1kelsey_jw's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
A horror story that masks a story of society’s faults with capitalism- reminds me of the way George Romero inputs society’s issues like consumerism into his horror. A quick horror read but the plot felt underdeveloped
gerardine's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
Fun and creepy book to read on holiday season
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
verkisto's review against another edition
4.0
This would've been a three-star book for some clichéd plots, devices, and phrasing, but the book had a self-awareness that made me appreciate all of it more. It might be best read by fans of horror, though.
2022 Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book set in the 1980s
2022 Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book set in the 1980s
bigbookgeek's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really fun book! I love horror, I love 80's throwbacks, I love to laugh, so this was perfect!
charlotteroach's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Secret Santa finds Lussi Meyer fumble her way into a senior publishing role at an old-fashioned publishing house, where she is gifted a creepy doll in the company’s secret Santa gift exchange. Things start going downhill, and she believes the doll to be responsible for this.
Billed as horror comedy, it’s not frightening, and the humour is just… fine, crammed full of one liners as opposed to actual comedy, which takes away any sincerity that the author is trying to convey in the climax or through conflicts. It feels closer to satire, or a parody of a low grossing horror B-movie.
The entire plot was pretty drawn out, and there were more talks about life in the publishing industry than the actual story, which was boring and didn’t add anything. As well as this, the characters had no discernible voices, all of them offering nothing much but sarcastic one liners every now and then. The only way I could differentiate between Lussi and Fabien was through the Audible narrator’s terrible British accent for the latter.
I enjoyed the first quarter of the book, before realising that nothing was happening, and there was next to no tension or intrigue despite consistent mentions of things ‘feeling weird’ or ‘being creepy’. I didn’t care about the outcome, and by the end, I just wanted it to be over so that I could start something new. The epilogue was also eye-rollingly condescending – I see what they were trying to do, but it rubbed me the wrong way.
2⭐️, at a push.
aliyahky's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
zarap's review
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
vminton706's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Read almost like a YA book but I’m not complaining. I enjoyed the twist toward the end and thought the violence was fun. Overall a nice Christmas camp horror read. I would definitely reread or recommend to a friend.
ktindol's review against another edition
2.0
Ridiculous and fun for the most part, but overall meh. The epilogue knocked this one down to two stars for me.