Cassidy Pratt's been known as the "Fire Girl" since childhood when a playhouse tea party turned deadly. It's Melody that makes her life the most torturous form of hell. When the teen overhears someone with Melody in the woods and realizes she may have overheard Melody's murder, she doesn't know who to turn to.

If she tells the police everything, she's a suspect. But, she's not comfortable with the threatening messages she's getting either. Her best friend wouldn't understand why Cassidy is keeping some of the truth a secret. Cassidy certainly can't trust anyone at school. If she wants to clear her name, she needs to figure out what happened to Melody.

The build-up of the mystery does have you filled with tension and ready for the big reveal. I loved the setting and some of the characters, but the issue I ended up having is that the truth wasn't that hard to figure out. If you're paying attention, you'll know who the antagonist is from very early on. I wasn't shocked when the case started to quickly unravel. If anything, I was surprised it took Cassidy so long to figure it out.

Despite knowing who it was and why, I was still intrigued and hooked in the story. If anything, I wanted to see the antagonist get what was coming.

A chilling teen thriller filled with angst. Well written with a touch of romance for the lovers of One of Us is Lying.

It was an okay read. I would recommend it for an easy fluff book, but it also wasn’t particularly gripping. This could just be personally preference, however.

This was a book that I Really enjoyed this read and I would recommend to others easily, I will be looking out for other titles by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Little Creeping Things
by Chelsea Ichaso

When I requested this book I did not realize it was a YA novel. My mistake. The writing equaled the genre. I found it to be less then inspiring,

What a great book! Little Creeping Things is a one hell of a ride! Cassidy’s story is intriguing and suspenseful. When Melody goes missing, Cass and her friend David try to figure out what happened to her. Especially with the things they heard. Will they find her in time or will it be too late?

YA Thriller at its best with a side of romance. #hereforit 

Would highly recommend to my students and can’t wait to read more from the author

This book. I am actually left breathless by it. Wow. I am DAZED. I knew from the cover and the cover blurb that it's going to be a dark read, but I was not expecting all the twists and surprises and oh my gosh, that final last twist!!

I loved the MC, Cass. There was a tragedy in Cass's past that is still haunting her in the present day. It's made her an outcast in her small community, and she is continuously bullied, especially by one of her schoolmates. Understandably frustrated, Cass comes up with a plan to kill her nemesis, but she never planned on carrying it out...or did she?
I am a fan of unreliable narrators, and Cass is SO, SO unreliable in the best way. I love that she's so carefully reflective but at the same time still has quite a bit of brashness in her that is utterly believable. I love how she is continuously stressed out about her past, and it's not just a plot device that's casually thrown in there. The real trauma of her situation is very real and my heart goes out to Cass.

Cass's relationships with the other characters are so richly developed and well thought-out. Her friendship with Gideon is wonderfully complex, a lovely push and pull between childhood friendship and romance. Gideon is yet another layered character, he has his own motivations and personality that were independent of Cass, and I love that.

Okay, I hate spoilers in reviews, so I'm not going to be one of those people. I will say that the ending was a completely delicious, diabolical surprise, and I did not see that coming. I just--oh my god, WHERE ARE THE WORDS. I have so many feels after finishing this book. I CANNOT. It was a nail-biter all the way through to the very end. Do not miss out on this gem!

This is the perfect example of what a YA thriller should be.  I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put it down until I knew what happened! From beginning to end I was on edge, wildly speculating about what I thought happened – and I was still wrong in the end! 

One night at a party, Cassidy plans the perfect way to get rid of her bully Melody – and then it happens.  The only person who knew about her plan was Brandon, her brother’s friend that Cassidy can’t stand.  Though he jumps to #1 suspect in her eyes, there are so many other factors at play and lots of secrets to be uncovered in this small town.  

Ichaso did a really great job of developing the characters throughout the story and lending a bit of mystery and suspicion to each one.  Through careful reveals and well-timed twists, the ending still managed to surprise me.  There was a section about 2/3 the way through the story where it did turn into a bit of a will they-won’t they love story which was a little off putting, but it all led to a really satisfying conclusion.

So creepy and so good!!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In this YA thriller we meet Cassidy Pratt who is notorious for starting a fire as a child that resulted in a death. With her reputation in tatters she can't run for help when she witnesses a murder because it happens exactly how she planned it and the murderer has evidence that could frame her.

There were parts of the book that I thought were done really well, and even I didn't figure out the killer right away. However, other parts had me cringing and rolling my eyes...such as the petty jealousy tactics at the party. Perhaps I'm just outgrowing my love of YA because these cringy moments aren't outside the realm of how most teens would react, but annoyed me just the same.

