✨Staircase In The Woods by Chuck Wendig Review ✨

I’m a huge fan of Wendig. Black River Orchard by him was in my top ten last year! So when I heard about this book, I knew I needed to read it.

The book started out a bit slow—which is something I don’t mind as long as it has a good payoff. And this one did. Even with the slow build, I found it hard for me to fall in love with the characters. But experiencing the house with them made me grow to like and empthazie with them.

Speaking of the house, what a cool idea for a haunted house. I don’t want to say much about it, but know it involves facing a lot of past trauma. This book is dark and horrifying. At times it felt quite bleak.

This book gave me strong IT vibes. A group of friends. Fear and promises playing a strong factor.

This book is definitely a journey. With short, fast-paced chapters, the four hundred pages will fly by.

Read if you like:
✨ Liminal Spaces,
✨Overcoming trauma
✨Friendship
✨A unique take on haunted houses
✨Urban legends

Be sure to pick this one up when it releases on April 29th, 2025.

Hot Diggity Dang that was deep!!

A horror with emotional teeth that sunk right into me.

Let me stir the cauldron for a moment, because this one isn’t your average horror thriller. I went in expecting a spooky tale in the woods (and I do love a creepy forest), but what I got was something far deeper, more bewitching, and downright brilliant. This story didn’t just creep under my skin—it cast a spell, slow and strange, pulling me into a tangle of shadows.

The Stairs Are Back

It all starts with a camping trip. Five high school friends, deep in the woods, stumble across something impossible—a staircase leading nowhere. One of them climbs it… and vanishes. The staircase disappears with him.

Fast forward twenty years. The staircase is back. And so are the friends—now older, haunted, and returning to the forest to face what they lost… and maybe what they buried.

Sounds wild, right? Oh, it is. But it’s also eerie, emotional, and way deeper than I expected.

What Lurks Beyond the Stairs….

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say too much about what I loved most—but trust me, after the stairs, this book takes a sharp turn into something strange and surreal, dark and deeply emotional. Wendig uses this eerie, otherworldly event as a portal to explore the messiness of being human—trauma, friendship, being lost, loneliness, pain, and the quiet dangers that can live inside our own homes.

Climbing Fast, Stalling, Ending Strong

Now, the pacing wasn’t perfect. It starts off strong, slows down in the middle (with some repetition that could’ve been trimmed), and then ramps up hard in the final stretch. I’ll admit, I got confused a couple of times. But Wendig helps pull it all together. And it hits hard!

The Characters: Struggling with Shadows

The characters are scarred and profoundly lost, each one grappling with their own personal demons. They’re not just haunted by the supernatural—they’re haunted by themselves and each other. Wendig brings their pain, and growth, to life in a way that transcends typical horror, grounding the supernatural in real, raw human emotion.

This isn’t just about what haunts you from the outside. It’s about what haunts you from within. It's about growing up, growing apart, and confronting our shadow selves.

Climb the Stairs, Take the Leap—And Let Your Shadows Catch You

A Witches Words discussion with Carolyn, Mary Beth and Debra and again I geeked out over this one!

Chuck Wendig’s The Staircase in the Woods invites readers on a tormenting and emotional journey into the unknown. This novel pushes the boundaries of both psychological and supernatural horror, while exploring themes of trauma, friendship, and redemption. However, despite the enthralling premise and vivid world-building, certain elements held this book back from being an entirely enjoyable read for me. For me, who attended many camp outs with fires in my life, it breaks the first and ultimate rule for spookiness, do not go into the woods alone.

The story revolves around five high school friends bound by an oath, "The Covenant," to always protect one another. One fateful night in 1998, during a camping trip, the group stumbles upon a staircase standing inexplicably in the middle of the woods. Strangely intact despite no traces of construction, the staircase to nowhere stirs equal parts intrigue and dread. Unable to resist its pull, Matty, the most beloved and charismatic friend, climbs the staircase and vanishes without a trace. Moments later, the staircase itself disappears, leaving the remaining four friends with guilt and unanswered questions that haunt them for the next twenty years.

Of course, the people in the small town assume the worst of them, believing that they are guilty of murder.

Fast forward two decades. The friends, now estranged adults leading fractured lives, are brought back together by Nick, who has rediscovered the staircase. Determined to uncover what really happened to Matty and whether he can still be saved, they return to the woods. What follows is a descent into a nightmarish labyrinth that both traps and dissects its visitors, challenging their sanity, friendships, and sense of reality. What do they find in this house? Do they find Maddie?

