"What the Woods Took" is a young adult horror novel by Courtney Gould. A group of "troubled" teens have been sent to Camp REVIVE in the middle of nowhere for wilderness training to break them out of their bad habits. Everybody has been sent there for a different reason. The two characters we meet first, Devin and Ollie, were forcibly taken from their homes and transported to the camp. They are going to hike and camp in the woods together for 50 days. When their two counselors go missing, things start to get weird and really creepy. The story went in a more supernatural direction than I expected, but it was still enjoyable. Recommended for YA collections where horror is popular.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of response from St. Martin's Press for the racist, Islamophobic, and queerphobic comments made by one of their employees I cannot review this title.I tried holding off on sending this "review" to give SMP time to do the right thing in response to this boycott, but I can't have this continuing to hurt my feedback ratio when it's out of my control.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC of What the Woods Took. I have always been super interested in settings taking place in the woods, so much to explore and uncover in an atmosphere not tainted by man. Devin is awoken in the middle of the night to men taking her from her foster home and putting her in a van on her way to a camp for troubled teens called REVIVE. She along with five other teens and two counselors set out to find productive ways to cope and handle their issues. I really expect this book to go the way that it did, but boy did I really enjoy the turn it took. Devin and the others awake one morning to their counselors gone, their things still there but no sign of them. They must band together to not only navigate the woods to get to the pickup point but something lurks in the woods that feeds off their trauma and their willingness to survive is tested. Gould does a great job in developing her characters, you feel love and hate and want redemption for them. The book is scary not only for the unknown in the woods but the unknown in oneself. I will definitely read anything published by Gould for as long as she wants to treat us with her stories.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a hauntingly atmospheric novel that delves into dark secrets and supernatural intrigue. Gould’s evocative writing and suspenseful plot create an engaging and chilling reading experience that keeps readers on edge. The book’s richly developed setting and mysterious narrative make it a standout in the genre.

Wow. This book was dark for a YA book. It was one of those you can read as an adult and not feel like you are reading for a younger audience.

Right of the bat, you’ll find yourself curious about what is going on with these young adults and the men involved with them. Reading the description, you kinda know what to expect but at the same time you’re following along not knowing what’s happening and deeply invested. I felt the story was incredibly fast paced and unique once you get to the twist towards the end.

As a huge outdoors girl, I love books that take place in the woods and this one was a great addition to my pile to read. If you’re into a bit of a darker read, this book will suck you in.

Thanks so much NetGalley and SMP for the eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday books for the free eARC in exchange for my free and honest opinion.

What the Woods Took” by Courtney Gould completely drew me in with its haunting atmosphere and emotional depth. From the moment I started reading, I felt an eerie connection to the small town of Gravenhearst, where the woods seem almost alive with secrets. The story centers on Callie, who returns to the town years after her sister, Lola, mysteriously vanished into those same woods. As someone who loves stories with a touch of the supernatural, I was captivated by how Gould crafted the woods as a character in its own right—dark, enigmatic, and full of whispers that made me question what was real.

Callie’s journey to uncover the truth about her sister’s disappearance struck a chord with me. Her grief and determination felt so raw and real, especially in the way she navigates her strained relationship with her mother. I could feel the weight of their shared trauma in every interaction, and it made me root for Callie even more. As she pieced together the strange and unsettling clues, I found myself on edge, eager to discover what really happened to Lola but also dreading what Callie might find.

What really stood out to me was how the story kept a perfect balance between reality and the supernatural. The folklore of Gravenhearst and the eerie occurrences in the woods added layers to the mystery that made it impossible for me to put the book down. Even when the pacing slowed, I appreciated the time Gould took to build that thick, suspenseful atmosphere. The ending left me with more questions than answers, but in a way that felt right for this story—like some mysteries are meant to linger.

If you’re someone who enjoys a slow-burn thriller with an emotional core and just the right amount of the uncanny, “What the Woods Took” is a book you won’t want to miss. It’s one of those stories that stays with you, making you think twice about the secrets hidden in the shadows.

this was a great and intriguing read! I loved reading this book. I couldn't take my eyes off the page. It was full of excitement and intrigue. The story was well written, very captivating and didn't fail to keep my attention.

I was surprised that I liked this book to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of horror so I was a bit hesitant going into this. I'm glad I gave it a chance though because it was a really great read. I definitely have some patrons in mind when I go to recommend this book at the library!

