I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

One of my anticipated reads of 2024 and BOY did it deliver!

😍 I mean right from the start it got scary. The girls (our MC and her best friend Reese) are having an OK time hiking in a new scout group (sadly with a lot of cliques and a racist (as I would call her) group leader), and then something is rustling. Something is watching. The birds and the animals go silent. And then there is the first time our MC sees the big monster. Who looks like a human, is it big foot? Is it something else? It just stares. Silently. Waiting. And I knew that this book would get hecka scary.
😍 And then it is a few moments of bliss before the night-time terror starts and Reese is snatched away. Boy, those parts were just terrifying. Thanks for the nightmares dear author. XD
😍 While it was a bit much, I did love the determination of our MC to try and help out her friend. From finding a new troop who would hike near the location to making food bags and tagging trees with pink chalk to make sure her friend may be able to find her way back. That is just great friendship right there. Most people would just be like, heck no I am not going back to that place of doom and scary tall big foot like monsters, but she was determined.
😍 The monster stalking the new troop and always being near? Making noises? And even doing THAT (no, I am not spoiling it, but if you read it, you will understand)? That was just epically written and terrifying as well. You never know exactly when he will strike. He is getting closer. And closer….
😍 I just loved it when Mel did story time around the campfire. I wasn’t there physically, but hot dang, even reading it was scary. I could just hear her voice. That creepy one. The one that makes your skin crawl.
😍 I was so happy when Jenna started opening up to her troop, told her story, started making friendships.
😍 I loved the friendship between Reese, but also with Norrie!
😍 The last bit with the troop decided to hold down the fort and kick some monster butt. Many books like this will have everyone in great panic and just running around. But in this one the troop bonded and they get together to figure out a way to be save in the night and make sure to make it to the morning. I was just cheering, rooting, almost screaming when the monster appeared and things got very scary!
😍 Oh, and what happens next. I did NOT expect that, but I love every bit of it.
😍 Bonus points for the cover which is just way way too good and gives you immediately the vibes of the book. There is something lurking… behind you. Closer. Closer.
😍 Extra points to Pap who listened to his granddaughter and who also told her stories and that he understood. He was a great support for Jenna. Because her mom? She didn’t believe a word.
😍 The newspapers/podcast/forum/etc. and Owlet guidebook pages between chapters were just an A-plus addition to the book. I especially loved those newspapers/podcast/etc. stuff because it gave more insight on what was going on in regards to Reese, but also to whatever lurked in the woods. You would think that given all the stories the police would start taking things more seriously.

🤔 While I love the last news article and what news it brought… I think I would have liked an epilogue after that one. Just a bit more closure. Now this one felt more like an afterthought and that was just a shame.
🤔 While I did get why our MC was acting towards the new scout group the way she did in the beginning… I also didn’t like it. She was just so rude. I get that you have a mission. I get that you don’t want to make new friends while your bestie is maybe somewhere in the wild. But you could have at least been friendly. As the story continued she opened up more, but in those start-bits? I wanted to shake her.
🤔 And there were the standard dumb horror decisions/things happening. Like, oh hey, there is a strange hut and some weird smell, let’s investigate. NOPE. You run. That is what you do.
🤔 Maybe because I am an adult now, I really would like a time machine to see how younger me is about these things, but I am getting tired of the adults don’t believe stuff unless they really see it happen. It just makes my eyes roll.

But despite those things I had a lot of fun reading this one, it was a great one. Lots of spooky moments. Some more scary moments that had me want to hide somewhere. This is definitely a book I would recommend for Spooktober/Halloween!