Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are is an intriguing, spooky YA story featuring a reality show where contestants compete to survive the night at what is rumored to be haunted caves. The characters are compelling. The plot has plenty of twists throughout and even a bit of romance. Highly recommended to anyone looking for an original creepy read.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review the most suspense filled book I've read so far this year.

This reality TV based story has so many twist and turns that you never really stop guessing until the end. It even has a little Scooby-Doo like moment which made me smile.
Although the book was written for YA, do not let that deter you from picking it up. I'm far from a YA and was hooked by the first chapter.

I think this is a really good YA book. It pulls the reader in quickly and holds them to the end. Great fast paced read.

Why did this story feel so rushed? Its like the author needs to get to the end as soon as possible? The plot sounded intriguing, but the writing just got in the way.

Finishing this one was a challenge.

3.5 stars rounded up

Five teens compete in the reality show "It's Behind You!", a show that promises scares, frights, and supernatural activity. Our main character is Lex, and we follow her perspective as the teens enter a fight for their lives.

I have to start this review with Lex, the main character. She was extremely unlikable and the true definition of a bi disaster. She wanted to make a name for herself and stand out on the show, but she was just so obnoxious that I wasn't really rooting for her. I know she's a teenager, but man was she tiresome. Once the action started she was helpful to the others and tried her best to help them, so she did have some good qualities. The other characters were both fun and irritating in their own way. I really liked Sandy-Ann and Python.

The action in this book was great. Once things got rolling they really didn't stop! There were some descriptions of the caves and how they were laid out that I didn't understand, but it didn't take away from the action. The mystery of The Puckered Maiden was fun and learning who was really behind everything was a surprise to me. The name "Puckered Maiden" is funny to me and it was said so much by the characters that those words lost all meaning by the end of the book.

This is a fast, fun read that I will definitely be recommending through reader's advisory. Very solid!

This book is great! I love how the main character is not well likable, however, she also works hard to get what she needs. It is a very chilling book and I could not put it down. I have already ordered a copy for my classroom.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley

When I first started Come Out, I wasn't entirely sure about how much I would enjoy the story. The main character is not necessarily super likable in the beginning, though that is a deliberate choice by the author (and well done). However, I found that each twist of the story pulled me in deeper, curious to find out what would happen -- and how each character would develop once their posturing was stripped away. I ended up speeding through the second half, completely intrigued about how the novel would end.

SPOILER WARNING but important for content: For those considering purchasing, this is definitely a YA novel with multiple deaths. It was unexpected to me!

This book was out of my usual reading zone but it sounded so good from the synopsis. And I was right! It was so good! This spooky YA book had twists that even I couldn’t guess sometimes. Some of the twists, yes, were quite easy to guess, though. I enjoyed the characters and their backstories and how the they grew together in the caves. There was a lot of details about the caves that made me want to skip over because it was TOO much detail and it was confusing. This was definitely a book to recommend during Halloween with its thriller ghost vibes! All in all, I thought it was a fun read!

I thought this book was just okay. I really thought this book sounded good. But it was a little on the younger side for me. I just do not think this writing and over all story was for me. I have read better thrillers.

This book slaps, first of all. This book is about reality TV and personalities, caves etc with a stereotypical producer named Jackie Stone. The atmosphere is like no other and I like it, I can’t quite put my finger on it but the story is gripping from the start. It’s just this Cirque Du Freak (by Darren Shan) vibe (not plot-wise) with trashy reality TV, which sounds really dumb but I LOVE IT. Plot-wise it’s like an updated “And Then There Were None” (by Agatha Christie).

The story is that 5 contestants that must stay in the Umber Gorge caves for 24 hours where the ghost of Puckered Maiden resides and the last one standing wins prize money, but obviously this episode goes awry. The story is told in Lex Hazelton’s perspective who does not believe in the supernatural but wants to win the money for travel. She is really edgy and just mean-spirited at first. We’ve all seen this type of villain on reality TV, but she chooses this narrative for herself. Marla is an aspiring actress and here to make a name for herself IIRC, who is kind of annoying but a nice addition. Keith is a YouTuber going by the name Python and he is incredibly fake for the cameras. I really liked his character development. Liam is my favourite character (you’ll see) and the last contestant is Abbie Bailey who is a paranormal investigator. At first, some characters had a similar voice to me, but the author fleshes these characters out appropriately and I don’t have that complaint anymore.

As for the book itself, I really enjoyed the side stories about the cave’s history, it really added tension nicely and you just feel for all the past characters. I loved the main mystery and the conclusion as I felt waves of relief and dread, but I would have liked to have seen a stronger/longer epilogue. I thought the interview sections of the story was weaved well into the main plot. I thought the story was over at the 50% mark and was wondering what could possibly be in the other 50% of this book. I don’t usually feel that way because I am well-seasoned in mysteries and thrillers, but I was so wrong.

I finished the book in one sitting and didn’t think that the book dragged on at any point. This book was an easy 5 stars for me and I would highly recommend this book to readers who like reality TV and big personalities. The author leaves subtle clues, so the story is logical and I really respect that. I like when I can admit that I read something and it went over my head.

