A childhood pact among a group of friends resurfaces years later when Nick gathers them for one final trip. During a nostalgic yet tension-filled camping excursion, what begins as a reunion turns nightmarish as they stumble upon a mysterious staircase in the woods—a haunting symbol of their past ‘covenant’ and the place where their friend Matt disappeared. The author masterfully blends the familiar with the fantastical, immersing readers in a chilling realm where memory and horror are inextricably linked.

This is a fun time! A little too long with too many unnecessary head swaps, and some of the lines didn't land for me, but I loved the premise. The inspirations may have been a tad on the nose in places, but I still think it's worth the read.

Over the year's I've become a fan of Chuck Wendig's writing, and The Staircase in the Woods is no exception. I was sucked into it from the start and I really enjoyed seeing where it would go next. Five high school friends discover a staircase in the woods--one goes up it and disappears. Years later a new staircase appears and the remaining group try to find their friend.

It's creepy and entertaining, and I finished in a couple of days. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed the author's previous books(especially the Wanderers!) so when I received an ARC for this I was excited. Horror isn't my typical genre but I'm up for anything as long as the story is good. This starts out interestingly enough as five teenage friends go into the woods and a staircase appears. One of the friends climbs up and vanishes. Years later the four return to the woods and the staircase appears again. What they find on the other side is unimaginable.

Between the random political rant smack at the beginning of the book(and a few more thrown throughout), the characters not being likeable(besides Matty), and the repetitive gruesome depictions I couldn't get behind this one.

I loved this book I loved the nostalgic childhood scenes from the past some of the references made my nerdy heart happy. In the same book though there were scenes so dark that made me uncomfortable reading. This felt like a true horror novel and it’s finally a haunted house story I enjoyed. While this book was harrowing and gruesome I was invested in the plot and was trying to puzzle out the whole time how they could escape. This is not my first book from this author but he is fast becoming a favorite. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

The concept of this book pulled me in, especially as a fan of urban legends. The author does a solid job weaving a story from the "Stairs in the Wood" tale. Before I continue, I'd like to thank Random House Words for providing me early access to this title on NetGalley.
The plot centers around five high school friends who, on a camping trip, discover the staircase . One friend climbs it—and never comes back down. Twenty years later, the staircase reappears, and the group returns, hoping to find the friend they lost.
The setting was atmospheric, with just the right level of unsettling, reminiscent of “the backrooms” urban legend but haunting in its own way. The staircase leads them to a house with a seemingly infinite number of rooms, each echoing a place where some tragedy has occurred. The characters' descent into madness as they navigated these rooms was gripping. There were a few gory scenes, including some involving self-harm which lent a darker edge to the story (Reader discretion advised)
Unfortunately, the positives end there. None of the characters were likable. Owen is a doormat, Nick is the group’s token snarky guy, with no depth; Hamish lacks any personality beyond his glow-up. Then there’s Lori. Lori is a textbook manic pixie game dream girl who’s loud, brash, and just a caricature of diversity. She constantly asserts her gender identity, sexuality, and other personal details in a way that feels forced rather than meaningful.
The story itself dragged. We’re given overly detailed flashbacks to their childhoods to remind us of the bond they shared, but these moments didn’t strengthen the narrative. Given the constant animosity between the characters, their claims of undying friendship felt disingenuous.
In all, the book combines a great concept with some memorably eerie moments, but readers may find the character-driven aspects either hit or miss. For fans of urban legends and the supernatural , it’s worth checking out when it releases in April 2025.

Solid story and great atmosphere. Chuck Wendig is usually a go to author for me because his stories are exactly what I’m looking for. Thank you so much for an advanced copy!

This was a bit of a slow start for me but once I got over the hump I was sucked in and needed to see how it ended. And that ending- wow. I hope there is another book! This was my first book by this author and I would want to read more! I would also recommend this to someone who isn’t too squeamish with horror. It’s a book with relatable characters with deep messed up pasts and having to face there truths to better themselves and move on. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for asking me to read this advanced copy.

I have had some mixed feeling about the past works from the author and it has been a hit and miss. This one is in the former category.

This is scary in the right amounts with a tense atmosphere throughout. A good read!

