A surreal, skin-prickling plunge into myth, memory, and madness.

There’s something slithering beneath the surface in The Deep Well, and Laura Creedle doesn’t so much invite you in as she lures you—with shadowy hands and whispered promises of truth. This book drips with dread. Not the cheap jump-scare kind, but the slow, creeping horror that coils around your spine and whispers, "What if it’s all true?"

Our protagonist, April Fischer, is not your typical "chosen one"—she's bruised, brittle, and battle-worn by a childhood tragedy that made her an unwilling icon. The massacre at the Copperton mine is the sort of horror that breeds conspiracy forums, clickbait documentaries, and unhinged believers. April's been mythologized by a public who saw trauma and made it entertainment. She’s done being a symbol. Until she isn't.

Creedle writes April with sharp vulnerability, threading her grief and grit through every page. This is a girl haunted not just by what happened, but by the suggestion that it meant something more. And dear reader, that sense of not-knowing, of shifting reality, is what makes this novel positively delicious. Every time you think you’ve got a handle on what’s real, the ground shudders—and you remember: you're standing at the edge of an open-pit mine.

This book plays with folklore, cult logic, and generational guilt, all wrapped in the rusty, red dust of Copperton. Imagine Rory Power’s atmospheric decay with a splash of Cheryl Isaacs’ slow-burning dread and you're almost there. It's not just about horror—it’s about belief, and the terrifying things we’re willing to do to preserve it.

🕳️ Highlights:

A deeply human protagonist who’s angry, scared, and entirely magnetic
Creepy-cult vibes that never veer cartoonish—these people are scary because they believe
A landscape so vivid you’ll swear you’ve inhaled mine dust
That terrifying whisper: He’s alive.

If you like your horror existential and poetic, your mysteries murky with myth, and your heroines unafraid to fall (or fly), then The Deep Well is a must. But be warned: the well is deep, and what you pull out may not be what you expect.

Culty, creepy, atmospheric horror perfect for late summer or fall. I found the story to be engaging, and I kept being drawn to picking it up to see what would happen next. Creedle uses horror to explore legends, belief, wanting to take control of your own story, and hope after tragedy with thoughtfulness. Her use of horror to explore themes like this is my favorite use of the genre, especially in YA. Fans of YA horror will find a lot to love in this one.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I LOVED the ending. I loved how it wrapped up, and I can honestly say that I didn't see that coming.

My only complaint is the romance - I felt like it was unnecessary, and I wish that YA authors didn't feel the need to include it in every book that they write. The relationship between

4.5 stars rounded up

At five years old, April narrowly escaped a massacre at the local open pit mine, earning her Urban Legend status as Bicycle Girl - the girl who opened a Portal to Hell. Sixteen bodies were identified and confirmed dead, but April’s dad, the mine’s foreman, was never one of them. Twelve years later, April is handed a stack of truth suggesting her father is still alive and only she can open the Portal to bring him back. But with the deadline drawing near, can April crack this mystery in time to save her dad? Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books / Quill Tree Books for my advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

4.00 / 5.00

This was such a winning mystery thriller for me! I finished it in less than 24 hours, and I can definitely see my teenage self making my whole summer about this book. I wanted so badly to find out what had really happened to the individuals whose bodies were never found and find out if it really was because April had opened a magical Portal to another world. It was giving total Stranger Things vibes with the pit voice that had been calling to April since childhood. The way Creedle built layer on layer of anticipation toward the end was incredible. There was so much going on, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed by plot or action, and I don’t feel like we were thrown anything that didn’t fit the overall narrative.

I have 2 big complaints about the story. The following information contains plot spoilers that will be removed when I post my public reviews. The first is how April was given the information that her dad could still be alive. Her aunt hands her a stack of papers and books and no real information to go with it. I don’t understand why April didn’t push her aunt for more information. Yes it made for a better mystery to have her sort through the information on her own, but that should have been because she either discovered the information on her own, or because her Aunt fully disappeared right after dropping this bomb on her.

My other complaint is that the pit voice is never really explained. There was a very non-paranormal reveal at the end that returns everything to normal life, except for the fact that the pit voice still exists. What was its purpose, why can so many (but not everyone) hear it, and what does it mean for the future of our characters who did hear it?

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in one weekend. I sighed every time I was pulled away from it. April, our protagonist, hooked me from the first page. I loved the mystery aspect of it, the search for her father and uncle, the cultish vibes, the eerie setting, and the propulsive plot.

Overall, a solid 5/5 stars.

A cultish creepy read that unfortunately fell a bit flat for me. Adding in romance, shouldn’t have happened. Some things remain completely in the dark, for the entire story, which for this book. Just didn’t work.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE DEEP WELL by Laura Creedle

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins (Quill Tree Books) for the earc (Sept 2)

When April was five, she survived a massacre at Copperton mine. Now, 12 years later, members of the Deep Well cult believe April will get some kind of power. April is wracked with questions: what happened to her father? Until...one day she is given documents and the words He's alive, so she investigates. As she uncovers more about the mine and the cultists, she begins to question everything.
THE DEEP WELL is a captivating thriller that mixes mystery with cult-like vibes at it's heart. Creedle manages to weave the story together in a way where new information seems to pop up, adding the the mystery and the moments that are constantly filled with action: the cultist following April, the voices, etc.
I sped through this book. There was something about it, and I just had to know if April's father, if the King, survived. It was intriguing in a way I honestly didn't expect, and I ended up quite liking the book.
I like how this turned into a dual-pov toward the end. It helped offer insight to different scenes, a certain character, etc. I also found most of the characters to be likeable---even some of the ones who were a little iffy.
Despite how much I liked the book, I feel like somethings weren't tied up as nicely. I don't want to go into it too much but it does have to do with what happened to [Redacted's] family member. Other than that, I liked the way the book flowed and how fast paced it was.

