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Don't Let the Forest In
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fantasy (2024)Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him.
Kill for him.
High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality―Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.
But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won't say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork―whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew's wicked stories.
Desperate to figure out what's wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster―Thomas's drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator...
Kill for him.
High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality―Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.
But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won't say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork―whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew's wicked stories.
Desperate to figure out what's wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster―Thomas's drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator...
336 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2024
About the author
C.G. Drews
8 books23.1k followersCG Drews is the award-winning author of The Boy Who Steals Houses and NYT Bestseller Don’t Let The Forest In, which is also a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, Indie Next Pick, and Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Pick. Their next YA horror, Hazelthorn, is out October 28th, 2025, with debut adult horror, You Did Nothing Wrong, coming in 2026. Their work has been translated into six languages, received a nomination for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal, and won the 2020 CBCA Honour Award. CG lives in Australia, never sleeps, and is forever buried under a pile of unread books. Find on Instagram as @paperfury, TikTok as @cgdrews, and at cgdrews.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,063 reviews
November 3, 2024
Holy …. my words will never do this story justice.
It hadn’t hurt, the day he had cut out his own heart … No one would want a heart like his. But he’d still cut it out and given it away.
Sometimes, when I’m writing a review, all I want to do is quote. Because the writing of an author is so stunning and poetic, it hypnotizes me, and I can’t put into words what that book did to me. This is such a book.
Everyone saw Andrew as shattered and fragile, and maybe he was to them. But when Thomas looked at Andrew’s sharp edges, he thought them dangerous and beautiful—not weak.
Don’t Let the Forest is about an asexual boy …
People didn’t just kiss and continue on with their lives. They undid buttons and touched mouths to hot skin and lost themselves within each other.
… and his feelings for his best friend, the boy with hair like autumn leaves …
Thomas was a wild machete with blazing emotions he’d never learned how to moderate properly … this boy made of angular frowns and thorny words. He was brilliant and terrible and unmanageable.
It's about monsters, but in the end, it’s about hurt and our own fears and how we handle them …
When something moved in the dark, everyone’s first instinct was to go inside and hide under the covers. As if monsters couldn’t open doors and crawl into bed with you.
Let me tell you, I’m not much of a horror fan, but I devour books like these. You know when tension and pain are clawing themselves into your body and trying to tear your heart out? Like an undercurrent so strong it will leave you gasping for breath? A story that digs and digs and, despite all the discomfort and angst, embraces you and warms you on the inside? Don't Let the Forest In is gruesome at times but oh so soft and comforting simultaneously.
This was the place where he roared and grew taller, where his smile could make flowers bloom and his energy could flow endless and untamed.
For those who love Jeff Zentner's writing and can handle more angst, this one is for you. C.G. Drew’s writing reminded me so much of his’. Both authors juggle with words and put them together in stunning sentences, and I want to read those sentences on and on and on.
They were beautiful together; they were magic and monstrous, and they had created a whole vengeful world between them.
Please read this book!
Thank you so much, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley, for this beautiful ARC. I'll never forget this story!
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It hadn’t hurt, the day he had cut out his own heart … No one would want a heart like his. But he’d still cut it out and given it away.
Sometimes, when I’m writing a review, all I want to do is quote. Because the writing of an author is so stunning and poetic, it hypnotizes me, and I can’t put into words what that book did to me. This is such a book.
Everyone saw Andrew as shattered and fragile, and maybe he was to them. But when Thomas looked at Andrew’s sharp edges, he thought them dangerous and beautiful—not weak.
Don’t Let the Forest is about an asexual boy …
People didn’t just kiss and continue on with their lives. They undid buttons and touched mouths to hot skin and lost themselves within each other.
… and his feelings for his best friend, the boy with hair like autumn leaves …
Thomas was a wild machete with blazing emotions he’d never learned how to moderate properly … this boy made of angular frowns and thorny words. He was brilliant and terrible and unmanageable.
It's about monsters, but in the end, it’s about hurt and our own fears and how we handle them …
When something moved in the dark, everyone’s first instinct was to go inside and hide under the covers. As if monsters couldn’t open doors and crawl into bed with you.
Let me tell you, I’m not much of a horror fan, but I devour books like these. You know when tension and pain are clawing themselves into your body and trying to tear your heart out? Like an undercurrent so strong it will leave you gasping for breath? A story that digs and digs and, despite all the discomfort and angst, embraces you and warms you on the inside? Don't Let the Forest In is gruesome at times but oh so soft and comforting simultaneously.
This was the place where he roared and grew taller, where his smile could make flowers bloom and his energy could flow endless and untamed.
For those who love Jeff Zentner's writing and can handle more angst, this one is for you. C.G. Drew’s writing reminded me so much of his’. Both authors juggle with words and put them together in stunning sentences, and I want to read those sentences on and on and on.
They were beautiful together; they were magic and monstrous, and they had created a whole vengeful world between them.
Please read this book!
Thank you so much, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley, for this beautiful ARC. I'll never forget this story!
Follow me on Instagram
January 6, 2025
This masterful cover art speaks volumes about the creepy, sensational, ominous, yet uniquely artistic themes of this YA fantasy-horror, queer novel that you absolutely must add to your reading list immediately!
I devoured it in one sitting and found myself liking it even more than I expected, despite piecing together the mystery a little earlier thanks to my overworking spidey senses that are always searching for underlying meanings. The concept of monstrous drawings coming to life to hunt down their creator and loved ones is a perfectly creative plotline. The intense chemistry between Andrew and Thomas had me squirming in my seat, screaming at the chapters, “Just kiss him already, damn it!” I'm always a little impatient when I see smoking passion between characters. The gothic school theme, the detailed descriptions of the monsters lurking around the haunted forest, and the dynamics within the school, including popular kids, bullies, queer kids, and wallflowers, were portrayed realistically and made us care and root for Andrew even more. Even though I’m a middle-aged woman, I easily connected with Andrew's characterization, which helped me embrace my own quirky, outsider, sensitive childhood self.
Here's a recap of the story: it opens with Andrew Perrault’s return to Wickwood Academy with his polar opposite twin, Dove, who is a high achiever, competitive, and a social butterfly compared to Andrew's anxious, socially unadapted, shy demeanor. Andrew enjoys creating twisted fairytales with non-happy endings, ending in tragedies, and the only one who can see him as he is is Thomas Rye: rebellious, quick-witted, talented artist boy who becomes Andrew's guardian angel after the school bullies target him, becoming the third member of the tight bond he shares with his sister, Dove.
Thomas brings Andrew's twisted fairytales to life on paper, creating artistic, powerful, and extra-frightening monster drawings.
Andrew is thrilled to reunite with his friend after the tragedy that occurred nearly five months ago, changing their lives. But as soon as he steps foot into the academy, he realizes that nothing is as it used to be. Dove is still angry at Thomas after their fight, and Thomas is acting suspiciously, trying to hide a blood stain on his sleeve. The surprise visit from the police officers to question Thomas only makes things weirder. Gossip starts spreading around the school, with students speculating that Thomas may be the murderer of his abusive parents.
Could it be true? Why is Thomas distancing himself and disappearing into the woods every night? Could he have a secret relationship with Dove? Andrew grapples with jealousy over his unrequited feelings for Thomas and fear for him if he's involved in something malicious. What exactly is happening in the woods when darkness falls? Could it be related to the monstrous universe they created together?
