Thank you to MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's/Wednesday Books for the review copies of Courtney Gould's latest YA novel, What the Woods Took. Gould understands that adolescents need to see themselves as strong, capable, valued, and wanted for who they are, and this shines through in her storytelling. The book is at its best when it leans into these themes, delving into the emotional vulnerability of its characters as they learn to trust themselves and each other. The audiobook was nicely narrated though at times I felt a multi narrator approach might have strengthened the production.

While the supernatural and thriller elements could have benefited from more clarity or a deeper exploration of the symbolism surrounding the woods, these aspects still served to propel the characters into meaningful reflections on trust, friendship, and love. The story effectively pushes them to confront past trauma and hurts (though I felt Devin's story was oddly underdeveloped given that she was the main character, I really wanted a little more backstory for her). Although the pacing felt a bit slow at times and lacked a big reveal or payoff, the strength of the character development kept me engaged. This book is one I’d recommend, as it sparks discussions not only about the mysterious plot but also about the impact of trauma on young people. I’m left wanting more and would love to see the characters’ journey continue as they reflect on their shared experience, to really think about what the woods took but also what the woods gave them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌲Survival Horror
⛺️The Watchers + Girl Interrupted
🌲Dual POV
⛺️Enemies to Lovers
🌲Found Family

This book was really good! I loved the found family vibes. The story picks up immediately! You are constantly questioning what is going to happen next. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers. The creatures were creepy! When you actually figure out what is going you don’t trust anyone. The ending was satisfying.

The audio was amazing! I loved the narrators. The voices all of the characters very well! I felt like I was watching a movie instead of listening to a book.

This audiobook was impossible to pause for even a few minutes, I listened to the entire thing in one day.

A group of teenagers are sent deep into the woods on a wilderness reform trip for bad children. Everything is going as expected until they wake up one morning and the adult guides are gone, leaving them to find their own way out.

About halfway through the book, it took a paranormal twist that I really enjoyed. I loved how the book used the creatures in the woods to dive deep into each of the teens' personal trauma and bring it to the surface.

The narrator was absolutely fantastic, and this will be one that I purchase a physical copy for my shelf when it comes out.

What the Woods Took is a YA thriller/horror. So, being YA, it was extremely light in both of those aspects. Nonetheless, it was still a fun book to read/listen to. It took me a while to figure out what exactly was going on, so it was kind of fun to be guessing and feel like I was left in the dark. As for the characters, I thought all of their arcs were pretty well done. Yes, even Sheridan! I’m as surprised as you. Overall, this book was decent. I enjoyed listening to it at the time, but as I process it longer after finishing it, I find less and less to recommend about jt. If you really like YA, you might find this one fun.

A note on the narration : I thought the narrator did an excellent job. She kept the book pace exciting, and switched between characters well. Her Sheridan made me hate Sheridan even more in the beginning, and I mean that in the best way possible.

The narrator did a good job to help keep me stay engaged with the story. The Mimics and their goals were great to learn about, but the story's pacing felt slow at some times (although we sometimes we skipped a week or so in the story).

This YA novel follows a handful of troubled youths that are sent away to a wilderness reform of sorts. Each characters past is revealed along the way after they’re left abruptly by their two guides. Alone and ill-equipped, they must navigate unfamiliar territory both physically and emotionally- but there’s more to it than just that. What’s in the woods? What secrets lie in the shadows?

Overall, I found this to be a well written/executed story for YA. While I made predictions early, I was definitely wrong! The story creates an off-brand brat-pack clique of misfits that grow through the process!! I enjoyed the narrator of this audiobook as well.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Young Listeners for this ALC!

Courtney Gould is one of my favorite horror authors, but every time I forget that the beginning starts slow, because in the end it’s always worth it. What the Woods Took follows five teens - Ollie, Sheridan, Hannah, Devon, and Aiden - who are sent to wilderness therapy, but while in the woods things start going horribly, terrifyingly wrong. I do feel like this was less creepy than other Gould books, but I really love the way the characters grow, especially Devon and Sheridan.

I did really like the narration, and think Lindsey Dorcus did a really good job with pacing and intonation to set the scene and work on the buildup of dread and terror.

4.25⭐️s, rounded down.
My first Courtney Gould read, and I'm thinking I need to hit up her backlist.
I binge read/listened to What The Woods Took.
Lindsey Dorcus perfectly narrated WTWT. This is a Young Adult read, revolving around older teens, yet Dorcus's performance (and Gould's writing) kept it from feeling "too young."
The start felt a little slow compared to the majority of the book, introductions and all, but that is likely a me problem. There are several characters that we get to know, and Gould did an amazing job at making them feel like REAL people, while Dorcus' voice lent life to each emotion expelled. It was easy to sympathize and/or empathize with everyone, regardless or whether or not I liked them. The tension was thiiick. The setting was eerie. And the creep factor was high. Top-notch anxiety achieved.
I dont want to give away much, but it was easy to get sucked into this terror (a forced romp through the wilderness, with team building and trust exercises AND sharing feelings; hard pass) and I craved all the monster mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for the advanced audiobook

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was a good fit for the book. This is a YA and the writing doesn’t seem too old or too young so the author did a great job targeting that audience even with it being kind of a horror. I was captivated from the very beginning and loved the author’s writing style. Highly recommend this one!

What a perfect review for Halloween!
A troubled group of adolescents get sentenced to wilderness therapy to guide them down better paths. Little did they know that the path before them was about to be the roughest yet. Personalities and egos stand between the group with preconceived notions of what each has done or been through. After the therapy adventure gets turned into a life or death struggle in the heart of a forest, the group has to pull from each other's strengths to best an unfamiliar foe. Does the group have the mental fortitude to outlast the evil lurking or will they fall prey to the forest?

