a subtle start, slowly setting the stage for the horror to come, building relationships and background. There are a few lingering logistical questions I have after finishing, but the story itself is interesting and engaging. The sapphic enemies to lovers romance had some concerning toxic relationship formed through trauma bond vibes, but the found family trope was very well done. Overall reminiscent of a YA version of Yellowjackets.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC to review!

I will read everything Gould writes. What an eerie and emotional tale. The location vibes and everything's attitudes felt so real and haunting.

It’s the middle of the night, and Devin Green is fast asleep when it happens - she wakes up to two strange men in her room, abducting her. When she screams for her foster parents, they just watch her leave, telling her this is for the best. She’s being sent to the REVIVE Teen Rehabilitation Journey after fighting in school, and she’ll spend the next 50 days hiking through the wilderness in the hopes of, well, rehabilitation.

She arrives at a forest in Idaho with Ollie, another teenager abducted from his home. They soon meet Aidan, Hannah and Sheridan, along with their psycho counselors, Coach Ethan and Coach Liv. These young strangers have no choice but to play along; there is nowhere to escape to and nowhere to hide. They begin their hike and start to form tentative friendships, definite rivalries, and a disdain for sleeping outdoors and talking about their feelings. Then one morning, they wake up to find the coaches gone. What do they do now?

That’s when we switch from a young adult book into more of a horror novel. Yes, this book is YA, something I don’t usually read, but this sounded good so I took a chance, and thankfully it wasn’t too immature. These teenagers aren’t alone in the woods, they are surrounding by monsters…and not just the ones they are escaping in their minds. The end of this started to drag a bit, and I’m normally not into monster horror because it can be cheesy, but at least this was slightly different. Overall, I enjoyed this creepy and atmospheric tale! 3.5 stars, rounded up.

(Thank you to Wednesday Books, Courtney Gould and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on December 10, 2024.)

Devin Green has been in many foster homes, and she finally thought the Pattons would be different and she would stay there for a long time.

That is, until REVIVE Teen Rehabilitation Journey comes and takes her away to wilderness therapy to help her and other troubled teens where they will be hiking and camping in the wilderness for fifty days learning survival, and other wilderness skills.

The first week everything seems fine, until their camp leaders disappear and now it becomes a true bout of survival for the teens.

This was an intense and rather horrifying book. These teens not only are stuck lost in the wilderness with no guidance from anyone, but also have to face their fears and childhood traumas literally. The start makes you think everything is fine, nothing will happen. Until it does and it’s jarring and makes you question everything and everyone. It was an experience for sure.

Despite the horrors they experience, they also learn to adapt and each change as a person. Despite the rocky start, their relationships change and grow as well with each other. They do face these fears and traumas, but I think it really focused on how they each changed as a person, became stronger, more willful and realized they’re not alone. They became a found family which I don’t think I’ve ever read in a horror book, but I’ve also not read many horror books, so I can’t say for sure. It was a refreshing addition to the story.

I don’t normally read horror books and I don’t like camping. This book solidified for me that I will NEVER camp. Ever. 🤣

If you enjoy horror books, I would recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In her latest offering, Courtney Gould weaves a tapestry of suspense, supernatural intrigue, and raw human emotion in "What The Woods Took." This gripping narrative follows five teenagers thrust into an experimental therapy program deep in the woods, only to find themselves battling unseen forces and their inner demons.

Gould's premise is as compelling as it is multi-layered, skillfully blending elements of psychological thriller with supernatural horror. The author excels in character development, presenting each teen as more than just a stereotype. Instead, she crafts nuanced individuals whose struggles and traumas evoke genuine empathy, seamlessly intertwining their personal stories with the overarching narrative.

The true star of this novel is the atmosphere Gould creates. The woods become a character in their own right, shrouded in an almost palpable sense of dread. The constant feeling of something lurking just out of sight adds a delicious creepiness that keeps readers on edge throughout the story.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of "What The Woods Took" is its ability to captivate. The pacing is relentless, compelling readers to devour the book in a single sitting. As the teenagers, including the intriguing Devine, navigate their terrifying circumstances, the bonds they forge become as crucial to their survival as their wits.

Overall, Gould has crafted an equally thrilling and emotionally resonant. The creepy, atmospheric elements blend seamlessly with the exploration of relationships and personal growth, resulting in a read that is as thought-provoking as it is spine-chilling.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for my free book for review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

A paranormal YA Yellow Jackets esque book. Yep, sign me up every time. So good.

If horror novels are on your TBR, you have to add Courtney Gould’s latest. Part Yellowjackets, part Girl, Interrupted, this thrilling book about teens trying to survive a wilderness program is an pulse-pounding read.

Devin is abducted from her latest foster home in the middle of the night, transported across state lines to the deep woods of Idaho, where she is expected to participate in a 50-day wilderness program for troubled teens. She and four others spend full-days hiking, while enduring individual, partner, and group therapy, all led by their two camp counselors. When their counselors mysteriously go missing overnight, the campers are forced to depend on each other and confront deep personal traumas in order to survive. Devin thought the hardest part was going to be tolerating the humans she was forced into this adventure with, but it is the inhuman forest dwellers that threaten her survival.

Oh. My. Goodness. Listen, I read a lot of thrillers (granted, not YA ones)...very few of them had me feeling physically scared while reading them. From the moment they crossed the barrier, my heart was racing. The denseness of the woods, the uncertainty of what was to come, and the absolute terror of the mimics was palpable. Equally intense were the range of topics discussed. The character development that occurred throughout was on par with a really in-depth, accelerated, therapy experience.

A solid 3.75 stars for me (it would have been 4 if it weren't for Sheridan -- I absolutely could not stand her). I saw it described somewhere as a "queer survival horror with a paranormal twist" and that is totally spot on. Definitely recommend if you are looking for an edge-of-your-seat, want to vomit, might have nightmares, def will talk about in therapy kind of read.