Overall, this book is eerie, tragic, haunting, but also a heart-wrenching, beautiful love story that I highly recommend you read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends for sharing this amazing book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
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I devoured it in one sitting and found myself liking it even more than I expected, despite piecing together the mystery a little earlier thanks to my overworking spidey senses that are always searching for underlying meanings. The concept of monstrous drawings coming to life to hunt down their creator and loved ones is a perfectly creative plotline. The intense chemistry between Andrew and Thomas had me squirming in my seat, screaming at the chapters, “Just kiss him already, damn it!” I'm always a little impatient when I see smoking passion between characters. The gothic school theme, the detailed descriptions of the monsters lurking around the haunted forest, and the dynamics within the school, including popular kids, bullies, queer kids, and wallflowers, were portrayed realistically and made us care and root for Andrew even more. Even though I’m a middle-aged woman, I easily connected with Andrew's characterization, which helped me embrace my own quirky, outsider, sensitive childhood self.
Here's a recap of the story: it opens with Andrew Perrault’s return to Wickwood Academy with his polar opposite twin, Dove, who is a high achiever, competitive, and a social butterfly compared to Andrew's anxious, socially unadapted, shy demeanor. Andrew enjoys creating twisted fairytales with non-happy endings, ending in tragedies, and the only one who can see him as he is is Thomas Rye: rebellious, quick-witted, talented artist boy who becomes Andrew's guardian angel after the school bullies target him, becoming the third member of the tight bond he shares with his sister, Dove.
Thomas brings Andrew's twisted fairytales to life on paper, creating artistic, powerful, and extra-frightening monster drawings.
Andrew is thrilled to reunite with his friend after the tragedy that occurred nearly five months ago, changing their lives. But as soon as he steps foot into the academy, he realizes that nothing is as it used to be. Dove is still angry at Thomas after their fight, and Thomas is acting suspiciously, trying to hide a blood stain on his sleeve. The surprise visit from the police officers to question Thomas only makes things weirder. Gossip starts spreading around the school, with students speculating that Thomas may be the murderer of his abusive parents.
Could it be true? Why is Thomas distancing himself and disappearing into the woods every night? Could he have a secret relationship with Dove? Andrew grapples with jealousy over his unrequited feelings for Thomas and fear for him if he's involved in something malicious. What exactly is happening in the woods when darkness falls? Could it be related to the monstrous universe they created together?
Overall, this book is eerie, tragic, haunting, but also a heart-wrenching, beautiful love story that I highly recommend you read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends for sharing this amazing book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
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November 5, 2024
"Everything inside me is in ruins, for you..."
This creepy horrific macabre book has captured my entire soul and sewn it into its pages.
Was I expecting to pick this up and cancel all of my plans for the day to read it in an entire sitting? Nope.
Was I expecting to underline every other sentence because every word in this book sounded like poetry? Nope.
Was I expecting to sob dramatically and declare this is the best book I've read since reading Jandy Nelson's brilliant book, I'll Give You the Sun? Nope.
And yet, here I sit, clutching the book to my chest for dear life, about to start reading it again because I refuse to leave this world of gothic forests, and poisoned fairytales, and broken hearts, and monsters that will eat you alive...
"A fine misty rain started, and it tasted of the forest. Andrew stared at his knuckles gone white against the spine of his notebook. He could tear out a dozen stories and shove them in Thomas's face. Each said, in bloody and beautiful ways, I love you, I love you, I love you..."
Take my bleeding breaking heart you STUPID WONDERFUL WEIRD LITTLE BOOK and give it to your monsters to devour.
Five stars I guess, idk lol
This creepy horrific macabre book has captured my entire soul and sewn it into its pages.
Was I expecting to pick this up and cancel all of my plans for the day to read it in an entire sitting? Nope.
Was I expecting to underline every other sentence because every word in this book sounded like poetry? Nope.
Was I expecting to sob dramatically and declare this is the best book I've read since reading Jandy Nelson's brilliant book, I'll Give You the Sun? Nope.
And yet, here I sit, clutching the book to my chest for dear life, about to start reading it again because I refuse to leave this world of gothic forests, and poisoned fairytales, and broken hearts, and monsters that will eat you alive...
"A fine misty rain started, and it tasted of the forest. Andrew stared at his knuckles gone white against the spine of his notebook. He could tear out a dozen stories and shove them in Thomas's face. Each said, in bloody and beautiful ways, I love you, I love you, I love you..."
Take my bleeding breaking heart you STUPID WONDERFUL WEIRD LITTLE BOOK and give it to your monsters to devour.
Five stars I guess, idk lol
November 3, 2024
What. The. Actual. Fuck. Did. I. Just. Read.
This book is the closest decent into madness I have ever encountered and I am fucked up about it.
(4.5 stars)
(The asexual rep in this was neat)
(What the actual fuck is wrong with every adult in this book).
This book is the closest decent into madness I have ever encountered and I am fucked up about it.
(4.5 stars)
(The asexual rep in this was neat)
(What the actual fuck is wrong with every adult in this book).
November 7, 2024
dnf @ pg 171
plain and simple — i’m bored
this was a wonderful cure for my insomnia but i have far too many books on my tbr to be put to sleep by this story anymore 😴
too much purple prose. i dislike all the main characters. not enough horror. repetitive.
plain and simple — i’m bored
this was a wonderful cure for my insomnia but i have far too many books on my tbr to be put to sleep by this story anymore 😴
too much purple prose. i dislike all the main characters. not enough horror. repetitive.
November 21, 2024
4.5 stars
This is such an atmospheric and beautifully written story, even though it's quite dark and gruesome. More than I'm usually comfortable with.
I have to say that there were a couple things that I knew or guessed, but that didn't take away from how completely invested I was in the storyline and the characters.
The only unfortunate outcome of reading this book is that I don't see myself walking in the forest or eating mushrooms anytime soon. 😅
This is such an atmospheric and beautifully written story, even though it's quite dark and gruesome. More than I'm usually comfortable with.
I have to say that there were a couple things that I knew or guessed, but that didn't take away from how completely invested I was in the storyline and the characters.
The only unfortunate outcome of reading this book is that I don't see myself walking in the forest or eating mushrooms anytime soon. 😅
October 25, 2024
4.5 ★
Don’t Let the Forest In felt like a dark fever dream and i mean that as a compliment. this is the exact kind of psychological horror that i love. i was so easily wrapped into the story of these two boys who would do literally anything for eachother, regardless of the outcome. the writing is immersive, with just the right amount of intrigue and pull to keep you from looking away.. even when things start to take a turn for the worse.
“Everything inside me is ruins,” Thomas said. “For you.”
Andrew and Thomas are friends who hold their deeper feelings for one another close to their chest. Andrew is asexual and struggles with feeling out of place, which leads to a sense of wanting to crawl out of his own skin. Thomas is a bit of a recluse, showing his true self to no one other than Andrew. they have a sort of trio of friendship going on with Thomas, Andrew and his twin sister Dove being a unit but not wanting to rip that dynamic apart by pursuing their feelings for one another and in turn isolating Dove. i loved the way the horror was done here with these monsters being manifested out of Andrews stories and Thomas’ drawings. the end went in a direction that completely took me off guard but it made me love all that i read before it so much more. i think this book won’t be for everyone but i really appreciated the approach the author took to tackling Andrew’s emotions and things he had repressed through this codependent connection he has with both Dove and Thomas. this was such a dark, melancholy, unique and atmospheric read.
➛ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Macmillan Publishing group for the arc, all opinions are my own.
Don’t Let the Forest In felt like a dark fever dream and i mean that as a compliment. this is the exact kind of psychological horror that i love. i was so easily wrapped into the story of these two boys who would do literally anything for eachother, regardless of the outcome. the writing is immersive, with just the right amount of intrigue and pull to keep you from looking away.. even when things start to take a turn for the worse.