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙏𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙂𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🎧𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥
🎙️𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘺 𝘋𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘴

This is a fast paced and very entertaining. I was immediately hooked, and wanted to know what was going to happen. I enjoyed that this is told in multiple POVs and we got all of their different stories. I wish we got a bit more at the end of their after, but overall liked this story. Would recommend.

The book starts with a bang. Devin's sudden abduction and her determination to escape the therapeutic wilderness program created a heightened sense of panic that never dissipated throughout the book. Her instinct to protect herself speaks volumes about her toughness and unwillingness to surrender her sense of right and wrong. The dynamic between Sheridan and Devin explored her insecurities and humanized a softer side to her. Their interactions are explosive, so be ready.

For the group, some unexpected alliances and frictions influence the character's actions, and the remote location produces an isolation that is troubling and suspenseful. When mysterious and terrifying figures appear in the woods, adding dread and terror, the group begins to question whether what they see is just in their heads or if something is watching them. The characters are forced into dire situations, which is thrilling. This book blends a survival narrative and an introspective theme of facing your inner demons. The "things in the woods" is a horrifying idea, and the fact that it was the personification of their fears was unique. I really enjoyed the book and could not stop listening.

Excellent audio production! The narrator crafted distinct, memorable voices for each character, making them feel relatable while delivering an eerie tone that added a layer of unsettling suspense to the experience.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Wednesday Books.

This was a fantastic read! I have previously enjoyed this author, so I was very hopeful for this one and it did not disappoint. I was not expecting to be so attached and rooting for this little found family and the sapphic romance, but here I am. It was delightfully creepy and chock full of descriptions that will haunt my nightmares.

I absolutely recommend this one to horror fans and Lindsey Dorcus is a fabulous narrator, so the audio is a great option!

Loved this! Perfect blend of spooky gothic, enticing, edge of my seat invested. Loved the characters, loved the vibes, read it in the perfect season.

Engaging, immersive, and well narrated. A recommended purchase in all formats for YA and high school collections.

What a unique and unsettling story! What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a YA horror about a group of teenagers taking part in nature therapy that takes a deadly turn. I'm a huge sucker for a haunted forest or plant horror. If you give me dark and eerie vibes in the woods I will eat it up. Overall I did really enjoy this book by the end. Sadly, this took way too long to get going. Nearly half of the book was just getting to know the characters while nothing much else happened. I was nearly ready to quit reading when the danger and horror finally started. Things quickly take a dark turn and I was completely enthralled by the book. By the end, the second half really made up for the slow start. What the Woods Took is a great choice for anyone wanting some YA horror.

Lindsey Dorcus did an amazing job with the audiobook narration. Her voice had just the right eerie tone while still portraying the characters emotions.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of this book was so interesting and intriguing. The beginning was so good I was invested, the camp, the characters, but once the supernatural/horror aspect got on I just started to completely loose interest. I'm starting to notice that genre is just not for me.

WOWZA!

Gripping, tense, dark, horrific and hard to put down! Like two of the main characters, I was instantly grabbed from the very beginning of What the Woods Took! This book had me turning the pages, not wanting to put it down as I was fully invested in what was going to happen next in this coming-of-age tale of survival!

Devin Green, asleep at her foster home, is taken from her bed in the middle of the night and thrown in a van. In the van she meets Oliver, a teen who was also grabbed at his home as he slept as well. Initially, they are given very little information, which ramps up their anxiety and unease. What they do know is that they are being taken to an experimental therapy program where they will hike, camp, and survive in the woods with two camp counselors and other teens for 50 days. The intended result of the therapy program is that the teens will emerge from the woods changed for the better! When they wake up and their two camp counselors are missing, the teens find themselves faced with the unimaginable!

I enjoyed the mixing of personalities and backgrounds of the teens in this book. I also enjoyed their dynamics with each other and their reactions after being thrust into a situation beyond their control. Can you imagine strangers waking you up and taking you by force with little to no explanation. That you are a minor and have no say in what is happening to you? I thought Courtney Gould did a fantastic job of depicting this. I enjoyed how Devin fought and tried to escape while Olive, who did not like the situation, was more accepting of what was happening. Their reactions alone in the beginning of the book show their personalities. Then they meet the other teens who are distinct and add so much to the plot.

What the Woods Took has that trapped feeling that I enjoy in books. While they are not physically locked into any room or house, the group of teens do have the task of finding their way out of the woods - woods that they are unfamiliar with. Survival is the name of the game for them. This book was oozing with atmosphere. I also enjoyed the sense of unease, tension and mounting danger. I enjoyed the sense of something-isn't-quite-right that morphed into full on fear! When they learned that they were not alone in the woods, the creepy factor went off the charts. Their therapy adventure in the woods morphed into a horrific nightmare! What the Woods Took also morphed into a great story about friendship, romance, survival, trust, and battling your own demons.

Creepy, scary, tense, well thought out, spooky!

I had both the book and the audiobook versions of this book which made for an enjoyable reading experience. I found the narration of the audiobook to be wonderful.

4.5 stars
Going into What the Woods Took, I had never read anything by Courtney Gould, although The Dead and the Dark has been on my radar for quite some time. However, the second I heard that a horror novel about wilderness therapy was being released, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. And while I went into this story with no expectations, I truly believe that even if I went into it expecting greatness, I'd still come out of it fulfilled. Throughout this book, I was continually impressed by Courtney Gould's writing. The premise of this story is great and the plot moves at the perfect speed. The characters are real and grounded, and the relationships they form feel intimate. Overall I was really impressed by this book. The themes are nuanced, but the horror elements are still fun and spooky. I love a good "creature in the woods" story.