My entire life is changed. This book has it all. Plot, character development, twists and turns you don’t see coming (literally and figuratively), and most of all, heart. This is every sci-fi/thriller reader’s dream of a book. It’s as if Blake Crouch’s ‘Dark Matter’ and Gabrielle Zevin’s ‘Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ had a love child. I just can’t give this enough praise, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and it’s a ride I’ll go on again and again. I can’t wait to see the movie adaptation of it and read more from Mr. Wendig. 10 out of 5!

In 1998, a group of five teenage friends go camping in the woods in Bucks County Pennsylvania, only to discover a staircase that suddenly vanishes. Twenty years later with the staircase reappearance, the four remaining friends agree to fulfil their oath to support each other and return to the Highchair Woods to discover what happened to Matty. Unfortunately, this book did not pass muster with its disjointed beginning, constant jumping timelines and coarse language, perhaps targeting a younger audience. Its blurb promised a suspense thriller but was sadly not, with the rarity of a did not finish reading the book rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given. With thanks to Random House Worlds and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

Thank you, Netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of The staircase in the woods.
This is a story about a group of friends in 1998. One night they go out to the woods to drink and hang out, There they come across a mysterious set of stairs with no point of origin. What happens next changes all of their lives.
This book was fast-paced and action packed. It definitely leaned more to the horror genre, then, thriller. I thought all the characters had depth, I truly did care about their stories. The ending was surprising, I didn’t see it coming.
I enjoyed this read and would recommend.

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. Every time I did put it down my mind would reel and I’d immediately pick it back up. I needed to know what happened next. I needed to know what the heck was happening! Every twist, turn, room, hallway, doorway, etc. frightened me to the bone! I want more!

This was an intense and emotionally exhausting read! Great characters, great writing, great premise. My only complaint is that it seemed a little too long, I think it would've been just as exciting had it been even just a 1/4 shorter.

I got to enjoy another book from Chuck Wendig. This time we get a full on horror story with The Staircase in the Woods. I really enjoyed how this felt like Stephen King’s It mixed with a haunted house book. The characters in this book, while not always good people, were still very much interesting and kept me wondering what would happen to them. The story does take a bit to get to the meat of the suspense and horror but all of the information about the characters given leading up to that point is necessary to connect to what happens and I found myself constantly needing to continue after a chapter ended so that I could know what was coming next. Chuck Wendig has constantly provided wonderful scares whether for a younger audience or for adult readers and The Staircase in the Woods is another case of his writing talents. If you like personal horror that ties from character trauma this is definitely a book to check out.

This one left me confused.

I wanted to love the idea of this mysterious staircase showing up in the middle of a forest with a good horror theme.

Let's start with things that I did love. I loved the suspenseful nature of this book and never knowing where the story was going. There were some truly scary and also disturbing moments!

However, there were so many things that I unfortunately didn’t like. The characters, while well written and had a lot of depth to them, they were horribly unlikable. There were no redeeming qualities for any of them. Much of the overall theme of the book is about friendship. But the group does not seem to like each other at all, which makes me skeptical on if they all would actually get together to meet again as adults, regardless of the circumstances.

Also, the mention of COVID, politics, and pop culture references in the book threw me off and didn’t seem like it actually added anything to the story. I'm also not sure how I feel about the ending of this story.

The Stiarcase in the Woods promises a creepy read and it is definitely that. It was a fast read and for the most part it was well done. My complaints would be that I never really felt the “covenant” aspect. The characters were good but holding the promise never made much sense to me. The end was also a bit weak considering the rest of the story. I’d say it’s more of a 3.75 star read, rounding up to 4.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Staircase in The Woods

A group of school friends investigate a strange staircase in the woods. Twenty years later the staircase returns.

It is hard not to draw parallels with “IT” by Stephen King. That been said, the story as its own identity and has a good mix of horror and psychology thriller. I liked the ideas of the different rooms and it is interesting to think of the memories and traces of negative energy that we leave, especially as we view our home as a safe place.
After a long a long build to the reveal of the source powering the house, I found the ending a bit abrupt and slight disappointing. But I still enjoyed the book and would definitely like to read more from this author.

This was one of my most anticipated new releases of 2025, and although it didn't quite meet my expectations, I still had a fun time reading it. Creepy and fast-paced. Lore was definitely a woman written by a man, but overall it was a nice read.

