This was an intriguing story and my first by this author. Most of it read kind of like a horrifying fever dream and I can guarantee I won’t ever forget it.

High school friends, Lore, Owen, Hamish, Nick and Matty, are on another camping trip in the woods of New Hampshire. Shockingly, a staircase appears out of nowhere and Marty is the one who goes up to investigate. But Matty never comes back down and the staircase vanishes.

Now, twenty years later, Nick calls his friends home for a reunion because the staircase has reappeared. Can they go up and find Matty after all these years and fix what they couldn’t when they were kids?

This book has short, addictive chapters that compelled me to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. There was a lot of suspense built around the mystery of Matty’s disappearance. I enjoyed the interaction between the longtime friends and watching them grow, work through old resentments, and get reacquainted as adults. I did think the ending was pretty abrupt and left me with more questions than answers, but maybe the author wanted that for the reader. I think people involved in gaming culture are really going to love this one.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Worlds, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 29, 2025

Chuck Wendig is an auto-read author for me. I have loved almost everything I’ve read of his, and this was no exception. Staircase in the Woods was simply fantastic. Not too long, paced well, great characters, and truly scary but not in a gory way. I really enjoyed every minute of this book!

First off, a thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the eARC.

Five high school best friends find a staircase in the woods, but only four of them leave the woods. Years later, the group is called to gather again as one member is on his death bed. However, it is all a sham. There is another staircase in the woods, and the chance to find out what happened to their friend those many years ago is presented to the group -- a chance to recover from the event that tore their group apart.

Wendig has created a story that is one part coming-of-age story, one part psychological horror, and one part supernatural horror. The story is engrossing, drawing you in to repeatedly stomp on your heart. The characters are compelling, and Wendig develops them incredibly. While the characters initially look like shallow stereotypes, Wendig fleshes each character out into something much more than what you thought they were going to be. The story is filled with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing and off balance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds | Del Rey for the digital advance reader copy.

Lore, Owen, Hamish, and Nick have been friends since high school. Except there used to be one more member of the Covenant: Matty. Something happened to Matty, and they don't talk about it.

They don't talk about a lot of things.

But now Nick has invoked the Covenant, and they are together again years later. Perhaps they'll find Matty, if he's still able to be found.

But first they'll need to face the truth about their friendship and themselves and the horror that is the staircase in the woods.

This is my second Wendig book (<i>The Book of Accidents</i>), and he does a great job with character and dialogue. The damaged friendship between the four feels genuine, with all of its complications and pettiness and joys and secrets.

He also can create horrifying tableaus, and this book is no exception. The house's depiction of hate and fear and utter despair is terrifying. It is a hopeless place, made to break your humanity and have you destroy any humanity around you.

I did struggle with this one a tiny bit because it started to feel more like a parable than an actual horror tale. I'm not sure how to explain that better. Of course, we all know that there is no staircase, no hateful house made so by hateful humans. That's part of fiction. We know it's not real. However, in this case, it felt for me like the novel turned a corner at some point and became less about its story and characters and more about the lesson it was trying to teach: <spoiler>Hate and fear breeds more hate and fear, ad infinitum. The only thing that can break it is having someone to see you, including all of the wounds you have, and to remind you of the small joys and kindnesses and laughter and love that life can bring too. If you focus only on the darkness, it will destroy you. Generational trauma is very real and truly terrifying.</spoiler>

It's still a horrifying story, and I'll still read Wendig in the future because I've enjoyed his characters and creative storytelling, but it did lessen the horror for me when I started to feel like it was trying to teach me something.

If you like friendship-focused horror, I'd pick this one up.

*language, sex, graphic violence, suicidal ideation, abuse

What a unique horror novel. The entire time I was left feeling just an onslaught of dread. Never sure what was coming next. The couple twists I definitely did not see coming. I felt like it started dragging a bit towards the end but I still couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the end too. I especially appreciated that though none of the characters were especially likable (especially lore) they weren’t unlikeable enough to stop reading. Great book!

Woah this was so much darker and more unsettling than I expected but I loved it! The premise ended up being not at all how it seemed at the beginning. It turned into this like creepy backrooms horror game thing? Idk but it was great I flew through it

I will always read this author's work because I'll always be chasing the feeling I got from The Book of Accidents, which I loved so much. Unfortunately this one didn't quite do it for me. I was hoping the group of friends coming together in adulthood to battle dark supernatural forces would give me IT vibes but instead they were more like frenemies and gave me Mean Girl vibes, except not funny. Wendig is a very talented writer and and this had some great descriptions, but the story itself wasn't very enjoyable for me.

Loved this one. Part Coming of Age Horror and liminal spaces. Very dark, but amazing world building and characters.

