Devin is taken in the middle of the night, but it's not a regular kidnapping. It's one her foster parents signed her up for. With Ollie, another teen in the van, Devin is on her way to a wilderness therapy camp. With 3 other teens and 2 counselors, what could go wrong? But soon Devin, Ollie, Sheridan, Hannah, and Aiden wake up to find their counselors gone. And is lost in the unfamiliar woods really the best place to be?

This book is queer, you say? It's written by Courtney Gould, you say? Enemies to lovers, you say? That's all I need to know. Well, I also need to know who designs her covers because *chef's kiss.* From this book I'm getting The Breakfast Club, but without the weird character-shattering makeover at the end. It puts five unique teens in a place together and gives them the opportunity to get their deepest, darkest secrets out. But there are monsters. You hear the story with Devin and with Ollie. I enjoyed Devin's trek more than Ollie's to be honest, but both are needed for the story. The character development is great, even for Hannah and Aiden, who don't have as much page time as the others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. As always, Lindsey Dorcus was a great narrator.

First, I want to say that this is completely outside of my 'comfort' or 'normal' reading. With that, I really enjoyed it! I can't think of a single other horror-thriller that I have read, so this was the start of a new-to-me genre. Lindsey Dorcus, the narrator, did a fantastic job.

The plot, in short, is a group of "troubled" teens are sent on a 50-day wilderness retreat to reset and get a fresh start. (Troubled is in quotation marks because that is subjective, and you get so much of that throughout the story.) The leaders of the retreat are naive young adults themselves, and as the story goes on, one begins to understand that they aren't very good at their jobs and did not fully scout the trail they decided to use... This is a two POV story, but they're friends, not love interests, and I loved how it was needed as the story progressed to get the entire story.

I would recommend this to anyone that is a fan of horror-thriller, and will absolutely listen to books narrated by Dorcus again. If you liked Netflix’s movie Bird Box, you’ll probably enjoy this book.

Chilling, haunting and hopeful, What the Woods Took gives an authentic look into the lives of five teens and the figurative and literal monsters they have to face to make their way home. Gould did a fantastic job making the characters sympathetic—even when they're not necessarily likable, you still root for them, still want them to confront and overcome the challenges they're each facing in their personal lives.

I don't normally read a lot of thrillers but my friend @planwithemm pushed for this one. "What the Woods Took" by Courtney Gould is another reason I'm glad I don't live in Portland anymore.

It has to be illegal for a therapy program to kidnap you from your bed. But it happens to Devin in her foster home when the hosts can't find a way to help her. Dumped in the woods with a few other young folks and two counselors they are going to hike and do some introspection for the next 50 days. Of course this group of well adjusted youths wants to do this, or at least get food. That is until the counselors and all the food goes missing when they are deep into the woods. And something is just kind of off about the woods.

Narrated by Lindsey Dorcus, yea some very banal phrases have menace now.

Reasons to read:
-Really glad to have been a boring teen so folks can't do this to you
-The cast has been through it in different ways
-OK I was expecting a different threat
-Healing

Cons:
-A very specific group of folks are going to be triggered by the threat

Five teenagers navigate the harsh realities of a forest based experimental therapy program. Together they will witness horrors beyond imagination and discover truths both personal and communal that leave them all changed.

What the Woods Took felt like a unique closed door mystery for me. I know that sounds odd as the backdrop was the vast wilderness but the author did a wonderful job making the atmosphere feel claustrophobic and oppressive. The larger cast of characters worked to show the multitude of ways teens can encounter horrors that can be as scary as the supernatural elements in the story.

I think this would easily work for folk who like a bit of horror and introspection mixed in with their found family stories.

I found the narration to be decent, the various voices mostly worked for me, with only a few choices that pulled me out of the story.

What starts as some delinquents receiving some questionable wilderness therapy ends in a horrifying discovery that what we see may not always be the truth.

There is ALOT to unpack here. First of all, the imagery in this book is flawless. I could see everything so clear in my mind, for worse or for better. It’s spooky, for the most part. But, it creates the perfect atmosphere for a supernatural thriller of epic proportions. The amount of trauma these poor kids experience both before and during the therapy is staggering, but creates phenomenal development. Themes of sexuality, family, survival, grief, trust, hope and friendship resonate throughout the story. The narrator is fantastic at delivering each character with a clear voice and palpable emotion that drives the story forward.

I highly recommend for fans of supernatural horror.

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook!

I received an arc of this book for an honest review.

I listened to this book for a day and a half and really enjoyed it. It was slow in the beginning until 25 percent, and then things got interesting. Being lost in the forest, monsters hiding and waiting to get you and wanting to bevome you. This store is about survival and trusting each other. The writing was phenomenal and was easy to read and listen along

YA Thriller • Horror • Supernatural • Queer
Pub Date • 10 December 2024

🎉 Happy publication day & thank you @wednesdaybooks and @macmillan.audio for the free galley and ALC!

