The Woods: A Novel

by Jessica Hamilton

We Used to Live Here meets The Amityville Horror in this haunting novel about Alice, a frustrated wife and grieving mother whose life is turned upside down when she moves her family into a secluded house sheltered by ancient woods.

After the devastating death of her teenage daughter Lucy, Alice and her family need a fresh start. Their home in the city is full of painful reminders of what they’ve lost, and Alice is worried about the mental health of her other two children, Quinn and Polly, and the state of her marriage. So when she accidentally discovers a gorgeous, renovated bungalow nestled in the shadow of lovely old woods with a FOR SALE sign at the curb, Alice immediately emails the estate agent for a viewing. She can’t believe the list price—until the agent discloses the history of the house.

Years earlier, a woman named Justine Gordon murdered her family there, claiming they were imposters and that her real family had been taken by the woods. Undeterred by the sad story, Alice makes an executive decision as the chief breadwinner. Though neither of her kids are happy to leave their friends behind, her mother Beverley thinks the granny flat in the backyard is cramped, and her husband Geoff, a failed novelist, can’t put down the bourbon long enough to help the family unpack, Alice prevails. As her family reluctantly settles in, the cracks in their relationships become more pronounced. And when inexplicable things start happening, including sightings of strange figures in the yard, and Geoff vanishing into the woods one night and returning hours later wearing different clothes and remembering nothing, Alice must confront the possibility that her refuge may be her undoing. Is her menopausal mind playing tricks on her, or is there something ancient and malevolent in the woods?

Genres: Horror

368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication August 25, 2026

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from the publisher .

3.75 ⭐️

The Woods by Jessica Hamilton

The pros
- I loved the creepy vibes of the woods and the mystery surrounding them
- The little bits of horror elements sprinkled in throughout
- the way the book was structured made it a very quick and easy read, and allowed you to want to keep reading
- the episode style dialogue was also super fun

The cons
- I found it extremely easy to guess the two major “twists” in this book and I think most people would
- I didn’t like reading from the kids perspectives, and it changed the dynamic of the book

Overall
- this book was very satisfying and did exactly what it set out to do.
- it gave a very creepy and ominous feel
- I think if you are looking for a mystery with horror elements sprinkled in, this would be perfect for you.

Thanks again to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me an arc of this book.

[jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

On one hand, I couldn’t put it down.
On the other, perhaps my bar for horror/thrillers is too high, but I didn’t care what happened to anybody. I felt no emotional connection to any of the characters, nor did I quite understand the rationale behind why the woods were so evil.

I wanted LORE.
Instead I got an abundance of references to… menopause.

Can’t win ‘em all, I guess.

[Emma Cecil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal; the only reason it’s not a 5/5 is because the ending really p*ssed me off. (Although I can’t see it ending any other way that’s consistent with the who the characters are and what’s going on in their heads.) A much needed fresh voice in horror for me.

[Terri Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great paranormal novel. A twisty tale that is perfectly suspenseful. I found the characters well developed, and it was great to have the novel written from multiple viewpoints. I did feel the ending was a bit abrupt, and it lacked closure a bit for me. But all in all a great book.