Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious, #4)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Box in the Woods

(Truly Devious #4)

Maureen Johnson (Goodreads Author)

4.15 · Rating details · 24,147 ratings · 3,992 reviews

The Truly Devious series continues as Stevie Bell investigates her first mystery outside of Ellingham Academy in this spine-chilling and hilarious stand-alone mystery.

Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder. After catching a killer at her high school, she’s back at home for a normal (that means boring) summer.

But then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines ...more

Get A Copy

ebook, 400 pages

Published June 15th 2021 by Katherine Tegen Books

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Box in the Woods, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Novels of 2021

809 books — 2,676 voters

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Can't Wait Books of 2021

1,148 books — 2,490 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.15 ·

Rating details

· 24,147 ratings · 3,992 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious, #4)

May 06, 2020 Vero marked it as to-read

I just hope Stevie dumps asshole David and winds up dating her true love Nathaniel Fisher

flag 1059 likes · Like · see review

Jun 11, 2021 Melanie (MelReads) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites

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

flag 557 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2020 Lia Carstairs rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, young-adult, rtc, romance

all the Nate content gave me life

AND I ACTUALLY LOVED DAVID??? who am i-

RTC

(4.5⭐)

______

Pre-read Review:

All I need in this book is more Nate

...more

flag 413 likes · Like · see review

Jun 20, 2021 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing

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 de 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! ...more

flag 300 likes · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2021 emma rated it it was ok

Shelves: eh, 2-and-a-half-stars, owned, mystery-thriller-horror-etc, ya, couldn-t-wait-to-read, unpopular-opinion, reviewed

Hi MTV, and welcome to my ~~purgatory~~ crib.

Come on in. Make yourself at home. But also get homey while you're walking, because it's tour time. So...yeah. This is my humble abode and the location of my unrelenting mundane quasi-punishment.

Over on your left, you'll see a pretty good series starter, a mystery book with fun banter and completely unhinged and unrealistic characters but also an autumn-y boarding school setting. Highs and lows.

Up ahead, there's a slightly worse version of the same thing ...more

flag 221 likes · Like · see review

Jun 23, 2020 megs_bookrack marked it as to-read

Shelves: ya-thriller-horror-to-read, 2021-releases

?!?! WHAT, WHAT, WHAT !?!?

THIS COVER IS PERFECTION!
Yesss, give me all the purple goodness.

The Box in the Woods is going to look so great on my shelves.
And Maureen Johnson, blessing us with more Stevie Bell?!

I mean, I just can't handle it.

...more

flag 152 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2021 Michael rated it it was amazing

Will not be going camping anytime soon.

flag 139 likes · Like · see review

May 11, 2020 Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: releases-2021, most-anticipated-2021

Not to be dramatic but I'd die for Stevie...

description

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW! ...more

flag 109 likes · Like · see review

Jul 18, 2021 Maddie rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-mystery, 2021-releases

Nate is one of the best fictional characters ever and I will accept no argument on this matter.

flag 91 likes · Like · see review

Jul 03, 2020 shre ☂ marked it as to-read

OMG why am I knowing about this only now??? so excited!!!!

flag 85 likes · Like · see review

Jun 28, 2021 ;3 rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, contemporary

as usual, nate carried

flag 75 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2020 giulia rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, mysterythrillerhorror, gotta-catch-em-all, favorite-author, read-in-2021, less-than-400-pages, 2021-release, 4-stars, unfinished-series, contemporary

STEVIE BELL IS COMING BACK STEVIE BELL IS COMING BACK STEVIE BELL IS COMING BACK STEVIE BELL IS COMING BACK
————————————————————————————————————-————

not surprised at all that i loved this!! hoping we get more from the series because of (1) reason: STEVIE BELL!!!!

flag 74 likes · Like · see review

Jun 23, 2020 rose ★ marked it as to-read

NO WAY!

(all i want from this is for stevie to actually get her moose lol)

flag 63 likes · Like · see review

Jun 15, 2020 ☀︎El In Oz☀︎ rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021-anticipated-releases, 3-star, mystery, ya-mystery, disappointing, lgbtq-representation, summer-vibes, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 3/5

So this was a disappointment. I expected so much from this. I loved the previous three Truly Devious books and there was no reason I wouldn’t read this. Sadly it wasn’t that good.

I think a big thing that made me like it less was the setting. I didn’t connect with the summer camp vibes like I connected with the private school in the middle of nowhere vibes of Ellingham Academy. I feel the school setting really gave the story this unique feeling which is odd to say since so many murder mysterie 3/5

So this was a disappointment. I expected so much from this. I loved the previous three Truly Devious books and there was no reason I wouldn’t read this. Sadly it wasn’t that good.

I think a big thing that made me like it less was the setting. I didn’t connect with the summer camp vibes like I connected with the private school in the middle of nowhere vibes of Ellingham Academy. I feel the school setting really gave the story this unique feeling which is odd to say since so many murder mysteries take places at school but those were my feelings! I’m such a sucker for dark academia and this wasn’t dark academia because there was no school 😩

It seemed like a typical YA murder mystery. The format of the mystery wasn’t unique and my biggest pet peeve here was NO PLOT TWISTS. What. The whole plot revolves on finding a diary. Once they had it the mystery was solved. It was so disappointing and with the twists in the first three I wished we had had more of that here.

