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Lucky Day
Lucky Day is the newest novel of terror from Chuck Tingle, USA Today bestselling author of Bury Your Gays, where one woman must go up against the most horrifying concept of all: nothing.
Vera is a survivor of a global catastrophe known as the Low Probability Event, but she definitely isn't thriving. Once a passionate professor of statistics, she no longer finds meaning in anything at all.
But when problematic government agent Layne knocks on her door, she's the only one who can help him uncover the connection between deadly spates of absurdity and an improbably lucky casino. What's happening in Vegas isn't staying there, and the world is at risk of another disaster.
When it comes to Chuck Tingle, the only thing more terrifying than a serious horror novel is an absurd one...
Vera is a survivor of a global catastrophe known as the Low Probability Event, but she definitely isn't thriving. Once a passionate professor of statistics, she no longer finds meaning in anything at all.
But when problematic government agent Layne knocks on her door, she's the only one who can help him uncover the connection between deadly spates of absurdity and an improbably lucky casino. What's happening in Vegas isn't staying there, and the world is at risk of another disaster.
When it comes to Chuck Tingle, the only thing more terrifying than a serious horror novel is an absurd one...
240 pages, Hardcover
First published August 12, 2025
477 people are currently reading
22367 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Tingle
505 books4,289 followersChuck Tingle is a mysterious force of energy behind sunglasses and a pink mask. He is also an anonymous author of romance, horror, and fantasy. Chuck was born in Home of Truth, Utah, and now splits time between Billings, Montana and Los Angeles, California. Chuck writes to prove love is real, because love is the most important tool we have when resisting the endless cosmic void. Not everything people say about Chuck is true, but the important parts are.
Management and general inquiry: [email protected]
Literary agent: DongWon at dongwonsong.com
Management and general inquiry: [email protected]
Literary agent: DongWon at dongwonsong.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 798 reviews
July 21, 2025
Chuck Tingle is one of the best horror writer, and to me one of the best writer, period.
As with his others books, the plot is completely original, mixing great horror and sci-fi. There are some references to X-Files, and it absolutely fits the vibe.
I will no go into details in order to avoid spoilers, but it was a wild ride.
And just as it was the case in Bury Your Gays and Camp Damascus, the protagonist is complex, layered and willing to risk herself to fight an injustice so much bigger than her.
I loved the narration for the audiobook version, it really added to the emotion and iI felt like it was part of the world building.
It was thrilling , horrific and beautiful. I loved it.
Thank you so much Macmillan audio for this ARC!
As with his others books, the plot is completely original, mixing great horror and sci-fi. There are some references to X-Files, and it absolutely fits the vibe.
I will no go into details in order to avoid spoilers, but it was a wild ride.
And just as it was the case in Bury Your Gays and Camp Damascus, the protagonist is complex, layered and willing to risk herself to fight an injustice so much bigger than her.
I loved the narration for the audiobook version, it really added to the emotion and iI felt like it was part of the world building.
It was thrilling , horrific and beautiful. I loved it.
Thank you so much Macmillan audio for this ARC!
Want to read
November 28, 2024i’d follow Chuck Tingle to the ends of the earth
September 4, 2025
**3.5-stars**
Lucky Day follows MC, Vera, a lover of statistics and her fiance, Annie. Vera sees the world in an interesting way, via numbers and stats. As an academic, she's found a great niche for herself and a peaceful domestic life.
On a day they are supposed to be celebrating the publication of her book, and she's prepping to come out to her Mom, a world-wide cataclysmic event occurs.
Countless individuals across the globe are killed in truly horrific ways, yet Vera survives. The event comes to be known as the Low Probability Event.
A few years later, though Vera survived, she's certainly not thriving. She's negative, bitter, secluded and hardly-functioning. When a government agent shows up at her home to recruit her to help study the event, she's apathetic about it at best.
However, she does agree and sets out with Agent Layne as they investigate the LPE. Their relationship evolves into a sort of buddy cop movie dynamic as they examine the most chaotic events ever penned.
This was a strange one. It was good. Tingle is a great writer, there's no denying that. For my personal taste though, it wasn't quite a hit. It felt like Tingle wrote it as a way to work through an existential crisis. It was compelling in that way, but never succeeded in holding my interest.
I can appreciate the thought and skill that went into the creation of the story, but it continually lost my attention the longer it went on. Certain concepts would capture my attention, but then those would play out and it would be on to the next thing, and my interest would wane again.
I loved the set-up; meeting Vera and quickly getting to the LPEs that started it all. That was wild. It's one of those, what the hell am I reading moments, which is always fun.
I also could understand Vera's reaction to the events. She was easily the most apathetic MC I've ever read from, but considering the circumstances, it made sense, NGL.
I try to always stay positive, but I'm not sure where my headspace would be had I been through the series of events she's been through. So, that aspect, the trajectory of her character, was quite believable.
I also enjoyed Agent Layne and the dynamic that develops between the two. I think for me, it was just a little too chaotic and uneven as far as keeping my interest. Overall though, it's solid and creative. The audiobook narration was great, and I know a ton of Readers are going to love this one.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.
Even though this isn't a new favorite for me, I truly appreciate Tingle's creative energy and fluid writing style. I will most definitely be returning for more!!
Lucky Day follows MC, Vera, a lover of statistics and her fiance, Annie. Vera sees the world in an interesting way, via numbers and stats. As an academic, she's found a great niche for herself and a peaceful domestic life.
On a day they are supposed to be celebrating the publication of her book, and she's prepping to come out to her Mom, a world-wide cataclysmic event occurs.
Countless individuals across the globe are killed in truly horrific ways, yet Vera survives. The event comes to be known as the Low Probability Event.
A few years later, though Vera survived, she's certainly not thriving. She's negative, bitter, secluded and hardly-functioning. When a government agent shows up at her home to recruit her to help study the event, she's apathetic about it at best.
However, she does agree and sets out with Agent Layne as they investigate the LPE. Their relationship evolves into a sort of buddy cop movie dynamic as they examine the most chaotic events ever penned.
This was a strange one. It was good. Tingle is a great writer, there's no denying that. For my personal taste though, it wasn't quite a hit. It felt like Tingle wrote it as a way to work through an existential crisis. It was compelling in that way, but never succeeded in holding my interest.
I can appreciate the thought and skill that went into the creation of the story, but it continually lost my attention the longer it went on. Certain concepts would capture my attention, but then those would play out and it would be on to the next thing, and my interest would wane again.