A group of fast teenage friends come across a mysterious staircase while hiking, in the the woods. Matty foolishly and impulsively walks up the staircase never to be seen again. The book begins twenty years later and the group is in the woods together, once again and come across the same staircase. Can they find their missing friend?

The idea of finding a random staircase in the woods is scary, mysterious and intriguing causing readers to turn the pages to find out just what it leads to. Even though Matty ascended the stairs and disappeared, the group goes up the staircase and find it leads to a house so they begin to explore. The house is sinister and the descriptions can be quite gory. This is a unique and interesting take on the haunted house horror story, which affected each friend differently.

And, oh the characters! None of them are likable and even though they have been tied to each irher for twenty years, the group as a whole didn’t really seem to like each other making their “covenant” to me, serm bogus,

And, this book was no place for politics which added nil to the story. In fact it may have detracted from the story.

The ending was a bit unsatisfying making me wonder if the author wanted to keep the door open for a sequel.

After the book ends, keep reading to learn there is an actual staircase in the woods in New Hampshire. The picture you can search for is truly as mysterious as is this book.

Specializing in teen angst and broken families this story is also steeped in the horrors of death in many forms. Heavy topics include drug use, suicide, murder, and bad home decor. I enjoyed the differences of the core character group and how real their individual lives felt. I could have done with less chapters as the story did start to stall out around 75%.

Creepy and twisty. Good book and keep you going to the end. Didn’t love it but enjoyed it! Love the dual storyline.

This is a horror story about a former group of high school students that have come together in a forest 20 yrs after the last time they were together .. and they find a staircase in the woods… the second one in the history of their friendship, the first time, their friend Matty climbed one and disappeared!

I've loved some of Wendig's other books, and picked this up based on that and the premise (which longtime Internet denizens will recognize as an urban legend/creepypasta trope). An abandoned staircase in the woods, which leads... where, exactly? It's a great idea, and Wendig takes it in some interesting directions.

The good: Without getting too spoilery, I loved Wendig's take on where the staircase leads and his inventive and creepy reworking of some horror tropes. I was not sure where the plot was going or if/how the characters would survive. The suspense was enjoyable with some genuine scares, and Wendig is good at maintaining a rollicking narrative pace that kept the pages turning.

The bad: I did not like these characters, and would honestly have enjoyed the book more with a different cast. While I often enjoy reading about flawed or dysfunctional people, this group of misfit friends felt more cartoonish than realistic. I also struggled to believe that they were ever truly friends as high schoolers. The dynamics felt off to me in ways I can't fully articulate. Since such a large part of the plot was the "covenant" of friendship that the characters vowed together, it made it hard for me to imagine that these particular characters actually felt the strength of that bond and would do so much to preserve it.

On the whole, I felt like this was an entertaining read but not one of Wendig's best. Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

My initial response to this book is to applaud whoever wrote the synopsis. It immediately piques your interest - a staircase just appearing in the middle of the woods? Horror fans are going to want to pick this up. BUT it does not give away the game of the book and that created just a very fun reading experience for me where I was constantly surprised and on the edge of my seat (and also saying “wtf is going on”[positive]).

So in that vein I am pretty limited in my review to not spoil the twists and turns. But STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS was what I have come to expect from Chuck. It’s a little less weird and wild than BLACK RIVIER ORCHARD but that’s a high bar.

The spirit of this book made me think of IT as we have this group of friends who fell apart coming back together and the joy and complicated emotions that come with it. These characters are not perfect and it was fascinating to go through this reunion primarily with Owen and Lore’s POV and the baggage that comes from childhood friendships.

One part that I will tag as a **spoiler*** but when it clicked into my head while reading I truly felt that Chuck must really have spent such time fleshing out this story even outside the pages. But I was just so pleased when we acknowledged these folks trapped in a murder haunted house NEEDED to rotate through some rooms to find themselves some showers and toilets. I feel like so much media be it movies, tv, or books don’t acknowledge stuff like so it felt all the more immersive and emphasized the length of time spent there.

Lots of enjoyment. I thought about this book throughout my day excited to pick it up again. Lots of CW though but most instances are brief.

The Staircase in the Woods is a horror novel about a group of friends who found a mysterious staircase in the middle of the woods as teenagers. After one of them walked up, the staircase disappeared. Now, twenty years later the staircase has reappeared and the remaining four reconnect in hopes of finding their missing friend.

