Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for early access to this title in exchange for my honest thoughts!!

This is one of those stories that will haunt your thoughts after you finish it. The challenges these characters go through are intense and gnarly; they endure it because they have to and your heart just aches for all of them.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Wednesday Books and SMP for the gifted digital copy!

What the Woods Took
Courtney Gould
Publishing Date: December 10, 2024

🎧 Narrator: Lindsey Dorcus 🎧

This was a creepy and perfectly atmospheric YA thriller/Horror novel. Gripping from the very start, I flew through this one in two days.

Set in the woods of Idaho, where five troubled teens are swept away for a 50 day wilderness therapy program with two counselors and minimal supplies. With little to no trust in others and just as little desire to be there, our FMC is determined to ditch the program. Things quickly take a turn into dark and scary territory when the counselors vanish overnight. The teens have no choice but to break down their walls and trust each other as they try to make their way back home.

A dark and twisty novel that takes a look at trauma and its impact using a paranormal horror lens. Inhuman faces and people who shouldn’t be there begin appearing. Creatures called Mimics roam the woods capitalizing on nightmares, fears, and trauma as they look to take over human bodies right when they are on the verge of giving up.

This book is told from two POV and both were equally compelling. It was refreshing how the author made sure the teens actually acted like teens, as this is so often not the case in YA novels. There are two romance subplots, one being sapphic, that both added just enough lightness and heart into this dark tale. At its core this is a novel about growth, healing, and transformation. The way the author was able to mix horror with heart was so perfect. Chilling one moment and touching the next, this one is a rollercoaster of emotions that you won’t want to get off. Highly recommend.

🎧 The narration by Lindsey Dorcus was fantastic. I flew through this audio so so fast. You can’t go wrong reading this one with your eyes or your ears.

The story follows a group of troubled teenagers in a wilderness therapy program who find themselves stranded in a forest that harbors dark secrets. When seventeen-year-old Devin is awakened in the middle of the night by two men, she's thrust into a situation that will test not only her survival skills but her ability to trust. The forest itself becomes a character, with inhuman faces appearing between trees and mysterious visions flickering through the leaves, creating an atmosphere thick with tension and uncertainty.

This was such a fast book to read! The pacing was so good and not seeing the creatures right away was such a smart call. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and I liked the pretty big mix of different personalities represented. My biggest problem was not really KNOWING the characters.I feel like we kind of got to know Sheridan and Devin, but even Ollie, one of the narrators, was kind of a big mystery in terms of his past. I just wanted a lot more backstory for our characters and how we ended up in this situation. I think the reveal would have had more impact because I just didn't feel much connection to the characters. Overall it was a fun book, but lacked emotional depth to really bring it home.

Rounding out my 2024 reads, Courtney Gould hits yet ANOTHER home run with this terrifying sapphic tale. The flawed characters are probably some of my favorites, and the horror element was SO perfect, reminiscent of Pennywise. Highly recommend!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this title! Opinions are my own.

This gave all the #yellowjackets vibes and I was all in! Set in the wilderness as stranded campers are trying to survive and the only threat isn’t the wilderness. This was a page turner !

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review! Truly no notes on this one— I loved every second and could hardly put it down. If you like Andrew Joseph White and Ryan La Sala you will love “What the Woods Took.”

This book is so much more than a survival or horror story,it’s a haunting, emotional journey about trauma, trust, and finding family in the unlikeliest places.

Devin is forced into a wilderness therapy program that quickly spirals into chaos when their counselors vanish, and something unnatural begins stalking the group. The teens must learn to rely on each other to survive, even as secrets and dangers threaten to tear them apart.

Gould’s writing is gripping and atmospheric, with layers of emotion and suspense. The characters are flawed, raw, and so easy to root for, especially as they grow and connect in unexpected ways.

4.5 stars

This is a rather spine-chilling YA novel about a group of misfit teenagers who are brought together under the less-than-ideal circumstances of a wilderness therapy retreat as a last-ditch effort for rehabilitation. However, as the days progress things get bad in the woods quickly because soon the the camp leaders vanish in the night and the campers are left fending for themselves while something very creepy seems to be stalking them. Is that why their adults disappeared? Can these world-weary teens stop fighting amongst themselves long enough to save each other from whatever's hiding in the deep woods?

It was an engrossing read; I read it quickly between family holiday events. Narrative and pacing were simple enough to follow and seemed well thought out. A solid plot and good amount of character development meant that it was very easy to put myself in the kids' places and feel the mounting terror as it built through the story. Definitely a spooky read - nevertheless they persisted!

