Lucky Girl, the new novella for the incredibly talented M. Rickert, has two subtitles; How I Became a Horror Writer, and A Krampus Story, both of which instantly drew me in. Our narrator is a famous but lonely horror author, who lost her family in a horrific home invasion. She meets a group of misfits in a failing diner one Thanksgiving, and they form a bond out of desperation.

The following Christmas, the group reunite, and one member, Greyson, shares a terrifying true story about the place he grew up, and an encounter with Krampus. Flash forward past a few years of minimal contact, the group reconvene at Greyson’s manor. Is Greyson’s Krampus story real? Are the group safe? And how much can you really trust someone you barely know?

This brief story was a lot of fun. Full of twists and turns, and an absolutely killer ending. Lucky Girl is a fantastic festive horror story, perfect for reading in front of a roaring log fire in December.

This book was not what I expected going in, and I definitely like the Thing It Was much better than the Thing I Thought It Was. Somehow manages to provide heartwarming holiday feels like also providing some real scares and great horror storytelling. I love stories about loners coming together, and this one delivers.

Before I get into the bulk of the review, I want to say a quick thank you to NetGalley and the publishers over at Tordotcom for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Lucky Girl is a quick horror story set around the Christmas holiday. We start with. our main characters meeting up for Christmas after realizing they all had nowhere to go for the holiday. The recent college graduates decide to tell scary stories set around the holidays. This sets off events that none of them could begin to imagine. Lucky Girl is out on September 13th and is available for preorder now.

I want to start out the review by saying that this novella is not exactly what it says on the back of the book. I assumed that this story would start out with our five main characters meeting in this small town diner and deciding to meet up for Christmas a few weeks later, then the horror stories start flowing and possibly murder? But this story actually takes place over the course of about 25 years. I wish we had met everyone in the diner instead of that first Christmas they spend together. Also, this story is told with flashbacks to the main character’s past which sometimes feels like it gets in the way of the main plot, but does come around in the end. Tor usually does a pretty good job with keeping stories the right length. They’re usually exactly what a reader needs to truly enjoy a story, but this time I feel like they missed the mark. The ending to this one feels so unsatisfying. As the reader, I have so many questions and I don’t love how multiple plot points are left without resolution or explanation. The length of the story also keep me from feeling like I ever really knew any of the characters.

I will say that the atmosphere for this novella was the exact right mix of Holiday Spirit and Absolute Terror. I would feel comfy and cozy and then the author let the horror seep in. I also felt like I could picture most of the settings really well. I especially enjoyed the estate on top of the hill and the church on the grounds. This was the kind of story that you could read in one sitting. It kept me wanting more and was such a quick and easy read. I found the setting and the atmosphere and sometimes the plot compelling enough to keep propelling me through the story.

Overall, I think this is good for those readers who don’t like things wrapped up in a nice, neat bow and who like to come up with their own conclusions for the how or the why. It’s also good for people who prefer their mystery/thriller/horror novels over the Christmas-y counterparts.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Tor Forge for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't like this one. Not at all. It wasn't scary. It wasn't creepy. And it didn't make sense to me. I had to push through. It's a good thing it was short.

I don't normally read Christmas books outside of December, but the concept of a Christmas horror story intrigued me enough to make an exception. It's an interesting tale of Ro, a writer, and a small group of her acquaintances who spend a lonely Christmas together. Over the course of several years, they come together in different times and places, all leading up to a revelation about the tragedy in Ro's past. Kept me up reading a few nights!

I would like to thank Netgalley, the Author and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC. A short story of strangers coming together in college over the holidays. There are the typical characters, struggling writer, sad rich boy, a want to be mean girl. Don’t get me wrong, just because they fit a trope doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit the story well. They are misfits who aren’t really friends but come together twice in their younger years to celebrate Christmas and again when they are older. I love they are all broken somehow. Given the backdrop there is a creepiness here and well, aren’t we all a little certain there is such a thing as Krampus? Even as a novella, I think the characters were well fleshed out. I didn’t expect the ending and overall, I enjoyed what I read. 4 Stars.

