The only thing I didn't care about was the romance. The horror aspect of the book was my favorite part, it was really creepy. The characters were interesting and the writing was good.

Fans of Gould will enjoy this iteration of her troubled YA horror. While not significantly different from her other titles, What the Woods Took does provide an interesting look at the troubled teen industry as well as a mysterious monster that will engage readers. Not overly unique or exciting, but definitely a solid addition to the teen horror genre.

You had me at Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted. While some may avoid this novel because it’s YA, the only real YA element is the age of the characters. If that stops you, you’ll truly be missing out on a wild horror story and thrilling read! The storyline itself is so well-developed.

What the Woods Took centers around a group of troubled teens sent to a remote wilderness therapy camp who quickly discover there’s more to fear in the woods than just the elements. It’s truly a compelling tale of survival and trust that leaves you unable to put it down! A fast-paced plot and engaging characters will keep you hooked from beginning to end. If you’re looking for your next chilling read, look no further!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a story about what the woods let go.

I initially thought this book was going to be about the horrors of teen wilderness programs & debated continuing bc I don’t like my free time to be trauma focused (my work life already is!). I’m so glad I continued bc while that was an element, it unfolded into a chilling horror novel about survival, monsters and learning to trust the people around you. The cast is compelling, and I absolutely flew through this one.

Thank you so much @macmillan.audio & @wednesdaybooks for the e & audio copies!

This book was enjoyable and at times it was a little scary. Several teens are sent to a wilderness camp to address their behaviors. But as people go missing and reappear they have to figure out what happened and who they can trust.

Even though this took me longer than anticipated to finish, it was still a really good read. I enjoyed it. (It took a while thanks to mood reading and buddy reads).
This book is definitely creepy. Sending a bunch of ‘troubled’ teens into the woods for a summer long retreat to help them become ‘better’ with people barely older than them?! What could go wrong, right? It already sounds like a bad idea. Then you throw in potential supernatural aspects. There were parts when it was so tense and suspenseful that I had to make myself slow down and not skip paragraphs. I just really wanted to know what happened! And when it started to reveal the truths, some were very surprising! I didn’t really see any of it coming. When I got to 50%, I just did not want to put it down! So good. Definitely recommend this others.
I both listened to the audiobook and read the ebook. The audiobook kept me engaged and interested. The narrator did a great job. I never had a question on who was talking.

What The Woods Took follows 5 troubled teenagers enrolled against their will in a wilderness therapy program. They are forced to hike miles through unfamiliar wilderness while talking about why their parents signed them up for the program with under-qualified therapists. The main character, Devin, is all for trying to trek out an escape in the woods, but then one day, the teenagers wake up and their counselors are gone. As they try to escape the woods, they feel like someone, or something is watching them from the woods.

What a great horror/thriller! From the explosive beginning where Devin and Ollie, our main two points of view, are kidnapped from their homes, the tension is sustained as these kids are made uncomfortable by the counselors and then trying to find a way out of the woods. It’s not only the external tension of trying to find what’s in the woods and survival, but also the tension between the characters that had me on the edge of my seat. This coupled with a small but strong cast meant I read this book in two days because I couldn’t stop to see what was going to happen!

Courtney Gould also continues to hook me with her romances. Devin and Sheridan had such a great hate to love arc, with the right amount of being at each other’s throat, then learning about each other.

I rated this book 4 stars! Even as I grow out of the YA age-range, Courtney Gould thrillers continue to hit for me!

I loved the way this book blended the horrors of "what's in the woods?" with the very real horrors of wilderness therapy. All of the teenage characters were realistic and well-rounded, and I loved their dynamics with one another. The horror aspects were done really well, too.

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley has a pretty terrifying young adult novel on their hands. And I ate. it. up. Literally (if you know, you know).

I knew getting into this book that it would be unsettling but I found myself uncomfortable numerous times and almost wanting to put the book down in these moments. The story follows five teens who are forced into a wilderness therapy program for 50 days of camping and healing from various issues. Just days into their first adventure, they find themselves suspiciously on their own, fending for themselves against a mysterious wood full of alarming surprises at every turn.

Courtney Gould writes this very well, keeping readers engaged and moving forward. The words on the page are some of the best I've seen for horror, emphasizing the fear while still not giving away too much.

It's not just about what the woods took, but also what it gave back. Definitely worth the read! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader's copy.

(My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

What the Woods Took is a gripping, enthralling, engaging story that perfectly threads the needle of horror-as-metaphor; for me, it's something I've found kind of lacking in the last few horror books I've read, and so this was a refreshing experience. I literally could not put it down. Both the high-energy, high-impact scenes and the quiet in-between moments were equally enjoyable to read, and the book builds a tension throughout as you learn more about the characters, their stories, and the monsters--both literal and figurative--that follow them on their journey. I was fully captivated by the story.

