This is the first book I have read by this author and I was very impressed. I love a spooky tale when it is told well and this story is told brilliantly. The author has created a wonderful cast of varied and intriguing characters to accompany us on this creepy journey full of suspense and mystery. I never knew who to trust from one page to the next. I will be definitely be reading more by this author in the future

When Allie moves to a quaint old cottage with her husband, it’s their dream home. Nestled in the village of Pluckley, it seems a perfect haven in which to raise their two children. But Pluckley has a reputation. It’s known as England’s most haunted village. And not long after the birth of their new son, Allie begins to notice strange things…

What’s the flash of white she sees moving quickly through the woods to the back of their house? And what’s the strange scratching noise coming from the chimney? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not the thriller I was expecting and the ending was very disappointing

There was a lot about witchcraft and hauntings but none of this was explained at the end

I found it slow going in parts and the ending left a lot of unanswered questions so unfortunately not my kind of book

This novel felt like quite a departure in genre from Lisa Hall, this feeling far are like a ghost story than previous novels that I would class as psychological fiction.

The story is of a Allie, mother to 2 children, the younger of whom is only weeks old. Having recently moved to the most haunted village in England with her husband, Allie quickly experiences occurrences in the house that lead her to believe the house is haunted, Friends worry as to her mental health and Allie finds herself casting suspicion in every direction.

This novel is certainly insidious. To me if felt like a slow burner. From previous work by this author I was waiting for a massive twist, and this felt more subtle than previous novels where plot twists have thrown everything you thought you knew into question!

As an audiobook this does work, and I couldn't fault the narrator at all.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for then opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I have really liked Lisa's books in the past, but wasn't sure if I would like this one based on the description. I was right. The character development didn't feel complete, it was a very slow start, and I ended up giving up. I actually ended up trying to read it vs listening to it. I have been having issues with the audio books lately.

I've loved Lisa's previous books, really enjoyed her way with storytelling so I was looking forward to this.

I enjoyed the spooky tale involving the move to Pluckley and the strange goings on in the cottage that Allie and Rav move into which becomes known as the Witches House.

Unfortunately for me the story dragged in the middle, and there was quite a dip with not much going on. However, the characters were vibrant although I was irritated by Rav and Naomi almost straight away. Rav seemed very unsympathetic as a husband and many times throughout the book I wished she would leave him.

I had a feeling I knew what the mystery was when Allie almost never referred to her son by name but always as 'The Baby' which became very repetitive.

It was a good story but I feel it could have been shorter and more dramatic but I did love the setting and easy style of writing that Lisa is so good at. I would happily read another of her books.

Set in Pluckley,the most haunted village in Britain (it is a real place - I googled!!) this is a chilling psychological thriller about a new mother, Allie, who moves into an old house and strange things start to happen.

This book has a really creepy vibe and undertones of dread. I love a haunted house story, and am a massive fan of books about witches, so this book was perfect for me. There are plenty of twists and all the way through I couldn't make up my mind about what was happening, and by the end I didn't trust anyone or anything!

One thing I found a little strange was that Allie always referred to her youngest child as 'the baby' and never by his name!

A perfect spooky book for Halloween with excellent narration by Harrie Dobby.

Allie and her husband Rav have just moved to a new house in the quaint village of Pluckley. It seems like a perfect place to raise their children, toddler Mina, and newborn baby Leo. Their new house is a cute cottage which has been sitting empty for a while so needs some work. Cobwebs cleared, a bit of a clean, and it will be perfect, won’t it? But not long after they move in Allie starts to get some very unsettled feelings. There are scratching noises that no one else hears. Something in the woods. A sensation of someone is in the room behind her. Then the dreams start. But are they dreams?

Allie starts to research the history of the house and what she finds makes her even more unsettled. The town of Pluckley already has a reputation for being the most haunted town in England. Now her house has a history tied up in witchcraft and danger.

On paper this book sounds like a great read. However, in reality, I found it dragged a bit. It was slow to get started, and really only picked up pace towards the end. But I nearly gave up a few times along the way. The character development is a bit hit and miss, some that you expect will become integral to the story fade away. And others who remain, don’t amount to much. When the story did pick up I was enjoying it, and looking forward to a good, dramatic ending. I just don’t feel like it quite got there. There were so many opportunities to make this story so much more terrifying, creepy, disturbing, horrific - take your pick on a direction to go. In the end it feels like there was not quite a commitment to a direction, which was a shame, as there was potential. A good read if you don’t like too much scare in your scary stories.

*I received this copy from Netgalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

The Woman in the Woods is a psychological thriller about a family and the spooky house they’ve recently moved to. Allie is mum to a toddler and new baby, who starts to notice strange goings on in the old cottage she lives in with her husband Rav. Rav and Allie’s friend Naomi don’t believe the strange noises and visions she is witnessing and Allie starts to doubt her husband’s faithfulness.
The book has elements of witchcraft and keeps you guessing what is actually going on, but not necessarily in a good way. I found this book quite frustrating and the pace was far too slow. The characters were deeply annoying with unrealistic depictions of the relationships within it. The narrator was ok but didn’t really add much to the delivery of the storyline.

The Woman in the Woods - Lisa Hall
Narrated by Harrie Dobby

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily

When Allie moves to a quaint old cottage with her husband, it’s their dream home. Nestled in the village of Pluckley, it seems a perfect haven in which to raise their two children. But Pluckley has a reputation. It’s known as England’s most haunted village. And not long after the birth of their new son, Allie begins to notice strange things…   
 
What’s the flash of white she sees moving quickly through the woods to the back of their house? And what’s the strange scratching noise from the chimney?

This is an enjoyable psychological thriller with a really unsettling and creepy undertone. With a slow but captivating plot, we follow Allie as she struggles to cope living in a haunted house. Initially Allie doesn't take any notice when the other local mums call her house 'The Witch House' but when she starts to notice strange goings on, she soon begins to worry about her children.

A quick and easy book to read, perfect to get lost in at Halloween. I enjoyed all of the mention of the flowers and plants and their uses. I thought that this book was cleverly written; with the ability to manipulate the reader into question what is real.

Rating: 4/5

4⭐️
A haunting story for October about witchcraft and superstition.
Allie and her husband move to the idyllic quaint village of Pluckley. Only Pluckley has the reputation as being the most haunted village in England.
When Allie starts seeing strange things she begin investigating the villages history uncovering stories of witchcraft and superstition associated with their house.
I especially liked how Allie just knew certain things, making me feel that something was interacting with her as well as the strange occurrences. It feels spooky. She seems to be losing time too.

The anxiety turned into full on paranoia, which for the most part was handled well increasing the tension, but was a little drawn out and started getting irritating.

Not sure how I felt about the ending, my instinct is a little disappointed.