The Box in the Woods audiobook

can this series have ten more books? thank you very much😭

all the Nate content gave me lifeAND I ACTUALLY LOVED DAVID??? who am i-RTC(4.5⭐)______ Pre-read Review: All I need in this book is more Nate

Ding ding ding! We have a big WINNER! I loved this standalone more than Truly Devious Trilogy! It was amazing to see my favorite gang members back! ( of course I talk about Stevie- Nate and Janelle) Douchebag David is also back! But something magical happened in this book: I learned to tolerate David: I never fantasized to perform 100 ways of punching him. Especially at the last third of the story he earned so many brownie points with his contribution to solve the case and proved himself as a devoted member of the team. But I’m still watching him! I hope he doesn’t screw again and confuses Stevie’s mind!Stevie is one of a kind. Most high school teens have different hobbies. Some of them into sports. Some writes…Some draws… Some dances… But Stevie solves crimes. She already solved Ellingham Academy’s coldest, very famous case which occurred mid 30’s. Stevie is still quirkiest Queen: reminding me of my teenage years: whodunnit books, true crime addiction ( additionally she also devours true crime podcasts), suffering from anxiety issues. She’s interesting way to look at things and see the world from different view! Now she is working at her summer job at charcuterie, cutting cheese in thin pieces, struggling not to fantasize how to kill the customers in 5 million creative ways. But an email changes everything. Carson Buckwald, owner of Box Box recently purchased a camp site at Western Massachusetts called Camp Sunny Pines which was used to be called Camp Wonder Falls where the Box in the wood murders have been committed in summer of 1978 : 4 innocent camping counselors: young teenagers were massacred. Now Carson makes a true crime podcast/ documentary about the camp and he heard about her brilliant performance at Ellingham Academy. He asks her help by providing her fully paid summer job at the camp. She can also brings her friends. A big bold YES! This is the opportunity she’s been looking for. Janelle and Nat already says yes and David hmmm yes he’s always extra annoying who promises to join them later and wants her to keep him updated about events. So the gang reunites the solve the 4 decades long mystery and this is where I’m shutting my big mouth! This is unputdownable, addictive, exciting, one of the fastest reads of mine! I’m telling you this is so much better than trilogy and if you haven’t read Truly Devious series you may still read this book because the author summarizes the past events adroitly and briefly so you can catch it fast and take your ticket to this wild ride! I’m giving my five murder mystery, quirky Sherlock Holmes meets Poirot apprentice, teen slasher vibes at the camp side, exciting, action packed thriller stars!

Will not be going camping anytime soon.

Not to be dramatic but I'd die for Stevie...I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW!

Full review to come!

“This whole thing is ticking a lot of the horror movie boxes. Murder at a sleep away camp. A serial killer. A final girl. A kid who died because some teenagers were being irresponsible.”Stevie Bell is home for the summer and working a mundane job behind a deli counter. How could life be so utterly boring after her whirlwind year at Ellingham Academy and solving not just one mystery but two?! One of them as far back as the 1930’s. That’s all about to change when she gets an email from Carson the owner of a well known box service called Box Box and also the new owner of Sunny Pines Summer Camp. Formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls and the infamous spot of The Box in the Woods Murders, an unsolved murder case involving the gruesome deaths of 4 teenage camp counselors back in 1978. Carson has invited Stevie to be a part of his PodCast which will detail the story of Barlow Corners, the victims and the crime itself. Carson would also like Stevie to take a crack at solving the decades old murders.To sweeten the deal Carson let’s Stevie invite along her friends from Ellingham. This is a tougher case than Stevie realized, it’s more emotional and real feeling. She actually witnesses the towns pain and the grieving loved ones are still alive and raw. She needs Nathan and Janelle to help her put together the puzzle pieces from 1978. But someone from Barlow Corners doesn’t want this secret to come to light and Stevie Bell, amateur sleuth extraordinaire might not live to solve another case. Maureen Johnson once again does an amazing job weaving past and present together so seamlessly. It reads so perfectly fluid. She also leaves lots of bread crumbs to follow, but I never would have seen this coming until the very end. I’m not sure how I feel about the reasoning behind murders, but I could actually see it as a possibility. Maybe exaggerated a bit but still possible. Even though The Box in the Woods detours away from Ellingham Academy and has a completely different scenery and scenario along with some new characters thrown in the mix, it doesn’t lose its charm. Stevie and friends never fail to disappoint. With Stevie being the oddball girl that loves everything murder, Janelle the lovable best friend who never met a craft (or project) she didn’t like and Nathan my favorite of them all whose sarcastic humor and whit kept me laughing even with some serious tones, I couldn’t help but fall in love with them all over. And they do Summer Camp in only ways that they can do. My only complaint is I would have liked a little more on Stevie’s friends. I loved the 70’s nostalgia and the references to Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac. These were groups a bit before my time but I can remember my mom listening to their music when I was just a young child. The songs Sabrina and friends were listening to brought up some warm fuzzy memories. That’s always a plus! I was worried I would become bored with the Truly Devious series, but if anything I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment, to see where Stevie’s new year at Ellingham Academy takes her and who’s next on the chopping block. 😁

