“The heart is where the home is.”

No, that quote isn’t backwards.

This book had so many twists and turns that my head feels like it’s spinning (in a good way).

The story follows a group of friends who are called back to their hometown to look for their long lost friend who has “disappeared”. There, Nick invokes “The Covenant”, setting off this wild story about pain, promises, loss, and chosen family.


Initial Reactions:

I felt that the characters were complex, just like real people. You never know what people are dealing with and that shows in this book. Every character seemed likable one moment, then unlikable the next. One thing I didn’t care for however, was the use of real-world politics to make a character seem more negative and unlikable than the others.

The plot was very surprising, I had no idea where the story was going, but at the end it made sense. However, some parts did seem repetitive.

At first, I struggled to get into this book. But by the time I got about half-way through, I was hooked. Once you get into the real “meat” of the plot, it feels like you’re in video game or escape room and you’re excited to see what comes next.

This book is definitely a horror/paranormal trip that I enjoyed. I’d give it 3.5-4 stars out of 5 and would recommend it to young adult and adult readers.

Big thank you to Chuck Wendig, Del Rey, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was just meh to me. It reminded me of The Cabin at the End of World but it was definitely better. I liked the relationships between all of the characters. Lore drove me nuts in a few ways, but it wasn’t unbearable to read her POV. One thing I hate about this author is his inclusion of blatant political opinions. It doesn’t add to the story and I read fiction to escape not have current events shoved in my face.

Genuinely creepy and a page turner, but the Gen X humor wasn’t for me. Felt a bit repetitive at times, and the ending was unsatisfying.

DNF -- I got about 25 pages in and couldn't go any further. What ridiculous nonsense! And the way he writes the queer woman character disgusts me, as a queer person. The first few chapters failed to capture my interest, and none of the characters was compelling in the slightest.

Years ago I had come across a Reddit thread that talked about random staircase leading nowhere found in dense forests. I have thought about those staircases on a weekly basis since, so when I saw this book I had to read it.
However, the Reddit thread may have hyped up these staircases in my mind because this book didn’t quite live up to my hopes and dreams. It was incredibly unique, but the characters were so individually unlikable (friendship was adorable though) and the pacing was hard to keep up with. Definitely worth the read, but I just had some issues with it.

Binged this over a 24 hours period and I think I've found a new auto-buy author. This is my first Chuck Wendig book, but man did I devour it. I needed a break from all the romantasy and subpar thrillers that I read, and this was the perfect, icky, horrifying palate cleanser.

Like most people, I've dived down the 'staircase in the woods' reddit rabbithole, and the second I saw the title of this book I knew I had to read it. It did not disappoint. There wasn't a single part of this story that I wasn't interested in finding out what happens, and even at times where it might have felt repetitive, the overall question of 'what the hell happened to Matty?' always stuck with me and kept me turning those pages.

Things I liked best about 'The Staircase in the Woods'
- clear characterization, each of the five mains in this book felt inanely diferent from the other, and one of the things that impressed me the most in this book is how well the characters behaved according to their personalities, which unfortunately doesn't always happen in books. I just KNEW Owen was gonna close that door.
- imagery. Gross, man
- vdeo game integration- loved the aspects of nerd-dom spread throughout the book, and how it related into the overall plot and resolution of the book.
- the plot itself. Very interesting, and something I haven't come across before and it was amazing.

Things I liked least about 'The Staircase in the Woods'
- some of the slang felt misplaced, and maybe a bit over the top. I get the point of clearly trying to convey the time period but it threw me off sometimes
- A little repetitive. I understand the nature of it, but I think it could have been reworked just a tad to not give us so much of that.
- I hated Lore the entire time. I don't know if that was the point, but there were times I found her near insufferable, especially in the initial car ride with Hamish. (I voted blue)
- I wanted more at the end. That entire book dangled me on a string and I wanted a Matty scene and it never came

Overall thoughts:
This is an easy 5/5 for me. Am off to go check out Chuck's backlist pronto.

New York Times bestselling author Chuck Wendig's The Staircase in the Woods grips you from the start with a chilling atmosphere and intense emotional core. Wendig invites us into a world where mystery and friendship intertwine against a backdrop of eerie suspense.

Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what. Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something extraordinary: a mysterious staircase to nowhere. One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears. Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods...

Chuck Wendig has crafted a thrilling tale with an engaging premise that quickly captured my attention. With an opening that sets a tone that's both mysterious and foreboding, hinting at supernatural elements while weaving in very human emotions to a conclusion that was worth the wait, The Staircase in the Woods was one wild ride.

Wendig truly excels at crafting multi-dimensional characters that drive the novel forward. Initially, I found myself struggling to connect with certain members of this group–finding some annoying–but as their individual backstories unfolded throughout the novel, my perspective shifted. Each character carries their own baggage from the original fateful night and how they dealt with said night was different for each person. The evolution of each relationship over twenty years is portrayed with nuance and empathy, making their reunion around solving this long-unanswered mystery all more palpable.

The Staircase in the Woods is steeped in suspense. Wendig employs twists and turns wonderfully, ensuring we remain perpetually on edge. The pacing feels relentless yet controlled; just as you're about to catch your breath from one heart-pounding moment or emotional revelation another awaits almost immediately around each corner within these woods.

Chuck Wendig has crafted more than just another horror story with The Staircase in the Woods; he's created a thought-provoking exploration into friendship's complexities layered atop tantalizing suspense and mystery. Through relatable characters and breakneck pacing, The Staircase in the Woods is a gripping experience in true Wendig fashion. The novel is captivating thriller that challenges not only our perception of reality but also the bonds we hold most dear.

