This is a timely, wonderful triumph of both a book and an audiobook. The horror vibes are perfect, both societal and more traditional thriller horror takes, and I had an absolute blast with this.

The traditional thriller horror vibes come from the monsters mentioned in the blurb - Misha is a screenplay writer who got his start in queer horror and writes a sort of sci-fi horror television show in the vein of X-Files, so he's got plenty of scary options to come after him. We also get to flash back to his past and see the sparks of inspiration that started him on the route of being a storyteller as well as what inspired these horrors. There's a ticking clock countdown as he tries to figure out why these monsters are targeting him and his friends, and as he does, more and more of the societal horror starts to unfold.

This, of course, comes from the Hollywood component, really leaning in to thoughts on the role of capitalism and algorithms in picking stories to produce and directions to take trends, what we lose in creativity when we let money take the reins on what is put out into the world, and when we put stories into boxes.

I loved the heck out of this and I can't wait to tell everyone I know about it.

Oh my God. This was probably the most entertaining horror novel I've read in I can't remember how long!

Misha is tired. Tired of being told to kill of his beautiful characters, just when things are starting to get good for them, tired of being told how to write by studio execs, so emboldened by a recent Oscar nomination, he's decided NOT to kill off his gay characters.
And he will find himself paying the price.
Bury Your Gays was a little creepy, as Misha finds himself being haunted by characters he himself had written in the past. What's even worse is when we discover the reasons behind the stalking, and how it is being achieved.

Overall, an amazing listen, that I find myself hesitant to review in great detail, for fear of giving away details that would spoil the journey for future readers. Just do yourself a favor and pick it up.



I received an e_ARC from netGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an arc for reviewers

This was so much fun! It was a riveting and exciting story that kept me so interested, I finished it in 24 hours. The audiobook was wonderfully made.

This was so good??????? I was expecting a silly little romp and it WAS silly AND a romp but it was also a compelling social commentary on queer representation. The narration was phenomenal- it was like listening to a fiction podcast (like Homecoming or Bubble) instead of an audiobook.

If you were a fan of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, the TV show Fringe, or any of the Nightvale Presents properties you’re probably going to love this.

Releases: July 9th, so get readyyyyyyy.

3.5

I really enjoyed this!! Such an enticing and captivating summer horror read. The suspense and body horror elements are intense as hell, but this story is layered (as most horror is) with heavier societal discussions- in this case, queer erasure in media, Hollywood/corporate greed, AI, etc., making it a more complex and heavy book. The flashbacks, discussions, scary characters, and concepts were all ammmmmmazing! I devoured this cause I just had to know what was going down.

The reasons this isn't getting a higher rating for me, despite overall enjoying it, are that the story sometimes felt a little convoluted and dragged out, I didn't personally feel super connected to the characters, and the story didn't go in a direction that I personally loved. Despite all that, everything else was SO great that I still have to give it a 3.5. I mean... it's meant to be a campy horror book, so I can't dock it too much for the direction it went. Just wasn't my favorite.

As for the audiobook, it's actually a MUST for this one. Full cast of characters (although, we mainly just get one throughout), with gnarly sound effects make this audio one for the books! Definitely go that route if you're planning on checking this out because it adds SO much to the story and intensity of it all.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio copy. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my very own.

this was a whirlwind! from start to finish, I didn’t know what would happen. At times, I was confused, especially towards the end, but I think reading the audiobook helped remedy that.

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.

Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan audio for this advanced audiobook. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!! Misha is trying to make it big in Hollywood, but he will not do everything to do get there. Misha has a long-running streaming show, and his season finale is going to be BIG, but the executives want the finale to be big in completely different way- they want him to kill off his gay characters. Misha is not willing to do that. But in refusing, he put a target on his back and now he is being hunted down..... by the monsters he used to create. Is this real??? He and his friends are being stalked down and he must find his truth and win the Oscar. This was just too good to put down. I listened to the whole book in one sitting as the audiobook is narrated by a full cast of top authors who bring it to LIFE! I love how the author even gave a little nod to Camp Damascus :) in the book. I can't wait to see what Chuck Tingle writes next!

Things I loved about the horror: it was both psychological and physical (ie body horror), it crept up on you, and the terror the characters felt was driven home with the multiple audio narrators.

But this book wasn't just horror. It was also a story about the greed of hollywood/corporations as well as owning up to who you are and finding your identity.

I loved how we got to see how the MC's past shaped not only who they are but the kind of stories he tells. So much of this story is about identity and it was excellently done.

I honestly couldn't put this one down and blasted through it in one sitting.

Some horror, some lessons on queer erasure in hollywood, some personal development, whats not to love?

