The Woods Are Always Watching
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- Create Date：2021-08-31 08:51:22
- Update Date：2025-09-14
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- Author：Stephanie Perkins
- ISBN：1509860320
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Summary
New from bestselling author Stephanie Perkins， and the perfect companion to her New York Times bestseller There's Someone Inside Your House， soon to be a Netflix feature。
Bears aren't the only predators in these woods。
Best friends Neena and Josie spent high school as outsiders， but at least they had each other。 Now， with college and a two-thousand-mile separation looming on the horizon， they have one last chance to be together—a three-day hike deep into the woods of the Pisgah National Forest。
Simmering tensions lead to a detour off the trail and straight into a waking nightmare … and then into something far worse。 Something that will test them in horrifying ways。
Stephanie Perkins， the bestselling author of There's Someone Inside Your House， returns with a heart-stopping， gut-wrenching novel about friendship， survival， and navigating unmarked paths even as evil watches from the shadows。
Bears aren't the only predators in these woods。
Best friends Neena and Josie spent high school as outsiders， but at least they had each other。 Now， with college and a two-thousand-mile separation looming on the horizon， they have one last chance to be together—a three-day hike deep into the woods of the Pisgah National Forest。
Simmering tensions lead to a detour off the trail and straight into a waking nightmare … and then into something far worse。 Something that will test them in horrifying ways。
Stephanie Perkins， the bestselling author of There's Someone Inside Your House， returns with a heart-stopping， gut-wrenching novel about friendship， survival， and navigating unmarked paths even as evil watches from the shadows。
Reviews
TheWomanCalledSun
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I wanted to love this book so so much。 Sadly， I did not。 I very much expected a creepy otherworldly haunting thriller but this book did not deliver that。 The 'thriller' & 'horror' was very centered in real life but the book felt like it was meant to be in this out of this world erie setting with an equally out of this world terrifying 'horror'/'villian'。 The author is obviously very talented because she built the suspense and atmosphere i expected the book to give。 However， the book let me down I wanted to love this book so so much。 Sadly， I did not。 I very much expected a creepy otherworldly haunting thriller but this book did not deliver that。 The 'thriller' & 'horror' was very centered in real life but the book felt like it was meant to be in this out of this world erie setting with an equally out of this world terrifying 'horror'/'villian'。 The author is obviously very talented because she built the suspense and atmosphere i expected the book to give。 However， the book let me down with the actual horror it presented。 The set up was phenomenal the actual climax sadly， was not。 。。。more
Noelle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Neena and Josie are best friends who are about to go their separate ways， Neena is moving across the US to go to some fancy college， while Josie is staying close to home to go to a local college。 They want to have one last hoorah before they part ways so they decide to go on a backpacking trip in the Appalachian mountains。 Neither girl has any experience backpacking and it's clear from the beginning that this trip isn't going to go down smoothly。 The girls start bickering and halfway through the Neena and Josie are best friends who are about to go their separate ways， Neena is moving across the US to go to some fancy college， while Josie is staying close to home to go to a local college。 They want to have one last hoorah before they part ways so they decide to go on a backpacking trip in the Appalachian mountains。 Neither girl has any experience backpacking and it's clear from the beginning that this trip isn't going to go down smoothly。 The girls start bickering and halfway through the trip Josie has a terrible accident and Neena has to leave her to go for help。 But someone is watching them and soon it becomes evident that they want to do the girls harm。This book had a lot of potential but it fell flat in a few areas for me。。 The good: Spooky cover， very creepy thriller after about 50% and I flew through the last half of the book。The not so good: The juvenile bickering that is the first half of the book was not for me。 I feel like it was there to create tension but it was just annoying。 Also， Josie's injuries are pretty severe and the fact that she is able to overcome them to escape is pretty unbelievable。。 she should have been dead or at the very least un-able to escape。 There is just no way she could have overtaken a full grown man with her foot dangling and her hand missing。 And the big bummer for me was that there was no epilogue so we don't get to see how the girls recover from their ordeal or if the other victims are found or if the serial killers bodies are found。 I like to know these things and the book just ends as they are walking out of the woods together。 Note: I would check the content warnings on this one because there was a lot of gore and mentions of sexual assault， murder， and more that I'm just not thinking of。 Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the E- ARC 。。。more
Tatyana （The Literature Llama）