I loved the set-up; meeting Vera and quickly getting to the LPEs that started it all. That was wild. It's one of those, what the hell am I reading moments, which is always fun.
I also could understand Vera's reaction to the events. She was easily the most apathetic MC I've ever read from, but considering the circumstances, it made sense, NGL.
I try to always stay positive, but I'm not sure where my headspace would be had I been through the series of events she's been through. So, that aspect, the trajectory of her character, was quite believable.
I also enjoyed Agent Layne and the dynamic that develops between the two. I think for me, it was just a little too chaotic and uneven as far as keeping my interest. Overall though, it's solid and creative. The audiobook narration was great, and I know a ton of Readers are going to love this one.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.
Even though this isn't a new favorite for me, I truly appreciate Tingle's creative energy and fluid writing style. I will most definitely be returning for more!!
August 6, 2025
A HUGE thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book!
Oh my holy sky man!! 🫢
I'm not quite sure what I just read but all I know is I had one hell of a good time & I want to do it again! *Jumps up & down repeatedly like an obnoxious child.. Honestly starting Netgallery has been the best decision I've made for myself this year! The amount of amazing authors I've exposed myself to in such a short time has been incredible! And has quite frankly changed my life. This is just one example of several.
I had never heard of this author before this. I was originally drawn to the cool cover & then obviously the synopsis.
This book was like a tornado but in the best possible way. It's just one crazy, insane ride but somehow it all flows as one & is cohesive as hell, a true force to be reconned with. You almost get an adrenaline rush similar to that of just getting off a roller coaster while reading this
For ME it was like sort of like a Chuck Palahniuk vibe but minus the emotional damage to my IQ (or clear lack thereof)
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go add everything this author has ever written since birth to my TBR.. so when you start seeing stuff on my Goodreads about butt invasions, you know, mind ya business, respectfully 🫶🏼
Ps, LOVE that there's a character named Denver who's a woman, it's my daughter's name & before people meet her, she almost always gets confused for a boy lol 🫠
Oh my holy sky man!! 🫢
I'm not quite sure what I just read but all I know is I had one hell of a good time & I want to do it again! *Jumps up & down repeatedly like an obnoxious child.. Honestly starting Netgallery has been the best decision I've made for myself this year! The amount of amazing authors I've exposed myself to in such a short time has been incredible! And has quite frankly changed my life. This is just one example of several.
I had never heard of this author before this. I was originally drawn to the cool cover & then obviously the synopsis.
This book was like a tornado but in the best possible way. It's just one crazy, insane ride but somehow it all flows as one & is cohesive as hell, a true force to be reconned with. You almost get an adrenaline rush similar to that of just getting off a roller coaster while reading this
For ME it was like sort of like a Chuck Palahniuk vibe but minus the emotional damage to my IQ (or clear lack thereof)
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go add everything this author has ever written since birth to my TBR.. so when you start seeing stuff on my Goodreads about butt invasions, you know, mind ya business, respectfully 🫶🏼
Ps, LOVE that there's a character named Denver who's a woman, it's my daughter's name & before people meet her, she almost always gets confused for a boy lol 🫠
![Profile Image for Ruxandra Grrr [in a slump :(((((].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1520583842i%2F4259436._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
Want to read
November 28, 2024a bisexual statistics professor—who has convinced herself she might not exist
Chuuuuuuck Tingle, how do you come up with stuff like this? Can't wait.
Chuuuuuuck Tingle, how do you come up with stuff like this? Can't wait.
August 25, 2025
Another absolutely solid horror novel from Chuck Tingle, who has rapidly become one of my favorite horror authors in the last few years. Lucky Day is his third full horror novel, and much like Camp Damascus and Bury Your Gays, Lucky Day finds Chuck tackling another aspect of queer identity in the midst of absurd horror.
This time, we're tackling bi-erasure tied in with existential dread! What's the point in living life when you think that nothing, including your own identity and the things you used to care about, really matters?
Vera is in a relationship with a woman she loves and is celebrating being published, when the day is ruined by her mother. She's told her relationship is just a phase, she's not really into women, she likes men, bisexuality doesn't exist. And then the world goes absolutely fucking apeshit, like Final Destination run through a clown filter apeshit, and she survives a whole host of horrific accidents. My jaw DROPPED at some of the shit I was reading on page. Diabolical and hilarious all at the same time, the Chuck Tingle way.
Years later Vera is in a deep depression, finding no mean in her own existence. One day, Special Agent Layne walks into her home and drags her up and into the midst of a weird investigation. Apparently there's a casino that is very lucky to its patrons, it may have something to do with that horrific day, and Vera becomes a reluctant investigative consultant. As the story and the investigation moves along we peel back more layers of Vera's psyche as she's exposed to the world and starting to care about things again. It's painful and heartbreaking all at once, and I got pretty attached to Vera as she clawed her way through dealing with her existential dread and trauma.
Unfortunately, I wasn't attached to much else - and this is probably the one main issue I had with the story and the reason I gave it 4 stars. No other characters really jumped out, not even the other main character Special Agent Layne. I struggle with his portrayal here, and I struggle with how to talk about him without going into spoilers. I think that discomfort and suspicion of him was on purpose, but I didn't quite feel like I was feeling it as part of the story, if that makes sense. It's a fine line.
The reveals of everything going on, the huge mystery...they were fine. Tingle knocked it out of the park when it came to the reveal being 100% thematically linked to Vera's struggles and the book as a whole, but it didn't really move me in the moment. I didn't feel totally caught up in anything that wasn't directly tied to Vera's inner emotional turmoil.
That's not to say that this wasn't a good book - I'm giving it 4 stars! I mostly wish I had connected a bit more to everything that wasn't Vera herself. Otherwise, this is a wild absurd horror ride, where we follow a character trying to grapple with caring about life again.
Content warnings for: depression, suicidal ideation, animal deaths, tons of violence and gory absurd deaths
Many thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC!
================
1/24/25: THERE'S A COVERRRRRR
11/28/24: Chuck Tingle said "there is horrific moment involving a SPACE RAPTOR BUTT INVASION themed thanksgiving day parade balloon".
I already pre-ordered this but I WOULD PRE-ORDER IT ALL OVER AGAIN FOR THAT ALONE.
