Vanessa Savage

Two girls went down to the woods...But only one came back. There's a lot from Tess's childhood that she would rather forget. The family who moved next door and brought chaos to their quiet lives. The two girls who were murdered, their killer never found. But the only thing she can't remember is the one thing she wishes she could. Ten years ago, Tess's older sister died. Ruled a tragic accident, the only witness was Tess herself, but she has never been able to remember what happened that night in the woods. Now living in London, Tess has resolved to put the trauma behind her. But an emergency call from her father forces her back to the family home, back to where her sister's body was found, and to the memories she thought were lost forever...

The Woods

Lacey Feigl

Tess has never recovered from her sister dying when they were in their teens. But when Tess gets a call from her father telling her that their stepmother has been brought home to die peacefully, Tess must face what she’s been avoiding for ten years… the woods behind their house where her sister died and the buried memories of that night.

The Woods is 370 pages long and took me two days to read.

I’m giving this a 3 out of 5. I was so invested in this story and was disappointed with what felt like an abrupt ending. I wish it would have been just a little longer and that certain aspects of the book were different. I won’t get into those aspects because I don’t want to spoil the book but overall liked it.

Thank you, Grand Central Publishing, for sending me this copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

Heather Harrington

**I received a copy of this via the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Ten years ago, Tess Cooper experienced an incident so traumatic that to this day she still doesn't remember exactly what happened. All she knows for sure is that she and her sister went into the woods one summer night, but only she made it out alive. She left her small village soon after with no intention of ever returning. However, when her father calls to let her know her stepmother is dying and only has a short time left, she has no choice but to face the broken memories. 

Once Tess is home and reunited with the group of people she hasn't seen in years, she starts remembering fragments of what happened that fateful summer. She remembers the family who moved in next door and all the chaos that brought to her quiet life; she remembers the village was in a craze after a few local girls turned up murdered; she remembers how distant and closed off her sister became as the summer progressed. But Tess starts to wonder if the stress of her stepmother dying, losing her job, and finally being back in this dreadful place could be clouding her memory. Especially when she starts remembering pieces that prove her sister's death might not have been an accident as it was reported.

Much like the actual woods, this was twisty, dark, and branched off in all directions. There was an undercurrent of tension and paranoia throughout that kept you on edge the entire time. Tess is suffering from memory blocks that stop her from remembering certain things from her time as a teen which makes her a pretty unreliable narrator. But then bits and pieces start coming back to her, and those around her start twisting her memories and words in ways that make it seem like she's the suspect, so you really have no clue who to trust. Savage has such a way of immersing you in this story that you feel every anxiety that Tess feels. Every emotion she goes through, and she goes through a lot, hits you right in the face. I thought the mystery played out well, and while I did figure out a small part, the whole of it took me by surprise which is what you always want in these types of stories. If you're looking for a gripping psychological thriller to sink your teeth into, definitely check this out.

The Woods

Reviews