This book was so good. It was terrifying and spooky. The part that I really enjoyed is you never really knew who to trust. Excellent YA horror.

I stayed up until 3:30 in the morning reading because nothing has ever gripped me quite like this book. It scared the pants off me and caused my cat to almost give me a heart attack. I do not know if I will ever feel comfortable in the woods again (as if I ever fully recovered from The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King). This is one of the best, if not THE best, horror book I have EVER read!

I am glad that I went in not knowing much, so I will encourage you to do the same. Just know that you are in for some truly disturbing and freaky imagery as well as good old psychological horror and fear. And, even better, there is a queer romance. The characters feel like real people with secrets, trauma, and vulnerabilities. The setting felt so real I could feel the morning dew and hear the uneasy silence. I was gripped from page 1 where the main character Devin is abducted for "wilderness therapy" (which is a real thing and is already a horror novel in and of itself). I really wish this book had been longer.

Devin is from Portland, like me! I'd love to take her to Powell's Books and out for coffee to hear her story (not that she would want to relive it). I'd listen to whatever she wanted to talk about, honestly. I haven't cared about characters as much as this in a long time.

I am SO GLAD I got the chance to read this book and will now proceed to never shut up about it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC that scared the living daylights out of me.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a young adult horror novel following a group of trouble teens in a wilderness therapy program who find themselves facing monsters in a forest eager to take their place. With a great premise, What the Woods Took had the chance to be a great YA novel but I felt missed the mark in the end.

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.

What the Woods Took was an easy to read with and very accessible. However, I found the level of scariness fell short of what I was hoping for in a horror novel. While the book falls into the Young Adult horror category, I have read my fair share of YA horror novels that push the boundaries to give us a bit more. Monsters lurking in the woods is inherently creepy, I just felt that the fear factor could have been heightened to create a more intense reading experience.

Gould does nail character development in What the Woods Took. Despite some pacing issues to kick the book off, the author excels at crafting complex and relatable characters that we can invest in. Each teen in the wilderness therapy program has their own struggles and growth throughout the narrative, adding depth to the overall plot.

Unfortunately, I found that What the Woods Took takes too long to build momentum and get to the heart of its story. The slower start made it difficult to fully engage in the story and connect with the characters on a deeper level. While some may appreciate the gradual buildup, I personally prefer stories that dive right into action and suspense.

While we didn't find the scariness of What the Woods Took to be present enough, the book does explore powerful motifs of identity, survival, and facing inner demons which adds layers to the story and gives us plenty to ponder beyond just surface-level scares. Gould's ability to weave these themes into her storytelling adds complexity to what could have been a straightforward horror tale.

While What the Woods Took didn't quite hit all the marks for me as I was seeking more of a boundary-pushing horror and fast-paced storytelling, it still offers an intriguing premise and well-developed characters worth exploring. This book does bode well for those looking for a young adult horror that doesn't leave you hiding under the covers and explores some pretty important themes.

I found this to be fine.

Interesting beginning and overall premise was creative, but felt it could've been a tad shorter and still get to the ending.
The horror aspect was chilling and thoughtful. I enjoyed all of the characters and glad they were able to come to resolution with their awful parents in the end.

<b>wilderness camps based off behavior issues and “fixing” adolescents have always interested me in a way i can’t explain, and courtney gould put such an interesting spin on it.</b>

the plot itself is already terrifying, imagined being kidnapped and shipped off to nowhere… just to discover that this is the least of your issues! i love love loved this so much!!!!

we have monsters, we have a diverse group of characters-dual-pov between our main characters devin & ollie (who yes, have completely different voices which i also very much enjoyed), romance, found family, betrayal, deaths… all in the middle of a forest. what else could u ask for?

this was a roller-coaster ride of a read and one readers will very much enjoy. unique in its writing, and emotional at its core, what the wood takes is definitely taking it on my fav books of 2024!

<b>5 stars!</b>
★ ★ ★ ★ ★/☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

<b><i>thank you netgalley & st. martin’s press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!</b></i>

What The Woods Took by Courtney Gould
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
eARC from NetGalley
Estimated Publish Date: Dec. 10, 2024


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What The Woods Took is about a group of wayward teens who are forced into Wilderness Therapy. Unfortunately for these teens, this is the least of their worries. We follow Devin, whose anger gets the best of her increasingly frequently, sending her from foster home to foster home, and Ollie, a boy caught in a mess of his own, both sent to the wilderness by their guardians to deal with their problematic behavior along with three others. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen while they trek through the woods, and though they thought getting along and surviving the chipper and frequently problematic behavior of their “coaches” would be hard, they have no idea how much they will have to do to survive.
Though, at times, the characters can border on unlikeable, I always cheered for them to make it through and be the people they wanted to be, and watching them all figure out who they are and what they want was an honor. My only real wish that I feel would have made this experience better, was a bit more information about the creatures in the woods. Though that may just be me wanting to know the workings of things. While this book is creepy and unsettling (and had me jumping at the rustling leaves outside my window) it is ultimately a journey of growth, healing, and the impact we can have on each other. I can’t wait to sit down this winter in front of a fire and experience it all again.

In “What the Woods Took”, Courtney Gould tells a story of a teen wilderness therapy gone quite possibly as bad as it could go. It has a good pace right from the beginning, but once you cross the river, the pace quickens. It left me on the edge of my seat and looking over my shoulder.

A group of teens are kidnapped from their beds and dropped off in the wilderness for fifty days of therapy intended to rehabilitate their behavior. Suddenly, both counselors leading the camp go missing, the teens must rely on each other to survive. But something else is in the woods and it is dying to escape.

Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 0/5

Tropes:
The Monster Within
Troubled Teens
Found Family

Triggers:
Behavior Therapy Program
Mention of Child SA
Mention of Su!c!de

My Thoughts:
Wow. Just Wow. Not only does this book shed light on the atrocities of wilderness behavioral therapy, but takes it up a level by adding in terrifying monsters in the woods. The description of the mimics and how they worked to psychologically take over the teens was enough to keep me engrossed in the book all while sending chills up my spine. I was dreaming about this book and even creeped out reading this in the dark!
I respect this author so much for adding a note at the beginning of the book about wilderness behavioral therapy and the exploitation of children in these programs. Even though this book is fiction, these programs do actually exist. You can visit gouldbooks.com/wtwtinfo to learn how to fight against this injustice and abu$e of children.

I love survival stories, and this is a great one. The characters are fully fleshed out, and the big bad is...big and bad. Loved that the romance felt very natural and not shoved in among the real story. The final ending seems a bit unrealistic, but offers a happy ending all the same. The differing POVs really helped get inside the characters heads. Enjoyed this one!

Devin has bounced between foster homes leaving destruction in her wake. It shouldn't be a surprise, but she is shocked when she is taken in the middle of the night to troubled teen program in the wilderness.

It's a wilderness therapy program and Devin is stuck with a group of troubled teens. The story is quite good, but about halfway through it TAKES OFF into supernatural territory and I had to turn on my nightlight. Because there is something creepy about these woods. They are too quiet, too dark, totally deserted.

Join Devin with her motley crew and see if they can get out alive!
#stmartinspress #whatthewoodstook #courtneygould

This was an interesting read! Devin is staying with foster family when kidnapped from her bed and taken to a wilderness camp where the counselors throw them in the woods to fend for themselves. But it’s not all it seems when people start disappearing. It’s always hard to mention more on books like this because I do t want to spoil it give too much away! I like to go into books like this blind! But it was really good and interesting kept my attention the entire time.

4.25/5 Stars

"What the Woods Took" is a suspenseful and eerie story that keeps you intrigued from beginning to end. Devin Green wakes to two men removing her from her foster home for a wilderness "therapy" program. On route she meets Ollie and they form a tentative friendship. Along with three other "campers" and two "counselors" they begin their wilderness journey.

Alternating points of view, we get to see how things go from bad to worse from Devin and Ollie's perspectives. This creates a haunting atmosphere as our campers are left without counselors and things are not quite what they seem. All our campers want is to get back to safety.

Their journeys allow them to start to tear down walls and build up relationships with one another. Their shared goals both bring them together and threaten to tear them apart. What ensues is a deeply rich story which leaves you wondering how trauma impacts us all.

If you love books that leave you deep in thoughts for days I highly recommend you pick this book up. These characters have wormed their ways into my thoughts and have left me wondering. Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was truly gripping and terrifying. Don't read this one alone in the dark! I was so pulled in by this story.

I really wanted to like this one - I was intrigued from the first page and loved Devin and Ollie's characters! Unfortunately, once they got to camp, the story started to drag; I found myself skipping ahead at some parts. When it did pick up, it went more paranormal/sci-fi than what I thought would be more of a thriller/murder mystery ending. I do think it may appeal to quite a few of my students, but it wasn't for me.

Courtney Gould is ICONIC. Everything she's ever written is stunningly brilliant and this is truly no exception.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Get ready for an exciting roller-coaster ride! It's an amazing, fantastic read. You are going to love it@ i could not put it down!

Highly recommend!

This was a very well written and emotional book. I just struggled really badly getting into it and often had to put it down and come back. I think it should be recommended with caution as there is content that could be triggering. It wasn’t my personal favorite, but I would recommend it.

This series does a great job not only showing the trauma of wilderness therapy and how it hurts kids, but also makes you scared to ever go camping or hiking again. Perfect horror novel, now I need to go turn the light on.

“What The Woods Took” was my first book by this author and definitely not my last. The plot itself was fun and creative, horror and supernatural themes with a lost in the woods trope. Funnily enough this book actually made me want to spend MORE time in the woods away from the real world, healing and reflecting on life.

There is a nice touch of emotions, mental health and personal character development to go along with the horror themes.

The plot follows 5 teens who are sent by their parents on a wilderness retreat to “rehabilitate their behaviours”. The book is categorized as a YA however the only YA component for me was the ages of the characters. The book was well written, entertaining and had enough details and creepy excitement to make it thoroughly enjoyable as an adult reader.

When the group wakes up to find their two guides missing they quickly have to come up with a plan on how to survive in the middle of nowhere with dwindling resources on their own. Combine the stress with running into monstrous creatures called “mimics” they find themselves fighting for their lives whilst figuring out who amongst them can be trusted.

The POV is divided between Ollie and Devon. I enjoyed the mix between male and female perspectives and also loved watching their friendship and relationships with the others blossom. This book had me in the feels at multiple points especially a heart breaking turn of events for Ollie.

I loved seeing each character figure out their traumas and overcome their flaws and toxic traits. I enjoyed the ending, even though you know events where real there is that 1% of your brain that questions the reality of their experience.

If you enjoy outdoorsy horror, summer camp vibes, creatures of the woods, folklore, teens being left unsupervised and stranded in nature tropes then I highly recommend this read!

Thank you to Courtney Gould, St Martin’s Press for the EARC!

Publish date: December 10th 2024

WOW! Its been a while when I have read a book and did NOT see the twist coming.

This book starts off kind of slow, with 5 kids entering a "survival school" because of issues at home. I got to admit this was boring. I was just about to give up on it, when the counselors went missing.

I won't spoil it, but oh my goodness, this book became my favorite addiction. I could NOT put it down! As soon as the counselors went missing and the group split up, my eyes were racing across the page.

This is a horror book, a survival book, a coming of age book, and once you get past the first week of hiking, an EXTRAORDINARY BOOK!