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I wanted to love “The Girl in the Creek.” I mean, spore horror in the rainy doom-scape of the Pacific Northwest? Yes. A missing sibling case wrapped in creeping dread and gooey rot? Yes. A sentient mushroom network with a body count? YES. But somewhere between the girl in the creek vanishing from the morgue and the final showdown in moldy forest hell, I got lost like an underprepared day hiker with no snacks and way too many side quests.

Our main character Erin Harper is a freelance writer slash trauma sponge who rolls into Faraday, Oregon under the guise of doing a travel piece but is really there to investigate her brother’s disappearance in Clackamas National Forest. What she finds instead is a missing girl who doesn’t stay dead, a ruined hotel covered in enough fungus to make a forager weep, and a friend group with Scooby Gang energy but absolutely no time to develop personalities.

To be fair, the vibes? Immaculate. The forest is soaked in dread. Every time someone walked into the trees I was like, “Oh cool, enjoy being devoured by mold and metaphors.” The narration by Jennifer Pickens is solid too, moody, crisp, and grounded in just enough realism that even the weirdest spore monologues feel plausible. And yes, there’s a literal fungus POV and somehow it’s both haunting and kind of poetic. (Which is wild because I can’t even keep a houseplant alive without apologizing to it.)

But here’s the thing: I need a little more who, not just what. There are so many characters introduced so fast that by the time one gets violently killed, I was like, “Oh no… girl I didn’t really know.” Erin’s grief is tangible, and the forest horror absolutely delivers, but the human relationships never fully click. It’s like the book wants you to feel found family vibes but forgot to actually let anyone hang out long enough to bond.

And then there’s the plot. It starts slow and moody, ramps up to full-blown parasitic chaos, and then just kind of fizzles. There’s a resolution, technically, but I closed the book feeling like I accidentally skipped a paragraph where everything tied together. Also, that serial killer subplot? It’s there. It’s fine. It’s also weirdly low stakes compared to the eldritch mushroom creeping into people’s sinuses.

But here’s the kicker: the sporror is gross in all the right ways. We’re talking body horror that had me making the “eeeuggh” sound out loud. If you like your horror damp, pulsing, and slightly bioluminescent, this book delivers. Just don’t expect the mystery to fully satisfy or the characters to leave much of a footprint outside the compost pile.

I’m giving this one a solid 3 stars. It didn’t quite bloom for me, but the concept is cool as hell and the atmosphere was ten out of ten unsettling.

Whodunity Award: For Making Me Blame the Forest, the Fungus, the Fox, and That One Guy Who Definitely Knows More Than He’s Saying

Big thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the early access to the audiobook. Y’all really handed me haunted forest vibes and said, “Good luck sleeping after that.”

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𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖐 𝖇𝖞 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖞 𝖓. 𝖜𝖆𝖌𝖓𝖊𝖗

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for the ALC of Wendy’s upcoming release of Girl in the Creek. 🍄‍🟫

🗓️Release date: July 15, 2025

This was my first creepy, sporror based novel in Oregon. I have family in Portland, and I LOVED being able to actually place myself into this book. Though I usually visit during the summer so I don’t get to see the rainy seasons. 🥹
But with their writing I was able to picture it perfectly. I think it made for the perfect eerie setting because I can imagine it’s a place that one can easily disappear and never be seen again. Hundreds of thousand acres of land untouched by the human race. Pretty creepy stuff.

If you watched the last of us and can agree that spores, mushrooms, and living organisms are SCARY. Then this is def your thing, and you’ll want to add this to your TBR. Wendy did not shy away from the gross, and gory that’s for sure.
The next time I’m in Oregon or in Mt Hoods national forest I’m going to be hella paranoid thanks. 🤣😂🍄‍🟫

ps: In this book you’ll not only get lgbtq rep, but you’ll see the ramifications of a certain political parties goal of trying to sell our protected lands for profit.
no shame to our govt, leave our land alone!! 😤😡😠

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The Girl in the Creek was an okay read for me overall. The story was a bit hard to follow at times and just wasn’t quite my taste. But I think readers who enjoy unconventional plots would enjoy, It definitely has a unique style!

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Absolutely love this book from the beginning with the coyote explaining (no spoilers) I honestly will never look at mushrooms the same again. it definitely gave xfiles/scooby doo vibes but I loved it

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I didnt read the whole description when requesting this book (my fault). There were some aspects of supernatural that isnt my thing. I do love mushrooms. I feel like the supernatural aspect did not come to a conclusion. It was a big part of the story but it was only given a little bit of weight. And then the murders were "pinned" on someone but we dont really know if he did all of them.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC and audiobook.

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This wasn't what I expected but I didn't mind. Although the cover should have been a huge clue! The characters I got confused about who was who sometimes. I definitely enjoyed the latter half better. Girl In The Creek would be perfect to read during the summer and fall season.

