What Lies in the Woods

Set in Washington state, the book centers around Naomi. When she was 11, she was brutally attacked in the woods she and her two best friends (Olivia and Cassidy) were playing in and left for dead, her two friends witnessing the attack while hiding from view. She somehow survives the attack, and the girls say the attacker was Alan Michael Stahl, a suspected serial killer. Naomi's testimony puts him in prison, and the town can rest easy. Twenty two years later, Naomi still bears the physical and emotional scars from that day and has moved to Seattle to escape the memories, while Olivia struggles with severe mental health issues. Cassidy, a single mother and the mayor's daughter, seems to be the only one doing well. They all get a call telling them that Stahl has died from cancer in prison. Naomi heads back home to check in with Olivia and Cassidy about all of this, and while there, her dad gives her a letter that came for her...it's from Stahl's son, who says she put away the wrong man. This sets off a chain of events that make a lot of people in town very uncomfortable, and Naomi vows to figure out what really happened all those years ago. This book was such a wonderful story. Not only was this story a quest to find the truth about what happened all those years ago, it also covered a lot about the dynamics of friendships between girls and how they can often be toxic. I thought the author did a great job illustrating the ripple effect of lies, and the result for me was quite a mix of emotions. And the twists and turns had me dizzy! I chose to listen to this book via Audible, which was narrated by Karissa Vacker. Though her voice irritated me sometimes (she used a sort of breathless whisper a lot of the time), she did a great job overall in bringing this story to life for me. I loved the voices she gave to the characters, and she portrayed the emotions perfectly. If you enjoy suspense/thrillers, then definitely give this one a read or listen!

10 out of 10! Loved this book. The twist got me good!

Really liked the book. Lots of twists and turns.

Loved the ending! I couldn’t pin point how and who! I was caught by surprise!

The plot twist was perfect! But also slightly predictable starting from the beginning. However there were several plots twists that I didnt see coming. The only thing I would say, is the book seems a little drawn out prior to getting to the plot twist. I understand wanting to add detail and dramatic effect but there were definitely pieces that could have been left out. I think the lengthwise and drawing out took away from the read a little bit but thats just me!