I think that I had such high expectations for this book with the book title, the cover and the description but it just didn’t deliver and I was really disappointed.

3 stars

Overall, this book was thrilling and quite intense but in the best way. It gave me similar vibes of both The Cabin in the Woods, and It.

It started off strong for me. The premise seemed great, and I was really intrigued to see how this story was going to unfold. Unfortunately, within the first few chapters it was clear that I was not going to like any of the characters.

The chapters in this book were really short, which at the beginning created great momentum and made me really excited to read the next chapter. However, after about halfway the intrigue disappeared for me. It became very repetitive, and I feel like lots of the rooms in the house didn’t need to be mentioned as they were irrelevant to the plot.

The book also ended on a cliffhanger, almost making me think that there will be a part 2. However, sometimes I would rather a book have a SUPER good ending and just wrap it up in 1 book.

Overall, I loved the plot, but did not like the characters or the pacing.

Reviewed December 2024

Book publishing date: April 2025

An unlikely premise it seems: a staircase in the woods. (Not so unlikely as it happens, there really are abandoned staircases in remote areas - the staircase being the most solid structure in the house, with the rest of the house in ruins).

Some interesting reading about them here: https://www.historicmysteries.com/myths-legends/mysterious-stairs-forests-legends-history/11628/

This is a horror story - but what I would call a soft-horror story. It's a good read, with plenty of gory details, but it won't keep you up at night, and it won't give you nightmares.

It's a story of teenagers then, and now - the first story about a camping trip in the woods, where they find a staircase. One teenager climbs the staircase and disappears. They search for him, but give up after a while. And after all, they're only teenagers, they've been drinking and taking drugs; they're frightened and they leave.
The missing boy is never found.

The second story starts 20 years on when the group get back together: one of them having never stopped researching and searching, and having found another staircase, (although the others are unaware of this when they reunite). And this time, they all climb it, and the story unfolds.

It wasn't a page-turner for me; and I didn't get that invested in the characters that I had to find out what happened to them, but it was an enjoyable read. It ends with a question - perhaps leaving room for a follow-up story.

Suitable for older teenagers and young adults, I sometimes felt that this was who the story was aimed at; as a female in her 60s the narrative seemed a little immature, so probably not written for my age group.

I think it would make an interesting, and scary, movie.

Holy guacamole. Usually I have complete book blindness. I'll forget it all as soon as the story is over. But man this book is embedded in my brain. I love it so much. I hope there's a part two. Because where were you Matty?!

Years after one of their friends goes missing after climbing a staircase that rises into the air, a group of once-close (or were they? hmmm) friends reconvenes. Most of them have been hornswoggled by one, who has been searching for similar staircases ever long after the others have accepted their friend is gone. This time, they all climb up, and never a house full of horrors, some of them related to the protagonists, some of them not. Their own personal terrors and experiences fill the house as they try to find ways to keep the house from driving them mad, and to escape. While the concept of the house haunted by one's own personal experiences and horrors isn't new, it's well done here, with a mix of various kinds of horrors--body horror, emotional and psychological trauma, physical abuse--and the characters are interesting and strong.

Group of friends find a staircase to nowhere in the woods.

A cosmic horror tale of friends initially failing each other, this is a story full of creeping dread and hopelessness.

Each member of the group has a troubled past and is living a less than ideal life post Matty’s disappearance . An email makes them meet up again after many years.

The “house” set up is brilliant in its nastiness and gore.
Thoroughly enjoyed the nod to “the apple book” as it is known in my head .

The Staircase in the Woods exudes an unsettling and eerie atmosphere. A reunion of adults, haunted by a traumatic event from their teenage years, inevitably leads to unexpected twists and bizarre supernatural occurrences. The staircase itself feels like a scene pulled straight from a nightmare. I found it difficult to choose a favorite character among the group. The narrative flows smoothly, making it an engaging read. If you're a fan of horror tales, this one is sure to captivate you.

