Rhett McLaughlin

Link Neal

Lance Rubin

It's 1992 in Bleak Creek, North Carolina, a sleepy little place with all the trappings of an ordinary Southern town- two Baptist churches, friendly smiles coupled with silent judgments, and a seemingly unquenchable appetite for pork products. Beneath the town's cheerful fa ade, however, Bleak Creek teens live in constant fear of being sent to The Whitewood School, a local reformatory with a record of putting unruly teens back on the straight and narrow-a record so impeccable that almost everyone is willing to ignore the mysterious deaths that have occurred there over the past decade. At first, high school freshmen Rex McClendon and Leif Nelson believe what they've been told-that the students' strange demises were all tragic accidents. But when the shoot for their low-budget horror masterpiece, PolterDog, goes horribly awry-and their best friend, Alicia Boykins, is sent to Whitewood as punishment-Rex and Leif are forced to question everything they know about their unassuming hometown and its cherished school for delinquents. Eager to rescue their friend, Rex and Leif pair up with recent NYU film school grad Janine Blitstein to begin piecing together the unsettling truth of the school and its mysterious founder, Wayne Whitewood. What they find, with Alicia's life hanging in the balance, will leave them battling an evil beyond their wildest teenage imaginations-one that will shake Bleak Creek to its core.

A Novel

The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek

Ellie Long

This book was not at all what I expected but WOW was it good. Chilling, disturbing, funny, heart-felt and more. I’ll be waiting for the next one 😉

Kayla Silvia

As a regular GMM lover and follower, I was obviously like a little kid when I heard Rhett and Link were releasing a book together. 
After I ordered it and finally received the package, I got to reading straight away and finished within a couple days time. 
The experience I had reading this book was kind of unique. It was funny and spooky, a real mind bender in some ways that really makes you asks questions that you're dying to know the answer to. 
It was really well done and I'll gladly pick up another book that comes from them if we are ever graced with such a thing.

Annalee Harris

It's the summer of 1992. Rex and Leif are excited to spend the summer before their high school debut making a film with their best friend, Alicia. However, an incident resulting in the injury of infamous Mr. Whitewood results in Alicia being sent away to the reformatory Whitewood School--a school surrounded by chainlink fences, mysterious punishment sheds, and the lasting memory of more than a few deaths. When Janine, a recent graduate and aspiring documentary filmmaker, comes to town, will she be able to help Rex and Leif uncover the chilling reality of Bleak Creek? And more importantly, will they be able to save Alicia?

While the authors of this novel, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, are popular Youtubers, that's about as far as their influence goes on this book. The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek is entertaining, thrilling, and exciting all on its own. While the protagonists, Rex and Leif, are heavily based on the authors (including some character quirks only GMM fans would understand, like the town's affinity for pork or Leif's aversion to tomatoes), it doesn't take away the charm or make it feel cheap.

The Lost Causes of Bleak Creak has a fleshed out plot, interesting characters, and witty dialogue. It was an enjoyable read that may have been slow in some places, but kept the atmosphere chilling and the novel exciting.

Devin Ware

made it to page 86, and then had one of those realization moments of "if you're not enjoying a book, then don't worry about finishing it." I love GMM so I almost feel guilty saying it, but in spite of the story being interesting I can't get past the writing style. There are certain styles of writing that make me feel as though I'm reading a story told through social media posts, rather than a novel. I have a similar problem with Stephen King, where I love his stories but, the older I get, the less patience I have for his style. 
It's not that I'm trying to be a pretentious dingus who only likes "literary" novels... it's just that I totally am one 😅 sorry

Katherine Erickson

I really enjoyed the book but what killed it for me is the typical trope of the love triangle between a trio of best friends where the two males have feelings for the female in the group. Even though the women that we see in the book are very strong and independent, there is always that little jab of having overwhelming feelings towards a male in the story. It was pretty distracting and, personally, unwanted in this book. Overall, I do recommend reading it. It was an entertaining read and in perfect time for the Spooky Season. The cover was also a big plus and the Audible performance was pretty great as well.

Brianna Brown

* Potentially biased as I am a huge GMM fan!

This was great, and also not at all what I expected, and also a little shocking, but also really funny. I couldn't help but imagine the authors playing the parts of Leif and Rex, which I think added considerably to the experience. 
This does follow multiple characters and I will say that there were a few times where I had a bit of confusion as perspectives jumped around mid page, but I got used to it quickly. And this story was so smart and stunning.

From the authors of the #1 New York Times-bestseller Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality and creators of Good Mythical Morning, a thrilling and darkly funny novel about two best friends fighting the sinister forces at the heart of their Southern town.

Ruthie Akin

Rizaldi

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Stranger Things meets the South. Chilling, hilarious, and suspenseful—I loved it!”—Felicia Day From the authors of Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality and creators of Good Mythical Morning . . . It’s 1992 in Bleak Creek, North Carolina—a sleepy little place with all the trappings of an ordinary Southern town: two Baptist churches, friendly smiles coupled with silent judgments, and an unquenchable appetite for pork products. Beneath the town’s cheerful façade, however, Bleak Creek teens live in constant fear of being sent to the Whitewood School, a local reformatory with a history of putting unruly youths back on the straight and narrow—a record so impeccable that almost everyone is willing to ignore the suspicious deaths that have occurred there over the past decade. At first, high school freshmen Rex McClendon and Leif Nelson believe what they’ve been told: that the students’ strange demises were all just tragic accidents, the unfortunate consequence of succumbing to vices like Marlboro Lights and Nirvana. But when the shoot for their low-budget horror masterpiece, PolterDog, goes horribly awry—and their best friend, Alicia Boykins, is sent to Whitewood as punishment—Rex and Leif are forced to question everything they know about their unassuming hometown and its cherished school for delinquents. Eager to rescue their friend, Rex and Leif pair up with recent NYU film school graduate Janine Blitstein to begin piecing together the unsettling truth of the school and its mysterious founder, Wayne Whitewood. What they find will leave them battling an evil beyond their wildest imaginations—one that will shake Bleak Creek to its core. Praise for The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek “The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek is like your best friend from high school—kind of weird and a little twisted, but no matter how much trouble they caused, they always made you laugh. You don’t have to be a GMM fan to realize . . . The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek, Will It Awesome Book? F@*# yeah!”—Kurt Sutter, creator of Sons of Anarchy “Most people don’t read books, let alone write them. That puts Rhett and Link in the top 1% of smart people in the world. Read this book.”—Rachel Bloom, co-creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend “It’s scary, it’s fun, and it’s one hell of a carnival ride.”—Kirkus Reviews

The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek A Novel

Reviews