Review of YouTube Duo’s First YA Novel
By Nicholas Papini | Observer Contributor
Image from Amazon
While the characters and overarching plot of The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek are solid, where the novel truly shines is in its minor characters and moments of world building.
Youtubers Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal of the channel Good Mythical Morning’s first foray into fiction novels follows the story of two teens in the fictional South Carolina town of Bleak Creek. The small town has a rather famous local business which claims to reform troubled children and has an impressive resume with very few failures. However, as teens Rex McClendon and Leif Nelson learn, not all is as it seems with the Whitewood School.
The plot of The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek is very solid, if rather derivative. It isn’t necessarily bad, but it is not particularly unique. In many ways it is reminiscent of other teen detective stories like Stranger Things or even Scooby Doo. The story doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the novel, but it doesn’t make it stand out either.
The minor aspects of The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek are the stand outs. The town of Bleak Creek is colorful and well defined. It perfectly encapsulates the friendliness of the small-town South and also the way that same friendliness will die very quickly if a person does not fit into their world view. The idea of the Whitewood School which would take in and reform “lost causes” is uniquely suited to the environment the town creates.
When interviewed by Audible, Rhett and Link were asked where the inspiration for their book came from. Regarding the town, Rhett said, “this is true all over the world, but there’s a certain flavor to the expectations of the small-town South and we knew how to conform and succeed in a way and be looked at in a way that the adults would feel like we were respectable young boys.”
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek marks authors Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal’s first attempt to write both the supernatural, mystery, and fiction genres, and it does not truly show. The book is well polished with a multitude of interesting and unique characters and a fun world surrounding them.
It sometimes feels like the writing goes off on a tangent about certain aspects of the world. They sometimes feel strange and break up the pacing of the book. The greatest issue is the novel’s rather weak prose, but for a young adult novel there are certainly worse.
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek is a coming of age story set in a backdrop of a 90s supernatural mystery. It may not be the best of its kind at any of those things, but it is overall a fun novel and a fantastic first for Rhett and Link.
Comments are closed.