Don't Let the Forest In

By: C.G. Drews

Narrated by: Michael Crouch

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairy tales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator.

©2024 C.G. Drews (P)2024 Recorded Books

My favorite read of 2024

I read (both audiobooks and physical books) a LOT, but this book topped it all for me. I only wish it were longer so I could be in that world for longer. It’s as if old school, dark Grimms’ Fairy Tales met a coming of age story. The reading is GORGEOUS. It’s lush, cozy, creepy, and gorgeous. Please read it.

beautiful, but predictable

I loved this book. Truly. I had the ending figured out by chapter 5, though. My only complaint.

it was beautifully told, imagery was spot on and at times I was transported, heart racing, while watching flowers and vines grow from skin and bone. I can't wait to read it again.

To the author, thank you for writing in such detail how...odd and torn it can feel being Ace. I felt seen in reading this, in knowing exactly how he was feeling and understanding how exactly un-understandable it can actually be. Thank you for painting a beautiful and horrible world and for tieing it all up in a lovely, but dirty, bow.

this was incredible!!

i actually only purchased this because i had a free credit, the cover was gorgeous, and i realized a while back that i have a thing for books that use body horror as a vehicle to explore grief.

i just finished this yesterday (i read it both by hard copy along with the audiobook at 1.5x speed which REALLY made it feel more intense/suspenseful IMO). this book the love child of romeo and juliet and annihilation.

i LOVED the narrator. he did an INCREDIBLE job. i am going to look for more books read by him.

i also LOVED how the author wrote, but i docked 1 star off because one plot point was VERY VERY obvious VERY VERY early on. i wish the author had been more subtle about it. I ultimately gave this 4 stars and was about to give it 4.5 stars when i was on the last page, but the very last sentence confused me so much and now i'm like HUH??

even so, i already want to re-read this one. this book is so unique, SO SO SO atmospheric, utterly absorbing, and is the ONLY book that managed to get me out of a 7 month reading slump!

thank you to the author, the narrator, and the person who designed the cover art or i never would have read this and would still be in a huge book slump.

actually, you know what? i'm giving this 4.5 stars. it's definitely worthy of that!

PLEASE give this one a shot! it's......weird and surreal and beautiful and horrifying and the author does do an incredible job of dropping bombs on you totally out of the blue and all of a sudden you see the story in a different light and now you don't know what to think which just makes you want to continue because you just need to know what is what! ahhh! loved this!!!

One of the best horrors I've listened to!!!

The ending was by far the best and all together an amazing book and narrator!

Shape reality

I’m truly at a loss for words. I’m not sure whether I love or hate this book, but I can say it’s a hell of a story.
What stands out of the way it shows how grief can blur into a reality that feels overpowering. Yet, reminds us that we have the power for shape that reality.

Loved it

This was a fantastic book to finish on Halloween. It had great twists and turns, was creepy and imaginative, and kept me guessing while rooting for the main characters. The ending was crazy, and I'm not quite sure how to feel about it.

My song choice: Stripped by Depeche Mode

An interesting book

I would largely classify this is supernatural/psychological horror.

This is perhaps the best book I've had the pleasure of listening to. From the start, you see that perhaps the Forest is not what it seems at Wickwood Academy. What you're met with throughout this book is a sense that Andrew is not okay, but how is he not okay? What darkness allows what he writes to come to life?

I will say that the surprise twist toward the end draws so much of the book together. This is a stunning tale of love, of loss, of what it means to create, to fear, to be oneself in a world that can be, at times, cruel. CG Drews does a great job with this book, and I can't wait to see what else this author will bring forth into the world.

Fantastic

I’m honestly kind of shocked by the ending of this book, not sure how to feel about it but the book was fantastic. Great characters!

Pointless angst queer horror

Slow, boring, couldn’t wait for it to be over. Loved the queer romance but the rest of the plot moved at such a snails pace until the finale when everything moves so quickly you wonder if the author was about to miss a deadline.