What the Woods Took is a chilling YA survival horror story. This is the third book I’ve read by this author, and it’s definitely my favorite so far. The story follows five teens sent to a wilderness camp for troubled youth. As part of their program, they embark on a 30-day hike through the woods, designed to help them grow and improve themselves. But things take a terrifying turn when their two guides mysteriously vanish, leaving them to fend for themselves. To make matters worse, the woods are home to creatures called mimics—monsters that can take over the teens’ bodies and impersonate them. It’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets the TV show From.

The story alternates between two points of view, Ollie and Devin. I appreciated learning about the teens’ backstories and the struggles that landed them in the wilderness camp.
My only complaint with the story is that the action doesn’t really kick off until about halfway through. However, once it does, the pacing is intense and gripping.

The author’s writing is fantastic—she excels at building suspense and creating tension that keeps you glued to the pages. Her characters are complex and well-rounded, making the story even more engrossing.

I highly recommend this book to fans of YA horror. It’s creepy, compelling, and impossible to put down. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book via NetGalley for review.

I started this one for spooky season but unfortunately didn’t get to finish it until November! The vibes are definitely eerily perfect for Halloween time but also if you’re a fan of paranormal thrillers!

Taking a bunch of “troubled” teens into the woods with no civilization around for miles sounds nightmarish enough. But when things start going bump in the night and then they wake up to the adults being missing?! Phew, nightmare juice for sure. I give the teens credit because I probably would have panicked and my life would be history 😂.

Even though this is a young adult thriller, it is also about the complexities of being a teen, especially one with a darker past. You really learned how who these characters are, why and how they move on from their situations. It could definitely be an important read for any teen but with the fun twist of being a creepy thriller in the woods with creatures out to get you!

Overall, fun but also serious! I would mostly enjoy this one during October but fans of paranormal thrillers would probably love this one any time of the year!

I enjoyed this so much! I have read all of Courtney Gould’s books and this one is by far my favorite. I was hooked from the very beginning and I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen to these characters. This had such a creepy feel to it. I think I was constantly inspecting each character to see if they were acting…different! It was thrilling. I listened to the audiobook which was perfection. The narrator really brought this story to life. Highly recommend picking it up. I can’t wait to see what is next for this author.

I find this to be interesting! I didn’t know I would be taking on this journey with all these different turns in the story! But overall, the story was gripping, mysterious, intriguing all the way til the end! An enemies to lovers LGBTQ story…and camping going all the way wrong! Loved the story!

Having read Gould's previous 2 novels, I already had What the Woods Took on my radar. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.

Devin is a 17-year old living with her latest foster family when she is awoken in the middle of the night by two strangers that throw her into a van with another teen (Ollie). They have no idea what is happening until they are informed they have been signed up for a wilderness camp by their family that will change their lives and their behavior. When Devin and Ollie are dropped off with their fellow 3 campers (Hannah, Aidan and Sheridan) and 2 counselors, each teen is even more confused.

Knowing that Gould writes LGBTQ+ stories, my first inclination was to think this was some sort of conversion wilderness therapy camp. But this was anything but. Nearly 2 months in the wild, in the woods, in the middle of nowhere with 5 teens and 2 young adults leading the trip? This already gave me anxiety. And the setting really amped that up.

I don't want to say too much about the actual plot, but I will say that Gould did a great job throwing together 5 unique teens that all had their own issues. Along with the eery setting, it gave off an "escape room" vibe. Yes, they were in the middle of the woods, but you also felt 'locked in' with the way the teens felt and how they only wanted to get out of their situation. Especially after their 2 adult guides disappear, leaving the group of 5 teens to figure out how they were going to work together to survive and make it out alive.

If you've seen the series Yellowjackets, this gives off a very similar vibe. Stranded location with no way of contacting the outside world, small group of teenagers that have to work together and put trust in one another in order to make it out. The tension gradually built and had my heart beating from its chest with fear. I liked seeing each character come alive and fill their role within the group. Devin really stepped up as a leader and even Sheridan started to change after me initially not really caring for her. And then there are aspects of the woods that you would never expect. I was totally thrown for what Gould included in those woods and loved the anticipation I felt once the kids discovered everything.

