This is a wonderful coming of age novel. I love this author so I was expecting a good book. This is not as scary as I expected but I am old and jaded so it just didn't hit me the same way it probably hits younger people.
I loved it. It is a quick read.

Come Out, Come Out is a spooky tale of self (re)discovery that ropes you in to solve a mystery while the characters are also learning about themselves. It's dark at times and twisty as a thriller should be, but it's presented with all of the real fears of coming out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community which is what initially caught my eye. We follow Fern and Jaq through their separate but related journeys of remembering who they truly are and how they lost their best friend through the uncovering of memories that had been stolen from them.

I fell so in love with the characters in this book, so much more than I was expecting but it makes sense actually! A little bit about me, I'm in my 20s and came out just a few years ago after discovering this part of myself, but I've noticed all of these signs since then that make me say "how the heck did I not see it sooner?" and this book just sat so nicely with all of those personal feelings. I absolutely loved it and have been recommending it since I started!

**Initial Reaction**: 10

**Characters:** 10

**Setting:** 9

**Plot:** 10

**Pace:** 8

**Style:** 7

**Ending:** 9

**Enjoyment:** 10

73 / 16 = 4.5625

Rounded Rating = 4.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Young Reader's for the eARC.

The concept of this book had me hooked and the actual content kept me hooked. What a unique, wild horror story. I found myself so invested in these characters and their journey to self acceptance in a world that is desperate to stop that. So good.

4.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an incredible YA queer, horror novel! I really enjoyed this one. It was so good, I read it in a single day. Could hardly put it down. Fern, Jaq, and Mal were all such great characters. I love how the reader finds out information in regard to their past friendship and why Fern and Jaq can’t seem to remember certain parts of their past. They are so well fleshed out, and my heart was being pulled in so many different directions finding out bit by bit of information.

I loved the premise and I think it was perfectly paced as well. This was such a great coming-of-age novel—finding the courage to be your most authentic self, even when it’s absolutely terrifying.

I can’t wait to read more of Parker’s work!

CW: homophobia, lesbophobia, transphobia, religious bigotry, gender dysphoria, discussions about conversion therapy, body horror, self-harm, violence

The story feels like a sprint! There is fast action, right from the start and it's atmospheric nature is alluring. It is hard being a teenager, but it is even harder being a teenager who is running for their life in the woods. This is a fast paced story and a great start to a horror/thriller run.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: YA Horror📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
The true horror in this book is the girls’ journeys to self acceptance in a homophobic town

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Themes of acceptance and friendship
Multiple POV
Coming of age
Gave Riverdale vibes
Dark yet heartwarming
Great characters
Local folklore
Heavy topics

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
All the queer rep
The title

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Started off a little slow
Not super horror-y

A dark exploration of queer identity and discovery for three young girls. A trio of friends find solace in each other’s otherness until tragedy strikes and their wills are circumvented in terrible ways. I lived the horror allegory for the pain and trauma of coming out in the face of bigotry, the beautiful depiction of found family, and the ultimate freedom of living in the truth of yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

In Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker has created a poignant and terrifying narrative that calls out systems of queer and trans identity erasure that show how to unleash your true identity with the help of friendship and found family against the true monsters of the world.
There are so many details that will call out to those facing struggles like the ones the protagonists in this novel face. From the very first, it begins with an intensity and emotion that will haunt the reader. The narrative brings you face to face with safe spaces and how often it is difficult to be true to yourself when you do not feel safe to do so. And as the supernatural elements creep in and thread throughout the story, it only highlights the way real families and adults force queer teens into hiding or burying who they truly are.
I love how Fern and Jaq slowly find their reality as they are supported by friends who become family for them, how much they are family for each other along with Mallory. In the end, found family and friendship are truly what save the day for these teens and their monsters are not just faced down in the forest but the powerful story will demonstrate how important it is to listen to children and teens as they discover themselves and how important it is to create safe spaces. The authenticity and real emotions in this novel will connect with anyone who has felt similar to these three teens.
If you like powerful and intense stories about queer identity or supernatural horror that originates from the very real terror of being different, then this novel is for you. Come Out, Come Out is poignant and terrifying, touching on themes of queer and trans erasure, homophobia and parents who don’t want to allow their children to be queer. It is very real while containing a sinister supernatural element. This one is as spooky as it gets.

Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker follows three friends Fern, Jaq, and Mallory. One night all three enter this house but only two friends come out alive. Fast forward a few years Fern and Jaq are nothing more than passing acquaintances Fern is dedicated to acting and the schools drama club. Jaq is dating her good friend Josh and is doing her best to be the daughter her parents want her to be. Both Fern and Jaq have secrets that slowly come to light. This book was very interesting Fern and Jaq are living in a town that has very specific and defined roles that young girls need to follow and as Fern and Jaq accept that who they are doesn’t align with that they have to decide who they are going to be. I think the conversations surrounding safety when you are young and part of the lgbtqia community are very important and I think the book was honest and real about the experiences many people face. I think this is a book that approaches these themes in an interesting way. I enjoyed the book for the most part and if this sounds like something you’d enjoy then definitely pick it up. 3.75⭐️

This one is kinda hard for me to review and ultimately why I knocked three stars off of my rating. It still gets three stars for me because I feel like the lgbtq element is important in society and giving that kinda of story a horror element was such a cool idea. The double meaning of the title and the thought behind the story was perfection. I ended up knocking two stars off because I was promised to get that kind of story in a horror and spine tingling way… which i intentionally decided to read now since we’re heading into spooky season. However, this was more of a coming of age story and the characters were more worried about who they like and who they are then of the supposedly creepy ghost haunting them. Again, not a bad story at all.. I just wanted it to actually be the horror I was told it would be.

I received an ARC from Netgally and the publisher of Come Out Come Out for my honest review.

I was expecting more horror but for more heart. This book centers on the struggles of being a youth and finding one’s self, dealing with family and friends. I appreciated that part but was expecting more horror as that was what this book promised.

With thanks to Net Galley, Penguin Group and Author, Natalie C Parker for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

As an adult reader, I often take on YA novels as a way to see if there is more interesting, relatable and enjoyable content out there for my students to read, seeing themselves and their friends represented with in the pages. I was drawn to the premise of this book, involving characters who identify outside of what some would call societies ‘norms’, attempting to find and live as their true selves.

Come Out, Come out is a modern gothic horror if you will, a LGBTQIAP+ story that is based around a trio of friends, Mallory, Fern and Jaq. The plot is shaped by the voices of the three characters, learning more and more about their different personalities and connections to each other.
An evocative story of queerness, friendship, allies and those who reject them. A tale of learning to love oneself, and the importance of community, Come out Come out was an engaging read, accessible in its writing that I can see many of the teens I know not only enjoying this story but also taking something for themselves from it.

I did expect it to have a bit more horror involved in its story line but without spoiling it, the subtle threads of darkness throughout the story make sense as the characters unravel the mystery of what happened the night Mallory disappeared, not only to Mallory, but what happened to all three of them - made for an enjoyable read.

Come Out, Come Out is an eerie and evocative exploration of queer identity, friendship, and the darkness that lingers both within and without. The novel's emotional depth, authentic characters, and powerful message of hope make it a compelling read, even with its minor imperfections. This is a story that will resonate with queer youth and allies alike, reminding us all of the importance of embracing our true selves and striving for a world where everyone can live authentically.

This is a potent and timely narrative that speaks to the challenges and triumphs of queer youth. It is a testament to the strength of community, the importance of self-acceptance, and the enduring power of love in all its forms. While not flawless, the novel’s emotional depth, genuine characters, and unwavering commitment to social justice make it an invaluable addition to the young adult literary landscape.

A full review can be found at tashadriver.com/blog

Actual rating: 3.5

I’ve been getting more into horror over the last few years, particularly queer horror, because I love the different ways it explores monstrosity and expectations. Come Out, Come Out is excellent at the creepy elements, and I really like the execution of revealing what happened to Mal as well as Jaq and Fern remembering their true selves. This was rough in some ways, but not in a way that felt gratuitous or like it minimizes different experiences. I look forward to seeing what stories Natalie C Parker will have to tell in the future.