I have to admit, I was drawn in by the plot of hollywood being wreckless (because they are), corporate greed, performative activism, the slippery slope of AI for artists, queer erasure, palatability and parasocial relationships. It said many a nuanced and smart thing about that, all while framining it in a way that was not only about someone's queer journey to the end but also the demons they had to fight along the way. It was smart it was punchy and it had just the right amount of gore to plot. It did the things it was set out to do and more.

I listened to it, and the narration in all its parts were lovely. There were scenes that were elevated because of the narration, and it was a great time.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for and early audio copy.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC!

A queer horror story following Misha, a Hollywood screenwriter who is faced with pressure from studio executives to kill off the gay characters in his television series because “the algorithm” says so. The decision seems clear until terrifying characters from Misha’s earlier works come to life and begin to harass Misha and his friends.

This is the second book I’ve read by author Chuck Tingle and they did it again! I read via audiobook featuring multicast narration with André Santana playing Misha and narrations from other amazing horror authors like Steven Graham Jones and T. Kingfisher. Needless to say, I read this book within 24 hours of downloading.

The main character was expertly written in a way that made me actually feel like I was in his head throughout the story. The horror elements were legitimately terrifying, especially when all the background information is revealed. In an effort to avoid spoilers I’ll leave it at that. The story explored the manipulation of queer tragedy in media, and why it’s so important to find the line between queer tragedy and understanding queer trauma.

Amidst the gore and terrifying elements, this was truly a book about hope and resiliency. I was not expecting such a profound message from a book entitled “Bury Your Gays”, but it was there and I encourage anyone interested in horror to dive right into this story.

“Tragedy is inevitable. Fortunately, so is joy.”
Chuck Tingle doesn’t pull any punches in Bury Your Gays, the story of a Queer horror screenwriter who finds himself haunted and hunted in Hollywood. What begins as a criticism of corporate greed contorts into a novel of horror, thrills, Queer trauma, and a splash of sci-fi. Yet, this story about Queer trauma is not a story about Queer tragedy, and it contains more hopeful overtones than I ever expected from a cover featuring a bloody sledgehammer and an infamous trope.
There’s very little I can say without spoilers, which is in itself a testament to how intricate the twists and layers of this story are. The pacing is odd, but it works to keep the reader off-kilter as they flash back to the events that inspired Misha, the protagonist, to create the monsters in his films. I would argue that while the sci-fi and Hollywood elements are interesting, the connections between Misha’s past and present are the most emotionally powerful moments in the novel. His struggle to beat the tropes despite being semi-closeted will resonate with Queer readers especially, as it digs into how identity and public perception intertwine.
The audiobook narrator absolutely crushed it, and little cameos from T. Kingfisher and T.J. Klune were an added treat. I’ll be recommending this book as part of the Queer literary canon for a long time, and I’m glad NetGalley sent it my way before the July 9, 2024 release!

Misha is a partially closeted screen writer in Hollywood, and like so many before him he's being pressured to either make the characters and relationship he's lovingly developed straight or kill them off. Feeling strongly opposed, he declines the request, because he wants his characters and others like him to get a chance to witness gay joy.

Following that meeting very weird things start happening to Misha. Villains from his horror movies start popping up in his real life and targeting him and his loved ones. But they can't be real, right?

What he uncovers is dastardly in a myriad of ways, but (SPOILER) we get our happy ending.

To be honest, I picked this up because TJ Klune was involved and I've heard so much about Chuck Tingle. I'm not really a horror fan so I didn't love this, but I get behind the overall message of fear of living openly, the systemic oppression, and the dominance of capitalist growth over all else.

There is a significant portion of the internet that knows the name Chuck Tingle, and Bury Your Gays is a far departure from the genre he is known for, but I am glad he is branching out and writing different things. This book was both an honest approach to address the real-life horror that is Hollywood’s great efforts to erase and avoid queer characters in media, all while baiting fans along the way just to rip a happy ending from them at the last minute, and an interesting half-dystopian/half sci-fi take on the extremes they are willing to go to.

This book has the feel of a horror novel at times, a thriller at others; if there was supposed to be a mystery element, I think that’s where it missed for me. If you’re paying attention, you can figure out where the storyline is going pretty early on. However, this is not necessarily a downfall for me - sometimes there is something nice about knowing what the reveal is before the characters do, it helps build the horror a bit.

