Okay, this was a really good read.
First time with this author but I was definitely pulled in.
I don't normally care about pacing but this one dipped a bit and I put it down for a while.

But I'm glad I picked it back up, good solid ending in my opinion and kept me curious.

I dont know ehat it is but ive been loving horror novels with gay or lesbian characters this had me on the edge of my seat because i was trying to figure out what happen to the character that disappeared who they say that ran away. Mosg of this novel was basically a thriller u til the last 80 precent and thats why i gave it 4 stars

Wow. This was such an emotional ride. This was my first book by this author, but it won't be my last!

Teens Jaq, Mallory, and Fern all go into the woods to find "The Patron" - a soul who is said to grant you the deepest wish you have - but only 2 of them come out. 5 years later, Jaq and Fern suddenly receive memories surrounding the events that led them to going to the woods that night, but can't remember the actual night. Both feel trapped in their heterosexual lives under the strict scrutiny of their religious parents. Both are determined to have "The Patron" help them understand the events of the night long ago.


The book starts off with such a bang! There were a couple of lulls in the middle, but overall, I think this is a book that has so much potential! It approaches the topic of homosexuality and issues such as extreme religiousness and homophobia with such tenderness that it definitely makes you stop and think about teenagers today.
The buildup to the ending and the ending were just so emotional and so good! I thoroughly enjoyed myself the whole time reading it!

The biggest thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group for an eARC of this novel! All opinions are my own!

I was hoping that this book would be something along the lines of Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, and while it was similar in some aspects it also didn't quite live up to it. That's not to say that it was bad, because it wasn't, it was an enjoyable read, and I enjoyed all three POVs. I will admit I apparently didn't read the synopsis quite as closely as I thought I did because I thought the timeline was slightly shorter...I guess. Basically I didn't realize that the initial incident happened when the main characters were in middle school. I think this is an important book, and I'm sure it will resonate with a lot of queer teens, I am not queer, nor am I a teen, so obviously I'm not the intended audience for it, but I also don't regret reading it. I will say that I think I was expecting something a little scarier. I also have a few questions about some of the life-threatening ghost activity. I'm not going to bother to get into that though. I think the other thing that stopped this from being a really stand-out read was the ending. Sure, things are tied up for the most part, but one of the main characters makes an insanely odd decision that culminates in the climax occurring, and while I was reading it I just kept scratching my head because it made no sense. Maybe it's because this was an ARC, so things changed between this draft and what went into print, but the foreshadowing was INSANE for the outcome, and thus made the character doing what they did almost stupid? I don't want to spoil anything, but if it hasn't been changed when you get to that point you'll know. My other issue was that I wanted more of a resolution with one of our main characters. The lesbian main character who had a boyfriend because of The Patron did technically end up cheating on him, and then the inevitable confrontation after the climax that should have happened with him was just glossed over. I wanted to see more of that because I think it really should have been bigger, seeing as it was such an important thing. Those were just kind of the issues I had with it. Like I said overall it wasn't a bad book, I just think I was expecting a little more out of it. If a teen is looking for a queer horror story I will certainly point this book out to them, because I think it has some important messages in it, but I'm not sure I would suggest it to adults unless they're really looking for a book to kind of shine a light on the dangers of surprising queer teens (and let's be honest, I'm not sure many would be).

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.