To say this book is good would be an understatement! The story flows smoothly and at a pace that compliments the plot. I'm absolutely in love with the characters and became hooked from the beginning. I'm honestly so happy I received this book and read it. The story comes full circle and it's perfect! I think this would make a great TV series.

An intriguing story with well-written and lovable main characters. I do think the side characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, particularly Devyn whose entire personality is mysterious dyke on a bike, but it was overall a good read and I would recommend to others who enjoy queer YA. A lot of queer YA tends to be romance focused so it was refreshing to see something that, whilst having romance as part of the main plotline, focused more on found family and platonic connections and the mystery. The twist, and overall plot was well thought out and did not feel like something I had seen before, which goes to show that queerness can be a wonderful addition to all genres, not just romance as queerness is about so much more than that.

Overall, this book didn't particularly stick out to me, but I feel I am better off having read it.

Five years ago, three friends went into the woods and only two returned. The remaining pair have lived a life of safety during these past five years that begins to be threatened as memories return of that night in the woods. Their lost friend begins to appear to them, and she wants them to return to the woods. What exactly happened to their friend? Did she run away or did something more sinister happen that night?
The book is labeled as horror, but that horror works mostly as a device that pushes the characters to acknowledge and name their queer identities. There are parts that are typical to what you would expect from a horror novel but if you read the book with the awareness that it is only a part of the overall whole, I think you’ll appreciate the book more.
This book did a great job with queer representation. I felt a connection to all the characters and the similar struggles they faced navigating their journey of self-discovery. I really loved the idea of “safety” that was explored throughout the book in relation to living authentically and putting yourself into a box for other people’s comfort.



***Thank you to Penguin/G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing the advanced copy to my Kindle for review via NetGalley. All opinions are of course, my own.

Horror that makes you feel and packs a punch. Isn’t just all slash, gore and MWAHAHAH. Still has those, but has a deeper meaning.

⭐ Rating: 4.5/5 stars
🗓 Publish date: Aug 27, 2024
🌈 Representation: Lesbian MC, Genderfluid MC, Queer SCs

CW/TW:
Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Death, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Forced conversion, Panic attacks/disorder, Alcohol use


Horror can be hit or miss for me, but I love themes around queerness and religious trauma, so I had to try this one out. I'm glad I did! So much of this story hit close to home and I really loved the way the journey unfolded.

The horror was sufficiently eerie and the mystery had me invested the whole time. The twists were excellent and I didn't see most of them coming. The paranormal stuff happening paralleled well with the struggles of questioning your identity and coming out.

Some of the side characters felt a tad underdeveloped, but the main three (Fern, Jaq, and Mal) were all intriguing. I was really rooting for them to figure things out (both the mystery and themselves).

I'll def be recommending this book for folks after a chilling, heartfelt queer horror. Thank you to Penguin/G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Just finished reading "Come Out, Come Out" and I have mixed feelings about it. This book has been labeled as a LGBTQIA+ horror novel but to be honest, it didn't really deliver on the horror aspect. Instead, it felt more like a coming of age story with some tough topics and situations. Don't get me wrong, those topics were important and well-written but I was expecting some spine-chilling moments.The "spookiness" felt like an afterthought. But hey, if you're looking for a thought-provoking read, this one might be for you.

This has one of the coolest opening prologues that I’ve read in awhile, but it didn’t super live up to how heart pounding that opener was. I feel like this book would have been better if it had either leaned into just being a coming of age story or leaned much more into the horror aspect. I felt like the two sides of the story fought each other sometimes, leaving neither side as fully realized. It was still really entertaining, but not exactly what I wanted after that first chapter.

This book started out slow for me, I couldn’t get a handle on the characters or the plot. But once I did everything changed for me. Rounded up to 5 stars in the end (4.75).

These characters stole my heart and I was on the verge of tears the entire time. I even let a few slip out at the very end.
I loved the urban legend of it all with The Patron and the creepy abandoned house in the woods. That’s one of my favorite horror settings.


