Creep: A Love Story by Lygia Day Peñaflor

One of my students suggested I read Creep by Lydia Day Peñaflor. Yes, one of my 8th graders! There was some sort of glitch where they were able to access some YA books in SORA. She definitely wasn't pleased when it was fixed. 

Rafi Wickham is passionate and driven. About all the wrong things. The blurb for the book tells us that it's You meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before. And I think that's apt despite having only seen clips of You. Peñaflor captures the awkwardness of teen envy mixed with an unhealthy does of obsession. However, as I got to know more about Rafi, I felt sorry for her. Parents who very obviously didn't want her and grandparents who raise her out of obligation would make for a quite unhappy life. She's a well-developed character who is realistic in her hero worship of Laney and Nico. Every teenager experiences that envy. Rafi, however, is ill equipped to deal with it. I remember being obsessed with my crush as a high schooler, squealing in delight when he agreed to come to my Halloween party. But Rafi... Rafi is in dire need of therapy.

Creep is well written and kept me engaged through the end. My only complaint is how it glosses over Rafi's obsession with Mr. Bryant and his subsequent problems--from the perspective of a teacher, it feels like there are some things Rafi isn't telling the reader about the situation. While we do learn from Rafi's admission about her obsession with him and his family, I'm still puzzled as to why she was in his car. No teacher would should let a student in their vehicle. I will say that the situation and Rafi's lack of elaboration emphasizes her  unreliability as a narrator, which is a great literary device for a mystery/thriller.

Overall, a great read that I would absolutely recommend for high schoolers. I secretly want to see a TV series, if I'm perfectly honest!