🦋 Bluesky 🎥 YouTube 📷 Instagram 🔗 Linktree
This time, we're tackling bi-erasure tied in with existential dread! What's the point in living life when you think that nothing, including your own identity and the things you used to care about, really matters?
Vera is in a relationship with a woman she loves and is celebrating being published, when the day is ruined by her mother. She's told her relationship is just a phase, she's not really into women, she likes men, bisexuality doesn't exist. And then the world goes absolutely fucking apeshit, like Final Destination run through a clown filter apeshit, and she survives a whole host of horrific accidents. My jaw DROPPED at some of the shit I was reading on page. Diabolical and hilarious all at the same time, the Chuck Tingle way.
Years later Vera is in a deep depression, finding no mean in her own existence. One day, Special Agent Layne walks into her home and drags her up and into the midst of a weird investigation. Apparently there's a casino that is very lucky to its patrons, it may have something to do with that horrific day, and Vera becomes a reluctant investigative consultant. As the story and the investigation moves along we peel back more layers of Vera's psyche as she's exposed to the world and starting to care about things again. It's painful and heartbreaking all at once, and I got pretty attached to Vera as she clawed her way through dealing with her existential dread and trauma.
Unfortunately, I wasn't attached to much else - and this is probably the one main issue I had with the story and the reason I gave it 4 stars. No other characters really jumped out, not even the other main character Special Agent Layne. I struggle with his portrayal here, and I struggle with how to talk about him without going into spoilers. I think that discomfort and suspicion of him was on purpose, but I didn't quite feel like I was feeling it as part of the story, if that makes sense. It's a fine line.
The reveals of everything going on, the huge mystery...they were fine. Tingle knocked it out of the park when it came to the reveal being 100% thematically linked to Vera's struggles and the book as a whole, but it didn't really move me in the moment. I didn't feel totally caught up in anything that wasn't directly tied to Vera's inner emotional turmoil.
That's not to say that this wasn't a good book - I'm giving it 4 stars! I mostly wish I had connected a bit more to everything that wasn't Vera herself. Otherwise, this is a wild absurd horror ride, where we follow a character trying to grapple with caring about life again.
Content warnings for: depression, suicidal ideation, animal deaths, tons of violence and gory absurd deaths
Many thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the eARC!
================
1/24/25: THERE'S A COVERRRRRR
11/28/24: Chuck Tingle said "there is horrific moment involving a SPACE RAPTOR BUTT INVASION themed thanksgiving day parade balloon".
I already pre-ordered this but I WOULD PRE-ORDER IT ALL OVER AGAIN FOR THAT ALONE.
🦋 Bluesky 🎥 YouTube 📷 Instagram 🔗 Linktree
August 20, 2025
4 stars. Existential, inventive, and containing Chuck Tingle's signature zany style of queer horror, Lucky Day is a surprisingly optimistic take on human existence in the wake of cosmic horror.
April 7, 2025
ARC for review. To be published August 12, 2025.
4 stars
On May 23, four years ago the world (but mostly the U.S.) suffered a major disaster, the Low-Probability Event, where nearly eight million people died in improbable and totally bizarre ways. Fish raining down on the streets of Chicago. Escaped chimps eating faces. All the Boeing 777s crashing into each other. That sort of thing.
Vera Norrie was celebrating being named the youngest professor at the University of Chicago (in statistics and probability) and the publication of her book (on a potentially shady casino) when the disaster struck. She lost everything and she cannot come to any sort of terms with it. One day Special Agent Jonah Layne, with the Low-Probability Event Commission, which has an extremely broad mandate and incredible latitude (“the LPEC decides what’s legal.”) comes calling. He’s investigating that statistically lucky casino that Vera wrote about. He believes it’s connected with the LPE and he needs Vera’s help before another event occurs.
So this a a great, great yarn. All the information about statistics and, especially, the idea of historical inertia, “what if fate is quantifiable and concrete?,” was really interesting to me (I’m rather fascinated by statistics. Plus, is it condescending to say that Tingle’s writing has really improved since CAMP DAMASCUS? Loads of fun with some good home truths. Recommended.
4 stars
On May 23, four years ago the world (but mostly the U.S.) suffered a major disaster, the Low-Probability Event, where nearly eight million people died in improbable and totally bizarre ways. Fish raining down on the streets of Chicago. Escaped chimps eating faces. All the Boeing 777s crashing into each other. That sort of thing.
Vera Norrie was celebrating being named the youngest professor at the University of Chicago (in statistics and probability) and the publication of her book (on a potentially shady casino) when the disaster struck. She lost everything and she cannot come to any sort of terms with it. One day Special Agent Jonah Layne, with the Low-Probability Event Commission, which has an extremely broad mandate and incredible latitude (“the LPEC decides what’s legal.”) comes calling. He’s investigating that statistically lucky casino that Vera wrote about. He believes it’s connected with the LPE and he needs Vera’s help before another event occurs.
So this a a great, great yarn. All the information about statistics and, especially, the idea of historical inertia, “what if fate is quantifiable and concrete?,” was really interesting to me (I’m rather fascinated by statistics. Plus, is it condescending to say that Tingle’s writing has really improved since CAMP DAMASCUS? Loads of fun with some good home truths. Recommended.
August 14, 2025
Chuck truly never misses! Lucky Day feels like exactly the story we all need right now - it's about how the world is often both absurd and horrific, and that's traumatic. But also there is hope for good, for better. It follows a bisexual statistician who experiences an extremely low likelihood event that kills millions of people, including her mother. It's about her loss of faith in the order of things, and her journey to still finding meaning. With a lot of absurdly gruesome things along the way! I know people don't expect horror to be hopeful, but this one is and I loved it. It's a quick read, but I get what he's doing with it. The audiobook is excellent! Narrated by Mara Wilson. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
July 13, 2025
Chuck Tingle makes me question all of my literary preferences; his stories are so absurd and fascinating. Lucky Day is no exception, I think I like all of his books more and more.
Vera is a professor in Chicago, she is engaged to Annie. She tells her mother she is bisexual and introduces her to Annie, her mother spews a bunch of biphobic nonsense; and in the middle of her diatribe, the weirdest shit ever happens. I don’t even want to give anything away, this is where my reading pace slowed down as my inner dialogue went “wait, what?”
Vera runs away from her life, and four years later there is a government entity created to determine how and why 8 million people (including Vera’s mother) all died simultaneously. It definitely has Final Destination vibes, and Vera being a statistics professor we learn different odds of all sorts of things. So the perfect setting is a big casino in Las Vegas.