Takes place over two time periods; the teen years of the 4 main characters when they originally find the staircase, and their adult years where they find it again. The characters were very flawed and didn’t love them all the time, but they were real. Lore in particular bothered me with her selfish narcissism. But she had tremendous growth throughout the story. The staircase and hellish house was a character as well. And might be one of my favorite antagonists in a story.

For fans of non traditional haunting stories, mystery and characters.

Really liked this book. It's different. I thought the characters were enjoyable and it was a food journey. I will be looking into other books by Wendig.

4.5 stars rounded up

I really enjoyed this one! This novel follows a found family fragmented after the disappearance of one of their members. Years later, they reunite when they discover one of them is dying of cancer. Reuniting dregs back up the past and they find themselves in trouble.

This was gruesome, dark story with themes of pain, loss, fear, and the importance of friendship. There are sensitive topics so read trigger warnings if needed. While I initially found the characters to be frustrating, they grew on me and I truly cared about them by the end. Wendig is a fantastic author who brings this surreal environment to life. I would liken this to a demented version of Piranesi.

Highly recommend to horror readers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds for access to this work. All opinions are my own.

So I finished this book a while ago but I have been having a hard time figuring out how to review and rate it. The longer I wait, the harder it’s getting because parts are finding away in my mind.

Five high school friends find a staircase in the woods while camping. Only four come out of the woods the next day. 20 years later, after the four friends have drifted apart, they come back together (sort of) to search for their missing friend.

I was drawn in right away by the premise and the beginning of the story. I was held by the suspense because I never knew what was coming. This book is atmospheric, creepy, and gory at times. It is also sad and claustrophobic. This is trauma horror and there are a few disturbing moments. However, the characters were frustratingly annoying. I get that the trauma plays a part in this, but it wasn’t just their immaturity. It was also how exaggerated they were with every aspect of their personalities. I also never really bought the story of how they became friends.

Chuck Wendig’s writing is truly what kept me reading this book. I really do love his writing style. But (and I hate saying this), the way the book is put together feels clunky. I usually enjoy dual timelines, but sometimes the switch didn’t make sense to me. Also, there are five characters in this book, but we get two POVs. And I for sure got confused. The last thing is that I wish the book was shorter. There were times when we got several pages of thoughts/musings of a character, but I didn’t feel like it aided in character development or moved the story along. In fact, it pulled me out of the story. In the end, I’m glad I read it! It was clever and very unique.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the e-ARC!

3.5 stars

This was a wild story with an interesting premise. I didn't know where it was going in the beginning and was surprised by the turn into a haunted house sort of book. I really liked how the characters learned and figured out how the house worked. And the descriptions were fantastic and generally, this was written really well. And the voices for the characters were distinct and fun and overall this was a fun read.

For a long time throughout the story, I didn't care about any of the characters. They all start out being incredibly unlikeable, so it was hard to get into the book until maybe the 50-60% mark. I ended up empathizing with Owen, but never did with Lore. I actually didn't really like her at all. And I wish we got more of Hamish's perspective because his was very interesting, but he didn't get a lot of page time.

I also felt like the two page Trump rant Lore dumped onto Hamish randomly really just turned me off of her entirely. And she kept bringing it up. I totally agree with everything she was saying, but geez. And I hated generally that this book kept reminding me of Trump and Covid and how much America sucks over and over again. It added nothing to the plot. Again, totally agree with it all, but I like at least a little bit of escape when I read fiction.

The ending felt a bit rushed and confusing. By the time I reached the 85% mark, I had no idea how this story could possibly be tied up satisfyingly. And I didn't like the route it took. It felt a bit cheesy and too easy. And honestly, I wish we got like 3 more pages at the end about the final interaction of the book. It felt slightly unfinished.

All of that to say, I think this was a fun book that definitely kept me reading. The haunted house was fantastically done and the atmosphere was so horrific and haunting. And I did like how unique and well thought out the characters were. They definitely felt like real people with real trauma.

2.5⭐️

Sadly this was such a miss for me. I love portal style horror where our characters go into an ambiguous place. The premise of this book was really intriguing. For the most part the plot was fast paced and had interesting elements.

The characters though were so intolerable. I disliked every single one and struggled reading this because that we all so very annoying. I'm ok if some of them are annoying or morally gray but there is typically at least one redeeming trait. There was nothing redeeming for them 😭.

The horror of elements of this book was so hit and miss. They were mostly gross rather than scary.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray for this advanced reader copy my review is voluntarily my own.

Five high school friends bonded by trauma go on a camping trip in the middle of the woods, where they find a staircase to nowhere. One friend walks up, never to return...then the staircase vanishes. Twenty years later, the staircase has been seen again. The friends reunite to find their friend and themselves.

