3.75 ⭐️

It was predictable and there were parts that could have been better written/edited but i loved the setting and the vibes as well as the characters so i'll definitely be seated for the next book

This book was originally independently published but I WAS and AM OBSESSED with this book and the characters. It has everything — dark academia, grumpy x grumpy, murder mystery & forced proximity! I could not put this book down and stayed up all night rereading it! The ending was so painful that I cannot wait for Spring/Summer 2026 for the next book!

Nightshade is a gripping, emotionally intense read that pulls you into a dark academia romance full of twists and turns, murder intrigue, underhanded dealings, and deadly rivalry. Autumn Woods' writing is immersive, emotive, and gothic in its descriptive style. She creates raw, multifaceted, layered characters who come to life with real emotional vulnerabilities, including grief, longing, anger, and fixation.

Ophelia is a complex jigsaw puzzle of brokenness, grief, and vengeance that is holding it together out of love for the parents she lost. She was terrified of letting others close out of fear of losing more of herself to her trauma. She wears an armour constructed of loneliness, resilience, and aloofness as she hunts for answers to her parents' mysterious deaths.

Alex Corbeau-Green is going to sweep a lot of readers off their feet and earn himself spots on book boyfriend lists across the globe. He's good-looking, broody, intelligent, and morally grey enough to curl your toes, with many sides to his personality. From struggling with his anger to being caring, sweet, and protective, with 'burn the world down' vibes for those he loves.

The romance between Alex and Ophelia is a slow-burn of messy chaos and deep connection as they collide in hate, obsession, and secrets. Watching them open up and drop their walls to become vulnerable with each other was sweet and poignant, building fragile bonds of trust in their darkest moments. Their banter was addictively delicious – cheeky, snarky, funny, and sizzling with tension in conversation and via text/email as it evolved throughout their relationship, walking the fine line between hate and love.

I did have a couple of niggles with a few plot details that might have benefited from a bit more research and geographical scrutiny during editing. There were geographical anomalies around the setting of Inverness that felt more like a council estate in London, and entry routes into higher education that would have been open to Ophelia even if she hadn't gotten the grades. I took the leap of faith to ignore these niggles and immerse myself in the story, enjoying it for what it was rather than letting the factual irritations detract from the rest of the book.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Autumn Woods for sending me a copy of the finished book. Final note: Nightshade contains a lot of darker-themed subject matter. As always, please check the trigger warnings for any books I review and ensure the book is suitable for you.

4.5 ✨️

Ahhh this was so good. Despite stalking being a trigger for me, I still had a good time with this. The characters, atmosphere and intrigue of what was going on kept me going. That cliffhanger though, ohhh boyy, I'm ready and waiting for book 2. *grabby hands*

I did initially predict wrong on the stalker but once we got further in the book, I changed my mind and did predict correctly. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

To be honest, I am confused about Nightshade.
Let me start with the cover—if I haven't read the synopsis, I would've thought that it's a fantasy story because the vibe of the cover for me is not matching the story that it holds.
I love the story about revenge, seeking answers but finding love instead in the face of the most inconvenient person possible.
Unfortunately, it fell flat for me because I had the feeling she went, 10000% blindly into her revenge without any idea what she was doing. Constantly stumbling and making strange decisions that made her caught immediately. Seems like everyone else except Alex figured out why she is there and what she is doing, and that made the revelation somewhat awkward and made you wonder how he didn't made the math 2+2 for so long.
With all the “teasing” from Alex calling her Twist, making jokes about her wardrobe and stuff, made it hard for me to believe he was attracted to her when he said things like “She is so beautiful”. On the other hand, the moments they learned significant stuff about each other were scarce and not enough to feel a bond forming between them.
The mysterious side of things was like going in circles and every time it ended by the lake, and somehow she kept going there to swim regardless of the danger to her life AND the fact she knew she had a dangerous stalker.
The ending was the small spark that piqued my interest, and I am willing to give the next book a chance to see what will happen.