The book breaks the 4th wall somewhat, and I was hooked from the very beginning. Chuck Tingle is definitely solidified in the Horror genre.
Audiobook review; Mara Wilson was a great narrator. It was well paced and well acted. This book is easy to follow on audio and Wilson turned in a solid performance.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC. Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. Book to be published August 12, 2025.
Vera is a professor in Chicago, she is engaged to Annie. She tells her mother she is bisexual and introduces her to Annie, her mother spews a bunch of biphobic nonsense; and in the middle of her diatribe, the weirdest shit ever happens. I don’t even want to give anything away, this is where my reading pace slowed down as my inner dialogue went “wait, what?”
Vera runs away from her life, and four years later there is a government entity created to determine how and why 8 million people (including Vera’s mother) all died simultaneously. It definitely has Final Destination vibes, and Vera being a statistics professor we learn different odds of all sorts of things. So the perfect setting is a big casino in Las Vegas.
The book breaks the 4th wall somewhat, and I was hooked from the very beginning. Chuck Tingle is definitely solidified in the Horror genre.
Audiobook review; Mara Wilson was a great narrator. It was well paced and well acted. This book is easy to follow on audio and Wilson turned in a solid performance.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC. Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. Book to be published August 12, 2025.
August 31, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
I've been having such a hard time writing this review, and that's because I know I need to re-read it in order to actually convey my thoughts. The second half of this book, listening to it felt like a fever dream, and I probably wasn't paying as much attention to it as I should. And unfortunately, I think the second half is when the book is really crucial to understanding the themes Tingle is wanting to explore. I am definitely reading this again and annotating once I have my special edition copy from Aardvark.
At the same time, I know while I was listening to this, I was riveted. Tingle’s imagination is so bizarre and his concepts so absurd; the things he comes up with to populate his horror are not the kinds of other people come up with. The idea of a Low Probability Event being a huge disaster and killing millions of people is wild, and he pulls it off. He also, as always, manages to thoughtfully explore queer themes of belonging and identity. (How the two things connect is the part my brain has managed to miss because I went into a fugue state while listening or whatever. Can’t explain it. Happened with Victorian Psycho earlier this year, also. Still need to re-read that one!)
I would recommend this book and his other books even for people who don't normally like horror. There's something about the way he writes these books that transcends horror, and it just feels like he's doing something else. Whatever it is is great.
[4.5 stars]
I've been having such a hard time writing this review, and that's because I know I need to re-read it in order to actually convey my thoughts. The second half of this book, listening to it felt like a fever dream, and I probably wasn't paying as much attention to it as I should. And unfortunately, I think the second half is when the book is really crucial to understanding the themes Tingle is wanting to explore. I am definitely reading this again and annotating once I have my special edition copy from Aardvark.
At the same time, I know while I was listening to this, I was riveted. Tingle’s imagination is so bizarre and his concepts so absurd; the things he comes up with to populate his horror are not the kinds of other people come up with. The idea of a Low Probability Event being a huge disaster and killing millions of people is wild, and he pulls it off. He also, as always, manages to thoughtfully explore queer themes of belonging and identity. (How the two things connect is the part my brain has managed to miss because I went into a fugue state while listening or whatever. Can’t explain it. Happened with Victorian Psycho earlier this year, also. Still need to re-read that one!)
I would recommend this book and his other books even for people who don't normally like horror. There's something about the way he writes these books that transcends horror, and it just feels like he's doing something else. Whatever it is is great.
[4.5 stars]
May 17, 2025
Mr. Tingle, I was not familiar with your game. What a wild ride this was.
The blend of absurdism and horror is beautifully done. Tingle’s twisted imagination shines brightest in the breathless sequences of gore and surreal terror. There’s a scene in a wave pool so gruesome it will make me think twice before dipping my toes into the deep end ever again.
Some of the broader, more otherworldly strokes – e.g., – kept me from fully embracing the premise. But the slick pacing ensures that no beat overstays its welcome, propelling the story forward with relentless energy.
Count me as a Tingle fan from here on out. This was a bloody good time.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky
The blend of absurdism and horror is beautifully done. Tingle’s twisted imagination shines brightest in the breathless sequences of gore and surreal terror. There’s a scene in a wave pool so gruesome it will make me think twice before dipping my toes into the deep end ever again.
Some of the broader, more otherworldly strokes – e.g., – kept me from fully embracing the premise. But the slick pacing ensures that no beat overstays its welcome, propelling the story forward with relentless energy.
Count me as a Tingle fan from here on out. This was a bloody good time.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky
June 4, 2025
Star review in the June 2025 issue of Booklist and on the blog here: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2025/06... (link live on 6/4 at 7am central)
Also Interview with the author in the July 2025 issue of Library Journal-- coming soon
Three Words That Describe This Book: existentially terrifying, absurdly fun, bleak undertones despite love winning
Other words: witty, off beat, satire, tongue in cheek, thought provoking– there are some serious undertones and issues here– amidst the fun.
Even though nothing may matter, readers know not to fear because despite this bleak realization, love always wins when Tingle is in charge.
For fans of absurd, satirical, tongue firmly planted in cheek speculative works as wide ranging as Everett’s Dr. No, Fforde’s Lost in a Good Book, and the Horror novels of Jason Pargin.
This is a bleak and visceral story, but readers will not mind it as much as other tales with that tone and level of squishy, gorey descriptions because Tingle’s promise to readers is that love will win. A “happyish” ending will always come to fruition
Look, I am keeping it out of the official review because I think it cheapens the story but you can totally book talk this one as – What happens in Vegas most certainly does not stay in Vegas. Which is part of the brilliance here because DUH, and it never did, but also, Tingle takes that tagline to existentially terrifying places.
The Haunting of Velkwood by Kiste and Blake Crouch fans (Dark Matter the most pertinent) will also like this book. But those have none of the satire/humor like the three above. Worth listing on the side.
Vera and Agent Layne have great Mulder and Scully vibes, but this is a Horror novel– not a SF cop show.
What happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas apparently.
Vera is a great narrator. She explains how statistics work in a way that makes even the number challenged understand. The entire book is centered around the math of statistics and Tingle does a great job not losing that important thread. Even as absurd things are happening, even as there is a very Blake Crouch esque scientific explanation, even as "nothing" becomes something, even as people die in bonkers ways (must have been fun to write), Vera keeps the story grounded-- in the science and in her humanity.
