I am uncertain how to feel about this. I love horror and thrillers and also Halloween and Christmas. I thought this would be a slamdunk of a novella for me with all of that going. This is very light on the spooky side and heavier on the sad side of it. There are definitely disturbing parts and moments that were eerie, but nothing that actually made me jump or gasp.

I do believe I would have enjoyed it better if it was longer. And the ending DID shock me.

LUCKY GIRL/ HOW I BECAME A HORROR WRITER:A KRAMPUS STORY by M. Rickert
Publication: 9/13/2022 by Macmillan-Tor / Forge
112 pages


A Christmas time horror novella written by Multi-Award Winning writer M. (Mary) Rickert…. that can easily be joyfully devoured in one sitting. I would suggest by a roaring fire with rain pelting the windows, while flashing bolts of lightening enhance the mood.
The main protagonist and storyteller is an aspiring horror writer named Ro (named by her history teacher father after of his favorite historical mysteries … “Roanoke” ). We later learn her back story and source of the book title. While a teenager she snuck out of the house on Christmas to meet an unknown admirer who left a message to meet him at a certain time and place …. only to be stood up. When she dejectedly returned home, she discovered her home to be a smoldering pile of debris. Her whole family was murdered as a result of a home invasion. Hence, somewhat ironically she was referred to as that “Lucky Girl”. She always wondered if her being lured from her home was a coincidence or somehow a sinister premeditated occurrence.
The tale opens in a “hole in the wall” diner on campus of UWM. Five lonely recent graduates, who have not left campus, find themselves independently picking at the unspectacular “special” Thanksgiving plate. They all find the nerve to strike up a conversation
amongst themselves. Ro… our aspiring writer, manages the courage to suggest they all meet at her modest college apartment for a Christmas gathering…. so they could be lonely together.
At an awkward lull in the “party, Ro suggests they all tell a “ghost story” Ro tells a rather inane little tale … not even spooky. Of the four other guests, The gregarious Grayson spins a horrifying tale populated by evil Krampus with the resultant mayhem effecting his family and staff ( Grayson readily admits that he has lived a privileged life filled with wealth and opportunities. ) He encounters Krampus in all their grotesqueries, with fiendish fangs, brutal horns, long drooping tongues … dripping saliva. He ponders whether this might have simply been a nightmare … rather than fact . Keith, Lena, and Adrienne also attempt a tale …. but all harken back to Grayson’s story …. which somehow seems to have a kernel of truth. Before they all depart, they pick names for next years “get together”. It is decided they will each bring a gift worth no more than five dollars …. and it should actually be stolen and not bought.
Years pass… and Ro is now a successful horror writer, having turned Grayson’s tale into her first, debut novel. Ro actually fits the part …. having turned herself into a goth with black leather vests and pants to match her dyed Joan Jett black hair. In the mail she receives a rather formal invitation for a Christmas gathering at Grayson’s mansion. In attendance will be Adrienne, and Keith, but not Lena… who actually was the wife of Keith. Apparently she has died in a recent horrible auto accident.
M Richert spins a fittingly horrific tale as events of past and present collide in an inexplicable manner with escalating tension and dread …. resulting in another Christmas spoiled by Krampus …. and revealing true monsters.. capable of exerting devastating horror. Real life plausible horror is always worse than mythic horror. Are there more psychopaths than sociopaths which we encounter in everyday life?
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/ Forge Books for supplying an Uncorrected Proof
In exchange for an honest review.

When I saw the words "Krampus" and "holiday horror" I was sold. Unfortunately, "Lucky Girl" didn't live up to my expectations.

The novella is a bit more slice of life than a chance to dig into the characters - most of which are vague caricatures leaving me guessing throughout the book which one or two were the "bad guys." I didn't feel any strong feelings for any of them, other than wanting to know more about them.

However, I'd categorize this novella as more atmospheric and an embodiment of classic horror/thriller/mystery tropes. I wanted much more Krampus and fewer time jumps. The novella also ended rather abruptly after a pretty shocking twist that I surprisingly didn't see coming.

My immediate reaction to finishing "Lucky Girl" was "wait, what just happened?" Still, it's an intriguing read fit for the post-Halloween, pre-Christmas time period.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars.

Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

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This is very much in the vein of the Nightmare Before Christmas in the way it refuses to be classified. It was released near Halloween, so it's a Halloween read, right? But it's about Krampus. So Christmas? It's classified as horror, but it's not scary or horrific. Maybe creepy at some points, but even that is pushing it. The structure of the novella is my main complaint, though. In such a short work, time jumps simply do not work. They make things confusing and, to me, suggest that there isn't a narrative structure in place. Overall, it was a fine quick read - good for a fall afternoon.

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Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or ensure I had downloaded, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

Ro, befriends a group of people and over the Christmas holidays they meet up. After a tragedy happens in the group all isn’t what it seems.

Okay I’m not even sure what to make of this book. I was really hoping for a horror krampus story but what I got wasn’t that at all. What I got was a mediocre story about a woman who becomes a horror writer and some placid spooky elements like items appearing and people being strange 🤨

I think I would only recommend this book if you want a “soft” spooky novella for either Halloween or Christmas.

Thank you @netgalley and @tordotcompub for the digital copy of Lucky Girl for reviewing purposes.

Two words: holiday 👏 horror 👏

In this tiny novella we meet Ro, a writer, amongst a group of strangers who find themselves celebrating Christmas together. And what better way to spend a cozy evening indoors than to swap ghost stories? What could go wrong . . . It's not like any of this is real, right?

I'll admit I found this story a bit confusing at times, but overall, the sense of "what is happening" ended up adding to the overall sense of dread for me. Something here isn't quite right, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about what was lurking in the shadows.

Lucky Girl is NOT full of cute, holiday cheer, but it's not exactly brimming with terror either. Instead, it focuses on the loneliness of the holidays, the eerie unknowns of meeting new people, and the dark secrets we all keep.

The ending, especially, was perfect. It made me grip my Kobo and want to scream because it was so abrupt and sudden and unexpected. I devoured this novella, and hope it finds others who will *enjoy* it as well.

Big thanks to Tor Nightfire for the digital ARC🖤

Overall enjoyed and found this story interesting. It gave me eerie vibes and a sense of unease as we see little glimpses of characters and their motivations. I loved that this has a Krampus influence since we don't see too many stories with this, however I wish it had more of a presence. This story of Ro and her newfound fellow lonely companions is filled with past trauma, deception and twists that make this a compulsive read. It is a short story that I would have loved to be just a bit longer as the other characters felt a little one dimensional, Ro and her story was definitely the highlight. Would recommend to people who want a quick creepy winter read.
Thanks to Mcmillan/Tor for the review copy.

My computer just deleted my whole review and god is absolutely testing me this week i'm just so done so this review is not as in depth or good as it could have been if my computer was just nice to me.

The book was mediocre and the timeline was blurry. the idea of the book was better than the book itself and i got tired trying to remember characters and timelines and traumatic backstories. i don't like how rushed the end was and how incomplete it felt compared to the rest of the story. the ending just didn't make sense with everything that had happened and even with just common sense and it felt cheap. This book is the equivalent of influencers creating a mystery box with products no one wants so they get sold. lets throw in this plot line and that plot line and some trauma here and a sprinkle of foreshadowing here and dead friends and some myths/folktales there.

Lucky Girl by Mary Rickert is a short story just in time for Halloween. I am not sure why the title is called Lucky Girl, but maybe it is because she escaped death when her family was killed when she was young.

Backing up a bit, Roanoke, Ro for short, is the protagonist, she is an aspiring author. She is not fond of Christmas but when she is in a diner she meets five people, strikes up a conversation, and suggests that they get together for Christmas. They do and over subsequent Christmas get-togethers, we get to know more about Ro and her friends.

There is mention of Krampus, a horned anthropomorphic creature that comes out at Christmas. His goal is to scare children that have misbehaved all year. He does this with Santa and they reward the good children and punish the bad children.

The six people that get together, exchange gifts with the caveat that they steal the gifts. Doesn't matter what it is as long as it is stolen. Plus they are all supposed to tell a horror story. Quite the party if you ask me.

I found the short story to be a bit discombobulated at first, but after a while it started to make some sense. I do love a good horror story and this one is right up there. I think if you are looking for a story that will appease the Halloween spirit in you, then go get this one.

I give it 5 stars for the scare factor!

