This was a solid book. I enjoyed it. It didn’t really feel that unique to me and won’t stand out in a couple months but I definitely enjoyed it while I read it.

Looking for a survival book with a paranormal twist? Look no further!

Survival books are a huge hit in my classroom each year, and I cannot wait to show this book to my students. I know they’ll love it!

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. This is probably a 2.5. Adult readers will begin questioning the character choices from the beginning as the kids being sent to the wilderness camp don't feel representative of the environment- many of their "infractions" are minor, and other than Devin, and she feels like a stereotype. There wasn't a character that resonated as they felt quite flat. Add in the young "counselors," and the disbelief is complete. The book was longer than it needed to be, and the ending really lacked a climax.

There is a lot in the book that could work, but it was stretched too thin and left me wanting more.

The title and cover had me excited to read the book, but the actual story was lacking.

What the Woods Took is an incredible read. I was hooked from the very first chapter. Courtney Gould molds horror and beauty together masterfully. I will be thinking about this novel for a long while. This world was very fleshed out and you will not find me crossing rivers in Idaho anytime soon.

4.25 ⭐️

I still can’t believe I got an ARC of one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I’m so glad it lived up to my expectations. This was the perfect blend of creepy and hopeful and angsty, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

The author did a remarkable job weaving believable and complex relationships between flawed characters, against the backdrop of an unsettling, psychological horror story. This was expertly crafted and it was a pleasure watching the story unfold. I loved that the author expanded upon the nuances of these characters when they could’ve easily become caricatures to further propel parts of the story. They were given tons of substance and it was so easy to root for them.

It was also really interesting to see tender moments between the characters juxtaposed with scary, horrible things happening to/around them. I felt like my emotions were constantly being pulled in opposite directions—in the best way possible!

The only thing that didn’t work for me was the ending; I didn’t hate it, but parts of it felt rushed and a little confusing. I wish we’d gotten a bit more description and insight into the feelings of the characters.

Also, definitely read the trigger warnings beforehand! There were some things that were really hard to read, especially if you’ve experienced anything similar, but they were really well done. Nothing about this felt like it was romanticizing or making light of difficult themes.

Wow! I really enjoyed this one. It was an atmospheric, fun and absolutely terrifying romp in the woods. I loved that this novel wove together horror with some mental health. I liked the growth and all types of shifting involved in this book. Great read!

Rehabilitation camping and hiking set the scene as we learn about the characters how they ended up here in the woods. Once the routine is established, the camp leaders disappear and then the horrors creep in. There is definitely a lot of symbolism between being transformed from your trauma and being transformed by actual shape shifting monsters. Love the concept and one can easily have these tough conversations from these traumatic experiences, but I couldn’t get fully invested. The pacing was slow. If it was too slow for me, I don’t know how many teens will stick with this read.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is an unflinching and emotionally powerful horror novel. This book showcases Gould at her most poignant and electric, delivering a gripping and haunting tale that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.

This novel is a thriliing one, with a terrifying plot that happened in the life of Devin Green. Hopefully, I can go sleep tonight because I am scared to death while reading this such a good novel.

Wow wow wow! Courtney does not disapoint! This Yellowjacket/Lost energy has us rooting for the teens suriving and terrified of what is past that river. I loved the representation of queer relationships, emotional growth, and bad ass kids with courage.

Devin Green has been moved around several times during her time in foster care however, she has never been kidnapped…until now. Late in the evening two men take Devin from her new home, throw her in a van, and drop her off in the middle of the woods where another group of teens await. She soon discovers that they have been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. During the next fifty days they will hike and camp in the wilderness learning how to change their self-destructive behavior. What they don’t expect is something far more sinister awaiting their arrival. When both counselors go missing the teens are forced to survive on their own but they aren’t the only “monsters” in the woods and if the others have their way nobody will leave the woods alive.

What the Woods Took is a fantastic new queer horror/thriller in which a group of teens must face their own personal monsters as they battle real monsters deep in the Idaho wilderness. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when starting this one but once again I was pleasantly surprised by this authors ability to weave a fascinating tale. The creatures in the woods are definitely not what I expected and they will use any means of manipulation, fear, and weakness to survive. I also enjoyed how the novel explored the transformation of the characters throughout the story. Perfect for Fall, this one definitely needs to be on your must read list for 2024.

The premise here is appealing, but I personally found the build up was a very long time coming.

The character evolution was a positive, but I felt the story was too long and I wasn’t invested enough in the outcome; unfortunately, I didn’t at any time in my reading of this feel compelled to find out more.

Other readers may love this but it wasn’t for me.



Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the DRC

“They’re inviting their monsters inside, and they’re burning it all down.”