If there is one thing I know for certain after reading this book, it’s that if I find a staircase in the woods (or any other random place) I will never ascend them. The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig had me hooked from the very beginning. The unique concept alone had me intrigued but when I learned the theme was a group of friends coming together after a long period of time to face something awful that happened in their past, I knew I was going to love it. That is one of my favorite tropes, plus a coming of age (at any age) theme is always fun. This story kept me on the edge of my seat and totally creeped me out. There were a few parts that had me under my blanket at night. I feel like if “IT”, “Stranger Things”, and “The Haunting of Hill House” had a book baby this is it! Loved this book and I can easily give it five stars.

Thank you NetGalley and DelRey for this eARC!

4 stars

Five friends, one night, one staircase in the woods and everything changed. Lore, Owen, Nick, Hamish, and Matty are high school friends just about to graduate and move into an uncertain adulthood. They share a bond that is at it's strongest when they invoke "the covenant". When invoked, it can't be refused. But what happens when Matty invokes the covenant and the other four don't follow?

This story has vibes of Stephen King's It and T. Kingfisher's Hollow Places. The premise of a staircase out in the middle of the woods is definitely creepy, made creepier by virtue of the fact that these staircases actually exist.

The story begins with Matt climbing the staircase and disappearing. Years later, the remaining four friends come together to try to find their friend and bring him back. What they find at the top of the stairs is horrifying, gorey, and takes them all back to the most painful and terrifying aspects of their childhoods.

I recommend this book for fans of this author and anyone who finds an abandoned staircase creepy. Warnings for childhood trauma and body horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So nostalgic and terrifying… I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did, and I'm pleasantly surprised. The writing is a little repetitive at times, but overall I enjoyed it. It's a creepy and entertaining read that takes an old horror trope in new directions.

Overall rating: 4 stars
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Pub Date Apr 29 2025

Thank you to the author, Random House Worlds, Del Rey and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

3⭐️

Thank you Del Rey publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

This book was not easy to get into at first. I really hated the first 9-10 chapters, I’m just not a fan of books when they mention too many modern events and such. It did pick up though and got better once they found the staircase in the woods the second time. I really liked the dual timeline chapters where we get to see the backstory of Matty’s disappearance and the way his friends handled losing him little by little instead of being thrown at us all at once. What lay at the top of the staircase in the woods was definitely not something i expected at all, and I’m glad I was surprised for most of the book. I felt as though there were not a lot of creepy or scary scenes in this book, which was looking forward to seeing. It was more heartfelt and character driven, which I did actually enjoy, especially since I really disliked most of the characters and got to see some really great character development for them.

This is my first book by Chuck Wendig. It was okay, although to me it read very YA and I thought it went on for far too long. Very cool concept—the premise reminded me a bit of Picnic at Hanging Rock, but at the end I was just pushing through to get it over with.

This book has an eerie anticipation throughout. I enjoyed the characters and the complexity of their relationships, in both past and present views. Wendig’s writing style is both easy to follow and consuming.

Wendig did it again. I loved his other novels and this one got me spooked again just like the others. I was worried it was going to use a lot of the internet mythology in a bad way but it ended up being great.

Five high school friends, a group of misfits if there ever was one, find a mysterious staircase in the woods. One friend decides to climb it and never returns. Two decades later, the friends come together to explore a new forest-dwelling staircase to....nowhere? They're soon to find out.

I really, really enjoyed this one. This is the second Chuck Wendig book I've read and it's safe to say that I've become a big fan. I love Chuck's writing style, where it is descriptive and full of illusions, but not wordy and tiresome to read. The chapters were short enough to keep the reading momentum going and I found myself flying through the book, egged on by the question of "then what happens?". This was a suspenseful, dark, raw look at trauma and fear. My only gripe is ending on a cliffhanger, but I respect the choice as it leaves the reader to make their own assumptions about what comes next. Lots of trigger warnings. If you're sensitive to death, trauma, grief, substance abuse, etc., etc., I'd steer clear.