Overall, this was a unique story that was creepy and filled with tension from the beginning to the very end. I had both the audio and ecopy of this book. Both were fantastic! The audiobook narration by Lindsey Dorcus kept me on my toes and added to the overall atmosphere of the story. I do wish the ending had a little more conclusion to it, but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

This was a great read. It wasn't scary in my opinion, but it was a little creepy.

I thought the exploration of wilderness therapy and the damage that can be caused from it was really good.

I also really liked how Gould explored the trauma that teens can face due to external and internal pressures. How unrealistic parental expectations can be hurtful for the kid.

I also like how this book shows that we as a society don't always believe survivors and we would rather call them crazy rather than listen to them and believe them.

I love this author so when I was approved to read this book in ebook form I was really excited but then I struggled to start the book because I have my own serious trauma associated with wilderness camps.
Days after my 13th birthday a boy I loved very much was sent to one. His mom asked me to write letters but then he never received him, so his mom got all my vulnerable 13 year old girl cringe letters and he got to be locked away in the woods somewhere. Can you even imagine? Small town so I have had to look his mom in the eyes for the last 27 years, at least a few times a year.
He came back different and got along well with his parents. He is a "normal" nice dad now but I developed some serious trauma. Also now, looking back as a 40 year old mom, I can see that his parents were just extremely bad parents. He was never a "bad" kid. To say I have issues with these camps is an understatement.
Anyway, so I was just looking at the book daily and then not reading it. Today though I was alone and already emotional so I started it and got stuck in the story.

I love the characters and the explanations about how they ended up where they are. I love the way the author introduces the "monsters" and sets the scenes.
I was terrified in the last few hours - in a good way. My gosh did these kids forget that fire kills humans too!

3.25⭐️
I don't know why, but I had SUCH a hard time getting through this book! (it took me almost 6 months to finish).

I really liked the intro chapters, and I loved the last 2 or 3 chapters, but I just couldn't stay captivated throughout the rest of the story. The pacing was very slow at times, I felt like there was a lot of repetition

I think it was the lack of depth to the characters, like they had backstories and personalities, but I felt absolutely no attachment to any of them.

I really liked Hannah and her story, though, as well as the found family that centered the novel.

I don't think this is a bad book by any means. I think that the plot was really creative and the multi POV chapters were very fun! It just wasn't the book for me.

Well, okay then. I will say that What the Woods Took started off interesting, albeit a little weird. I was invested. I don't usually like horror books, or horror in general really. Reading horror is hard for me, because I don't really get scared because I can't visualize things that well. So this one didn't really feel like horror <i>for me</i>.

I didn't have a lot of trouble feeling the intensity of the "scary," though.

There were varying personalities in the characters, each had their own "thing to be afraid of" when it came to the supernatural scary element of the book.

Even though all of the characters had different personalities, there was a common goal for them and they had to work together. There were some hiccups, some moments of can you really trust each other, etc. Drama abound.

Definitely worth a read.

3.5 stars rounded up!

This is great young adult horror or horror for someone who is a bit of a scaredy cat (meaning me). What the Woods Took follows a group of 'troubled' teens who are taken (literally - against their will) to a "nature camp," where it is intended they will work through their issues and come out as better, more disciplined people. However, one night their guides disappear, leaving the teens on their own to find their way back. The woods, however, have more than just the teens in them.

This is advertised as a mix of Yellowjackets with Girl, Interrupted. I haven't seen Girl, Interrupted, but I expected spooky based on the Yellowjackets comparison. I think this led me to be slightly disappointed. There is a slight supernatural element, but it is pretty clearly a metaphor for the demons the teens face within themselves and at home. This book was enjoyable, and had quite a good "what the heck is going on" vibe, but it felt very young adult to me. Also, for being teens dealing with trauma, the teens were slightly more emotionally mature than I anticipated. Devin, one of our two main POVs, is able to process her feelings extremely well for someone who is meant to be experiencing anger issues. Regardless, it was fun, and I think it will be a great read for teens!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when your past trauma wants to swallow your future?

This story took me by surprise, in a great way. What was most incredible to me was that our main character, along with the other central teen characters, were decidedly not perfect. Devin was incredibly troubled, and on a collision course with nothing good, and something similar could be said for the others. Was abduction and forced participation in a wild wilderness therapy anything that even resembles an appropriate way to deal with youth mental health and restorative care? No, not in the slightest! But the camp counselors seemed genuinely invested in the teens’ well-being, and the teens, at least most of them, were in a place where some sort of intervention was necessary. It was such a smart exploration of character and setting, and a genuinely sympathetic portrayal of traumatized youth who do desperately need help, and who doesn’t always act sympathetically. I just expected to come in expecting that the main characters were angels unjustly persecuted by mustache-twirling conversion counselors, and Gould refused to offer something that simple.

