Insanely addictive and unputdownable. I finished this in one sitting. Courtney Gould is single handedly convincing me to like horror books. Her monsters and other creepy things are so imaginative. One of those books that you know would be so good as a movie because you can picture it so well. My favorite aspect of this book, however, was unexpected: mental health. I used to be obsessed with unsolved disappearances in national parks (gradual degradation of a true crime fixation that I've since overcome) and learned that these are common places people choose to end their lives.

Wow. It’s really the one true word to express this book. I went into this book with somewhat high expectations due to the reviews and it certainly did not disappoint. This novel was much more “horror” and “deeply-twisted” than I expected, but honestly I wasn’t mad about it. With every chapter I kept gasping and thinking “What else could possibly go wrong?”. The five main characters of this novel are all so unique and different in their personalities that I think it’s so easy for the reader to identify with little aspects of each. Also I kept going “whatttt the fuckkkk” and contemplating what I would do personally every time one of the monsters would come around. You know it’s a good book when it makes you immerse yourself within the story! I am so excited for this book to finally come out! This is a MUST read!!!

This was such a good book. I think the tension, characters, and plot all came together to create a great story that kept me engaghed and on the edge of my seat as I wanted to read until the end. It was a wonderful book. I saw people comparing this book to YellowJackets and I think that is a perfect title to compare it too. Horror is not a genre I am always gravitate towards but this novel was amazing and I loved it a lot, so that shows just how good it was in my eyes. I think it balances all aspects of story telling in a good way and created a well rounded story and character of characters.

This was a gripping page turning thriller like no other! Troubled teens are unwittingly signed up to participate in a wilderness program as a last resort to fix them. Some were abducted in the night because their parents knew they would not go willingly. No one wants to be there and yet here they are fixing to hike for 50 days in the woods. When they wake up and both guides are gone they realize they are going to have to trust each other and work together to survive. But the thing they figure out next is that they are not alone. Monsters lurke and watch and they need to figure that out too or no one will make it out alive! I highly recommend this book! Phenomenal!!

When I read the blurb for What the Woods took, I immediately wanted to read it. I have seen reviews of Courtney Gould’s other books in the past and was intrigued by them. I was shocked when I got the email with the widget from St. Martin’s Press. I wasn’t expecting to be chosen to review, which made my day.

The author does have an author’s note at the beginning of the book that details the content/trigger warnings. She also explains what wilderness therapy programs are and the damage they do to the people forced into them. The beginning scene with Devin is where she is taken from her bed in the middle of the night by two masked men while her foster parents watch, which is a common theme with these programs and one I never understood. I wish I could say that I have never heard of these programs, but one in my state made the local and national news earlier in the year when a teenage boy (I think he was thirteen) was killed.

The main storyline in What the Woods Took centers around Devin, Sheridan, Ollie, Aiden, and Hannah, who are forced on a fifty-day trek across the mountains with two inexperienced (and maybe unlicensed) counselors. I alternated between being terrified for the kids and angry for them being put in that situation to begin with. Add in the horror elements (which started around the middle of the book), and I almost didn’t finish the book. I was that freaked out by the book.

I liked how the characters grew throughout the book. These were kids that society (and their parents) had deemed too damaged. They all had their problems:

Devin had severe anger and social issues.
Sheridan used drugs to self-medicate after her sister died.
Ollie sold drugs.
Aiden (who was the youngest) carried drugs and was affiliated with a gang.
Hannah was ultra-religious and desperate to gain her father’s favor.
The group dynamics did start rocky. It was mostly Sheridan versus the rest of the group (mainly Devin). But once the counselors disappeared, the dynamic changed. They had to split up to find help, and when they couldn’t do that and Aiden became injured, they had to backtrack. All while avoiding the person or thing that was stalking them.

The horror angle of the book was well written. But I will warn you that there is a lot of gore and violence against children featured. The violence is upfront. The gore didn’t come into play until almost the middle of the book. Because of the author’s writing, I had issues sleeping after reading the book.

The book’s paranormal angle was interesting. It took me a while to understand exactly what was stalking the group. I won’t get into it much more, but I will say that the author drew on a Native American myth to create it.

I didn’t think the romance angle was needed. I understand why the author included it, but I could have done without it. There was so much going on that I felt the romance was overshadowed.