Three young queer teens are outcasts in their community and families. They find an abandoned house in the woods which becomes a safe place for them. One night only two of them leave alive and their memories have been altered. Fast forward 5 years and those memories start to return as does a ghost from the past.


This book can be difficult/triggering for some readers. This story heavily revolves around transphobia and homophobia

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202774960/reviews?reviewFilters={%22workId%22:%22kca://work/amzn1.gr.work.v3._06aLoyh9QNl2rZU%22,%22after%22:%22MjU2LDE3MjM1NzEzNjI0MTI%22}#:~:text=The%20two%20main%20characters%20were%20very%20relatable%20and%20it%20pained%20me%20to%20see%20them%20struggle%20and%20it%20warmed%20my%20heart%20to%20see%20them%20thrive.%20I%20was%20so%20invested%20in%20their%20stories%20and%20I%20liked%20how%20they%20were%20connected%2C%20but%20yet%20each%20of%20their%20stories%20was%20independent%20and%20they%20both%20felt%20fully%20fleshed%20out%20and%20developed.

(3.5⭐️)

i will probably rate this a bit higher later on. this is such an important novel for queer folks and the lgbtq. trying to figure out who you are while also adjusting to real world expectations whether in your personal or professional life. it touched on different feelings of wanting to speak up for what you are and what you like but also being silenced by internal struggles and familial judgements. i loved that aspect.

i did think i wanted more from the story. i wanted a lot more about mallory and who she was before the woods. i wanted a lot more from the romantic aspects in fern & jaq’s lives as well. i felt as though everything was really sparse and i wasn’t completely immersed like i should have been. i didn’t connect well with the characters either as there is some disconnect there. i wanted more fleshing of their characters in order to connect more.

overall, the theme and message are so important.

thank you for the arc!!! ♡

This was a story about three friends, and how the one link that brings them together is exactly the thing that completely overturns their lives. The three of them go into the woods one night, but only two come out. And for 5 years after, they live with memories paved over with the silence of forgetting. Except that the third member is still in the woods, calling to them, along with the dark entity they made a deal with all those years ago.

This was a powerful YA tale of identity, sacrifice, and the real meaning of community. Set in the Pacific Northwest (only an hour from me!), it had elements of horror stemming in local folklore that gave I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, as well as major coming of age LGBTQIA rep. It was a bit on the slower end for me - my character-based friends will really dig this one.

come out, come out included a lot of things i like in horror novels -- namely the haunted house and found family tropes. while there were multiple supernatural horror elements, i really liked that this book also focused on the every day horrors that members of the lgbtq+ community face every day; the fear that fern and jaq faced every day simply for who they are felt so realistic and honest, it was really heartbreaking, but it was beautiful to read about the two of them reclaiming their power and owning who they are.

if you enjoy ya horror, i'd definitely recommend checking this one out.

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌖
Genre: YA Horror
Violence: 🔪
Spice: 🔥
TW: Homophobia, transphobia, gender dysphoria

Synopsis: 3 friends struggling with their emerging identities find refuge at an abandoned house, where a benevolent spirit is said to grant wishes. Until the night only 2 emerge, their memories of what happened & their deepest secrets erased. All is seemingly well in their straight, cis-gender lives, until a freak event restores their memories & upends everything.

Thoughts: Horror is the perfect lens through which to frame this story: horror hinges on external threats to one's safety, just as being made to feel wrong in one's body endangers emotional, psychological, & physical safety. Beyond its relevance, Come Out, Come Out is just a good read. The story structure & mechanics of the curse fall down in a few places, but strong narrative flow & outstanding characterization offset these challenges. The 3-dimensional portraits of Jaq & Fern bonds them by their shared experience of prejudice yet creates distinct individuals battling their own unique identity obstacles. I also enjoyed how this atmospheric novel establishes as character the woods that envelop the town of Port Promise, contributing to the ever-present dread. The increase in books like Come Out, Come Out delights me for 2 reasons: 1) readers—especially adolescents—deserve to see themselves represented in the books they read; & 2) reading is a transformative experience that should expose us to new ways of thinking & ideally grow our empathy. Parker’s book hits both objectives.

