Laurie

Hazelthorn

by C.G. Drews

From C.G. Drews' Patreon:
This short story is a crossover between Hazelthorn and Don't Let The Forest In. It contains major spoilers for Hazelthorn, but you could still read it even if you haven't read Don't Let The Forest In yet (it only contains minor spoilers for it). [...] This story is by Laurie's POV and it takes place during the October when Don't Let The Forest In was happening. The story takes place in the lead up to Chapter 16 in Don't Let The Forest In (and this all happens before the events of Hazelthorn).

[...]

Writing this was a chance to explore Laurie's previously untold perspective and I thoroughly loved being in the head of my wretched, snarky boy. The story turned out to be 9,000-words so, well !! Turns out Laurie had much to say.

I hope you enjoy reading a little more forest rot.

Available as free text (everyone) or epub (paid subscribers) on author's Patreon (@ Paper Fury)

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Young Adult, LGBT, Queer, Gothic Horror

39 pages, ebook

First published December 24, 2025

About the author

CG Drews is the award-winning NYT Bestselling author of Don’t Let The Forest In, Hazelthorn, and You Did Nothing Wrong. Their work has been translated into over 12 languages, was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal, and won the B&N 2025 YA Book Awards, and are also Indie Next Picks and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. CG lives in Australia under a pile of unread books. Find on Instagram as @paperfury and TikTok as @cgdrews or at cgdrews.com.

Reviews

[Nat (ia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has literally everything I need in a novella. Laurie’s perspective in this prequel unmasks the vulnerability, yearning and conflicted feelings that are hidden beneath the smug, indifferent attitude he often feigns.

Though this story centres on Laurie’s life in a prestigious school, the narrative never fails to show the profound love that he has for Evandear—a boy who hates his guts.

The latter half of this story, however, is what I enjoyed most. The crossover between Hazelthorn and Don’t Let The Forest In? Fantastic. It’s eerie, gothic, and captivating all at once, plunging readers back into the harrowing, the grotesque, and the enigmatically beautiful presence of botanical horror.

C.G. Drews has undoubtedly become an insta-buy author for me, and I can’t wait to read more of their work.

4.8 stars

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My final book of 2025 proved to be as extraordinary as I knew it would be from the very first page.

Are you craving intense yearning? That profound desire so overwhelming that it feels as though you're irresistibly drawn toward love, even if it slowly and painfully destroys you? A yearning so overwhelming that it seeps into your heart, leaving it scarred with thorns and scars? If so, then you must explore this author's work, because, my goodness, they truly understand how to craft the most visceral, aching yearning.

This short novella serves as a prequel to "Hazelthron" and also acts as a crossover with the author's other compelling work, "Don't Let the Forest In." Both of these books are nothing short of magnificent—brilliant, captivating, and emotionally intense—so powerful that reading them is almost an ache in itself, a beautiful pain that lingers long after the pages are closed.

All I can say is that the way Laurie yearns and loves Evander reflects a love so profound, so enduring, that it’s the sort of story people will still talk about centuries from now.

And reading once again about the obsessive and deeply codependent love shared between Andrew and Thomas brought me immense happiness.

[Teru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little morsel about Laurie dying from yearning 🫠 That's it, that's all you need to know. And the top-notch, beautifully gruesome writing, of course!
Impromptu BR with my @angry axolotl on Christmas, can't imagine a better way to spend that day 🖤
Love CG Drews for feeding us so well!

[Sidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

"it will kill Laurie someday, the way he is wrecked with excruciating longing for the one boy who would be happy to see his blood all over the floor, his intestines unwound like ribbons, his ribs splintered twigs for the birds to carry away."

ohhh my babies 🥹🥹🥹pls tell me they're end game!! i could read a thousand stories about laurie & evander.

