Fantastic book with lovable characters that you just want to protect. I loved it so much. Three teens go into a house, two come out not knowing what actually happened and it kicks off from there. This book is some of the best kind of horror.

I want to wrap these characters in hugs as they go through their baby gar journeys. Thank you for sharing them with us.

This is a poignant queer YA horror novel about a group of teenage friends who discover a haunted house in the woods. Initially, they see it as a safe haven, but soon realize it is a perilous trap meant to change them. The book tackles serious issues such as homophobia, transphobia, toxic family dynamics, and hate speech, which may be difficult for some readers, but it also mirrors real-life challenges.

The story itself was engaging, and I appreciated the representation of queer experiences. It effectively delves into the emotional struggles faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, which I found compelling. However, I initially chose this book because it was labeled as horror, and I felt disappointed by that aspect. The horror seemed secondary, so I’m giving it a rating of 3.5 stars.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the ARC.*

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for approving me for this book. I'm not going to lie, but I didn't know what I was getting myself into with this book, and I was shocked by this whole thing, and I ended up loving it way more than I did.

The book starts off following Fern and Jaq, five years after their best friend Mallory went missing one night after the three of them hide in an old abandoned house seeking refuge, needing safety. Fern and Jaq have never remembered what happened that night nor do they remember the secrets that they keep from before that one fateful night. Fern and Jaq seem like normal, happy, cisgender teenagers, but all of a sudden Fern and Jaq start seeing a spirit who looks exactly like Mallory, seeking revenge for her death. As they are being haunted, memories start flooding back and something begins to shift inside of them. They will stop at nothing to figure out what happened to Mallory and figure out why all of a sudden they are starting to feel like their true selves again.

This was another book that was so important to read around election time. It's a story that tries to erase gay, queer, and trans voices and wants to stop them all together. It is categorized as a horror novel, but it's not exactly horror in the sense you think of, more like a horror of the issues of the real world. I don't really want to say much about this book because you need to read it yourself to experience it fully. Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I loved the found family aspect of the book, along with finding your true self and finding your own voice. I definitely am not the right audience for this book, but I highly enjoy it, and will definitely be recommending it to so many people.

Queer horror is quickly becoming one of my new favorites in YA, but for whatever reason, I never quite clicked with this book. I’m not the biggest fan of strong religious themes, and had I read the description more carefully, I might have realized I wasn’t the best audience for it. I really struggle with religion as a form of oppression, and quite apart from any supernatural threats, the main characters’ home lives are horrorshow enough, to the point it’s actually painful at times to watch their parents force them into the personalities they find pleasing. Their very real circumstances are far more frightening than the monster in the woods.

That being said, I did find the supernatural aspect a bit lacking, particularly at the end when it’s all finally revealed. I think it’s partly that my investment had simply checked out at that point, but the villain/confrontation is a bit lackluster. On the other hand, I very much enjoyed the gender-swapped Grease that Fern is putting on at their high school. 10/10 would go see that, where can I get tickets? Although this wasn’t the right book for me, there are plenty of teenagers and young adults who face this kind of oppression and homophobia every day. I hope it finds its way into the hands of its right readers and gives them hope. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Penguin.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

The premise of this one was quite interesting, and I enjoyed the way that the author incorporated the past and present timelines. The reveal of information between the timelines was balanced well and helped to maintain interest throughout the read. The use of the folklore and rhyme was also incorporated quite well and added some spookiness of the read. That being said, the horror aspect was kind of underwhelming (the only true horror came from how awful the adults acted in the book) and I don’t think the supernatural element was handled quite as well as it could have been.

Themes of this story focus on repressing your true self to keep others happy, struggling with sexual identity, acceptance of yourself and family, and more. These themes were handled well, and I enjoyed how they affected different characters in different and similar ways.

While I wouldn’t classify this as a work of horror, I do still recommend this if you enjoy YA stories that focus on queerness, identity, and friendship. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Told in dual timelines with 3 POVs, this is the story of two young women who are coming to terms with their identity.

I loved a lot of the ideas in this book. I found it dark and a little creepy, but also repetitive. The story is in the present with Jaq and Fern, as well as in the past, when Jaq, Fern, and Mallory are 13. What really disrupted my reading of this book was that age jump. The past chapters do not read like young girls. I have a daughter that is about to turn 13, and she's nowhere near that grown. Those chapters read like an older teen, so there's really no distinction in tone between 13 year old characters and the 18 year old characters they are now. It was quite distracting.