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TW: Mention of rape， sexual assault， tragic accidents， gore， broken bones。 This is a short spooky read coming out just in time for Fall。 I found both Josie and Neena to be different and relatable in their own right， but also instantly clique， in a good way。 This felt like a very harrowing tale from the get go and given the title， I think it was safe to assume， it wasn’t going to end well。 I love a good hiking through the woods thriller because there is always the element of not being able to cal TW: Mention of rape， sexual assault， tragic accidents， gore， broken bones。 This is a short spooky read coming out just in time for Fall。 I found both Josie and Neena to be different and relatable in their own right， but also instantly clique， in a good way。 This felt like a very harrowing tale from the get go and given the title， I think it was safe to assume， it wasn’t going to end well。 I love a good hiking through the woods thriller because there is always the element of not being able to call for help， find your way， or run into other predators。 I think there were some seriously graphic descriptions that left me wanting to gag every so slightly， but overall， it was a very jarring tale of friendship， survival， tragic backstories， and finding your inner strength。 This would make a great movie， because it fits so well into the thriller outline of predictable， but also surprising and tons of suspense。 Thanks Penguin Teen for gifting me this copy， my opinions are my own。 。。。more
Lovely Loveday
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The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins is a captivating mystery thriller that is sure to send chills up your spine and keep you on the edge of your seat。 A well-written story that pulls you in and holds your attention until the very end。 The Woods Are Always Watching is a story that is sure to stay with you long after reading。
Kimmy
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3。5 stars
kath
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always here for stephanie perkins books！！！！
Hayley
，
This was such a short wallop of a novel。I would happily have read another 100 pages about these 2 awesome young women。
Emma （book。jargon）
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Best Friends Neena and Josie are slowly starting to fall apart as college looms closer and closer- the very thing that will separate them。 But， the girls plan a backpacking trip in the woods for three days， hoping that the inexperienced journey will bring the two of them closer before they must part。 But as the weather gets hotter， tensions rise with it and the girls start to realize that not all is as it seems。I’m gonna be honest; this was an interesting book， but incredibly unbelievable。 The g Best Friends Neena and Josie are slowly starting to fall apart as college looms closer and closer- the very thing that will separate them。 But， the girls plan a backpacking trip in the woods for three days， hoping that the inexperienced journey will bring the two of them closer before they must part。 But as the weather gets hotter， tensions rise with it and the girls start to realize that not all is as it seems。I’m gonna be honest; this was an interesting book， but incredibly unbelievable。 The girls were ditzy and clueless- a fact that was often focused on in a strange way。 Events would transpire that made no sense and weren’t fit into the story very well。 Things would go down and suddenly you’re learning random useless facts about the girls’ personal agenda compared to what’s actually happening in the story。Yet， despite all of that I still got sucked into the story and read it incredibly fast。The writing wasn’t the best， but the story was still interesting。 With something new always happening。It wasn’t believable， but it was still fun and frightening with great aspects of foreshadowing！If you like gruesome （and I mean GRUESOME） thrillers that suck you in- then you’ll enjoy this one！TWs: {potential spoilers} （Basically don’t read this if you can’t handle watching an episode of Bones）- amputation- murder- blood- gore - smells- deaths- mentions of r*pe- all the gruesomeness you can think of 。。。more
a
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these two girls are so incredibly stupid， it actually made me sick。 they were fighting and screaming at each other， resentment was pouring out of them。the fights were what filled half of this book。 then things were going down， and while， yes， it was creepy， it was also silly。 nothing felt believable。 I mean even the fact that inexperienced girls decide to go hiking and camping in a national forest without an experienced person… or other situations that I won’t name due to spoilers。the ending？ in these two girls are so incredibly stupid， it actually made me sick。 they were fighting and screaming at each other， resentment was pouring out of them。the fights were what filled half of this book。 then things were going down， and while， yes， it was creepy， it was also silly。 nothing felt believable。 I mean even the fact that inexperienced girls decide to go hiking and camping in a national forest without an experienced person… or other situations that I won’t name due to spoilers。the ending？ incredibly unsatisfying。 this whole book？ infuriating。 I didn’t think it could be worse than the first horror novel perkins wrote， but， alas， it was。 I hope I forget this book’s existence。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Thanks to BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for a gifted copy for honest review。Don't let this being categorized as YA fool you， I'm a full-grown adult and this book TERRIFIED me。 