Such a fun and intense commentary on being queer in an industry that claims to be inclusive, but really wants you put in your place...

Fresh from his first Oscar nomination, Misha has been writing in Hollywood for years. When he is asked by the producers to kill off a gay character, this begins a journey of self discovery amidst the chaos of death, hauntings and other shenanigans. I have come to expect meaningful nuanced writing from Chuck Tingle. The point of the story is so poignant, while still bringing you along on this wild, visceral ride.

Talking about this book is difficult considering I don't want to give anything away. The commentary on the presence of the queer community (whether done well, or stereotypical) in media like film and television, is just one reason to truly appreciate this book. There is also a really fun science-fiction-esque horror going on. Such a unique read.

It all starts when Misha’s producer wants him to kill off his queer characters to bury the gays, so to speak, and this will make the studio more money because the algorithm predicts it. When the characters he’s written for the screen come to life through nefarious measures, he finds himself and his loved ones in danger because they’re wanting to cause harm and kill him. Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle is well written, well paced, well played, well packaged and well executed. It’s gay, glossy, meta, current matrix, odd, off-kilter, queer, quackery, and unhinged. ARC was provided by Tor Nightfire via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Misha is a successful Hollywood writer. His studio wants him to kill off his gay characters in his TV show, but he doesn't leading to grave consequences.

Such a fun summer read that takes on important lgbtqia+ issues in a truly unique and creative way. There are great horror elements as Misha's horror creations come to life and come after him. This book was somehow sweet, funny, and tense all at the same time. This was a fast paced roller coaster of a read that you won't want to put down. I recommend this book for fans of horror stories with social commentary.

Bury Your Gays is an interesting twist on the "bury your gays" trope as well as an exploration on corporate greed, AI, and LGBTQ+ folks in media. Misha, the main character, is told to kill off gay characters for a shows upcoming season finale. His refusal leads him to be followed by monsters that look and act like his past horror movie characters.
I found Bury Your Gays very refreshing and engaging. I'm not very big on fiction but I'm glad I took another creator's advice and requested this e-ARC! I really enjoyed the aspects of horror, the commentary on rainbow capitalism, and the climax (no spoilers) had me on the edge of my seat. As someone who has never read Chuck Tingle before, I was very impressed and blown away at his writing/storytelling. I highly recommend picking up this book!

5 Stars
Genre - horror, satire/critique, queer fic
Tone - foreboding, earnest, anti-capitalist
Tropes & devices - flashbacks/multiple timelines, some light metafiction
Reps - Gay MMC, Aro/Ace secondary character
CW - homophobia, sexual harassment, queer trauma and suicide, domestic violence; violence/gore, torture, body horror; explicit language, alcohol consumption, drug use.

Chuck Tingle has crushed it again with his latest book. After bringing me to tears repeatedly with Camp Damascus, this same-universe novel about a gay Hollywood screenwriter serves as a perfect follow up. Misha's boss tells him it's time to either straighten out his queer-coded leads, or out them with a kiss and kill them off. But his deep attachment to these characters - inspired by a key moment from his past like all his others - won't let him do it; he'd rather risk ending his career than disappoint fans with either queerbaiting or the old "bury your gays" trope. When he starts getting threatened by the villains from his past projects come to life, he begins to wonder how far Hollywood is willing to go to turn his real-life story into just another queer tragedy in the pursuit of maximized profits.

This one struck me with quite a few twists (Kindle notes like "!!!" abound), and some parts definitely made me ugly cry. Tingle interjects many moments that are so earnest they feel like they must be autofiction. The "inspiration" portions especially brought me to tears. He spends a lot of time critiquing the way capitalist interests use queer people and their stories in whatever way will bring them top dollar, regardless of the impact on the artists and fans involved. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes their horror topped with a helping of queer joy. Further reading suggestions would be Corey Fah Does Social Mobility, Bored Gay Werewolf, and Boys Weekend for the way these books use horror to explore the intersection of capitalism and queerness.

I received a free digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

🌈Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle🌈


Pages: 304 🎧
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 76/100 🎧 & 📚

Wow! WOW! Thank you so much @torpublishing, @macmillianaudio and @netgalley for these ARCs.

I was able to read on my kindle and listen and what a joy it was! There were cinematic moments in the book that I was able to listen to thanks to having an audio copy as well and let me tell you… IT JUST ADDED to the experience. I felt like I was in the twilight zone!!! I feel like just reading the book wouldn’t have given me such a unique experience. Plus the narration was chefs kiss! 💋

Bury your Gays is like Twilight zone, American Horror Story and Love Island created a monster that actually ends up being your adorable gay best friend.

It had just a little touch on horror because the main character writes movies/shows about horror & death. But it also had such a coming to age storyline about how queer representation in the film world is still a miss.

The book centers around how often LGBTQ is often leaving off the IA in the entertainment world and how we still just mainly focus around gay men or women in shows. Plus how they are often portrayed as extremely flamboyant or extremly butch. Missing the variety of what the community and we as people really are about.

