this book was absolutely incredible, full of suspense; drama and mystery. the characters were written so so well and they each gained a place in my heart

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke.

Another brilliant gothic book by C.J. Cooke. I thoroughly enjoyed The Lighthouse Witches, and knew that this book would not disappoint.

Lichen hall is though to be a safe place for unwed mothers to delivery their babies and ensure a safe adoption for their little ones. As I met the characters, I was drawn into their sad tales and was rooting for them throughout the book. One of the babies, Sylvan, was returned by the adoptive parents and he stays at Lichen hall with his mother and her new friends who all take turns raising him.

The discovery that the house holds a dark secret and a sinister, malevolent being controls all in the house results in Pearl and Mabel needing to make important life choices to save those that they love the most.

I don't want to divulge more, as it is a wonderful story, that unwinds slowly. If you are a fan of gothic stories, this is a book, and an author that you need to read.

Bit grim n gothic and very atmospheric and a lil bit more supernatural than I usually go for BUT enjoyed this very much; excellent creepy vibes. Cooke continues to be an autobuy for me, just the queen of unorthodox gothic horror with sympathetic, relatable, strong women as her characters. Love love love.

V big thank yous to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the arc!

Gifted by NetGalley with no obligation to review. I enjoyed this atmospheric and gothic novel - the setting of the old house is oppressive and haunting. I felt it didn’t perhaps have the magic of the Lighthouse Witches which I loved, but I still read through this very quickly. C J Cooke’s writing is lovely, though the storylines at times felt a bit disparate from one another. The themes of the book were more sad and the closer to present tense perhaps made this a bit more hard hitting than previous books. I enjoyed it though and would read from her again. I’m tempted to read the Nesting to complete the trilogy. 3.5 stars.

C.J. Cooke knows how to give me the chills! I finally got around to reading The Ghost Woods, and what a spooky read it was! There's nothing more terrifying than creepy children, isolated setting and an eerie atmosphere. The Ghost Woods is the third book in a thematically linked series that explores the theme of motherhood alongside elements of magic and witchcraft. And it is again the darkness of reality, rather than the magical elements, that proves the most frightening.
All three texts, The Nesting, The Lighthouse Witches and The Ghost Woods, are standalones, but I'd recommend reading them all for an enriched reading experience.

I enjoyed The Ghost Woods—it’s atmospheric, and unsettling, The alternating timelines between Mabel in 1959 and Pearl in 1965 work well, especially since both women are navigating not only the hardships of being unwed and pregnant in a society that condemns them for it but also the eerie, inexplicable events happening around them. I love a good Gothic atmosphere, and this book delivers that in spades, with Lichen Hall itself feeling almost like a character, full of secrets and a sense of something being terribly wrong.
The paranormal aspect kept me intrigued and the slow reveal of what’s really going on at Lichen Hall and in the surrounding woods is done with care and precision, and the final third of the book was intense. The book does a great job of blending personal struggles with supernatural horror, and I appreciated how Cooke wove in commentary on the treatment of women in this historical context.
I have to admit, I did guess part of the mystery before the reveal, and felt like the novel could have worked as a novella.
Overall, this is a compelling read if you love books with a strong sense of atmosphere, complex characters.

The Ghost Woods did a great job of giving me chills. The story follows Pearl and Mabel as they both (at different times) move into Lichen Hall as unwed women that are pregnant. As the women live and birth in Lichen Hall, strange, unexplainable things happen around them, forcing them to figure it all out before it's too late. C. J. Cooke does a great job of interweaving love, romance, grief, horror and mystery all together. The final 1/3 of the book truly had me on the edge of my seat.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I've become such a massive fan of CJ Cooke, and massively enjoyed this. The story is beautiful and atmospheric. The magic blends perfectly with the harsh realities. The Ghost Woods is one of my favourites, and I was sad to finish it.

It is a fascinating dark narrative that involves murder, devastation, treachery, cruelty, manipulation, and violence. At times, it is eerie and frightening. Lichen Hall is riddled with mysteries, and the deeper the Pearl specifically probes, the more terrifying the enigma grows.
This novel's horror mostly comes from atmosphere and seclusion, though there is some bodily horror toward the conclusion. This book really dragged in the middle; it took too long for the timelines to mix, and when they did, it wasn't very gratifying. I wish this had been a shorter story.
This was a really good novel; I was captivated by the narrative and the characters, especially of the lives of Pearl and Mabel.

This is a perfect spooky read. There is witchcraft, isolated house and creepy children. It is very atmospheric. It is a beautiful gothic book. A perfect Halloween read

Told through two timelines which ultimately converge as one, this book follows two young women sent to a secluded manor in Scotland to have their babies in secret since they are unmarried.

This is by far my favourite CJ Cooke book I’ve read so far. The audio narration is so good, with two distinct cadences and voices for each character despite them both being from Scotland. Both characters were written so well, being very similar in so many ways but each also being a standout person on their own. The atmosphere of the book was eerie and unsettling, and I loved the details in one timeline that would make sense of something in the other.

THE GHOST WOODS is the third in a thematic trilogy that explores motherhood, witchcraft and trauma after THE NESTING and THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES (all by the same author). This is a gothic horror set at a time and place when unwed mothers were treated abhorrently and their children were taken away without their consent. There are two painful birth scenes, and sadly, not all the babies survive. The book portrays what survival was like for these mothers, and how their friendship and love for each other grow amidst their trauma. It also explores gay rights and gender inequality, showing how these women had to trade their freedom for a home. I really liked the characters, especially the quick-thinking and steadfast Pearl.

