The Woods Are Always Watching may begin as a slow burn, atmospheric thriller but it quickly transforms into a gruesome tale of survival. High school best friends, Neena and Josie, decide to take a backpacking trip in Appalachian country before Neena leaves the state to attend college. Unfortunately, their lack of preparedness begins to eat away at the cracks in their relationship, leaving them exhausted and allowing petty resentments to rise to the surface. Before they realize it, they become trapped in a game of cat and mouse and must face their greatest fears. Stephanie Perkins has done a wonderful job crafting a novel that weaves together character development and fast-paced plot. The first portion of the book focuses on the friendship dramas that arise as Neena and Josie begin their wilderness trek; however, the setting and the use of foreshadowing creates an overwhelming sense of dread, leaving the reader with the knowledge that there is more to come. I wanted to scream at the main characters as they made poor decisions and overlooked important clues about what was afoot. I felt like I was waiting on pins and needles for the axe to finally fall and when it fell, it fell hard. The second half of the book takes a wild turn, rapidly escalating into a gory fight for survival. There are definitely some content warnings to take note of and the level of violence may be a bit much for young teens. That being said, this book is sure to be an excellent choice for anyone searching for a quick, disturbing, and tension-filled weekend read. Who knew the wilderness could feel so claustrophobic? Many thanks to Dutton and BookishFirst for providing me with an ARC!