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JanB's Reviews > What Lies in the Woods
What Lies in the Woods
by
by
JanB's review
bookshelves: 2023-reads, audiobook, buddy-read-with-marialyce, mystery-thriller
Feb 17, 2023
bookshelves: 2023-reads, audiobook, buddy-read-with-marialyce, mystery-thriller
This is the author's first adult novel and it still reads very YA. This will be a positive for fans of the genre, but I struggled.
Three eleven-year-old girls spend all their time together in the woods playing and exploring. The fun ended when one of the girls survived a brutal stabbing. A serial killer was convicted of the crime, but now there is a question if the wrong man was put behind bars due to false testimony from the girls.
A lot of time is spent exploring the girls' lives when they were young, and the imaginary world where they played the "Goddess" game. This is where my eyes glazed over. As adults in the current timeline there is a lot of angsty drama and the girls doing stupid things.
YA is not my genre. Other reviewers have loved it so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
* This was a buddy read with Marialyce and neither of us was a fan.
* I received a digital copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Three eleven-year-old girls spend all their time together in the woods playing and exploring. The fun ended when one of the girls survived a brutal stabbing. A serial killer was convicted of the crime, but now there is a question if the wrong man was put behind bars due to false testimony from the girls.
A lot of time is spent exploring the girls' lives when they were young, and the imaginary world where they played the "Goddess" game. This is where my eyes glazed over. As adults in the current timeline there is a lot of angsty drama and the girls doing stupid things.
YA is not my genre. Other reviewers have loved it so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
* This was a buddy read with Marialyce and neither of us was a fan.
* I received a digital copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
February 17, 2023
– Shelved
February 17, 2023
– Shelved as:
2023-reads
February 17, 2023
– Shelved as:
audiobook
February 17, 2023
– Shelved as:
buddy-read-with-marialyce
February 17, 2023
– Shelved as:
mystery-thriller
February 17, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 51-93 of 93 (93 new)
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Lisa wrote: "I find it funny how we keep reading the same books! I was about to check it out and then I saw you read it. Ugh YA. I pass!"haha...serendipity! Happy I helped!
Honest review Jan. It's rare for me to get into YA. I hear you :)
Great honest review, Jan. I warned you that this book should have been categorized as a YA book. UGH! I hope that your next book earns 5 stars.
Annette wrote: "Honest review Jan. It's rare for me to get into YA. I hear you :)"It's definitely for a niche audience. Thanks Annette!
Jayne wrote: "Great honest review, Jan. I warned you that this book should have been categorized as a YA book. UGH! I hope that your next book earns 5 stars."You did! I probably wouldn't have tried it if it wasn't;t on my NG shelf.
I admire the author for trying to branch into adult fiction but it needs work.
Thanks Jayne!
I am so sorry that this one was lacking for you Jan! I do like YA, but always feel disappointed when an adult book feels YA, it just isn't up to expectations! Thank you for your wonderful and honest review! 🧡
Terrific review, Jan! YA is hit or miss for me, so I don’t think this would work for me either.
I'm not a fan of YA and given your rating, this is an easy pass
I agree, it felt very YA to me too even though the characters are adults through half of it. They certainly didn't really act like adults.
Ellie wrote: "I am so sorry that this one was lacking for you Jan! I do like YA, but always feel disappointed when an adult book feels YA, it just isn't up to expectations! Thank you for your wonderful and hones..."Thanks Ellie, you may like this more than I did. Good point that if you pick up a book labeled as YA you know what to expect but when it's labeled as adult expectations are different.
Jasmine wrote: "Terrific review, Jan! YA is hit or miss for me, so I don’t think this would work for me either."I can do YA if it doesn't involve fantasy, angst, drama, or "teen speak" (yes I'm picky chick, lol)
Thanks Jasmine!
Jen CAN wrote: "I'm not a fan of YA and given your rating, this is an easy pass"Happy have helped Jen! ;)
Melissa (Away for a few days wine tasting) wrote: "I agree, it felt very YA to me too even though the characters are adults through half of it. They certainly didn't really act like adults."Exactly! I can forgive kids behaving like kids, but not adults (...eye rolls...)
We agree on this one. Thanks Melissa!
Book club picked it.. Im bummed it reads YA.
Thanks for the heads up about it reading YA, Jan. I'll remember that for when I read it so that I'm not surprised and irritated by it. :)
Mary Beth wrote: "Fantastic review! 🥰"Thanks Mary Beth!
Lisa wrote: "Book club picked it.. Im bummed it reads YA."Ack...sorry! I hope you have better luck with it than I did!
Melissa wrote: "Thanks for the heads up about it reading YA, Jan. I'll remember that for when I read it so that I'm not surprised and irritated by it. :)"haha...expectations are everything, right? Good luck Melissa!
Jackie wrote: "With ya here."yep...great review Jackie. Too bad this thriller wasn't very thrilling :(
Felt the same way as you. The plot itself was too juvenile for me and I'm getting tired of the whole podcast character.
I enjoyed your candid review, Jan. I’m not a fan of YA and lately good mysteries haven’t been easy to find.
If you go down to the woods today...don't bring this with you !
Fantastic review, Jan!
Allison wrote: "Felt the same way as you. The plot itself was too juvenile for me and I'm getting tired of the whole podcast character."always good to know I'm not alone! Let's hope our next reads are 5 stars! Thanks Allison.
Carol wrote: "I enjoyed your candid review, Jan. I’m not a fan of YA and lately good mysteries haven’t been easy to find."Thanks Carol, I completely agree! It's been a tough genre lately
Jaidee wrote: "If you go down to the woods today...don't bring this with you !"Not unless you want to fall asleep in the woods 😉
Bec (becbingesbooks) wrote: "Fantastic review, Jan!"Thanks Bec!
I gave the same rating and couldn't agree more with your review!
Madison wrote: "I gave the same rating and couldn't agree more with your review!"Good to know I'm not alone. Thanks Madison for reading my review and commenting. Let's hope our next book is a better one!
I couldn't agree with you more it is more of a young adult. I did enjoy it a lot more though. Awesome review!
L.A. wrote: "I couldn't agree with you more it is more of a young adult. I did enjoy it a lot more though. Awesome review!"Thanks L.A.! I think the enjoyment definitely depends on a reader's love of YA. I'm glad you enjoyed!
I'm with you on the subject of YA literature, Jan. The genre wouldn't have been for me even when I was a young adult! ; )
Sorry this was disappointing! As always thx for the honest review!
Totally agree. I was not a fan of this one either.
Kevin wrote: "I'm with you on the subject of YA literature, Jan. The genre wouldn't have been for me even when I was a young adult! ; )"Excellent point Kevin, lol...me either!
Lori Elliott (catching up) wrote: "Sorry this was disappointing! As always thx for the honest review!"Thanks Lori, I appreciate that.
Staci wrote: "Totally agree. I was not a fan of this one either."You said it perfectly! Thanks Staci.
Great review, Jan. I enjoyed this one more than you but agree with your YA assessment. Karissa Vacker boosted my rating. 😄
Taina wrote: "Great review, Jan. I enjoyed this one more than you but agree with your YA assessment. Karissa Vacker boosted my rating. 😄"I'm glad you enjoyed Taina, a good narrator can make all the difference. But YA will never be my thing.
Fantastic review, Jan❤️ You have piqued my interest. I do tend to love some (very limited) YA, so I think I will add....
Thanks Dorie!