k5t1e's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
laurenevlyn's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another amazing addition to the world of Truly Devious! I greatly appreciated the fact that the case was introduced and solved in one book (as opposed to the slow revealing of information that occurred throughout the original trilogy). I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of David and Stevie (they’re cute but where’s the romantic chemistry??? Plus when he called her “Princess” 😑🤢) Nevertheless, I enjoyed all the characters and their quirks! I can’t wait to read Nine Lives (and the 6th book when it comes out)!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Child death, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Car accident
Minor: Death of parent, War, Antisemitism, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
marine2907's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Violence, Car accident, Drug use, Gun violence, and Infidelity
someryarns's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Gore, Alcohol, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
letiross's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use
Minor: Homophobia
jojo_fiction_'s review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The 4th book in the Truly Devious series follows Stevie and her friends from Ellingham: Janelle, Nate, and Stevie’s boyfriend David. During their summer vacation away from Ellingham, Stevie is invited to work at a summer camp called Sunny Pines, formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls. She is asked to solve The Box in the Woods murders, an unsolved murder case involving 4 teenagers from the late 1970’s.
Dealing with poorly handled past investigations, small town secrets, and of course, high school relationship drama, Stevie finds herself in a very different environment than Ellingham, and a murder case that is still raw and fresh in the hearts of the citizens of Barlow Corners.
-----
How?? How does Maureen Johnston keep writing books that rope me in completely?
First it was books 1-3 of the Truly Devious series and now this?? The summer camp setting, the small town vibes, NATE!! I'm obsessed.
Maybe its because I grew up going to summer camps like that (minus the murder), or that I live in a small town, (or maybe it’s just cuz I watched fear street 1978 recently) but I was really able to visualize the setting and the small town characters so well. I was on the edge of my seat and I definitely gasped out loud a few times at some of the plot twists and revelations. I liked that I was able to follow along with the mystery pretty easily, but not to the point that everything was obvious (there's lots of notes in the margins of this book with my different theories lol). I also really liked the flashback chapters going back and forth from past and present. I think that it tied the plot together well and kept things moving at a really good pace and also gave us the information we needed from the past to be able to fill in the blanks in the present.
Stevie was, of course, as quirky and clever as ever. I really like how, unlike her last main case where no one is alive to have a personal connection, Stevie was able to see the real and raw pain of the townspeople. Especially with each new true crime investigation that The Box in the Woods case received throughout the years. It made me think about true crime today and how when discussing the cases of people, especially those that have occurred recently, being sympathetic and respectful to the grieving parties involved needs to be at the forefront.
In terms of the other characters, I really wish there were more Janelle moments. I found her character wasn't really plot central like Nate or even David (and ofc Stevie). She was mainly seen tinkering around the camp and missing her partner who was in Thailand for the summer.
David honestly wasn't in this story too much either and tbh I wasn't mad about it. He didn't really add too much except for some relationship drama when Stevie was supposed to be doing her detective thing. And his character development near the end was slightly better but all in all I'm still not a fan.
NATE THO, oh my god I fell in love. An antisocial king. I don't think I've laughed that much over a character's one liners in a while. (minor spoiler)
He was really forced out of his shell in this book and I love his dynamic with Stevie due to them both hating to show their emotions or feelings. I really hope we get to see more of his character in the future.
All in all, a fantastic read and I'm so excited to see what Maureen Johnson has in store for us in her next story Nine Liars.
Dealing with poorly handled past investigations, small town secrets, and of course, high school relationship drama, Stevie finds herself in a very different environment than Ellingham, and a murder case that is still raw and fresh in the hearts of the citizens of Barlow Corners.
-----
How?? How does Maureen Johnston keep writing books that rope me in completely?
First it was books 1-3 of the Truly Devious series and now this?? The summer camp setting, the small town vibes, NATE!! I'm obsessed.
Maybe its because I grew up going to summer camps like that (minus the murder), or that I live in a small town, (or maybe it’s just cuz I watched fear street 1978 recently) but I was really able to visualize the setting and the small town characters so well. I was on the edge of my seat and I definitely gasped out loud a few times at some of the plot twists and revelations. I liked that I was able to follow along with the mystery pretty easily, but not to the point that everything was obvious (there's lots of notes in the margins of this book with my different theories lol). I also really liked the flashback chapters going back and forth from past and present. I think that it tied the plot together well and kept things moving at a really good pace and also gave us the information we needed from the past to be able to fill in the blanks in the present.
Stevie was, of course, as quirky and clever as ever. I really like how, unlike her last main case where no one is alive to have a personal connection, Stevie was able to see the real and raw pain of the townspeople. Especially with each new true crime investigation that The Box in the Woods case received throughout the years. It made me think about true crime today and how when discussing the cases of people, especially those that have occurred recently, being sympathetic and respectful to the grieving parties involved needs to be at the forefront.
In terms of the other characters, I really wish there were more Janelle moments. I found her character wasn't really plot central like Nate or even David (and ofc Stevie). She was mainly seen tinkering around the camp and missing her partner who was in Thailand for the summer.
David honestly wasn't in this story too much either and tbh I wasn't mad about it. He didn't really add too much except for some relationship drama when Stevie was supposed to be doing her detective thing. And his character development near the end was slightly better but all in all I'm still not a fan.
NATE THO, oh my god I fell in love. An antisocial king. I don't think I've laughed that much over a character's one liners in a while. (minor spoiler)
Spoiler
Also, finally writing his story out of spite cuz a kid annoyed him into doing it??? IconicHe was really forced out of his shell in this book and I love his dynamic with Stevie due to them both hating to show their emotions or feelings. I really hope we get to see more of his character in the future.
All in all, a fantastic read and I'm so excited to see what Maureen Johnson has in store for us in her next story Nine Liars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
yoursparrow's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use
Spoiler
Nazi villainmarioosa517's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Drug use, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Infidelity
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
“Truly devious” series is back and better than ever. Usually spin-offs are not as good as the original, but that is definitely not the case for A Box in the Woods. Stevie, now that she has solved the Ellingham crime of the century, is now in demand to solve other murders. A camp director offers Stevie a paid counselor role to come and bring her friends to help her solve the “Box in the Woods” murders of 1978 at the camp where they occurred. This book brings a new summer camp slasher thriller type vibe to the series and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Maureen Johnson truly delivered on the addict-ability of the books, matching if not exceeding the shocking plot twists of the first three books. When I tell you that I never in a million years would have guessed this, I am not kidding. I wanted to stay up all night reading this, but couldn’t because of school, and I went to bed upset every night that I couldn’t keep reading. This book seriously defied every expectation that I had for it, and I am so thrilled to see what new adventures Stevie is going on in the next books. Again, Stevie is such a complex and lovable character. We see straight into her thought process and experience everything with her, including a close up on her mental health struggles. These mental health struggles (anxiety and panic attacks) are presented in such an honest way, which many other books from different authors should take note of. Additionally, it should be noted that Maureen Johnson DELIVERS on the representation! Such good LGBTQIA+ rep!! Again, Maureen Johnson is giving everything and more. If you didn’t know already, I love these books.
Age rating: 14+ (true crime gets graphic at times)
Age rating: 14+ (true crime gets graphic at times)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Child death, and Death
Minor: Cursing
anniereads221's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death, Blood, Murder, and Gun violence