Release Date: July 1st 2021
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 352
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of the book to review
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis

Welcome to the reality game show that’ll scare you to death! Have you got what it takes to last the night?

Five contestants must sit tight through the night in dark and dangerous Umber Gorge caves, haunted by a ghost called the Puckered Maiden. But is it the malevolent spirit they should fear … or each other?

As the production crew ramps up the frights, secrets start to be revealed. These teenagers have hidden motives for taking part in It’s Behind You! and could some of them be … murder?

Review

It’s Behind You is the chilling new YA thriller from Good Girl’s Die First author Kathryn Foxfield. The story follows a reality TV show where five contestants much spend the night in a haunted location. This time around they’re at the Umber Gorge caves, a place rumoured to be haunted by the Puckered Maiden. All the contestants have to do is last the night and the money is theirs. Everyone has their own motivations for being on the show and Lex is determined to win that money. When things start to go wrong the contestants wonder – will they make it out alive?

I absolutely love horror movies and I think I picked this up at completely the right time. I was in the mood for something fun and fast-paced and that was definitely what I got. The story also has some real spine-tingling moments and I got completely captivated by this creepy story. I read it in a single sitting, and there were quite a few surprise moments I didn’t see coming. I really liked Foxfield’s writing style and her descriptions of the dark and eerie caves did freak me out. The dark, claustrophobic setting really comes to life in the story and as the tension increased I found myself turning the pages quicker and quicker, it felt like a race to know how it was going to end.

Foxfield has created some brilliant characters for It’s Behind You. They’ve all got their motivations for why they’re on the show and people are more than they appear. Our main character Lex is determined to win and she’s not above scaring her fellow contestants into quitting. At times she is quite unlikeable but by the end, I was definitely rooting for her. Jackie was another character I was fascinated by. She has everything riding on making this show a success and nothing will get in her way. This is a pretty chilling read, but there are quite a few humorous moments in there too. If you’re looking for a fast-paced and spooky read this Autumn, I highly recommend It’s Behind You.