I think the narrator did a good job and I would read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy to review.

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Erin shows up in a town on the edge of nowhere, she is writing a piece for a travel publication. We soon find out Erin has an ulterior motive. She soon learns there are a few missing people with ties to Clackamas National Forest. She befriends a few of the locals. Some of the horror scenes are very graphic and very well written. The pacing was fast and spot on. The disappearances are not a priority to local law enforcement. This had the feel of a buddy type mystery.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire  for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. The narrator Jennifer Pickens was great, you could feel the tension and stress conveyed by her narration.

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The narrator, Jennifer Pickens, did an amazing job bringing this story to life. I could easily hear the distinctions between the characters. The sections from the POV of "The Strangeness" were so fun and engaging to listen to, the intonations for its voice was perfect in conveying it as this non-human being.

Erin's brother Bryan went missing five years ago. After seemingly vanishing into the forests of Mt. Hood his disappearance was labeled a suicide, but Erin isn't convinced that that's the truth. A small Pacific Northwestern town in the foothills of Mt. Hood is the site of many disappearances that have gone unsolved. Under the guise of wanting to turn the town into the new "it" vacationing spot, she's able to get a deal to go there to write a travel article about its wonderful charm while she simultaneously digs around for the darker details to try and make sense of and possibly solve the long neglected cases of her brother and the other missing people.

The descriptions of the scenery throughout the novel is beautifully done. I could fully picture that soggy coastal Oregon town and the vast forests surrounding it. And while I'm complementing descriptions, Wendy Wagner has an amazing talent for writing body horror. There were scenes that were so detailed and disturbing I had to take some quick pauses to stop the heebie jeebies. I was having full visceral reactions. It was as gross as it needed to be. If you're easily made squeamish and you don't want to be definitely stay away from this one. I loved it.

There were a couple weaknesses in the characters and plot points. I liked the addition of the group but none of them, including Erin's best friend, were very developed. It felt a little like a speedrun through what a character's name was and then we get a little bit of info about them but nothing stood out about anyone much for me to really remember or recognize them as the story moved on. I forgot most of their names by the end. And for a fast paced book there were a lot of side plots. When it got to the end, technically everything was resolved but I did have a couple of unanswered questions on things I thought were gonna have a more major impact. The ending itself wasn't bad at all but it fell short of what I originally expected for everything that goes on throughout the story.

Overall, Girl in the Creek is a unique and interesting mystery that kept me guessing with some of the best descriptive writing and it's a really cool addition to the eco-horror subgenre.

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Erin has come to a town called Feraday to look for her brother who went missing in the Clackmas National Forest years ago. But instead of her brother, she and her group find the titular girl in the creek. After the creek girl goes missing from the morgue, things just get weirder and weirder.
There was also a serial killer plot point that really didn't go very far. And the origin story of the fungus felt so rushed and just thrown in at the end.
This felt like a blend of the Upsidedown from Stranger Things and the cordyceps from The Last of Us. I've not read much sporror or botanical horror before, but I can see it being a genre I will continue to enjoy. The body horror was well written and unnerving and I was shocked when a character was suddenly and violently killed. But it was shock from how violently they were killed and not who was killed. I feel too many characters were thrown in all at once and we just didn't get the chance to really get to know anyone, even the main character Erin. The pacing also felt a little off, the first half of the book felt a little slow and then the gas pedal was to the floor in the 2nd half.
I got the chance to listen to the audiobook and I think Jennifer Pickens did a good job creating a creepy atmosphere.
A great concept that might have benefited from a little more editing. 3.5 stars.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillam Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

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A mass of missing people, a girl somehow still alive in a creek, and a girl just trying to find what happened to her brother.

Right from the start, I was drawn to this one. I loved the intro, the way the book started with a true representation of the PNW. The feel of the forest, the moss, the way the forest feels alive. I really liked Erin as our main character. It kept the mystery driving the story as we got just the smallest hints that something very wrong was going on in this town. Her compassion for others but also her drive to understand where her brother is added a nice depth to the story in the midst of the strangeness and some of the body gore.

I did this as an audio and I really liked the narrator and the way it brought the story alive. A great addition to the climate horror body gore genre. I loved this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

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The first half of A Girl in the Creek dragged a bit for me. It felt like it took too long to get to the heart of the story, and I found myself waiting for things to really kick off. Thankfully, the second half more than made up for it. Once the pace picked up, it turned into a fast, eerie, and genuinely exciting read. It made it worth slogging through the beginning. I really enjoyed the storyline overall, and as someone who loves a good fungus-based horror, this hit the right notes. Creepy, atmospheric, and unsettling in all the best ways.

