Not particularly scary, and not particularly winter festive either. Really more of a tragedy surrounding the narrator, Ro. I unfortunately didn't really enjoy it, but I also read it in the summer! Maybe needs more of gloomy winter atmosphere for me.

Roanoke is a lucky girl. As the story opens, Ro, as she prefers to be known, is celebrating another lonely Christmas with four acquaintances she met when they all came together at a diner on Thanksgiving. They draw names, give gifts and tell ghost stories including a creepy Krampus tale They then make plans to get together next year at Christmas. By then the dynamics of the group had changed. Only one pair was still together and one sent his regrets. After that they lost touch until Facebook brought them back together for a reunion in France. Ro had become a horror writer with her initial sale inspired by the Krampus tale told at the Christmas party. The problem arises as to what do you do when a story becomes real? Ro learns that lesson all to well in Lucky Girl! An interesting creepy read with a twisted ending.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story!

I don’t normally like to review books that are in any way related to the holidays, because I don’t even like to read them, but Tordotcom was kind enough to invite me to read this title and I gave it a shot because it was a horror novella, and I am quite a fan of those.

I’ve read so many excellent horror novellas. The horror genre is ripe with novellas and short stories. This novella, while slightly entertaining, is neither original nor special. It’s interesting and diverting enough to read, but I don’t think it was interesting or diverting enough to warrant its own wide release. Worse yet, it was rather predictable (or really predictable, depending on what kind of reader you are).

The prose was solid, but the characters were lackluster. The story was intriguing, but the execution was not. The whole thing is just a bit of fun, but not a whole lot of substance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for inviting me to view this title early for review. Due to the 3 star or lower rating this review will not appear in social media or on bookseller websites.

This is a really short story that couldn’t seem to find it’s place. It’s weird but I like weird.

Ro is lonely and alone one night and invites some other lonely folks she meets at a diner over to her place for Christmas dinner. Because she is a writer and as a bit of an ice-breaker, she suggests they tell a scary story. Weird, yes, but again …

I enjoyed this short story and it unsettled me – that’s saying something. I love an atmospheric read and I could feel the weird (sorry, there’s that word again – but it’s just so fitting) jumping out of the pages. That’s what unsettled me and bravo, to the author for this! No fine-tooth comb to pick apart a fun scary story, it works and I was entertained! Not to mention, I found this to be wholly original.

This is a scary short story that stayed with me for a few months. The loneliness, the desolation … all combines for a really good read.

My thanks to Tor for this gifted DRC.

With an eerie cover, the mention of Krampus, and ghost stories, this novella called my name.

After a tragic event results in the loss of her family when she was a teenager, Ro is alone in the world. She connects with four other lonely people, people she admits to not particularly liking, and spends the Christmas holiday with them. They each tell a ghost story, some much better than others, but one of these stories resurfaces twenty years later when they reunite at Christmas once again.

This story ventures more into the creepy area than scary. If you’re not much of a horror reader, maybe it’s closer to the latter. It comes with a pretty wicked twist I predicted about halfway through that’s done well, and it’s likely to elicit a surprised gasp from some readers. However, if you’re looking for a heavy dose of Krampus, you might be disappointed. He’s mentioned, but isn’t a prominent part of the plot.

If you’re searching for something to get you in the Halloween mood, this novella can be read in a little over an hour.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I see the vision for this story, but I could not align myself to the execution. Ro's tragic history plays a role in her experiences in the diner. Personally, I didn't LOVE the story... it was okay.

Ro has a bunch of strangers over for Xmas dinner. They had met at a diner and ended up commiserating. Why tell scary stories for Xmas dinner? Their stories may come back to haunt them.

*Thsnks to NetGalley and Tor.com for this e-arc.*

2.5 stars

I'm kind of not sure what I read. It was very confusing. It read like it was a short story with odd interjections and it seemed like it was hopping timelines. Sometimes I thought it was a dream they were having, but I don't think that was the case. It seemed like this was the first draft of the book, but it isn't. I honestly didn't really understand this story, but the parts I did get, were really good.

Lucky Girl, How I Became a Horror Writer is both a wonderfully crafted horror tale just in time for a Halloween read, but is also a perfectly written chilling Christmas tale which can be voraciously consumed in one sitting!

When five lonely strangers happen to be in a diner which will soon be closing its doors for good meet and share Thanksgiving together, no one could ever foresee their futures. But as they eat, they decide they will get together again for Christmas dinner. Although they don’t know each other, and have no money, they agree upon picking names and bringing a gift, not worth more than five dollars.