I loved that the timeline alternated between the past and present. Through the flashbacks we see what happened leading up to and after Matty’s disappearance. In the present, the rest of the group has grown apart but agrees to meet up when Nick invokes the covenant - their agreement to always be there for each other. Unbeknownst to them, he has ulterior motives.

The idea of finding a random staircase in the woods was intriguing and I was so excited to find out just what it lead to. Once the group goes up and begins exploring the house I was hooked. I really liked the claustrophobic, sinister atmosphere of the house but fair warning, the descriptions could be quite gory (make sure you check trigger warnings!). This is definitely an interesting take on a haunted house and I enjoyed seeing the way it messed with each characters head.

The plot was interesting but the characters were the problem for me. None of them were likable and while there may have been a few close friendships, the group as a whole didn’t seem to like each other much which made it hard to believe in their “covenant”.

I will say that this was a little too heavy on the politics for me. With the current political climate, I read to escape not be reminded of what’s happening in the world so it kept taking me out of the book.

I liked the reveal at the end but was unsatisfied with the ending. I have nothing against open endings but in this case, I would have preferred more of a resolution.

I really like this author, and I was pretty confident about this novel. I found what I like in his stories, horrific without being over the top, but I still regret a few lengths at times.

A staircase that leads to nowhere appears in the woods. One fateful day, five friends go up it, but only four come back down. This synopsis is sparse, mysterious and foreboding. But when it's a Chuck Wendig book, I don't need to know more than that to jump in! I LOVE his books!

This is likely the most difficult review I've ever written. Every attempt I've made to tell you about things I LOVED in this book has been rife with spoilers. So here is what I can say: I was absolutely DELIGHTED when we learned where the stairs lead to...I unexpectedly got one of my favorite horror tropes!!!! The characters are amazing. My heart broke for these characters who experienced too much trauma as teens. I was all in to see them reunite to face it and to try to mend what was broken. I was totally immersed in this story, I could vividly see it in my mind. I think Wendig did an excellent job of weaving political commentary throughout the novel. And I loved the central theme explored, how a certain place can be one of love and life or hurt and horror. 

The Staircase in the Woods is a fast-paced read. It hooked me early on and easily held my interest. Ranking it compared to other Wendig books I've read: I liked it more than Black River Orchard but not as much as The Book of Accidents (which remains one of the best books I've read in my entire life). And I can't post about Wendig and his books without mentioning how much I love his Star Wars books, they just don't factor into this ranking because they aren't horror books.

But, UGH. Wendig, I'm giving you a little bit of stink eye for that ending. I needed just a bit more.

Heads up, the book deals with a number of difficult topics such as gore and violence, drugs, sexual assault and self-harm. 

Adding this here, but not on my social media reviews because of spoilers: HOLY HAUNTED HOUSE!!!! Loooooved the house vibes. And also, obsessed with all the comparisons and references to gaming.

I truly felt like I needed to stand in one of those biohazard showers to wash away everything this book left on me. It had potential, and the description really caught my attention. I’ve spent years on the r/nosleep subreddit and was excited to see what this story might become. But ultimately, it didn’t work for me. It’s repetitive, but not in the adds to the plot kind of way. The writing jumps from basic descriptions like as red as a clown balloon to unnecessarily long, over the top descriptions. It felt like the author was trying to be clever, but ended up making the prose feel more performative than engaging. There were also political rants? Those felt very heavy handed and more of an angry lecture than meaningful commentary. The characters are shallow and about as compelling as background extras in a low budget film.

The physical and emotional trauma felt excessive, and not in a a way the served the horror effectively. It leans more into body horror than classic horror, which isn’t my thing. The disturbing imagery? No thanks. I could have gone my whole life without reading a sentence that includes the words centipede enema or stepping on puppies until the pop. The characters are incredibly unlikable, and it doesn’t even seem like they enjoy each other’s company. There’s no real chemistry or depth. Just a group of people who feel less like friends, and more like hostages of the plot. At best, they tolerate each other.

The book is packed with pop culture references. But instead of feeling natural, they come off as forced. Like the literary equivalent of someone trying too hard to seem relatable. I’ve also come to realize that trauma driven horror with gruesome shock value scenes just isn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds for the ARC!