I really enjoyed this story of relationships, trauma, and acceptance. Full of emotional lows (really low) and highs, there was something I could relate to with each character's lived experience. I could not put this book down as it continued to take me on a rollercoaster of self-discovery. As always, I loved the nods to other Wendig stories, some of which make me excited for future possibilities.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.

The Staircase in the Woods is based on both a real phenomenon and a nightmarish concept. It's also a love letter to enduring friendships. Although I can't say I loved any of the characters, they all felt like people you might know, flaws and all. Without spoilers, this book has one of the most unique plot points I've encountered. At times the book dragged a bit and felt overly long, but it is a very solid read. 4.25 stars

This book was fast-paced, engaging, and scary - exactly what I hoped for! The existence of stairs in the wilderness has always been a creepy premise, and this author makes the most of it.

A group of old friends reconnect when they learn that one of their own has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Their once-close friendship has long since deteriorated as a result of what happened the last time they all entered the woods together…

This book is a genuinely scary exploration of the evil that can take place behind closed doors. My only complaint is that the dialogue between characters often felt like a perfectly rehearsed speech instead of how people would communicate. But I still had a lot of fun reading this, and I recommend this book for readers who enjoy horror, gaming, terrifying vignettes, and friendship…in all its beauty and pain.

This hit my horror sweet spot 🙌🏻 The setting of this story is truly unsettling and had me on the edge of my seat while reading. It’s not your typical haunted house story and at times had very “cosmic” horror vibes. Just the thought of being alone in this environment made me so full of dread.

The rooms are described in such vivid detail that I’m still seeing them even after finishing this book. The characters are majorly flawed and will drive you nuts but they feel real. They feel human and as such, they make poor decisions at times.

My only critique is that it felt a bit long. Especially towards the end. It took me out of the story a bit which really reduced the tension and scary vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House/Del Rey, and Chuck Wendig for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review Copy

I LOVED this book. I loved it so hard that I don't know where to start. But...

It's character driven, which is so important to me. It's descriptive in the very best way. I could see all the characters and hear their voices. The story was so compelling and of course I figured it was a figment of the authors imagination. To find out in the Author's Note that it was based on truth blew me over! Today I will Googling it.

OK,I admit it. I've never read Chuck Wendig before. That ends with Staircase. Like my tbr isn't higher than the Staircase but I've added his books to my wishlist. So come on Amazon, do me a favor and drop some prices! Chuck Wendig is Stephen King good!

Do yourself a favor if you like character driven horror try this.

I am having trouble getting through the first few chapters. I’m eerily triggered by one of the character’s habit to nail bite and the graphic description to how bad his anxiety is where he feels he needs to constantly bite his nails is making me cringe nonstop…

I can see this book being really loved or really hated. I received the ARC months ago but I couldn't craft how I felt about what I read. But I still think about what I read in this story and I think it's a 5 star all over again. I Hear me out. This was my first Chuck Wendig book and I am surprised I haven't discovered this author sooner. The synopsis doesn't do this book justice on what it's truly about in my opinion. Chuck Wendig knows how to craft a creepy setting. From the beginning in the dark woods to the suffocating atmosphere of the house it all felt surreal and eerie. I was getting goosebumps reading each room each character entered. I was up at 2AM reading and kept staring at my door feeling isolated biting my nails. I love when a horror books gives me such a visceral reaction.

Now the reasons why I think someone would absolutely hate this book:

1. These characters are completely and totally unlikable. You will hate Owen, Lore (especially Lore), Hamish, and Nick from beginning to end. They are flawed individuals and you will judge every decision they make the entire reading experience. But in their constant bad decisions and flawed personalities there is a relatability. Whether you feel like you are a second choice to someone, have childhood trauma that hasn't been fully resolved, or feel like you are missing your childhood innocence. Chuck Wending takes each characters story and dials the trauma up to 100.

2. The scenes described in each room are horrific. From the first time you enter the home you are greeted with "THIS HOUSE HATES YOU" and it will show you that over and over again. This book is gory and doesn't hold back. It you are sensitive to some subjects I would reconsider reading this book. I don't want to spoil this book but it is nightmare after nightmare and it feels as if there is no escape. It becomes long and drawn out in some sections almost to the point of exhaustion.

3. This book gives no explanation. You are left with no real ending and you will have more questions than you originally had. Was it Aliens? Hell? government agency? we will never know. I don't mind when a book leaves you to your own conclusions but I know some people want answers and this book won't give you that.

I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone but it was a perfect, well crafted horror for me. I think I will continue to think about the scenes and characters for a very long time. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House/Del Rey, and Chuck Wendig for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.