Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell's Reviews > What Lies in the Woods
What Lies in the Woods
by
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WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS has so many of my favorite tropes in it that it felt like this author had written this book with me in mind: Naomi was the survivor of a serial killer's attack, but it left her with facial scars. Now she's a wedding photographer living with a dude who doesn't really appreciate her beyond the value of her story. When she finds out that the serial killer died in prison and her two friends are struggling with a secret that they hid as children, she shoots back home to confront her friends, Cass and Liv, about the past and why it should stay hidden.
Childhood games-turned-dangerous, toxic romance, suspicious and potentially dangerous hot guys, small town dynamics, and big secrets-- these are just some of the tropes in this book. It started out great but then the pacing started to feel a little uneven. There were too many "gotcha" twists at the end, which kind of made the book feel like a really bumpy rollercoaster that didn't have any dramatic or shocking falls. I thought this might have been a debut but I checked the author's backlist and it is not, although it does seem like it might be her debut for adult readers (she's a YA/MG author), which would explain the fade-to-black sex scenes (booo) and the really naive/youthful voice of the narrator.
I liked this book and would read more from this author, but it doesn't have anything that really makes it stand out from other books in the genre. The ending was also more bittersweet than I would have liked. I wanted Naomi to have a kick-ass and smutty happily-ever-after. But maybe that's just the romance reader in me. Anyway, if you like sad girl mystery thrillers a la Gillian Flynn, you'll love this.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
3 to 3.5 stars
by
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell's review
bookshelves: the-lost-girls, thriller, les-arcs-de-triomphes
Oct 23, 2022
bookshelves: the-lost-girls, thriller, les-arcs-de-triomphes
Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest
WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS has so many of my favorite tropes in it that it felt like this author had written this book with me in mind: Naomi was the survivor of a serial killer's attack, but it left her with facial scars. Now she's a wedding photographer living with a dude who doesn't really appreciate her beyond the value of her story. When she finds out that the serial killer died in prison and her two friends are struggling with a secret that they hid as children, she shoots back home to confront her friends, Cass and Liv, about the past and why it should stay hidden.
Childhood games-turned-dangerous, toxic romance, suspicious and potentially dangerous hot guys, small town dynamics, and big secrets-- these are just some of the tropes in this book. It started out great but then the pacing started to feel a little uneven. There were too many "gotcha" twists at the end, which kind of made the book feel like a really bumpy rollercoaster that didn't have any dramatic or shocking falls. I thought this might have been a debut but I checked the author's backlist and it is not, although it does seem like it might be her debut for adult readers (she's a YA/MG author), which would explain the fade-to-black sex scenes (booo) and the really naive/youthful voice of the narrator.
I liked this book and would read more from this author, but it doesn't have anything that really makes it stand out from other books in the genre. The ending was also more bittersweet than I would have liked. I wanted Naomi to have a kick-ass and smutty happily-ever-after. But maybe that's just the romance reader in me. Anyway, if you like sad girl mystery thrillers a la Gillian Flynn, you'll love this.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
3 to 3.5 stars
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Reading Progress
September 25, 2022
– Shelved
September 25, 2022
– Shelved as:
to-read
November 27, 2022
–
Started Reading
November 28, 2022
–
3.11%
"That was the problem with writers. They couldn't help digging the edge of a fingernail under your scabs so they could feel the shape of your wounds."
page
10
December 17, 2022
–
6.21%
"I feel so bad, I got an ARC of this and then got too busy to read it. BUT NOW I READ IT."
page
20
December 17, 2022
–
12.42%
"Stories where women return home to confront the dark secrets of their pasts are the best"
page
40
December 17, 2022
–
15.53%
"It's honestly so interesting how ENTITLED people feel to other people's trauma. It's like people demand details and force victims to disclose, as if they have to earn sympathy through the airing of their traumatic history and that, my friends, is gross."
page
50
December 23, 2022
–
42.55%
"He kissed me, his kiss as hungry as mine, and we tumbled toward oblivion."
page
137
December 23, 2022
–
48.45%
"Very rude of this author to make all the sexy scenes fade to black"
page
156
December 24, 2022
– Shelved as:
the-lost-girls
December 24, 2022
– Shelved as:
thriller
December 24, 2022
– Shelved as:
les-arcs-de-triomphes
December 24, 2022
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)
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message 1:
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TL
(new)
Oct 23, 2022 04:09AM
Nice 👌:)
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Justin wrote: "Looks like we are aligned on our thought regarding t how it ends... 🙂"
I just checked out your review and omg yes. Chaotic indeed. I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt a bit disoriented after all those reveals.
I just checked out your review and omg yes. Chaotic indeed. I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt a bit disoriented after all those reveals.
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ wrote: "TL wrote: "Nice 👌:)"
It was a fun read 😁"
Awesome 👌:)
It was a fun read 😁"
Awesome 👌:)