This story goes on to prove how sometimes even though we feel our environments are supportive there is still often a misrepresentation in our surroundings. Now add in some horror, sci-fi and some AI scares and you have this masterpiece.

This was a perfect book to wrap up pride month and I recommend it to all my friends who like quirky sci fi reads.

(My review on Instagram will be posted closer to club day.)

I have had such strong thoughts and opinions about the bury your gays trope in media, and to read a horror breaking down and antagonizing it!!!! It was so fricken good!!!! Chuck Tingle's Brain, end sentence.

This is such a great summer blockbuster read. It has an engaging, if fanciful, plot, and several layers of social commentary that don't feel preachy. Super enjoyable, 5/5

I got an ARC of this book.

I DNFed it around 30% in.

I was just bored. Nothing was happening and I didn't care about any of the characters. I should have looked more deeply beyond the author and the title. I don't care about celebrities or movie production sort of stuff. So I really was the wrong audience for this.

A young screenwriter, author of a popular sci-fi series and a few horror movies, is told by his studio to kill off his leading gay characters. When he refuses to do so he sets in motion some bizarre situations that have him doubting his sanity and trying to protect his friends and his own life. I loved this book so much; it’s totally original, filled with horror and suspense and humor.

I love meta horror and this was about as meta as it gets, dropping the reader smack in the middle of Hollywood in the horror movie scene. I was fully immersed right from the beginning. I loved the main character and his development throughout the story, the supporting cast was superb, and the chills were CHILLING. Like there were some legit scary moments.

Bury Your Gays explores corporate greed, AI, societal agendas, and LGBTQIA+ in media. It was well done and incredibly unique. I dare say I liked this even more than Camp Damascus (loved the mention of it in this one) and I just had a fun time with it. Highly recommend to meta horror fans or those looking for LGBTQIA+ novels in this genre. Tingle doesn’t let ya down.

A very disturbing concept that also happened to be a super fun read. Tingle does a great job of threading the needle of gore and humor while simultaneously giving us searing satire. The main character is complex and heartbreaking and I immediately felt myself rooting for him which made the situations he has to navigate even more nail biting. This was my first Chuck Tingle novel and I’m excited to go back and explore the rest of his catalog.

Weird, wild, bizarre, and absolutely terrifying in that almost plausible maybe someday kind of way. Chick Tingle reminds us again that she really can write and creepy, close in horror is right where she belongs. Cannot get enough and definitely hoping for another next summer.

“That’s why horror is a celebration of life.”

THIS BOOK 🙌🔥

Bury Your Gays needs to be on your summer #tbr especially if you’re looking for summerween vibes. The behind the scenes Hollywood aspect gave it a New Nightmare feel (which is perfect because that’s my favorite horror movie). On top of that, the heart and social commentary were impeccable.

I want to order extra copies of this to hand out to anyone who says AI isn’t a problem, especially in the arts. The lengths Tingle takes it make you wonder how long it will be before certain already-used practices are taken to an even scarier level.

There’s a lot of push and pull between putting out your art for you and those you hope to connect with and doing it for the money. It reminded me a bit of the posts I’ve seen recently talking about how bookstagram used to be a few years ago. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before hobbies are set aside in favor of ones that are monetizable. Watching how Mischa navigates this will make you feel for him and cheer him on the entire way.

I loved the various horror elements Tingle dreamt up. From The Smoker, aka the perfect urban legend, to other horror icons like The Bride (can we please get a follow up on her? 👀) it felt like watching your favorite horror movies coming together for one very strange event.

Chuck Tingle put his whole heart in this one, honestly. It made me laugh, cringe, and tear up at a certain part. Bravo 👏 I cannot wait to see what you dream up next.

Absolutely loved. Couldn’t get enough. This is an exploration of queer stories and how they’re represented in film, tv–Hollywood. It’s a really creative premise that drew me in immediately. Our MC, Misha, is a screenwriter recently nominated for his first Oscar. He’s currently working on the series finale of his TV show when the new bigwigs at his studio tell him he must kill off the two main characters who are gay because that’s what will make it most successful according to their data. That or he can make them straight. Either gay and dead, or straight and alive. Misha refuses to play into this Hollywood stereotype that queer love stories have to be tragic and pure chaos ensues when characters he created in horror movies start to come to life and haunt him. I mean, haunted by his own creations? Terrifying. And so, so good.

Screenwriter Misha has finally gotten his Oscar nomination. What should be a career highlight comes with one big caveat: The executives at his studio want him to kill off his gay main characters rather than giving them the ending they deserve. Sick of the tired trope, and willing to go against “the algorithm,” Misha refuses. But when he finds himself haunted by stalkers dressed as his own horror story creations, Misha has to wonder if it’s only his career that is at stake.

This book is a queer journey of self-discovery, wrapped in horror and packaged with razor-sharp satire. Issues such as acceptance, asexual erasure, and rainbow capitalism, are treated with a weight that you don’t often see in fiction, fitting seamlessly into the plot rather than coming across as the author standing on a soapbox. The characters are well-rounded, realistic, and deeply enjoyable, and the writing is a masterclass in the uncanny.

