"What the Woods Took" represents Gould's finest work to date! Her writing skillfully crafts an immersive atmosphere; I could sense the looming presence of the woods as the teens ventured deeper into the forest. Each moment brimmed with suspense, keeping me on edge with anticipation. The character development was exceptional; I found myself empathizing with and rooting for every camper as their individual stories unfolded throughout the narrative. Devin and Sheridan, in particular, leapt off the pages, yet I also admired the growth of Ollie throughout their journey. This gripping tale explores themes of survival, friendship, and resilience in the face of trauma, all handled with sensitivity by Gould, who clearly invested considerable research into the story. I eagerly anticipate her future works! Gratitude to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin's Press for providing the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
"There were monsters following Devin before she ever got to these woods.
She doesn't need conspiracy theories. She needs to get out of here."

I enjoy a good summer camp story, especially one with horror elements to it. In this book you have a small group of kids being watched over by a couple of barely-not-teenagers in some secluded woods over a course of 50 days....yeah, nothing could go wrong there. I was intrigued by the premise of this being filled of at risk kids going through some supernatural events, and this was my first book by this author.

The kids were all very unique, and I loved learning about their past and seeing how they changed over the course of the story. They really grew into their own and became an unlikely team! There is even a tad bit of romance that develops over the course of the book, but it never takes away from the story at hand. The story is told as a duo POV from Devin and Ollie, so we get to see all sides of the story - even when characters split up and go elsewhere.

My biggest complaint of the book is that it took so long for the "supernatural" bits to happen. It makes sense due to a plot point later in the book, but I was expecting to see stuff happen almost immediately. The elements were definitely interesting and a good way for the kids to take their problems head on, and it forced them to really learn to rely on each other too.

Otherwise, the book was entertaining enough to keep reading, but not particularly memorable. I could probably read this a year from now and find I have forgotten most of the story, which could mean this has good reread potential. I wonder if a reread will lead me to noticing foreshadowing I missed the first time around!

The idea behind this book is based on very real wilderness camps that often exploit children and their families, and are often inhumane as well. This did lend a sense of unease to the whole story, knowing that this could be happening to someone out there right now, without the physical monsters present in this story. I always love reading what inspires the story at hand!

All in all, this was an interesting read and I am glad I was able to get my hands on an early copy. I would definitely be open to reading other stories by this author. I think I was expecting the book to be more atmospheric or have the supernatural bits happen earlier, but the book was okay and entertaining enough to read. I can see this having more of an impact on someone else, so this could very much be right book, wrong person.
Content warnings (from author): substance abuse (mention), child endangerment, sexual assault, child sexual abuse (mention), suicide mention, gore, violence, child death

I was really impressed by this book. I've been a fan of Gould since The Dead and the Dark, and she continues not to disappoint. Basically, if you enjoyed her other two novels, you will love this one. She has the same great characters and relationships, with complex family and friendship dynamics. The setting is superb. I love stories set in the "woods", where monsters of the human and supernatural dwell. The entire cast is great. Good pacing, and the end hits the right note (although maybe I would've liked more resolution with the parents). I will continue to read Gould's books.

What the Woods Took is Gould’s best work yet! Her writing is incredibly atmospheric - I could feel the woods pressing in as the teens hiked deeper into the forest. Every moment was full of suspense, never knowing what was going to happen next.

The character development was superb - I could emphasize with and root for each camper individually as more of their story was revealed throughout the course of the book. Devin and Sheridan especially jumped off the pages, but I also really appreciated how much Ollie grew throughout their journey.

This was an incredible story of survival, friendship, and overcoming trauma. Gould handled all the subject matter sensitively and it’s clear a lot of research went into the story. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martins Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

We start off with a bang, and the story itself moves at a really good clip, dragging us into the action. Teens will LOVE this, and it feels like it has crossover potential for adults. While I stopped after chapter 1, this is an easy three to four stars with five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Dnf

This book started out slow. When I finally started to get into it, it just sort of fizzled.

A girl and a boy are taken in the night by men who take them to a wilderness retreat. They start on a hike and talk about their problems.

Overall, just not my cup of tea but may be the book for you.

“What the Woods Took” was not quite what I expected. In part that was because I did not read the teaser closely enough and so I didn’t realize the monsters were going to be inhuman creatures. Additionally, the author starts off the book with a discussion of the evils and abuses of wilderness therapy programs and resources for helping people who have been victimized by these programs. Therefore, I was expecting the story to focus more on the horrors of the program. But other than some rather disturbing events early on, the program itself plays a minimal role in the horror aspect of the story.

The five troubled teens are an eclectic group, with Hannah the definite outlier in terms of need for an extreme intervention program. However, she fits in with several others in terms of dysfunctional and abusive home lives. The author teases the book as a queer-centric horror story, and it is not particularly surprising that Sheridan and Devin turn out to be queer characters. From the hints at his back story, I suspected Aidan might be as well, but that seems to be unlikely.

I enjoyed the way the author has the interactions and relationships between the characters evolve as they start to reveal more of their pasts and as the unforeseen disappearance of their counselors/wilderness guides and the discovery of the mimics tests their survival skills and their physical and mental fortitude. I also liked that circumstances led them to be suspicious of each other, especially of Sheridan, and that they had difficulty believing when others behaved in a manner which seemed out of character. I also liked that the events in the woods, while traumatic, left the survivors better equipped to cope with their issues when integrated back into society.

What the Woods Took is the perfect read for those who love shows like Yellowjackets. I don't want to get into spoilers, the plot was well thought out and executed. The words flowed well together, connecting the characters, and everything in between. I absolutely enjoyed this!
If you're looking for a paranormal thriller mystery, look no further,

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a compelling read, I stayed up the whole night to finish it! I loved Devin and Ollie (and all the others) and how they grew as characters.
This is my first book from this author so I’m definitely going to check out more of their work!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I read this one in a single, breathless sitting. Raw, hilarious, romantic, and terrifying in equal turns. You'll spend a good 20% of the book wanting to take these campers by the shoulders and shake them and then, when things get real, one-by-one they'll rip your heart out. I rooted for every REVIVE camper as they squared up to their demons, and I'll be thinking about each of them for a long time to come.

10/10. No notes.

five amazing, incredible, stay-up-all-night, can't-stop-reading stars! this book was truly everything i wanted, and it won't leave me for a long time.