I have to say that the marketing, the description and the promo-illustrations the author posted on social media were *very* convincing and so here I am.

I’m not big on anything dark academia, we just don’t click with each other for some reason, but this one worked well for me.
The author did a great job on the atmosphere, vibe and general mood of the book. The way Ophelia describes Sorrowsong reminds me very much of the first Twilight movie with its blue filter. All grey and rainy and cold.

I looooooved the banter between the main characters, Ophelia and Alex! The dialogues and conversation via text and mail were so, so good and funny.
Alex has several sisters and his relationship and the interactions with them were probably one of my favourite moments in the whole book.

My biggest gripe with “Nightshade” is probably the pacing. It was inconsistent and all over the place. The same can be said for some of the descriptions of scenes and situations. Sometimes it just felt a bit chaotic.
One of Ophelia's biggest character traits is her loneliness and the fact that she can’t and won’t trust anyone. Yet here she is, telling a complete stranger her real reason why she is attending Sorrowsong in the first place. Not to mention the chances that this person is dangerous, but I guess that can’t be avoided in a place like Sorrowsong.

Besides Ophelia & Alex’s relationship, the mystery and stalker aspect was the main focus of the book, which I really enjoyed, especially with the moody setting & atmosphere, and I’m excited to see how this will be carried out in the next and final book!

Arc review
This book had me hooked from the very first moment and really didn't let me down at all. If I were to say anything negative, it would be that the banter of the characters and the spice discussions get you too excited, but when the time for the spicy scene comes while it starts out explicit, somehow slowly fades behind closed doors. The mystery in our story, (what exactly happened to our FMC's parents), is somewhat obvious as you progress through the book as the author doesn't just throw you crumbs but hands you whole pieces of bread 😅 . This is my first time reading a mystery with the FMC who has a somewhat hidden identity, telling several characters her true identity at the first opportunity and trusting people so easily 😅
The atmosphere of the book was fantastic and while both characters were moody and "grey" each for their own reasons, when they were together it was as if the whole book was filled with colors and you felt it to your bones.
I love them so much !!
They have both been through so much and the end of the book breaks your heart. i can't wait for the second one 😍💔


Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read in advance this book in exchange for my honest opinion!!

Ok, so I will admit, I read this on the plane and right now my attention span is seriously limited! What can I say, I was hooked from the first introduction to the 2 main characters, and where do I find an Alex???

From the start the world building was spot on, juxtaposing the beauty and creepiness of the university and all the dark memories that Ophelia has linked with Sorrowsong.

The plot was so there, twists and turns, I couldn’t guess, I just slipped into enjoying the banter and tension between Alex and Ophelia!

Autumn Woods has crafted a story that delivers mystery, all the gothic world vibes, magic and slow burn entwined with humanity and grief in all its raw state!

I really did enjoy this and was shocked by how quickly I flew though it!

Thank you so much Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It was interesting and at times witty. I liked the chemistry between the main characters, especially how the mmc teased the fmc. Some people compared it to Gothikana, but in my opinion, they’re not really comparable. The book gives off Wednesday series vibes.

This book was so good! Funny, intelligent, suspenseful, dreadful and romantic at the same time. I literally finished it at 3 am because I couldn’t put it down.

The banter, the yearning and the mystery were top notch. It’s been a while a book made me giggle like a teenager and cry so hard at the same time.

Alex was the perfect MMC, grumpy but would burn everything down for her type, and Ophelia a strong, intelligent FMC who’s learning to let people in.
I loved their chemistry, their story and the ending left me a total mess, I don’t know if I can survive until book 2 comes around?

Thank you so so much to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for this arc!!!

I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. This book has CRACK in I swear. I was hook line and sinker on every page. To begin with I was taking my time, trying to make it last as long as possible but then by the mid way point I just inhaled the whole book. I have never been bothered by academia before but this book has turned me.