I'm also a self-proclaimed "indoorsy" type， and this story didn't make me want to change that anytime soon。 The story starts out relatively mildly- two girls head out for a short backpacking trip before the start of college， and at first it seems like the biggest issues are going to be the way the wilderness tests their fr Thanks to BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for a gifted copy for honest review。Don't let this being categorized as YA fool you， I'm a full-grown adult and this book TERRIFIED me。 I'm also a self-proclaimed "indoorsy" type， and this story didn't make me want to change that anytime soon。 The story starts out relatively mildly- two girls head out for a short backpacking trip before the start of college， and at first it seems like the biggest issues are going to be the way the wilderness tests their friendship。 The seams are already coming apart when the real problems begin。 Underneath the horror are good things to say about friendship and trust and the dangers out there in the world。 The book is relatively short， but honestly I was grateful for that because these characters did not need to be put through more than they already did in this story。 Stephanie Perkins has been an author I've consistently enjoyed， and this is definitely at her best。 。。。more
Suzanne
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Although the title - The Woods Are Always Watching - foreshadows the horrors that await in this well-written YA novel， I was still surprised by the gruesome events that unfolded。 As best friends Josie and Neena set out on a three-day adventure hike in remote Appalachia to assert their independence together before parting ways for college， I was utterly annoyed by their naïveté and their families for allowing them to go alone。 It’s obvious that something dreadful will happen， and this novel did n Although the title - The Woods Are Always Watching - foreshadows the horrors that await in this well-written YA novel， I was still surprised by the gruesome events that unfolded。 As best friends Josie and Neena set out on a three-day adventure hike in remote Appalachia to assert their independence together before parting ways for college， I was utterly annoyed by their naïveté and their families for allowing them to go alone。 It’s obvious that something dreadful will happen， and this novel did not disappoint。 If you’re a fan of teen horror movies you’ll enjoy this book。 The straight A， virginal heroines are stronger than they ever thought they could be。 And will likely be in therapy for a very long time！ The plot and characters were well developed。 My anxiety was through the roof， but I couldn’t set the book down。Thanks to Penguin Teen and Bookish First for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Elyse
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Won Hardcover ARC from BookishFirst。com！I was so surprised that this book was only 221 pages。 How can you write a thrilling book in only 221 pages， Ms。 Perkins？！ Well， she did。 She did it。 I was thrilled。 I was scared。 I couldn't put it down and then it was over！ I read it in about 2 hours and then was sad because it was over so soon。 Though I do feel like it came to a natural conclusion and there wasn't *much* more to be said。 Except Josie。 I really really wanted to catch up on Josie in the day Won Hardcover ARC from BookishFirst。com！I was so surprised that this book was only 221 pages。 How can you write a thrilling book in only 221 pages， Ms。 Perkins？！ Well， she did。 She did it。 I was thrilled。 I was scared。 I couldn't put it down and then it was over！ I read it in about 2 hours and then was sad because it was over so soon。 Though I do feel like it came to a natural conclusion and there wasn't *much* more to be said。 Except Josie。 I really really wanted to catch up on Josie in the days， weeks， months， and even years after the events in this book。 Because。 Because！ Because of what happened that I can't say！ No spoilers！ But damn， I want to know about Josie！ I could've used another 100 pages on the aftermath。 Even though I am satisfied with the ending。 The cover and title are super creepy and lend such a good， scary air to the book。 Well done！ Short can be good too！ Though the Deliverance vibe is a bit stereotypical and will probably upset people that live in that Appalachian area。 That was predictable BECAUSE of the stereotypes。 But I'm already looking forward to Perkins' next YA thriller。 。。。more
Megan
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I was really excited about this book， but sadly it was a bit of a disappointment。 Part of that is my own fault， because for some reason I thought there’d be more spooky elements or at least a fake supernatural presence tormenting the characters， and this ended up being very real-life， fucked-up horror。 In fact， it was reminiscent of a Criminal Minds episode！ Which isn’t a bad thing， but not what I was anticipating。 （Although， was this completely my fault when a character in the book alluded to s I was really excited about this book， but sadly it was a bit of a disappointment。 Part of that is my own fault， because for some reason I thought there’d be more spooky elements or at least a fake supernatural presence tormenting the characters， and this ended up being very real-life， fucked-up horror。 In fact， it was reminiscent of a Criminal Minds episode！ Which isn’t a bad thing， but not what I was anticipating。 （Although， was this completely my fault when a character in the book alluded to some supernatural stuff at the campsite？？ I feel led on。）Outside of my expectations， when I realized what this book actually was， I was open minded， but it still fell flat。 