About the book: After solving the case of Truly Devious, Stevie Bell investigates her first mystery outside of Ellingham Academy in this spine-chilling and hilarious stand-alone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.Stevie and her friends from the Ellingham Academy are spending summer together investigating old murders/cold cases. Of course this is a dangerous, thrilling, and chilling job. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. Calling all crime thriller, mystery thriller, young adult thriller lovers, or those who are already fans of this spectacular series. What a gift from Maureen Johnson!I received a gifted copy from the publisher. Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

4.5 starsWhen I say that I screamed my head off when I got approved for The Box in the Woods, I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. Truly Devious is one of my favorite mystery series, so when I heard that there was gonna be one more book in the series, I couldn’t believe it. And this stand alone spin off did not disappoint!Reading this was like returning to an old group of friends. We got to see Stevie, Nate, and Janelle in a completely different setting, but the charm of a cold murder case still surrounds them. Maureen Johnson KNOWS how to plot out a mystery. I am absolutely terrible at predicting the events in books, so the whole time it’s a complete guesisng game for me. It’s always fun because I can never tell which clues are actually hints, and which ones are meant to throw the reader off. But by the end reveal, everything came together, all the clues lining up perfectly. Now the only thing I want to do is go back and reread this entire novel just so I can pick up on the hints that I missed.For me, The Box in the Woods was everything I loved about the Truly Devious trilogy, but at the same time I have the exact same critiques, there wasn’t much improvement. I still adore Stevie as our main character (though at some points she gave off “not like other girls energy”), the friendships between all the academy students, and the tension you feel while reading the novel. These are all things that have carried over extremely well from the original trilogy. Yet, the most glaring issue was the romance between David and Stevie. It’s just not there, there’s no spark. And I do think there is a decent amount of filler in this series, maybe if I go back and reread it won’t actually seem like filler, but the first read can drag a bit.If you enjoyed the original Truly Devious trilogy, you definitely will want to pick up The Box in the Woods, you won’t want to miss the reunion of the Minerva house gang!

OH MY LORD! Where have I been?! Has this JUST been announced or something?! I’m SO F*CKING EXCITED!!!! I literally never would have expected this!HELL YAH!

I really enjoyed the trilogy that included Stevie and her friends solving the mystery of Ellingham Academy, and was thrilled to see that the Truly Devious series had a fourth installment. This one takes Stevie, Nate, and Janelle to a summer camp, best known for the Box in the Woods murders that took place there in the late 70s. The new owner thinks Stevie is the one to solve the crimes, even though they are decades old. For you fans--yes, David is included in the story. I'm not sure I really connect with their relationship, but it wasn't a huge focal point of this book, so I'll overlook it for the moment. I did appreciate Stevie's astute assessment of him at one point. Don't want to spoil things, but suffice it to say that I really admired her as a character when she made the observation about his privilege.This book was like a comfortable hug. I have come to love these characters and the mysteries they solve. There's humor, funny dialogue, and a decently clever (if just a little bit Scooby-doo-ish at the end) mystery. The 70s setting of the murders was also a nice addition, because it can allow today's readers to see just how far police investigation and technology has come. I hope the author continues with this series because there are many directions this can go now, and I'll take all of the contemporary YA mysteries!I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

***4,5 stars***Absolutely LOVED the Truly Devious series and this fourth book was no exception. It's funny, witty and murdery goodness! Maureen Johnson is such a talented author - as long as she writes, I'll read. The Box in the Woods is separate from the other books, but it's just as juicy and good. It continues with Stevie Bell and her friends solving cases, this time at a summer camp, where 4 teenagers were murdered in the 70s and no one has ever figured out who did it.Entertaining, thrilling, and mysterious, this series is great for true crime lovers of all ages.

4.5! Maureen Johnson is a genius!!!