The dinner is held at Ro’s dilapidated apartment with a tree with more branches on it than ornaments. Christmas is not Ro’s favorite time of year. As a struggling writer who has no family, she is a bit uncomfortable at having these strangers see where she lives, but it will take her mind off her problems for a bit.

As with any group of people who hardly know each other, there are awkward silences. That’s when Ro suggests they each tell a ghost story which has a Christmas theme. Everybody does that, right? As they begin their stories, one in particular stands out. It is so haunting that they all seem to feel there could be possible truth in the story. At the end of the evening, they decide they will continue this tradition next Christmas. This time, their gifts must be stolen.

Years pass and Ro is now a best-selling horror writer. She receives an invitation by one of these acquaintances from years past to all get together and have Christmas again. She decides to accept the invitation. Ro realizes just how lucky she has become, remembering their first Christmas and the limit of a five-dollar amount for a gift.

But Ro will never be the same after this Christmas. And the reader will be shocked at what we don’t know. And with that I will leave the rest of the stories…both ghost and real for you to separate out and digest on your own!

What I will say is that sometimes when your luck runs out, fear can set in!

Thank you #NetGalley #Tor.com #M.Rickert #LuckyGirl for the advanced copy.

Lucky Girl by M. Rickert is a wonderful short story that I wish was turned into a novel. If more time had been spent on character development I would be raving about this story from the top of a gothic mansion! I could also see this making a fantastic movie.

There were a couple of flashbacks when Ro thinks back to what led to her family being killed and her house being burnt to the ground, which were needed for the story and did help to develop Ro a bit, but at the same time they felt a bit disjointed. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing since what can make a horror story very unnerving is when there is a bit of instability to the story or unanswered questions.

And the unanswered questions part do lend to giving Lucky Girl a deeper horror vibe, but once again if it had been a longer story/novel, I think I would have enjoyed it more. None of the unanswered questions really left me with a sense of unease, which I really enjoy when horror is done really well.

If you’re looking for a short story that has some really interesting ideas, touches very briefly on Krampus, and has a perfect horror ending, then grab yourself a copy of Lucky Girl.

Lucky Girl is the story of Ro, a struggling horror writer, and the group people that she met in a diner that she invited to an impromptu Christmas dinner, which they made a tradition until it fizzled out. Several years later they reconvene as different people, and several unexpected events play out.

I really enjoyed this novella. It was short, but just long enough to convey the spooky story within. Ro was an interesting character who told an interesting story. She's got trauma in her past that carries over into her present, and into her writing. 

The writing was excellent, and the pacing was really great, so I read this story in just short of an hour. The ending stayed significantly mysterious until the end of the story. 

All told, I enjoyed Lucky Girl, and I think it would be a wonderful little novella for some creepy reading around the holidays.

Trigger/Content warning: serial murder, dead family, stalking, spiritual abuse, ritual torture (aftermath)

Ro is a struggling writer with a couple of stories and a group of friends who seemed to have come together randomly at a diner during Christmas. They meet for several Christmases more, and each one seems to end worse than the one that came before as the past haunts them.

More creepy than scary, with people proving to be the real horror with folkloric elements woven throughout that makes the reader wonder if there’s sinister spirits afoot or if people are just like that.

The horrors woven throughout the novella definitely veer more into tragedy. At every turn, there’s a desire for something to go Ro’s way, to live up to the moniker of being lucky. She recognizes the role luck has played in her life, even though the results are more about survival than, say, winning the lottery or other grandiose high times of improbability. Instead, it’s dread crumb after dread crumb. Told over several Christmases, each one is worse than the one that came before it, with my personal favorite being the one where she visits an old friend’s estate. It’s creepy, atmospheric, but absolutely cannot be separated from its Christmas setting. Krampus does, indeed, play a role, but I’m not spoiling how that plays out.

It’s nice to see a book about a writer with an accurate representation of the process of becoming one. There’s allusions to the difficulty of querying, how each book doesn’t get the same treatment, and how some projects are easier to write than others. It’s the attention to detail in this and other ways that made this such an enjoyable read for me. Rather spooky, very Christmas, perfect for people who don’t want Halloween to end on October 31st.

5/5

Looking for a short thrilling creepy Christmas story filled with trauma that will give you chills and nightmares? This novella is definitely for you!

In this story, you follow Ro who weirdly ends up hosting a Christmas party for a small group of strangers that become acquaintances and share ghost stories. Ro is also a horror writer and we follow her and these acquaintances throughout the years.