The way the setting is described was brilliant and I truly believed I was there at sorrowsong. The beauty of the university juxtaposed the waryness and creepiness.

Straight away we are introduced to our two main characters and I have to say I fell in love with them both. Alex - ALEX??? Why are you fictional??? why??

The tension was incredible and I couldn’t contain my excitement when things started getting cheeky. The banter and connection between Ophelia and Alex is delicious and I need more WANT MORE.

The plot? Glorious. I was guessing every page at what was going to happen and couldn’t keep it together when things started going crazy.

I truly believed that they hated each other but their connection and love and pure sexual tension was there as well and I FUCKING LOVED IT -

Special shout out the Autumn woods for mentioning club penguin secret missions. If you know you know

Can’t wait for others to read and I’m already gagging for book 2 - this book should be tv series I swear - can I play Ophelia?

Nightshade - ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a solid read! I knew where it was headed but I enjoyed it anyway. I loved Alex’s character so much! The way he looks after his sisters and is basically a father figure for them was adorable! He has so much to deal with taking care of his family, whilst also going through therapy himself, and yet he still found the time for Ophelia. He was so sweet and patient with her.

The FMC Ophelia is so resilient despite what she’s been through with losing her parents at a young age. Her loneliness broke my heart, that Christmas scene was so sad but adorable at the same time 🥹

I really wanted this book to be longer so we could get more from the side characters. I’m still undecided on how I feel about the cliffhanger ending, but I’m looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to @panmacmillan @netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

I picked this up for the dark academia aesthetic and stayed for the rich emotional undercurrents, the layered characters, and the eerie, atmospheric world of Sorrowsong University.

Autumn Woods crafts a story that’s both intimate and mysterious. The setting is gorgeously gothic—foggy grounds, forgotten corners of campus, whispered secrets echoing through ancient hallways. But what stood out to me most was how personal the story felt. Beneath the magical elements and slow-burning intrigue is a core of real human vulnerability: grief, longing, identity, and the fragile ties we build with others when we feel most alone.

The characters feel lived-in, especially the protagonist, who I found refreshingly introspective and relatable. Her internal struggles never felt forced; instead, they quietly shaped the way she moved through the world, and through the increasingly strange events at Sorrowsong. There’s a slow unraveling of both self and plot, and while the pacing dipped in the middle, the payoff was worth it. The final chapters gripped me, and I was left with that delicious ache only good books manage to evoke.

There were moments where I wished for just a bit more world-building clarity or emotional intensity, which is why this wasn’t quite a 5-star for me—but it’s still a book I’ll remember. And one I’ll recommend to readers who crave character-driven fantasy with a melancholic edge and a touch of the uncanny.

I’ll definitely be continuing with the series. Nightshade may be the first, but Sorrowsong’s story is far from over—and I’m so ready to return.

⭒ Rating: 5
🌶️ rating: 0.5/ 3

It's been like 3 months since I've read this book, and I think about it so often!! I'm dying to have a date for book 2 so I can plan a reread. But oh my god, this was my first time reading Autumn Woods (I need to go and read her debut asap), and I was so pleasantly surprised with her writing. It was incredible! The descriptions, the mystery, the tension. It was all chef's kiss.

These two had me DYING. The dislike to love, the evolution of their 'friendship,' and watching them fall in love. So cute. Alex is absolutely everything. He turns out to be so sweet, and gosh, I love the way he is with siblings. He is such a good brother.

My heart hurt so much for these two, because both their family situations sucked, although in very different ways. Ophelia is such a strong and resilient girl. I loved her so much. She went through so much in the past and the events in this book. What an emotional and dangerous rollercoaster for her.

I loved the setting of this book. A gothic college, basically in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in Scotland. But the way Autumn described the college and all the places it had, it was so vivid, I could see it so clearly, and I wanted to go back to college just so I could attend there, haha. I loved getting to know all the nooks and crannies.