Loved this gripping and creepy walk in the woods. Recommended for fans of We Used to Live here and anyone who loves spooky campfire stories.

High paced starting with a middle of the night snatch-and-grab abduction, I sat at the edge of my seat and couldn’t look away.

Five troubled teens are sent off by their parents & guardians to rehabilitation camp via “wilderness therapy” — nominally 50 days off grid, with no technology, roughing it in the grueling Idaho wilderness.

Chaperoned by two camp counselor types, they’ll navigate what lurks in the dark and will have to decide who they can trust and who might not be everything they seem.

Beyond the atmospheric writing, strong character building led to a satisfying buildup, showing how each juvenile delinquent’s journey started, revealing their personal nightmares, and allowing us to watch their growth from zero trust to mutual understanding, co-reliance, vulnerability, an even a couple of romance subplots.

🎧 Narrator Lindsey Dorcus was amazing especially when it came to the perfectly snooty and snarky voice of Sheridan. I also loved our two MCs Devin and Ollie, whose dual POVs worked well. I recommend grabbing audio for this one!

Devin Green thinks she is being abducted in the middle of the night only to learn her foster parents are a part of this plan. She is being sent to a so called wilderness therapy program for troubled young people in the middle of the Idaho wilderness. When plans to escape don't come to fruition she begrudgingly settles into the fifty day hike with the other campers with the exception the beautiful but cruel Sheridan. Devin soon realizes there is something strange going on with the woods. One morning the campers wake to find the counselors missing. They are alone in the terrifying woods but realize they must work together to save themselves.

Courtney Gould is an auto buy author for me so requesting this was a must and I was thrilled to be approved to review this book. I absolutely loved this book. It was scary and challenging. I was on the edge of my seat and completely creeped out at points. Devin really crawled into my heart, she was such a great character. I also really loved Sheridan and all of the other teens in the group. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this one. Courtney really knocked it out of the park with this one and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Lindsey Dorcus did a wonderful job with the audiobook narration!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for the honest review.

The audio for this book was great! The narrator did a great job of balancing the voices. The story was interesting and kept my attention perfectly. I very much enjoyed this!

What the Woods Took is a gripping survival story with unique horror elements and a complex protagonist. Devin is kidnapped late one night by people who her foster parents sanctioned to take her to a wilderness therapy program. Unceremoniously left in the woods, Devin meets the rest of the group of troubled teens and the chipper counselors there to keep them alive for 50 days. Devin immediately begins to plot her escape, until one morning the teens wake up to discover that the two counselors are missing, The inexperienced group must survive several weeks before anyone will suspect they are missing... and something is lurking amidst the trees.
What I most enjoyed about this book was the horror ingrained in both the premise of the wilderness therapy camp--many people who experience those camps in real life report coming out traumatized--and the monstrous creatures that reside in the woods, There is a sapphic romantic subplot that delivered good banter and raised the stakes with the inclusion of more characters the reader becomes attached to. Overall, a very solid YA thriller/horror that will keep readers of many ages engaged.

This gripping YA thriller/horror takes place deep in the wilderness in a program that rehabilitates difficult teens. It's creepy, suspenseful, and mysterious, which is how I like books. The characters were also wonderful and distinctive. Sheridan and Devin were my favorites, and I enjoyed their struggle to coexist while also trying to survive the terrifying horrors in the forest. The audiobook was great. I enjoyed the narration by Lindsey Dorcus. I think fans of Stephen Graham Jones would enjoy this book.

What a fantastic spooky read. This is perfect for the next time you want a YA horror that moves fast while covering weighty subject matter.
I loved the inclusion of characters with different backgrounds and socioeconomic upbringings, but I do think there was room for that to have been explored more thoroughly. My favorite element was the conclusion. Both the story and character arcs were well executed and meaningful.
I highly recommend What the Woods took to both fans of YA thrillers and non-slasher (mostly) horror.

Thank you Courtney Gould, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my advanced review audiobook!

Out December 10th, 2024!

Plot - 5
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 4
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 5
Final Score - 4.6

"What the Woods Took" is a YA eldritch horror novel following Devin and 4 other teens that have been enrolled in a wilderness therapy program. Devin, Ollie, Sheridan, Aiden, and Hannah each have a troubled past that their guardians wanted to fix by sending them to his program. While the teens explore what things they have done and why, the forest seems to also be listening. After completing their first milestone, they become separated from their counselors, Liv and Ethan, and find themselves stranded in a strange forest. All five have to face their own fears, pasts, doubts, and nightmares as they fight to trust each other and stay alive against the horrors in the wood.