For horror fans, this is peak tension and dread. For me, the graphic descriptions felt too graphic at times, pushing the boundaries of discomfort without necessarily advancing the story or the characters' arcs.

Though ostensibly an ensemble cast, the story primarily centers on two perspectives, Nick and Lore. Lore is constantly volatile, condescending, and quick to bite, she often undermines the group’s tenuous unity with her self-imposed need to control everyone. While Wendig clearly intended for Lore’s prickliness to reflect her own unresolved guilt and internal pain and maybe the strong female, I found her off-putting.

Owen who struggles with OCD and severe anxiety. He has basically been hiding for the last 20 years. To me, Owen is the one who saves the day, not the overbearing mouthy Lore. Owen is the most empathic of the group in many ways, he seems to feel the others challenges as much as his own.

Beneath the obvious horror elements, The Staircase in the Woods is a story steeped in humanity. It focuses on fractured friendships, childhood trauma, and the burden of adulthood. It elevates what could have been a typical “haunted house” narrative into a compelling psychological thriller.
Wendig captures the melancholy of growing up and growing apart, the weight of broken bonds, and the hope that even the most damaged relationships can be mended. These themes are where the novel truly shines, and they provide welcome moments of reflection in between the horror and chaos.

While The Staircase in the Woods succeeds in creating an atmosphere of dread and exploring the characters’ emotional scars, I struggled with the graphic descriptions of violence and gore. At times, they felt excessive, detracting from the moments of subtle psychological horror that were far more effective. The pacing slowed in the middle sections with certain sequences in the house feeling repetitive and overly drawn out

The Staircase in the Woods is an ambitious and creative horror novel that blends psychological depth with unsettling imagery. Fans of dark, surreal horror will likely savor Wendig’s world-building and rich descriptions, but those with a low tolerance for violence may find it off-putting. The emotional core of the story is compelling, but it struggles to break free of well-trodden genre conventions. While the book boasts intriguing concepts, vivid scenes, and some standout moments, uneven pacing, difficult characters, and excessive gore prevented me from fully enjoying the ride.

If you’re ready to explore the abyss of trauma, memories, and mysterious staircases, proceed with caution. Just don’t expect to come out unscathed.

Thank you to Random House Worlds | Del Rey and Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy. All opinions are my own because I have the right to free speech.

Thanks so much to @delreybooks for gifting a copy for review!

⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣{𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒}⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
In THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS, Circumstances bring a group of once-best friends together after many years of being apart. 20 years ago, they discovered a random staircase in the woods and that staircase would bring about an event that would leave an indelible mark and shape them into the people they’ve become. Flash forward to today, the staircase is back. Memories come flooding back from that night 20 years ago — will they make the same choices today? Will they ever find their missing friend?

With its captivating premise, this book hooked me from the opening chapter when the friends are all communicating after 20 years and making plans to get together. The mystery of the missing friend and the staircase slowly unfolds as each character’s story is told. Bouncing between present day and 20 years ago, readers learn the backstories of each character and the events and associated traumas that they’ve all endured. Each character was interesting in their own right but I found I didn’t much like any of them and I’m not sure why. Maybe that was the point, I don’t know.

The themes of guilt, grief, and trauma run throughout the book as the friends confront both the past and the present as they navigate the dark place that feeds off of their fears. They’re all forced to confront their own hangups in order to move forward, if they even can, and that was probably my favorite aspect of the whole book. The pacing is slow and the tension is high as Wendig takes readers through the eerie woods in search of the staircase and what lies beyond.

The overall sinister tone of the book and the twists and turns gripped me from start to finish, and I ended up devouring this one in a matter of 2 days (which is a rarity for me these days). All told, another captivating read from Chuck Wending and definitely one I recommend. 5 stars.

This book…5 friends go out for a fun night of camping, finding a mysterious staircase in the woods. Only 4 friends come back. 30 years later the same 4 friends find another staircase in the woods and they all go up. This book had me feeling claustrophobic. It had me holding my breath. I don’t know if I was scared exactly but it was definitely suspenseful and sad at times, when you read it you’ll see why. Make sure you read the authors note because after the dark book he leaves you with a laugh, not to mention a ton of great recs for other horror authors (some I hadn’t heard about) anywho..go read it!

