4.5 stars

This was a blast, which was a surprise based on the title but not on the author.

Misha, the m.c., is at a pivotal stage of his career, and while he is thriving in some ways (getting major industry recognition for his script writing skills), in others, things are getting...WEIRD.

This felt extremely fresh and innovative, and I loved how Misha's memories crept in constantly. Those were in some ways even more horrific than the shocking events of the present day. Modern Misha is living in a kind of personal _The Cabin in the Woods_ situation, though, so don't sleep on the current shocks either.

What made me enjoy this wild ride even more was the absolutely star-studded cast of audiobook narrators. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed hearing from so many favs there!

For the right reader, this book is doing the most in the best way.

This was my first novel by Chuck Tingle (despite the fact I’ve had Camp Damascus sitting on my shelf since it was published), and I loved it. I loved his writing style, the way his words seemed to flow so effortlessly and beautifully together.

This book was truly remarkable in many ways. I love a good novel that has more than just one “main” genre and Chuck Tingle meshed together sci fi and horror so perfectly. I loved the originality of this book, but also how it was a very hot take on Hollywood.

There were some very grotesque moments with descriptions that will make your stomach churn, all the while you can’t stop reading because it’s just that good. His ability to write such vivid descriptions of these moments is truly remarkable and something I enjoyed.

I loved the character development of our MC Misha. Watching him grow into this badass hero as the story unfolds is something you truly don’t want to miss.

I wasn't sure what I'd get when I started this book, but Bury Your Gays turned out to be a fun mix of a horror novel, a look at the anxieties facing performers in Hollywood over representation and AI, and more. Chuck Tingle tries to tackle quite a few things in this one, and while I'm not sure if he succeeded 100% in giving each element the care and attention they deserved (the final part of the book just didn't hold up to the high expectations that I had from the start, unfortunately), the core of this story is extremely strong. There is a lot to love in this one, and I'm sure Tingle's fans will be well served with this new book and new readers may find this a great jumping on point to explore the rest of his work.

Bury Your Gays was very entertaining and had a very eye catching opening chapter. I really enjoyed the characters and how the plot unfolded .

I read this book in one sitting and adored every second of it. With Bury Your Gays, Chuck Tingle is sending out the beautiful reminder that your work, no matter how it looks or how impolitely your story may be wrapped, is what matters most. In an age where AI art and the algorithm run everything, this book stands as a testament to the fact that humanity is what matters most, and that human stories, flawed and messy as they are, are the ones we connect to. I can't recommend it enough.

I loved this one! Chuck is becoming one of my favorite authors. I also enjoyed Camp Damascus. This book was so fun and well written. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review. Highly recommend!

I think my actual rating is more of a 2.5/2.75? I'm honestly so conflicted with this one. There were a lot of parts I really enjoyed about this book, and I believe that has some really great critiques and things to say about queer characters in media. But all of the great parts were overshadowed by how weird this is. I'm not sure if I'm just stupid, but I was SO confused the whole time, and still don't really grasp what was happening in this.
This book was great as a horror novel, and as a critique on hollywood's treatment of queer artists and characters. But it turned into a scifi novel about half way through and suddenly I just couldn't keep up with all that was going on. I still don't understand how the whole conflict was wrapped up, I just kinda nodded my head and went "ok cool gays are happy now not sure how we got here but I'll take it" and moved on.

I'm aware that based on early reviews of this, I am an outlier so far. And that's great! I know that this book is really important and I appreciate what it has to say. I just think that this book is perfect for people who are into weirder novels. (and after looking up the author's backlist... I think this is perfect for the people who are already fans of his other works...)

I was blown away by how tightly this story came together. It was new, it was fresh, and it was masterfully told. The role of technology in this story was so terrifying... I did not see this fear morphing in front of my eyes until it was too late. I feel like the sexuality of the characters themselves wasn't the focus, but rather the focus the treatment of queerness within Hollywood/profits and the way folks get dehumanized and stepped on in the pursuit of money. Also Chris Oak lived rent-free in my head for months after I finished.

Hollywood screenwriter Misha has just received his first Oscar nomination, but is unable to enjoy it. He’s just been asked by studio heads to kill off a gay character in his ultra-successful television series as “gay tragedy” sells more than triumph. When he refuses, his personal and professional lives begin to suffer. Can Misha continue to make a stand or will he buckle under the pressure?