That is all to say I thought the characters were great. To a certain extent the characters were expected, in that they displayed a range of traumas and a range of reactions/responses, none of which felt particularly unexpected. Yet they were stronger for that, because they still felt like individuals, they felt real, and yet represented a good selection of what is relatable, a motely crew of archetypes of the troubled, if you will. Gould made them feel like genuine individuals and also generally relatable archetypes (to a certain extent paralleling the archetypes you might find in a slasher), which was a great balancing act. Some of their inner journeys felt a little rushed, and maybe a little expected, but none felt unearned. The writing itself was understated but compelling, and the narrative decision to switch between two primary character POVs, including each character observing and commenting on the other, helped move the story along and also create a strong in-group vibe. I did feel like the pacing did get a little slow in the middle, but the narrative technique compensated, and I was always invested in the characters even when it felt like feet were being dragged.

The atmosphere was good, and the whole world-building, in terms of the relationship between the emotional world and the physical world, was great. I will say the geography of the forest they were in was a little confusing to me, how far they traveled, why they couldn’t go backwards instead of forward, how they could split up but find each other again with relative ease, what they found on the other side of the river in the final act… It just felt like a little bit jumbled, and it also gave some pretty generic forest vibes, nothing stood out in any meaningful way. I wasn’t bothered by the somewhat generic setting, but I think it could have been exploited to create a much stronger sense of peril than it did. That is what was really missing. As bad things started happening I always had an intellectual sense of peril, but the personal sense of peril was mixed with the characters’ general displeasure with being in the forest at all, and it wasn’t until the final quarter of the book that I felt the forest was really working against them. I do wish there had been a little more menace, or rather a stronger feeling of menace, or doom, in the forest itself, to really make the setting more of a character in the story.

Still, having said that, those are minor quibbles. This is a deeply human story, one that confronts us with the question of how willing we are to sacrifice those things—and people—that we deem to be problematic. It looks at how our past traumas can and will haunt us, and entirely consume our identities, stealing away our future, if we let them. It also asks what kind of support networks do we provide—for ourselves and others—to actually navigate the terrors that might be hiding in the forests of our minds. This story is an unflinching and compassionate exploration of what it means to be surviving in a world that doesn’t have your best interests at heart. It was a fun ride that kept me invested in these characters, and I glad I had the chance to follow them into the woods.

(Rounded up from 3.5)

I want to thank the author, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think the topic of this book is an important conversation to have when it comes to these "retreats" kids can be sent on. That being said, the book itself wasn't for me. The beginning felt underwhelming and I couldn't find myself really getting into it. Reading other reviews, I feel like I'm in the minority saying that, so it may just be me. That being said, I'll definitely read more Courtney Gould in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and Wednesday Books for a free copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

A group of 5 teenagers are sent out to the woods for 55 days of wilderness therapy. No one is happy to be there. After the 2nd night the counselors disappear and the kids are left on their own. At odds with each other and not wilderness savvy they all feel this is an odd way to start the trip. Soon factions form and as things start to get weird trust starts to erode.

When they start to realize they are being hunted they need to come together to survive. However trust is not an easy thing when you are broken. Then imagine your worst nightmare come true, and tracking you trying to beat you down to take your body. Yikes.

Haunting and atmospheric this YA horror story takes off and has you staying up all night and making pledges to never go camping in the woods. Seriously, this book had me routing for these kids and freaked out by things that go bump in the night.

I used to read a lot of YA - even as an adult - but lately, I feel a huge disconnect with it unless it's fantasy or occasionally sci-fi based. I had high hopes for this one, and while it had me eagerly turning the pages through the first half, it kind of lost me in the last half.

The story follows a group of troubled teens who find themselves in a dangerous situation. The book begins with foster kid Devin Green waking up to find herself the victim of a planned abduction. Devin and a handful of other teens are taken to a remote location in the Idaho woods and dropped off. Two counselors meet them and tell them that they are part of an outdoor therapy program, which consists of a 50-day hike through the wilderness with the intent of helping the teens break their self-destructive habits. The counselors go missing a few days into the hike, leaving the teens to fend for themselves. It's not long before they start to see weird shapes in the woods - shapes that have human forms and faces - and they quickly realize that they are up against something inhuman and will need to rely on each other to survive.