The characters in this novel felt so real, from the main characters and their struggles with their identities to their parents reacting to their children coming out. The horror aspects were creepy without seeming over-the-top, and the villain was revealed at the perfect moment. The only issue with it is that the ending seemed pretty abrupt.

I wasn't feeling this one and after reading some reviews, I decided to walk away rather than lower the rating of a book that I would recommend to someone who is looking for a story about growing up having to hide your queer self. Or just learning about how to accept yourself in a society that doesn't want you.

This book would have been a fantastic contemporary look into growing up queer in an overly conservative/queerphobic world. It's the horror/mystery parts that were really lacking for me. Honestly, I was a bit bored. I can see how people are rating this highly and I understand why they are liking it but for me, it just wasn't a great execution of blending the two.

3.65 stars. I thought Fern and Kaitlyn were so cute. I liked the other ship too but not as much. This was an interesting story and the characters were written well with progressive storylines! Leave it to an ancient dead man to steal your gay.

This story explores themes of queer self-erasure, conversion therapy, and coming out in an unsupportive environment.

It's a very interesting horror novel where the horrors are both real and supernatural, sometimes at the same time. The story follows two teens, Jaq, a lesbian, and Fern, who is non-binary. Years ago, they were best friends--along with a girl named Mallory--but when the story takes place, they're near strangers living straight-passing lives and not remembering anything any different.

As their past starts to haunt them, they reconnect, remembering Mallory and who they really are.

Thank you NetGalley for providing the e-arc for me to read! Honestly though I struggled with this book. I found myself putting it down over and over. I did not find the characters very engaging and wanted so much more from it.

I absolutely devoured this book.

I really enjoy queer horror, especially when the horrors of real-life are so accurately portrayed and blended with the supernatural elements.
Natalie C. Parker did a fantastic job with all of the characters and had me completely sucked in.
This was chilling, emotional, and a bit hopeful in just the right amounts.
I hope the folks who need this book find their way to it.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.
All opinions are my own.

“A message from God that He was still here for her. This was the symbol that had brought her so much comfort for so many years, promising unconditional love and redemption for trespasses. Except, it was conditional. She’d just seen it in the community room, in the eyes of her parents. She’d heard it in the voices of her friends. The conditions may not exist in Heaven, but here they were violent and biting.”

The representation in this novel was really great! It's classified as a YA horror, but I think its more a queer coming of age with horror elements. The biggest portion of the novel is devoted to girls discovering themselves and the girls they love/loved. There are creepy parts, but the more horrific elements is the homophobia and the fear of what would happen they accept who they actively are. With parents who weaponize religion, and even parents who are TERFs obsessed with femininity. I think now, in this year of 2024 books like this are so important in light of the climate here in America. When queer people feel like they are unsafe just being alive.

I really enjoyed this novel.

The story follows Fern and Jaq, who, five years after their friend Mallory’s mysterious disappearance, are now haunted by a spirit resembling Mallory.
The chilling presents forces them. To confront their past. and their true selves
This is a gripping LGBTQIA+ YA horror novel that masterfully blends supernatural elements with poignant themes of identity and friendship.
If you enjoy a mix of horror and heartfelt storytelling, this book is definitely worth a read

I love a good queer horror story but I really loved this one because instead of being scary, the real world was more the terror. Acceptance is the main focus of the book & I loved that. I know I say it a lot but THIS is the book I needed when I was younger.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Queer ya horror novel
2 girls are trying to be forced to conform to what society wants. When they were younger something happened to them that they can quite remember.

I enjoyed this! The characters are likable and it's paced good. This is a unique horror book that I would recommend! Special Thank You to Natalie C. Parker, Penguin Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 stars!

I originally picked up this book because I thought it was going to fall in line with a "haunted house" story. The story instead is a heartbreaking telling of a group of friends figuring out how to navigate their lives despite their parents and influences in their lives. The house in the woods feels more like a secondary part of the story, but overall its a hauntingly deep story that will have you flying through the book.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really really hate DNF’ing books, but I just really couldn’t get into it. I thought it was very boring, and unfortunately the writing style wasn’t for me.