That was a quick, spooky read. I didn't find it scary, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of it. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Lucky Girl is a fun, short Krampus Christmas horror novella. The story was short and fun. The creepy parts of the novella were well done sticking with you as you continue the story.
The depth of the characters was lacking but with only a little over 100 pages that's understandable.

If you are looking for a short and sweet horror novella, I'd recommend this Christmas romp.

This was...weird. It was a lot of ideas but no coherent connections between them. There was no real direction here. There was potential for something but it never came together.

This dark and twisted take on a Christmas horror story has a creepy fairy tale vibes. There are stories within stories, and twists that will take you by surprise. Unreliable characters and tragic backstories, not to mention monsters both real and mythical. I read this one quickly and wish there was more!

I love this time of the year! It's that time of the year when there are a million spooky novels (and novellas) readily available. This year, one of my first spooky reads is Lucky Girl, written by M. Rickert.

Ro has spent nearly Christmas alone. It's part of the territory, as far as she is concerned. Yet one Christmas changes all of that, as she finds a ragtag group of strangers worth hanging out with. It's a fun and almost festive night – and they decide to make it a tradition.

But times change, and so do people. It isn't long before they begin drifting apart. As they drift apart, the group is left questioning the horrors that lie behind closed doors. Until one day, they can no longer hide from the truth.

Ohhh! Lucky Girl is the perfect read if you love feeling chills running down your spine! There's something so exquisite about horror novellas. Perhaps it's because they get to the point, terrifying the living daylights out of us, and move on?

If you're a fan of merging holidays (a la The Nightmare Before Christmas), you should seriously consider checking this one out. It blends what should be the holiday cheer with the horrors of the unknown. More accurately, Lucky Girl pulls in serious Brothers Grimm vibes, as Krampus is very much the sort of character you don't want to meet. Not ever.

M. Rickert clearly knows how to write a concise story here, yet there are several elements worth pointing out. There's this sense of foreboding right from the start. It combines somber and human elements as we watch lonely characters interact with the world.

At some point along the way, that foreboding feel gives away to pure terror. There's no way to look away from what's happening – especially as it is difficult to discern what it is precisely that we're so afraid of.

This was a wonderfully written and spooky novella. It's perfect for this time of year, and I can't wait to dive into more! Here's to Lucky Girl for giving me some serious nightmare fuel.

3.5 stars

Lucky Girl by M. Rickert is a short horror story.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom, (and in particular Andrew King for sending me a widget) , and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Ro has had a rough life, and as a struggling writer, she knows about loneliness, and she really knows how hard the holiday season can be.  She meets four strangers at a local diner who are also spending time alone, and invites them to share a Christmas meal with her. 

Their evening is a little awkward as they don't really know one another, but it ends with them telling ghost stories. Grayson tells a Krampus tale that ends the evening....and that will have repercussions in years to come.

As time moves on, Ro becomes a successful horror writer.  She has re-connected with her Christmas friends over social media, and when she receives an invitation to Grayson's mansion to celebrate Christmas, she decides to attend, as do the others.


My Opinions:
Well, for a short novella, it was quite good.

It was an afternoon read for me...and I'd be okay reading it at night too.  It wasn't really scary, but it definitely had the creep factor. 

The plot was interesting, and kept me reading.  There were a couple of twists that I did NOT see coming, so that was fun.

Anyway, if your Christmas needs some creepiness, (doesn't everyone's?) read this!

Nice little holiday horror tale. I liked the author's writing style and enjoyed this novella. It will go into my Christmas reading rotation.

This follows a girl though small vignettes of her life as she comes together with a group of people she met one lonely Christmas. These 5 people periodically get together so they're not spending Christmas alone.

I didn't find this story particularly well written and the plot twists are silly instead of scary. There is little to know character development. The disjointed way the story is told reminds me of a meandering story told by a drunk friend.

This book was definitely not for me and I'm not sure who to recommend it to but I hope it finds its audience.

It wasn't scary in the least...and the characters were uniformly unlikeable. The writing flowed nicely, though.

I was expecting a horror novel because of the cover, but I was surprised when I found out that it wasn’t really the case. How could I resist Krampus? I admit I was intrigued and quite curious to see how the author would integrate him into the story.

We find a character who is going to get caught up in the past after a horror story exchange. This was an enjoyable novel to read, although I didn’t get hooked as much as I would have liked. It’s a short story, so it’s a quick read.