This is an intriguing book with a riveting storyline. It is intended for a teenage audience but its appeal is likely to go much wider than that. It handles the problems of teenager Magda with great insight and understanding. Her chance at a fresh start with the brilliant but unsophisticated Bo is handled very carefully. The book develops unexpectedly from a story of teenage angst to a full blown drug and murder mystery with an unexpected conclusion. This is a book that is different and that is appealing.

When I saw this book marketed for fans of You, Riverdale and We Were Liars, I knew I just had to read it. The synopsis sounded so interesting and unique plus it had that dark teen drama-esque vibe and I live for it! I tend to enjoy books which have a thriller / mystery plot but also delve into some deeper issues and in this regard, I feel like What She Found in the Woods definitely delivers.

The novel centres on Magda as she begins her summer at her grandparents idyllic home overlooking a beautiful forest. While her surroundings are certainly beautiful, the secrets Magda is hiding are weighing her down and causing her immense guilt. I feel like Josephine Angelini has written an interesting and controversial protagonist in Magda, as she has done some admittedly terrible things and due to this I never knew quite how I felt about her. I didn’t feel strongly about her but I was also not indifferent? I usually prefer to be more emotionally invested when I’m reading so this was a bit of a downer for me.

I enjoyed the thriller or mystery aspect of the novel as it’s two fold. There’s the first layer where readers are constantly teased about what secrets lie in Magdas past and what resulted in her breakdown, then a second layer which I enjoyed the most. Magdas history is slowly drawn out through flashbacks and excerpts which works well given her fragmented state of mind. The second mystery element in the book comes from a string of brutal murders of young women in the the woods. The local police and FBI have no idea of who the killer is but there’s a strange small town story floating about a man named Dr. Goodnight…

I also appreciate that Angelini has portrayed mental illness within the book and recognised the unjust stigma that comes alongs with it. Early on in the novel, we learn that Magda is on medication and was also admitted into hospital. Her parents are negligent and her grandparents while well meaning, don’t know how to deal with anything remotely ‘unpleasant’ so she is largely left to deal with her issues by herself. While I know this is definitely not every readers experience when it comes to mental health issues and many people are lucky to have a supportive network of family and friends, some may not. I appreciated that Angelini explores this a little and also explores the troubling ways which teens who suffer from mental illness are treated by their peers or even within facilities.

There were definitely some things I thought could have been improved, such as pacing at times and there was use of the gaslighting trope which I feel is so overdone now. I’m kind of tired of seeing it in every other thriller novel since The Girl on the Train you know? I also feel like some readers may find issue with the reason for Magda turning into a social pariah, there were a few moments which felt off to me and I wasn’t fully comfortable with as a person of colour reading them. While Magda and others were self aware of their positions of privilege, it still felt a bit weird to me. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but I wonder if other readers will also feel like this?

Overall, What She Found in the Woods was an interesting Teen thriller and addition to the Y/A genre as a whole and while it delivers on the thriller front for me, there were a few things I felt like could have been improved or reworked to make it even better. I feel like this will be a popular book on it’s release next month and I’m looking forward to seeing what other readers think!

The romance at the core of this readable thriller helps to keep the reader invested & the glamorous rich-kid setting has solid teen appeal but as a genre read it's fairly unremarkable.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

I really wanted to like this book. The blurb hooked me in immediately, giving me a Gossip Girl x PLL vibes but ultimately it didn't stand to the test. While Lena's tale is unpredictable it is also quite long-winded. The pacing of this book is off and could do with cutting out substantial fillers.

I didn't enjoy the voice of the narrator, it was a bit bland and even though drip-feeding was implemented, I don't think it had the effect the author wished for. I think what really did it for me is the lack of empathy and connection with the characters. The skeleton of the story is there but because you don't feel enough for Lena, it's not possible to get sucked into the narrative.

I will say, however, that I liked Lena's backstory and how complicated it was. I also enjoyed the "Dr. Goodnight" element of the book.

Into the woods you go, and out of the woods comes a tale of love and a gruesome serial killer. Lena’s story is one unpredictable tale, with a rollercoaster of questions and emotions. The power of her voice and unimaginable life, will champion you to urge her to flush the demons and succeed. A page turner. A brilliant read.