Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Boy from the Woods

TL/DR Just don’t do it, pick something else.

I hate to say it but this was so lame. The stakes didn’t feel very high due to the lighthearted banter that was constant amidst a child being missing. I think one of the major flaws is that the plot is largely centered around these missing kids in this town, but the book is named for the guy trying to find them. These missing kids felt like a side story to the exploration of Wilde and his adult life after being found in the woods as a child for who knows how long. I think if you’re going to name the book what it’s named, make it actually about his time in the woods and his time after, not him searching for these kids and throwing in here and there that he has difficulty connecting and likes being in the woods.

I was entertained listening to this story for a bit but never felt truly invested in the plot or the characters. The major twist in the end, while I didn’t see it coming, just made me angrier about listening to this whole thing, and then the final twist was just like… who really cares. The characters were mostly unlikable (except Hester) and this really just felt like a machismo thing about how being outdoorsy makes this guy so super duper cool and bada*s but like… idk it was all just far fetched and not in a satisfying way. Plus this was so politically on the nose I was rolling my eyes so hard through the last hour.

The most redeeming quality of this was the narration which was great, but the story itself was not it.

Content Warnings

rachaelbunny's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

typedtruths's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

Content Warnings

sorcha's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

dayday_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

So I finished this and didn't immediately post my thoughts as I had some real mixed feelings. It's a GOOD book, don't get me wrong. I quite enjoyed it. It's very plot driven and I do enjoy that and the characters were interesting and likeable (for the most part). There were some fun plot twists and misdirection that had me questioning everything and every one. The final two plot twists were a nice surprise that I did NOT see coming and yet ... some of it was too easy, too convenient ... know what I mean? Also, I had really hoped to get a real back story on our main character - The Boy From the Woods! Nope ... not happening here. So that was a real disappointment and the ending was just odd. Not at all what I was expecting. Also tbe sorta villain, Rusty Eggers. Ugh! He was real one dimensional and also his plot line wrapped up too neatly although I could see something like that happening. There were too many unanswered questions for my liking but it was an enjoyable, engaging read.

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