Overall, I thought this book did a great job connecting real-life problems with horror-story “solutions”. I would definitely recommend people take a look through the trigger warnings as there are a few scenes that play a little too close to home for a lot of the queer community, but nothing too graphic - well, besides the hints of gore. This book made me very eager to check out Tingle’s other non-smut work, Camp Damascus, and I hope it’s as enjoyable as this one is.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and it gets an A+ from me. There are quite a few names attached, but just know that a majority of the book is narrated by André Santana (who does an excellent job, as always) with the rest of the cast making fun little cameos. I think the audiobook is definitely a great choice if you’re going to read this book - without spoiling, there are a few chapters that are written in a different format that greatly benefit from the narration.

🌈Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle🌈


Pages: 304 🎧
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 76/100 🎧 & 📚
Narrated by: André Santana; Charlie Jane Anders; CJ Leede; Georgia Bird; Liz Kerin; Mara Wilson; Mark Oshiro; Sarah Gailey; Stephen Graham Jones; T. Kingfisher; TJ Klune

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 will be posted closer to pub day!)

Wow, this book really took me by surprise. I was ready for a dark, satirical take on the movie industry and the boxing in of queer characters to fit a tragic mold. I was not ready for the gruesome and wild sci-fi ride Chuck Tingle took me on in this story!

Misha is a writer working for the most state-of-the-art studios and is nominated for his first Oscar. He’s finally getting the opportunity to give his iconic characters the screen time they deserve… until he’s told he needs to change direction and kill them off. When Misha refuses, he doesn’t yet know what is at stake, and how far the studio executives will go to get what they want and make the most money possible. It’s all about the bottom line at the heart of it all.

The audio book was very well done. I truly felt the emotions of the main character through the dialogue and tone portrayal throughout the story, ranging from anger to confusion to fear. The gory details articulated in a way that even made me cringe.

Warning to readers, this story has some gruesome chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! That was…. Wow. First - definitely read trigger warnings - which I did not do haha.
This was my first Chuck Tingle book and I went in without reading anything about it. Multiple times throughout the book I had to stop and ask myself is this… a thriller? Horror? Fantasy? Scifi? What is happening?!

It all ties up by the end and I left fully understanding the plot (as well as the morals that you sort of get beaten over the head with near the end)

I think I liked it? It definitely kept me engaged! There were some tongue in cheek moments and some stare at the reader and lecture them moments but I do think I enjoyed it and would recommend it to friends just so they can experience what I experienced.

TW: Gory violence, torture, body horror, child abuse, bullying.

Talk about a full cast. I was surprised to hear so many names rattled off at the beginning of the audiobook - but I think that the inclusion of such a varied cast throughout the book was a great choice. Namely because I think including scripts/screenplays as media throughout the book in certain places would definitely have been a bit more confusing to follow without the distinction of character voices. As for the main narrator who voiced Misha, they did an absolutely FANTASTIC job. I was sucked in and fully ensconced in the story from top to bottom.
The book overall was definitely not what I was expecting. This is my first Chuck Tingle book, and I'm glad that I got to experience via audio, though I think it would have been neat to see how the book was formatted with the scripts/screenplays inter-spliced - I'll have to pick up my own physical copy, I think! Over all, I did enjoy this book quite thoroughly. I enjoyed the way the story slowly unfurled, getting more supernatural and odd as it went on. I do wish, though, that we had a more bombastic ending, because all of the gore and unease leading up to it felt as though it didn't quite hit the tension peak I wanted it to at the end. But, I do really quite like the commentary that this had on queer media and the way it played on the "bury your gays' trope both in the commentary from the characters to the horror movie/show aspects to the book itself commenting on it in an almost meta way.
I will warn folks who are not good with body gore to either steer clear or to go in with caution - As an avid dark fantasy reader, even some of the gorey scenes were a bit much for me to listen to. But! again, having so many moments that racked up the tension and the horror elements with these darker descriptions, I wanted a bigger ending. More visceral, more "slasher", which is where I thought this book was going to go. Though, i do think that now that i've completed it and thought about it a little more, I don't think that was the point of the book at all, which is quite intriguing. I will definitely be recommending this to folks of all different kinds of horror readers - those like me who don't necessarily dabble enough to avid lovers of the genre!

The few flashbacks of Misha, the main character, growing up and coming to terms with its sexuality were so perfectly written and so deeply touching. I was really shocked to find out what was really happening. I was even more horrified to know that there are people out there in an industry that would definitely do this if they had the chance.

I listened to the audiobook version and the narrators were great, adding a lot to the emotion and terror of the characters buttttttttt I wish we heard more from the other narrators. Most of it was all done by a single narrator.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for a copy of this audiobook.

This was like a bad B horror movie that came to life in our current world. I had a good time with it. The audiobook is narrated by a great cast so highly recommend consuming this story via audio.