Do they have what it takes to last the night?
The Umber Gorge caves are rumored to be haunted by the Puckered Maiden, a ghost who eats the hearts of her victims. It's Behind You!, a reality show based on surviving supernatural experiences, has chosen the Umber Gorge caves as its next location. Five contestants are ready to see if they have what it takes to survive the dark and dangerous caves, and win that prize money. With the production crew ramping up the frights, tensions rise and the cast members' secrets surface. They each have a hidden motive for participating in this frightful show, but could one of them be murder? Is it really the Puckered Maiden they have to fear or is it one of their fellow castmates?
Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield was a fun YA thriller to read. I enjoyed reading this and was excited to see how everything would play out. Joining the contestants on this horrifying journey was nerve-wracking and exciting all in one, and I love that it finished with an ending I didn't expect! Alexa, with the text-to-speech feature, did better than I imagined, reading this aloud. It didn't sound as robotic I was expecting and I found it pretty enjoyable. I'm so glad I saw someone mention this feature, as there was no audiobook and I don't have much time to sit and read. If you're a fan of YA thrillers, check this one out!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and Edelweiss+. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I really enjoy Kathryn Foxfield's spooky thrillers and this one hits the mark! The premise was interesting and lured me in and I genuinely wanted to know ore about the lore and the stakes of the cheesy reality show and the fate of its participants. The only thing that took me out of it was the name of the ghost--"The Puckered Maiden". I couldn't help but laugh every time.

I really enjoyed this one! I went in expecting thrills and suspense, and I got it, with smatterings of comedy thrown in to keep it light.

We have a dying reality show trying one last time to have a hit by sending people into a “haunted” cave and whoever lasts longest wins. Only things start to go horribly wrong.

The chemistry between characters is fabulous. You’ve got the OTT social media guy, who is very extra and a lot of fun. There’s the girl who wants to be a star, the girl who wants to prove she’s more than just a quirky sidekick, a ghost hunter out to prove the legends are true, and a producer who will stop at nothing to make the show a hit.

I loved the use of shorter chapters to build up suspense while also giving us little back stories into each character. There was enough tension to make me want to keep reading, and I didn’t pick what was going on until it unfolded.

Well worth a read.

This book started out strong, but unfortunately lost it's way after the halfway mark for me. Personally I was expecting it to be a little bit scarier, but that ultimately did not impact my rating.

One major problem was that the majority of the characters were either completely flat or WAY over the top. The main character was pretty obnoxious for most of the book and even once her reasonings were revealed it still didn't do much to save her character.

Another problem I had was with the reveals. They were pretty disappointed and seemed completely jumbled together.

I really liked the set up and the beginning of this book, but unfortunately this is not one I will be recommending.

I loved the cover of this book. I enjoyed reading it. There was some creep factors to it but I didn't find it terrifying. Lex, the main character, is one of those that you either love or hate. I liked her. She was funny, quirky, irritatingly curious. I wasn't a fan of the ending. I wanted a bit more. Maybe it's set up for a sequel which is what I'm hoping. Thank you #netgalley for the advanced copy

I started reading this book without really knowing what to expect, and am glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it! With less than 250 pages, ‘Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are’ is a quick, exciting read that I recommend to anyone who enjoys YA thrillers.

The narrator of the story, Lex, isn’t as likeable or charming as a typical teen protagonist, which did initially hinder my enjoyment of the story; she is constantly snarky, mean, and judgemental of the other characters, and her version of events is always affected by those traits. As I got further into the plot, though, I was able to embrace those aspects of her personality and found myself enjoying following her story. It made a nice change for me to read about a main character I didn't heavily identify with, and I think other readers might feel the same way.

As the description suggests, most of the plot centres around the ins and outs of filming a reality show inside a supposedly haunted set of caves, and there are plenty of twists and turns (both plot wise and within the caves themselves!) to keep readers on the edges of their seats. I was able to predict a few of the ‘surprise’ reveals, but I don’t see that as a negative thing at all. Rather, I think it proves that Kathryn Foxfield’s use of foreshadowing is impressive and that the plot never feels too far-fetched, even if some aspects are less believable than others.

I don’t know if I’d re-read this book, but that’s only because I think I’d enjoy it less now that I know what to expect and can name each character’s dark secrets. (Some of their secrets, by the way, were brilliantly shocking and had me gasping!) I would still recommend the novel to others, though, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to read it. If a sequel is ever written, I’ll be one of the first readers in the queue to buy it!

And one final note: I was SO satisfied when the book's title was (kind of) said by one of the characters! (Even if I do utterly detest her)

I felt like this book was just okay. But I think that some of my reluctant readers who enjoy reality television shows might give it a whirl.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Disclaimer: I received this ARC courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley. I am grateful for the opportunity to review an ARC for my readers, but this will not influence my final rating. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and based solely on the book.

Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are‘s immediate appeal is for its promised mystery/thriller approach to a reality TV series. Unfortunately, Foxfield’s writing was not strong enough to convince me of the terrors lurking in Umber Gorge caves, and once that premise fell apart, the rest of the novel tumbled like a cave-in.

