Actual Rating 3.75 stars

Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield fed into my love for the horror/thriller genre. The concept of reality television gone wrong was great and works extremely well for the genre. The switching between the story and interviews were honestly great. I wish we saw more interviews or even newspapers clips. I thought the build up to the big plot twist was well done; however, I do think more context was needed for said plot twist. Additionally, I felt we as readers did not get a chance to know the characters enough for certain events to be impactful. I also felt there was more of Lex's story and character we did not get to see. I really enjoyed Come Out, Come Out,Whatever You Are and recommend checking it out.

***I received an arc in exchange for an honest review
I thought this book was a really fun and interesting read! It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I really appreciate a good horror story and this one delivered.

Fun, fast paced and mildly chilling. I loved the setting of the claustrophobic caves. This skews more MG than YA for me but would also be a great for a reluctant older reader.

Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield is about a reality TV show called, It's Behind You! Where contestants have to stay all through the night at a spooky location, the Umber Gorge caves, which the Puckered Maiden haunts. Whoever makes it through has a chance to win 10k in prize money.

The story introduces you to the main character, Lex, and the other contestants participating in the show. Jackie is the producer, and there are a few chapter headings with her doing interviews with them. Each contestant has a significant meaning in partaking in the show as to why Jackie selected them, but no one knows why until the end of the story.

Some of the wording felt a little juvenile. EX: "I have eaten far too much beige food, but I can't stop.", "We scatter like skittles." But at other times, it simply worked. Lex would give some side characters random names, such as "McOldFace," and I thought it was a brilliant way to keep up with people in the book without overly complicating it with so many names.

Overall this was a YA horror/suspense novel that stuck to the YA side of things. I felt myself forgetting that it was young adult, and unfortunately, it left me feeling underwhelmed because the story's premise could have been terrifying. I was anticipating the climax to leave me shaking in my boots when I was ready to put the book down realistically. A few scenes lacked the emotional depth I imagine a person would feel when experiencing acts of death and getting locked in a cave without the possibility of escaping. The scare factor could have been explored there, but it didn't seem to faze the characters and left me unconnected with them. If I were to recommend it, I would suggest it be read by a younger audience who wants to explore the horror genre without fear of it keeping them up at night.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire, for providing an eARC of Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are. This review is being left voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

This book will definitely appeal to the targeted readers, especially due to the fast paced nature of the book. The main character's motivations are clear and developed for the reader to understand. The premise of the book also worked and was played out well. Expect a bigger review from me closer to the publishing date!!

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

This book follows a girl who has decided she wants to be on a reality show where people stay in haunted places over night and get a chance to win a cash prize.

I LOVE this kind of trope.

I came into this book blind. Didn't read about it. Just started reading and it pulled me in so fast. I did not wanna put it down. I fell asleep whilst reading and picked it up the next day. Which shows I liked this book. I loved the main character and the little roller coaster it put me on.

Thank you so much for this ARC. I will be buying this when it comes out around my birthday.

I want to think #netgalley for allowing me to read an eArc of #ComeoutComeoutwhateveryouare.