For spoiler reasons, it’s difficult for me to fully articulate just how much I loved this book, as my favorite aspects are related to a big reveal and the climax of the story. Trust that this story is a nuanced, poignant look at modern day artistic expression that is hopeful at its core while still managing to tell an incredibly creepy and compelling story. Highly recommended for fans of body horror. Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this ARC. This is my honest review.

5/5 A thoroughly modern, deeply campy horror masterpiece.

I absolutely loved this. At first, I thought it might not be for me because I don’t typically enjoy reading about Hollywood and the movie industry. But after a
The very beginning, I started to love this. Chuck tingle has such a unique style and he really shined in this story. There are some truly horrific scenes with body horror, psychological horror, sci-fi horror and more. But it’s also full queer love, friendship and self-acceptance. I loved the commentary on the need to control stories and the money-making machine that the movie industry is. It’s so beautiful to see that fight to tell all kinds of queer stories, not just queer trauma or the overly-positive pride portrayal. Most of all, I loved that every single part of this book felt like a movie in my head. I would love an adaptation of this! 4.5 stars!

Thanks NetGalley, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio for the DRC/ALC!

Now this is my kind of Pride month reading - this was such a fun queer horror story! This was my first book by the author, but I definitely plan to pick up Camp Damascus next! I loved how creative the plot was and Misha was well developed and easy to root for. The book does cover a lot of ground and there were some pacing issues, especially in the flashback scenes. And while I enjoyed the multi-cast portions on audio, I’m not totally sure I understand how some of them fit the story. While it’s never scary, there is some gore and creepy characters. A great combo of social commentary, humor and horror that’s entertaining and fun!

The narration is really well done on the audio, though I did get confused at times with it and had to switch to the ebook. I loved the full cast portions which also included sound effects! 90% of the narration though is done by André Santana, who does a great job bringing Misha to life. I split time between ebook and audio and would recommend either format.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

This is (shamefully) the first story I've read from the legendary Chuck Tingle, but I was certainly not disappointed! Bury Your Gays is a running social commentary on Hollywood pinkwashing, queer trauma, artificial intelligence, and society's need for horror stories. It's the very definition of meta storytelling! I need to give you a warning for heavy and sometimes violent homophobia, child abuse, and lots and lots of gore.

The format of the story changes every so often, going from first person narrative in our main character's perspective to literal scripts when we're needing outsider scenes to piece things together. It also goes back and forth from present day to the "inspiration" scenes, which are flashbacks to Misha's traumatizing childhood where he was repeatedly outed, bullied, and straight up abused for his sexuality--even when he's simply questioning it, like during his ninth birthday party. His present day work is his outlet for that trauma and a way to get back at the Hollywood of his youth that refused to put people like him on the screen in direct context. Yet, he has still not come out of the closet himself, that trauma holding him inside steadfastly (much to the chagrin of his boyfriend; it's a double closet situation). Even worse, the executives want him to bury the gays (i.e. have them die in the finale) in the show he's currently working on with them, kicking off this literal horror story.

And this story is Misha battling his inner demons and these inner demons becoming horrifyingly real when the characters he creates from them for his scripts seemingly come to life and stalk him. Is it a group of fans going too far? Is it the paparazzi going too far? Is it the production company going to great lengths for a complicated marketing ploy? Or is Misha hallucinating it all? We're not given any immediate answers as what we think we know is suddenly challenged by revelation after revelation, creating such a high-pace, bizarre thriller that I couldn't stop thinking about when I took breaks from reading. You'll also find a lot of cheeky allusions peppered throughout, including the book's cover (I gasped in delight; see if you can recognize it!) and a mention of Tingle's previous book, Camp Damascus--I mean it when I say it's a very meta story! It's also one I can see getting its own horror movie adaptation, funnily enough.

I had a lot of fun reading this and I definitely need to get on to reading more of Tingle's work (especially Camp Damascus). If you love his work or simply want a great, scathing queer horror read, absolutely pick this one up. I can also promise you there won't be burying any of these gays, so rest assured about a happy ending.

Please clap. I have read two books outside my comfort zone this week.

I am a gigantic coward, which is why I generally steer clear of horror as a genre. (I’m still scarred from a prank my college roommates played on me related to the book “IT.”) But when I saw a few friends raving about this book, I figured I’d give it a chance. The fact is, this was more creepy and disturbing than all-out frightening, so I may be ok.

Misha has been a horror screenwriter for years, always hoping he’ll hit it big. And he finally does, in the form of an Oscar nomination, even though he jokes that it’s in a category they don’t televise. But despite this success, the studio bosses want him to kill the gay characters in his long-time streaming series—or don’t make them fall in love. This should get them even bigger ratings.

The demand is clear: kill them or be in breach of his contract. Misha cares more about the characters, so he’s willing to sacrifice his career. But suddenly he realizes he and his friends are being stalked—by monsters he created onscreen. Can he survive this onslaught? He’s going to need to face up to some secrets first.

This was really compelling, both as a story and a commentary on queer representation in the media. It’s a great way to convey this message.

Many thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for the advance copy! The book publishes 7/9.