What a fun book! I’m a sucker for a good plot, especially a horror mystery, so I was sufficiently sucked in from the jump. Each book has strengths, whether that’s story, characters, world building, etc. This is a story-first book, and that’s where this one shines.

Once the big turning point happens, you’ll know when it does, the plot really takes off. It’s an anxiety generator. I was giddy waiting for each new reveal, just anticipating what’s going to happen to these people. I tore through it. This author can set a scene. It’s great, feels just like a horror movie, like you can even picture the camera shots. Also, it actually gave a bit of Silent Hill 2 vibes by some things that happen by the end, which is my favorite video game in the horror genre, so it’s a good fit for me plot-wise.

Something to be aware of, this book relies a lot of gross out descriptions to create the horror atmosphere, so it could be a pro or a con depending on how much you enjoy that. I found myself saying “Ew” outloud at the way things were described at times.

So we covered the praise first, now jumping into the polish. One of the characters, Lore, was initially a tough sell. She was kind of overdone. She’s the first female character introduced, she’s immediately in an explicit sexual situation, all edgy names, needlessly crass at times, and at least in the first half, a lot of her involvement in the story is to hook up with people and be crushed on by the main character. She makes a bad first impression with an unearned rant encompassing all the “left wing” stereotypes right off the bat. Given she’s the only female character in the friend group, that was kind of off-putting. She does even out though and has her own storyline later on.

Just a nitpick, but the writing can be a bit awkward at times. The characterizations and some of the content are a product of the time it was written in, with references and slang that might not age well, but it reads fine for the year it’s written. However, reading this post-election in the US amps it up a bit with what comes up in the story.

Don’t let the cons dissuade you though, I enjoyed the book and I’m glad to have finally read a Wendig. I see his name everywhere in the horror genre, and that is earned. 3.5/5 stars from me, it’s solid, check it out.

*This book was provided by the publisher at the reviewer’s request in exchange for a fair and uncompromising review

If you’re a fan of contemporary horror, you’ve probably heard Chuck Wendig’s name. He’s written sweeping, post-apocalyptic horror like The Wanderers, and more intimate, family focused horror, like in The Book of Accidents. The Staircase in the Woods is another tightly focused, intimate story that revolves around a group of high school friends. One night in the woods they discover a strange staircase, apparently leading to nothing. Despite the oddness and the bad vibe, one of them climbs to the top, and disappears along with the staircase.

20 years later the remaining friends have grown apart and lost touch. They’re all scarred in some way, broken by the shared trauma and guilt of what happened that night. They reunite for one last time, only for the staircase to reappear. What would you do? Would you go into the unknown and try to rescue your friend, or would you run screaming?

It’s a trope to be sure – super close childhood friends experience a shared supernatural event, reunite as adults and try to put things right. I really love it though, and the blend of horror and coming-home story. This also has the two-timeline perspective with the narrative alternating between timelines so we get the tension building simultaneously in both. Sometimes the pacing is off a bit and doesn’t juggle the two quite perfectly, but overall it was hard to put down.

It's all about found family and a deep abiding friendship, the power of love vs the power of trauma. How the past can dig its claws into you but at some point, you need to find a way to let it go or it’ll pull you down into the void screaming. Also, super creepy psychological haunting! Who doesn’t love that? It’s a great spooky read, especially if you’re a fan of Wendig’s prior books.

The Staircase in the Woods is coming out April 29, and thank you NetGalley and Random House/Del Ray for the early copy in exchange for my review!

This is another great story by Chuck Wendig. This was the perfect book to read in the spooky month of October, but it will bring those spooky vibes to any season. His characters always feel real and believable, even when they are dealing with "unbelievable" situations. I couldn't put this down once I started it! He is a worthy successor to Stephen King. I'll be recommending this to all of my friends.

My first book by this author but I always hear about him and I wasn’t disappointed! The atmosphere was brilliant and I was honestly spooked so much! I’m now going to be getting other books from him! Brilliant! Highly recommended.