One of the things that worked for me was that the author does an excellent job of creating a sense of tension and mystery from the very beginning. From the kidnapping to the unknown intent of the counselors, the secrets around the program and the isolated setting - I was definitely creeped out at first. The dynamics between the characters, particularly the interactions between Devin and Sheridan - an overly bitchy teen - add extra tension to the story.

As the plot progresses, the relationships between the characters evolve, raising the stakes as danger sets in and alliances are formed. Things really elevated when the counselors disappeared, leaving the teens to fend for themselves, and when the creepy figures came into play, I was all in - but then things really slowed down for me.

After the initial setup, the plot began to feel repetitive. We get an idea of what the teens are up against, and then the tension was set aside, and we got several chapters of character development that - while helpful - really hampered the forward movement of the story. I also felt that the final battle was expected and a little anticlimactic, and I wasn't a fan of how everything was tied up in a pretty bow at the end, though I realize that this is YA, and that is kind of expected. I also recognize that this is more of a me issue and not necessarily a bad thing for the average reader.

I both read and listened to this one, and I felt that as far as the narration goes, Lindsey Dorcus did a great job of portraying each character, matching their personalities perfectly.

This one started out really strong for me. The atmosphere is creepy, the characters engaging, and the mystery pulled me in - but then it slowed down too much, and I lost interest. Fans of YA fiction and thrillers alike will likely love this one. For me, it was just okay.

"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.

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.

Atmospheric and sharp, What the Woods Took is a poignant story of transformation that explores the price of becoming someone - or something - new."

As long as there isn't cannibalism right?

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Courtney Gould is just THAT writer. She can do no wrong. I've loved all of her previous books, and this one is no exception. I loved the premise, the characters gave me visceral reactions reading about them, and the twists were solid. I have no notes, I loved everything about it! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

This is the kind of YA book I should have been reading as a young teen, instead of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Strangely enough, it really reminds me of Koontz’s supernatural/sci fi books. I really loved it.

A group of 5 teenaged delinquents has been sent to a wilderness therapy camp. As if that isn’t scary enough, the body counts starts rising as the counselors disappear and the kids realize they can’t trust their eyes or ears. When I started, I thought the counselors and the camp protocol was going to be where the horror lay, not realizing it was actually what they find waiting for them in the woods.

Great book, intense and a fast read because you don’t want to put it down! Thanks to Courtney Gould, Wednesday Books/St Martins Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, & Courtney Gould for the ARC of What the Woods Took.

I stayed up all night reading this book. I adore Courtney’s writing. The book cover is also incredible. Great job!👏

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's/Wednesday Books for the review copies of Courtney Gould's latest YA novel, What the Woods Took. Gould understands that adolescents need to see themselves as strong, capable, valued, and wanted for who they are, and this shines through in her storytelling. The book is at its best when it leans into these themes, delving into the emotional vulnerability of its characters as they learn to trust themselves and each other. The audiobook was nicely narrated though at times I felt a multi narrator approach might have strengthened the production.

While the supernatural and thriller elements could have benefited from more clarity or a deeper exploration of the symbolism surrounding the woods, these aspects still served to propel the characters into meaningful reflections on trust, friendship, and love. The story effectively pushes them to confront past trauma and hurts (though I felt Devin's story was oddly underdeveloped given that she was the main character, I really wanted a little more backstory for her). Although the pacing felt a bit slow at times and lacked a big reveal or payoff, the strength of the character development kept me engaged. This book is one I’d recommend, as it sparks discussions not only about the mysterious plot but also about the impact of trauma on young people. I’m left wanting more and would love to see the characters’ journey continue as they reflect on their shared experience, to really think about what the woods took but also what the woods gave them.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is an eerie young adult horror novel about a group of five troubled teens sent to a wilderness therapy camp.

The story escalates from therapy exercises to survival horror. The campers encounter sinister, supernatural presences in the woods, and when their counselors disappear, they’re left to fend for themselves.

Tensions build as the teens face not only the literal monsters lurking around them but also the secrets and traumas that threaten to tear their group apart. This supernatural element adds an unsettling layer, creating a parallel between the monstrous forces in the woods and the emotional battles within each character.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.