Release Date: June 2nd 2020
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 336
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

When she was a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. At least, that’s what she’s been told. She can’t remember anything from that day, and her town’s bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down.

But then Melody goes missing, and Cassidy thinks she may have information. She knows she should go to the cops, but she recently joked about how much she’d like to get rid of Melody. She even planned out the perfect way to do it. And then she gets a chilling text from an unknown number: I’m so glad we’re in this together.

Now it’s up to Cassidy to figure out what really happened before the truth behind Melody’s disappearance sets the whole town ablaze.

Review

Little Creeping Things is a dark and compulsively readable thriller from Chelsea Ichaso. The story follows Cassidy, a teenage girl struggling with the guilt of starting a fire that killed her neighbour when she was a child. On top of the guilt she is frequently bullied by Melody Davenport, one of the most popular girls in town. At party Cassidy jokes about murdering Melody and days later Melody goes missing in the exact way Cassidy suggests. As Cassidy begins to panic she receives a text – I’m so glad we’re in this together. Cassidy must race to discover who murdered Melody and prove she had nothing to do with it.

Little Creeping Things is a fun and really solid YA thriller. Cassidy is a fascinating unreliable narrator, constantly questioning if what she’s seen is real. She is plagued by her guilt over the fire and it’s interesting to watch her tangle herself deeper and deeper in this mystery. The story also has plenty of typical high school drama with crushes and mean girls in this small town. There is also a romance plot which I found a little on the irritating side, being much more interested in the murder and the mysteries surrounding the fire.

Little Creeping Things is an addictive read. It’s one of those books you sit down to read a chapter or two and you look up and you’ve been reading for hours. I read this nearly in one sitting, it’s such an easy story to get lost in. There are a few twists and turns and although I guessed who did it pretty early on, that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story. If you love fast paced YA thrillers (with delightfully creepy covers), this is a perfect summer read.