A short but sweet little horror story based around Christmas.

Roanoke is a struggling writer, living a lonely and almost puritan life. When she discovers a handful of strangers at the nearby diner, she organizes a Christmas get together. The group tells scary stories and exchanges presents with each other under $5. The group of misfits plan to meet again the year after and forge an unlikely connection. It isn't long before we learn details about the group that make it much more than what it seems. Ro becomes a fairly well known horror writer and the story itself is a play on the author's real writing. I think this would be a great longer novel instead of a novella and recommend to anyone who likes a short creepy story. #LuckyGirl #MaryRickert
#MacmillanTor #Forge #Tordotcom

"Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story" by M. Rickert is an eerie horror novella that’s just strange enough to leave you wondering what the heck you just read. Like the title, there’s a lot crammed into an only one hundred(ish) page book. I really liked the concept but it either needed more pages to unpack what was happening or Rickert needed to eliminate one of the plot lines.

One thing I found jarring was the constant feel that I was in the 1800s when the story actually takes place present day. I’m not sure why it felt this way, whether it was the way the characters were speaking or the settings where things took place or the vintage feel of the Krampus tale, but it all had a very Poe-like feel to it. I can’t decide if I like this disconnect or not.

I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and I didn’t get enough time with them to feel too much of anything for them. I did like Ro initially but as the story went on I wasn’t too sure about her.

The story had a lot going on (too much in my opinion). All the plot lines did come crashing together but the ending felt forced and rushed. I didn’t dislike it by any means, the title makes me wonder if there are more Lucky Girl installments coming with a different story about Ro’s horror writing journey. I’d read them. Despite the convoluted feel, it was a quick, intriguing read that would be a great option to pick up during the winter holidays.

Ro is not much of a Christmas celebration kinda gal. She meets some new pals and decides to offer up a Christmas get to together at her place and when things drag a little she has a really fun idea. Ro suggests they make up ghost stories and tell them and the party does become a lot livelier. Time moves on and the friends go their own way. Opportunities do come up for them to reconnect in interesting ways.

This is a short story/novella and I read it in one afternoon as an escape from heavier reads. I enjoyed it for that and it fits a reading challenge I have going. It was good entertainment and the ending was a bit of a surprise, so hooray for that!

I can recommend it for light afternoon reading. Bedtime, not so much. It is not all that scary but does offer up a nice creep factor. Many thanks to the publisher and NG for an ARC to read for review. The author won a Shirley Jackson award! Good enough for me!

This was a short horror novella that is set in Christmas but also has definite ‘Halloween’ elements, which I think worked for this one in the niche holiday horror category. It has its twists and a lot of things designed to throw you off, but I knew it was attempting to do that (I enjoyed it). I think the best thing about this one is the overall atmosphere. I do feel compelled to read more horror novellas in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early review copy. This did not affect my review in any way.

The basic premise for the book is interesting, and the writing style reads really easily. Honestly, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I can. The book frequently jumps around in time, each chapter jumping forward or back (one year forward, two, ten back, more forward). Since you're constantly jumping back and forth, you never spend enough time in one place with the characters to really invest in them, so you don't care how they fare either way. Additionally, there are so many VERY unlikely situations or reveals that don't feel even remotely natural.

All this being said, there is a fun winter atmosphere, the book is short, and the ending is fun (if telegraphed). If you're looking for a holiday read on a snowy day, this isn't a bad choice.

Eerie and twisty, this novella is a fast and entertaining read. I love the contrast between the backdrop of joyful Christmas seasons and the macabre characters and plot. Excellent storytelling throughout!

Ro, a struggling writer, knows all too well the pain and solitude that holiday festivities can awaken. When she meets four people at the local diner—all of them strangers and as lonely as Ro is—she invites them to an impromptu Christmas dinner. And when that party seems in danger of an early end, she suggests they each tell a ghost story. One that’s seasonally appropriate.

