I really enjoyed this spooky read! I am such a sucker for a YA thriller/horror. Though it took me a couple chapters to really get into it, once things were really happening in the caves, I was hooked! This book was a perfect balance of eerie and creepy. Foxfield had me on the edge of my seat, furiously flipping pages to know what would happen next.

I wish there had been a bit more closure over the ending. I’m not a huge fan of open endings, but I appreciate that there was a little epilogue to explain some things. I'm not sure if the open end was to leave room for a sequel, but I'm interested to see what Foxfield writes next.

Reality show books seem to be trending right now and I really enjoyed this one! It was weird and fun and kept me turning pages.

I recently had the pleasure of diving into Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are, a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The author's skillful storytelling and ability to create tension and suspense had me hooked from the very first page. The characters were well-developed, each with their own secrets and motivations, adding depth to the plot. What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the unpredictable twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The pacing was perfect, making it hard to put the book down once I started reading. Overall, I would recommend this book, as it's a must-read for fans of the genre!

I read Good Girls Die First when it came out and enjoyed it, so when I saw this one, I snatched it up. The reality show, It’s Behind You, a show where contestants try to last the night in haunted places for a chance to win 10k, is wrapping up its current season in a small town with a cave system that is home to Pucker Maiden. She eats the hearts of her victims, and she’s not the only danger. A cave in two years ago killed a teenage girl.

Each contestant had their own motive and their own secrets, but Lex just wants to win the money so she can go travel. She’s no supporting character, and refuses to play along with producer, Jackie’s suggestion of being the funny sidekick. One night for 10k should be easy, and she can definitely scare everyone else into giving up so she doesn’t have to split the cash. Except there’s someone in the caves with them, and people will die.

This was an entertaining, quick, popcorn read. Teists and turns, fast paced but slowly revealing everyone’s backstory, motives, and outcomes. It was a nice vreak from some of the deeper nonfiction I’ve been reading lately. If you’re looking for a YA Thriller with a supernatural vibe to add to your October lineup, check it out.

This season of 'It's Behind You!" is being filmed at the Umber Gorge Caves, and the contestants are tasked with surviving a possible encounter with The Puckered Maiden - an Urban Legend that the whole town fully believes in. Lex is here for one reason, and one reason only, to win, get the money, and take off. It'll be easy, all she has to do is unsettle the other contestants enough that they'll bail on the show one by one, leaving Lex as the reigning champ. Only that's not entirely how things work out, as the crew ramp up the tension and all around creep factor, the contestants soon realise that everything is not as it seems in the Umber Gorge Caves. Slowly, each contestant's secrets come to light, showing that everyone involved has their own motive for being on the show. Could one of those motives be murder?

I was keen as to read this one. Stupid me picked it up straight off the back of one of my top reads for the year so far - Slashtag - so I was regretting the timing pretty badly in the beginning, however, I found this an enjoyable romp that was along the same vein as Slashtag, the main difference being the ages of the characters. This one is a young adult horror, though the characters don't come across TOO young. Sometimes Lex's actions and dialogue did seem a little juvenile, but I feel that that was mainly because of the massive chip she has on her shoulder. Which as the story progresses, I slowly realised was a front to hide her pain, sadness and trauma. So, it didn't irk me too much.

The setting was fantastic, a creepy backdrop that consisted of an underground cave network that would be incredibly easy to get lost in, that once was ALSO supposed to be a tourist attraction, so there's a whole part of the cave that is done up as such. I did enjoy that little aspect of it. The Puckered Maiden legend was a good addition and I felt that it was executed well, it did add in some creepy vibes which I always enjoy. I loved that the townsfolk are true believers in the legend and they actually fear The Maiden and the caves, it just added that little bit of extra spooky to it. The story was a fairly basic one that was easy to read and easy to follow for me. It was engaging enough that I was invested and it was simple enough that it wasn't a slog, which is great because I've been really struggling with my reading for the past 12 months. There were a couple of twists that I kinda saw coming, but not entirely. I didn't guess one of them at all, so that was good. It's always a bonus when a story can still surprise me. While this did have a couple of creepy moments, it's probably what I would call horror-lite, it's not going to keep you up at night and it won't settle into your bones and make them clack together when you think about it afterwards, but it was a genuinely enjoyable read none the less.