I went into this pretty excited as I love the staricase in the woods concept, but was rather....disappointed. This was my first book by the author, and I don't think their writing style and formatting are for me.
I did enjoy the author's take on the concept. I thought the horror element was pretty good. I liked seeing how the space effected the characters. And I liked how the plot eventually laid out. And that ending!!!
However, it spends so much time getting to a point. Not only that, but there is so much back and forth in time that it doesn't flow well. It feels so inconsistent, and there is so much that feels like filler for a page count.
Also, the way Lore's character was used to express what I'm assuming were more the author's opinions and views instead of for the story, felt very uncomfortable and inauthentic. The way the opinions were interjected felt so random and forced just really felt off putting. Like when she goes on this raging rant on Hamish in the car. She literally starts it out of nowhere and it adds ZERO value to anything. Not only that but then it felt like she was made to tick every box of inclusion the way the information was given so randomly. It's not that I have a problem with the views or the other information, it just felt so forced that I was taken out of the story.
Also, the writing style feels all over the place, and sometimes it felt hard trying to keep information straight. The timeline and characters thoughts were all over. And the way the time jumps happened didn't make sense and flow consistently.
To me, nothing made me feel much for the characters.
The last 30% I feel is where things picked up and were enjoyable. It just took me awhile to get through this one.
I am grateful for the opportunity to read this, but it was not for me.

thank you net galley for this arc copy. wow this book was good. i loved the creepy, eerie vibes. the feeling of danger it gave.side note don't climb staircases in the woods.

I've thought about those staircases. Out in the woods. And I think this novel is an excellent thought experiment about what lives at the top of them. This book examines the human condition and what trauma does when you bottle it up or hide it inside. This book takes psychic wounds and rips them open in an environment that should always remain safe, the home. The story kept me at the edge of my seat, guessing what was reality and what wasn't. It also made me thinking about my childhood friendships in a new way.

The pacing in this book is a little odd. The flashbacks sometimes come out of nowhere and the shifts in perspective get confusing. The author tries to balance horror and suspense with humor and pop culture references but is only sometimes successful. I'm of the opinion the slang term 'unalived' has no place in a horror book. It dragged me out of the moment. And many of the pop culture references had this effect.

The friend group reminded me a lot of the crew from Stephen King's It but I really wish we got more character development for everyone and not just our main man Nailbiter and the obligatory love interest Lore. I wish we had more representation; Lore's character felt more like performance activism than anything, which made balancing out the other 3 bland male character rather difficult.

This novel still has considerable editing needed but I did not factor this into my rating. Some sentences contradict themselves halfway through (I.e. Lore drops her backpack and then walks up the stairs, with her backpack) and there are many many typos.

3.5
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!
So all these yrs later they are trying to find out what happened to him… because the group of five were in a “ covenant “ since high school.. meaning they stuck together always.
This genre is really not my thing but it sounded interesting and parts of it were.

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

Imaginative, creepy, dark, and claustrophobic - shades of "The Grudge" but way beyond the evil places trope. Don't read it at night, just sayin ...

4.3 ⭐️ thank you Random House, Chuck Wendig, & Net Gallery for this ARC!

The Staircase in the Woods follows five high school friends who stumble across a mysterious staircase in the middle of the woods. When one of them walks up it and vanishes, the group is forever changed. Fast-forward twenty years, a new staircase has emerged, drawing them back to confront everything they left unresolved.

This isn’t just a tale of horror—it’s a poignant reminder that the monsters we face are often shadows of our past. If we let old wounds from when we’re kids/teenagers fester too long without remediation, they can morph into other bad habits as adults. As a millennial from the U.S., I found the specific traumas these characters faced resonated with a lot of themes our generation has experienced. The book emphasizes the importance of connection and the strength found in solidarity, illustrating how, in the face of life’s horrors, we need one another; whether it’s facing our own pain or grappling with acts of hatred in this world.

While the metaphors and overarching themes are fantastic elements of this book, the creativity in the horror is quite also amazing! However, if you aren’t a fan of descriptive horror, be warned that it is not for the faint hearted.

I’d give The Staircase in the Woods 4.3 out of 5 stars. It’s got all the suspense and eerie vibes you’d want from a horror story, but it’s also layered with emotional depth that makes it more than just a thriller. If you like horror with heart and enjoy stories that are as much about the characters as they are about the plot, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

I’m not gonna lie to you when I first saw this cover all I could think of was the death stairs subreddit and thus I had to request this one. I’m so glad I did! This was my first from this author and it was twisty, turny, and entertaining right to the very end!