One of my favourite horror story experiences was listening to The Whistlers episode of the NoSleep podcast--while laying in a dark tent in a campground with my wife--and just feeling the aching, yawning stretch of horror and fear that can be the woods. The wilderness is a happy place for me; I love connecting with nature, and daylight or nighttime makes no difference. But at times, the wild can be vast, and the vastness of it makes your single human experience feel simultaneously very small--such an insiginificant thing in the face of eons of evolution forming these wild spaces--and also all-encompassing: a single solitary human, easy to forget, for a moment, that other humans exist. What The Woods Took kind of embodied both of those sensations for me, and for its characters. It felt wild, untamed, and somehow both frightening and cozy.

It took me a long time to write this review, because I was honestly grappling with how to describe this book in a way that does it credit. I still don't think I've accomplished it. But for a spooky campfire story that walks the line between horror-as-extant and horror-as-metaphor, that gives you chills both because of the scares but also because of what it has to say about the nature of humanity, and that is perfectly paced (and most specifically, doesn't fall down in the final act!)--this is an ideal read.

I read this in two sittings. A fantastic blend of the real life horror of the troubled teen industry and uncanny supernatural horror.

3.25 stars. This is okay but I wasn’t a huge fan. For a lot of it I was bored and less than invested in the characters. Sheridan was generally annoying and her trauma just couldn’t outweigh how little she cared about the others’ lives at the beginning. The stealing the food out such a bad taste in my mouth. I liked the ending, but overall it was very mid and meh.

What the Woods Took is a chilling, atmospheric thriller that draws you in with its eerie vibe. Gould’s haunting prose and unpredictable plot make this an addictive read you won’t want to put down.

Devin Green is a foster child in Portland, Oregon. One night, she's taken from her foster parents' home and placed in the care of REVIVE, a troubled teen wilderness therapy group. She tries several times to run, but knows she has no other option. She meets Ollie on the way there, and Aidan, Hannah, and Sheridan at the woods. Coaches Ethan and Liv are supposed to be their guardians for this 50 day long expedition, but only a few days in, they both go missing. Strange things happen while the kids try to navigate the woods using their limited skills, and eventually Coach Liv reappears... but something is wrong, very wrong.

I requested this book from NetGalley originally because I thought it would be a fun thriller with some mental health elements intertwined. I was highly surprised when there were creatures and monsters in the forest. And I was hooked. The novel was very easy to read, and although there were several characters who shared the spotlight, it was easy to tell them apart and get into their own personal stories. They all came from different backgrounds, and showed that no matter where you come from, life can be horrible for a young adult with mental illness.

I'm not usually a big fan of YA novels, but the characters were older in this book, and I was able to connect with them pretty well. They did things teenagers would do, and I think having the coaches disappear mid-book helped solidify that.

The troubled teen industry is a very real thing, and I've heard so many horror stories that don't involve monsters. Courtney Gould was able to construct a novel on a real topic that provided a spotlight to these horrible wilderness programs, while also delving into the issues involving teen mental health.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

What the Woods Took is an eerie, atmospheric novel that lingers like a ghost in the back of your mind. Courtney Gould has a way of weaving tension into every page, making the woods feel as alive as the characters themselves. The creeping unease, the unraveling mystery, and the raw emotion at the heart of the story kept me hooked from start to finish.

What stood out most to me was how the book balanced supernatural horror with deeply human grief. It’s as much about loss, guilt, and searching for answers as it is about the unsettling unknown. The relationships felt real, the fear felt palpable, and the story left me with that perfect mix of satisfaction and lingering questions.

If you love slow-burn horror with a strong emotional core, What the Woods Took is well worth the read. Haunting in every sense of the word.

Oh, so that’s what happens in the woods! A creepy, coming-of-age story following troubled teens on a retreat designed to “fix” them. What the group did not expect were monsters to stalk them and cause havoc! At times eery and others emotional, this book serves up characters that you want to love, hate, and root for.

The audiobook read by Lindsey Dorcus has the ability to bring youthful life to each character. I was able to listen at faster speeds, but not as fast as I would have liked.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and author Courtney Gould for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. “What the Woods Took” was published December 10, 2024!

This was such a unique read. What The Woods Took by Courtney Gould opens up with Devin being taken in the middle of the night to a "youth camp" in the woods. There are 5 teens who end up at this camp to "better themselves" and two counselors who tell them they're going to be spending 50 days walking the woods. After the second night the counselors go missing and weird things start to happen in the woods. This is a paranormal YA survival book, but it's also much deeper than that. There are reasons why all of these teens are at the camp and once the layers peel back on each one we see that these are just losts kids trying their best in crappy situations. This books has queerness and found family and survival and it was really a good read. I'd recommend checking this out. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

A fast paced, YA book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Friendship,
Survival, hope, romance, trust and family dynamics are just a few of the themes in this atmospheric book.

A chilling yet adventurous novel, I couldn't put the book down! I knew very little about programs like this and appreciated the insight on how they function. Adding in the suspense and horror aspect was so interesting.

Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted when a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program find themselves stranded in a forest full of monsters eager to take their place.

I love some body snatcher mimic stuff. and I had already fallen down a rabbit hole of documentaries about wilderness camps for kids with "behavior problems" which in a whole is a wild concept to me. The camps not the problems. I love YA books, and mixing that in with horror always makes my heart happy.