Thank you to Penguin Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on BookwormishMe.com and goodreads.com today.


This is a brilliantly written novel, focused on several teens’ journeys of acceptance of themselves. Being LGBTQ+ as a young adult, let alone a young teen, must be a scary, unsettling journey. And the main characters of this book do not take it all in stride. But the lessons that this book offers are amazing.

Fern is the youngest of four girls, being raised by a single mom. She is definitely what one might call a girly-girl. Fern is also a star. With a high school career in theater and sisters all pursuing the craft, Fern is just like she’s expected to be.

Kaitlyn came out a long time ago. Her parents fully supportive of her choices. When she is sharing one day, Fern and two other friends, Mallory and Jaq are all a bit jealous of Kaitlyn’s ability to just be. The three become best friends, keeping their gender identities under wraps, until suddenly Mallory disappears. It’s as if the three were never friends at all.

Jaq, like Mallory, is being raised in a strict Baptist household. While Jaq fits her parental expectations, Mallory rebels against them. Jaq has a long time boyfriend, attends church events, and would never dream of rebelling against her parents’ wishes.

Until suddenly, one night at a bonfire party, Jaq and Fern start having memories of Mallory. Who they once were. And life is about to get pretty freaky when they remember what happened five years ago.

I was so impressed with how this novel tackled these difficult years and topics. You can’t help but root for all these girls to embrace their true identities and be themselves. Because who you love doesn’t change who you are. Would highly recommend!!!

The horror of being a queer teen mixed with the horror of ghost both figurative and literal. This is both a coming of age story where friends remember and accept who they are while dealing with a friend who never got to have that chance. I’m always always up for a good queer horror story and I will sign up and read all of them. This was both heartbreaking and beautiful when everything was said and done. Defining important for those afraid to find their voices and learn who they are!

Focused on two former friends -Jaq and Fern- Come Out, Come Out is a quiet horror about the tumultuous, personal battle one goes through when they’ve been striped of their queer identity. It provides varied perspectives on sexuality. Even through the minor characters, it shows that there is no singular queer experience.

If you're someone who enjoys a slower paced, introspective sort of horror/suspense then I would recommend this novel.

The story really kicks into gear about 50 pages in. From there, the majority of the book is focused on the internal, emotional plots of the characters. It’s more about them learning to reconcile who they were, who they became and who they want to be now that they have remembered their queerness, and less about solving the mystery of what happened to them. It is heavier on the suspense than the horror but Parker does deliver in the final act.

I initially gave this a rating of 4.45 because of it’s pacing. Due to the story being essentially a character study, the suspenseful moments of the plot didn’t feel sufficient enough to carry me through the story. But once I was able to orient myself with the slower pace and connect with the characters, the pages flew by. I loved the characters, especially Fern’s journey and Mal's point of view chapters.

In the end I rounded up to 5 stars because it managed to make me cry. More than once. The moments that hit are sleeper cells. They sneak up on you and you don’t know it until you’re already crying.

Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I WANTED to love this. Queer horror is a favorite subgenre of mine, but this one seemed to lack a general direction.

2.5 Stars. I was not a huge fan of this book. I felt like it lacked the overall plot and the horror elements promoted by this book. I feel like this book would work better if it were a coming-of-age story, however, I did not think this story was scary or had a lot of horror elements to make this a horror book. I would still recommend this book since it does talk about topics that I think are important to read about and discuss but this book took me a bit to get into and I was waiting for more.

I have been so lucky here lately on here because this is my second 5 star book this week. This book is so good and I am so grateful to have received this ARC.

I got thin in hope of a great horror story... This is basically a coming of age and coming out of the closet story with a tiny dash of a creepy ghost. Thus this book was not for me. Thanks to Net Galley for giving me the chance to check this out.