There wasn’t a lot of tension from the danger as it drew near; it just kind of showed up when the girls needed to split up （I know that sounds scooby doo silly， because 99% of the time you NEVER separate， but they really did need to！！） Like yes， the story has tension， but from the characters’ situation more than anything， for most of the time。What I liked most， which is funny because so many reviews are ragging on Neena and Josie for being unlikeable， was Neena and Josie’s friendship。 Idk why people are acting like best friends can’t fight， or that friends don’t hide hidden resentments toward each other？ Especially when you’re young and your lives are diverging。 Josie， having lost a father and now living with a depressed/grieving mother， has her own trauma。 Neena， struggling under her parents’ expectations and the fear of leaving everything familiar for college， can’t seem to talk about these things with Josie， who is going to college locally and feels like she’s being left behind （again）。 I think Perkins did a really good job of bringing these characters to life， as well as other characters along the way， in such a short story。I feel like I’m rambling a little， but since this book is so short， there’s a lot I could give away by going into even a semblance of detail。 I’ll leave with this: will I read more horror from Perkins if she writes more？ Yes。 Would I recommend this particular book？ No， unless I know the person I’m recommending it to really enjoys outdoorsy/survival stories。 。。。more
Jillian
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Ask me if I want to go hiking and camping and I will hand you this book as the reason why my answer is， “f*** no”。 Holy anxiety inducing YA thriller， Stephanie Perkins！ The Woods Are Always Watching is a short yet action packed creepy and terrifying novel about two best friends going on one last adventure before they leave each other for college。 I was nervous for these girls from the moment I started the book。 Josie didn’t want to go on this trip！ But Neena talked her into it， so obvi some bad Ask me if I want to go hiking and camping and I will hand you this book as the reason why my answer is， “f*** no”。 Holy anxiety inducing YA thriller， Stephanie Perkins！ The Woods Are Always Watching is a short yet action packed creepy and terrifying novel about two best friends going on one last adventure before they leave each other for college。 I was nervous for these girls from the moment I started the book。 Josie didn’t want to go on this trip！ But Neena talked her into it， so obvi some bad shit is about to happen。 And very dark， bad， gruesome things do happen in those woods。 Neena and Josie fight for survival like badass champs。 I couldn’t stop reading because I had to know what happened yet I also had to put the book down nearly every chapter because of my nerves。 I felt like I was there。 I could just imagine being in those woods hearing a twig snapping， jolting to look over your shoulder and your heart racing。 *shudders*4⭐️ def recommend for thriller lovers and anyone who doesn’t care if they ever hike again。 Because NO THANKS。 Thank you to Penguin Teen and Bookish First for the finished copy in exchange for an honest review。 K BYE off to get a copy of her other book， There’s Someone Inside Your House， before the Netflix movie comes out。 。。。more
Cindy
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Oh my goodness！ What did I just read！ I thought this was going to be a scary book but it leaned more towards the gruesome side！ It’s definitely an evil YA novel that left me gasping for air。 Neena and Josie are best friends and will go their separate ways after graduation。 So they decide to have one last fling—a 3 day hike in the woods of Pisgah National Forest。 Despite warnings of bears these two novice backpackers think of this trip as an adventure。 These silly girls can barely carry a huge ba Oh my goodness！ What did I just read！ I thought this was going to be a scary book but it leaned more towards the gruesome side！ It’s definitely an evil YA novel that left me gasping for air。 Neena and Josie are best friends and will go their separate ways after graduation。 So they decide to have one last fling—a 3 day hike in the woods of Pisgah National Forest。 Despite warnings of bears these two novice backpackers think of this trip as an adventure。 These silly girls can barely carry a huge backpack， haven’t broken in their hiking shoes， know nothing about the outdoors and survival and to top it off they begin to bicker。 So of course they then veer off the preferred path which， you guessed it， leads to danger。 As their adventure turns into a nightmare the story turns ugly and gruesome。 I didn’t expect that and was shocked。 If you are a lover of YA this book might be for you。 Well written and very descriptive。 。。。more
Shannon （It Starts At Midnight）