The characters were a fun group of mismatched personalities, and while I did enjoy them, mostly, they were incredibly stereotypical. But almost in an exaggerated way. I did like Lex, our protagonist, but she did irk me occasionally with the way that she was interacting with the others and attempting to big note herself with different things. Though, as said above, I did discover that this was her front, it was her armour, and she used her sarcasm and biting retorts as a way to redirect attention from the reality of her own emotions, pain and trauma. So overall, I did really enjoy her. The other character that I absolutely adored was Python, he came across initially as an up himself YouTube personality, but it quickly became pretty evident that he was not the obnoxious, arrogant, self proclaimed super star you think he is, he's actually a really sweet personality and I just adored him. The relationship between him and Lex was fantastic and was honestly my favourite thing about this story.

All in all, this was a fun romp that had some creepy vibes, a couple of good characters that while very stereotypical, they did have a little bit of depth that I was got explored a teensy bit more, and an engaging story that did keep me hooked. If you like your horror a bit lighter and a bit cheesy and campy, give this one a go. I flew through it in a time where I've been really struggling.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I had to DNF this book pretty early on,it was hard to get into. The storyline itself is very intriguing but it just fell very flat.

This young adult mystery focuses on a game show like no other. “It’s Behind You” it’s a reality show where you have to last the night in a spooky setting. The loser in this case may lose more than the game. The mystery is creepy, unsettling, and very entertaining. Being a fan of reality TV this game show had everything I hoped for. The creepy element was intense. The story is original, and I really enjoyed the cave setting. Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for my copy.

Survivor meets My Bloody Valentine? Yes, please! A haunted cave with the opportunity to win $10k? Double yes please! A murderous ghost out for revenge slowly picking off each of the 5 contestants one by one? Nah, no thank you. Umber Gorge caves are notorious for the Puckered Maiden ghost story— a murderous ghost who eats the hearts of her victims. That’s the plot for a reality TV show where Five contestants have to make it 12 hours in these caves, fighting themselves and the ghost, in order to win the cash prize.

The premise was interesting, I like the attempted exploration of social media and reality TV but the characters felt stereotypical and a little flat. This is a fully plot driven book and was a fast read but not enough interesting twists to make is an effective thriller. And unfortunately, the ending didn't feel satisfying, which is something I need in a thriller. Not that it needs to be totally wrapped up in a bow, but I like resolution that feels earned.

I'm a huge fan of reality TV so was keen to give this a go. Unfortunately it didn't really work for me, I found most of the characters rather unlikeable, even in good villain style and it didn't focus hardly at all on the reality TV side of things like I had hoped.
I will say that the description of the caves and the claustrophobia was so well written I felt myself being in that tiny space with them, am I'm not particularly claustrophobic.
I believe that the quick witted banter between the characters may have worked better on screen rather than in a book as it just felt tiresome and didn't quite work for me unfortunately.
Thank you for the advance copy #NetGalley #ComeOutComeOut, WhereverYouAre

Horror can be excellent if it achieves a larger aim, if it's telling us something about our culture. This one doesn't get there. It feels more like violence for it's own sake, teens put through a torturous experience with little intent and nothing gained in the end. It's not even especially frightening.

**Disclaimer: I recieved a free advanced readers copy of Come Out, Come Out Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

Come Out, Come Out Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield is a young horror thriller novel.  It is about a girl who goes onto a reality television where the point is for the contests to try to be the last one standing in a haunted spot.  The novel was published on December 6th, 2022.  I rated it 3 stars on GoodReads.

Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Welcome to the reality game show that'll scare you to death! Have you got what it takes to last the night?
On the reality show It's Behind You!, five contestants competing for prize money must survive the night in the dark and dangerous Umber Gorge caves, rumored to be haunted by the Puckered Maiden, a ghost who eats the hearts of her victims. But is it the malevolent spirit they should fear, or each other?
As the production crew ramps up the frights, tensions rise and the secrets of the cast member start coming to light. Each of these teenagers has hidden motives for taking part in the show. But could one of them be murder?

I like the premise of this book, but I don't think that it's execution was my favourite.  I still ended up having fun and I would definitely recommend it to people, but I don't think that I would pick it up again.

