Thank you to Penguin Teen for the e-ARC of Come Out, Come Out!

Come Out, Come Out starts off with action & then forces you to travel a path of absolute heartbreak alongside Jaq & Fern. There are elements of horror — but I think the main horror in this book is more the journey of these LGBTQ+ teens & the anti-gay community surrounding them. Come Out, Come Out is a thought provoking read that held my attention from beginning to end.

Also, mentions of broadway & all that jazz made me halo because I’m a musical girly for life.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I was so excited to be selected! This YA horror novel was lots of fun, had scary parts and was very touching. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Jac, Fern, and Mal entered the woods 5 years ago but only Jac and Fern came out. The only thing the girls remember about that night is suddenly finding themselves together and not knowing why. They each ran home, confused as to how they got there.

Now seniors in high school, Jac and Fern aren’t friends, or even friendly. They find themselves at the same party and end up falling into the woods together after the bonfire collapses. There, their memories are restored and they remember the close friendship they shared and they remember Mallory.

Suddenly, life isn’t so easy and happy. Fern finds herself wondering if she’s even a girl. She’s no longer sure, but she knows the dresses, makeup, and styled hair no longer feel like her. Jac isn’t so sure she belongs with her boyfriend. She remembers her romance with Mal and that she doesn’t like boys.

While each girl is grappling with big life questions, they are also trying to solve the mystery of what happened to their friend Mallory. Weird things begin to happen. Fern feels like she’s being strangled by unseen hands and Jac is pulled under water. As they each explore who they are and how their lives must change, they unravel the mystery of that night in the woods.

"Come Out Come Out" by Natalie C. Parker is a gripping and eerie novel that pulled me in right from the beginning. Set in a small town full of dark secrets, it blends mystery, thriller, and supernatural elements in a way that kept me hooked.

Overall this book was a thought provoking read. I definitely found myself puzzled by a few plot points that should not have been so confusing. There is a gender point that you are confused about but it is brought back full circle later but some of these other points were left as gapping holes. Another part that was difficult for me was that many descriptions, such as for characters, were given in chunks and didn’t really have any purpose so it felt clunky and unnecessary. I also did note many grammatical errors which sometimes left me unable to understand a sentence or two, although most I was able to parse through.

Overall the idea of this book is good, the characters are well thought out, and there are some really interesting turns that left me gasping aloud

Okay everybody, get ready to sharpen those pitchforks because I have a controversial opinion: I liked this more than Camp Damascus? Like no disrespect to Chuck Tingle, I’m a fan and sit at home slobbering and waiting to tackle my local mail person for Bury Your Gays the second it’s out for delivery. But Come Out, Come Out is everything I wanted and envisioned Camp Damascus to be. The conversion therapy home/camp was really scary even though you don’t learn like, that much about it. The Patron? Terrifying. The song? Turned my hair white from fear. The parents??? I’m literally still shaking. As someone with, ah, intolerant parents, all the stuff involving the parents hit me really hard because I was sort of picturing my own. All the emotional, funny, scary, tense parts hit exactly right and special shout out to John for not being a huge piece of shit despite being a straight, white man! You did it baby boy, the bare minimum! I’m jk, John was really nice and I’m honestly glad he was cool.

10/10 cried at the end like the cry baby bitch that I am. #JusticeForMal

Thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and G. P. Putnum’s Sons Books for Young Readers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this, but I felt as though this book was leaning more towards contemporary than horror, to be honest.

That's not a slight against the book, whatsoever. I was engaged thoroughly throughout the entire thing. I hadn't planned on reading it in one day, but I ended up staying up a bit late finishing it just because I felt the need to read through the end. The mystery behind the murder and the forgotten memories was not only compelling but the metaphors, though on the nose sometimes, was so well done.

I really felt for Jaq and Fern. I cannot imagine how difficult it was for them while rediscovering their queerness after five years of being forced to forget/suppress their memories. Their families and social standings made it all the harder, too. Jaq's family is uber fundamentalist Christian while Fern's mom is a rigid gender norms feminist; the pressure put upon the duo was so high it understandable why they chose to do what led to Mal's death.

The horror elements were good in parts, but it was really easy to forget about them until the last third of the book or so. I think it wasn't as present as much in the beginning and middle because Jaq and Fern were still trying to remain in the closet during that time, with Jaq going further in while Fern trying to come more out. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the horror felt more contemporary than fantastical, and it only became more clearly fantastical in that last third. It kind of rushed the pacing and the logic got to a point I wasn't really getting with, anymore, but I don't think it really took away from the overall theme and message of the story.

The romance was a half-and-half for me. I liked Fern's developing relationship with Kaitlyn, a rivals-to-lovers that ends sort of bittersweet but with the promise of it getting better. It was Jaq's romance that I couldn't get behind, for it was very rushed and I felt like Devyn wasn't really as fleshed out as she should have.