“Everything inside me is ruins,” Thomas said. “For you.”
Andrew and Thomas are friends who hold their deeper feelings for one another close to their chest. Andrew is asexual and struggles with feeling out of place, which leads to a sense of wanting to crawl out of his own skin. Thomas is a bit of a recluse, showing his true self to no one other than Andrew. they have a sort of trio of friendship going on with Thomas, Andrew and his twin sister Dove being a unit but not wanting to rip that dynamic apart by pursuing their feelings for one another and in turn isolating Dove. i loved the way the horror was done here with these monsters being manifested out of Andrews stories and Thomas’ drawings. the end went in a direction that completely took me off guard but it made me love all that i read before it so much more. i think this book won’t be for everyone but i really appreciated the approach the author took to tackling Andrew’s emotions and things he had repressed through this codependent connection he has with both Dove and Thomas. this was such a dark, melancholy, unique and atmospheric read.
➛ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Macmillan Publishing group for the arc, all opinions are my own.
November 7, 2024
I think my head just got fucked and I seriously need a smoke…. Oh it will haunt me lady author and I will never forgive you for inflicting me with this amazing book.
This story starts like a fever dream where you don’t know what is happening, what’s real or fantasy and you know something bad is coming, you are dreading it but you cannot stop reading.
There’s a mystery about the forest and something that happened last year, and it continues to be a mystery for the majority of the story, you will come up with many different theories and it’s just wonderful and intriguing and comes to light in a spectacular way! The ‘paper cuts’ stories that Andrew wrote were all dark and macabre and each was better than the last “Ones with dark, bitter corners and magic curled into thorns. Ones about monsters with elegant, razor-like teeth. He wrote fairy tales, but cruel.” Thomas’ drawings of the monsters from those stories were included as well and they were good and terrifying, the artist did phenomenal work. The asexual representation in the book was done well and made me like it and the characters more, honestly their relationship seemed toxic at times because of the obsession but wow “Shut up. Can you even hear yourself? You screw up and you want to be punished. You want to be absolved in violence. Do you realize how incredibly fucked up that is?” The prose this story is written in and the metaphors and the way Andrew describes Thomas, be it bad or good is magic. I kept rereading most of it because it was beautiful. Me? I don’t even like YA but wholeheartedly recommend YOU TO PICK UP THIS BOOK AND TREAT YOURSELF! I hope it gets turned into an animated movie 🍿🎥
@Evie I love you girl💕 I know you didn’t ask for this but thank you for putting up with me and my freaking out on you with all the theories and stuff 🫢🧡 on the plus side, I won’t have to send monsters to wipe your memory and my messages 🤣🤣
I plan on rereading this with the audiobook next time, the narrator isn’t the best and that’s why I got the ebook but his voice is calm and soothing with this ‘heart break’ quality that I feel he is perfect for narrating Andrew’s story.
⚠️ETA⚠️ The ending is ambiguous and can be interpreted in many different ways. some people will definitely hate it, I just thought you had to know.
-
This story starts like a fever dream where you don’t know what is happening, what’s real or fantasy and you know something bad is coming, you are dreading it but you cannot stop reading.
There’s a mystery about the forest and something that happened last year, and it continues to be a mystery for the majority of the story, you will come up with many different theories and it’s just wonderful and intriguing and comes to light in a spectacular way! The ‘paper cuts’ stories that Andrew wrote were all dark and macabre and each was better than the last “Ones with dark, bitter corners and magic curled into thorns. Ones about monsters with elegant, razor-like teeth. He wrote fairy tales, but cruel.” Thomas’ drawings of the monsters from those stories were included as well and they were good and terrifying, the artist did phenomenal work. The asexual representation in the book was done well and made me like it and the characters more, honestly their relationship seemed toxic at times because of the obsession but wow “Shut up. Can you even hear yourself? You screw up and you want to be punished. You want to be absolved in violence. Do you realize how incredibly fucked up that is?” The prose this story is written in and the metaphors and the way Andrew describes Thomas, be it bad or good is magic. I kept rereading most of it because it was beautiful. Me? I don’t even like YA but wholeheartedly recommend YOU TO PICK UP THIS BOOK AND TREAT YOURSELF! I hope it gets turned into an animated movie 🍿🎥
@Evie I love you girl💕 I know you didn’t ask for this but thank you for putting up with me and my freaking out on you with all the theories and stuff 🫢🧡 on the plus side, I won’t have to send monsters to wipe your memory and my messages 🤣🤣
I plan on rereading this with the audiobook next time, the narrator isn’t the best and that’s why I got the ebook but his voice is calm and soothing with this ‘heart break’ quality that I feel he is perfect for narrating Andrew’s story.
⚠️ETA⚠️ The ending is ambiguous and can be interpreted in many different ways. some people will definitely hate it, I just thought you had to know.
-
@ 21%
I finally started reading this today after finishing my other books, because unlike them, it grabs your attention and doesn’t give you the chance to wander to other things.… so far?! I have so many questions and I don’t think I’ll be stopping till the final page (or if my phone falls on my face because I’m suddenly asleep) AND THIS IS YA, I USUALLY HATE THOSE! For now I need these two questions answered: 1) are the boys ending up together? 2) is the twin real or imaginary or a different identity?
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I FINALLY HAVE THIS BOOK!!!
I CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED!
October 31, 2024
i- speechless. c.g. drews when i catch you !!
December 9, 2024
...what 👁️👄👁️
I mean...what the actual fuck 👁️👄👁️
Sweet baby jesus this feels like Andrew Joseph White but on crack. This book made an absolute mess of me, scrambling my brain and wrecking my heart while snickering in my face (...ignore me I'm still in shock).
I can't say anything because this kind of story is unexplainable and needs to be experienced (and what an experience it is wow). Just go find it and let it sink its claws right into your brain and consume you. What I can safely say is that the prose is stunning - haunting and atmospheric, immediately setting the tone as sinister and mysterious.
And as a little treat for AFTG fans - Andrew and Thomas look practically the same as Andrew and Neil ❤️
Oh, and the asexual rep? Gut-wrenching, I didn't expect it to hit this close to home. It's not very often I feel seen this much, with asexuality being such a wide spectrum, but this one...my god. Poor Andrew is my spirit animal.
How am I meant to function normally after something like this?
I mean...what the actual fuck 👁️👄👁️
Sweet baby jesus this feels like Andrew Joseph White but on crack. This book made an absolute mess of me, scrambling my brain and wrecking my heart while snickering in my face (...ignore me I'm still in shock).
I can't say anything because this kind of story is unexplainable and needs to be experienced (and what an experience it is wow). Just go find it and let it sink its claws right into your brain and consume you. What I can safely say is that the prose is stunning - haunting and atmospheric, immediately setting the tone as sinister and mysterious.
And as a little treat for AFTG fans - Andrew and Thomas look practically the same as Andrew and Neil ❤️
Oh, and the asexual rep? Gut-wrenching, I didn't expect it to hit this close to home. It's not very often I feel seen this much, with asexuality being such a wide spectrum, but this one...my god. Poor Andrew is my spirit animal.
How am I meant to function normally after something like this?
July 25, 2024
“All my stories are about you. They will always be about you.”
WHAT. A. BOOK! Don't Let the Forest In is beautifully haunting and unhinged. It's got queer angst and toxic codependency, and it had me feeling unsettled with my head spinning throughout! The book is gorgeously written and it left a lasting impression that still has me feeling on edge!
