Feral. Unhinged. Beautiful. Tense. Heartfelt. Raw. Emotional. Gayyy.

I could keep spitting out words upon words to describe this book, and it wouldn't be enough. I've read (and ADORED) both of Courtney Gould's previous novels, but I can safely say that WHAT THE WOODS TOOK is her best one yet--I can't remember the last time I was so sucked into a story. Did I devour this book, or did it devour me? It's got everything I love: atmospheric woods, gripping personal stakes, freaky monsters, and a love story that will stay with me for a long, long time. Seriously, I don't think I've encountered a dynamic like Devin + Sheridan in YA before, at least not one that's struck me so sincerely. It's imperfect and ragged and god, I only want the best for them (and the others).

A+ group cast. A+ monsters. 100000/10 recommend.

Suspense begins with the first words of this one and doesn’t let up til the end. Be prepared to give up a couple days to reading, you won’t want to put this book down.
This story has so much to offer, survival, strong characters, and a timely take on the troubled teen industry. It will appeal to lots of readers, put this in the hands of those loved Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis, The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst, or fans of the series Alone.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

I will post my full review once SMP address the insensitive comments of their employee.

What the Woods Took is a spooky forest horror that will have you on the edge of your seat and questioning who to trust.

This book starts off with a bunch of troubled teens enrolled in environmental therapy program and isolated in the woods against their will. What starts out as a therapy program ‘designed’ to better the teens quickly turns into a nightmare.

I highly recommend What the Woods Took! I can’t wait to see what else this author does.

There were several strong aspects to this work. I loved how interesting the characters were and how well they were written. From the very beginning, I was drawn to the two protagonists. Their voices were strong and compelling, and it was enjoyable how different they were from each other. The characterization of the secondary characters was also strong and made for a compelling read. The setting was also wonderfully written and added much to the atmosphere.

This was a very slow horror, with the creepy vibes and tension taking a long time to start. I find that in most horror books, I either find the reveal to be terrifying or I feel disappointed. I was a little disappointed with this one. While it was certainly creative, I just didn’t find it as compelling as I wanted. But with the strong characters, I was invested in their stories, so it didn’t detract too much from my experience.

I also quite liked that this story is based on the very real topic of wilderness therapy and many of the issues that are inherent in that industry. If you’re interested in a slower YA horror with great characters, then you’ll likely enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this work, which will be published December 10, 2024. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

3. 75 stars

This was a good book, but lacked a certain spark that made it a great one for me. It was slow, chilling and creepy but I found the inner monologues a little too much and the set up to the monsters a little too long. I also never really felt compelled by the characters' personal storylines. I felt for them, and I felt their confusion, anger, fear etc., but again, something was lacking that kept me from being pulled into their pov.

Overall, a creepy, compelling and atmospheric queer horror that I'm sure will delight a lot of readers,

Courtney Gould's What the Woods Took is a masterclass in suspenseful storytelling. The chilling atmosphere is palpable from the first page, with Gould's vivid descriptions making you feel the oppressive weight of the woods as the teenagers venture deeper. Every rustle of leaves and snap of a twig becomes a potential threat, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

But What the Woods Took is more than just a scary story. Gould crafts characters you truly care about. As their secrets unfold, you find yourself invested in each camper's survival. Devin and Sheridan's dynamic is particularly captivating, but the growth Ollie experiences throughout the journey is equally compelling.

This is a powerful coming-of-age story that explores themes of survival, the strength of friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of trauma. Gould handles these sensitive topics with care, and it's evident that meticulous research went into the book's development. What the Woods Took is a thrilling and thought-provoking read, leaving you eager to see what Gould brings us next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing me to read an eARC of this title.

When I saw that Courtney Gould had another book coming out I knew I had to read it.
What the Woods Took is the story of five very different teens who have been forced into a 50 day wilderness therapy program. They come from varying socio-economic backgrounds, have different levels of dysfunctional family issues, secrets and monsters in their pasts. When they wake up one morning and find their counselors gone they must band together to make it out of the woods alive. Oh, and there is something in these woods, monsters who are after them.
Can they band together, learn to trust each other, and survive? This reviewer is not going to give you any spoilers, but instead just tell you that this NEEDS to be on your TBR list.
I know I will be purchasing this one for my high school library as soon as it comes out.

Content Warnings:
substance abuse
mentions of suicide
death/harm of a child
mentions of (NO details) sexual assault/child sexual abuse
gore/violence
Language
Some kissing

What the Woods Took is a YA thriller about a group of kids who go on a wilderness therapy camping trip. As others have said it has very atmospheric writing which will draw you into the fear of being hunted in unfamiliar woods by something you cannot understand. I thought it was quite good. The characters were very well written which makes you root for them to survive. The plot was interesting with the wilderness camp, disgruntled teens, and monsters that mimic people. Definitely worth a read!

What the Woods Took is a fascinating story that examines fraudulent camps that prey on families with delinquent children. In this case, two people in their young 20s take a group of teenagers deep into the woods and straight into trouble.