The end of What the Woods Took was good. I liked how the author wrapped up the storylines. I also liked the HEA that Sheridan and Devin got, but I felt awful for Ollie. A scene at the very end made me go, “Why?” But, looking back, I understand why the author did what she did.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and Courtney Gould for allowing me to read and review this ARC of What the Woods Took. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

First off, THAT COVER! I thought this would be more 'horror' going in, but it's definitely creepy. I thought the author did an amazing job building the tension throughout, and honestly, the setting of wilderness camp was a really cool choice. I haven't seen that done in a book before , and I think it really added to the dark vibes.

I’ve heard great things about Gould’s work in the past, but never got around to picking any of her books up until now, and it did not disappoint!

What the Woods Took follows five troubled teens that are sent on a wilderness therapy program under the supervision of two camp counselors. While the situation isn’t ideal, main protagonists Devin and Ollie are sure they can push through the next fifty days of the program to get back home. That is, until their camp counselors go missing without a trace, and they realize there’s something strange and unexplainable about the woods they’re in.

I really loved this book! The first chapter does well to hook you into the story and get you to emphasize and care for our main characters. I thought the novel was well-paced. We have enough time to get to know these characters and their relationships with one another, and there’s a lot of thrilling action, too. I thought there was a nice mix between the two. Whenever I started to get bored, the pace would pick up a lot and get me on the edge of my seat again, which was great!

I think what makes this book, though, is definitely the characters. I adored all of these characters, which is hard to do when you’re juggling so many! These characters felt very fleshed out and real, so you can tell Gould put a lot of work and precision into creating them for the page. I also really appreciated that these characters have their own respective troubles and traumas, which influence the way they interact with the world and each other. A lot of these characters have tragic and heavy backstories, but Gould handled each of them with great care and empathy. I also think there was a lot of fantastic character development throughout the progression of the story that felt realistic, considering the situation these teens find themselves in.

There’s also some incredible queer representation in this and a breathtaking rivals-to-lovers sapphic romance that caught me completely by surprise in the best way! This novel was perfectly eerie and creepy with its depiction of the woods (which is already unsettling enough!) and the monsters within it, but it’s also a poignant and powerful story of transformation and the courage that is necessary to confront your past. I’ll definitely be thinking about these wonderful characters and their relationships with one another for months to come.

4.5/5 stars
To start, I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was such a dark and unsettling read. I was hooked start to finish.

This book follows a group of teens who are forced into wilderness therapy but shortly after their "journey" starts the counselors go missing and the teens are forced to fend for themselves in the middle of forest. Not to mention the weird things each of the teens start seeing in the woods.

This was such a terrifying premise to begin with. Wilderness therapy is awful in most cases so it is awesome to see it being brought into more of a mainstream platform. Raising awareness for these horrible institutions that teens get sent to is SO important. So wilderness therapy and having to figure out how to survive in the woods with a bunch of other teenagers already sounds nightmarish. Then to bring in the horror elements. This created such an eerie premise and it did not disappoint. For most of this book I felt so on edge and just had an uneasy feeling that NOTHING was right.

Additionally, the character arcs were great, Each one of the characters changed throughout the novel in different ways. This book did a wonderful job balancing plot and character development. I loved the unique characters in this book as well as the fact that they were facing problems that weren't so mainstream.

I cannot wait for this book to release. What a gripping story start to finish.

Traditional format 📕 (digital). December 2024 release.

A group of troubled teens are kidnapped in the dark of night from their homes and taken to a wilderness therapy program. The mission to survive a 50 day hike though the deep woods and hopefully come out recovered. After crossing a dangerous river it all starts to go wrong……the counsellors disappear and strange shape shifters chase the teens making it a whole new game of survival.

In typing out the summary it sounds like.a great book but it just did not deliver for me. It was super draggy and the pacing was off. Some action would happen and then back to more drag. I think the book could have been better if it was 100 pages shorter and pick up the pace of the plot.

I wanted to love this book more it just didn’t deliver for me. It was below average and for that I give it a 2.5/5.

Thank you St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review

Horror story meets teen angst in this very interesting novel by Courtney Gould. When 5 teens are dropped off in a wilderness camp in Idaho, bad things happen. Now, I live in Idaho and so this made the story a little more intense as I entered the woods last weekend for camping and read this creepy story. Terrible things do happen and the reader is left wondering if they ever find Ethan. Not usually my cup of tea of a story but I couldn't stop reading because I needed to see how it ended. I did enjoy the author's descriptive language. There were a couple of parts that got a little confusing and finding out more about the watchtower would have been great but overall a good story.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This book took me by surprise in the most wonderful way. The story is very character driven and the teens are so well drawn and complex. The story itself was terrifying and I loved every minute! I am looking forward to reading more from Courtney Gould in the future. Highly recommend!

