Each story where a group of young adults faces a tragedy and reunites years later to confront a monster reminds me of Stephen King’s It—one of my favorite plotlines. Chuck Wendig's unique twist, blending this concept with a mysterious staircase in the woods, immediately drew me in!

The story transported me back to my teenage years, recalling the excitement of locking myself away with a gripping book, eyes burning from exhaustion but too captivated to stop reading. Now, as an adult, I found myself sneaking in pages whenever I could—whether I was cooking, working, or even watching TV, the story kept pulling me back.

Wendig’s novel delves into broken friendships, guilt, abandonment, and deeply-rooted fears. It follows five friends who, as teenagers, made a pact to always protect each other. But one fateful night in the woods, their bond shatters when they discover a staircase leading to a terrifying unknown. When one of them, Matty, vanishes after jumping in, their lives are forever changed. Questions about Matty’s disappearance haunt them for twenty years, until Nick, the friend who never gave up the search, calls them back for a reunion.

As adults, they’re scarred and broken in different ways. Owen, trapped by trauma and OCD, works in a bookstore. Lor, the successful but lonely game designer, still carries guilt for betraying Owen years ago. Hamish, who has drastically transformed, now lives a polished, suburban life. Meanwhile, Nick is unchanged—still obsessed with finding Matty and the answers they never got. Now, he’s found the staircases again.

The reunion isn’t what it seems. When the group follows Nick into the eerie woods, they face not only the staircase but their own worst nightmares. The house they enter feeds on their deepest fears, forcing them to confront long-buried secrets.

At first, I struggled with some characters—Nick's bluntness and Lor’s narcissism irritated me—but their growth throughout the story shifted my perspective. The suspense, twists, and pacing kept me hooked, and the mystery was brilliantly executed.

Overall, this is a gripping, dark fantasy thriller with well-developed characters and a chilling atmosphere. I’m rounding my 4.5 stars up to 5, and I can’t wait for Wendig’s next book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I got to about 10% of the book, and although I tried my best, I think this is one I will have to come back to at another time.
It didn’t pull me in as much as I like in my usual books, and the part about all the sex toys, etc, turned me off the book a bit as I wasn’t expecting it at all for this kind of book - but I think I will come back to it at another point.

This book was pretty good! It was a bit juvenile for my taste. I liked the concept though, and how there were 2 timelines and we jumped between past and present. It was a good read with a good mystery and thriller feel to it!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I truly loved the premise of the book; it’s one that hooked me from the start and didn’t let go. Chuck Wendig’s writing style is great as ever, effortlessly flowing and moving from scene to scene and plot beat to plot beat. The plot was suitability creepy, and had so much to say in an incredibly visceral way. The characters were great and messed up in the perfect way for a novel like this. This is easily Wendig’s creepiest book, and while not my favorite of his - shoutout to Miriam Black - it’s still a fantastically good time. I loved most everything about this book, with two caveats, which I’ll get to in a moment. I also want to take a moment to call out how great the final notes were on this book, showing the thought process, meaning, and journey behind the story; it made me realize how badly I’d love this in every story I read. Props to Chuck Wendig for letting us in behind the curtain and showing us that room of his house.

Onto my caveats and reasons why this book isn’t a 5 star read for me: firstly, there are a few times where things are mentioned that are, for lack of a better way to say it, things that only work for people who are chronically online. Seeing “unalive” instead of “dead” being said by adult characters was incredibly jarring, and having a “men or bear” reference, which is barely relevant now, seems plain weird when I’m assuming it’ll be entirely irrelevant in 5 months when this book releases.

Secondly, the ending is sure feels like a non-ending, depending what type of reader you are. I’m a big character-over-plot reader, so while the plot did resolve, a dangling hook of character development just felt unnecessary.

So, with those two negatives in mind, I’d end up rating right around 3.5-4, which really does feel like it should just be a 4, so that’s what I’m going with. I would definitely recommend this book even with the two pet peeve caveats in mind, it’s a great story that is well worth your time and investment.

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Chuck Wendig is a brilliant author and this may be my favorite book that he has written. The staircase in the woods phenomenon is already creepy enough, but Wendig takes it to the absolute zenith of potential horror. Ultimately a story about friendship and how much we change and how much we can and should depend on others, it’s just so scary, so heartbreaking. Shortlisted for me for book of the year in 2025.

Five friends decide to go camping in a forest and find a staircase in the woods. One of them decides to go up the staircase. He doesn’t return. The friendship is broken. And then…

Nope. I’m not telling you anything more than that. In fact, the less you know about The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig, the better. I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book by the publisher and Net Galley. I won’t spoil the story but let me rave about the book for a second.

I haven’t read all of Chuck Wendig’s books. I’ve read Wanderers and its sequel Wayward. I read The Book of Accidents. I reviewed Black River Orchard. I like all of those books. That said, The Staircase in the Woods is absolutely the best of the bunch.

Why? Well, without spoilers, the book is shocking. Its not just that is scary or that there are so many twists and turns. No, its also how its written and the characters. The book gets its hooks into you. It reminds me of Hailey Piper’s A Light Most Hateful in that, like that book, The Staircase in the Woods is a rollercoaster ride too.