A great description of what it would feel like to live through an apocalyptic event-- 8 million people died-- and just be unable to deal-- to keep existing but in a suspended state of not handling it. And then how she slowly is brought out of it.
It is important to note that Tingle does not tell the reader-- don't worry, things matter. Rather the acknowledgement that nothing matters and yet Vera still wants to live and thrive and love-- that is a very important distinction here.
This is Tingle's third Horror novel with Nightfire. Libraries should have ALL OF THEM. Because he promises and delivers on an ending where "Love is Real," you can give these confidently to a wide range of readers-- especially those who want to give today's horror a try. This is not a cozy horror story. It is bleak, and upsetting, and visceral throughout- but especially with this new one-- the absurdity provides enough of a buffer to give readers distance while they are reading while still allowing them to think about the important dark themes after-- just with some space-- and you can assure them that love will win in the end.
Also Interview with the author in the July 2025 issue of Library Journal-- coming soon
Three Words That Describe This Book: existentially terrifying, absurdly fun, bleak undertones despite love winning
Other words: witty, off beat, satire, tongue in cheek, thought provoking– there are some serious undertones and issues here– amidst the fun.
Even though nothing may matter, readers know not to fear because despite this bleak realization, love always wins when Tingle is in charge.
For fans of absurd, satirical, tongue firmly planted in cheek speculative works as wide ranging as Everett’s Dr. No, Fforde’s Lost in a Good Book, and the Horror novels of Jason Pargin.
This is a bleak and visceral story, but readers will not mind it as much as other tales with that tone and level of squishy, gorey descriptions because Tingle’s promise to readers is that love will win. A “happyish” ending will always come to fruition
Look, I am keeping it out of the official review because I think it cheapens the story but you can totally book talk this one as – What happens in Vegas most certainly does not stay in Vegas. Which is part of the brilliance here because DUH, and it never did, but also, Tingle takes that tagline to existentially terrifying places.
The Haunting of Velkwood by Kiste and Blake Crouch fans (Dark Matter the most pertinent) will also like this book. But those have none of the satire/humor like the three above. Worth listing on the side.
Vera and Agent Layne have great Mulder and Scully vibes, but this is a Horror novel– not a SF cop show.
What happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas apparently.
Vera is a great narrator. She explains how statistics work in a way that makes even the number challenged understand. The entire book is centered around the math of statistics and Tingle does a great job not losing that important thread. Even as absurd things are happening, even as there is a very Blake Crouch esque scientific explanation, even as "nothing" becomes something, even as people die in bonkers ways (must have been fun to write), Vera keeps the story grounded-- in the science and in her humanity.
A great description of what it would feel like to live through an apocalyptic event-- 8 million people died-- and just be unable to deal-- to keep existing but in a suspended state of not handling it. And then how she slowly is brought out of it.
It is important to note that Tingle does not tell the reader-- don't worry, things matter. Rather the acknowledgement that nothing matters and yet Vera still wants to live and thrive and love-- that is a very important distinction here.
This is Tingle's third Horror novel with Nightfire. Libraries should have ALL OF THEM. Because he promises and delivers on an ending where "Love is Real," you can give these confidently to a wide range of readers-- especially those who want to give today's horror a try. This is not a cozy horror story. It is bleak, and upsetting, and visceral throughout- but especially with this new one-- the absurdity provides enough of a buffer to give readers distance while they are reading while still allowing them to think about the important dark themes after-- just with some space-- and you can assure them that love will win in the end.
August 12, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the pre-release copy of Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle. Below you'll find my honest review.
In usual Chuck Tingle fashion, this novel was WEIRD AF. But really, it was weird in the best way possible. We open with our statistician MC Vera enduring the most mind-boggling, brain-exploding, kookiest crappy day imaginable as an extremely low-probability event occurs surrounding her. I'm talking monkeys in costumes bashing people's brains in with typewriters and fish falling out of the sky kinda wacky.
Fast forward a few years, and Vera has become a hermit, finding no value or purpose in life and thinking nothing matters, barely just existing... until Agent Layne breaks in and says they need her help. He works with government agency with zero oversight, managing the results and continuing weirdnesses (yeah, I made up a word) of LPEs, and he has a lead on the MAIN CAUSE OF ALL OF THEM.
Needless to say, in true Chuck Tingle manner, hijinks and chaos ensues. And this one even throws some serious cliched tropes on their heads (I can't clarify further, sadly, as that would spoil things, but hopefully when you're done, you know which ones I mean.)
Absolute gem of a story, which isn't surprising because Tingle's mainstream published works the last few years have been top notch. Sure, his self-published pseudo-smut is fun too, but he really shines in this world of horror and thriller that he's stepped into, and I'm so glad he's branched out.
Highly recommended (but be warned, horror-fans, this one is more thriller than horror, though it does have some horrific things!).
In usual Chuck Tingle fashion, this novel was WEIRD AF. But really, it was weird in the best way possible. We open with our statistician MC Vera enduring the most mind-boggling, brain-exploding, kookiest crappy day imaginable as an extremely low-probability event occurs surrounding her. I'm talking monkeys in costumes bashing people's brains in with typewriters and fish falling out of the sky kinda wacky.
Fast forward a few years, and Vera has become a hermit, finding no value or purpose in life and thinking nothing matters, barely just existing... until Agent Layne breaks in and says they need her help. He works with government agency with zero oversight, managing the results and continuing weirdnesses (yeah, I made up a word) of LPEs, and he has a lead on the MAIN CAUSE OF ALL OF THEM.
Needless to say, in true Chuck Tingle manner, hijinks and chaos ensues. And this one even throws some serious cliched tropes on their heads (I can't clarify further, sadly, as that would spoil things, but hopefully when you're done, you know which ones I mean.)
Absolute gem of a story, which isn't surprising because Tingle's mainstream published works the last few years have been top notch. Sure, his self-published pseudo-smut is fun too, but he really shines in this world of horror and thriller that he's stepped into, and I'm so glad he's branched out.
Highly recommended (but be warned, horror-fans, this one is more thriller than horror, though it does have some horrific things!).