But Ro will come to learn that the horrors hidden in a Christmas tale—or one’s past—can never be tamed once unleashed.

A great novella!

3.5/5⭐️

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴?”
“𝘔𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳,” 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳. “𝘠𝘰𝘶, 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸.”
“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?”
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦.”

This was a really quick and unnerving read. I enjoyed the almost empty, echoey feeling of the writing, it set a creepy tone for each tale told over multiple christmases.

What brought down my rating from a four star was the conclusion to the mystery of Ro’s (the MC) past, it felt too quickly wrapped up and anticlimactic. Horrifying in theory? Yes, absolutely. But maybe the execution could have been better.

I would recommend this to others looking for a creepy story. It’s a max two hour read so even if others might not enjoy it, it’s not a big commitment.

That was one creeepy ride of a christmas tale! Dark and twisted fast read full of folklore and mystery. The ending left me saying, "oh no!" Want to read more.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

If there’s one thing I love more than novellas, it’s a good old-fashioned tale of holiday haunting. There’s a special place on my bookshelf for Victorian-esque Christmas ghost stories, and for the most part, M. Rickert’s upcoming LUCKY GIRL (Tordotcom) hits all the right notes.

Ro, an aspiring horror writer with a tragic family past, meets up for a Christmas celebration with a group of friends from her past. While the story is twisty and plays fast and loose with timelines as it peels back the layers to expose the trauma and dysfunction–and the uniting horror between Ro’s dark past and her strange ragtag group of sad, lonely friends–the resultant sense of disorientation adds to the aura of dread surrounding this quick read. Rickert hits those gothic ghost story notes in slow-building dread, eerie ambiance, odd traditions, and unsettling details that stem from a vaguely unreliable narrator. The Krampus here is one both literal and figurative, and while one might hunger for a little more meat on the skeleton of this Ghost of Christmas past, the familiar imagery of sleigh bells and atmospheric details give this quick dark holiday story enough substance to keep reading.

I really enjoyed this novella. I'm a sucker for holiday themed horror and Krampus has gained popularity in recent years so I was intrigued from the start. Our lead character, Ro, had something horrific happen to her when she was sixteen years old. This deeply embedded trauma allows her to have a career as a horror author but it wasn't always easy. She meets a seemingly random group of lonely people and they decide to spend the Christmas holiday together and tell scary stories to each other. But people are not who they seem and the ringing of a bell can bring the monsters even if those monsters are the ones within yourself.

Quick paced and extremely creepy, this novella manages to bring the chills while providing twists that you won't see coming.

A ghost story/horror novel in the tradition of Christmas-time ghost stories in the UK, this novel tries hard to have a twist but it's so easy to know what's coming that it rather spoils the tale. The whole thing feels rushed, and while it doesn't need to be longer, it could have used a lot of tightening up and editing to make it a stronger story.

Im giving this 2 stars i didnt enjoy it but i frel like it was up my alley. Thebauthor did a wonderful wirh the writing

Roanoke is a girl who finds herself celebrating Christmas with some strangers and then repeats the experience a couple of times more. Ro (nobody really calls her Roanoke, a name that puts her in the spotlight wherever she foes) is also a first not-so-famous horror writer than later on everybody recognizes. And Ro is also a lucky girl, because she survived something so horrible that it changed her forever, although that is something that luckily just stayed in the past. Or did it?

I loved, loved, loved this novella. It's very short, perfect for a non-stop reading session. It is not a scary story at all even if there are a couple of very tense, creepy scenes, but in general it truly engloves what horror is, with its monsters and its ghosts, its twists and turns.

The only negative aspect of the story might be that it kind of feels... irregular, as if the story needed more depth in some moments, as if some of the aspects (like Krampus!) were just a detail and not something to be put in the title. But I honestly have to say that I adored every bit of it and even went back a couple of times to double check some of the almost-hidden information. Its length is just perfect for a second reading.

I highly recommend it as a Halloween reading, for instance. To be devoured at night, before going to sleep. And then just wait for the nightmares.