This audiobook was narrated by Lindsey Dorcus. She did a really good job with infusing the story with emotion. Her cadence was well timed and didn't feel choppy or disjointed. Each character had a distinct voice and I knew who was speaking only partway through the book without needing the prompts (i.e. "said Ethan" or "Devin answered" etc.). Her voice didn't get carried away during the hectic scenes, she was always steady throughout without sounding disinterested. I am curious to know which other books she has narrated.

I'm in a cottage-core horror era and I have loved finding books that fit this niche. "What the Woods Took" is an eldritch horror that checked all of these boxes. Seeing these creatures bring up the people and things the teens feared most triggered my empathy and had me curious as to what the monsters would show me if I had been in this same situation. Each of the teens were unique and the author took the time to give each of them a distinct personality and flaws that could be slowly worked on throughout the novel. I really liked what each brought to the table and felt they were well written and not two dimensional.

One thing I was a bit sad that it didn't talk much about was how detrimental wilderness therapy was/is to those that do go through it. Obviously, these teens were put to the test with all that they faced. However, real teens have truly suffered in these programs and this instead was just a unique setting to get them all out into the woods.

Anyone that loves a solid YA horror novel surrounding unique creatures in a wood should absolutely read this book. It has LGBTQ+ representation, enemies-to-lovers slow burn, eldritch horrors, and an intense survival scenario.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to read/listen to this novel early!

I enjoyed the audio much more than I think I would have enjoyed reading it myself. I gave it three stars, it wasn't bad, it wasn't amazing, it was just okay.

I enjoyed the narrator a lot, she did a great job immersing herself into the characters to bring them to life, without her ability to do that I don't think I would've kept listening to the book.

It's about 5 troubled teenagers who get sent to wilderness therapy with the hopes it'll help them improve on themselves. However, while on this journey they encounter something sinister in the woods that changes everything for them and they now have to figure out how they can work together to get themselves out of the forest alive.

This causes the kids to learn more about each other and begin to trust each other and in a way help heal their traumas.

You don't find out much about the monsters till l 60% of the way through the book which was frustrating for me, because it was expecting more action with them.

"What the Woods Took" is like if "Where the Wild Things Are" was a nightmare. Devin is a foster kid who is used to fending for herself. She has spent her entire life acting out and being sent from broken home to broken home, but when she is stolen from her bed and thrust into a Wilderness Explorer program for troubled teens, she's sure she has hit rock bottom. Armed with nothing, but her vicious words and a powerful right hook, she is determined to survive this program if only in spite of the system that chewed her up and spat her out, even if she has to suffer through horrible group mates, non-stop hiking, and gross food options. However, Devin soon finds that there is something about the forest that feels inexplicably strange. When the group leaders go missing Devin discovers that the forest is more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.

This book includes:
- troubled teens in a behavioral wilderness program
- nightmares come to life
- generational curses and broken spirits
- camaraderie
- LGBT protagonist
- TW mentioned but not on page: child abuse, drug abuse, depression, suicide

This book is WOW. I typically don't reach for thrillers or horror, but I am so glad I took a chance on "What the Woods Took." This book dives into nightmares both real and imagined. It has a compelling atmosphere of paranoia, dread, and anguish that entranced me and had me staying up late just to keep reading. The story has so much depth, to a degree I don't often expect from YA. The narrator is fantastic as well, very emotive and engaging. If you're the type of reader who loves to be surprised and appreciates a good amount of suspense, I can't recommend this book enough.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Courtney Gould, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/ and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

This audiobook started out strong, but sadly, I quickly found myself loosing interest. I never found a connection to the characters. The writing is done well and very immersive. I think I will be in the minority with my opinions. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it just wasn’t for me. I think I might be in a slump.

If YA horror has no fans, I’ve died. I will NEVER pass up the opportunity to read a YA horror novel and let me tell you - What the Woods Took was no exception to greatness I’ve come to know from the genre. 🤩

These teens were troubled, emotional, and - at times - absolutely batshit. 😅 I spent equal time rooting for this little gang of misfits and wishing they would just chill the heck out and actually think about what was happening (and what was happening was BONKERS!) I don’t want to get too deep into the plot because it’s worth diving into the mystery of it all on your own but trust me - this is a goodie!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Young Listeners for the advanced copy of the audiobook (Lindsey Dorcus did a phenomenal job!) What the Woods Took drops December 10!

This book was not for me. I had high hopes for it, but unfortunately it fell flat.

I was intrigued by the synopsis and the cover, unfortunately it wasn’t what I expected.


The constant use of simple subject-verb sentences was also a bit annoying to me.

I did not mind this read, was a bit confused for who was talking but also some of the storyline, I loved the atmosphere of the forest and learning about each character. with the life issues they were dealing with before going to this "camp" and Courtney can indeed write good LGBT characters always love them.

3.5