This is my second Chuck Tingle experience (what a sentence), and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Re-entering the world of horror following the success of CAMP DAMASCUS, Tingle once again examines the struggle to remain true to oneself and all the obstacles you must overcome. Oh, and lots of gore thrown in to boot. There is one scene in particular that takes place in an airplane that’s both wildly original and deeply unsettling at the same time.

One of the book’s central themes is the proliferation of A.I. and the ongoing reduction of art to the lowest common denominator in an effort to maximise profit. This isn’t a spoiler, but one of the book’s biggest plot points involves a deceased actor reborn as an A.I. generated presence garnering an Oscar nomination. Is that really so far-fetched? I feel like we may head down that road sooner than we think. Very much like his previous novel, things take a turn in an unexpected direction that largely left me satisfied. While I haven’t read Tingle’s more infamous work, I’m surprised at how quickly he took to the horror genre. His descriptions and creativity around many of the novel’s more grotesque moments left me reeling.

BURY YOUR GAYS is a sharp, tightly written commentary on the perils of algorithms and profit-chasing art. Hopefully horror fans eat this one up as well.

Bury Your Gays
by: Chuck Tingle
TOR
due 7-7-2024
5.0 stars

Misha Byrne is a Hollywood writer of horror films, currently finishing up a season of a TV show that ends with the 2 female stars professing a love for each other. However, the studio wants him to kill off both gay characters and have them replaced by straight ones. They told him it ws to keep the ratings up. This decision sets Misha on a trail of self discovery of his own identity.There are lots of gay references, some I didn't understand.

Bury Your Gays is a literatry trope that features same-gender couples with one lover dying and the other realizing they were never actually gay, and run to person of opposite sex....in Hollywood, its when a gay character must be killed off to advance a straight one. I found this to be a story of capitalism, the authoritarianism of our society and how predominantly these types will label and dismiss anything they deem as "other", usually without ever even speaking to them. Society has allowed stereotypes to dictate individuality, leading them to believe that tolerance is ok, acceptance is not. I like how it has been exposed in this book. Chuck Tingle is a master at developing charcters that are different and unique, and scripting stories that are true to life.
Fantastic read.
Thanks to NetGalley fro sending this ARC e-book for review.
#NetGalley #BuryYourGays

Boy, it's so nice to read a horror novel that is fresh, entertaining, and perfectly gay. This is my first Chuck Tingle, book, and I'll be picking up his first novel before this month is out. Bury Your Gays is ridiculously original, playing out in a Hollywood setting, in an episodic way that reminded me of the good days of horror television, when Buffy was Boss. I would be lying if I didn't say I was impressed by how well the story flowed from beginning to end, wrapping everything up nice and tight and leaving no loose strings, while still presenting a message of morality (brilliantly). The HOWS & WHYS behind the events/attacks in this horror story was a brilliant reveal. I need more Tingle. Tingle me, please.

I'm in the vast minority, but I did not love this book. I really loved 'Camp Damascus,' but this one didn't work as well for me, and it came off as very Black Mirror-ish (and I can't stand that series, so...I think the issue is with my taste in this case). All of the commentary on Hollywood, trauma mining, and the very real threats of "AI" and the ridiculous world we live in where it's still so trendy are certainly important points, but the execution fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Bury Your Gays has it all - compelling characters, an eerie, foreboding atmosphere, perfectly placed scenes of brutality and body horror juxtaposed with beautiful moments of poignancy and tenderness. Misha is layered and there were aspects of him that I could definitely relate to. The side characters were great and I really wanted to see more of them!

I did NOT see the twist/big reveal coming - my jaw was on the FLOOR!! This is my first Chuck Tingle novel and I am really excited to read Camp Damascus next. Tingle’s writing style is compulsively readable and it feels like you’re sitting next to your friend hearing them tell a story.

Bury Your Gays is a must-read for anybody who likes complex horror stories that may not be horror stories at all.

This was my first Chuck Tingle novel and to say I was blown away is an understatement. This is a book that won’t be leaving my mind anytime soon.

There was so much going on in this book, in the absolute best way. It’s bone chillingly creepy, it’s hilarious, it’s touching, all without being too much or trying to branch out into too many directions.
It also tackles underly represented topics including AI, especially in art, (which was done in an amazingly, utterly horrifying way), corporate Pride campaigns, queer representation in media, trauma, there were so many important themes in this book. Not only that, they weren’t just thrown in to meet some quota, they were done so in a way that not only brought depth to the story, but also shed light on how underrepresented these issues are generally.