We start out learning that this show is called What's behind you, we get to meet the contestants Liam, Python, Abbey, Marla and Lex. Lex is angry with life after having her mom take back a cheating spouse. She wants the $10,000 prize money so that she can go on vacation and have it pay for the whole thing, she's not necessarily the most likable character to begin with but she becomes a lot more likable throughout the story, she's extremely sarcastic. Python is a YouTuber who has mde his fame reviewing the show, who it turns out is being blackmailed to be a contestant. Abby is a Paranormal Investigator who seems to have a little bit more reason to be here than some of the others, she's interested in knowing if the afterlife is real if The Puckered Maiden is real. Marla is only there because she is an actress who is trying to get her foot in the door and Liam just happens to be somebody that they assume is out of from out of town because that's what he wants people to believe when in actuality Liam is a townie whose sister was the most recent casualty of the Haunted caves. The Puckered Maiden is a story about a scorned woman who steals lovers Hearts because her fiance decided to marry somebody else in her place.
The contestants are supposed to spend 24 hours inside and whoever makes it all through the night wins 10K as a result. Not long after the filming begins they start to notice little issues here and there with the lighting and things like that, then the lock on the electromagnetic door seals and they cant get out. The filming crew outside seems to have abandoned them. Marla freaks out trying to get out but the door won't open and they're not sure what's happened so they start looking for another way out. On the way of looking for another way out the caves start to rumble and start to slowly cave in. The person who had owned the caves beforehand had tried to turn the Puckered Women's story into an amusement park so throughout the cave area there are all these areas where there are animatronics setup and other fake things to make it seem scarier than what it really is. However all throughout the caves this little doll keeps popping up that's of the Puckered Maiden just in completely random spaces. They keep hearing laughter and the sounds of footsteps and not long later they hear somebody saying die die you're all going to die. As they're going through the cave systems they come through an area where there is a pond in there up on a bridge and see what they assume is another fake zombie down by the water but then they realize that it's not it is cameraman Carl who is the only outside person from their group that went into the caves with them because it was his job to film all of their reactions to everything but at this point they find that cameraman Carl is gone and they realize that something is actually going on in these caves so they decide to continue on their search looking for Liam's sister Lori who supposedly died in a cave in. Finally after being stuck in the cave system for so long they managed to come across Jackie the producer who is determined to get the show made no matter what, Ben and Veronica who happened to be the two last people that saw Lori alive when she died in the cave in saying that they found a way out but only after she had already passed away which seems a little sketchy to me. At this point things take quite a turn if you have any issues with claustrophobic spaces caves, rock slides, drowning that sort of thing you might want to be prepared for a rough read. I love horror books, I love scary things but I'm not going to lie I think one of my biggest fears is probably going to be trapped in a cave in because I had to put this book down several times, the descriptions of what the caves were like bothered me so much that I needed to take a breath because I felt like I was there in that moment with them and I couldn't breathe myself. I 100% recommend this book I absolutely loved it it's one that I will be buying to add to my collection and I will continue to read over and over again until I can maybe face my fears of the possibility of being stuck in a cave in or being in a claustrophobic space we'll see if I ever reach that point. But this book is well worth the read I was fascinated throughout the whole entire thing curious to see if the Puckered Maiden was real or if she was made up, curious to find out what it was in these cave systems that kept causing these deaths to occur that nobody seemed to be able to figure out. I recommend picking up the book and giving it a chance. I think it's worth it.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield is a blend of YA horror and thriller about a reality TV show. The story revolves around Lex, who is one of 5 contestants on a reality TV show where they try to scare the contestants. For the show, they journey to dangerous, haunted caves. Lex is convinced that the production crew are the ones setting up incidents to try to scare the contestants. But are they really? Or is there a more evil entity lurking behind the scenes?

Here is an atmospheric excerpt from Chapter 2:

"The evening smells like cotton candy and blood.
There’s a procession making its way up the main street, toward Umber caves. The townsfolk are lit by glowing lanterns; their heads are bowed. The moon watches on from a clear sky as the rocky gorge reverently spills over with greenery. It’s a beautiful scene, if you can get past the platters of pigs’ hearts carried by a troupe of solemn schoolchildren.
“I think I love this town,” I say."

Overall, Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are is a YA thriller that will appeal to fans of One of Us is Lying or The Good Girl's Guide to Murder. One highlight of this book is the main character, who is not afraid of getting in trouble and not afraid to stand out. I found this protagonist to be really unique among YA books I've read lately. I did take off 1 star, because I just didn't find this book scary. I expected it to be like Fear Street, but it ended up being more like Scooby Doo. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA thrillers in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in December!

Fun little story with horror components! The reality show "It's Behind You!" is filming in a small town located amongst a dark and dreary mountain range filled with caves. Five hand picked contestants must survive the night in the dark and avoid the Puckered Maiden (a ghost who eats hearts).

Early on it is clear that all is not what it seems and the contestants fear each other and for their actual lives! If you like reality show based books, fun horror themed stories, or just want a fun thrill for your nighttime reading, Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are is for you!
#sourcebooksfire #Sourcebooks #Comeoutcomeoutwhateveryouare

A fun teen horror with modern characters in a classic horror house structure. High school/new adulte readers will feel the chills of wondering if the monster is real, if all is fake or if a killer is on the loose. There is a very good balance between scares and comic relief and I loved the highlight in passing character conversation on how the true horror in life is poverty, discrimination, crime against humanity...
The twists will probably surprise the less experienced readers, and keep them happy on their toes in this good-paced book. It did feel a little repetitive to me as I am not the target audience so I could have had a shorter version of the book, but the action never lags and the strong characterisation will keep readers involved and wanting to know more about Lex and the rest of the cast.
A solid, a little scary but not too scary, horror book.

Intriguing and full of twist that keep you guessing. They all had a reason to join this show, some wanted to, some by force. Not everything in reality TV is cut and dry. The story must go on.

Review of ‘Come Out Come Out Whatever You Are’, by Kathryn Foxfield

From the very first pages, this book is quite creepy, as the contestants of reality show It’s Behind You! get ready to enter the Umber Gorge caves where they are going to spend the night with the ghost of the Puckered Maiden. The best part of the plot is that we are never quite sure what is behind a scary situation. It is the ghost of the Puckered Maiden? Is it the reality show’s production crew using tactics to make the show ever scarier? Is it a part of the now defunct and decrepit rides and attractions that were going to be part of the Umber Gorge cave experience that are acting up? Or is because of the tension between a certain set of characters? Foxfield keeps us guessing until the end.