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book follows a group of five “troubled” teens and their camp counselors on a 50-day wilderness therapy program. More and more about each character is revealed throughout their journey in the woods, including why they’re there, their families, and what they hope for in the future. But one morning a couple of weeks in, the teens wake to find their counselors missing and strange, supernatural creatures lurking in the forest.
I loved this book and had such a great time reading it! It had a bit of a slow start, but that didn’t bother me as I felt it was necessary to establish the characters and what “normal” was before things really took a turn. All of the characters were so unique and interesting and I loved getting to know each of them as they came to terms with their situations and faced their inner demons.

I also loved the magical realism elements with the creatures in the woods, what they were and what they were capable of. The atmosphere of the book was also amazing. It was creepy and suspenseful and kept me on my toes. Even though I guessed some of the plot twists, I still very much enjoyed the ride. I definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers/horror mixed with the supernatural!

3.5 stars rounded up!
I am going to start off with I did enjoy this book, the story was intriguing I was absolutely engaged all the way through and at no point did I feel like putting it down. That being said I would probably classify this more as a thriller than a horror novel- perhaps it's because it's YA.
The story follows five troubled teens who are shipped off by their parents/guardians to REVIVE a wilderness behavioural camp basically. The schtick is that they spend 50 days in the woods with these counsellors and then they go home 'fixed' essentially. Of course this doesn't happen.
Courtney Gould nailed the atmosphere, I really enjoyed how she described the woods and the characters pulled me in so quickly that I was invested right away! The tension between these angsty teens was amazing and I definitely felt myself getting stressed out for them and frustrated with them at other parts.
Overall I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers as it was a great read and very engaging!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I've gotten into YA horror, and I don't think this is quite there, more in the thriller side, but it is definitely sinister and creepy. A slow burn to get to the action, but the setting is highly detailed.

I absolutely loved Devin and Sheridan. I loved their relationship so much, their progression was so so good. the plot was little slow to start with but I liked that allowed us to get to know the characters. This was just great such interesting plot - I was actually scared reading this at some points lmao. The characters felt so real, they were flawed and complex and I loved their character progressions. I devoured this.

What the Woods Took was great. I really loved the set up and atmosphere. I think our main characters had a lot of depth and showed growth throughout the story. The plot definitely took a turn that I wasn’t expecting, but I enjoyed it a lot. I’m really looking forward to reading more by the author and have already picked up her other books.

This was a fun (not for the characters) read! I liked the suspense building, the atmosphere, and the creatures. It was definitely one of those books where if you put yourself in the space with the characters you can get creeped out while reading.

Wilderness therapy gone very, VERY wrong.
What the Woods Took is literally my nightmare wrapped up in a book. I stayed up all night reading and had to sleep with a light on, there were many moments in the book that made my skin crawl and moments I was downright terrified. Though I had some theories on where this book would go and what would happen, I was so excited going into this book, but… I didn’t exactly get what I anticipated. What I read was SO MUCH BETTER! If I could have oven this book 6/5 stars, I would!

Word of warning: If something feels off about the woods… it probably is.

Book: What the Woods Took
Author: Courtney Gould
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC. This is the second book by this author I have read. I do enjoy her style of horror a lot. I did enjoy this one a lot, but I thought it was a middle-of-the-road book for me. I don’t have strong feelings either way about it.

In this one, we follow a group of teens who have been sent to the woods for fifty days of hiking therapy. Right away, they sense that something is very wrong. The counsellors don’t appear to be certified to do what they are doing. Plus, all of the teens were kidnapped or forced into this. All of them come from troubled backgrounds and have done some not-so-great things. They are now forced into this group and must figure out how to escape. Then, strange things start to happen. Inhuman faces start to appear. People are there who shouldn’t be. The only connection is that they are ghosts of each of the teens’ pasts. It gets worse. The counsellors are missing. Now, it becomes a game of trying to get out of the forest in one piece. After all, whatever took the counsellors are still out there.

I loved this setup. It was this set-up that made me want to pick this one. I love survival stories. I love seeing people who normally would not come together and normally would not find themselves in this situation being forced to figure it out. Plus, there is this element of mistrust among the characters. Remember that all of them have been brought here for a reason. They all have demons in their closets and they all know this. The thing is trying to figure out who or what is the worst. This makes things very uneasy and difficult for the characters.

The character development in this book is top-notch. As I have already said, these characters all come from very troubled pasts. Some are worse than others, and some are not. They have ghosts. Some want to put these ghosts behind them and others do not. This is why the horror elements don’t start right away. For a good chunk of the book, I could not figure out why it is classified as horror. We spend a good part of the book getting to know our characters and getting to see them work through whatever is haunting them. We see them develop their voice and form these bonds that end up being very important later on in the story.

Despite all of this, I found myself not being as invested in the story as I should have. I enjoyed it, but this was not a book that I could get easily lost in. It wasn’t one that I wanted to read for a huge amount of time, but it also wasn’t one that I wanted to stop reading. I don’t know if that makes any sense. There is nothing wrong with the book. It’s just a solid three, almost four-star read, for me.
Overall, not a bad book. I am glad I read it.

This book comes out on December 10, 2024.