The God of The Woods by Liz Moore – Book Review

I finally finished The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, and when I say finally, I mean it. Let’s just say it was a journey. This book has been on my radar since its release last year, but I kept putting it off because of the mixed reviews. A few friends didn’t like it, and some didn’t even finish it.

Then one day, I was scrolling through my Apple Books library, and there it was, that gorgeous cover staring back at me, practically begging for a chance. I thought, how bad can a book with a cover like that really be? Well, you know that saying never judge a book by its cover? It has never fit more perfectly than it does here.

So here it is, my humble, honest review of The God of the Woods.

Spoiler-Free Zone
This review is completely spoiler-free, no twists revealed, no key plot points given away. It’s safe to keep reading, even if you haven’t started the book yet.

The God of the Woods – Book Synopsis

Consider adding The God of the Woods to your TBR list on Goodreads.

The God of the Woods – Quick Summary

The God of the Woods – Trigger Warnings, Sensitive Topics and Age Rating

Before we go any further, I always like to include a quick note on sensitive content. Every reader is different, and some themes in this book might be difficult for certain people.

If you prefer to check content warnings before reading, just click below to reveal the list of trigger warnings, sensitive topics and age ratting.

Plot Overview

Set in the Adirondack Mountains in the 1970s, The God of the Woods kicks off with the mysterious disappearance of Barbara Van Laar, the teenage daughter of a wealthy, powerful family that owns a private summer camp. Her sudden vanishing isn’t just a tragedy, it stirs up long-buried secrets that the town, and the Van Laars, would rather keep hidden.

As the search for Barbara unfolds, the story weaves between timelines and perspectives, from detectives and camp employees to locals and family members, slowly revealing the darker truths behind this seemingly perfect family and their pristine summer camp. You get layers of mystery, family tension, class divides, and emotional unraveling, all set against the eerie beauty of the wilderness.

It’s a slow-burn literary mystery, the type where you check your Kindle progress a few times wondering when the “burn” part actually starts, but yeah, it’s filled with atmosphere, a large cast of characters, and some heavy emotional themes.

My Thoughts

What I Loved (Or Thought I Did)

Right, it’s hard to describe something I genuinely loved in a book that really wasn’t for me overall.

I have mixed feelings about this, so I’ll try to make myself clear. The writing is beautiful, it’s elegant, detailed, and so poetic. Liz Moore has an incredible way of painting scenes and characters. Everything feels vivid and immersive. At first, I really enjoyed that. I thought, okay, I kinda like this, I can picture it all so clearly.

But then… it just kept going. Some chapters felt like endless pages of mood and scenery, with very little actually happening. And as someone who loves a fast-paced book, I started to get restless. There’s only so much description and so much fluff in the early chapters that I was internally screaming, “Can something interesting please happen?”

So yes, I admired the writing style, even if it tested my patience. It’s the kind of prose that’s easy to respect, but not always easy to enjoy.

What Surprised Me

One thing that surprised me was how layered and complex some of the female characters were, especially Judyta, Louise, and T.J. Each of them is facing her own kind of struggle, whether it’s professional pressure, emotional vulnerability, or just trying to survive in a world that doesn’t really make space for women like them.

They all exist in this in-between space, not fully part of the elite Van Laar world, but not completely accepted by the locals either. That outsider feeling really shapes who they are and adds some emotional weight to the story. It also connects with one of the book’s bigger themes, who belongs where, and what class really means.

These women also push back, in quiet but powerful ways, against the gender norms of the 1970s. Their stories show resilience, strength, and a lot of quiet resistance. Honestly, the chapters that focused on them were the most compelling. If Liz Moore had spent more time on these three, instead of constantly jumping between so many flat, less engaging perspectives, their arcs might have landed with even more emotional weight.

Vibe Check

One thing I have to give the book, the atmosphere is on point. The Adirondack Mountains setting gives the whole story this moody, eerie, haunting vibe. You never quite know what to expect coming out of that forest, and there’s this constant tension, like something big or dangerous could happen at any moment.

And the Van Laars’ residence, named Self-Reliant, gives off that gothic, almost haunted-house energy, remote, cold, and cut off from the rest of the world. It only adds to the book’s unsettling tone and sense of isolation.

What Didn’t Work for Me

Oh wow, I have a list. Let me just unroll my parchment… I need a second.

First, let’s talk about the pace, and honestly, I think that was my biggest issue with the book. It’s so slow. Like, painfully slow. Something grabs your attention early on, but then you’re hit with almost 400 pages where basically nothing happens. And just when you think, okay, finally, we’re getting somewhere, it drags again. More pages of endless, overly detailed descriptions and not much going on.

Then there’s the massive cast of characters. So many perspectives, and most of them just weren’t that interesting. You could probably count on one hand the characters who actually felt developed or compelling. The rest? Flat, one-dimensional, and somehow the ones who got the most page time.

During the investigation parts, the pacing was even more disappointing. Just as things started to build tension, the author would suddenly cut away to a random, unrelated chapter. It completely killed the vibe and made it hard to stay invested in the mystery she was trying to build.

The timeline and POV switches didn’t help either. Especially in the middle of the book, jumping between past and present got really confusing. I kept flipping back to check what year I was in or which character I was following. It started to feel like homework. I lost count of how many times I put the book down and thought about not picking it back up. But because of all the glowing reviews, I kept telling myself I was just being too picky or that it would all come together eventually.

It didn’t. At least not for me.

About The Plot Twist

Let’s talk about the plot twist. I’ll be honest, I didn’t see it coming, but not in a wow, mind blown kind of way, more like a wait, that’s it? moment, you know?

I expected more, so much more. After all the buildup, the layered storytelling, and the endless character perspectives, I really thought the payoff would hit harder. But when it finally happened, it just felt… meh. It definitely didn’t deliver the punch I was hoping for. With everything the book tried to do, the twist ended up being very, very disappointing.

Conclusion

If I had to sum it up, I think the biggest issue I had with this book is that it was marketed as a mystery thriller, but what I actually got felt more like a slow-burning, historical family drama. And to be fair, if I had gone into it expecting that, maybe I would’ve had a different experience.

Now, I know this take might spark some controversy. I know a lot of people absolutely loved this book. It won awards, landed on Barack Obama’s and Jimmy Fallon’s reading lists, and has been praised all over social media. I’ll be honest, when I finished it and didn’t feel the same, I actually wondered if I’d missed something. Like… did I not read it right? Was I not smart enough to “get” it?

But the truth is, it just wasn’t for me, and that’s okay. I love good writing, I can appreciate rich atmosphere and deep character work, but I also love fast pacing, cliffhangers, and plot twists that make my jaw drop. The God of the Woods had some strengths, but it didn’t deliver the kind of reading experience I personally enjoy.

Some Book Quotes

“Something about her looks immortal, thinks Judy: a spirit, an apparition, more god than child.”

“August in the Adirondacks does not feel like August… the air itself feels full of cool water, velvety on the skin.”

“She followed the scent… something sweet and painful and almost familiar.”

Let’s Chat!

Agree? Disagree? Wondering if we even read the same book?

Tell me what you thought of The God of the Woods in the comments, I’m genuinely curious how this one hit for other readers!