"For a vicious moment, Andrew thought about slipping his fingers into Thomas’s cut. Taking hold of his rib and breaking it. Pulling the soft crumbling bone from his chest and sewing it into his own. They’d be forever together, rib against rib, fused in gore and bone and adoration."
Don't Let the Forest In has a killer opening line, and I was immediately hooked! Reading it gave me a sense of unease, that something's not quite right, that eerie, angsty, "what's happening?" feeling that I love. Andrew and Thomas are two toxically codependent boys at boarding school where something is so clearly wrong but neither they nor you know exactly what that something is. It has you feeling unmoored, questioning reality, your own mind, and wondering if the monsters of your nightmares might be real.
"If the trees belonged to Thomas, midnight was in love with Andrew. It made him braver somehow, invisible, hiding his delicate edges and leaving behind a lean and hungry shadow. In the dark, no one could see his hollow and empty places. Instead he looked like he could have teeth."
The book reminded me of The Wicker King, Summer Sons, and These Violent Delights, and if you love those vibes, you'll love Don't Let The Forest In! The book also gets bonus points for excellent ace rep in the mc Andrew.
"They were beautiful together; they were magic and monstrous, and they had created a whole vengeful world between them."
Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews // ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to Macmillan for the ARC. Don't Let the Forest In is out October 29
March 7, 2024
"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭."
2.5 Stars
Have you ever seen a book cover so beautiful and macabre that it just screams "read me" and then the story itself is a total let down? For me, this is that exact situation. Judging a book by its cover art really can be a double-edged sword... you either miss out on a GREAT book with less impressive artwork or you are completely underwhelmed after falling in love with it. Clearly, I am in the VERY slim minority here when it comes to how I feel about this story. The beginning was hard. Hell, even up until about 50% thru, I was considering DNF'ing.
Before I get into my issues and why I rated the way I did, let me praise the two things I think are great about this story. First off, the spectrum of representation in this story is refreshing. The author touches on themes of identity, mental health, and even eating disorder. While these are not easy topics to discuss or convey, they are very important to talk about - especially for the target audience of this story (teenagers). Second, Drews has a gorgeous writing style. Despite my enjoyment of the story being what it was, the prose is beautiful and I'd absolutely be willing to try another book by this author just because of that.
Onto the things that I really wasn't feeling:/
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. I struggled here so much. This story is labeled as "YA psychological horror" and based on the blurb, I was expecting to be thrown into this insane world of horrors come to life. What I was not expecting was how focused this book was on sexual identity and being okay with one's self the way they are. While that is an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT aspect of a story, especially for a YA book, I wish there would have been more indication that desire and romance was a major part of the plot. While that's not a bad thing, I wish I had known that that's how the story was going to move forward. The only thing that kept me going was the author throwing a bone here and there with something creepy to make me think that something was actually going to happen (spoiler, nothing really happens until about 75% of the way through).
I also found that I was 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫. I don't know what about him put me off, but something about his attitude throughout the story really kind of threw me. I think it's the angsty teenager vibe that surrounded the story... though I'm not so sure, because I did enjoy Thomas' character for the most part.
Lastly, the story as a whole/the ending. Without spoiling anything, I truly had a hard time connecting the pieces. 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝. I did enjoy the creepy parts, I just don't quite know... how it fits together? I guess? I can make the basic surface-level connections, but to me, the two stories kind of felt disjointed from one another. Maybe it would be worth rereading just to see if I'm missing something or can see the foreshadowing, but I don't think that I can drag myself through what I struggled through the first time.
Overall, I think it definitely fits into the YA category and will do really well there. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected to, I think had I went into it knowing that 'horror' was more of a vessel to move a story along rather than then entirety of the plot I would have liked it the slightest bit more.
Thank you to the publisher, CG Drews, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
2.5 Stars
Have you ever seen a book cover so beautiful and macabre that it just screams "read me" and then the story itself is a total let down? For me, this is that exact situation. Judging a book by its cover art really can be a double-edged sword... you either miss out on a GREAT book with less impressive artwork or you are completely underwhelmed after falling in love with it. Clearly, I am in the VERY slim minority here when it comes to how I feel about this story. The beginning was hard. Hell, even up until about 50% thru, I was considering DNF'ing.
Before I get into my issues and why I rated the way I did, let me praise the two things I think are great about this story. First off, the spectrum of representation in this story is refreshing. The author touches on themes of identity, mental health, and even eating disorder. While these are not easy topics to discuss or convey, they are very important to talk about - especially for the target audience of this story (teenagers). Second, Drews has a gorgeous writing style. Despite my enjoyment of the story being what it was, the prose is beautiful and I'd absolutely be willing to try another book by this author just because of that.
Onto the things that I really wasn't feeling:/
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. I struggled here so much. This story is labeled as "YA psychological horror" and based on the blurb, I was expecting to be thrown into this insane world of horrors come to life. What I was not expecting was how focused this book was on sexual identity and being okay with one's self the way they are. While that is an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT aspect of a story, especially for a YA book, I wish there would have been more indication that desire and romance was a major part of the plot. While that's not a bad thing, I wish I had known that that's how the story was going to move forward. The only thing that kept me going was the author throwing a bone here and there with something creepy to make me think that something was actually going to happen (spoiler, nothing really happens until about 75% of the way through).
I also found that I was 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫. I don't know what about him put me off, but something about his attitude throughout the story really kind of threw me. I think it's the angsty teenager vibe that surrounded the story... though I'm not so sure, because I did enjoy Thomas' character for the most part.
Lastly, the story as a whole/the ending. Without spoiling anything, I truly had a hard time connecting the pieces. 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝. I did enjoy the creepy parts, I just don't quite know... how it fits together? I guess? I can make the basic surface-level connections, but to me, the two stories kind of felt disjointed from one another. Maybe it would be worth rereading just to see if I'm missing something or can see the foreshadowing, but I don't think that I can drag myself through what I struggled through the first time.
Overall, I think it definitely fits into the YA category and will do really well there. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected to, I think had I went into it knowing that 'horror' was more of a vessel to move a story along rather than then entirety of the plot I would have liked it the slightest bit more.
Thank you to the publisher, CG Drews, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
October 3, 2024
This novel is devastating. The writing is lush and evocative, the characters complicated and real and messy, and the story a ravaged mixture of frenetic energy and folk-horror fecund silence.
I couldn’t put this story down once I started. It wrapped its way around me, biting into my skin and holding my heart hostage, but never promising what it would give in return. There is a painful intimacy and desperation that pulls you into the story, and the writing and pacing really bring you to this place where you can feel moss crumbling under your feet as you constantly look over your shoulder for the unseen force that you know is haunting you but you can never look at directly.
It is hard to be critical of this story. There are things I would have liked to see. For instance, there are some secondary characters who we get little tastes of that I would love to spend more time with. But the way the story is structured, and is experienced, it is through the bleeding, terrified, isolated experiences of our main character, and to peel away from that to give us a broader picture of this world and its inhabitants would destroy the intimacy, the feeling of being an accomplice. It is possible to guess where it is going form the start, if you are someone who lives in the genre space and does such things, because the seeds are planted and it is clear that something isn’t right, or, rather, there is more that is wrong than what we are being told. But none of that takes away from the book, and in fact it almost makes it more tragic, in the same way that by the end of a Shakespearean opening monologue we already know what fate awaits our princes, our ship-wrecked kings, our star-crossed lovers. Of course, like many stories, if there was just better communication between central characters then, well, there would be no story. But here that miscommunicating feels natural, not forced. The heavy weights of society and identity and general teenage malaise and emotional turmoil make it natural that truths are hidden, bottled up, fermented, instead of being shared and communicated plainly. This story is a journey, one that asks what happens when our inner monsters are so terrifying we invite external monsters in to show us how to wage war upon ourselves. It is heartbreaking, and compelling, and familiar. It hurt to read this story, in places, because, while my teenage years weren’t as emotionally fraught as the characters, I could see myself and my friends and others I care about in these characters, in their struggles with living as they are, constantly feeling attacked from all sides. C. G. Drews managed to make a fantastical story filled with horrific monsters feel real and personal, and I am glad I had the chance to read it.