I really enjoyed getting to know all the side characters. What an interesting bunch! Alexx's friends have me quite curious, and I honestly cannot wait to get more of everyone and see if they all have a part to play in what is still to be uncovered about this college.

Nightshade really was a surprising book for me, because I had no idea I was gonna love it so much. But I have literally been dying for news ever since I reached the ending of this book. I need more of everything!


𝜗𝜚 Tropes: dislike to love, romantic suspense, dark academia, found family, mystery

I don’t think I can put into words just how much I loved this book, and just how entirely it has consumed me and my every waking thought. Am I being dramatic? Maybe a little bit, but this is genuinely one of my top 3 books of the year without a shadow of a doubt 🖤

I went into this one mostly blind, only really seeing everything that the author was posting on social media to promote the book, which was almost entirely character art (which was insanely adorable and sold me on needing to get a copy) and little teasers from within the book.
I knew from all of the things that I was seeing that this was going to be an amazing book full of loads of tropes that I really enjoy and love including;
🖤 forced proximity
🖤 boarding school / university vibes
🖤 found family
🖤 revenge
🖤 he falls first and hard
🖤 obsessive mmc
🖤 guarded and strong fmc
🖤 murder mystery
🖤 Stalkers
🖤 Classical literature references

Everything about this was insane in the best way possible, and I binge read the majority of it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down and just had to know what was going to happen next.
The entire book was a whirlwind of plot twists, character arcs and watching each of these characters try to make the most of their chaotic and traumatising lives, as well as a seriously sweet and slow burn romance between the two main characters Ophelia and Alex.

I thought that the major plot of having Ophelia go to Sorrowsong University to try and learn more about her parents deaths (that happened on campus grounds) was really interesting, and I thought that it would give a darker, more mysterious edge to what would otherwise be a standard school romance, and IT WAS SO GOOD!
It was so much fun and so intense to be following Ophelia along on this journey of trying to find as much dirt on those that run the university, and helped cover up her parents deaths that it literally had me on the edge of my seat. There were so many times where I genuinely had no idea what was happening, was so confused as to who the murderer and stalker could have been, that when everything was revealed at the end I was BLOWN AWAY.

The romance in this one was super slow to progress, but in the best way possible. It meant that when things finally started to fall into place between Alex and Ophelia, that it was so sweet and touching and so much more meaningful than if they had of just fallen together in the first chapter.
Seeing both of them kind of work through their troubles together, and move post their differences was the best thing ever. More than this was how touching it was to watch them both become so vulnerable with the other, and confide in them all of the harsh and traumatising things that they had gone through in the past, and coincidentally also together.

I was also not at all emotionally prepared for the ending to come along as quickly as it did, or for it to leave me on one of the most devastating cliffhangers I have ever read. EVER.
I was so shocked and kinda heartbroken and scared about how things were going to play out, and I was FURIOUS with Alex but at the same time so freaking upset for him and devastated that he had been put in the position that he was. if there was a moment in this book that nearly had me crying, it was without a doubt the last chapter.
Just when everything finally seems like it is going to settle down, they’ve found out who the stalker is, admitted their feelings to each other and really opened up emotionally in their relationship and aired out almost all of their secrets to each other, BAM, the most devastating piece of information comes to light that literally destroys all of the progress that Alex and Ophelia had made with each other 😭
The final scene had me freaking out about what was going to happen between the two of them, and also had me panicking because NONE OF IT WAS MEANT TO HAPPEN!! it was all a huge miscommunication between Alex and Ophelia, and a final sabotage that the stalker was able to get in before they were caught.

I don’t want to give too much away because I think people will benefit from just going into this blind, not reading too many reviews, and just taking this book at face value because that is how good it is! If there’s anything within the blurb that catches your attention I urge you to read it because you will without a doubt really enjoy every single second of it 🥹

(please do check the trigger warnings for this book though as it does cover a lot of hard and triggering topics including; murder, sexual content, bereavement, declining health/mental health of a parent, anxiety, drowning, mentions of depression and suicidal thoughts)

I’m usually not the biggest fan of dark academia but this was a really fun read!

