The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek

Bleak Creek has everything anybody ever, would ever, want in a book….ever. Scary? Yeah. Funny. Defiantly. Dramatized? Somewhat. Whether or not you’re a mythical beast or just even a fan of GMM at all, this book is for you, you, him, her, and them! Check it out if you like all things words.

Will it book? HELL YES!

This book was phenomenal! I was fully engaged from page one. You will experience every emotion possible while reading this book. The main characters Rex and Leif have a complex and yet completely loyal friendship that reminds you that friends are the family you choose. Their friendship is set against the backdrop of a small southern town hiding a sinister secret. Watching the story unfold is completely immersive and youll have trouble putting this book down in order to see what happens next. It is so well written that I found myself audibly shouting at characters in the book as if they could actually hear me! Dont hesitate to buy this book! Youll laugh and cry and get angry and cheer. You wont be disappointed.

At one point there’s a veiled eye-roll to one character who’s reading an old-school ‘Hardy Boys’ book – but, seriously, this is what this book feels like. Two kids sneak around to uncover the mystery behind the deaths in the local reform school.

Nothing happens until around the halfway point wherein the story just becomes silly. Dead kids who aren’t dead but are being kept sort-of alive in a spooky pond? Hello? I was kinda hoping that the dog who was mentioned near the start would suddenly jump in and help round up the baddies – at least I could be convinced that this was in some way a parody novel but… jeez…. this was just juvenile schlock.

Im honestly pleasantly surprised by this book. Initially I purchased this on pre-order a few months ago to support my favorite duo (Rhett and Link). I completely forgot about this until GMM started mentioning the launch. Luckily at the time it was released, I was ready to read my next book.

In the beginning, I was hesitant because I was unsure of the age level of this book. Im not the biggest fan of young teen fictions, and I had a feeling that this book might be teetering on that line. Im happy to say this was not the case- once I got about 1/3 of the way into the book, I couldnt put it down. Page after page, it kept getting better. There were twists when you least expected it, which is always a nice surprise.

Overall, this book was a nice, light read.

*WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Love the inside jokes. Mythical Beasts will understand the reference to Leif’s coke shirt. As well as nut-ball, but it won’t detract from readers that aren’t in the know.

It doesn’t show at all how Rex and Leif are based on R & L, even when Leif fumbled over his words speaking to Martha about the reason behind his wearing the clip-on tie, or in the frustration Rex feels over Leif’s food pickiness. They are so very different characters, like night and day.
All of the 90’s pop-culture references are just so much nostalgia. Like Rex’s Jams, and Leif’s hyper-color shirt.
The typos being added to the script was brilliant and it added to the realism of the story.
I truly enjoyed the book. I laughed, cried, and felt a deep anger towards some of the residents of Bleak Creek. I felt, even the “over the top” characters were relatable in some ways, including Whitewood’s followers. The charisma that some people have, can enthrall people with weaker personalities to follow and do things they may never have thought themselves capable of doing.
I liked that they gave Ben a character, I’m sure he’d be honored to be immortalized in such a way. I adored GamGam’s crazy grandma energy. I was so thrilled when Donna came around. Janine seems like a great person who I could see hanging out with. Alicia is a bit like me, most of my close childhood chums were guys, I’m glad she’s not really gone. It is sad about Ben, Josefina and the other kids.
The idea that a parent would have sent their children to the reform school for such minor reasons was upsetting. Then when Leif’s Mom sent him, I knew there had to be something much more sinister going on. Using the water in that way was genius, it wasn’t just taking the children, but was in a way taking control of the adults. Making them complacent.
Those adults got away with the things they did. They will be subject to no justice. That is the only thing that I didn’t like, hopefully it will leave an opening for a sequel?

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