There were moments in this book when I almost yelled out loud. There were moments when I wanted to cry or where I was completely horrified. The book doesn’t pull its punches. There are some gross moments in this book. And yet, there’s also something really wonderful in here. Something thats meaningful and something that will absolutely stay with me.

This is all my very long-winded way of saying: I LOVE THIS BOOK.

And yes, when the book comes out, I want to get a physical copy. I need this book on my bookshelf or maybe just sitting next to me all the time.

The Staircase in the Woods scared me. I couldn’t put it down. I think Chuck Wendig could be my new favorite author. Thank you for the ride sir.

The Staircase in the Woods releases to the world on April 29th, 2025. Thanks again to the publisher and Net Galley for the early copy. You have to read this book!

This was such a great read for October! Overall enjoyed it but felt some aspects of it were repetitive. Despite those parts and lengthy dialogue, the story definitely pulled me in and was super creepy (which I usually don't get creeped out by books). Would recommend!

The plot of this was extremely intriguing so I was happy to be able to read an ARC of this. The mysterious staircase was freaky and I enjoyed the pop culture references. However the four remaining characters seemed too immature and the talk of politics, covid, and gender had me skipping a lot of parts. While this book was not one of Wendig's best, I do give an A for effort.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds for an ARC copy of The Staircase in the Woods.

I was really intrigued by the premise but unfortunately I DNF at 10% when politics, gender, sexuality, and covid was introduced. If I wanted to hear people argue about all these topics I would turn on the news. Definitely not tolerable to me when I read for enjoyment.

5 teenagers enter a forest. Only 4 exit.
Fast forward many years and there will be ... a reckoning with the past.

I wanted to love this but the psychological immaturity of the characters became too grating for me. They are mentally stuck in their teenage years and this is a main theme of the novel, but I just didn't root for any of them.

This was well-written with a lot of heart, in a typical Wendig style with short chapters and pop culture references. It is very cinematic but I think it needed to be shortened (mostly the inner dialogues) in order to keep the momentum going. I loved the first 50% but after the first horrific scenes it became too repetitive. It really pains me not to be more positive because I can understand what Wendig is doing here, and he put so much thought and love into telling this story about friendships, but it didn't work for me.

I’m not usually one to rate horror five stars, but this one truly captivated me from start to finish.
The mystery of the staircase in the woods had me completely hooked, and the tension kept me on edge the entire time. The characters are incredibly fleshed out, each one complicated and relatable in their own way. Lore, the pansexual, nonbinary, angsty video game designer, stood out as my favorite.
Without giving too much away, this novel is best approached with little to no expectations—just like I did.
It scared me as a horror should, but it also made me emotional, weaving in beautiful themes of friendship that added so much depth.

Mr. Wendig said it best in the afterward:
“This is a book very much about fear, and very much about friendship-both friendships of the past and adult friendships and the difficulty of keeping them and the pain of losing them and the joy of reclaiming them.”

Very much recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc!

I think that this was an interesting book, but not the right book for me. I did not understand a lot of the references. I wish it would have mention in the summary how the book was kind of a simulation.

The setup for this book is pretty straightforward. A group of childhood friends get together years after a mysterious event and attempt to rectify the past. What Chuck Wendig does with this trope is not at all ordinary. If you found The Haunting of Hill House a bit quotidian and House of Leaves too pretentious, this is for you. It’s the sweet spot between the two. Highly recommended.

I saw the title! I saw the author! Immediately I was Over-the-Moon! I read the book! Over-the-Moon from Page One! Does Chuck Wendig ever KNOW how to bring an "A" game that few others can match!!

Do not attempt to read this at intervals: carve out whatever necessary block of time, lock your doors, silence your phone, feed your pets. Settle in to the amazing, horrifying, inescapable Universe that Chuck Wendig spins. You will never forget.

I loved the beginning and what the overall message of the book is. I can't say much without giving away what happens when they reach the top of the stairs; but based on the synopsis, there was so much potential but the adventure felt a bit flat.

I'm so disappointed. This one had great potential but overall fell really flat. The blurb was intriguing and I loved certain aspects. However I struggled to connect with this one.

I've read books from this author in the past and really enjoyed them but the writing style of this book just didn't work for me.
The blurb was intriguing and I thought it had the potential to be really suspenseful, unique and thrilling but overall it just kind of fell flat. I think I probably would have DNF'd this one had it not been an ARC.

I would definitely pick up another book from this author in the future, this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you Chuck Wendig, Net Galley and Random House Worlds for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Five high school friends go on a camping trip in the forest, where they find a mysterious staircase leading to nowhere. One friend walks up the staircase and is never seen again. The staircase then disappears.

Twenty years later, the staircase reappears and the friends re-unite to attempt to find their lost friend.

This had the potential to be a suspenseful, thrilling edge-of-the-seat read, but the lengthy conversations and flashbacks interrupted the flow of the plot. Parts of the book were repetitive, like when the friends were moving through the various rooms and their rehashing of the past, without revealing any new information.