Ophelia Winters is attending the gothic and mysterious Sorrowsong University to uncover the truth behind her parents death. While arriving at the university she meets Alex Corbeau-Green - the son of the man responsible for her parents deaths. Cue: dark academia, mystery, enemies to lovers CHAOS.

There is A LOT going on in this book, and while I refer to it as “dark academia” it’s definitely more of a “Wednesday / Nevermore Academy” vibe than something like The Atlas Six.
It is somewhat predictable but in a fun way, and the last 30% had me gripped. There’s tension, a lot of twists and turns and some emotional heartache thrown in for good measure.

I will definitely be picking up the next book!

I need book two immediately! Nightshade is an emotionally intense, university-set novel where every character's pain and pleasure feels deeply real.

The gripping storyline pulls you in, packed with intricate character dynamics that keep you hooked from start to finish. Every interaction, every revelation, adds layers to the storyline.

Expect an overly protective, morally grey MMC who will do anything to shield what’s his, and an FMC relentless in her pursuit of the truth about her parents’ fate. Their journey is filled with tension, secrets, and undeniable chemistry.

If you loved The After Series, prepare to be completely consumed by this book.

I devoured this book. It consumed me in the best possible way—I’m fully obsessed.

The story starts with Ophelia, whose parents were murdered under mysterious circumstances. She enrolls at the university they once worked at—Sorrowsong—determined to uncover the truth behind their deaths. But things get complicated when she discovers that the son of the man she suspects attends the same school.

Ophelia and Alex are two broken hearts, both carrying more than they should have to.
Ophelia’s lost in grief.
Alex is trying to take control of his father’s corrupt company, while also looking after his sick mother and raising six younger sisters.
Somehow, they find each other—and start exchanging secret messages through crossword puzzles. I loved this detail so much.

This is exactly how you write a dark academia romance. The atmosphere? Perfect. The characters? Deep and messy and real. The plot? Full of mystery, emotion, and twists I didn’t see coming. And that cliffhanger? Brutal—in the best way.

Thank you NetGalley, Pan MacMillan and Autumn Woods for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 ⭐

I'd like to thank Pan Macmillan for the e-ARC of Nightshade. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow, wow, wow. I had forgotten how much I love dark academia. Paired with romantic suspense, I couldn't put this down. The tension and murder mystery were so well done, and my heart absolutely broke for Ophelia. It broke repeatedly— from the loss of her parents to the burdens she had to carry. She's such a complex and reserved individual, and understandably so, given all she’s been through. I just wanted to give her the biggest hug.

Alex is equally multifaceted, dealing with his own challenges: caring for a sick mother, raising six sisters, and living with a toxic, mostly absent father. I was really rooting for both of them, individually and together. Alex’s obsession with Ophelia was intense, though it took me a while to catch on to his feelings. I was glad we got his POV, because I’m not sure I would have picked up on it otherwise.

I really liked the plot and the characters, and it kept me engaged right until the last page. That said, some parts felt a bit choppy, particularly in how certain relationships developed, which felt rushed. The cliffhanger especially could have used a bit more build-up. Despite that, I had a great time with this book, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next instalment, especially finding out who’s been stalking Ophelia and who leaked the articles and so much more.

If I could slap a 6-star rating on this book, I absolutely would.✨

The writing? A solid 10/10—emotional, vivid, and totally immersive. From page one, I was hooked and instantly obsessed with Ophelia and Alex. Watching the friendships and romance unfold felt like pure magic.

I’m usually not a slow burn fan, but Alex and Ophelia? WORTH. THE. WAIT.
Ophelia's sarcasm, strength, and grumpy brilliance? Iconic. And Alex? That brainy, broody, grumpy man had me screaming when he first uttered “baby.”

I ordered a signed copy the moment I finished and I'm already ready to reread. Book 2, hurry up already!