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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight The Woods Are Always Watching was a fast paced and exciting book， with a few minor issues。 Let's break it down！What I Liked: t ►I do love me a survival story， and this certainly was one！ And it definitely delivered on the tension and the "will they make it out？" aspect， so that was great。 The stakes were certainly sufficiently high， and I was invested in the outcome。 t ►I can appreciat You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight The Woods Are Always Watching was a fast paced and exciting book， with a few minor issues。 Let's break it down！What I Liked: t ►I do love me a survival story， and this certainly was one！ And it definitely delivered on the tension and the "will they make it out？" aspect， so that was great。 The stakes were certainly sufficiently high， and I was invested in the outcome。 t ►I can appreciate two people who basically hate camping。 Look， this was just honest。 I haven't the foggiest idea why these two young ladies thought that camping， which neither of them professes to enjoy， needed to be their big hurrah before parting ways， but I think it was a pretty good way to show their sheer lack of woodsy know-how。 Next time， I think they should try a day at the beach？ An amusement park， mayhaps？ And hey， the book has the added bonus of being a cautionary tale: maybe if you don't know about camping and don't particularly enjoy the outdoors， skip it， under risk of death。 t ►It's a very readable book in general。 It's fast paced （except for a little in the beginning， which I will get to） and full of adventure and excitement。 I raced through it， needing to know what would happen to the girls， so that is a huge plus。 t ►While I didn't always love how it was handled， I loved that friendship was a huge focus。 This is a romance-free book， focused solely on the characters and their situation at hand。 I liked that we meet the girls as they are about to move on from high school， and that they are at a crossroads， basically。 The story also delved into the girls' family lives as well， which I liked。 What I Didn't: t ►I really， really needed an epilogue。 The ending was just way too abrupt for my liking， especially after such a high stakes story。 This is definitely my biggest qualm with this book， frankly。 （view spoiler）[I think extra especially since the book focuses so much on the personal lives of Josie and Neena， it seems strange that we don't get much of a resolution。 （hide spoiler）] t ►While I do understand what the author was trying to illustrate through the girls' arguments， did the fighting have to make up so much of the story？ Look， I appreciate that friendships can be rocky， especially when facing such huge life changes， as Josie and Neena are！ Hell， I'd be shocked if they didn't fight！ They're obviously going through a lot， and it does make sense。 It just got to be a lot， especially in the first half of the book。 Like are the woods the problem， or is it just you two？ Luckily it does pick up， but also I don't know that we get a lot in the way of a satisfying resolution to many of the issues。 Bottom Line: It's certainly fast paced and exciting after the first half， though I did wish for a bit more from the ending。 。。。more
Kari
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My Review OfTHE WOODS ARE ALWAYS WATCHINGBy Author， Stephenie PerkinsGifted & Published by {Partner} DuttonBooks for Young ReadersOn Sale: 8/31/21 - Purchase Link in my Bio *****I have officially been scared poopless。 Please excuse my language。 I tried to tone it down。 If you plan on going on a camping trip and bringing this book; might I suggest you just wait until you return from your excursion。 I absolutely loved reading every second of this book。 What starts out as a 3 day trip for two best My Review OfTHE WOODS ARE ALWAYS WATCHINGBy Author， Stephenie PerkinsGifted & Published by {Partner} DuttonBooks for Young ReadersOn Sale: 8/31/21 - Purchase Link in my Bio *****I have officially been scared poopless。 Please excuse my language。 I tried to tone it down。 If you plan on going on a camping trip and bringing this book; might I suggest you just wait until you return from your excursion。 I absolutely loved reading every second of this book。 What starts out as a 3 day trip for two best friends， going on a getaway before leaving to two different colleges， it quickly turns into a trip where they cannot even stand each other。 They question their friendship and grow so irritated with the other， that it seems they are both at the point that one nudge could push them over the edge。 That was a great narrative in itself。 The Author explores the theme of friendship and how well you know someone， yet the Author goes beyond by testing this friendship by surprising you when the writing turns super scary， creepy and spine-tingling。 The book does a 360 spin and stuns you when it reads and moves like a murder thriller with a side of serial killer。 I’m not exaggerating when I say this Author delivers a getaway gone wrong with a guarantee that you will be chilled to the bone。 。。。more
Tiphani Jones
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First of all Goodreads says it is 304 pages， it is only 216 pages。 It’s a short book！ We briefly get introduced to Neena's background and her motivation for going away to college and the sacrifices her parents have made 。 The tropes are common and overdone。 The book itself needed to be longer and more meat added to the story 。 Not a lot happens in the first 100 pages so it is slow going 。 There is a ton of bickering between the characters 。 One of the characters we really don’t have much backgr First of all Goodreads says it is 304 pages， it is only 216 pages。 It’s a short book！ We briefly get introduced to Neena's background and her motivation for going away to college and the sacrifices her parents have made 。 The tropes are common and overdone。 The book itself needed to be longer and more meat added to the story 。 Not a lot happens in the first 100 pages so it is slow going 。 There is a ton of bickering between the characters 。 One of the characters we really don’t have much background so you don’t know much about her and connect to her really which is sad。 I like how one of the characters parents come from India 。The cover is creepy and a nice color。 I do like the name of the book。 If you want a good ya book to read read something else 。 I wanted to like this and it had more potential。 Also you don’t get a ton of info on the villains or why they are doing 。 。。。more