Going into this, I wasn't aware of what the Krampus was and it was new to me. I loved my experience of this book. Plotwise, the use of a large timeframe was very brilliantly done and everything made sense in the end. Even though there were some red herrings, everything put in this story had its reasons. The pacing was quick, which helped set the chilling/thrilling mood of the book. I think the author did an amazing job of walking the line between reality and fantasy (believing in monsters) and kept balancing between both worlds in an amazing way. The characters were not particularly likeable but I was still invested enough to continue reading on.

I did have a tiny issue with the beginning of the book which is, I believe, the weakest part. I was confused at first, but pushing through, things did make more sense and I ended up with litteral chills at the end of it. And I really did enjoy the ending. If you are interested in picking up this book. I would definitely checkout trigger/content warnings for violence, murder, childhood trauma, etc.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge. Tordotcom for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished lucky girl: How I Became A Horror Writer: A Krampus Story
by M. Rickert and here are my thoughts

After her family are murdered and the family house burns to the ground, Ro finds herself at a diner during the holiday season. There she meets 4 other people, all strangers, all alone. She invites them to an impromptu christmas dinner where they share holiday ghost stories…

What Ro doesn’t know, all the years later when they all meet up again at the home of Grayson, that sometimes stories are more true that the imagination can comprehend.

The hairs on the back of my neck still haven’t gone down yet. You know when you feel the blast of icy cold terror on your neck that you just can’t shake? I have one big problem with the novella…. It shouldn’t have been a novella. I loved the concept but in the reality of the realm of the novella, you can’t get the character development I feel would have elevated this to new heights. All the characters had a little something to them that could have been expanded and I would have loved more about Krampus. I really felt the author had something here but missed out on what could have been the best book of the year for me.

I just wanted more of everything but what I do know from reading this novella? That the author has a serious talent for suspense.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and #netgalley for my review copy!

Difficult to connect with the characters of this novella. It was almost too short but was extremely cheesy. Not a great read overall but such a cool concept.

Contrary to other reviews I really enjoyed this book. I appreciate it when an author can create a story and deliver in under 200 pages. At times I think authors feel pressured by publishers or perhaps by editors who want the average size of a book to be over 300 pages. In 112 short pages I enjoyed myself.

I had fun. I enjoyed the Christmas and wintery elements that were continuously described in the book. It was atmospheric and creep cozy. It was a neat concept that whenever time periods changed it always reverted back to simply Christmas in another year. This would make a fun, horror/spooky book to read during the holiday seasons.

Readers who are very literal or who need EVERYTHING to make sense may want to pass on this novella. Certain plot points moved too quickly in areas where I would’ve preferred more development. The reader may ask “wait, how did this happen?”

Someone got married (wait how did you fall in love again?).
You’re trapped. (Two paragraphs later you’re not trapped).
A baby was born. (well that was quick too).

In moments like these I believe the editor should’ve pushed the author to elaborate more. At only 112 pages we as readers needed more for clarification purposes. While we’re aware that it’s fiction the longer descriptions in the areas above would’ve wrapped a bow around the story better. (Christmas, bow pun intentional)

⭐⭐.5/5

• holiday "horror" novella
• fun setup but not fully developed

Spooky Szn has begun! 👻🎃🧙
This one had potential. It wasn't really all that scary and overall it felt choppy. With the shorter length of a novella, I wasn't able to connect with the characters.

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @torbooks for the opportunity to read and review this book via widget! All opinions are honest and my own.

"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win."
Stephen King

A Krampus horror novella with human monsters if I need to describe this book.
I enjoyed this book there was a twist I didn't expect but overall this story not going to stay with me to remember or think about it more.

Release Date: September 13th 2022

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love stories about Krampus, but this just didn't do it for me. It didn't really hold my attention or feel very spooky. Other than that it was ok

3.5 stars rounded up

This wasn't earth-shattering, or even truly scary. But it was a fairly enjoyable, creepy novella.
Perhaps a bit too short, but the sort of thing you could easily read in one sitting while cuddled up with a blanket and cup of tea on a fall evening. I'm not sure there's a lot I can say without spoilers, but the setup of Lucky Girl is this...

A woman is telling a story that begins when she was a recent college graduate- impoverished and lonely with a traumatic past, trying to make it as a horror writer. She ends up meeting three other lonely people and they decide to get together for Christmas, exchange inexpensive gifts, and tell scary stories. Stories that might come back to haunt them years later...

This novella is a bit creepy, though much of the time it was more sad than anything else. There is a great deal of loss and tragic violence. And for a horror writer, the narrator is unbelievably dense at times. If you're looking for something on the darker side for the holidays, with a side of Christmas horror a la Krampus among other things, give this a try! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.