I read this book because the synopsis mentioned Yellowjackets. It didn’t really feel anything like Yellowjackets, but I’m still glad I read it. Additionally, I liked this book more than the author’s last, which I had liked well enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

This book was heavily atmospheric and well-written. The leads were unlikable but in the way angsty teens are, not in a bad way. The mood switch to more straight psychological horror and body horror a quarter of the way through was fantastic and I know I'll need to read it again to fully understand all the foreshadowing and such.
I loved the character development and found family. These kids really do just want to get out of the woods and survive. I also think one character kind of got the short end of the stick but I guess it makes sense that one of the creatures wouldn't be able to survive.
The representation is also pretty well done and places in normally instead of being the center of drama it just creates a Sapphic Enemies to Lovers (or Maybe strong dislike, not hate...) that has a decently positive ending.

What the Woods Took is Gould’s best work yet! Her writing is incredibly atmospheric - I could feel the woods pressing in as the teens hiked deeper into the forest. Every moment was full of suspense, never knowing what was going to happen next.

The character development was superb - I could emphasize with and root for each camper individually as more of their story was revealed throughout the course of the book. Devin and Sheridan especially jumped off the pages, but I also really appreciated how much Ollie grew throughout their journey.

This was an incredible story of survival, friendship, and overcoming trauma. Gould handled all the subject matter sensitively and it’s clear a lot of research went into the story. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martins Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story was a ride. It is an emotional ride for anyone who has been impacted by addiction (directly or indirectly) and it is a very interesting mix of supernatural horror and social commentary. I really enjoyed the ride.

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, in many forms and haunt us all. I found the way these were written into the story a brilliant way to not only convey the topics but also the emotional aspects of the story. The story starts out a bit slow as the tension and the horror gets going but once the ride takes off, grab your seat and enjoy the ride.

This was beautifully written, deliciously creepy and shiver inducing read.

The book started slow for me but once it sucked me in, I couldn't put it down. On the surface What the Woods Took seems like a scary book about troubled teens stranded in the woods with terrifying creatures but it's so much more. The teens journey towards healing from abuse, neglect and becoming a family was extremely satisfying. Devlin and Ollie's relationship was so wholesome. Sheridan can put a knife to my throat and bully me anytime she wants😥. The romance was really good but the emotional connection of the group overshadowed everything for me. The ending was hopeful and idk if anyone else will feel this way but to me it was bittersweet too because of a certain character's fate who tbh I only cared about after the reveal. I do wish we could've gotten more information about REVIVE and the mimics.

All in all, What the Woods Took was full of thrills and goose bumps inducing scares. And a found family with a believable depthful connection.

Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a fabulous, haunting novel that will make you want to stay up all night reading. This would be the perfect book to take with you on a camping trip or to read on a dark and stormy night. Filled with trauma, personal demons, and literal monsters, but also with found family, personal growth, healing, hope, and love. Trust me, you won’t be able to put this one down.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

This was a wild ride and I'm not quite sure how I felt about it. I do think it's a book that will stick with me for a while.

This was really good. Creepy, dark and sinister. For horror to be work out well, at least for me, it needs to be more than just gore and whacked out implausability. I need to have "what the heck is going on" scenarios along with situations that even though they are scary still teach us things about ourselves. This has all that and more. I loved the characters. I felt the malevolence. I held my breath while this played out and, I gobbled this up in pretty much one day. This is horror done right.

What does it say about me that I enjoyed an author's debut novel more than the ones they have written afterwards? It honestly hurts my heart a little bit to give this book 3 stars as I thought the author would become one of my new favorites.

I was immediately drawn into this story, a group of troubled teens getting sent to the wilderness to reform and hopefully fix their ways. I'm a sucker for horror books that are centered around the wilderness so I was immediately drawn in. And it did hold my attention for probably 40% of the book and honestly scared and creeped me out a couple of times. But then everything seemed to drag for me and it felt like this book took me forever to read, even though I finished it in less than 24 hours, it felt a lot longer. I did enjoy the creatures that the author created and they did freak me out but all of the dialogue between the characters became a bit too much for me. I understand that it was needed so you could see all of the character growth that was happening while they were in the wilderness and all of the trials and tribulations they were going through but man, I was struggling through it. I perked back up at the ending and I did really enjoy that but not enough to make up for what I felt I slogged through to get there.

I unfortunately did not finish this book. I put it down and picked it back up several times.

I could not get into the characters or the story. I'm not sure why but it could not hold my interest.

3.25

Setting: Idaho
Rep: lesbian protagonist

It's always hard to read a book by a 5* author that doesn't meet the expectation - this is still a solid story - but it didn't have the magic of Courtney's first two books. For me, there were too many characters and POVs (though it's all third person). I would've much preferred if it was told only from Devin's point of view and focused more on her and Sheridan as I didn't really care about Aidan/Hannah/Ollie so the story felt bogged down by them. There was just something lacking with this one and I'm disappointed but can't pinpoint what it was.