De verdad que quería que me gustase este libro. Y durante unas 150 páginas, lo consiguió. No por los personajes, que están infradesarrollados y cuyos huecos son rellenados con tópicos, ni siquiera el contexto, que huele a creepypasta y a novelas de los noventa... es por el misterio y la intriga que consigue darle a todo el planteamiento. Todo, hasta que encuentran la escalera, y quizás algo después, consigue atraparte.
El problema es que luego se vuelve repetitivo. Las situaciones las hemos visto mil veces y los momentos impactantes no lo son tanto. No da miedo. Ni las imágenes que crea ni las implicaciones que tiene. Bajo mi punto de vista, el terror en literatura, para funcionar, tiene que hacerte dudar aunque sea un segundo, que aquello pueda ser verdad. Que hay una parte de la realidad que no conoces bien pero podría cuadrar con todo esto. Aquí no se consigue.
Gracias a Netgalley y a la editorial por la copia ARC.

First, as always, let me thank NetGalley and DelRey for the opportunity to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a 40+ year Boy Scout veteran - as both a youth, and an adult leader, I have done my fair share of camping and hiking. Some of the best things to find during those outings are remnants of old buildings, and such. Even driving along country roads, you see them quite often - skeletons of what used to be someone’s home, now abandoned and forgotten.

I don’t know about you, but when I see those, I can’t help but wonder how, or why, they got that way. Who owns the property? Why wouldn’t they just destroy the structure and sell the land? Why?

And yes, I have come across just freestanding staircase (although just a few steps, like a front stoop). Obviously, caution always took precedence and I never thought of climbing them.

But, what if a HUGE staircase suddenly made it’s appearance, with seemingly no reason behind why it was there. Would you climb it? If a friend did, and suddenly vanished - would you follow? And where would you go?

These are just some of the questions, and dilemmas that Chuck Wendig asks (as does his characters) in THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS.

This is a terrifying and extremely creepy story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and out of the woods, for a very long time. At the heart of the story it’s about five friends, and how the cope (or don’t) with the loss of one of them to a random staircase they came across on a drunken camping trip. The shame and ostracism they felt from their friends and family when they came back without him - being accused of murder, and/or abandonment of a star pupil and all around good guy.

The underlying story, however, is where the real terror begins. It’ll cause you to seriously inflect on how loss, grief, guilt, and yes, love, affect us and those around us - including inanimate objects like a house.

This was an extremely enjoyable read, but I wouldn’t suggest reading it if you plan on being in the woods anytime soon; and if you are, stay off the staircase you may come across.

My feelings on this book are complicated and may change over time, but here it goes...
I really liked the concept of the story and was very much looking forward to the resolution, which left me kind of disappointed. I still enjoyed many aspects of the story though.
The characters really didn't vibe with me, which I'm sure was at least partially intentional, but I really need likeable characters if I'm going to truly enjoy a book, so that was a big minus for me.
I really liked the writing style and appreciate the stylistic decisions the author made. Sometimes I struggled a bit with the obviously American references, since I can't relate to them.
All in all, the book was quite good and certainly kept drawing my attention, however I would not choose to read it again :(
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds for the ARC of this book.

I'm a sucker for the childhood friends reuniting to confront their past. It's a trope I love in horror fiction in particular.

This novel has wonderfully flawed characters. They are very rough around the edges, anxiety ridden and angry, but I always enjoy that starting point because I love to see character development unfold.

These four friends- Hamish, Lore, Nick, and Owen reunite and attemot to find their friend, Matty, who was lost after climbing a staircase in the woods.

I didn't expect much of what this novel turned into, without spoilers, but I did enjoy it very much.

The pacing felt a bit scattered, and I wish more rooms had been expanded upon. I almost wish there had been more threatening things throughout to up tension, as the main worry is over their psych, but it was still a real page turner with spooky scenes in droves.

I do reccomend this, and can't wait to own a physical copy.

Wow. Started slow but definitely picked up pace. Was a very creepy read. Love this author and will always be an auto buy for me!