Book Reviews, Thrillers Edition: Little Creeping Things and Nobody Knows But You

Reading during the pandemic has been hard for me. Very, very hard. But I have managed to finally finish a few books lately and I thought I would take a moment to do a quick review here.

Little Creeping Things by Chelsea Ichaso

Publisher’s Book Description and Reviews/Praise

“Chelsea Ichaso has without a doubt written the breakout thriller of the year.” —DANA MELE, author of People Like Us

A compulsively readable debut with a narrator who can’t be trusted, perfect for fans of Natasha Preston.

When she was a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. She’s pretty sure she didn’t mean to do it, and she’d give anything to forget that awful day. But her town’s bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down. In Melody’s eyes, Cassidy is a murderer and always will be.

Then Melody goes missing, and Cassidy thinks she may have information about what happened. 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 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’s really going on before the truth behind Melody’s disappearance sets the whole town ablaze.

PRAISE FOR LITTLE CREEPING THINGS
“Everyone’s a suspect, and no one is safe, in this twisty debut from a compelling new voice in YA, Chelsea Ichaso. Don’t miss it!” —KIT FRICK, author of See All the Stars, All Eyes on Us, and I Killed Zoe Spanos

“Little Creeping Things is a stunning debut in every sense of the word. From the chilling opening pages to the jaw-dropping final reveal, the pacing is relentless, the twists dizzying. Cass is the best kind of unreliable narrator, delightfully acerbic and hopelessly sincere even when she isn’t telling the truth. Chelsea Ichaso has without a doubt written the breakout thriller of the year.” —DANA MELE, author of People Like Us

“Ichaso’s debut is a riveting whodunnit… a psychological thriller worthy of mystery aficionados.”—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Little Creeping Things, with its cast of creepy and untrustworthy characters, will satisfy the appetites of all manner of mystery fans.”—BOOKLIST

“The reveal…is both well earned and eerie.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS

Karen’s Thoughts:

I’ve been on a real run with thrillers for a while now and this one did not disappoint. There were a lot of twists and turns and every time I thought I knew what was going on, I was wrong. This is a compulsively readable book that keeps you invested. This will be a great addition to any teen collection. And for those of you who want a little bit of substance with your books, you will also find themes of childhood trauma, gaslighting, and abuse. It’s dark, but as I’ve told you before, dark is good. Put this in the hands of Karen McManus fans asap. Published in June by Sourcebooks.

Nobody Knows But You by Anica Mrose Rissi

Publisher’s Book Description:

Maybe a killer only looks like a killer in the moment just before, during, or after.

Maybe a liar, a good one, never shows it.

Kayla is still holding on to Lainie’s secrets.

After all, Lainie is Kayla’s best friend. And despite Lainie’s painful obsession with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, and the ways he has tried to come between them, friends don’t spill each other’s secrets. They don’t betray each other’s trust.

The murder at the end of the summer doesn’t change all that.

Besides—Kayla knows that the truth is not the whole story.

Karen’s Thoughts:

Yes, it’s another thriller. What can I say? Thrillers are my jam right now. Though the ending of this one was less surprising for me, it was still a pretty tight psychological thriller that teens will like. This book is about summer camp gone horribly wrong and for teens missing out on summer camp this year, it’s the perfect anecdote. Fans of Megan Miranda, Karen McManus and Lauren Oliver should be have there thirst for a good murder quenched by this summer read. Publishes September by HarperTeen.

What can I say? A good thriller or two is just what I needed to help me end my pandemic reading slump.

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