What I found lacking is the supernatural angle, where too much was included so they only scratched the surface. There’s a witch figure from Scottish folklore called Nicnevin but her motivations were unclear. There’s suspicious fungi and mushrooms, something about bringing people back to life, trees growing in strange places, and a character who can see visions. I wish these threads were connected more cohesively. Read this if you want a gothic horror that makes you sad 🥲

C.J. Cooke's writing does it again! I first read lighthouse witches over a year ago and absolutely fell in love with her writing and storytelling. so when I got the chance to read this book I was super excited. I loved the lore explored in this book and the story and also the twists. amazing! i love how the past and present characters connected towards the end. definitely recommend if you are looking for a haunted read.

C J Cooke is fast becoming my go-to author for fast paced gothic horror novels you can’t put down. The Ghost Woods tells the story of two women who travel to Lichen Hall, a remote estate in the Scottish Borders where unmarried women can go to give birth. When Pearl arrives in 1965, she soon learns all is not as it seems and there are some strange things going on. There she meets a mother and a young boy who live on the grounds of the estate and together they unravel a mystery darker than they ever imagined.

This is my fourth book from this author and yet again it is another compelling and captivating tale. This is a quick paced tale that really draws you in and you won’t be able to put this one down. This is probably my least favourite of the books I’ve read from this author, but it is still a compulsively readable tale and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is full of atmosphere and the setting is fascinating, but the story didn’t send shivers up my spine the way that her other books did. This story is at times quite sad and emotional and is much more focused on the characters than the dark and creepy moments.

Cooke always has a way of writing really compelling characters and that is certainly the case for Pearl and Mabel. I really liked them both and couldn’t help but root for them. The story has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and definitely went in some directions I didn’t expect. Cooke’s plots feel very inventive and fresh and I can never predict where her stories are going to go. The Ghost Woods is a cleverly plotted tale and if you’re looking for a story that will keep you turning pages long into the night, I’d highly recommend picking this one up.

I realised that I hadn't yet read anything creepy this autumn, so decided to pick this one up as it promised a haunting story set in the old and imposing Lichen Hall, which sits in it's large and atmospheric grounds - right next to the chilling, Ghost Woods.

This is a dual timeline tale of about 6 years, and jumps from Mabel's story in 1959 and Pearl's in 1965. In a time where being pregnant and unwed were frowned upon, they are two of many young women who find themselves at Lichen Hall to give birth and then put up their babies for adoption.

Based around Scottish Folklore, and inspired by the survival instincts of nature - in particular fungi - we soon find out that there is something not quite right about Lichen Hall...

There is mention of witches and fairies, the subject of motherhood is explored, there are a few gory aspects, and some TWs which you may want to look up. The writing is good - although felt juvenile at times - and I was invested enough in the story to want to read until the end. But I was able to guess quite early on what was going on, and feel like this could have been better as either a short story - or actually a novel of this length but with more background and depth when it came to the nature, lore and supernatural side of things. Overall I liked it, and it was successfully creepy at times!

C.J. Cooke is one of my favorite authors since I adore books that are a bit paranormal.

The Ghost Woods is an excellent dual-timeline book with two girls arriving at Lichen Hall. Mabel in 1959 and the Pearl in 1965 and both are pregnant. They have been sent away to give birth and then to give up their babies. However, there are strange things going on at Lichen Hall....what is really going on there?

I really liked this book, it was engrossing and I found myself drawn into the story and the lives of Pearl and Mabel. I quite like the paranormal angle of the story and I did guess right what was going on towards the end, not that hard to figure it out. The ending made me wish that it would be a sequel.

Thankyou for allowing me to read The Ghost Woods. CJ Cooke knows how to write in a way that leaves you wanting more. I loved the dual timeline in this book and the way that they intertwined with one another. I wasnt expecting the story to go the way that it did. Loved the writing, loved the plot, loved everything.

CJ Cooke is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. You can rely on her for properly creepy, intelligent and well written stories. Highly recommend.

I am giving The Ghosts Woods a 2.5 ⭐️’s.
(3 rounded up)

➕ Multiple POV
➕ Likeable MC
➖ Slow read
➖ Lacking suspense IMO

I am a fan of multiple POV and that opening line had me hooked at first. But to be honest, I often found myself confused between the two timelines. I think that this was partly because it didn’t hold my attention. I thought it read very slow for me, and I felt there was so much potential to make it creepier with the old house, the witch and the woods. In my opinion, it just fell short of what I expected and wasn’t for me.

That being said, this book has a good rating on Goodreads and NetGalley, so I recommend reading for yourself and if you do, please let me know what you think!

Thank you so much to @harpercollins & @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ooh what a bloody amazing book!
Fungi, folklore and the supernatural merge with a more gritty realism storyline about unmarried mothers who stay at Lichen Hall to give birth and then give their babies up for adoption.
C. J Cooke is certainly one of the best writers to thread different genres into a gloriously layered and rich read without the strands becoming too tangled, messy and confusing.
I don’t want to give too much away, but if you loved ‘The Last of Us’ and are needing to fill the hole left behind after it ended, then The Ghost Woods will do very nicely indeed!