I appreciated the struggles of the protagonists in this book but honestly the repetition just go so old after a while that I just couldn't get past the writing. I think the premise of the Patron is promising and the beginning of the story was excellent. After about two thirds of the way through the story bogged down and I just couldn't get past it. It was a challenge to finish

This book sucked me in and wouldn't let me go. I loved theses characters, and while I feel like parts of this story are quite predictable, it's because those things happen so often in real life, unfortunately. And man, that hook.

I will say, this book is a lot quieter than I anticipated. Right up until the end, I was expecting more horror, and I did feel like the author pulled punches on some of the more fantastical elements. There are also places where the "magic" interference is a bit inconsistent. Don't go into this book expecting it to be like "Camp Damascus," which I sort of did... it's much more realistic, with the "horror" parts being more metaphorical. I think the author could have pushed certain concepts further, but I also understand that playing up the horror elements more might have undermined the much more real-world terrors of unsupportive parents and conversion therapy.

Overall, I did enjoy and would happily recommend this book. I got the sense that the author had a lot of love for the characters, which translated into me being invested in them, even when they're not at their best. *coughcough I'm looking at you, Fern cough* I will pick up the author's next book in a heartbeat.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. My thoughts and ramblings are my own and left voluntarily.

Coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual or anything other than straight can be difficult for a teenager or at any age. Fern, Jaq and Mallory escape to an abandoned, hidden house in the woods. They feel that they can be themselves there. Unfortunately a bad entity dwells in this place as well. The Patron, according to urban legend, will grant wishes and keep you safe in exchange for a special gift. The three friends enter the woods but only two come back. Their memory and self identities are erased. Five years pass by and each live separate lives. A party near the woods bring them together again and the pieces of the past start coming back. It’s a tough read with real world experiences such as emotional and physical abuse from parents upon kids who experiment with their friends via same sex kissing. There’s a bright spot in Frank’s, a diner where it’s a safe space to be whoever you are. The horror of the book is fear - of coming out and the repercussions such as hostility, harassment, discrimination, violence or worse. It’s an important story told in an interesting way. Props to Natalie C. Parker. ARC was provided by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is so much more than a YA horror novel. It is about finding your true self and accepting it and dealing with all of the societal and familial pushback.

I did enjoy this novel more than I expected. I really liked the mystery/ horror aspect of the book. I felt so much for the characters as they were on a mission to find out what happened to their friend.

The growth of every character in this book was just so beautiful to experience. Not only the growth in finding themselves and accepting who they are, but the growth in their friendships.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I hope the finished copy of this book has a trigger warnings page because this book sorely needs it. I appreciate that there were all those helpful phone numbers and websites to go to for people in the LGBTQIA+ community and for suicide prevention but there was a lot in this story that I didn't expect mainly the homophobia from the parents (and the MC themselves at times), and a lot of the language and situations in the books that were caused by homophobia. It was honestly very stressful to read about without having those trigger warnings in place. I also thought the story would be more horror based than it actually was, I liked that it focused on Fern and Jaq as they struggled with reconciling their old and new identities/memories of things but I wanted more of a horror vibe I guess. This book didn't give me the chills like I wanted (or if it did give me the chills it did because of the homophobia). Overall I did enjoy the book though and what I did get of the ghostly Patron was pretty scary.

When I saw that this was a YA queer horror novel, I instantly requested the ARC on netgalley and I was so excited to see that I was approved for it.

This topics of this book are heavy and it took me a bit longer to read than others. The friendship, the hope in this story was heartwarming and there were many moments where I was close to tears because of the experiences the characters were going through. It does a wonderful job at showing how important friendship is and at showing how hard it can be to come out to yourself, much less to your family and people you believed to be friends.

The horror elements weren’t so much gruesome or terrifying but were more emotional, but I enjoyed that more than if it were a slasher or a thriller. The actual horror elements were seldom as it focused on Fern and Jaq coming to terms with who they are, who they love and the life they want to live. I actually really enjoyed the balance. But in my opinion the emotional horror stood out more to me than your typical horror novel.

I think the author did a great job transitioning from the characters having a very narrow point of few, having been contained in almost a bubble like life, from their family, friend groups, and the church, to starting to understand more about themselves and the world around them.

Overall, it was a good book. And i recommend it! It’s very sad but inspiring and hopeful at the same time, just be sure to take note of the content warnings before you get into it.

Also! The play on words in the title! Very fun.