Creepy, but also describes the woods in way that really made me want to be out there. Really brings home the “walk into the woods and let the mushrooms take me” mood one gets into at times. Big fan of the early shifts in perspective, wish it had continued further! Big cast, had a little trouble differentiating when the voices were all pretty similar—especially when the viewpoints got pared down.
Would love to be able to give it a 4.5. Alas.

What a fun read this was. I absolutely loved the dual POV with the main character and the Strangeness. I was sucked in right from the first chapter. The story is beautifully written and I really enjoyed the way to author brought the story to life. It's very creepy in that haunting, can't look away, way.

When freelance writer Erin Harper arrives in Faraday, Oregon, she’s searching for answers about her brother’s disappearance in the Clackamas National Forest. But Faraday has its own secrets: a girl who vanishes twice, a ruined hotel being eaten alive by mushrooms, and a forest full of things that should probably be left alone. Erin came for closure—but what she finds is something much stranger.

Girl in the Creek is a strange little fungal fever dream of a book, and while it didn’t always hit the mark for me, there’s still a lot to appreciate here. The setting is genuinely fantastic—moody, mossy, and dripping with that damp, Pacific Northwest creepiness. The decaying hotel is holding a lot of secrets that become total nightmare fuel, and in the best way. As the Strangeness spreads, you can practically smell the spores coming off the page.

The horror here isn’t about jump scares or gore—it’s more about atmosphere, dread, and that lingering feeling that something is just off. It builds a slow, uneasy tension that fans of eco-horror and weird fiction might really enjoy. Even though I didn’t connect strongly with the characters, I think the book does a good job of showing how fractured people become in the face of loss, trauma, and the unknown. And while I struggled with the shifting perspectives, I can understand the importance of seeing events unfold from both sides.

The pacing was a little uneven, but when the book gets going—especially in that last 10%—it really gets going. The final stretch pulls things together in a satisfying way, and the ending managed to surprise me in a way that didn’t feel cheap or rushed.

I gave this one 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4). It wasn’t a perfect fit for me, but I’m glad I read it. If you’re in the mood for a slow-burn, fungi-infested mystery with eerie vibes and a touch of sci-fi, it might just hit the spot.

I think I’ll refrain from eating mushrooms for a bit now…

This was a fun read with some very cool visuals and concepts. Reading through the alternate chapters in the pov of the strangeness was hard to get into at first but it did help set the scene.

I liked that there were layers to Erin, and her story for what she was searching for.

A prequel about the history of the town and the forest would be pretty cool.

Overall, great read!

I was so excited to pick this book up, one of my top releases in 2025, and it… sort of lived up to my very high (maybe unfairly high?) expectations. It was described as for fans of T. Kingfisher and Jeff Vandermeer so my expectations were sky high.

The story is told from two POVs, one from the Strangeness who the reader meets in chapter 1 and the other from Erin, our protagonist in the story. The two POVs alternate and intertwine to tell a story of a sister searching for her long lost brother and a non-human life form making its home in Clackamas County, Oregon.

Horror aspects were great; lots of gross body horror and messy deaths. I also loved the sense of place, lots of details of Oregon's forests and the greenery and beauty that can be experienced there. I found the antagonist to be interesting - I liked the concept (especially as a fan of "sporror").

However, something about the story as a whole just fell a little flat. The plot and subplots felt underdeveloped upon completion of the book, which left me a little disappointed.

If you devour books in the sub-genre of sporror (spore/fungi horror) then you'll definitely want to add this to your tbr (to be read) list!

Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner delivers an intriguing premise with strong atmosphere and a timely, socially relevant backdrop. Wagner’s exploration of environmental and psychological trauma is thoughtful, and the rural setting is vividly rendered. The pacing keeps readers engaged, and the central mystery has genuine emotional stakes. That said, some of the character development feels underexplored, and a few plot threads could have used more depth or clarity. The story had the potential to hit harder if the emotional arcs were given a bit more breathing room.
Overall, it's a solid, thought-provoking read with moments of real resonance—especially for readers drawn to environmental themes and psychological suspense—but it doesn’t quite reach its full narrative impact.

I’ll admit—I was skeptical when this was pitched as “perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and T. Kingfisher.” That’s a bold claim. But to my surprise, it’s actually pretty accurate. <I>Girl in the Creek</I> delivers that unsettling, organic weirdness you’d expect from VanderMeer, paired with the dark whimsy and emotional nuance Kingfisher brings to her horror-fantasy.

What sets this book apart, though, is the thread of a traditional thriller running through it. There’s a grounded, procedural backbone that keeps the surreal elements from floating too far off course, and that mix worked for me.

As the plot grew more complex, I had some doubts about where it was all heading. There were moments I worried it might spiral or lose focus—but Wagner manages to steer it home. While the ending might not be shocking, it lands in a satisfying and earned way that left me glad I stuck with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Wendy N. Wagner.