The Staircase in the Woods was not one of my favorite reads. I could not fall in love with any of the characters and the political rants were a bit much for me. I didn't hate it but also did not love it. Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

Special thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I love Chuck Wendigs and he did not disappoint me, as one of his recent books was a little far fetched for me, this was an easy and compelling read. While the story took me out to a political rant in the beginning that was a little jarring, it quickly got back on track and was a really good story. I read it quickly and enjoyed it very much.

I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 4
Plot development: 5
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 5
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Traditional format (eReader). I have never read a book by Chuck Wendig but the synopsis sounded cool and I gave it a try. That was not a good decision. This book was extremely difficult to get through and finally after 78% I decided to cut my losses and not finish the book.

The pacing of the book was all wrong for me and led me to quitting. Just when I got interested in the plot, there would be a shift to a flashback that didn't really add to the story and took away from the main plot. The book had lots of gore and the right elements of horror but the book just did not come together for me and after struggling for weeks to push through I couldn't do it any longer.

In a nutshell, the book was a good premise that did not deliver. I don't always rate books that I don't finish but as I invested a lot of time in this one I am going to give it a below par 2/5. It should be a 1/5 but it did deliver on the horror/creep out factor so I bumped it up.

Thank you Random House Worlds | Del Rey for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes there’s just too much extra and characters that grate on your nerves. The Staircase in the Woods takes a creepy concept with good writing yet keeps hitting rewind through the use of excessive flashbacks and backstories, breaking the momentum and suspense, the atmosphere and mood, too many times to count. I found myself stopping and starting so often then ended up slogging through. There’s no doubt this author can write. And there are some genuinely chilling depictions in this book, yet expect to be wound around a lot and often with a sense of unintended futility.

The story itself is 5 stars, but I'm dropping the overall rating to 4.

- A political rant by a main character near the start was jarring and took me out of the story. I agree with the rant but books should be an escape from the shitshow of The Real World. It dates the book horrifically as well which will make the politics even MORE jarring for rereads in 10 or 15 years.

- Some parts of the writing are "how do you do, fellow kids?" It's okay to not be young anymore. In fact, sometimes it's more fun to be a cranky old bastard.

- Why does everything always, always relate back to mummy and daddy trauma? It's sooo boring. I'd like books about fucked up staircases in the woods to just really be about fucked up staircases in the woods and not read about how much daddy hates me.

These things aside, the actual story is fantastic. It's spooky, suspenseful, and deeply unsettling. I stayed up half the night to keep reading. I couldn't put it down.

The ending was satisfying. Wrapped up enough to not make you throw it across the room but also slightly ambiguous that left me going "aaaaarrrgfhhh noooo!!"

I will definitely reread in a few years.

I adore stories about characters going just past the boundaries of reality, and I especially love horror that’s not so much about the SCARY THING as they’re about the ordinary folks dealing with the THING. Wendig’s characters are wonderfully flawed and real, and I think this novel is great both for teens in the midst of these friendships and for adults who remember being in them.

Ooof.
This really drew me back to being a teenager and the dual timeline was great and easy to follow.
I loved the tension and eeriness of the book. The author was reallly great at setting the scene, description of characters.
As someone who has gone down a Reddit rabbit hole pertaining staircases in the woods, wooo. This was great, page turning and darn right thrillingly scary 😂.

Thank you to Chuck Wendig, NetGalley, and Random House for providing me with this ARC.

To start off, as someone born and raised in NH, the story and the afterword now have special places in my heart

This book was WILD. An Absolutely wild ride. I literally never knew where the book was going. The characters were well developed, and you were invested in them. I found the ending satisfying, which is rare. I truly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more from Chuck.

I've recently had the pleasure of reading The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig, which ranks as one of the creepiest books I've encountered in a while. The story's uniqueness and expertly crafted psychological horror elements make it a standout. I highly recommend this gripping page-turner to fans of the genre.

I was really excited about starting this book and it expired in my Netgalley account before I could begin.

I just finished The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig. I received a free eARC from Netgalley.

Four childhood friends reunite 20 years after the incident that broke their friendship. Lore, a videogame designer, type-A who doesn't need anyone. Owen, an OCD goth who never quite found his place in the world. Nick, a ball-buster with a devil-may-care attitude. And Hamish, the quintessential family man. But there used to be 5 of them. Twenty years ago Matty, the golden boy athlete-scholar, the 5th member of their sacred Covenant went missing when they were camping. He went up a staircase in the woods, and never came back. Twenty years later, the old friends try to erase the sins of the past, but they're not expecting what they'll find at the end of the staircase.

Wow wow wow. I've never read a Chuck Wendig novel before, but the cover and description were too good to pass up. And What. A. Story. Perfectly paced, the transition between the past and the future was excellently handled. Wendig is amazing at revealing just enough at just the right time for maximum affect. The characters are so lived in. Wendig lets you live in each of their heads a bit, and each one feels different, and deep, and so real. At it's heart, this is a story about trauma, and how we wrap ourselves up in our traumas to keep the world at bay. Each of the friends has their own individual trauma, and then they are both bound by and repelled by their shared trauma of losing Matty in the woods. It's also about the ways in which our trauma marks us, makes us different, sometimes only to ourselves, but sometimes to everyone else too. The four friends are forced to confront their trauma in a truly creepy and horrific setting. Wendig takes typical horror tropes and makes them feel intimate, obscene, and unsettling. Without too many spoilers, I will say, you've never met a haunted house like this.

And that ending though. I've rarely wanted one more chapter as badly as I did for this one.

Thanks to Random House Worlds and Netgalley for providing this ARC. Although I have enjoyed other Chuck Wendig titles, this one did not do it for me. I plodded through, considering stopping many times. But I persisted. In the end, I was disappointed. It was mostly slow-going and I found the ending unsatisfying.