What a wild ride!! I wasn’t real sure what to think because if I’m being honest the political views spewed in the beginning put a bad taste in my mouth but it did reveal it’s purpose for throwing it in the story later. (And even though I’m a trump supporter, I’ll forgive it 😝) But the book was well written. Gory af descriptions , freaky, mind blowing stuff. All in all a great book that I’m glad I finished.

An interesting take on the 'haunted house' genre. There is some excellent imagery, terrifying scenarios, and a truly stellar premise here, one that is very exciting and creative. Staircases in the woods transport those who climb them into a house (?) of custom horrors, with an uneasy feeling of malice and dire intellect seemingly behind every wall... The closest I could come to explaining what this book is like to my friends was if you took Stephen King's It and smashed it together with a wide selection of classic haunted house tales.

I enjoyed my time with this book from start to finish, but this is a bit bumpier of a ride then I am used to with Wendig's other writing. Maybe some of the interpersonal drama between characters was lacking, or the ending felt a bit lackluster, but I didn't get that signature "wow" at the end of the story that I was expecting.

3.5⭐️ I’m a big fan of It (both the book and the movies), and this book was giving me some similar vibes, while also doing its own thing. In the end, some of it worked for me and some of it didn’t.

First of all, I really enjoyed all of the 90s nostalgia throughout the book, and paired with the then/now timeline of friendship ebbs and flows, there was almost a tinge of sadness to it. The plot of friends coming together after years apart/estranged to face things from their youth was both fun and frustrating, and at times, deeper than I was expecting. I also really liked the fantastical elements of the house and the trials these characters had to face - it was just the right balance of spooky and weird.

The only real issue I had with this book was the pacing. The beginning starts off strong, but then there was a good chunk of the middle that felt slow and sometimes repetitive (the book *is* 400 pages). I found myself skimming through parts, but did get roped back into the action at the end.

I really enjoyed how the ending comes together (even if it took a bit to get there). The friendship bond between these characters really shines through there, and I liked seeing that side to them, as they all had their harder moments throughout the book. The ending felt like a big cliffhanger and was open-ended, but I’ll just use my imagination to craft the ending I want🤞🏼

*I’m still torn on my rating for this book. The beginning and ending were closer to 4 stars, but a lot of the middle felt closer to 3/3.5. I’d say overall this is maybe higher than 3.5, but not fully 4.

This is a truly terrifying tale of friendship, obsession, and trauma. I really believe the less you know about the actual plot, the better your reading experience will be. In true Chuck Wendig fashion, the characters are interesting, the writing is completely captivating, and the story is some of the craziest and scariest I’ve ever read. While it does start off a little slowly, the story really picks up and becomes a pretty fast-paced and thrilling ride. I really enjoyed how Wendig crafted such interesting and flawed characters. The story is told from the points of view of two characters, Owen and Lore but everyone feels very fleshed out and integral to the story. It’s a wildly weird and haunting story and if you’ve ever read another Wendig book, you’re going to be very pleased. If you’ve never read him before, this is sure to send you down his incredible back list.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

This book was a wild time. I found the teenage accounts to feel like teenagers. It was funny and dumb at the same time. The very beginning is a bit weird with a ton of buzz words throw in. The ending is disappointing as we never get our main question answered.

This novel, a chilling and atmospheric tale that blends horror with an unsettling sense of the unknown, keeps you on edge from start to finish. Wendig’s writing is dark, atmospheric, and full of haunting imagery, creating a world where danger lurks just beneath the surface. It’s a gripping, eerie read that leaves a lingering sense of unease.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
This book is advertised as a horror book, but to me it played out more of a fantasy book than anything. It was slow moving, and it did not really grab my attention 100%, in fact at times I struggled to continue on, but I did. The story itself is unique and not something I would normally pick up to read. The ending was a let down for me, and the book itself was too long and drawn out. A mix of fantasy, adventure, YA, and supernatural elements are weaved together throughout the book-which is not a bad thing, but I went into it thinking it was a horror book and was disappointed to discover that it is not that at all. Also, I am not a fan of politics in books (cmon-I read books to escape the BS, why do I want to read about it in books?!) this book has a lot of political references that was a huge put off for me.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Fantasy books mixed with adventure, YA, and supernatural elements
✦A slow-burn read
✦An ending that leaves you feeling disappointed and wanting more
✦Political references throughout

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️💫2.5/5

This book gives off strong IT vibes, with the group of adults coming together based off something that happened to them all in their childhood. Add in trauma, drama, and creepiness, this was a gripping novel.