I finally finished! *screaming crying throwing up*

Erin's brother Bryan has been missing for years – so when she finds a lead in a small town that has a history of missing people, she decides to follow it, and ultimately uncovers something bigger.

What follows is:

Group of friends trying to play detective
Friendly mushroom man :)))
An old lady with a lost son
Alien-like fungi
Environmentalism
Grief/loss

I took an interest in fungi after reading Mexican Gothic, so I thought this would pique my curiosity.
I thought it was an okay read. The writing was simple and easy to read, but it needed some minor editing.
The mystery of her brother was a bit underwhelming for me :/ but at least he didn't _____ like many people thought.
I thought the person behind the death of the creek girl (& other women) was also a bit underwhelming. Characters like that can be predictable.
I did like the whole fungi thing though! How they function, how they interact with humans and animals, how the author describes them. It was pretty cool, yet terrifying, in a way where the host doesn't have complete control over their body 🍄

Rating: 3.75/5

The title, cover, and blurb drew me to this book immediately. True crime and eco-horror, I was intrigued.

I DID enjoy the book, didn’t take me too long to get through.

The first half of the book leaned more towards the true crime, and a group of friends attempting to solve a series of disappearances that occurred in a National Forest. I was really entertained with the Scooby-Doo vibes and the campy atmosphere.

About halfway through we get to the eco-horror (while also getting chapters from the Strangeness POV) and although I wanted to love it, it all felt very convoluted. There was A LOT going on. A lot of themes touched on but not fully explored. A LOT of characters. There was also some dialogue that I believe was meant to come off as humour but it just felt misplaced.

I’d definitely recommend this to those looking for a quick, twisty read with botanical horror elements.

Thank you Tor/Forge and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy.

The cover of this book is gorgeous and the synopsis intriguing, including a recommendation for fans of T. Kingfisher. Unfortunately, it was a great idea that didn’t work for me. The reactions of the characters were inconsistent, they went from laidback to super-angry in a flash, the dialogues were clunky and the plot was slow in places, including many unnecessary details and exposition that went nowhere. Then, suddenly, the pace would speed up, only to slow down again. It must be very difficult to write a novel, so I feel bad giving this a negative review, but it just didn’t work for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Tor Nightfire.

3.5/5 ⭐️
Let me start off with the cover, it’s beautiful! It’s what drew me in! Overall, this was a solid read. The author does a great job at describing the eerie atmosphere, body horror, and mysterious entity. The eco horror definitely shines in this book. The second half was better than the first.

Unfortunately, the characters fell flat. I wasn’t able to connect with most of them. The main character, Erin was likable and stood apart since it was mostly from her POV. Otherwise, there were a lot of supporting characters, and I found myself questioning who was who. I also got young adult vibes from the conversations and character’s actions instead of adults. That threw me off too.

Overall, It was a good book! Just not my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and TorNightfire for sending this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

The beginning felt a little off and it felt like it was a bit much at first.

But it very much picked up after! Maybe the sciencey explanations of things could have been clearer because I couldn't wrap my head around the mechanics of the world.

Erin is on a mission. She's a journalist using a chance opportunity to investigate the strange disappearance of her brother, who she refuses to believe ended his own life somewhere in the woods surrounding Faraday, a small town in the pacific northwest. I was immediately drawn by this book's cover and the first chapter hooked me. Something about the setting and the concept of a body that not quite a body really captivates that part of my brain that loves mushroom horror. Definitely recommended for fans of "What Moves the Dead" by T. Kingfisher and "A Mexican Gothic" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest rating.

The atmosphere for this was so immediately set, and so well done. At times it was a little strange pacing wise, but overall was a decent read.

This book is CREEPY in a stellar way. The mushroom body horror was so interesting and very well done. It was mysterious and kept you hooked and wanting to read more and more. I was almost a bit sad when it finally ended.

I'm a sucker for a good EcoHorror. I felt like Girl In The Creek by Wagner really kept you on your toes with the direction that she was going in. She did a fantastic job with describing and showing the grotesque nature that is in nature quite literally. I loved the point of view from the "strangness" It gave a whole different perspective that was alien and so descriptive. I felt that the characters were so much more relatable to people you would see outside of a book and didn't give off this fictional plot armor that you find with a lot of characters in horror books.
I would for sure recommend this book to a plethera of friends and especially my friends that are in love with fungi and mushrooms. You can tell she did a lot of research when looking into the different types that grew in the Pacific Northwest.

so the cover of this book was definitely what drew me in and made me want to read it. i LOVE the artwork so much. i loved this! i’m all for anything grotesque with vivid descriptions. this is a great short read with perfect pacing imo. i will definitely be purchasing the physical copy to have on my shelf!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Girl In The Creek by Wendy Wagner.
After reading the description for this book, I was so excited to read it. However, I really found myself not liking it at all. With characters that are just plain awful, cringe worthy dialogue and a plot that fell flat for me, this one is just not my cup of tea.

This is a hell of a debut novel. Wendy Wagner established her presence as a serious talent with this book. Eco horror, family, friends, and plenty of fungal hijinks.