May 8, 2025
kind of like final destination, but instead of death, it's bad luck killing everyone
August 19, 2025
This was my first foray into Chuck Tingle’s book, and I was left wanting horror. The book centers around Vera, a bright young statistics professor (and, apparently important to the story, bisexual) who is celebrating her newest publication with her fiancé, estranged friends, and homophobic mother. After a heated argument with her mother ends with the latter storming out of the restaurant, a freak accident occurs, followed by a maniacal daughter shouting her name. Blood. In shock, Vera begins witnessing impossible events out of a Sci-Fi movie. Tingle’s narrative is propulsive and urgent, with his signature campiness. We find that eight million people died globally that day, known as the Low Probability Event (LPE). The novel then picks up five years after the disaster, with a depressed Vera living off government support for victims of the LPE, when suddenly Agent Layne invades her house and recruits her as a consultant. In true Men in Black style, the duo sets off to investigate the origins of the LPE. From this point, I lost interest. Not that I dislike Sci-Fi, but there were not enough intelligent physical concepts to hold this premise. I did not find this novel horrifying. The first quarter contains some gore, but it is narrated in a comical way reminiscent of trashy horror movies (which I also like, but only when done properly). Then, MIB. The writing is surprisingly good, and perhaps I just wasn’t keen on the story. I will try Bury Your Gays, which seems to be his best book. Unfortunately, Lucky Day wasn’t for me, and I wish you better luck.
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher Titan Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher Titan Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
August 8, 2025
"Maybe getting our hands dirty is the only way to fight back against these people who've made a fortune playing in the mud."
What are the odds that Chuck Tingle would come up with a wildly imaginative, absurdly funny new book?
Pretty darned good, I'd say.
The fact that I honestly didn't care about what happened to the main character (Agent Layne was more to my liking), did dampen my enthusiasm a bit, but the wackadoodle events that kept occurring, well, there's no way I was gonna stop turning those pages..
Well paced, and, dare I say . . . invigorating.
I can't wait to see what the Tingler dreams up next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for sharing this.
What are the odds that Chuck Tingle would come up with a wildly imaginative, absurdly funny new book?
Pretty darned good, I'd say.
The fact that I honestly didn't care about what happened to the main character (Agent Layne was more to my liking), did dampen my enthusiasm a bit, but the wackadoodle events that kept occurring, well, there's no way I was gonna stop turning those pages..
Well paced, and, dare I say . . . invigorating.
I can't wait to see what the Tingler dreams up next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for sharing this.
March 17, 2025
This book wasn't what I expected in the most excellent way.
Tingle knows how to surprise you, and you're launched into this book and along for the ride right from the beginning. I felt seen, I felt heard, and I just really loved reading Vera as a character.
Love always wins in Chuck Tingle books, and despite the visceral violence of this one, it remains true.
Tingle knows how to surprise you, and you're launched into this book and along for the ride right from the beginning. I felt seen, I felt heard, and I just really loved reading Vera as a character.
Love always wins in Chuck Tingle books, and despite the visceral violence of this one, it remains true.
August 18, 2025
An absurdist exploration of grief, depression, and the attraction of nihilism, nothing is impossible in Tingle’s latest novel. I have to start by saying that I didn’t expect this to be a horror story, after seeing the drastic swerve from actual horror in Straight and Camp Damascus to the dark satire that plays with horror imagery in Bury Your Gays. That swerve left me mildly disappointed with BYG, because it was marketed as horror and I didn’t feel like it delivered on that in the same way his previous stories had. So, I ignored the marketing for this novel, and I am glad I did, because this is not a horror novel, not in any traditional sense of the word. There are some horrific scenes and there is an overarching sense of existential dread, but it is floating safely in dark sci-fi thriller waters without fear of being caught in any of horror’s whirlpools. There is nothing wrong with that, but it was useful for me to have appropriate expectations (or a lack of them) when starting.
I think the premise is genius, and that is no surprise, Tingle has shown again and again that he has a wonderful eye for story and how the out there and the absurd can still be home not just to nested metaphors but also genuine heart. The writing is confident and playful, depicting bloody spectacle with a colorful glee while at the same time having space for character interiority. The plotting is actually quite fast-paced, and that made it fun and easy to read. I do think it left a lot of things at not much more than surface level, though, as we were moving through things so quickly there wasn’t a lot of space for reflection. There was a considerable sense of dynamism between the spectacle set pieces, but I wouldn’t have minded a few quieter moments that didn’t always feel like they were leading me by the nose to the next plot point. This goes hand in hand with my feelings regarding the characters’ interior journeys, which felt both rushed and unfulfilling. I liked the characters, especially the main character but also all the ancillary characters, regardless of how much time we spent with them. They made sense, felt lived-in and real, not just phoned in to fill up the background. I loved where the opening conflict found our main character, cut down from the place of her greatest success and potential by the absurdity of reality to a place marked by abject nihilism, fueled by PTSD and depression. How can she find her way out of this? But the journey she goes on doesn’t feel particularly motivated or motivating, she is kind of forced along for the ride until she makes an abrupt 180-degree turn, or that is how it felt. I like the place that she ended up, that felt natural to the world and the overall experience, but the narrative didn’t feel like it quite earned it, or rather like it happened more abruptly than it might have.
There are a few extravagant set pieces which felt ripped right out of a Final Destination film, with each one playing into the absurdity of the situation more and more, but never feeling like it lost the plot. They were deliciously fun and bloody and really effective throughout. There were a few other surprise bits of horror along the way which I also enjoyed (including a cheeky reference to his novella Straight), but this all felt like isolated little pops of color, never really setting a tone or environment but just adding (albeit fun) decoration to the relatively straightforward thriller. Unfortunately, the detective work elements were kind of the weakest parts, and the entire journey of this story is wrapped in an investigation. The mystery didn’t feel like it ever really had legs, or, more, it felt like everything was a forgone conclusion. The investigation felt like pretense and it wasn’t particularly interesting, there were never any meaningful red herrings or even particularly juicy clues. Even the reveal, while I enjoyed the social commentary Tingle was making with the antagonist and means and motives, just felt secondary to the constant need to move forward. If the story is going to be so aggressively absurdist thriller (as opposed to horror) then the actual thriller parts, the detective work and mystery and clues and legwork and reveals of nefarious plans within plans, the double crosses, and so on, those all need to be executed better, be given more heft, instead of just serving as set dressing.