Thanks to NetGalley, author Courtney Gould, and Wednesday Books for giving me access to a digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

This book was such a fun ride! I had a little trouble getting into the story at first. It almost read like general fiction and I was wondering when the horror element would start up. Once I got to the true horror and eerie creepy part of the book, it was so good. I found myself on the edge of my seat and desperate to keep pushing forward in the book, I loved the characters and the way they interact with one another while trying to survive. I felt like the ending was a little too tidy of a wrap up. I did enjoy getting to see the kids move past the events of the book and start a new chapter of their lives.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an e-ARC of this novel. Here are my thoughts!

What’s the best thing to do with teens who are acting out? Why, send them to a wilderness therapy program of course! This is where we find our 5 main characters. They are unhappy but as things proceed it gets much worse, because something is lurking in those woods. Once the guides disappear, the teens need to fend for themselves, but they have no idea what they are up against.

This book has a bit of everything that I enjoy. We’ve got some horror, some found family, and a whole lot of angst. Each character was unique, but their backstories were realistic. I enjoyed how Gould took her time to unravel why some of the teens were there, rather than everyone opening up about their story right off the hop. I was creating scenarios in my head for why they could be there and trying to find hints! Very engaging to read.
The monsters are creepy as heck, but I wish I heard a little more of their backstory. Why are they in the forest, for example. I think some more lore would have really fleshed out their existence and make them even creepier!

This is a great read if you’re looking for some teens who conquer their demons literally and figuratively.

This book was so twisty and heart pounding. I really enjoyed learning more about the mimics. I was enthralled from the start

WOW. I finished this book 24 hours ago and I’m still thinking about it.

What the Woods Took is creepy and suspenseful and will have you on the edge of your seat from the start. This book follows five troubled teens who have been sent to wilderness therapy with two counselors who are barely older than the teens themselves. Not long into their fifty day trek through the woods the teens awake to find their counselors are missing. What follows is a truly wild ride. Something is out there in the woods, and the teens need to find a way out of the trees before whatever is watching them decides to stop watching and take what it wants.

During their race for survival the teens are forced to confront the issues that ultimately led them to where they are. My heart cracked when they were struggling, and it was sewed back together as they comforted each other. This touches on some difficult topics, but the author did a wonderful job of doing this with sensitivity and compassion.

I will be recommending this book to everyone who enjoys a suspenseful book with a bit of supernatural elements to it. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this horror novel. I will admit when I saw the description I thought "the troubled teen industry AND monsters? do we really need both?" but yes, we did. I loved seeing the progression/growth of the teens and their relationships and I found the monsters very creepy. The writing was engaging and I really cared about these characters.

This was a quick moving YA story, however I am starting to think YA mystery/thrillers are no longer for me.

The premise was promising - a group of troubled teens forced into a wilderness therapy camp get lost in the woods and are being stalked by creatures; def giving the creep factor! I liked the character development and how bits of the character’s backgrounds were shared throughout the book. The pacing was decent; it did feel slow at times but nothing to prevent me from continuing the book. I also found some of Devin’s internal teenage-brain dialogue to be frustrating.

Over all, the book was an easy-creepy read with a happy-ish ending!

I enjoyed the found family aspect of this story as well as the VIBES. The writing made it feel so real and did an amazing job of creating such a creepy atmosphere.

Come for the terrifying vibes and stay for the character journeys as they learn just what is truly happening. Each story and character adds a unique layer to the story and builds on the suspense. The Yellowjackets comparison is pretty accurate in terms of how the story is told and keeping the suspense going. Great horror story overall and it has me curious/interested in checking out the author’s other works..

I love Courtney and her writing is always so atmospheric. This is no exception. The characters have so much depth and make me feel fully immersed in the world.

A group of teens are sent to a rehabilitation program in the woods, each with something in their past that has led an adult to have them kidnapped in the middle of the night and forcefully brought to the program. As they trek through the woods, strange things begin to happen, things very unworldly, until their trip is absolutely terrifying.

This is a slow burn type of terror, that starts out eerie and moves to full on horror. The characters are extremely complex and realistic, and Gould is tackling an important and timely topic with teen rehabilitation programs. I would recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I liked this one but I do think it was the weakest novel I have read by Gould as compared to her other two. Maybe I just didn’t like the premise as much as the other two novels and I did still think this one was good but I think the atmosphere was slightly lacking. I wish it felt more terrifying than it did but I liked the characters a lot and how they grew throughout the novel. It has a fantastic found family aspect that will resonate with readers and was a a solid plot from start to finish.

I really enjoyed this! The atmospheric writing is excellent and the characters are extremely well written. If you enjoy suspenseful stories, I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Courtney Gould, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.