(Also, just as an addendum, throughout the novel there are a few short, one-paragraph long, dark fairy tales, written by our main character in the context of the novel. These are really great. On their own they would be nasty, dark littles bite-sized tales, but in context they add to the ambience or the feel of the novel. There aren’t so many of them that they are a distraction to the narrative, and in fact they complement it really well. It would be amazing to see a small, illustrated collection of these fairy tales, they were that much fun).
I want to thank the author, the publisher Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I couldn’t put this story down once I started. It wrapped its way around me, biting into my skin and holding my heart hostage, but never promising what it would give in return. There is a painful intimacy and desperation that pulls you into the story, and the writing and pacing really bring you to this place where you can feel moss crumbling under your feet as you constantly look over your shoulder for the unseen force that you know is haunting you but you can never look at directly.
It is hard to be critical of this story. There are things I would have liked to see. For instance, there are some secondary characters who we get little tastes of that I would love to spend more time with. But the way the story is structured, and is experienced, it is through the bleeding, terrified, isolated experiences of our main character, and to peel away from that to give us a broader picture of this world and its inhabitants would destroy the intimacy, the feeling of being an accomplice. It is possible to guess where it is going form the start, if you are someone who lives in the genre space and does such things, because the seeds are planted and it is clear that something isn’t right, or, rather, there is more that is wrong than what we are being told. But none of that takes away from the book, and in fact it almost makes it more tragic, in the same way that by the end of a Shakespearean opening monologue we already know what fate awaits our princes, our ship-wrecked kings, our star-crossed lovers. Of course, like many stories, if there was just better communication between central characters then, well, there would be no story. But here that miscommunicating feels natural, not forced. The heavy weights of society and identity and general teenage malaise and emotional turmoil make it natural that truths are hidden, bottled up, fermented, instead of being shared and communicated plainly. This story is a journey, one that asks what happens when our inner monsters are so terrifying we invite external monsters in to show us how to wage war upon ourselves. It is heartbreaking, and compelling, and familiar. It hurt to read this story, in places, because, while my teenage years weren’t as emotionally fraught as the characters, I could see myself and my friends and others I care about in these characters, in their struggles with living as they are, constantly feeling attacked from all sides. C. G. Drews managed to make a fantastical story filled with horrific monsters feel real and personal, and I am glad I had the chance to read it.
(Also, just as an addendum, throughout the novel there are a few short, one-paragraph long, dark fairy tales, written by our main character in the context of the novel. These are really great. On their own they would be nasty, dark littles bite-sized tales, but in context they add to the ambience or the feel of the novel. There aren’t so many of them that they are a distraction to the narrative, and in fact they complement it really well. It would be amazing to see a small, illustrated collection of these fairy tales, they were that much fun).
I want to thank the author, the publisher Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 5, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
I feel like my emo, melodramatic teenage self would have eaten this up. This is a story for all the weird, awkward, dark teens dealing with getting bullied and finding a first love that feels like the world is ending. And it has asexual rep, which is cool! I know there are people trying to find more of that.
Don't Let the Forest In is a macabre story where the lines between reality and fantasy blur. They follow two boys at a boarding school with lots of trauma and family baggage, and a fraught relationship. One of them writes dark fairytales and the other draws monsters. But what happens when the monsters become real? This is dealing with depression, anxiety, self-harm, and familial abuse, but through a somewhat fantastical lens. And it doesn't offer any easy solutions or wrap things up with a neat little bow. I kind of loved it, and I especially love it for the teens going through it who need something like this to feel seen. I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.
I feel like my emo, melodramatic teenage self would have eaten this up. This is a story for all the weird, awkward, dark teens dealing with getting bullied and finding a first love that feels like the world is ending. And it has asexual rep, which is cool! I know there are people trying to find more of that.
Don't Let the Forest In is a macabre story where the lines between reality and fantasy blur. They follow two boys at a boarding school with lots of trauma and family baggage, and a fraught relationship. One of them writes dark fairytales and the other draws monsters. But what happens when the monsters become real? This is dealing with depression, anxiety, self-harm, and familial abuse, but through a somewhat fantastical lens. And it doesn't offer any easy solutions or wrap things up with a neat little bow. I kind of loved it, and I especially love it for the teens going through it who need something like this to feel seen. I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.
November 17, 2024
This book is atmospheric and nightmarish, with gruesome illustrations, gory body horror, and snippets from the haunting stories that Andrew writes which plays into the plot.
Andrew only feels at home with his best friend, his other half. Andrew wrote cruelly beautiful fairytales, and Thomas illustrates them with a few slashes from a pen with macabre beauty. However, back at Wickwood Academy, Thomas arrives covered in blood and his drawings appear to come to life, killing anyone close to him.
This had extremely purple prose. This was the highlight of the book for me. Drews reached into my rib cage, rummaged around, and squeezed my heart.
right now he was the glorious fairy-tale prince come to save them all, while Andrew was nothing more than a thing made of skeleton leaves needing to be cupped between safe hands before he blew away.
This also had great ace representation with conversations about the importance of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as portrayals of anxiety.
What brought the rating down were the many glaring plot holes. Why didn’t Thomas and Andrew tell anyone? They had photographic evidence and deleted it.
Also, the authorities blaming deaths and the forest invading the school building on collapsing infrastructure seemed too contrived and nonsensical.
I also did not like the way Andrew’s refusal to eat and loss of weight was handled. I know this was due to his anxiety, but it felt deathly romanticised and not enough care was taken to address this, despite others noticing this.
This book was dark and I am on the fence about it being marketed as Young Adult. It is definitely in the upper range.
I am very conflicted. The prose was five stars. The plot discrepancies; predictable, easy twists, and ambiguous open ending brought this down.
Andrew hated the way his brain did this. Destroyed beau tiful things. It was like he couldn't just hold a flower; he had to crush the petals in his fist until his hand was stained with mur dered color.
Thank you to Hatchette Children for sending me the gorgeous physical arc in exchange for a review!
Bookstagram
Andrew only feels at home with his best friend, his other half. Andrew wrote cruelly beautiful fairytales, and Thomas illustrates them with a few slashes from a pen with macabre beauty. However, back at Wickwood Academy, Thomas arrives covered in blood and his drawings appear to come to life, killing anyone close to him.
This had extremely purple prose. This was the highlight of the book for me. Drews reached into my rib cage, rummaged around, and squeezed my heart.
right now he was the glorious fairy-tale prince come to save them all, while Andrew was nothing more than a thing made of skeleton leaves needing to be cupped between safe hands before he blew away.
This also had great ace representation with conversations about the importance of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as portrayals of anxiety.
What brought the rating down were the many glaring plot holes. Why didn’t Thomas and Andrew tell anyone? They had photographic evidence and deleted it.
Also, the authorities blaming deaths and the forest invading the school building on collapsing infrastructure seemed too contrived and nonsensical.
I also did not like the way Andrew’s refusal to eat and loss of weight was handled. I know this was due to his anxiety, but it felt deathly romanticised and not enough care was taken to address this, despite others noticing this.