Stevie was so annoying here. I’ve never liked her or Nate (unpopular opinion) so having so much of them drained me. My favourite has always been David and his role in this book was so subpar and, quite frankly, I found him annoying.
Janelle was her usual good self which was relief.

The first few 1970’a flashbacks were so so good and got me completely hooked into the story. But once those ended and we were fully in the present time, I got bored. So many parts seemed unnecessary to me and there wasn’t any drama to make up for the lack of action. Everything seemed so odd. And when we had all those diary entries as well I got bored because all though they were revealing who the killer was, it seemed as if there was no stakes to anything.

The conclusion to the mystery itself was so bad. The murderer was a Nazi???????? That was the most random out of nowhere plot twists that made no sense in the slightest. I get the mentions of Germany were foreshadowing but still. It felt so odd to read. He got away with the crime and died free. If you have a nazi as your villain the least you can do is have them go to prison or, you know, get killed. It left such an unsatisfied tone and ending to the story.

Overall I wanted to like this but didn’t but if the next book takes place in England as I think it will be based on the hints at the end I’m in bc I adore mysteries in England <3 ...more

flag 56 likes · Like · see review

Jun 03, 2020 rox rawr added it

WHERE IS DAVID?!

flag 52 likes · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2020 Lucy Tonks marked it as to-read

Shelves: mysteries

This book was released and I still haven't picked it up. 💀🔪

_______________________________________

How did I not know there's going to be a book 4 in the Truly Devious series??? I'm so excited!! The cover is gorgeous, especially since it's purple, my favorite color :p
God, 2021 seems so far away :/
There are so many great books coming out in 2021 that I wanna read! ...more

flag 46 likes · Like · see review

May 13, 2020 Maria rated it really liked it

Loved the atmosphere - which is totally different than in previous 3 books but still awesome

flag 45 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2020 Katrin D rated it really liked it

Full review to come!

flag 44 likes · Like · see review

May 07, 2021 daphnereads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebooks, young-adult, 2021-releases, arcs

4.5 stars

When 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 sti ...more

flag 41 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2020 rachel ☾ marked it as to-read

Shelves: sequel-tbr, mystery-thriller-suspense, young-adult-lit

#1) Truly Devious ★★★★★
#2) The Vanishing Stair ★★☆☆☆
#3) The Hand on the Wall ★★☆☆☆

is everyone seeing this!? we're getting more stevie bell & the crew

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram ...more

flag 40 likes · Like · see review

Jun 16, 2021 Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader rated it it was amazing

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 thril ...more

flag 39 likes · Like · see review

Jun 23, 2020 Ashley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-releases

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!

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

May 25, 2020 kenzie rated it it was amazing

if this cover isn't purple or yellow i will be suing

edit: ITS PURPLE KSNSKSKDNS

ayeeeeee guess who's finally out of her reading slump??? all it took was staying up until 1:45 am to finish this book when i have work tomorrow morning and falling behind on two months worth of reading *air horn noises*

i wish i could make a clear and concise draw between whether this little fun fourth book was better than the original trilogy but it's not fair to compare at all when i feel so attached to the character ...more

flag 29 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2021 exploraDora rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, mystery, crime, audiobook

***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 ...more

flag 29 likes · Like · see review

May 14, 2022 Colleen Scidmore (Colleensreadingadventu rated it really liked it

Shelves: flash-drive, currently-on-my-kindle-fire

“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. 😁 ...more

flag 28 likes · Like · see review

Dec 24, 2021 ♛ may rated it really liked it

Shelves: 300-pgs, marshmallow-fluff, decent, mystery, real-problems, series, aaaaaaaaaa, i-will-go-down-with-this-ship, i-am-trash

if someone breathes too hard near david, it's ON SIGHT

truly, this book was unnecessary to the series and didn't have the tightest plot line, but i just love spending time with these characters, so i kind of had a blast ...more

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

Aug 11, 2020 therese rated it it was ok

Shelves: audiobooks, no-thank-you, library

uh...okay sure.

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

Jun 15, 2020 Sabiha Younus marked it as to-read

... I'm surprised and a *tiny* bit afraid that the perfectly rounded-up trilogy will be ruined BUT I ALSO TRUST THE AUTHOR WITH MY LIFE AND I AM SO THRILLED I CAN"T WAIT ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Jul 19, 2021 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: anxiety

4.5! Maureen Johnson is a genius!!!

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2022 Josie J rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed the new mystery. Although I wish we had spent a little more time on it. Things felt kind of rushed towards the end. Stevie had her monologue moment that I have come to love. I loved the dramatics of assembling the town to hear her theories that are most likely correct. I liked seeing this great group of friends in a different setting. There was more Nate and I of course loved that he is such a funny character. Janelle took a bit of a backseat in this and that was a little disappointing ...more

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
❀The Never-ending...: Gourica & Stuti's BR's	50	18	Apr 19, 2022 09:42AM
Challenge Corner: July 2021 Not First in a Series BOTM - The Box in the Woods, by Maureen Johnson	30	34	Aug 04, 2021 02:39PM
Goodreads Librari...: Wrong page number and publication date	3	10	Aug 03, 2021 12:34PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious #4) by Maureen Johnson -> Starting July 7th, 2021	41	37	Jul 14, 2021 02:50AM