I like the ideas in the novel, and I think it is a really smart and creative way to tackle some heavy themes, namely the alluring face of nihilism and self-destruction. There are other ideas that feel like they were starting to go somewhere, like the biphobia the main character experiences more than once, but these ideas also feel like they are thought about but never really dug into. I honestly think the story could have had an additional 50 pages to actually go deeper into some of its ideas, to allow more reflection, and to maybe actually set up more proper detective/thriller elements beyond the surface approximations we get. Those would have been pages well-spent that I think would have made this book a lot more satisfying to me. I enjoyed it, the story and ideas and writing are all on display. It has a creativity and a commitment to authenticity that I really admire in genre fiction, especially, not afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. I just wanted a little more depth, more character interaction and development, and more time to really perseverate in the world Tingle created.
I think the premise is genius, and that is no surprise, Tingle has shown again and again that he has a wonderful eye for story and how the out there and the absurd can still be home not just to nested metaphors but also genuine heart. The writing is confident and playful, depicting bloody spectacle with a colorful glee while at the same time having space for character interiority. The plotting is actually quite fast-paced, and that made it fun and easy to read. I do think it left a lot of things at not much more than surface level, though, as we were moving through things so quickly there wasn’t a lot of space for reflection. There was a considerable sense of dynamism between the spectacle set pieces, but I wouldn’t have minded a few quieter moments that didn’t always feel like they were leading me by the nose to the next plot point. This goes hand in hand with my feelings regarding the characters’ interior journeys, which felt both rushed and unfulfilling. I liked the characters, especially the main character but also all the ancillary characters, regardless of how much time we spent with them. They made sense, felt lived-in and real, not just phoned in to fill up the background. I loved where the opening conflict found our main character, cut down from the place of her greatest success and potential by the absurdity of reality to a place marked by abject nihilism, fueled by PTSD and depression. How can she find her way out of this? But the journey she goes on doesn’t feel particularly motivated or motivating, she is kind of forced along for the ride until she makes an abrupt 180-degree turn, or that is how it felt. I like the place that she ended up, that felt natural to the world and the overall experience, but the narrative didn’t feel like it quite earned it, or rather like it happened more abruptly than it might have.
There are a few extravagant set pieces which felt ripped right out of a Final Destination film, with each one playing into the absurdity of the situation more and more, but never feeling like it lost the plot. They were deliciously fun and bloody and really effective throughout. There were a few other surprise bits of horror along the way which I also enjoyed (including a cheeky reference to his novella Straight), but this all felt like isolated little pops of color, never really setting a tone or environment but just adding (albeit fun) decoration to the relatively straightforward thriller. Unfortunately, the detective work elements were kind of the weakest parts, and the entire journey of this story is wrapped in an investigation. The mystery didn’t feel like it ever really had legs, or, more, it felt like everything was a forgone conclusion. The investigation felt like pretense and it wasn’t particularly interesting, there were never any meaningful red herrings or even particularly juicy clues. Even the reveal, while I enjoyed the social commentary Tingle was making with the antagonist and means and motives, just felt secondary to the constant need to move forward. If the story is going to be so aggressively absurdist thriller (as opposed to horror) then the actual thriller parts, the detective work and mystery and clues and legwork and reveals of nefarious plans within plans, the double crosses, and so on, those all need to be executed better, be given more heft, instead of just serving as set dressing.
I like the ideas in the novel, and I think it is a really smart and creative way to tackle some heavy themes, namely the alluring face of nihilism and self-destruction. There are other ideas that feel like they were starting to go somewhere, like the biphobia the main character experiences more than once, but these ideas also feel like they are thought about but never really dug into. I honestly think the story could have had an additional 50 pages to actually go deeper into some of its ideas, to allow more reflection, and to maybe actually set up more proper detective/thriller elements beyond the surface approximations we get. Those would have been pages well-spent that I think would have made this book a lot more satisfying to me. I enjoyed it, the story and ideas and writing are all on display. It has a creativity and a commitment to authenticity that I really admire in genre fiction, especially, not afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. I just wanted a little more depth, more character interaction and development, and more time to really perseverate in the world Tingle created.
July 1, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of this book!
I thought this one was a lot of fun, I just want in the mood for it at the time - definitely think my rating would be higher if my mood had been different
3.5 stars
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjK3xuUv/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/jpFlVncydFg?si=pWEQm...
I thought this one was a lot of fun, I just want in the mood for it at the time - definitely think my rating would be higher if my mood had been different
3.5 stars
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjK3xuUv/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/jpFlVncydFg?si=pWEQm...
dreaded-dnf
July 24, 2025DNF at about 40 percent. I am not connecting with this book or with the main character at all.
DNF with no rating/no review.
DNF with no rating/no review.
August 30, 2025
This is tough… the read itself is good. It’s interesting, engaging enough (although I didn’t connect quite as well with our leading lady as I did with our main man in Bury Your Gays—which is Chuck Tingle’s best). Likely most looking for a thrilling, bizarre ride will be intrigued. There is all manner of insanity here and Blake Crouch fans will be interested if nothing else. It lacks the hard science of Crouch novels but for many that is likely a good thing. None of that is the problem I have with Lucky Day. The commentary on our existence, statistical probabilities, and philosophical musings is all more than adequate.
My issues are more personal. And so I can’t give this 5 stars like I might want to. But my reasoning may not make sense to most. The leading lady in Lucky Day is bisexual. I’m also a female bisexual. When we first meet her, the reaction from her Mother is typical. The usual ‘it’s a phase’, ‘bisexual doesn’t exist’, etc. And so I was hopeful that we would be on a journey to really look at what it means to ‘not exist’ but also not belong to any sexual identity. You’re not straight, you’re not gay, you’re not trans. You’re something in-between all of them; subject to emotional feelings most people ignore in themselves just so they can say they are heterosexual or homosexual (cause it’s easier than being bisexual and trying to explain how everyone has the chance to be attractive to you). While Tingle adequately handles the idea of non-existence he never touches on the feelings or emotions behind never belonging.
Let me explain further if I may…
I can go to a cocktail event with my husband, mostly hetero couples, and I pass. I can go to a Pride parade, dish about gorgeous girls and pass. But do I ever belong to either group?
It’s a conundrum that, even at 42 yrs old, with an insanely supportive partner, I have yet to answer. Reality is that most bisexuals end up with a straight partner because that’s just what is easier as our society caters to it. And so many turn their backs on their queer feelings and roll with that identity.