This book was dark and I am on the fence about it being marketed as Young Adult. It is definitely in the upper range.
I am very conflicted. The prose was five stars. The plot discrepancies; predictable, easy twists, and ambiguous open ending brought this down.
Andrew hated the way his brain did this. Destroyed beau tiful things. It was like he couldn't just hold a flower; he had to crush the petals in his fist until his hand was stained with mur dered color.
Thank you to Hatchette Children for sending me the gorgeous physical arc in exchange for a review!
Bookstagram
December 6, 2024
This book is marketed as "Wilder Girls meets A Deadly Education in this queer dark academia YA thriller" and I cannot agree with any of that, really. I guess Wilder Girls is coming from the plant-based body horror (although House of Hollow would have been the better comparison for that), but nothing here was even close to A Deadly Education. I don't understand where the dark academia prompt is coming from at all. Yes, the book takes place in a school, but none of the characters are academically motivated in any way, they are not learning anything and we only ever see them attending classes to show how awful that one teacher is.
Anyway, I did actually enjoy this book! The forest horror and strange fairytale creatures were very much to my liking, the intense relationship between Andrew and Thomas was portrayed very well and the ending was surprisingly twisty. If you're looking for a book that is actually similar to this, I would recommend The Wicker King by K. Ancrum.
Anyway, I did actually enjoy this book! The forest horror and strange fairytale creatures were very much to my liking, the intense relationship between Andrew and Thomas was portrayed very well and the ending was surprisingly twisty. If you're looking for a book that is actually similar to this, I would recommend The Wicker King by K. Ancrum.
June 23, 2024
"All my stories are about you. They will always be about you."
The absolute mindfuck that was this book. I have no words. 10/10 would recommend you pick this up but be warned - you'll be haunted by it.
(Sidenote the asexual rep was absolutely stunning I've never felt so seen in my LIFE)
The absolute mindfuck that was this book. I have no words. 10/10 would recommend you pick this up but be warned - you'll be haunted by it.
(Sidenote the asexual rep was absolutely stunning I've never felt so seen in my LIFE)
April 25, 2024
2024 reads: 99/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
andrew, a senior at wickwood academy, enjoys writing twisted fairytales to share with thomas, who brings these stories to life through drawing them. but as their friendship gets rocky, and secrets come to light, something is happening in the woods surrounding the school that could disrupt everything.
this is the kind of 5-star read that makes me want to go change the ratings of all my other 5-star reads. i so easily lost myself in this book, with the appalachian setting perfectly fitting the eerie writing style and plot. i really can’t put to words just how much i loved andrew and thomas, and how much i missed them as soon as i put this book down. i highly recommend this to fans of YA horror.
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
andrew, a senior at wickwood academy, enjoys writing twisted fairytales to share with thomas, who brings these stories to life through drawing them. but as their friendship gets rocky, and secrets come to light, something is happening in the woods surrounding the school that could disrupt everything.
this is the kind of 5-star read that makes me want to go change the ratings of all my other 5-star reads. i so easily lost myself in this book, with the appalachian setting perfectly fitting the eerie writing style and plot. i really can’t put to words just how much i loved andrew and thomas, and how much i missed them as soon as i put this book down. i highly recommend this to fans of YA horror.
June 24, 2024
I have found myself a new favourite author.
January 5, 2025
Holy heck this was wild. WILD.
The author has such a unique way of writing that allows for full immersion in the scenes. The similes are crafted in such a way that you can easily feel what's happening and it enhances the reading experience so much. I know not everyone will love her style, but I personally can't get enough of it!
I noted this quote because it sums up the book better than I could with my own words. The plot is about two boys fighting monsters, but it's also about Andrew and his personal struggles.
More than anything, I appreciate how well the different plot points were woven together. There are monsters, there are two boys and their complicated relationship, and there is Andrew with anxiety that never lets up. Everything is connected in such a clever, seamless way that at no time did I feel like the story was slowing down or going off track. Everything moves forward towards a worthy ending.
The characters are disasters, but that's kind of why we love them. The horror is real, with terrifying monsters coming to life and committing horrific acts. The forest seeps into every page.
Like her previous books, I really loved this story for it's uniqueness and strange-yet-perfect storytelling. This one is dark, but not without its wholesome moments.
Ultimately, it was a little too depressing to get the full five stars from me, but it was brilliantly done and I highly recommend it.
The author has such a unique way of writing that allows for full immersion in the scenes. The similes are crafted in such a way that you can easily feel what's happening and it enhances the reading experience so much. I know not everyone will love her style, but I personally can't get enough of it!
'He was so tired of suffering because he moved through the world differently from everyone else. This wasn't only about goddamn monsters. It was about how he never seemed able to cope, how the world didn't fit against his skin, how he felt too much and hurt too often and couldn't pack his emotions into neat, palatable boxes.' - page 288
I noted this quote because it sums up the book better than I could with my own words. The plot is about two boys fighting monsters, but it's also about Andrew and his personal struggles.
More than anything, I appreciate how well the different plot points were woven together. There are monsters, there are two boys and their complicated relationship, and there is Andrew with anxiety that never lets up. Everything is connected in such a clever, seamless way that at no time did I feel like the story was slowing down or going off track. Everything moves forward towards a worthy ending.
The characters are disasters, but that's kind of why we love them. The horror is real, with terrifying monsters coming to life and committing horrific acts. The forest seeps into every page.
Like her previous books, I really loved this story for it's uniqueness and strange-yet-perfect storytelling. This one is dark, but not without its wholesome moments.
Ultimately, it was a little too depressing to get the full five stars from me, but it was brilliantly done and I highly recommend it.
April 26, 2024
Don't Let the Forest In had the character dynamics of These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever with the isolation of The Wicker King. And the folk horror setting/atmosphere of Summer Sons. So if you like any of those three, highly highly recommend this. Add it to the list of books where I need 3-5 business days to stare at a blank wall and process.
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Just a side note: I've noticed a trend where people feel bad rating an ARC less than 5 stars. This is not one of those reviews, it was actually that good. I need to reread this immediately. Oh my god.
This is definitely a dark, upper YA book. I've seen people leave reviews that didn't seem to be aware of dark this was, so please look up the triggers. I mean, if I mention a YA version of Paul/Julian, I feel like that's already saying a lot. Being inside Andrew's head is tough and that's a bold choice for a YA book.
The prose was beautiful and visceral and perfect for the genre. The first half of the book established the characters and relationships, while the second half had more of the traditional psychological horror elements. I wasn't too positive of some of the more magical elements, but the ending really worked and solidified the every choice the author made. The ace representation was also fantastic and a unique aspect to their co-dependency (and this feels like a good space to say that asexuality is a spectrum).
A physical copy of this book is not a want, it is a need.
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Just a side note: I've noticed a trend where people feel bad rating an ARC less than 5 stars. This is not one of those reviews, it was actually that good. I need to reread this immediately. Oh my god.
This is definitely a dark, upper YA book. I've seen people leave reviews that didn't seem to be aware of dark this was, so please look up the triggers. I mean, if I mention a YA version of Paul/Julian, I feel like that's already saying a lot. Being inside Andrew's head is tough and that's a bold choice for a YA book.
The prose was beautiful and visceral and perfect for the genre. The first half of the book established the characters and relationships, while the second half had more of the traditional psychological horror elements. I wasn't too positive of some of the more magical elements, but the ending really worked and solidified the every choice the author made. The ace representation was also fantastic and a unique aspect to their co-dependency (and this feels like a good space to say that asexuality is a spectrum).
