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Young adult books aren't my thing. Usually because YA books involve teenagers in a school setting, and I hated being a teenager in a school setting, so I don't enjoy reliving that experience. On paper, I should have hated Don't Let the Forst In by C.G. Drews. It's about teenagers at a fancy live in private school. There are bullies, both students and teachers, which I also don't usually like, but this book had me in a chokehold. I'm not exaggerating when I say I stood stock-still in my kitchen for the last thirty minutes of the audiobook. I kept looking at the time left and internally screaming about how the fuck this book was supposed to wrap up in the next half an hour.

Our main character is Andrew Perrault, who is returning to Wickwood Academy for his senior year with his twin sister Dove. We learn immediately that Andrew is hopelessly in love with Thomas Rye. After the summer apart, all Andrew wants is to stitch himself together with Thomas. From the get-go, the language is steeped in obsession, ownership, and sacrifice for each other. And we get a wild ride in a deeply problematic relationship that I was totally here for.

Andrew writes beautifully haunting short stories, and Thomas draws his ghoulish and terrifying characters. Back at the academy, Dove and Thomas are both acting strangely. Once the three of them were inseparable, and now they're disconnected, and Andrew is withering away with anxiety. When Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits woods, he discover's Thomas's drawing have come to life and are trying to kill anyone Thomas loves. Their world unravels as they spend nights fighting monsters and their own attraction.

This story is unhinged, like picking at a scab, both painful and deeply satisfying. As the forest crept into the school and the boys, it also crept into my mind. The title is a warning to the reader as much as anything else. We descend with the boys into a terrifying landscape.

On the face, Andrew should be really annoying. His anxiety and social awkwardness wouldn't paint him as the best candidate for a main character. He relies on Dove and Thomas to protect him. His hatred of his own limitations and weaknesses makes him relatable. As an awkward, terrified teenager, I get it. He's also grappling with his asexuality. Another relatable internal journey, but in his case, there are more words and examples of asexuality than there were when I was growing up. I didn't come to understand my place on the spectrum until my 30s. But I did struggle with bisexuality in a similar fashion in high school. I'm so fucking happy that teenagers have books like this. I wish there had been anything like this for me in the early 2000's. And it's not just the coming out to yourself aspect, but the intrusive thoughts, the way everyone thinks you're a bubble off because you think about monsters, gore, and tragedy.

I think of this kind of horror as organic. The forest is a living, breathing entity demanding penance from the boys, a penance that would kill them. It grows like invasive vines, tangling up all of Andrew's internal and external struggles. The forest and its agents swallow them whole.

The spice level is almost nonexistent. There's longing and unsettling obsession, but no sex. If co-dependent relationships aren't your jam, then maybe this isn't for you. In terms of gore, there's definitely gore. It's less blood and guts, though there's some of that too, and more horror in the thriller sense. If you're looking for a good October read that leaves you with more questions than answers and tension that builds steadily on all fronts into a crescendo of violence and mayhem, then look no further! The audiobook is superb. The narrator does a fantastic job of conveying the dark mood and Andrew's beautiful lyricism.

This is my first C.G. Drews book, but it won't be my last. The ending is something you'll love, hate, or won't stop thinking about. No spoilers here, so find out for yourself and yell at me later. 😁

/rae/