Brittany （Bringonthebookswithbrittany）
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When I was selected to receive a NetGalley e-book version of #TheWoodsAreAlwaysWatching from Penguin Teen， I was excited to read my very first Stephanie Perkins book…and I was not disappointed！ This book was such a fun ride which features two best friends who decide to go on a three day hiking trip before they go off to two different colleges。 All is good at the beginning of the trip， but then something happens that changes their lives forever。Once I started reading this book， I literally read 8 When I was selected to receive a NetGalley e-book version of #TheWoodsAreAlwaysWatching from Penguin Teen， I was excited to read my very first Stephanie Perkins book…and I was not disappointed！ This book was such a fun ride which features two best friends who decide to go on a three day hiking trip before they go off to two different colleges。 All is good at the beginning of the trip， but then something happens that changes their lives forever。Once I started reading this book， I literally read 80% of it in one day…I just had to know what happened next！！！ I’ll admit I am not a camping type person （as my dad always says）， and after this book， I don’t think I ever will be！ Lol！ I appreciate the character growth of Neena and Josie as they battle different obstacles in the woods…some downright terrifying！ I like how the ending is open-to-interpretation…I feel it adds to the overall suspense of the book。 All in all， I feel this book is a perfect end-of-summer read！ I will definitely check out Stephanie Perkins’s other thriller…。Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me this NetGalley e-book in exchange for my honest opinion。Rating: 4。5/5 。。。more
Melissa （LifeFullyBooked）
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I was very excited to read this one because I've read other things by this author and those books have been really wonderful。 However， I was very disappointed because this book failed to deliver。The good: Super creepy cover。 Interesting characters， especially Neena， whose parents emigrated to the US from India。 Two friends who want to go on an adventure together before they go their separate ways for college。The Not-So-Good: Pretty much everything else。1。 Nothing much happens in this book for 10 I was very excited to read this one because I've read other things by this author and those books have been really wonderful。 However， I was very disappointed because this book failed to deliver。The good: Super creepy cover。 Interesting characters， especially Neena， whose parents emigrated to the US from India。 Two friends who want to go on an adventure together before they go their separate ways for college。The Not-So-Good: Pretty much everything else。1。 Nothing much happens in this book for 100 pages。 These girls have never ever been hiking before， and they set off to an unknown place and are ill-prepared for the rigor of the hike。 Shades of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail， but only in the fact that they are doing something they have no business doing。 2。 When something does happen， it is so unbelievable that I was rolling my eyes。 Josie would have died from shock if this was a real life situation。 3。 No motivation or back story is ever given for the villains。 They just appear and are psycho。 Then the end。 4。 The book is way too short and there is just no development of the plot， the characters， or anything。 I'm not sure why the GR data says it is 304 pages， it is 216 pages。 We briefly get introduced to Neena's background and her motivation for going away to college and her parents' sacrifices for their family。 But it is so brief and never explored fully。 Josie is a blah character with no background。5。 The entire first 100 pages consists of bickering， whining， arguing， bickering， and more whining。 They are both totally unlikable and I can't even figure out why they are friends or doing this hike。 6。 There is a requisite semi-HEA and it is not believable at all。 So many of the tropes with the villains， the girls， and their situation are cliched and overdone。I just cannot recommend this book， it didn't give me the creepy vibes I was hoping for， it didn't scare me at all。 I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Mackenzie Reffitt
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The suspense in this book was incredible， the last 3/4 had me on the edge of my seat！ While the beginning was a bit slow， the ending and relationship between the two main characters more than made up for it！ Highly recommend！
Dragonclaws2
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The first three chapters are about a friendship that has lasted years， but soon will be broken when college is coming around the corner。 It's actually kind of cute and quirky to see these two react with each other。Then， as the book progressed， their secret feelings came out。 It was relatable to read this happen because everyone has experienced a friendship loss。 If you haven't， then you are a lucky person。But even at the beginning I knew something was going to happen especially with that tree an The first three chapters are about a friendship that has lasted years， but soon will be broken when college is coming around the corner。 It's actually kind of cute and quirky to see these two react with each other。Then， as the book progressed， their secret feelings came out。 It was relatable to read this happen because everyone has experienced a friendship loss。 