The writing in this felt overdone and overtly edge, as if it was trying to guide the reader to make predetermined judgements about the characters. It was easy to read, but definitely won't be for everyone.

"Creep" is crazy, and fun, and bizarre, and dark. It feels like "He's Just Not That Into You" meets "Baby Reindeer".

It was creepy, I will give you that. Hiring a cleaner has never been less appealing. It should have been compelling but I felt like it dragged and I was reading it forever. It was bogged down by repetitive details I didn't think added much. We get it, you have bodily functions! You're obsessed! What else?

I've been notified I'm receiving a print ARC of Creep (thank you so so so much Emma! Ahhhh!!), so I'm submitting this in the meantime as I don't feel it's fair to have this count against my FB ratio when I'm waiting on USPS. I'm pausing at 15% into the ebook l, but even that far in I could already tell I'm going to love this!

Will certainly update w actual review & include links once finished... I don't anticipate that being any longer than a day or two after the print ARCs arrival :)

Rating 3/5

Alice and Tom are meant to be in every way. They are perfect for each other, except they have never met.

The narration of this story is captivating. I truly felt stuck in Alice's delusions. The first half of this novel was brilliant - Alice comes off morally grey and unlikeable but relatable. The last half felt rushed to explain Alice's backstory in a sort of hushed rationale and created a sense of pity that felt undeserved. I think the story started to lose its path the longer Alice created stories in her head without ever explaining why she does this, until the very end. I believe the classism, the genderism, and racism themes would have stood out more if it wasn't all pushed at the "resolution" of the book. Beautiful writing, nonetheless!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-ARC!*

The premise of this book was so intriguing. A woman obessed with the man who she cleans for. What could be better?!
Unfortunately, after about 25 percent of the book, I had to put it down. While the concept was interesting, I struggled with the author’s writing style.

The main character’s thoughts were too detailed, and the stream of consciousness style was so hard for me to follow. It was exhausting, and I don’t think it will get better. For my sanity, I had to stop.

I appreciate that the author tackled the nuances of mental health struggles, and feel like this would be a great book if there were some breaks from the heavy internal dialogue. I may try to pick it up again later on.

Thank you to Emma van Straaten, Harper Perennial and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book for an honest review.

The premise is SO intriguing, but the execution left much to be desired.
The writing style is so inaccessible. At the very beginning, I felt overwhelmed and it just never got better.

3.5 - I wanted to like this more than I did. I truly enjoyed most of it. I loved the unhinged plot, the unraveling main character, and the general insanity of it all. I struggled a bit with the writing style - while beautifully written it went on and on which made the book feel much much longer than it actually was. While I was still invested in the story, I noticed myself starting to skim a bit because I wanted to know what was happening but felt it was being told in too many words. Despite this, I did enjoy the general chaos of it all and recommend this to anyone who enjoys obsession and unhinged MCs.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for the ARC.

Alice is hopelessly, desperately in love with Tom (read: obsessed). The problem is the two have never met. Alice cleans Tom’s flat once a week and spends her time there perusing his items, allowing herself to imagine a life with him. In Creep, readers watch Alice spiral in to madness and it’s impossible to look away.

I loved the intentional capitalization of “Him”—referring to Tom—as we read this story from Alice’s perspective, placing Tom at the very top of some made-up hierarchy. The writing felt tedious at times but there is no denying that Creep is addicting, disturbing, and stressful, yet deeply satisfying.

Thank you Harper Perennial for the early copy in exchange for an honest review! Available Feb. 25 2025

This book was off putting in all the best ways. It was incredibly strange, but also heartbreaking. The unreliably depressing narrator was amazing, and the ending really got me despite thinking it would be coming.

I made it 40% into this book and just had to stop to maintain my own sanity.

This is a book about a young woman who cleans a man's apartment weekly as she becomes obsessed with him. While cleaning she touches his things, reads his emails, and even more inappropriate invasions of privacy. The writing itself was very good. I usually like a more easy read/free-flowing and straightforward style, but the main character's fanciful ruminations of everything she's experiencing were very descriptive and almost poetic. However, the lines she was crossing with her intense fixation became so disturbing to read that I almost felt like I was losing my mind along with her.