This truly was a masterpiece of a book. I wasn’t familiar with Chuck Tingle prior to receiving this ARC but I’m now fully on board with the man in the pink mask. He is a literary genius and I’m ready to read ALL of his books, not just the more “serious” ones.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 7/9/24

Thank you TorNightfire and Chuck Tingle for the advance copy of Bury your Gays.

Wow. I absolutely adored Chuck's previous title, Camp Damascus and Bury Your Gays has easily become my favorite horror book of 2024.

The thing I love about Chuck's writing is the message behind the horror and how creative he can spin this. Bury your Gays has plenty of scary moments, and body horror!! (Iykyk, that one chapter made me squirrrrrrm.)

But above all else, it is heart wrenching beautiful art. I simply loved it

Thanks to Tor Night fire for the eARC!

This book! At the end I just sat there with my mouth open, much like a confused carp.

This book is brilliant, nauseating, and heartwarming and sometimes these emotions occur within three pages.

Brilliant and unnerving, the novel follows writer Misha, who is expected to kill off his beloved gay characters. Going back and forth through Misha's quite frankly horrifying childhood adds so much context that while a lot of the things Misha says and does makes no sense, it makes perfect sense later.

The villain in this book is topical and terrifying.

Bury Your Gays is my introduction to Chuck Tingle, and I’m hooked already. Camp Damascus is on my TBR, and after reading Bury Your Gays, I am very excited for it!

Bury Your Gays follows Misha Byrne as he finds himself at the top of his game. He’s received an Oscar nomination for his work, and now all eyes are on his next move. Misha is excited and has plans for his two queer characters, however, the studio wants Misha to kill them off. Queer tragedy sells, according to the numbers. Misha refuses, wanting his characters to serve as the representation he never had growing up, and this sets off a string of terrifyingly dangerous events.

This was such a fast and fun read! Misha is such a great MC that loves his characters so much because they aren’t just characters he wrote for a show, they come from a deeply personal place in his life. It was really easy to root for Misha and to root for his success. He’s fighting against the “bury your gays” trope because it’s about time to shift the focus on queer joy. This was a really fun one I’d recommend, and I’m very eager to read more from Chuck Tingle!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you to @tornightfire and @netgalley for this e-arc, all thoughts are my own.


Chuck Tingle has a very bold and interesting way with words. His works are never disappointing and manage to invoke so many emotions. This book took me through being sad to laughing out loud, and in between I felt a little hopeless, but he managed to show me the way. It was a lot, all packed into a horror book nonetheless! The writing flowed wonderfully and was beautifully descriptive. This book kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going on until the last minute. I had no idea what was going on, but I was so engaged that I didn’t care. Then when we finally did find out what had been going on, my mind was blown, just Wow! It was fantastic, what a wild ride, and I highly recommend it to those who like horror, but also want some levity in their read.

This is a book unlike any other I have read. I highly recommend you check it out!

I loved this book so much I am tempted to make up new words to describe exactly how much I enjoyed it. It's Horrorific. Terrinating. Grueorous. Lovtastic. If I could give this book FIFTY STARS, I would.

Seriously horror has never before been so *uplifting*, so *laugh out loud funny*, so *adorable*. The tension snuck up on me and the twists made me cackle. Like out loud.

Also, love is love, y'all.

I read Camp Damascus when it was first released last year and was head over heels for its unique premise - I jumped on the opportunity to grab a copy of Tingle’s new book, Bury Your Gays.

Like Camp Damascus, Bury Your Gays has a relatively straight forward jump off point. Misha is a writer for a TV show, and is asked to kill off his gay characters, essentially burying the gays, instead of allowing them a happily ever after. Misha is sick of the oversold gay tragedy and plans to fight the system on this one. But then shit gets weird.

The vibe of this book is fantastic - it’s disorienting and confusing (in the good way). The relationships are beautiful, the topics of discussion are incredibly relevant, involving the controversial subject of AI and art into the mix. For a quick read, this book has both depth and heart. Tingle truly has a special talent for weaving fear, love, tragedy, triumph and more into his stories. Check this one out if you’re looking for a horror book with a bit more.

Thank you NetGalley, Chuck Tingle and Tor Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.