I think my favourite part of the story was our main character and how she projected such an unlikable front because she was trying to hide what she really felt.  I don't always read a lot of books from the perspective of an unlikable character and so it was a nice change to read her perspective.

I also liked how the book included the pre-show interviews with the various cast members before they went into the caves.  I liked how that revealed details about the characters that we didn't already know, and also that it helped add to the tension and suspense.

There were some good layers, but I didn't love the way that everything played out, and I felt like the whole reality television aspect could have played a slightly bigger role.

That being said, it was still fun and spooky and I liked the question of whether the puckered maiden was a real ghost or if she was a story and the way things went back and forth on that.  If you are at all intrigued by the premise, you should definitely check it out.

I loved all the suspense and mystery surrounding the plot of this book. I loved the twists and turns and the sometimes eerie and chilling vibes. Definitely a must read and one that I would recommend.

What a fun novel, and cleverly written. I loved the premise that they were set up in a reality show, and things were going wrong. I was scared too, but not scared enough to stop me from going on reality tv, if I had the chance.

Five participants fighting for cash on the reality program It’s Behind You! must make it through the night in the ominous and hazardous Umber Gorge caverns, which are said to be haunted by the Puckered Maiden, a ghost that allegedly eats the hearts of her victims. But should they be afraid of one another or a malicious spirit? Tensions increase as the production team increases the scares, and the cast member’s secrets begin to surface. Each of these adolescents participated in the presentation for covert purposes. However, one of these may be murder.

I was captivated by the characters’ diversity and eclecticism, and there was just the right mix of tension and suspense, comedy, and mystery. I adore reality TV that has within fiction because I can examine the workings of it for hours on end. I liked how the production process and the candidates included in it were given equal attention at the opening. The concept of spending the night in haunted locales was one of my favorite aspects of the reality program narrative. I wish I could see this show in person. The main character Lex is alright; she’s not dynamic but she does have a lot going on. It has an original idea but a straightforward narrative with a lot of pointless murder.

I believe that the plot improved with time. The abandoned attraction and the beauty of the caverns were both beautiful, and I thought the multi-media approach worked well. In certain critical situations, crawling through tunnels was involved, which made me uneasy. I was looking for a good, eerie slasher, and this one was delivered. All the characters were great, but my favorites were Python, a superficial superfan who turns out to be less shallow than his reputation suggests, and Lex, a caustic jokester anti-heroine. I like the eerie atmosphere, the ghost background, and the cave setting. Although not very frightening, this novel features several deaths reminiscent of those in teen slasher movies, and I believe it would make an excellent film. I suggest getting the book and giving it a go.

This had such an interesting storyline, I was so excited to read it. The promise of spooky times with a ghost will always draw me in. Add in the fact that the setting is in a cave? Even better! But I just didn’t connect to any of the characters really. It took me a pretty good amount of time to read, just because I kept setting it down and walking away to go do something else. I did like the ending and the way the story wrapped things up.

A reality tv show that focuses on trying to scare contestants. If they stay all night in the competition, they get a chunk of the money. And the season finale is going to be epic. The setting is a cave where a ghost called the Puckered Maiden haunts, and she is notorious for plucking hearts out of people. Only things start going wrong right away and the contestants are left trying to figure out what is reality tv tactics and what is real. The only thing they know for sure is that the danger is very real.

I was super intrigued by the premise— I’m always down to read about reality tv/found footage horror, but this fell a bit short for me.

I didn’t finish this book because I found it to be more creepy than I was expecting, not sure why but I do find creepy dolls exceptionally terrifying. I am rating it 4 stars because I did really enjoy what I read and it is very well written. Just too creepy for me.

Come Out, Come Out Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield (out now) is a young adult horror/mystery semi-locked room style book about five teens competing on a reality show called It’s Behind You. Sealed into a haunted cave, the goal is to survive the night and win some prize money.

I loved all the characters, especially Lex, who was a snarky jokester anti-heroine, and Python, a superficial superfan who ends up being less vapid than the persona he puts out. I also loved the cave setting, the ghost backstory, and the creepy atmosphere.

While not super scary, this book serves up quite a few murders similar to a teen slasher flick and I think it would make a pretty good one.

One of the best books I've read which spins thriller mysteries around supernatural plot points. One of my most favourite tropes is a game with strangers, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.