My god - this collection is brilliant. Why am I only NOW reading Myriam Gurba now?! Hold my calls because this week is going to be comprised of Myriam Gurba backlist ! Smart. Interesting. Creative. SO. WELL. WRITTEN. Gurba takes important subjects that have been written about over and over and turns them sideways to make me learn even more. I gasped. I smiled. I loved this collection.

A moving, important collection of essays and personal stories that let you into Gurba's world through her experiences, hardships, and family history. Funny at times, heartbreaking at others, but throughout, very eye-opening to the struggles of women, queer people, Mexican immigrants in the United States, and the appalling treatment of Indigenous peoples. Very compelling.

[I received an advance copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you!]

A sharp critique that fulfills the book's purpose of calling into a society where creeps thrive and also perish. It's part honoring culture, recognizing its faults, and reflection of the author's life. This book absolutely needs a trigger warning. There is discussion about sexual violence that meets the mark yet is quite graphic. Humor is also written about in these acts that provides perspective.

So smart. These essays aren't just memoir, they are also cultural criticism and woven together seamlessly. I love seeing "the turn" in each essay and where Gurba will take us. There is a sharp critique and rage found in all the essays, and given the subject matter there is much to rage at!

This was a really difficult read, the content was emotional and I wouldn’t read this without first reading through the trigger warnings, if you have any triggers. It was a journey and I’m so glad the author took us on it. It explores themes of racism, misogyny and the intersection between the two. As the title suggests, too, it explores Creeps and how they are everywhere - our colleagues, our family members, our trusted friends.

It was an impactful and beautiful collection of essays, I recommend it to anyone wanting to feel both seen and informed.

I loved Mean so much that I immediately saw Gurba had a second book and clamoured to read it asap. As I expected, Gurba has such a distinct voice that this shines just as Mean did. Although heavy at times, I was enthralled the entire time and couldn’t put it down. The commentary and opinions are thoughtful and eloquent. I loved this!

I have been a fan of Myriam Gurba and her writing for quite a few years now and this next book did not disappoint. An excellent reflection on how creeps and their abuse are prevalent in our families, work, schools, communities, and government along with how they alter the lives of the most vulnerable among us, many of them women and immigrants. Gurba expertly weaves Mexican and California history, intersectional feminism, domestic violence, carceral systems, as well as very personal experiences throughout these essays. What an impactful and beautiful collection. Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the ARC!

In a world of Jeanine Cummins, be Myriam Gurba: a queer Chicana feminist and writer with a voice like a storm. Following in the tradition set by her previous work, "Mean," which merged true crime, memoir, and ghost story, Gurba takes up the role of a ghostbuster, hunting down the creeps that haunt our books, schools, and homes.

thank you netgalley for the arc!

4.5 rounded down~

i really loved this one. everything gurba writes feels important, and i can't pinpoint where this profound sense of urgency comes from when i read her work but i'm grateful it exists, and grateful gurba exists too :')

this collection is v is smart funny sad educational dry and wholly unique.

Such a treat to read Gurba's witty work. Her critical voice is powerful and necessary, and her critique of "American Dirt" changed American literature.

I received an arc of this title from Netgalley. My opinions are my own.

Creep is a very worthwhile interesting title. The author's voice is compelling, infused with intelligence and a dry humor. In some ways, the book was a verbal version of those evidence boards in crime shows with the red strings connecting elements.

Myriam Gurba has this knack of relaying a story, and then connecting it -- even though they seem initially unconnected -- to a previous story or stories. Every time she does it, it somehow seems fresh, and exciting. Like a hit of dopamine.

Some of the stories she tells are about stories in the media, many are stories of her family and her Mexican heritage, some are deeply personal stories of abuses she's survived, but in the end they all feel like they belong to the same tapestry.

When accepting an ARC -- advanced reader/review copy -- almost always there's a note saying not to quote the book unless you can confirm the quote is in the final copy. This leaves me with a lot of compelling quotes that I can't imagine didn't make the cut, but I don't know that. So you can discover them for yourself.

The author's words pack a punch, expressing anger, frustration, and the push and pull of memory. What it means to be a queer woman of Mexican heritage, or at least this queer woman of Mexican heritage.

This should appeal to people with an interest in intersexual feminism and a penchant for true crime.I plan on reading the author's previous book, Mean.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc! Whew. What a ride. This book is important, this feels like mandatory reading. I first came across myriam Gurba on Instagram years ago, her feed being one that seemed as poignant and implicating as the newspaper during the me too movement. But that’s exactly it, even though this book is coming out in 2023, it feels timeless. Please pay attention. Do not ignore this title nor this voice.