If you haven't， then you are a lucky person。But even at the beginning I knew something was going to happen especially with that tree and it's limb pointing the way back。 It was heart wretching to think about someone being right behind Neena or Josie while in the woods。 It's give you a certain paranoia like you want to constantly look behind you even though you aren't in the woods。When Josie fell， my stomach rolled。 I'll give her credit， she handled that better than I could。 Then， when her hand got shot off！ I gasped and had to stop for a minute to register that it had happened。 Threw me for a loop！Plus， I knew that yellow tent was a bad omen and then Neena found the couple's bodies。 A bittersweet victory of a feeling to know something was up。Lyman had something medically wrong with him and you could tell that。 He met Willie and Willie used him。 Now， Willie is where the real messed up is at。 'Likes 'em dead' Yikes！Neena pulling out those manipulation tricks to get inside Lymans head was slick。 It was smart but sneaky。Then the bear！！！！ The author had to add a bear。 She had to。 It was perfect timing the bear came through。A quick paced horror with short chapters。 They get right to the point and keep your attention。 I liked this book。 It got me out of my reading slump！ 。。。more
Natalie （Natflix&Books）
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3。5My fellow murderinos know one key to survival is to: Stay out of the forest。If I'm honest， this probably would have been rounded down instead of up based on something that happened toward the end， but I love Stephanie Perkins， and this book maintained some crazy scary tension for the second half which isn't easy to do。。。so。 So I've talked myself into feeling ok rounding up lol （but for real she almost lost me completely there）。 Two girls go into the forest。 They are the brink of separating f 3。5My fellow murderinos know one key to survival is to: Stay out of the forest。If I'm honest， this probably would have been rounded down instead of up based on something that happened toward the end， but I love Stephanie Perkins， and this book maintained some crazy scary tension for the second half which isn't easy to do。。。so。 So I've talked myself into feeling ok rounding up lol （but for real she almost lost me completely there）。 Two girls go into the forest。 They are the brink of separating for college and resentments between them have their friendship at a breaking point。 Tensions are already high when something bad happens。 Then something really bad。 Again， I was impressed by how taut the last half was， staying up WAY too late last night to finish the last 55%。If you enjoy survival stories， this is a pretty good。*ARC review， thoughts my own。 Yada， yada。* 。。。more
CYIReadBooks （Claire）
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Neena Chandrasekhar and Josie Gordon wanted to accomplish something big before each of them left for college。 So they concocted a plan to hike and camp in the Appalachian mountains。 With Josie’s brother， Win， training and coaching them for roughing it in the wilderness， it was sure to be an epic adventure。And epic it was when everything that could go wrong did。 And when things started going “bump” in the night， it would be an unforgettable three nights roughing it in the boonies。The Woods Are Al Neena Chandrasekhar and Josie Gordon wanted to accomplish something big before each of them left for college。 So they concocted a plan to hike and camp in the Appalachian mountains。 With Josie’s brother， Win， training and coaching them for roughing it in the wilderness， it was sure to be an epic adventure。And epic it was when everything that could go wrong did。 And when things started going “bump” in the night， it would be an unforgettable three nights roughing it in the boonies。The Woods Are Always Watching is a very slow read as the pace doesn’t make an uptick until the reader is at least forty percent invested into the story。 Way too long for this reader’s taste。The characters are shallow and not much can be said about them， except that the main characters just seemed so self centered until their own lives are at stake。The storyline is easy to follow and it is written in Josie’s and Neena’s point of view。 The plot is simple — the girls go hiking and camping and encounter dangerous obstacles in their adventure。 But as far as believability， it was just a little too beyond believable。 And the story was left open ended， leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions — not an ending that this particular reader appreciated。Overall， a decent read and probably young adult readers will appreciate the given suspense and thrills better than me。 An okay 1。5 star rounded up read for me。I received an early finished hard copy of the book from Dutton Books through the Bookish First Raffle。 The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions。 。。。more
R Gayle Godwin
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Neena will be moving away， going to college。 Josie will be staying。 A couple of girlfriends go on a first time， three day， hiking trip， in the Pisgah National Forest。 Like them， I would be imagining all the things that could happen or what could go wrong。 The experience tested their friendship。 Getting injured， lost， separated， hunted。 Fear of bears， fear of men。。。 The girls had to rely on their instincts to survive， never sure what the right thing to do would be。 Suspenseful。 My kind of book。 Neena will be moving away， going to college。 Josie will be staying。 A couple of girlfriends go on a first time， three day， hiking trip， in the Pisgah National Forest。 Like them， I would be imagining all the things that could happen or what could go wrong。 The experience tested their friendship。 Getting injured， lost， separated， hunted。 Fear of bears， fear of men。。。 The girls had to rely on their instincts to survive， never sure what the right thing to do would be。 Suspenseful。 My kind of book。 I would be cringing at every snap of a twig。 It makes you appreciate the comfort of home that we normally take for granted。 It helped me to be more appreciative of what I have。 I read this book in one day。 I could not put it down。 I received an ARC from the publisher for my review。 Thank you Bookish First for this opportunity。 I highly recommend reading this book。 。。。more