Thank you to the publisher Harper Perennial for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

This was really not for me. The concept sounded so amazing. Unfortunately the writing style was very difficult for me to handle. I did not enjoy reading every thought in Alice's head. It was too detailed and too mentally exhausting.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Creep by Emma Van Straaten because the premise was so intriguing. I’m no stranger to unlikable characters, and usually, they don’t deter me from enjoying a book. However, in this case, the main character’s unlikability, combined with their intense focus on mental health struggles, made finishing the story feel more like a chore than an escape. That said, Emma Van Straaten is undoubtedly a talented writer. With stronger supporting characters or more variety to balance the heavy internal monologues, this could have been a much more enjoyable read. While this book wasn’t for me, I’d be open to giving another of her works a try in the future.

This was a strange book. Alice was a creep for sure. She was obsessive and twisted. The writing style was different. I am not sure if I disliked it but I did not love it. This book made me want to keep reading because I had to know what would happen but it is not for everyone. It is kind of scary but thrilling but also strange.

What an interesting read! This is was the perfect amount of weird in a love story that I needed! Thank you netgalley and Harper Perennial.

this was very twisted and so cool, i didnt know what i was expecting going into this but i did really enjoy it and feel like its the perfect book for the cooler months! enjoy and thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I'm mind boggled by all the great reviews this book is getting. And yes, I am that dissenting voice here, saying, "But the Emperor has no clothes."
I get it - women's voices are IT right now. Novel after novel is released dedicated to the female experience, preferably as viscerally rendered as possible. They don't have to be likable -they just have to be REAl.

Well, the protagonist in Creep isn't likable, which alone wouldn't have bene a dealbreaker. But she is also not interesting or compelling. And on top of it, the novel has next to nothing by way of plot.
It's a story of obsession, a nasty and tedious to read story of obsession, focused narrowly on a single point of view of someone who just doesn't have that much to say.
She spends the entire time daydreaming about a perfect man, who, of course, wants nothing to do with her. And you can't blame him, because as a reader, you don't want anything to do with her either.
Obsession is a fascinating subject when done right. Caroline Kepnes' YOU (and its steadily declining in quality sequels) have managed it. This book did not.
The narrative is super dense, because apparently being literary these days includes doing away with paragraphs and most of the dialogue. The book is short, but it's a slog to get through. The ending is predictable. Funny thing is that the writing itself is decent, but it takes more than the ability to turn out a nice sentence to create a good book.
Overall, a complete waste of time. Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Perennial, and Emma van Straaten for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

...oh my gosh, this gave me the creeps but in such a good way. Alice is so unhinged, but also... what woman isn't at least a little? Alice has the most delusional and messed up thoughts, but I was here for it.

The formatting took me a bit to get used to, but I was able to follow the story well. Look out for this in 2025!

‘Alice and Tom are made for each other. Deeply connected, they share a flat in London, go to galleries together, enjoy the same books and wine. They even share a toothbrush. It’s all picture perfect.
Except Alice and Tom have never met.’

Imagine Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction. Now multiply her obsession and mental instability by 2 turkeys. Yea. Alice was undamnhinged.

I love a good ole twisted story of infatuation & fixation. But unfortunately, Creep missed the mark for me. The writing technique threw me off. Like all the way off. I don’t know what the authors intent was with this bizarre style, but it felt like a good attempt at trying to be eccentric and maybe highbrow….? Idk. But:
“I unclose my eyes and a bright square of window glares.”
Really? You unclosed your eyes, girlll? Cool.

And the number of times she references her period, the blood and the clotting and how it all looks as she flushes it away🥴 Gahh. One mention would’ve been sufficient. But many mentions started to border vampiric.

Not sure what else to say. There’s no connections to be found anywhere. So I had little empathy or feelings of any sort. Aside from occasional pity. Oh. And shame! Oh the shame I shempt🥴 I shuddered for Alice, and often, knowing she was about to do something that she’d convinced herself was the guiding hands of fate or whatever. But alas, it was not. It was straight damn delusional and I felt the full bulk of 2nd hand shame. So heavy, it’s like it had its own body and that body decided to cob a squat next to me as I read, just waiting till the next opportunity to dump a volkswagen of mortification all over me. So, that’s gotta count for something, right?

Okayyyy, too many Thanksgiving wines for me, apparently. 🥂🍷😮‍💨😵‍💫

Even though this one wasn’t exactly my thing, I am sure many readers will find that delectable thrill they seek within these very pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this arc in exchange for review. I am always grateful.

Pub Date: Feb 25 2025

Don't mean to review like a creep. Especially on Thanksgiving, but the writing style is painful. The synopsis sounded very promising but I do not like the writing. It feels like Alice's stream of consciousness not only are the chapters long, but some paragraphs take up the full page. It drives me crazy how she refers to Tom has He w a capital H. It's a DNF because it would be a struggle for me to continue and I highly doubt it'll get better or be a payoff if I continue