Don't Let the Forest in

Description: In this YA psychological horror, two teen boys attempt to stop terrifying creatures that seem to be coming to life from macabre drawings.

Brief description: CG Drews is the award-winning #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hazelthorn, Don't Let the Forest In, and You Did Nothing Wrong. Their work has been translated into over 12 languages, won the Barnes & Noble 2025 YA Award, and has been nominated for the 2020 and 2025 Carnegie Medal, as well as being Indie Next Picks and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. CG lives in Australia under a pile of unread books.

Review Quotes:

Praise for Don't Let the Forest In:

A New York Times Bestseller
An ABA Indies Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
An Indies Next Selection
A B&N Best Book of 2024
A Carnegie Medal for Writing nominee
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Goodreads Choice Award finalist
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors Choice

"Drews paints a gruesome narrative with visceral descriptions of monsters and the violence they enact, while with equal vigor, encapsulating the trauma of loss, disordered eating, bullying, and anxiety, all of which is counterbalanced by a gentle touch addressing asexual identity. ... Prepare for the emotional roller coaster of plot twists, unreliable narration, and a divisive conclusion. Sure to please those interested in modern horror mixed with a touch of fairy tale." --Booklist, starred review

"More Brothers Grimm than Disney, Drews' modern-day fairy tale artfully tackles heavy topics, including homophobia, bullying and eating disorders, while skillfully weaving in the dark fantasy elements that anchor the story. Drews' words feel like poetry, almost lyrical in their grotesque execution, and you can't help but keep reading. The story opens with a boy cutting out his heart for love; by the time you reach the final, gripping page, you may feel like doing the same." --The Seattle Times

"Compulsively readable. Don't Let the Forest In lures you into a lush world full of terrifying monsters and codependent boys trying to survive their obsessive art--and each other." --Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times-bestselling author of She Is a Haunting

"CG Drews has crafted a beautiful, horrific novel out of underbrush and ink stains and blood. Perfect for any reader who has looked into the sharp mouths of disturbing fairy tales and found themself entirely at home." --Andrew Joseph White, New York Times-bestselling author of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and Hell Followed With Us

"A bloodied tale of toxic romance and botanical horror, this book will ensnare you like the tendrils of a haunted forest." --Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge and Unholy Terrors

"Genuinely creepy ... Lush, angsty, queer horror." --Kirkus Reviews

"With a lingering terror that will lurk well after you finish, this psychological horror is packed with monsters of fairytale, folklore and so much more. Good luck not getting hooked (and haunted)." --B&N Reads

"Lush [and] immersive ... In their first horror novel, Drews embraces the genre with style and intensity via truly malevolent monsters and compellingly creepy botanical horrors. Readers who enjoy high-stakes stories of obsession, epic battles with monsters of the world and of the mind, and artistically expressed blood and gore will revel in Don't Let the Forest In." --BookPage

"Beautifully cutting and achingly full of writhing love, painful loss, and horrors beyond imagination. Love is a weapon full of cutting ribs and thorns in this gut-wrenching story by CG Drews." --Kaitlyn Mahoney, Under the Umbrella Bookstore (Salt Lake City, UT)

"C.G. Drews' return to young adult fiction is a gloriously gothic exploration of fairytales, isolation and obsessive friendship, set in an elite boarding school and a dark, untouched forest. ... This is a dark and emotional fantasy thriller, and a must-read for fans of dark-academia books like Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House or M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains." --Bella Mackey, Readings (Melbourne, Australia)

Praise for Hazelthorn:

★ "Drews' latest starts off as a straightforward whodunit and turns into something that's far more sinister--and delicious. From descriptions of moth-eaten decay to vivid floral imagery, Drews luxuriates in atmospheric prose. ... A uniquely arranged bouquet of terrors, as disturbing as it is beautiful." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Viscerally atmospheric and beautifully eerie--Hazelthorn will take root inside you, drag you into its strange, thorny depths, and make you want to stay there forever. I devoured this book." --Pascale Lacelle, New York Times-bestselling author of Curious Tides

"A beautifully written, modern-yet-gothic murder mystery full of wretched boys, tangled secrets, and a horrifying sentient garden. Devour it, lest it devour you." --Jamie Pacton, bestselling author of The Absinthe Underground

"CG Drews unleashes a gorgeous atmospheric narrative that rots through the boundaries of YA horror and gives the reader a visceral and unsettling tale of murder, mania, loyalty and a garden with much more bite than you would expect. I loved every single second of this haunting book, and the twists absolutely had me screaming. This is the botanical queer horror that readers never knew they needed." --Emily Varga, bestselling author of For She Is Wrath

"In Hazelthorn's darkly gothic gardens, CG Drews conjures up a haunting nightmare dense with botanical horror, and in Evander, a rage-filled boy to root for." --Amy Goldsmith, author of Those We Drown and Predatory Natures

"A lush, gothic tale filled with devastating twists, delicious atmosphere, and toxic family secrets. Drews delivers another obsession-worthy masterpiece in Hazelthorn--one that's as hauntingly beautiful as the eponymous manor." --Kelsea Yu, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of It's Only a Game and Bound Feet

"Recalling elements of The Secret Garden, Drews (Don't Let the Forest In) deploys crisp prose to spin a gothic psychological thriller rife with brutal twists and gruesome scenes of botanical body horror." --Publishers Weekly

"The strength of the concept, pacing, and atmosphere make it an excellent introduction to the genre--especially as it combines the current popularity of both gothic mysteries and body horror." --Booklist