Overall, I still think this was a good read. Although its presentation of horror isn't what I expected, I still found it thoughtful, and I'm glad it exists for the teens who might read and relate to it.

I wish I liked this book, so badly I wish I liked it. But unfortunately it was not for me at all!

It's really disappointing, because I like the concept of this book -- three queer teenagers find a haunted semi-unreal shack in the PNW woods and then one night, two of them forget that they're queer at all and the third ends up dead. Five years later, the teens are haunted by the ghost of their dead friend, and by the identities they may or may not want to remember.

All that sounds really interesting, really fertile ground for compelling character studies and a very exciting premise for a horror story. But it was not executed that way. In reality, the horror element of the book fell to the wayside in favor of the three separate romance plots that are stuffed into the plot. Additionally, the writing quality during the brief spurts of horror were too juvenile to make much of an impact.

I think there was good discussion and depiction of internalized homophobia, and how hard it is for queer kids to perceive a lack of support and love from the people they care about. I also liked how religious trauma was included, though it wasn't as prominent as I was hoping. While this book is labelled YA and the characters are 17/18 years old, I think the best audience for this story & writing skews much younger, and tweens would probably benefit greatly from these ideas and experiences being portrayed in such an upfront and specific way. Credit where credit is due, it's always a good thing to give kids a lifeline like that.

I am still disappointed by the volume of romance plots in this, though. I would have loved for the reclaiming of the characters' queer identities to be fueled by platonic love and friendship rather than a picture perfect, whirlwind, requited romance. And it felt like the story was built for the former rather than the latter, since the romantic scenes were honestly a bit disjointed. And I think if the friendship and community forged between Mal, Fern, and Jaq was the catalyst for Fern and Jaq becoming who they are meant to be, it would have made the ending much more cohesive and believable.

Overall, I was let down by this one, but I think it does have an audience out there who will bond with the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Five years ago, Jaq, Fern, and Mallory walked into the woods searching for a place that would keep them safe as queer kids. Only Jaq and Fern walked out of those woods alive, but neither of them remember what happened. Weirdly enough, when Jaq and Fern leave the woods, they don’t even remember being friends with each other.

Now, Fern and Jaq are experiencing their senior year of high school as straight, cisgender teens. Everything is normal, and the two are happy – until the ghost of Mallory appears to haunt them and they get some of their memories back. Now Jaq and Fern realize that the lives they’ve been living the last five years have been a lie. But the question is, why? How? And what happened the night in the woods that Mallory died?

I had a fun time reading this book! I found that the plot dragged in some places and I didn’t always feel compelled to pick it up, but when I was actively reading it I did have a good time. I enjoyed Jaq and Fern as main characters, but I wish they were both a little bit more fleshed out.

There was a senior play plotline in this novel that I didn’t particularly love, but I think theater kids could really enjoy it! Fern auditions to play Sandy in Grease, and the auditions, practices, and lead up to the play are all very well described.

I found the ending to be a little too fast paced for my liking and I wish the resolution of the story lasted about 20 more pages or so. I just wanted to see a little bit more interaction between all of the characters after the events of the climax. However, I was overall satisfied by the conclusion and like I said earlier, I did have a fun time reading this story! I didn’t absolutely love it, but I will be recommending it to other people! It’s a novel that I believe will really resonate with teens who are currently exploring their identities.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

I posted this review to Goodreads on 6/28/2024. I will include this novel in my June reading wrap up on my Instagram @lattereads, and I will also post a review of this on Instagram on its release day.

"And in the darkness, Mallory burned."

The author's words at the beginning of the book explain more than my words ever could. The story is dark, and terrifying, and I definitely couldn't read it after dark. But it's also about the terror of coming out, and it's incredibly well written.

The author shares, "In this book are some things that truly scare me because they can hurt me: homophobia, transphobia, gender dysphoria, religious extremism, conversion therapy. They are terrifying because they are very real, they have sharp edges, and I can't control when I encounter them."

As hard as it was to watch these characters endure homophobia, I will let you all know there is a happy ending so you can safely voyage into this book and know that your faves will be okay (heart hands emoji)

The Haunting of Hill House meets Riverdale with a completely queer twist, this story manages to be horrific and sad, yet heart-warming and optimistic, all at once. Though it was tough to read at times due to the blatant homophobia and transphobia, the happy ending made it all worthwhile for both the reader and the wonderful characters. The plot is brilliantly conceived, weaving horror into themes of self-discovery and acceptance. It never once lost my attention and was exceptionally well-written.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC!

"Come Out, Come Out" by Natalie C. Parker is a powerful and timely anthology that celebrates queer joy, resilience, and identity. Featuring a collection of stories across various genres and styles, Parker brings together diverse voices that explore the LGBTQ+ experience with honesty and depth.