I really enjoyed the authors writing. This book was phenomenal. I could not put it down. I enjoyed the characters pov and growth. But this story had me hooked from the start. Will be reading more of hers

This book truly had me on the edge of my seat. There was so much more to it than meets the eye. The supernatural horror mixed with the real horror of the troubled teen industry was as heartbreaking as it was fascinating. Highly recommend for anyone who is a fan of forest horror or for anyone that regularly goes down Tiktok rabbit holes about wilderness camps.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a decent young adult novel. I’ll preface the review by saying I haven’t read YA novels in a while, and this was a good novel to get back into the genre.
The book begins with five teens who are carrying their own baggage that led them to be unceremoniously dumped in REVIVE, a wilderness therapy program. What starts off as an unwelcome and involuntary intervention for personal development turns into a fight for survival in the wilderness. These kids end up battling personal demons and external demons that take on forms to screw with their minds.
The novel gets more into the backstory of Devin, Sheridan, Ollie, and Hannah. Aidan’s history and troubles could have been delved into more. This was further solidified in my mind because when writing the review, I accidentally wrote Aidan’s name as Aaron. And this was after I finished the book the night before! It felt a little Lord of the Flies with the way aspersions were thrown against each other because they don’t know who or what to believe. Especially when the adults that were supposed to guide them through this therapy are not able to do so. Regardless you root for the survival of the troubled teens.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

This was a creepy and unsettling journey through the forest. The idea of wilderness therapy has always been an appealing to me and this book solidified that. Full of troubled angsty teens and creepy critters. This was a perfect read for fans about what lurks in the dark.

This was a surprising book, though I shouldn’t have been since I have read books by Courtney Gould in the past. But as I do with many arcs (thank you St. Martins Press) I went into this book blind.

The pacing was a little weird. The book was pretty slow in the beginning but then when things started happening they really came at you and the book started the move a lot faster. Not to saw that the beginning was boring, it was just a lot of me wondering if this is all that the book was. But like as I said, once the plot picked up I was *invested*.

I really appreciated the character arcs too. There’s a lot of growth and while it isn’t always linear it’s there and it added another element of suspense to the story.

Overall this was the perfect spooky read for a camping trip in the woods. My real life atmosphere definitely added to my enjoyment of this book.

dangggg. i’m honestly deeply impressed by this book. i was not planning on finishing it in 24 hours but that is indeed what i did. i think the pacing was perfect, the character growth was super strong, and the spooky elements SPOOKED me. i’m honestly surprised there hasn’t been more fiction about wilderness therapy. even without the supernatural horror elements this would have been intriguing. this book is incredibly immersive and captivating. i would LOVE to see this turned into a film or mini series. i’ll definitely check out more by this author.

thank you netgalley, glad i didn’t have to wait until December to read this!!!

tbh this book isn’t entirely what i was expecting. i thought it would be more horror when it ended up being more of a character study. that’s not to say that’s a bad thing. in fact, i really enjoyed seeing all the characters grow as they faced challenges after challenges. it did have some supernatural horror elements but they were more on the back burner compared to the real life horrors experienced by the campers. there were many scenes where i felt stressed for them in the woods. i really liked the idea of mimics and how they target there intended victims; nice and creepy. i wish we got more information about them and their history and goals.

it did take a while to get into the story as the first bit was basically just Devin and Sheridan bickering over and over and being unlikable characters, but that does add to their growth later on.

I'll admit: I was hesitant about this one. While I really enjoyed Courtney Gould's incredibly strong debut The Dead and the Dark, her sophomore novel Where Echoes Die felt like a slog to get through. I am so, so glad I took a chance on this, her third YA horror novel, because honestly I think it might be her best work yet—and further proof of just how unbelievably gifted an author she is.

The premise of this book is timely, and chilling right off the bat: five teens surrendered to the much-criticized (and rightly) "troubled teen" industry are brought to a "wilderness therapy" camp. Under the guidance of two "coaches" barely older than themselves, they are led on a fifty-day hike through a remote wilderness that's meant to make them into better people—or, at the very least, people that their parents can tolerate. This "camp" is seen as a last resort for parents who feel they have lost control of their children, but, as the novel demonstrates, people's definitions of "lost control" vary widely: one of the teens has a cruel, controlling father who sent her to wilderness therapy after a single mistake. The why of how each of the five teens landed here is treated as secondary to the brutality of their new reality, especially when that reality takes on a chilling edge: the "coaches" disappear without a trace, and it becomes increasingly clear that the teens are not alone in the wilderness.

