Bad Creek
by Peyton June
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Pub Date Jun 17 2025 | Archive Date May 31 2025
W. W. Norton & Company | Norton Young Readers
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Description
Three lifelong friends confront restless ghosts and malevolent family secrets in this fierce, propulsive debut young adult horror novel.
Iris, Gum, and Aidan are vacationing in Bad Creek, just like every summer. Except Iris’s older sister, Glory, drowned in the lake last year, and Iris can’t seem to move on; Gum is hiding his sexuality from his family while being viciously haunted by Glory’s rotting ghost; and Aidan is distraught over a drunken argument with Glory that he fears may have led to her death. When Iris sleepwalks to the dilapidated house that Glory obsessively sketched in her final days, she and the boys begin to uncover a sinister history in the very bones of the town. The trio must reckon with the events of last summer and uncover what lurks within Bad Creek before it takes Iris’s life next.
Gripping and vengeful, Bad Creek confronts the intersection of religion, sexuality, and feminism, and forces readers to reckon with monsters in all their forms—human included.
About the Author:
Peyton June is an author and illustrator based in Seattle, Washington. When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her old Schwinn bicycle, collecting antique photographs, and ghost-hunting. Bad Creek is her debut novel.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781324082934 |
| PRICE | $18.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Catarina S, Reviewer
Bad Creek by Peyton June is one of the best books I've read this year so far. So so good. I couldn't stop reading this story. So so good.
Erin M, Reviewer
A brilliant chilling and eerie debut, touching on so many elements of trauma, privilege, sexuality and grief. Bad Creek the book follows three lifelong friends Iris, Gum, and Aidan as they struggle to process the loss of Iris’s sister, Glory, who drowned mysteriously in the lake the previous summer. This book keeps you gripped from the get go, with true unsettling horror that lingers long after you've finished reading.. making you wonder if something else is truly out there. The themes of sacrifices, both personal and ritualistic, alongside generational curses and searching for closure all lead to a satisfying conclusion with a sense of hope.
A truly enjoyable read, one that I certainly will continue to think about even long after I've finished reading.
Emily B, Reviewer
ARC Review
I’m such a sucker for a good old fashion murder mystery and the fact this had a little Friday the 13th lakeside, cabin murder vibe made it even better.
All the characters were super likeable (at least the ones you’re supposed to like 😂) but I think Aidan was my favorite of the Disasters crew, Gum being a close second. The creepy vibes and spooky parts definitely felt most present in Gum’s POV which I think is why I loved his chapters so much but Aidan as a character just stood out the most for me.
If you’re looking for a good, creepy mystery but something that’s not too crazy and graphic I highly recommend checking this out on release. I do suggest checking Trigger Warnings as religion does play a key role in the second half of the book. So if religious trauma and just books with heavy religious elements isn’t your thing I’d maybe sit this one out. But I’m a big fan of religious horror/thrillers so it was a big hit for me!
Sara H, Reviewer
You might need to take a break with this book if you like YA horror, deadly nostalgia, generational curses, Midwest gothic vibes, maybe slightly haunted lakes.
It seems rather fitting that I would read a YA horror book about a vacation, while in fact on vacation. The vibes for bad creek are fantastic, there’s an eerie edge to it that sort of hovers over everything and a melancholy with knowing that there was a death the previous year.
Instead of staying in the typical murder mystery schemes, I liked the different twists and turns that Peyton added that made it unique and kept me enthralled with the book right up until the very end.
I received a gifted copy of this, all comments and thoughts are my own
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