I couldn't find myself connecting very well with the main character. She seemed a bit not fully formed to me and I never could quite figure out her motivation for certain actions. The argument between two of the characters was a bit irritating as well since it was pretty much resolved later with nothing changing.

I would read more from this author and I did like the atmosphere she created within the story.

First off, this cover!  I love it... and I HATE dolls.  I have an ever living fear of dolls.  When I was a kid I decapitated all my barbies and threw their heads and bodies away in trash cans blocks away from each other.  Not sure my parents letting me watch all those scary movies at such a young age was the greatest of ideas (but I'm oh so happy that they did!)  So of course, this cover drew me right in.  "I'm so glad we're in this together."  BUT, man I expected something MUCH creepier out of this read!  

As a debut novel, I give lots of props to Ichaso.  She has an absolute unreliable narrator, tons of red herrings and a puzzle of a mystery.  I did have some issues.  I would've liked some more background as to the why on a few things.  I would've liked to have seen a little more depth in Melody's experiences.  What I did really like though, was the ease of the read - I really had no clue as to who the killer was right up until the end and, like Melody, I was pulled in so many directions! Maybe it was her all along.  Maybe it was this or that person!  WHO IS CRAZY HERE?  You'll have to read to find out.  And when you're in a teenager's head, what really makes sense anyways? 😉 (But also, do high schoolers drink coffee now? I feel so old! 🤣)

This author definitely has a lot of talent.  I'll be keeping an eye out for her next book as I'm intrigued with what she'll be bringing us next and I can only see great things.

This story follows a girl, Cassidy. As a child, she ended up with the nickname, Fire Girl. Why? Cassidy's actions had contributed to another child's death, you guessed it, a fire. With her daunting past, she has witnessed a new death. No one believes "Fire Girl" of course, so she must figure out why and who did this. 

This was an okay read,

“𝙸 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜.”

Cassidy Pratt has lived her life with the burden of setting a fire and killing her neighbor. Deemed “fire girl” in her town, she is constantly ridiculed for her actions despite not remembering what happened. The only people she can trust are her brother, Asher, and her best friend, Gideon. Or so she thinks …

When her biggest bully, Melody, goes missing, Cassidy learns that not everybody is who they seem to be.
 
Okay, I’m keeping this one brief. This was just OKAY and nothing more. I enjoyed it and read it quickly. However, there were a few things I found problematic. One, I am SO not into the best friends but secretly want to be more than that trope. I feel like it can be overdone and more time could be spent on developing the plot. It was too much to me. Also, I was hoping this was going to be more of a thriller, but I found it to be more of a teen drama. 

Now to RAVE about what I loved. I really enjoyed the twists, particularly at the end. The concept of how Cassidy is involved in the murder (I don’t want to give spoilers, eeeek!) was interesting and creative. Ichaso did a great job attempting to sway her readers towards certain “suspects” more than others. I thought that it was predictable, but would be super fun for younger readers. I actually switched my suspect a few times based on evidence presented throughout the book. I wasn’t a fan of all of the characters, but Gideon was probably my favorite!

Thank you to Chelsea Ichaso, @sourcebooksfire, and @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this early!

I struggled with whether to rate this a three- or four-star book. 

On the one hand, I figured out who the bad guy was pretty early in the book. I thought the solution was pretty obvious. But the plot, the drama, the intrigue - it kept me turning pages. I finished this book in like two days. And isn’t that what a good book is supposed to do?

In this one, Cass is known as “Fire Girl,” the girl who started a fire that killed her next door neighbor when they were 7. One of her bullies, who won’t let her forget it, suddenly disappears, after Cass and another student plan out her murder. And then Cass starts getting messages that say her “plan” was put into action. As her world falls apart, Cass tried to hold onto reality and find out who the killer is. 

Like I said, there is a lot of drama, as this book involved high school students, but I was really hooked. I liked the drama, the romance mixed with murder. It was very Riverdale-esque. Everybody is twisted up in love triangles, which makes things interesting.

Also, Cass was a very interesting character. She was unstable and seemed to mean well, but at the same time she was selfish and made bad decisions. It was really fun to read. Just when you think she was going to zig, she zagged.

But like I said, the solution was obvious. I guessed it from about 25% of the way in. Oh well. I still enjoyed the book.

So go in, read with caution. See if you can also figure it out early.

First and foremost, I apologize for being MIA for a little over a couple of months. I have been reading, but not really been up for taking pictures or writing reviews. I’m still behind on my ARCs, and oddly enough, THIS one was one of them. I finally finished it today so I’m trying to get back on track and get back to what I love doing. I’ll make a separate post about that later.