Eerie setting and fascinating characters, this book had me pulled in from the first page. Cant wait to read more from this author!

The Deep Well was a promising read. I loved the idea of a mine filled with a past of horrors and urban legends as well as the idea of a portal. April was a strong female lead and I enjoyed her relationship with her sister Jude. Ultimately this one just didn't deliver for me. The idea of a cult surrounding The Deep Well mine wad fascinating but the story just kept getting weirder and for me not in a good way. There was a lot of good things about this book, the weird mine, the cultists, the urban legend aspect. I just think it could have been delivered in a different way.

1.4 stars

When April Fischer was five years old there was a huge disaster at the Copperton mine in New Mexico where her father worked as foreman, an explosion then a gun battle. Her mother told her her father was killed that day, along with eighteen others but April isn’t so sure. Somehow (and this is not clear to me, either it’s not said or I somehow missed it) there has always been this story that April, “the Bicycle Girl” found a portal that day at the time of the explosion and was told to fly?!?! And April may have some memory of being told to fly?!? This became an Internet rumor, then a horror movie, so April has always been a pariah in town, and only has one friend, Grace. But at one point had other friends. All of this is a muddled mess and makes no sense.

And now (or for a long time, I don’t know) there’s a cult built up around this belief in the portal and the cult also believes that on April’s 17th birthday she will obtain some unknown power (from whom and why is not clear at all. This is a terrible cult.). In advance of her 17th, April’s Aunt Silvia gives her some documents that she tells April will help her find her father. Will they? Is he still alive? And what will happen on April’s birthday?

So, as you might have gleaned, this is a mess. And it would have been worse, except about 3/4 of the way through there’s a section that sort of explains a bit of the above…otherwise I don’t think I would even know as much as I do. And then, who is parenting April and her younger sister? Her mother is sick a lot with fibromyalgia, but, lady, listen, YOUR SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER IS THE BAIT FOR AN ACTUAL CULT. Imma need you to get outta the bed and, I don’t know, maybe do something? Like, for starters, MOVE AWAY?!?! April would be better off being raised by the actual Bigfoot than you.

I know this is YA, but young adults deserve an actual story that makes sense and explains things, not just something where a bunch of ideas are thrown out there with no real attempt to link them into a story. The author has the tense, moody feel down, but, ugh. Im sorry to report it’s not recommended for anyone. There are the makings of a decent story somewhere in here, it just needed to be written.

I am a huge fan of mines, caves, and pits of any kind in books, especially if they lean towards horror! This book does that aspect spectacularly well, I just found that overall, it wasn't completely for me!

Thank you Netgalley and Quill Tree Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A haunting combination of psychological suspense, supernatural mystery, and creeping paranoia, “The Deep Well” by Laura Creedle is a fast-paced, atmospheric story that keeps you questioning what is real and what is imagined. With an unreliable narrator at its core, the story discusses themes of trauma, belief, and the human need for answers—no matter how terrifying they may be.

At the center of the novel is April Fischer, the lone survivor of a brutal massacre at the Copperton mine twelve years ago. Ever since that fateful day, she has been a subject of internet urban legends, horror movie inspirations, and, most disturbingly, the obsession of a cult that believes she holds the key to opening a portal to another dimension. With her seventeenth birthday approaching—a date the cult believes is vital to their prophecy—April is forced to confront the truth about the massacre, her father’s mysterious disappearance, and the voices that may or may not be real.

One of the book’s biggest strengths is its tense, eerie atmosphere. From the desolate drill site to the unsettling cult presence, every page is filled with an underlying sense of dread. As April digs deeper into the mystery of what happened at the mine, the lines between reality and delusion blur, making her an unreliable but deeply compelling narrator. You will find yourself questioning whether the supernatural elements are real or if April is succumbing to paranoia, especially as the tension continues to build as it gets closer to April’s birthday, and she learns more about what happened during the massacre and if there really is a portal to another dimension that requires human sacrifice.

Though there is some romance, the primary focus remains on the mystery and the psychological tension surrounding April’s unraveling grip on reality. Her relationship with her sister, Jules, is a highlight, adding a grounding emotional connection amidst the chaos. The pacing is brisk, making this a quick and engaging read, though some aspects—such as the details of the initial massacre—remain ambiguous even by the story’s end.

Creedle masterfully balances closure with an open-ended supernatural element, leaving you unsettled and pondering the events long after turning the final page. The book’s final moments suggest that the darkness of Copperton and the voices from the well may never truly leave April behind. Overall, this is a gripping and eerie thriller that lingers in the mind. “The Deep Well” is a must-read for fans of psychological horror and supernatural suspense.