I really appreciated the reminders of how fake reality television is, and found myself taking breaks from reading to ponder the horrific effects of reality TV on society, but that’s another conversation altogether. I also appreciate the many other important issues and concepts that were touched upon in this book, including the nature of relationships and the effects of obsession and lies.

“The not knowing is the worst, as with everything. Any time now, the world could come crashing down on top of us. Or maybe it won’t, and I’ll have wasted my time on worry and what-ifs.”

On the reality show It's Behind You!, five contestants competing for prize money must survive the night in the dark and dangerous Umber Gorge caves, rumored to be haunted by the Puckered Maiden, a ghost who eats the hearts of her victims. But is it the malevolent spirit they should fear, or each other?

As the production crew ramps up the frights, tensions rise and the secrets of the cast member start coming to light. Each of these teenagers has hidden motives for taking part in the show. But could one of them be murder?

Stroppy, social media and self-obsessed teens stuck in a cave system together as they compete to win a competition… what could be more fun than that? Oh… I know… let’s throw in a homicidal killer who’s picking them off one by one and the curse of a vengeful ghost… we are in for a bumpy ride right?

This book was fun… it was spooky, it was silly and I really loved it. There was the perfect amount of tension and suspense, partnered with humour and mystery to keep me intrigued and I really liked the diverse and eclectic range of characters that Foxfield created from feisty unconventional Lex to superficial yet strangely deep, leopard-print sporting Python. I will def be checking out some more of her work. A firm favourite in my YA thriller/horror genre for sure.

Reality TV show 'It's Behind You!' requires individuals to last the night in a spooky setting with an unsettling backstory for a large cash prize. Their current focus is on Umber Gorge caves, said to be haunted by the Puckered Maiden and responsible for the strange disappearances of local teens. The five featuring on this latest TV instalment come with different backgrounds and opposing personalities but maybe they are also joined by a shared history that none of them are willing to reveal just yet.

I love reality TV featuring inside fiction as I find the mechanics of it endlessly interesting to explore. The initial focus was equally shared between the production process and the candidates featuring on it, which I appreciated. The focus shifted to the five residing inside the caves once things begin to go awry, leading to extra tensions to arise with the diminished cast of characters.

This remained a solid mystery with some good creepy moments, but I ultimately desired more of the latter to appear. The title and the front cover image had me anticipating so many more horrifying elements to make themselves known and so I was disappointed when thy failed to. I did still appreciate the way the storyline unfolded and the history of the caves and the characters that was included.

I really loved the concept of this book. It was incredibly fun and I loved the majority of the characters such as Python and Liam. There was the right amount of humor mixed in with the horror and suspense. With the horror of the Puckered Maiden and getting lost in the tunnels in the mix, having a sense of humor is important to survival! The concept of the horror reality television show is so cool, and I would love to see that happen in real life (but maybe not in Umber Gorge). The villain isn't who you think, which is surprising as you learn which characters to love and to hate from the start.

Lex was not as developed of a character as I'd have liked. So much potential; overall their attempt to be 'cool' but also complex almost hit the mark. I have a hard time relating with characters that put so much effort into not caring, so this is absolutely personal taste. Overall, a fun, spooky thriller with (mostly) likeable characters and a unique plot!

A fast paced horror story- while it lacked in the horror department it definitely made up for it in the characters and their witty repartee.

I enjoyed the story and will look at reading other novels by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

A reality TV show that is losing viewers is about to start filming what could be its last series. The producers want to ensure it packs a punch so they plan to send the five contestants into a series of caves that are rumoured to be haunted by The Puckered Maiden, a supernatural entity who eats the hearts of her victims. All they have to do is survive the night, and whoever lasts until morning wins £10,000.
Our five contestants are - naturally - not all they claim to be. From the outset we know that some of those involved are hiding things...the question is, how relevant are these secrets to what is happening in the caves during the course of the show?
While the characters themselves are irritating on occasion, things get wrapped up far more quickly than I felt made sense and I HATED the fact that the epilogue was left so open-ended, I can't deny that this was the kind of pacy YA thriller that cannot fail to entertain. From the first 'accident' we know there is more to this show than seems to be the case. Like Lex, we can tell these events have their foundation in something that happened in the caves years earlier. The book manages to walk the fine line of horror and thriller well - awful things are happening around them but the characters' sense of knowing produces what are often amusing responses.

I read this book when it was published under the title 'It's Behind You'.

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.