The God of the Woods

The God of the Woods was a very enjoyable read. I got my copy from Book of the Month Club after seeing it was highly rated there, and I think it's worth the praise it's been getting.

It's a mystery novel at its core and it does a great job of presenting facts from a few different perspectives and encouraging you to solve the crime with the characters. There are definitely clues that end up being red herrings, but never in a way that feels disingenuous to the reader. I felt strongly about my own (incorrect) theory, but I was still very pleased with the conclusion.

It was a bit longer than what I am used to reading (at nearly 500 pages), but I was very engrossed and finished it over just a few days. Definitely would recommend!

 I liked the whole story. It took a lot of my power to not read ahead. The characters were great. I liked that Judyyta “Judy” found Barbara in the end. I also liked that Judyta didn't use Barbara to further her career. I liked that a lot of the characters were so relatable. I was poor with an absent mother like Louise. I didn't fit in and had trouble making friends like Tracy. I was even punk like Barbara when I was 13. I liked the planning that went into trying to frame John Paul the little heart on her mural. I wondered about the characters after the story was over. Did Louise get convicted because of the planted drugs? How did Judyta advance her career? Something specific but did TJ get the Hewitt land when Peter Van Laars II died? Worth the read. Highly recommend. 

Moore writes in such a captivating and starkly human way, I think I'll slurp up any story she puts out regardless of genre. The weaving together of these interlocking stories is done so artfully, you feel like you're discovering them yourself. Shines a dark light on the realities of humanity, and the way every moment ties inexorably into every other moment - even when you think they don't matter.

Probably the best book I've read this year. Kept me hooked all the way through. 10/10, 5 stars, etc.

Way too much going on all at once, would've been better if there was actually a solid main plotline to follow but I couldn't tell who I should actually care about - bear or Barbara

3.5

4.5/5 - absolutely tore through this. Overall incredible story and I loved the setting. Only thing that left me unsatisfied was the ending - I needed it more wrapped up.

I saw a lot of people giving this book a lot of positive reviews so I thought I should give it a shot. Unfortunately this book hardly did anything for me. This book did not move me in any way. I had a little empathy for some of the characters but not enough to make me root for anyone. The underlying mystery throughout the book is what made me finish it and even after finding out what happened just left me feeling, well that’s done. I wouldn’t put this in the bad category of books but I wouldn’t put it in the good category either. I guess when you watch a lot or read a lot of stories it’s not to hard to guess what happens.

The disappearances of two children from the same summer camp, fourteen years apart, highlight the divide between the “Haves” and the “Have-Nots” and the trouble that arises when they collide.

This book is a fascinating puzzle of secrets, lies, and mystery. Everyone is suspicious, everyone is hiding something, and as I pieced together what was happening in all the timelines I found myself genuinely surprised by some of the twists. The pacing was great. The camp setting really anchors the different chapters so it never feels choppy when you jump back and forth. Every detail feels intentional. Clues are subtle until the moment they click into place. I never got bored and I loved trying to figure everything out.

It absolutely nails the expectant, nervous, newly-independent feeling of excitement of a kid away at summer camp. The kind of feeling where you have infinite possibilities ahead of you.

There are a lot of really interesting parallels between the different characters and timelines. The newfound independence of a kid going to summer camp for the first time vs a new bride thrust into a higher social class. The responsibility of taking care of someone else and the sacrifices you make to do so. The family you choose vs the family that is chosen for you. And particularly, the deep instinct of self-preservation that exists in every person regardless of their wealth and circumstances.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for some summer camp nostalgia with a multi-layered mystery that plays out piece by piece. This book will appeal to a lot of different people, but I do think I had a different experience reading this as a mother than I would have before I had a child and it's the parts of the book around motherhood and the innocence of children that are going to stick with me long after.

One of those books I want to read over again with fresh eyes. Won't forget this one.

Wow, what a beautiful book. 

This was completely different than I thought this book was going to be and I'm so glad. 

I thought I was jumping into another summer thrilled but instead I got one of the most accurate views of small town dynamics I've ever seen. 

I don't want to say much on this because this slow burn tale you just have to experience. You won't be disappointed, it's such an intriguing and great tale. 

The author also did the best job with multiple timelines and POV I have ever seen. There's 6+ timelines and more POV than I can count. The author painted the people and times so well that I never once questioned who was talking or where I was in the story. The chapters with a brilliant timeline made it so easy too. 

Seriously one of the best books I've read, it's really a must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead for allowing me to read this ARC.

I scooped this up on NetGalley from the description just bc I love summer camp, even though I don't normally love mysteries. It was definitely a page turner for me and I liked the different POVs. For me I sort of......might have preferred a book that just focused on Barbara's disappearance rather than Bear's? Or I don't know, I see how it all comes together, I think I mostly just didn't like the reveal that the real killer was the mentally ill mom??? and/or I suppose her husband and doctor who overmedicated her? :|

But overall I liked the voices here and the depiction of the camp was so realized to me.

I enjoyed this book and would classify it as a literary mystery. There was quite a bit of character development, which I have mixed feelings about. At times, I enjoyed it; other times, I felt like it made the book drag. I thought the ending tied everything together well and would recommend this book to readers who enjoy this genre.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.