Wow, what a ride this was! As someone who is very particular about my thrillers and horrors, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel’s ability to have an engaging plot alongside emotional thematic depth. I also felt like the author really knows these characters and was able to bring their distinct personalities to the page. If you love for your novels to have allegories along with deeper themes and fleshed out characters, I think this one would be for you. There were some current pop culture references, which could turn some people off, but for me it wasn’t enough to take me out of the story. I hope this is made into a movie one day! 4.25 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Worlds For the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I growing my love of Chuck Wendig with every hook he puts out. The Book of Accidents got me hooked. Black River Orchard made me fall in love. And now The Staircase in the Woods may push me over into obsessed. The characters are real and interesting, the writing is absolutely captivating, the creepy factor is impeccable. It could very easily be too gory and visceral for some people but the detailed horror serves a dark beautiful purpose. And that ending… just perfect.

Long past due, old friendships gather again, as a dying friend invokes what they call the Covenant, meaning, it’s time to face the dangers of their past. So four friends merge for a camping trip that’s really a mission trip- to find out what really happened to Matty and that staircase… hence the name, right?

This book comes in hot (go Lore) and it was fantastic. Easy to read and hard to put down. Once they start laying into the flashback, it does go on a too long, as it feels a little lackluster. Some of it I would have liked more sprinkled in throughout, instead of focused in one section.

The story is an interesting concept; it’s right in the cusp of being jaw dropping but the author never takes it quite there. It needed a little bit more, to make it unique. As a novel trying to sell them as a tight knit group of friends in their youth, they didn’t seem to know much about each other. Written well, the uneven pacing did throw me off a bit.

So imagine getting stuck in a house of your childhood trauma- and that is a Staircase in the Woods in a synopsis. But I do wish the ending felt more final.

Creepypasta meets found family in 'The Staircase in the Woods.' The heart of the story rests in the trope of found family and what happens when a friend disappears. The book is reminiscent of early King. The characters are well fleshed out and developed. I enjoyed the creepiness of the staircase in both timelines: when they were teenagers and 20 years later. 5 stars.

ARC REVIEW: The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig 🚪


“𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙰𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚒𝚝, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝚃𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙻𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚙𝚎. 𝚂𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚛𝚎. 𝙳𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚍.”
(quote subject to change)
🏠🏠🏠

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars


Okaaaay @chuck_wendig I see you!! This was such a good one and now I’m gonna be running to read the rest of his backlist! 🏃‍♀️

“The Staircase in the Woods” was something I immediately wanted to read and I’m so glad i was able to get an early copy so thank you to @delreybooks and @netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This was kinda everything I didn’t know I wanted in a horror book. I would say this one reads a little like literary horror maybe? It’s a pretty chonky book for a horror novel (unless you’re comparing it to a King novel in which case it is basically a novella 🤣) but the slow burn mystery carried me almost effortlessly to the end.

I absolutely love Chuck Wendig’s writing style, he certainly knows the craft well enough to really immerse you in the setting and feel the claustrophobic nature of it all.

I also loved the retro 90’s vibes and emphasis on video games. If you are a video game fan, I think you’d really enjoy the storytelling featured here! Liminal spaces is a pretty trendy thing right now in recent horror games and gotta say, that same feeling was nailed here 🤌🏻👾

I also love whenever mental health is sort of a “monster” in a horror story in various ways and Wendig did such a fantastic job of weaving it in beautifully and gently.

I will absolutely be grabbing a physical copy of this one for a permanent spot on my horror shelf (and cannot WAIT to see the Evernight copy)!

PUB DATE: 4/29

This is my first novel by Chuck Wendig. Unfortunately it did not work for me. The writing story did not pull me in and I struggled to turn the pages and then hesitated to pick it up. I just didn’t get the thrill I was wanting

Scary, suspenseful, and just a little bit weird, Staircase in the Woods kept my attention from start to finish. The cast of characters were likeable while remaining incredibly flawed, and the conceit of a random staircase in the woods that leads to another dimension is enough to make me keep my eyes peeled in the woods (and no, I would not climb it). I think my only complaint is that the book ended without giving us all the answers- and I want ALL the answers. It felt like it didn't quite pay off in the way I wished it did.

Still another 5 star book by Chuck Wendig for me, although Black River Orchard remains my favorite so far.