(I was given an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for a review)

I loved this book, the beginning was kind of slow for me but it really picked up towards the middle and end. The characters really made this book for me and kept me reading. The monsters were super creepy, definitely don't read it at night.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eArc of this. The tl:dr of all my feelings can be summed up I. This: Courtney Gould has done it again.

It, being created a beautifully terrifying book that kept me up at night because of the truly horrifying monsters and also made me cry into my pillow at the care she took depicting these teens who are simply looking for a place to belong and a place to be heard. In her acknowledgments, Courtney says that while working on this she felt like it was her best work yet and I am strongly inclined to agree. I cannot wait to see what she does next.

thanks to netgalley & st. martin’s press for the free earc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

i requested this totally on a whim, and am so happy it didn't disappoint.
courtney gould's characterization is on point; i absolutely loved sheridan, and her character arc was one of the best ive read in a while. the idea of the mimics was somewhat confusing, and i never felt as if i fully understood their purpose, but their part in the plot was really interesting.
i went into this book expecting more of a therapy program horror story, and that is not what this is. if you want to read this expecting it to be similar to netflix's the program, just understand that they are strung together by a very small thread. this book's horror-adjacent element isn't related to the therapy program itself, and is more of a plot device to bring some unfortunate teenagers together into this weird forest.
read this if you like: sad teenagers working through things, somewhat unexpected sapphic relationships, and creepy monsters dressed up like the people in your nightmares.

This story crept up on me! I was expecting annoying teenagers, YA dialogue, and teenage angst with maybe a splash of campy horror. These were not your typical teenagers and this was not your typical horror story. It was so much more than that without being pretentious. The horror elements were beautifully interwoven with the deeper themes of addiction, sexuality, trauma, and the struggles associated with coming of age. The character development was perfect and the monsters were creepy and unsettling. It started slow but picked up and then was hard to put down. Thanks, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Yesterday I finished What the Woods Took and this book was a 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read! We follow a group of five troubled teens who end up in a program called REVIVE, a 50 day reform hike, and their two young coaches. (This already sounds like a disaster waiting to happen!) Not everything in the woods is what it seems and there are supernatural elements at play. The group quickly starts coming across issues (no spoilers!) and finds out they may not being alone in the woods. One scene really stuck with me because it was so creepy! 😁🌲

This is an atmospheric, YA horror, coming-of-age story with heartfelt friendships and terrifying imagery. Each of these teens is flawed I their own individual ways, but they come together and play to their strengths to try to escape the forest they’ve become trapped in.

This book releases 12/10/2024, so make sure to grab a copy! 🌲🌲🌲 If we have similar tastes, I’d definitely recommend picking this one up!

Huge thank you to @netgalley for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review!

This novel is exciting and filled with twists and turns at every corner. The romance was enjoyable to read about and it was very well written. The flow of the story is very good and it kept me constantly interested and engaged with the book. The characters were well-developed and felt like authentic teenagers. They were very accurately written for their age and this made reading about them so enjoyable. Overall, this novel was incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this outstanding novel!

What the Woods Took is a unique horror story that starts off slowly but becomes intensely captivating once the action picks up. It seamlessly blends fantasy and horror elements, featuring characters with complex backgrounds. I finished reading this novel in just one day.

This had a good plot. What's not to love about a group of teens being forced to literally face their fears? The monsters were creepy and unsettling, definitely building on the feeling you often get in the woods of being watched or stalked. I felt the characters were all based on overused stereotypes, however. Rich girl whose parents love her sibling more so she turns to drugs and being an absolute bitch. Unwanted foster kid, obviously sexually abused, grows up angry and just wants to run away (and gay, of course). Good girl does one bad thing and her life is in shambles. Smart kid is Socially Awkward and turns to drugs to fit in. And last, boy without a mom and overly attached to grandmother hates his dad. The character development was all very abrupt and this had my least favorite romance tropes: enemy to lover and insta-love. Technically, the story was well written with a medium pace and the characters definitely made several idiotic decisions as one would expect of a group of teens lost in the woods. I sure do wish I knew what the monsters planned to do once they were out of the woods, though.

I loved the whole setup and general idea of this novel. I also enjoyed the cast of characters and how in depth I really got to know them. But honestly I found it extremely slow and repetitive. Being stuck in the woods is just hard to pull off, whether it be a novel or a movie. Part of my reaction could be because the last two books I read had similar vibes - A.M. Shines The Watchers and the sequel Stay in the Light (thanks Net Galley!). To me, there’s just several stories that have had similar ideas. This one is not bash written or anything, it just didn’t hit the mark for me. I would check out other books by the same author though!