📌 on plot
❝ I love puzzles! One time, during the before, I did an escape game room with my parents and I got so excited, I threw up in a trashcan. Good times. ❞ — Lex

Foxfield starts Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are on an eerie note when Lex sneaks around town her first night. She witnesses the unsettling Umber Heart Festival, where townsfolk sacrifice pig hearts to the Puckered Maiden, and spots a strange figure in the shadows. I got just enough taste of the town and its unusual traditions before Foxfield moved the plot swiftly to the filming of It’s Behind You!

❝ There’s a woman in a white dress crawling on the low ceiling, her head lolling back to stare at us. ❞

COCOWYA wastes little time on theatrics. The plot rolls forwards at a comfortable pace, usually driven by dialogue, which is well-suited for the dramatic events that frequently take place throughout the novel. I was always wondering what would happen next, and never disappointed. Because of the emphasis on action and dialogue, though, tense/creepy moments did tend to get lost. These creepy moments also tended towards stereotypical horror, such as the abandoned graveyard or the theme park swan boats. I would have appreciated if more of the horror in the book was centric to Umber Gorge (such as the Umber Heart Festival).

Likely due to the large cast, several plot threads felt unresolved to me by the end. (Murder does tend to do that.)

📌 on characters
❝ The diary cam shakes as Python films me spitting and gagging. I pull myself together and flick up the collar of my shirt, side-eyeing the camera. I think I get away with it. ❞ — Lex

The lead character of COCOWYA, Lex Hazelton, has a strong and unique personality. I admired her refusal to back down to fear, particularly in the way this personality trait played into the mystery/thriller genre. At the same time, she has a very comedic personality that clashes with the serious tone the novel needed to take sometimes (i.e. during death scenes).

Meanwhile, Lex’s co-stars all struggled to break free of the identifiers Lex gives them at the beginning of the novel. Marla the aspiring actress, for example, does little more in the book than act extremely dramatic. Because of this, it was hard to connect with the fear the cast felt and even to connect to some character deaths.

📌 overall
Unable to connect with the characters or plot beyond the surface level, I could only enjoy this book as a diversion. I would recommend this is a light summer read or as a wading pool into the horror genre.

rating: 3/5
representation: LGBTQ+ (bisexual main character), POC (ambiguous race brown-skin side character)
content warnings: murder, death (on-page and off-page), violence

This review is posted on Ko-Fi and Goodreads (links added). On Nov. 28, this review will be published on my blog and linked to Twitter. On Nov. 29, this review will be posted on Amazon.

I wanted to like this book. This was a hard book for me. It was creepy, but not creepy in the way I guess I expected it to be. There were a lot of conveniently well-placed dolls. Just left in all the right places. Lex was trying so hard to be the edgy hip person. They really didn’t want to blend into the background and become the person the show had slatted they should be, but they didn’t really achieve their goal. They just felt awkward most of the time. I will say that the end of the book was not predictable. There is a nice twist that many readers will enjoy. Overall though this book just didn’t meet my expectations, or make me super excited about what I read.

First, big thanks to Net Galley, Source Books Fire, and Kathryn Foxfield for giving me an advanced review copy of this book. Much appreciated! I had high hopes for this book; the idea in the synopsis seemed unique and exciting: A few teens are contestants on a reality TV show titled <i>What's Behind You?</i>, and this season takes them to the caves of a town called Umber Gorge. Not only are they questioning whether or not they're alone in the caves, but they also begin to question what secrets everyone is hiding. It this REALLY a reality show, or is the show just a smokescreen for some kind of horror?

I was immediately turned off by the lack of character development. You cannot confine 4-6 characters in a small space and not give them any personality at all. Having a girlfriend and being a viral YouTuber do not count as personality traits or nuances. I wanted to know more about the characters. Foxfield did the bare minimum here. Also, the small bits we did get to know about the characters were both superficial and artificial, like what producer Jackie wears (nice clothes, because she produces a hit reality show -- who woulda thunk?!).

The apparitions of the Puckered Maiden seemed forced and unrealistic. Well-written horror has the reader constantly questioning reality. The so-called "appearances" of the ghost of the Puckered Maiden are synonymous with my husband not being able to find something in the fridge: "Nevermind -- that isn't the butter. That's actually just cream cheese." Keep us questioning for a little while, Kathryn! Don't give up so quickly.

Also, when the characters found a dead body of someone that they knew who was JUST alive and well in the cave from them, there was ZERO REACTION. They were all, "Awww. Should we put a sheet over them?" THESE ARE TEENS TRAPPED IN A DANG CAVE. There's no way they wouldn't be panicking! This isn't the discovery of a squirrel that got run over. It's a human! That they knew!

I gave it one star because that's the lowest rating available.