I love a good mystery and thriller type book. It’s sometimes hit or miss when it’s also in the young adult genre. Don’t get me wrong! There are some REALLY good ones, but some are just okay. This one…well, it was just okay. I kind of made a few guesses as to ‘who did it’ and at least one of them I knew had to be true because of small hints, and I was right.

So we have Cassidy who has a lot of baggage and is known as the Fire girl in her town. Why that? Well, she ‘accidentally’ set fire to a club house when she was small and it left her with some injuries, but wound up killing her best friend. Now, people in the town see her as a criminal. Geez! She was a small child! I mean, damn! Living with it is bad enough, but then you got judgement Karens and little Karens – I HATE using that word, but it kind of stuck. Thanks, 2020.

Anyway, she is constantly bullied at school for this and then one day when her and her best friend, Gideon, go to their secret hideaway – they hear one of the tormenters, Melody, being strangled and then suddenly she goes missing and winds up…dead. Why is this on Cassidy? Well, she wrote in a notebook about HOW she would kill Melody – has a really bad drunken joke and someone carried it out.

Yeah.

Now, Cassidy risks being framed for the murder because the notebook is missing and someone KNEW it belonged to her and followed her instructions to the very last T. That…just sucks for her.

The story itself was just okay. The writing wasn’t terrible, but it was told from Cassidy’s point of view and I got really tired of her need to keep secrets and then beat herself up for keeping them. Obviously, her best friend is a boy and they had feelings for each other for a long time – yeah, like that was never done multiple times. That plays into the story, unfortunately, and I kind of liked Gideon. He was a nice guy and I didn’t blame him for keeping his distance from Cassidy when she was being overly secretive.

I can’t really blame Cassidy because of the shit she goes through at school and with people in the small town. She did get wrapped up in the whole case and even kind of made me question if maybe what she saw happened or if SHE herself did it and doesn’t remember. That would have made the story a bit more interesting.

I didn’t hate the story but I wasn’t exactly gasping till the end to know what happens. I think it’s a nice story for someone who is getting into mystery and thriller and prefers the young adult genre. Some parts of it…I just felt were a bit drawn out and maybe didn’t need to be detailed about it.

Not my favorite book, but it is not a bad story at all. I do want to read more of the author’s work and I do see she has her second novel coming in 2021. We shall see.

This was an interesting thriller with some twists and turns that kept me interested. I struggled to like the main character at all. I know that we as readers, are not necessarily supposed to like her, but I needed to like her enough to at least be interested in her story. The surprises were definitely surprising, and I liked that.  If you can get over the character, the story is worth picking up.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This was addictive and creepy and I was so here for it!
Look at that cover? SO creepy! Dolls are, like, the epitome of creepy things, though. 
The writing was easy to get absorbed in, and the plot had me wanting to know what the heck was going to happen next, which is everything I want in a book!
I do love a good murder mystery, and I need more of them in my life.
This one is a perfect spooky read, for those who love them!

Little Creeping Things is a well written YA thriller. So, it has all the elements of a YA book; from teen romance, a cast of troubled teenagers, a high school drama, and a nice mystery.

When she was a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her friend. Now In high school, she is tormented by her bullies. One of her bullies, Melody goes missing and things start getting muddled. Cassidy thinks she may have information about what happened but then she gets a chilling threat. 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.

I found this book to be a solid, enjoyable thriller. The story starts off well, the YA elements overshadow the mystery parts in the middle and it manages to end strongly. So more than a mystery thriller, it reads like a YA book with thriller elements.

Cass is not the most likable character, mainly due to her antics. But the book takes a lot of time to build Cassidy's character and her relationships with the other characters, to an extent that even the mystery takes a back seat. There were few genuine suspects and there was very little in terms of criminal investigation or crime-solving. So, the identity of the killer was not so hard to guess but his motivations remained unclear and rather convenient plot-wise. So the characters could have been developed better so as to understand their motivations. However, the story has several unexpected twists and flashbacks that will keep your interest going right till the end.

Overall, Little Creeping Things is an enjoyable YA thriller; with a nice mix of teenage drama and mystery. If you love YA mysteries, you will enjoy this book. 3.5 stars out of 5

Many thanks to the publisher SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Netgalley for the ARC.

Before I get into my review, I just want to say that I hate dolls like the one that’s on the cover. There is just something about them that creeps me out. So just on cover alone I think the title is perfect for the book. 
I really wanted to like this book because the synopsis of it sounded so good. While reading the book I was confused, and I didn’t get all the story line. The beginning and the end I got I just didn’t get anything out of the middle and I couldn’t connect with Cassidy. While reading I got the eerie spooky feeling but nothing that was OMG WOW.