This novella was mildly creepy with a fast pace. However, it may have needed to be a little longer to get more development and I had a hard time with the writing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest reveiw.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Maybe I went into this book with the wrong expectations. Since the title clearly states "A Krampus Story" I was expecting this to be about Krampus. Let's just get that out of the way, there is no Krampus in this story. Maybe if "Krampus" refers to a generic Christmas horror story, then yes this was that. But I kept waiting for Krampus to pop into the story so that may be clouding my review.

I thought the main character was a little dumb (especially since she's a horror writer and keeps making stupid decisions), but I did enjoy the story for what it was. I was trying to figure out where it was all going and I'll admit there were some twists and turns that surprised me in the end. I was left with two big unanswered questions so I would have liked a little more closure. But, since it was a short novella that I read in two sittings, I wasn't really that upset that I didn't get a full closure on everything. I think this was fine for what it was. It wasn't scary, but it was a decent darker Christmas story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor.com for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sharp and shocking novella about monsters known and unknown. When a young woman thinks she is moving to a wonderful new stage in her life she instead finds herself living a life of unexpected horror. i really liked the female protagonist in this story and the narrative voice

It took me fifteen days to read this short novella, so there’s that.

I think the idea/premise was fairly decent? But I was able to put this VERY short novella down and literally had no care to pick it up again. The writing was good! The story/execution just didn’t work for me.

All though this was super short, it wasn’t engaging for me. I ended up skimming it about half way through.

If you're in the mood for a Christmassy horror read, LUCKY GIRL invokes all my favorite things about dark winter nights and spooky holiday traditions. This novella follows Ro, a struggling writer, who meets four lonely others celebrating one final meal at a local diner soon to close and invites them over for an impromptu Christmas dinner. Ending the night with a round of ghost stories invokes a bloody past that refuses to lay down once its ugly head has been reared.

I quite enjoyed the tone and prose of LUCKY GIRL, which to me perfectly encapsulated the feeling of hearing a story told by firelight. I think the characters' depths perfectly matched Ro's interest in them, and the balance between past and present was done quite well. I always love a story that blurs the lines between monsters of myth and monsters of men, and this really pulled it off for me.

I only had to qualms overall; one is that I fear the title is too long. LUCKY GIRL on its own perfectly encapsulates the story, and I think the rest of it may lead one to think the story drags on, but it certainly does not. I think the ending could have been drawn out a little more, less tell than show, because the narrative lost a bit of that spellbinding and engaging tension once the tone shifted to indicate the end.

The twists did get me and I adored the motifs of the bells, as is central to any Krampus story. If you're looking for a swift horror read this Christmas, I would recommend you try LUCKY GIRL!

❧ 3.5 ★

Lucky Girl is a holiday horror novella which I would label as cozy horror as everything occurs offstage. Perhaps that is why I found the story a little lacking (I prefer my horror to be more graphic or scarier). The premise is interesting... a final girl (Lolita situation) survives the murder of her family to grow up to be an acclaimed horror writer. Despite this, she is rather naive and clueless about those in her own life. I will chalk that up to the offstage horror piece though... she survived her family's horror by sitting in a local park. But if you are looking for a short read with a not so Hallmarky Christmas vibe, this light horror story may be just the read for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This sounded so interesting and it was short so I figured it’d be an easy read, but it just didn’t jive with me. I think this kinda story had potential, but I just wasn’t the right audience.

While I enjoyed this story in parts, I found it easy to put down and hard to pick back up. The writing is lovely, but Overall the story wasn't for me.

I didn’t find it scary, but I did really enjoy it. A great, short read for either Halloween or Christmas.

The concept of strangers coming together to share ghost stories during Christmas dinner is interesting, but the execution lacks the necessary depth to truly captivate. While the themes of past traumas and the power of storytelling are explored, they don't reach their full potential. Additionally, the blurred line between fiction and reality could have been further developed for a more impactful reading experience. Overall, a decent read, but with room for improvement.

I liked this story but by no means would I considerate horror. It wasn’t thrilling or scary but more of a suspenseful mystery.

It’s fairly predictable but not so bad you give up on it. It’s a short and quick read.

Give it a shot, you may love it.

Having just given lukewarm feedback to a book that received glowing reviews, I now find myself on the opposite end. I see that quite a few people didn't take to this novella, while I quite liked it. True, I didn't find it that scary, but my unfear should never be a measure of a spooky book's quality. (NB: I am an eldritch swamp creature who is unmoved by traditionally scary things.) Nevertheless, I still found this book to be a fun and nasty little Christmas surprise.

I wish that I enjoyed this novella more than I did. Unfortunately, I found it rather meandering and it didn't really grasp my interest. There are some beautifully written lines and the overall plot itself was compelling, but the writing style just didn't work for me -- it felt a lot longer than it is and I almost DNFd it.

LUCKY GIRL had me at the back cover copy. However, this novel just wasn't for me. I wanted to be pulled in, but unfortunately, it left me not wanting to finish it.

Lucky Girl by M. Rickert is a decent novella that features a likable main character in Ro. There are some terrifying moments that occur throughout the story, but unfortunately, they happen too quickly. However, the quick pacing of the terrifying moments does add to the sense of unease and tension that permeates the story. The writing is solid and there are some interesting themes explored, particularly around the nature of luck and the role it plays in our lives.

M. Rickert's prose is excellent and gripping, drawing the reader into the story and sets a stage.

If you're a fan of horror and looking for a quick, entertaining read, Lucky Girl is worth a look.

I am not sure I was the right audience for Lucky Girl. I thought, going in, that I was in for something akin to Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, but in hindsight, it is ridiculous to expect an author to accomplish in 112 pages what took Straub something north of 500 pages.

Honestly, I really feel like that is my chief complaint with this story – it is just too short. There isn’t enough time to really become invested in the characters, in my opinion.

I like the premise – Orphan’s Christmas? Check. I often attend those myself (my parents are both still alive, but my family is unfortunately not very close). Spooky stories? Hell yeah! But, based on the way the book ends (by a long shot the strongest part of this tale), I think it isn’t near as impactful as it could be because we just don’t have enough time with the characters to build up our Give-a-Shit-Meters™️. At least I didn’t.

I will say this though – Rickert can definitely write. I just wish this story had been fleshed out a tad more.

it was a quick read for me, but I just wasn't into it like I wanted to be. I love a good horror story but this one just wasn't scary.

For a novella this didn't deliver a punch I wanted. The horror does creep on you with the ending, but the beginning just didn't make much sense. The whole Christmas with strangers theme - didn't understand the point. Maybe it's just me, but this was not for me.