A reality tv show with blackmailed contestants all going into a haunted cave for a producer’s last hope at keeping her show alive. But then the contestants start turning up dead and they are trapped in the cave system…with a murderer who might not be alive…

Here's the deal: I loved it. I thought my high school students would enjoy this book. So, if you're from a small town, into reality tv, OR like horror, this is a good pick for you. I read it all in one night. The story is inventive. The characters are where it gets a little meh. However, I really enjoyed this book.

I really liked the premise of this one but turned out to be not what I thought. So many times I’m lured into books with a spooky synopsis only for it to be not the case. I like the cave element and the idea of a new paranormal tv show but while it was entertaining it just left me disappointed.

Five contestants compete for prize money on the reality show It’s Behind You. In order to win, they must survive the night in Umber Gorge caves, which is supposedly haunted by the Puckered Maiden. The ghost is said to eat the heart of her victims.

As things intensify the contestants begin to question each other. They all have secrets. Could one of them possibly be a murderer?

Come Out, Come Out Whatever You Are is available November 29,2022.

Thank you to netgalley and sourcebooksfire for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I DNF’ed at 61 %, skipped ahead and read a few end chapters + the epilogue. I understand I am NOT the target audience for this book, hence the 3 star rating and not a 1 star. Do I think high school students will love this? Yes. It’s a unique take on the YA horror genre. I found it to be excessively descriptive, but fast paced at the same time. I realize that those are contradictory, but I did feel like the story moved along, just not in the way I liked. The characters were under developed, waaaaay too much focus was placed on the Puckered Maiden, and the motives weren’t as clear as I would like. Again, personal preference, but I would and will still recommend it to my students!

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

Lex is a snarky, badass chick that's not afraid of anything, which is good, since she's a contestant on a reality show called It's Behind You! She and four other contestants must survive the night in the Haunted Umber Gorge where the legendary Puckered Maiden eats the hearts of her victims. As secrets come to light and tensions rise, they realize someone there has a darker motive than prize money.

I love horror, thrillers, and murder mysteries, and this book combines all 3, so I assumed it would be a slam dunk read. Sadly, it left me a little wanting.

The characters were all kind of annoying, though I did enjoy the references to which characters they would be in a horror movie and when they would die. Lex, for all her snark, was super annoying and hypocritical. She complained about how much of a showman Python was, while doing the exact same thing. And sadly, there was next to no character development - they all stayed annoying, even in the midst of this life-changing trauma. There was a brief, brief moment where we saw some realness coming from two characters, but they immediately stomped it to death and buried it where no one could see they were actually not giant jerks.

The pacing was surprisingly a little slow; it was definitely a slow-burn creep factor, but the creep factor was spectacular. Whispering voice, tunnels collapsing, creepy dolls appearing, all sprinkled with a heavy dose of murder? Exactly what I needed for a gloomy day. Unfortunately, it took such a long time to get the mystery part, and the twists were pretty transparent. I was starting to wonder how the book was going to wrap up, but the answer was extremely quickly. Instead of showing us how it ends, it goes to a wrap-up interview without actually showing anything.

I did finish the book, and it was fine. It definitely won't be one of those books I reread, but I will be recommending it to teen horror/murder mystery readers.

Lex is going to be a contestant on a reality show where her and four other people are going to try and stay in a haunted cave overnight. Does Abby the ghost Hunter, Mira the actress Liam the boy with the secret in python the YouTuber. The producer who is very intense wanted Lex to be the one who encourages python in Myra to be a couple but Lexe instead it’s going to be the troublemaker. They also have two locals helping them while in the area to do the show that’s Ben and Veronica and let’s not leave out the local who are protesting the show at the head of this gang is Sally an old woman who belongs to the Kingston family that used to own the cave system until they lost it in a card game but that wasn’t enough to convince Sally to relinquish her claim on the caves. Things start going wrong from the beginning in the producer who has I said is very intense doesn’t wanna stop the show not even when people start dying. this book is a teen thriller but that’s not to say it isn’t good or that it was easy to figure out who was doing all the dirty work because it was not I love campy horror books like this and totally think it’s a five-star read as far as those books go a true top shelf choice.

As a big fan of cheesy horror/suspenseful movies, I really enjoyed this book and could easily picture it as a movie. It has a small town with a townsfolk keeping secrets. It has a cast of characters that are all different thrown together, and it’s as comedic as it is suspenseful and everyone has secrets. There were twists in it, some I was kind of expecting, some I wasn’t. It was a story that defiantly kept me reading.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

This was a thrilling read but, unfortunately, the characters (the main character, Lex, especially) just got on my nerves! A high level of arrogance is not my thing, ya'll!

However, the story was so creepy and cool. A reality TV show putting five strangers together in a spooky spot for a night to see who lasts till morning. Except, in this case, things got way too real.

The Umber Gorges is a cave system that's been locked up for years now because people who go in sometimes never come out. The local story is that the ghost named the puckered maiden steals their hearts and is even an object of some very strange town rituals.

Out November 29, 2022!

I didn't make it very far but I had to DNF. While the cover was intriguing and what initially pulled me into the book, the main character sounds too young to be on a reality show that screams of a future liability court case.