The premise sounded interesting, but the delivery wasn't there. Apparently this is a re-release, but I never read "It's Behind You." I found the plot underdeveloped, and some of the shifts seemed to come out of nowhere, which pulled me out of the story. Overall, the story felt rushed and unfinished.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review*

This was a fun read and definitely one I could've finished in 1 sitting if I didn't have so many other demands on my time. I'm not a fan of reality shows but I loved the idea of this book and it didn't disappoint. Lots of twists and turns and a whole array of the expected characters you'd expect to apply for this kind of media attention. Of course, they all had their own back-stories, secrets and reasons for wanting to be on the programme and I didn't see the twist coming.

I'll definitely look out for more books from Ms Foxfield.

This is the fastest I have read a great YA Mystery in a long time. This has mystery, suspense, and a bit of romance in this story. This is the first book by Kathryn Foxfield that I have read, and I loved it! This is an original story, and I haven’t read anything like it before. I can’t wait to dive into another book by this author.

I am surprised. I didn't think I would like a book with this theme, but yes, I liked it a lot.

The cover is great and that's why I wanted to read this story. But it's not at all what I imagined.

More than a horror book, it was a suspense book that had me doubting all the characters. And the resolution of this seriously never saw it coming.

I want to say chefs kiss for that plot twist. I genuinely did not see that coming. I felt like we didn't really get to know the characters that well. Everything happened too fast and too slow at the same time.

I really enjoyed this book!! It's a pretty original concept for the genre, and was an interesting read!

A reality TV show called "It's Behind You" is desperate for a stellar season finale to increase views again; after all, there's only so many times you can stick 5 contestants in a "haunted" location for 24 hours before things start getting boring and repetitive. This time, though, instead of putting the contestants in a haunted building, "It's Behind You" sends 5 contestants into a series of caves that used to be an old mining system. These caves have a dark history, intertwined with local lore of a ghost called "the puckered maiden" who has supposedly been killing people in the caves for years. At first, the contestants enter the caves feeling confident they can all last 24 hours easily. However, when things start going wrong inside the caves, they begin to wonder how much of their experiences were planned for the show, and if any of it could actually be attributed to the supernatural.

The characters in this book are all amazing. They're well-written, and the banter between them is hilarious. Though this is clearly meant to be a horror ghost story, it has a good mix of horror, comedy, and romance to keep the pace moving along nicely and prevent it from seeming boring or cliche. I also greatly appreciate that I wasn't able to guess how this would end - my initial guess ended up being wrong, and I didn't end up figuring it out until a few pages before the characters did. I loved the twist at the end, even though it did break my heart a tad. A very very solid book, and one I will excitedly recommend to many!!

It's possibly the last episode of the reality show It's Behind You and the producer needs to it be amazing so she locks five teens into a series of "haunted" caves with a diary cam and one cameraman to try and survive a night with the "Puckered Maiden". Those who last the night without trying to escape will share a $10,000 prize.

Lex is determined to be the sole survivor of the night and take that money to travel the world. She needs to figure out ways to scare the other four teens to leave the caves early to help guarantee her win. Being the skeptic that she is, she figures that she can handle anything that the producer can throw at her.

But things aren't what they seem when some of the contestants have a history with the caves, the producer is trying to save her career, and it's possible there is something in the caves that no one had predicted.

As the night goes on, things go more and more wrong and a simple scary night turns deadly.

Can the teens survive a journey that was just meant to scare them?

Final thoughts: Upon looking into this book for this review, I discovered that this is the exact same book as It's Behind You published by the author just a year and a half before this release date. I can't understand why the re-release with a different title. With regards to the book itself, it's pretty light and empty. The edits and shifts can be very confusing and the story and characters are just incomplete. It's rushed and feels like the outline for a movie or series treatment, as if Foxfield is trying to sell the premise to Netflix or a movie company to create a franchise. I got through it quickly but that was mostly because I was speed reading to get to the end instead of really getting involved in the story.

Rating: 2 (ish) out of 5

Jackie Stone is the producer of the show its behind you and five contestants will spend twenty four hours in umber gorge caves where the ghost of puckered maiden resides and if they want to leave their must bang on the door and shout it’s behind you and she has five contestants first contestant is Lex Hazelton who doesn’t believe in supernatural and wants the money to go travelling second contestant is Liam West/Cox grew up in umber third contestant is Marla Colombo who wants to be an actress fourth contestant is Keith Gough AKA Python who is a YouTuber fifth is Abbie Bailey who is an paranormal investigator plus cameraman Carl and they have challenges to do in the cave but they start getting killed off one by one
Really enjoyed this book totally gripping
Thank You NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire
I just reviewed Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield. #NetGalley

So, I was very confused starting to read this as it seemed very familiar, turns out it’s a copy of ‘it’s behind you’ by the same author with a different title and cover.
Slightly a shame as I was excited to read something new by the author as I really enjoy her books.
I have given this 3 stars as the story itself if amazing (as previously read it’s behind you) however I felt a little let down by it being classed as a new book.