[Rina | Worldsbetweenpages · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Maybe Thomas and Andrew are doing less kissing in those woods and more waking up unholy eldritch forests,
and Laurie would very much like them to stop.“

This is the Hazelthorn x Don’t Let the Forest In crossover I never new I needed, but I’m so happy it exists!
I loved to get some insights from Laurie‘s pov especially his interactions with Thomas. I wish we would get to see the four boys together! What eldritch plantgore havoc they would wreck…

[kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

39 pages and i was on the verge of tears. they could never make me hate you, laurie

[fiona ☁️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love getting my heart broken within less than 10.000 words

[coffee.and.suga · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

I loved getting a little more insight into Laurie’s feelings for Evander and I’m living for his little interactions with my babies Thomas and Andrew, cause I miss them sooo much 😭

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

laurie: i'm so fucking sick of plants
also laurie: evander can fucking rip me apart with his thorn teeth if he wanted to and i would thank him

[Ophelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

i didnt know i needed this

[Naomi P K ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It will kill Laurie someday, the way he is wrecked with excruciating longing for the one boy who would be happy to see his blood all over the floor, his intestines unwound like ribbons, his ribs splintered twigs for the birds to carry away.”

Don’t even know what to say except this was beautiful and I love Laurie

[Freefall (ia, find me on discord) · Rating 5 out of 5]

i won't stop until i've read everything by c.g. drews.

“Oh, the boy I’m desperately in love with bit me and tore out my tendon with his teeth,” Laurie says pleasantly.

i love laurie so so so so much and well, my wonderful laurie, i think you would've gotten your wish.

[jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

“He would bleed out in Evander’s mouth if only they had the chance to touch.” just you wait, pal!

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up

I love my bbs Thomas and Andrew and Laurie. You don’t see Laurie in Don’t Let the Forest In, but it’s revealed in Hazelthorn that he went to Wickwood. I liked going back in time a bit and seeing some of his experience at the school. Laurie is also very aloof for most of Hazelthorn bc we’re reading from Evander’s perspective, so it was lovely to get more of his personality in this short story. I missed my bb Evander, though. 🫶

[sofka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whatever the hell is happening in this school, it is not his problem. Maybe Thomas and Andrew are doing less kissing in those woods and more waking up unholy eldritch forests, and Laurie would very much like them to stop.
Laurie my beautiful gorgeous Yearning Prince....

[♡ J U L I A ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOOD !!!! two worlds collide in the best (debatable) way possible. the yearning is real give more asap😭😭🫶🏻

[˗ˏˋ mckenna ˎˊ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Maybe Thomas and Andrew are doing less kissing in those woods and more waking up unholy eldritch forests, and Laurie would very much like them to stop.”

the two grumpiest boys meet!!! i loved getting a little cameo moment between these two books and i love my grumpy babies and their beautiful botanical boys 😭

[✧ iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

certified dirtlover

[Hazel Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love them all so much and they were all there 🌱

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I miss them and want more 😭

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurie. I would read your entire book. I would read your endless voice notes. You sweet tortured soul. Your unending longing. Your relatable struggle for words. I could listen to you play pretend, perfect performance of a spoiled rich brats, or monologue about your disastrous shortcomings or even whisper your truths about the love of your life. I would read your entire book. Alas, we have only this short. This short, and an entire story told by the one you crave the most.

[abby ✧.* · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the cameos with Thomas and Andrew from don’t let the forest in, and also liked this being from Laurie’s pov this time! CG Drews’ prose seems to get better with each piece they write

[*:･ﾟaddis ✧* · Rating 3 out of 5]

a really short story that is intertwined with don’t let the forest in. the andrew and thomas cameo was such a lovely surprise, and it was also really interesting to see them from laurie’s pov and how they were perceived by the school.

being inside laurie’s mind helped me understand him so much better, his actions, his attitude, his deep bone fear of his grandfather, of hazelthorn and its secrets. and his yearning for evander was so heartbreaking, he truly felt like he didn’t even deserve to breathe the same air as him. he blamed himself and convinced himself he didn’t deserve any kind of goodness or happiness. my poor baby :(

[niuuu]

guys help he's talking about dirt again

[sadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

laurie my loverboy the whole world is yours

[Ilja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Pyrrha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurie is perfect in every way, and I am so happy to get this much extra content about him.
I find Laurie to be really interesting and hilarious to read! Getting a peek into his head and how he operates around people that are not his family was a great little extra (especially since we got it at Wickwood).
I would love for Drews to have a character like Laurie or Thomas as our main protagonist. Loud and aggressive. Another sad boy who had to shove nails into his body to makeshift his own thorns. Either way, I will eat up anything Drews has to add to their world of pretty rotting boys.
Also, love letters... In Laurie's real voice that isn't putting on a show. That's soft and a little wispy from his imagination taking over, speaking like Evander is right in front of him (chefs kiss). He better not print them out; I want them to sit together and listen as Laurie falls apart from embarrassment and longing for a boy he already has.

[jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something i really like about CG Drews’ writing is that, and i noticed this while reading hazelthorn as well, they truly inhabit the character they’re writing about, it doesn’t feel like same character syndrome at all, each book has felt distinctly different and uniquely that specific character!

I loved being in Laurie’s head and i love characters who are like “I have to be this way or else people will see the real me” and then them immediately and constantly screwing up their mask (Neil Josten I’m looking at you), like sweet boy we see right through you!!

overall a good experience and ugh I miss them already 💔

[Janessa Paun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great companion story to Hazelthorn. I enjoyed getting to see some glimpses of Andrew and Thomas as I loved them in Don’t Let the Forest In and the school as a whole was very interesting. I do think that if I had read this before Hazelthorn, it would have changed the way that I read the novel. I think Laurie not being a sympathetic character at the beginning of Hazelthorn made it so that the reveals of his trauma made the book so much more spectacular. All that to say, I ate Laurie up and I want him to find a home somewhere. Anywhere.

Favorite quotes:
“To attend is meant to be a privilege and to ask for help would be an unthinkable weakness. Not that Laurie Lennox-Hall has asked for help in a long time. The need has been surgically removed, his mouth still crammed with dirt to soak up the blood that used to spill between his lips when he dared to loose secrets that weren’t his to tell.”

“Only a few months have passed since he woke up in fever-soaked sheets after the latest “operation” on his wrists to fix the torn out tendon. Pain was a living bruning him up from the inside out as he struggled to breathe through the sobs. A surgical tray had been left by his bedside table, bloody scalpels and lurid slips of gore still splattering the surface, and the bottle of pain meds had been just out of reach. Everything had been set out purposefully where he could see it, the message rank with the foul odour of old blood and the cloying decay of the rotting plants.
Never tell anyone about the gardens again.
And he hasn’t.
Lesson learnt.”

“And a coward. But he’s never denied it. The only reason he’d ever go the extra mile, ever risk baring his throat to be cut, ever give up anything and everything – is if it would help Evander.
It will Laurie someday, the way he is wrecked with excruciating longing for the one boy who would be happy to see his blood all over the floor, his intestines unwound like ribbons, his ribs splintered twigs for the birds to carry away.
So much for theatre class making Laurie forget everything hurts.
Pain is the only thing he ever has to eat.”

“and he doesn’t realize how much he longs for reassurance until that moment.
He just wants someone, anyone, to say, You’ll be okay, I’ll come save you…
‘Do not talk back to me, young man. If I do not receive a positive update about your attitude and work ethic, then I will be dealing with you severely over winter break. Do you understand me?’
‘No.’ Laurie’s voice cracks, desperation overriding the belligerent snark he usually wields to survive interactions with his grandfather. Pretend like you don’t care. It’s the only way he gets through the beatings, the punishments, the endless loathing. But he can’t do it this time. ‘Please, don’t make me stay here. Please. I just want to come—‘
The line goes dead.
‘Home…’ Laurie whispers and lets the phone drop from his ear.”

“Because he knows that thing is hunting Andrew. It doesn’t seem possible that a slender boy with a soft, scared mouth and bruised eyes will be able to fight it off.
But he has Thomas.
No way will Thomas let anything touch the other half of his heart — not the worst of the Wickwood bullies or the ancient forest woken with the need to kill. They are both safe, as long as they have each other.”

[Lee Fr · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg how did i not know this existed?! i'll be honest even tho Hazelthorn was one of the best reads of 2025 for me personally i still didn't remember everything as clearly as i should have (short memory folks you get me) and this both helped to refresh my memories of just how much i've enjoyed it while ALSO making me want to reread it! (remember even less of Don't Let the Forest In which i've read even earlier just that it wasn't as good but still enjoyed it). writing of this little thing was absolutely impeccable- almost orgasmic to read- and i loved and felt for laurie so so much. would love to read more of my precious boys anytime