A physical copy of this book is not a want, it is a need.
Want to read
February 23, 2024gotta catch up on my other arcs before i think about picking this up, but i’m so excited to see the main character ace rep!
December 7, 2024
I shockingly enjoyed this. I didn't think I was going to based on the writing style, flowery/lyrical prose just unfortunately don't work for me. But I was so intrigued in this story, that I was mostly able to look past it. It gave me the vibes of The Wicker King by K Ancrum which is one of my favourite books of all time. But this was so good. Very atmospheric and quite frightening. But that ending, what do you mean? Like, what the hell?!
I really liked this, pleasantly surprised.
I really liked this, pleasantly surprised.
January 8, 2025
"For a vicious moment, Andrew thought about slipping his fingers into Thomas's cut. Taking hold of his rib and breaking it. Pulling the soft crumbling bone from his chest and sewing it into his own. They'd be forever together, rib against rib, fused in gore and bone and adoration."
UGH this is what romance is all about
UGH this is what romance is all about
May 18, 2024
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Don't Let the Forest In was hands down so freaking good. This book had me in a goddamn chokehold and wouldn't let me go until the very last page. From the very first chapter, I started to develop so many questions and just wanted to know more about Andrew, Thomas, and Dove.
I absolutely adored Thomas and Andrew. How quickly they would protect each other just felt so genuine. I also really liked how Andrew wasn't so quick to talk about romance and feelings. He took his time trying to analyze his feelings and realizing that he was asexual and that it's okay to feel the way he does. Thomas never pushed and basically accepted this long ago. The romance between the two was definitely slow-burning, and I'm really happy with how it played out.
As for Dove, she was a mystery. She, like Thomas, would drop everything to protect her twin brother from the bullies. She also cared so much about school and had an adorable competition with her roommate Lana. In a perfect world, I could see her and Lana together and being happy.
I just feel like they will always challenge one another for the better.
Besides that, the overall paranormal mystery was fascinating. It kept the pages turning and had me constantly guessing every little thing that was happening. Sure, some things that happened had me constantly worried and biting my nails. Other things were okay with me because karma is the Antler King
Of course, I'll stick to my day job because I missed so many clues before the big twists and reveals came my way. I still enjoyed the heck out of this book and felt so many emotions throughout it. I can't wait for this beauty to be published and for everyone to adore it.
"All my stories are about you. They will always be about you."
Don't Let the Forest In was hands down so freaking good. This book had me in a goddamn chokehold and wouldn't let me go until the very last page. From the very first chapter, I started to develop so many questions and just wanted to know more about Andrew, Thomas, and Dove.
I absolutely adored Thomas and Andrew. How quickly they would protect each other just felt so genuine. I also really liked how Andrew wasn't so quick to talk about romance and feelings. He took his time trying to analyze his feelings and realizing that he was asexual and that it's okay to feel the way he does. Thomas never pushed and basically accepted this long ago. The romance between the two was definitely slow-burning, and I'm really happy with how it played out.
As for Dove, she was a mystery. She, like Thomas, would drop everything to protect her twin brother from the bullies. She also cared so much about school and had an adorable competition with her roommate Lana. In a perfect world, I could see her and Lana together and being happy.
I just feel like they will always challenge one another for the better.
Besides that, the overall paranormal mystery was fascinating. It kept the pages turning and had me constantly guessing every little thing that was happening. Sure, some things that happened had me constantly worried and biting my nails. Other things were okay with me because karma is the Antler King
Of course, I'll stick to my day job because I missed so many clues before the big twists and reveals came my way. I still enjoyed the heck out of this book and felt so many emotions throughout it. I can't wait for this beauty to be published and for everyone to adore it.
November 5, 2024
I feel like I am going to be in the minority for this one. The writing was really beautiful but I didn’t love any of the characters and the horror/monster aspects fell really flat for me. Overall it was an okay read for me, but I can see lots of other readers really loving this one.
December 3, 2024
“If he wanted Thomas gone, he could deal with it himself. He knew how to ruin Thomas the same way Thomas knew how to ruin him. They could be so beautiful to each other. They could be so cruel.”
Phenomenal book. This is best if you go into it blindly. I would recommend immersion reading with the audiobook & the physical copy because it has pretty art.
One of my favorite reads this year for sure i found it hard to put down . The writing is eerily beautiful
It will leave you staring at the wall
Phenomenal book. This is best if you go into it blindly. I would recommend immersion reading with the audiobook & the physical copy because it has pretty art.
One of my favorite reads this year for sure i found it hard to put down . The writing is eerily beautiful
It will leave you staring at the wall
October 30, 2024
I think this was just a simple case of it not being for me 🤷🏻♀️
I still struggle a fair bit with reading YA - I can only really get into it when it’s high fantasy, in a world entirely removed from our own. When it’s modern/paranormal the adolescence of it all is really hard to get past - the dialogue, the hysterical drama. Every five seconds I just find myself thinking “you’re 16 relax?” Not sure why this doesn’t bother me when it’s high fantasy - but I am the way I am okay !! This had a lot going for it, the atmosphere was well done - the monsters and art were so gorgeous, but end of day just didn’t work for me. The writing tried too hard to be poetic and it ended up getting deeply repetitive.
I think it’ll be for someone though! If it sounds like your vibe give it the old college try
I still struggle a fair bit with reading YA - I can only really get into it when it’s high fantasy, in a world entirely removed from our own. When it’s modern/paranormal the adolescence of it all is really hard to get past - the dialogue, the hysterical drama. Every five seconds I just find myself thinking “you’re 16 relax?” Not sure why this doesn’t bother me when it’s high fantasy - but I am the way I am okay !! This had a lot going for it, the atmosphere was well done - the monsters and art were so gorgeous, but end of day just didn’t work for me. The writing tried too hard to be poetic and it ended up getting deeply repetitive.
I think it’ll be for someone though! If it sounds like your vibe give it the old college try
May 19, 2024
ominous, gore, creepy, bloody, eerie but yet sickeningly beautiful
August 16, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own (clearly).
Don’t Let the Forest In follows Andrew Perrault in the aftermath of a mysterious friendship disaster between his twin, Dawn, and his obsessive crush, Thomas. His return to Wickwood Academy is bad enough, dealing with having no friends and continued bullying, when Thomas’s monsterous drawings come to life, threatening him and everyone around him. Together, the two boys try to rub their two braincells together to put an end to the monsters and figure out what they mean to each other, even as the horrific odds turn against them. The result is a poorly anchored book with terribly handled twists and weak characters.
The main problem with the book is the lack of on-page set up for characters and their relationships. Much of the premise of the book lies in how different Thomas and Dawn act with Andrew compared to when their friendship at its peak. Unfortunately, their friendship is completely off page, so the whip-lash that Andrew feels has to be tediously explained to us. The reader is meant to understand that these characters have this deeply established connection, without any work being done to make us believe it. This is a huge issue, as this book revolves around Andrew and Thomas’s intensely obsessive and codependent relationship.
The problem with the relationships is also tied to Andrew’s weakness as a character. He is completely obtuse about the things going around him and he’s annoying to read about. Things that are obviously worth considering about the horrors haunting him and the people around him fly right over his head every time, making for an incredibly frustrating reading experience. The way he speaks is so melodramatic and overwrought that it’s laughable. This continues into the excerpts of his fairytales, which are all edgy and fake-deep.