MizzyRed
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First off， the cover is nicely creepy and had me really excited to get a chance to read this book。 It is a fairly quick read and could have been great but did not live up to the promise of the cover， at least for the first half。 That would be my recommendation， skip the first half the book and get the the good scary stuff。 The first half consists of two dare I say stupid girls who are supposed to be best friends since forever going on a goodbye camping trip before the separate to head off to dif First off， the cover is nicely creepy and had me really excited to get a chance to read this book。 It is a fairly quick read and could have been great but did not live up to the promise of the cover， at least for the first half。 That would be my recommendation， skip the first half the book and get the the good scary stuff。 The first half consists of two dare I say stupid girls who are supposed to be best friends since forever going on a goodbye camping trip before the separate to head off to different colleges。 They spend that time discovering that because they did not listen to Josie's brother， Win， they brought the wrong things and just keep sniping and blaming each other for the predicaments they get in。 I almost quit reading then because Neena and Josie really irritated me。 It was a short book though so I kept on。 The second half is filled with scariness and danger and much creepiness that helped redeem it a bit but the ending is a bit implausible too。 I definitely do not want to go camping after reading this book！It could have been a really great book but not for me。 。。。more
emma。bookss
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*3。5 stars thank you penguin teen for the arc of this book in exchange for my review！ this book was a pretty solid ya thriller！ now keep in mind， thrillers aren’t my favorite genre of book， but i still enjoyed this！ it kept me on the edge of my seat。however， a few things just felt too cliche。 some of the drama was a little too typical for me， and it was sorta predictable。 but nevertheless， this book was an enjoyable time and i recommend to all thriller fans！ tw: death， guns， assault
Trigger Warning Database
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Trigger & Content WarningsChild abuse & neglectPaedophiliaRape of a minor mentionedNecrophilia mentionedPhysical injury， including gunshot wounds & broken bonesAmputationKidnappingCar accident mentioned
Keri
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I had pretty high expectations for this book because I loved There's Someone Inside Your House。 I was hoping this would have the same feel as that one and in some ways it did。 I really enjoyed the woods setting。 The woods can always give a good creepy vibe and Stephanie Perkins did a wonderful job at setting the scene。 The baddies were also very well done。 They were disgusting and horrifying。 Unfortunately I can't really say I liked either of the main characters。 They were both very whiney and a I had pretty high expectations for this book because I loved There's Someone Inside Your House。 I was hoping this would have the same feel as that one and in some ways it did。 I really enjoyed the woods setting。 The woods can always give a good creepy vibe and Stephanie Perkins did a wonderful job at setting the scene。 The baddies were also very well done。 They were disgusting and horrifying。 Unfortunately I can't really say I liked either of the main characters。 They were both very whiney and at no point did I ever feel either of these two young girls were intelligent enough or capable enough of going against these two horrible hillbillies。 It was way too unrealistic for me。 I think the writing was a little sloppy was well。 It was very difficult to know what perspective the story was in and I was continually confusing Josie and Neena。 I think if it had been formatted better with each chapter stating the perspective this might have been better。 It was just unorganized。 My least favorite part was near the end when each of the girls described the background of each bad guy from just touching them。 I am not sure why Stephanie Perkins decided she needed the bad guys background to be known， I guess to give some sort of motive？ It just wasn't necessary。 If she did want to include it she could have done it a better way than having the girls get some sort of psychic ability by touching them to know what their past was like。 It was really just odd and out of place。 Most slasher type films and stories have a bit of outrageous an unbelievable parts to them so I don't mind that。 I do mind poor writing and poor characters。 This one was mostly a miss for me unfortunately。 Hopefully her next one will be more like her first thriller！I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review from Bookish First。 。。。more
Merrit Townsend （always1morebook）
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