I think I was already primed to love this because I'm a sucker for a spooky story in the woods, but Gould is just so damn gifted at turning our fears and anxieties—about ourselves, about our futures, and about the people around us—into monsters. (The real kind, that go bump in the night.) This book had moments that were genuinely frightening, some very clever and interesting monsters, and a cast of characters—led by POV characters Devin, whose foster parents turned her over to the camp, and Ollie, who lives with a cruel and emotionally distant father—that are raw, angry, and authentic. It was so easy to empathize with these kids, even Sheridan, who I was certain I would hate for the entirety of the book due to her awful behavior at the beginning. I also appreciated how Gould isn't afraid to criticize the way that we, as adults, often see teens and their complex feelings and traumas an inconvenience. Like I say: she is so damn smart, and her writing, on a technical level, is elegant in a way that I personally think is a cut above much of YA.

I can't give specific details because that would be getting into spoiler territory, but there's a scene toward the end of this book that had me, a notorious hard-ass who seldom cries at books, fully in tears on the train. This book absolutely gutted me in so many ways and I'm THRILLED that I gave a talented author a second chance after a book I didn't personally vibe with.

A group of wayward teens, strangers to each other, are dropped off in the woods with 2 counselors for wilderness therapy. They have a fifty day hike ahead of them, surviving in the remote woods and having therapy. At the end, they should be better off than before and able to rejoin their families as more productive members of society. But things go wrong pretty quickly. Devin and Sheridan are at each others throats. Then the adult counselors go missing. Next, the kids are seeing weird faces in the trees and seeing people that shouldn’t be there. It’s up to them to figure out what’s going on and how to survive.

Well written and scary!

I was able to read this before release thanks to NetGalley!

I want to start off by saying I LOVED this book, it was right up my ally with horror/ psychological thriller vibes. This is a YA based book if you read this book and think these kids act immature or it’s juveniles themes (it’s a ya book of course its going to have juvenile themes) but the YA aspect does not take away the horror of this book for me it made it more intense thinking of 13-17 year old taken away to stay in the woods for 50 days is terrifying in itself and what lies beyond as they continue their journey just add to the horror.

This book is going to be in my top 5 reads of 2024 and I cannot wait for it to be released to re-read it it’s a physical book and annotate it and go back finding hidden horrors that I missed while hyper-focused of these kids survival. I could not read this book at night because living near the woods I was freaked out so this was strictly read during daylight hours, if you can read horror books at night then sleep soundly I am also scared of you.


This is a slow paced book about 5 teenagers Devin, Aiden, Hannah, Sheridan and Ollie who all only have one thing in common they were all sent to stay in the woods for 50 days under the the supervision of two leaders who are going to “change” the teenagers before they leave the woods. Things don’t go as planned but everyone who leaves the woods is changed forever, maybe for the better or maybe for the worst. This book showcase every bump you're scared of in the night, every shadow in the woods that have a face but you shake it off because that’s absurd, every fear you’ve kept buried because you're not scared to admit the truth to others but the truth to yourself.

This book is a dual POV between Ollie and Devin. Ollie who is easy to love, easy to like and you want to protect him from the darkness. Devin is harder to like she’s rough, she’s full of anger, she is the protector not the girl who needs protecting.




Trigger warnings: Sexual Assault flashback, dying grandma, dead sister, religion trauma

This YA paranormal mystery/thriller was the second novel I read by this author. I loved her debut novel The Dead and the Dark. I was hoping this one would be just as exciting. The author did not disappoint. It was creepy and haunting. It was emotional and loving. It was so much more than I expected and I loved it from start to finish.

The characters are so complex and diverse you could not help but become invested in their lives and root for them to survive their nightmarish ordeal. There was such depth to this story, especially on an emotional level that will endear you to these characters even more after what they went through.

Similar to The Dead and the Dark, this is a story of survival and love and the love of a found family. If you enjoyed her previous novel you will likely enjoy this one as well.

This was a very well written story and highly recommended for all types of readers.

Holding out on my review until the terms of the Readers for Accountability boycott are met. Once met, I can submit my review for the publisher.