I appreciate what C. G Drews tried to do with Andrew as a representation of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, but the work put in didn’t work on-page. As an audience, the reader is out of the loop of his non-monster anxieties, so he sometimes makes leaps in logic that make no sense and we can’t even see how he got there. Ideally, the reader would be led onto the same traps that Andrew’s anxiety leads him, but instead it’s confusing and aggravating. I also think the way that mental health is sometimes shown plainly on-page and other times in symbolic imagery and allegory creates a confused depiction of mental illness.
I also found the exploration of Asexuality to be mixed. I was very excited as an Ace-spectrum person to see how this was done, and I’m still not sure. For a YA audience, I would expect the explanation of asexuality to be heavy handed, but that wasn’t what I got. An actual introduction of asexuality doesn’t exist at all, but Andrew’s fears and feelings about being “wrong” are who’ll to explained to the point of being repetitive. I’ll be honest, some of my opinions about the representation is clouded by how little I cared about Andrew as a character. I can’t really complain about it though, because this was one of the better elements.
The decent element is the horror. It’s not the best I’ve read even in YA, but it’s competent. The gore is gorey and gave me the creeps more than a couple times. My only issue with the horror is how poorly rooted it is within the story. This is the same issue I had with character relationships. The characters know all about these monsters and why they are important to them, but it’s only clunkily explained to the reader. The horror also suffers by the poorly defined setting and passage of time. Every time the time of day was mentioned, it was news to me. The characters just float around from scene to scene untethered. This is emphasized by the unrealistic dialogue and one-dimensional supporting characters.
No one in this book talks like real people. I understand the point of exaggerating for the purpose of creating drama and tension, but this book’s attempt was laughable. Andrew and Thomas say unhinged things about living inside each other and how they’d die without each other, but I could at least see the draw of that. The background characters spend most of the book bullying Thomas for being a murderer, even at times where if they truly believe this, they would be in immense danger. As the death toll increases, the lack of panic is covered up because the school is just ignoring people dying in the middle of day for some reason. The main bully repeatedly complains about people “slandering” him. I mean, this is just ridiculous, people. Some side characters I actually like, Lana Lang (unrelated to Superman’s friend) and Chloe Nguyen, are sidelined by the narrative in favor of the riveting relationship between Andrew and Thomas. Some characters aren’t even deigned to have names, even if they eventually get significant page time. Anyone who isn’t directly related to the romance/monster plot is severely undeveloped compared to Andrew and Thomas, and I already said how lacking they are as characters.
The final nail in the coffin is the horrible ending. I don’t want to spoil the twist(s) but I can stress how hard they fall on their face. There are fakeouts that are so dumb to be laughable. There is an actually good twist that is ruined because of execution. And there is a final twist that is SO OBVIOUS because it had been a blind spot in the boys’ pisspoor problem solving the whole book. The thematic meaning behind the horror fails to meaningfully connect to the characters and their terrible romance. What makes things worse is that these twists rely on the established character relationships that never got fleshed out the entire book.
Overall, I can see how teens would get a little bit more out of this than I would, and it could be worth checking out at a library if it’s convenient. That being said, I’m not that far out of teenhood and I know that I would not have been charmed by this. Everything that this book does has been done better by other books. I can’t strongly recommend it to anyone.
Don’t Let the Forest In follows Andrew Perrault in the aftermath of a mysterious friendship disaster between his twin, Dawn, and his obsessive crush, Thomas. His return to Wickwood Academy is bad enough, dealing with having no friends and continued bullying, when Thomas’s monsterous drawings come to life, threatening him and everyone around him. Together, the two boys try to rub their two braincells together to put an end to the monsters and figure out what they mean to each other, even as the horrific odds turn against them. The result is a poorly anchored book with terribly handled twists and weak characters.
The main problem with the book is the lack of on-page set up for characters and their relationships. Much of the premise of the book lies in how different Thomas and Dawn act with Andrew compared to when their friendship at its peak. Unfortunately, their friendship is completely off page, so the whip-lash that Andrew feels has to be tediously explained to us. The reader is meant to understand that these characters have this deeply established connection, without any work being done to make us believe it. This is a huge issue, as this book revolves around Andrew and Thomas’s intensely obsessive and codependent relationship.
The problem with the relationships is also tied to Andrew’s weakness as a character. He is completely obtuse about the things going around him and he’s annoying to read about. Things that are obviously worth considering about the horrors haunting him and the people around him fly right over his head every time, making for an incredibly frustrating reading experience. The way he speaks is so melodramatic and overwrought that it’s laughable. This continues into the excerpts of his fairytales, which are all edgy and fake-deep.
I appreciate what C. G Drews tried to do with Andrew as a representation of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, but the work put in didn’t work on-page. As an audience, the reader is out of the loop of his non-monster anxieties, so he sometimes makes leaps in logic that make no sense and we can’t even see how he got there. Ideally, the reader would be led onto the same traps that Andrew’s anxiety leads him, but instead it’s confusing and aggravating. I also think the way that mental health is sometimes shown plainly on-page and other times in symbolic imagery and allegory creates a confused depiction of mental illness.
I also found the exploration of Asexuality to be mixed. I was very excited as an Ace-spectrum person to see how this was done, and I’m still not sure. For a YA audience, I would expect the explanation of asexuality to be heavy handed, but that wasn’t what I got. An actual introduction of asexuality doesn’t exist at all, but Andrew’s fears and feelings about being “wrong” are who’ll to explained to the point of being repetitive. I’ll be honest, some of my opinions about the representation is clouded by how little I cared about Andrew as a character. I can’t really complain about it though, because this was one of the better elements.
The decent element is the horror. It’s not the best I’ve read even in YA, but it’s competent. The gore is gorey and gave me the creeps more than a couple times. My only issue with the horror is how poorly rooted it is within the story. This is the same issue I had with character relationships. The characters know all about these monsters and why they are important to them, but it’s only clunkily explained to the reader. The horror also suffers by the poorly defined setting and passage of time. Every time the time of day was mentioned, it was news to me. The characters just float around from scene to scene untethered. This is emphasized by the unrealistic dialogue and one-dimensional supporting characters.
No one in this book talks like real people. I understand the point of exaggerating for the purpose of creating drama and tension, but this book’s attempt was laughable. Andrew and Thomas say unhinged things about living inside each other and how they’d die without each other, but I could at least see the draw of that. The background characters spend most of the book bullying Thomas for being a murderer, even at times where if they truly believe this, they would be in immense danger. As the death toll increases, the lack of panic is covered up because the school is just ignoring people dying in the middle of day for some reason. The main bully repeatedly complains about people “slandering” him. I mean, this is just ridiculous, people. Some side characters I actually like, Lana Lang (unrelated to Superman’s friend) and Chloe Nguyen, are sidelined by the narrative in favor of the riveting relationship between Andrew and Thomas. Some characters aren’t even deigned to have names, even if they eventually get significant page time. Anyone who isn’t directly related to the romance/monster plot is severely undeveloped compared to Andrew and Thomas, and I already said how lacking they are as characters.
The final nail in the coffin is the horrible ending. I don’t want to spoil the twist(s) but I can stress how hard they fall on their face. There are fakeouts that are so dumb to be laughable. There is an actually good twist that is ruined because of execution. And there is a final twist that is SO OBVIOUS because it had been a blind spot in the boys’ pisspoor problem solving the whole book. The thematic meaning behind the horror fails to meaningfully connect to the characters and their terrible romance. What makes things worse is that these twists rely on the established character relationships that never got fleshed out the entire book.
Overall, I can see how teens would get a little bit more out of this than I would, and it could be worth checking out at a library if it’s convenient. That being said, I’m not that far out of teenhood and I know that I would not have been charmed by this. Everything that this book does has been done better by other books. I can’t strongly recommend it to anyone.
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