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The Upside Down from Stranger Things meets T. Kingfisher. I loved the atmospheric setting, sporror elements and Erin’s good humored nature. There was a Mushroom Man, a ghost town taken back by the forests, and a queer subplot. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. The serial killer and otherworldly fungus plots didn’t quite come together in a satisfying way for me and I was a little lost at times. There were a lot of characters with potential, but we didn’t get to spend enough time with them to develop deeper interest. With that said, I did really enjoy the alternating POV of “The Strangeness”. Getting to hear the perspective of the fungus through the forest’s creatures helped tie the storylines together. Overall, increasingly creepy and full of rot! I’ll be looking out for more by this author.

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oh man, this happened again. I need to be better at skimming the books before I find myself surrounded by body horror. I love spooky, but not gross. this book (with a fabulous narrative from the audio version) will be a perfect book for someone who enjoys the maggots and all of that.
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

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I’ll just start by saying if mycology is involved, I’m game. I received this audiobook via Netgalley, but as always, reviews are my own opinions.

If you’re a Portland/ Oregon resident, you will love the deep dive into the PNW scenery and familiar locations. Portlanders love PNW horror, and that’s a fact. The premise of this novel sucked me in so of course I requested "Girl in the Creek” ASAP. A bog body? I’m in. I loved the opening scene from the fox's perspective. It was an intriguing POV to start out with.

This novel is scientific, quickly paced, and deliciously formatted. It’s very well written and researched. You will learn a lot about mushrooms in this book and our relationship to them. I didn’t feel very invested in the main character and their ending, but the side writing kept me going. I didn’t feel like the character felt strong enough about their purpose for the journey, and that threw me out of the story a bit. But the ending was excellent, and so many other parts of the book enticed me that I’m rating this book with 4 stars.

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Eco/botanical/spore horror isn't usually my go to genre, but Wendy Wagner did an amazing job blending it with grief horror and adding in a serial killer element, that really made it all work for me.
You're pretty quickly introduced to a large cast of six main characters. In audio format, it did take me a bit to sort them all out and stop mixing them up. Wagner did do a good job of giving them all pretty unique personalities to set them apart from each other, but I still found myself taking a moment to remember who was who once in a while.
The actual body horror was so good and so incredibly described! I could absolutely picture what was happening in my head, and it was intense at times, which is always a win in my book! There was also a haunting sadness in the writing, which I honestly found so beautiful.
The pacing did feel a bit slow at times, but I do think the story was strong enough to support that.
The narration was strong throughout, and I, personally, really loved the ending. (I would love to talk more about it with those who have read it!)
I definitely recommend checking this one out when it drops! It was a great engaging mix of genres, and felt a little out of the box, which I can definitely appreciate!

Thank you, @netgalley & @macmillan.audio, for this ALC in exchange for an honest review!

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3.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC. All opinions are my own.

Characters: 3/5
Horror: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Narration: 3/5

The vibes in the book were SO GOOD. I am an absolute sucker for fungal horror, and I was thrilled to find out this book is queer as well! With that being said, I found that I never got particularly invested in the characters or the plot. All of my favorite parts were the creepy horror scenes (which were amazing). The narration was solid; I didn’t find that it added much to the book, but it didn’t take away from anything either.

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A huge thank you to the publisher for the physical arc and the audio ALC. I had such a great time with this one. It was so interesting. Botanical/eco horror- definitely an atmospheric vibe. Had me second guessing myself. Worth the read.

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First, let me just say that I'm over the deadly mushroom trope in horror books. Or alien mushrooms or whatever the "strangeness" is. Anyway, Erin's brother Bryan has been missing for five years. Erin refuses to accept that he is gone or has committed suicide. Determined to uncover the truth, Erin heads to the foothills of Mt. Hood where Bryan was last seen alive. He isn’t the first hiker to go missing in this area, and their cases go unsolved.
When she discovers the corpse of a local woman in a creek, Erin unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of very powerful forces—from this world and beyond—hell-bent on keeping their secrets buried.

*Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*

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Wendy Wagner has created a very fun and suspenseful mystery here with Girl in the Creek. Sporror had become more and more popular and prevalent but Wagner makes her story stand out by alternating between viewpoints of the fungi itself and then lead character main character. The fungi scenes themselves are gnarly, scary, and surprising and the ending to this book is absolutely pitch perfect.

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I listened to Girl in the Creek as an audiobook, and overall, it was an engaging experience. The narrator did a great job bringing the story to life, capturing the mood and pacing well, which added to the atmosphere of the book.

The storyline itself was intriguing and well-developed, with enough suspense to keep me interested from start to finish. Wagner creates a strong sense of place, and the mystery unfolds at a satisfying pace.

However, I found some of the snarky political commentary unnecessary and distracting. It didn’t serve the plot or characters and could have easily been left out without affecting the story. Those moments pulled me out of the narrative and took away from the otherwise strong writing.

Despite that, I enjoyed the book overall and would recommend the audiobook version for listeners who enjoy atmospheric mysteries with a solid performance by the narrator.

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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