Parker's curation is thoughtful and inclusive, showcasing a range of perspectives and narratives that highlight the beauty and complexity of queer lives. Each story is imbued with emotion and authenticity, offering glimpses into moments of love, discovery, and self-acceptance.

The anthology celebrates the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community, while also addressing important themes such as acceptance, empowerment, and the ongoing struggle for equality. Parker's writing is both poignant and uplifting, making "Come Out, Come Out" a poignant tribute to queer identity and resilience.

Overall, "Come Out, Come Out" is a must-read for readers seeking stories that celebrate queer voices and experiences. Natalie C. Parker's anthology is a heartfelt and empowering collection that resonates long after the last page is turned, making it an essential addition to LGBTQ+ literature.

3⭐️ for me on this one. It had a great coming of age and a lot of LGBTQIAP+ representation with a few different love stories. There was just not enough horror for me it felt like that was secondary to the love story and family hardships it talked about and as that was good, it just seemed like little bits of horror were thrown in as an after thought at the end. If what happened at the end had been throughout the whole book it would've been a much higher rating for me. I still appreciate the opportunity to read this early before getting released

The cover and synopsis of this book left me intrigued, I was hooked. Kind of a slow burn at first getting into it, then enjoying the ride to the end. I think the representation in this book was done so well for a YA horror. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group and Natalie C Parker for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

DNF’ed at 34 pages.

This just wasn’t working for me. The multitude of character descriptions that are back to back to back and so flat it was like looking at Skyrim NPCs paired with the poor and amateur writing style of the first few chapters worked against the enjoyment or curiosity of the premise. Saying that a characters eyes were “a kaleidoscope of sepia and copper” is literally saying the same thing twice and reads as unnecessarily purple prose for the sake of it. Perhaps if this wasn’t the fourth description of a background character in less than two pages it would’ve had been so grating, but the way the author crafts character appearances and interactions is stilted.

But the biggest flaw was the wonky tone and tense in the prologue. While the synopsis tells you that the main characters forget the events of the night in the woods, the book quite literally throws that at you in the middle of a scene in the prologue and the way in which that happens was so jarring and poorly executed that I had to reread the page three times to fully understand.

This doesn’t feel like a seasoned author’s writing to me and I regret that even the glimpses of horror set up we had was equally as generic.

A layered and thoughtful story of young LGBTQIA+ experiences in a small town.

The supernatural horror part, however, takes quite some time to get going. It starts slow, just showing up in small bits every now and then as the characters navigate their lives. For a while, it almost feels a bit as if these two stories are separate. It’s all actually rather disjointed and confusing at first, the horror elements seem almost thrown in. When it does make sense, it’s very interesting. I wish the supernatural storyline had started making sense a bit sooner. Some of the secondary characters and their relationships feel rushed as well. But the relationship between the 3 main characters is solid, and their struggles within their small town while learning who they are is well fleshed out.

Overall, the theme of this book and this sort of representation is so important. All of the resources at the end are a fantastic addition.

From the cover to the story line I was hooked. If you’re a fan of horror this is definitely one for you and you won’t be disappointed

Wow! What a great book! I love queer horror so much and this was no exception. For being YA, it didn’t shy away from serious topics, and I would definitely check the trigger warnings before reading.

The two main characters were very relatable and it pained me to see them struggle and it warmed my heart to see them thrive. I was so invested in their stories and I liked how they were connected, but yet each of their stories was independent and they both felt fully fleshed out and developed.

I liked that even though there were scary moments in the woods or when the characters were being tormented by ghosts, I found myself more terrified when the characters were dealing with their parents.

Such an amazing book to read especially during Pride Month and I hope everyone picks it up in August when it officially releases!

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before publication on Aug 27 2024. Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker.
YA Horror about Queer/Trans Teens dealing with their coming out/realization of who they are! Something happened to their friend Mallory 5 years ago and Fern and Jaq completely lose memory of it and their lives are changed because of the Patron Saint of the woods. Mal's ghost isn't going to lie down and take it and wants her friends to remember who they are.
Lovely story of friendship and coming out even though it wasn't all roses with their families. Fern the beautiful curly-haired blonde who feels she is stuck in the wrong body and is better playing Danny Zuko in the Grease School Musical instead of Sandy and Jaq who shared her first kiss with Mal realizes she is more attracted to women instead of her boyfriend John.
Was slow in some parts and a bit back and forth in time period but it was well paced, easy read, and earmarked with which time you were in when reading. Will definitely read more from this author.

thank you to netgalley for the eARC.

i have very few words, wow being the main one. the cover is gorgeous, the synopsis is interesting and the characters were well written.

this one was difficult to rate since i wasn’t sure if i thought it was a five star read or not. in the end, i gave it four stars since i went back and forth for so long.

i don’t want to say too much, but the story was really good. i fell in love with all the characters and their own stories. i hope to read more from this author.