A couple years ago I decided to really embrace my queerness and be more bold that while my partner is a man I’m truly bi. In doing this, I got told, by a lesbian BFF, that I ‘don’t make sense’ and really should ‘pick a side’ because I ‘can’t have the best of both worlds’. It crushes me when I recall those words. Not unlike the continuing journey of emotions our leading lady goes through in this book.
Yet Tingle has missed the sense of ‘missing’ in the middle piece of it all; or it didn’t quite get there and resonate with me. Now this is just my journey with this book. And I think everyone will have a very different one. I just got my hopes up to have some truly honest bisexual representation (for the first time ever) and so maybe got too excited and my expectations were too high.
Lucky Day is one of those books that everyone will get something different from. Its gore factor is quite low for a horror novel. It’s less scary than Tingle’s other books and really stands better with Dark Matter by aforementioned Crouch. I think most will enjoy the insanity of this story; I wish it would rain rainbow confetti, sounds so pretty!!
I’d definitely recommend reading Lucky Day; but I’ll caveat that and say Bury Your Gays has a more gut punch queer feel to it and a lot more action. That said Tingle has cemented himself as a ‘must read’ author for me this year (when not writing ridiculous smut books); and I’ll look forward to his next one confident that not all the queer characters will be dead in the end! :)
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
My issues are more personal. And so I can’t give this 5 stars like I might want to. But my reasoning may not make sense to most. The leading lady in Lucky Day is bisexual. I’m also a female bisexual. When we first meet her, the reaction from her Mother is typical. The usual ‘it’s a phase’, ‘bisexual doesn’t exist’, etc. And so I was hopeful that we would be on a journey to really look at what it means to ‘not exist’ but also not belong to any sexual identity. You’re not straight, you’re not gay, you’re not trans. You’re something in-between all of them; subject to emotional feelings most people ignore in themselves just so they can say they are heterosexual or homosexual (cause it’s easier than being bisexual and trying to explain how everyone has the chance to be attractive to you). While Tingle adequately handles the idea of non-existence he never touches on the feelings or emotions behind never belonging.
Let me explain further if I may…
I can go to a cocktail event with my husband, mostly hetero couples, and I pass. I can go to a Pride parade, dish about gorgeous girls and pass. But do I ever belong to either group?
It’s a conundrum that, even at 42 yrs old, with an insanely supportive partner, I have yet to answer. Reality is that most bisexuals end up with a straight partner because that’s just what is easier as our society caters to it. And so many turn their backs on their queer feelings and roll with that identity.
A couple years ago I decided to really embrace my queerness and be more bold that while my partner is a man I’m truly bi. In doing this, I got told, by a lesbian BFF, that I ‘don’t make sense’ and really should ‘pick a side’ because I ‘can’t have the best of both worlds’. It crushes me when I recall those words. Not unlike the continuing journey of emotions our leading lady goes through in this book.
Yet Tingle has missed the sense of ‘missing’ in the middle piece of it all; or it didn’t quite get there and resonate with me. Now this is just my journey with this book. And I think everyone will have a very different one. I just got my hopes up to have some truly honest bisexual representation (for the first time ever) and so maybe got too excited and my expectations were too high.
Lucky Day is one of those books that everyone will get something different from. Its gore factor is quite low for a horror novel. It’s less scary than Tingle’s other books and really stands better with Dark Matter by aforementioned Crouch. I think most will enjoy the insanity of this story; I wish it would rain rainbow confetti, sounds so pretty!!
I’d definitely recommend reading Lucky Day; but I’ll caveat that and say Bury Your Gays has a more gut punch queer feel to it and a lot more action. That said Tingle has cemented himself as a ‘must read’ author for me this year (when not writing ridiculous smut books); and I’ll look forward to his next one confident that not all the queer characters will be dead in the end! :)
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
August 8, 2025
A type A statistics analyst loses everything in a highly unlikely scenario. Now she must go against all odds to save the world.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 8 hours 24 minutes
🎤: Mara Wilson
Publisher: MacMillan Audio
Format: Singular POV
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in her narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range.
Themes:
🎲: Grief
🎲: Finding purpose after disaster
🎲: Challenging homophobia
🎲: Questioning our existence
Representation:
🃏: Logical type A female lead
🃏: Queer characters
Tropes:
💗: Alien invasion
💗: Vegas Setting
🥵: Spice: 🚫
Potential Triggers: gore and violence **check authors page/socials for full list.
Short Synopsis:
When Vera, a former statistics and probability professor, lives through a disaster that kills 8 million people in the most bizarre and improbable ways, she descends into grief and depression. Four years later special agent Layne knocks on her door and asks her to join him in trying to disprove a casino that is "Lucky" to an impossible degree statistically. in fact, he believes the casino is responsible for the death of the millions.
General Thoughts:
Type A peeps unite, this is one for you! Vera is logical and reasonable to a fault. I, being somebody who also likes to hear statistics on certain aspects of things, really found her to be endearing and comical. But in that droll very dry way that academics who are exceedingly smart, usually are. Think Sheldon!
This book is fast paced and kicks off immediately. The portion of the book where Vera lives her pre-disaster life does not last very long at all. This created a very empty feeling for me surrounding her previous life as well as her relationship with people. I feel like this made the portion of the book where Vera grieves for everything she's lost feel a little flat for me.
I do enjoy the character growth that Vera goes through during the duration of the novel. I do feel like she does a lot of self reflection and I liked the discussions surrounding grief. The existential conversations about whether or not we really exist and if anything we do has actual purpose felt so relatable. Are you reading my journal Chuck Tingle??
I was not a fan of Layne as a character in general. He felt like a mish-mash of tropes that just didn't work overly well up against Vera. An interaction between Layne and Vera surrounding biphobia felt was very unresolved. Also, it didn't really match up to how Vera dealt with biphobia earlier in the book. I really would've liked a few more discussions between Layne and Vera surrounding what it means to be dismissed as a bisexual and the inherent biphobia that runs rampant throughout LGBTQIA community.
There were parts that were really well written that mostly revolved around the violence and gore aspect in the novel. They came across as super comical and very fun, and I wish that the Vegas aspect had played more into that type of feel. I never really felt like this was a "Vegas" setting, larger than life/glitz and glam. I really wish it would've leaned more into that.
Overall, I would say this book hits the middle of the road for me, leaning more towards not one of my faves. While it had some great aspects, and I really enjoyed our main characters type A personality as well as the premise surrounding statistics and probability, there was a lot of things that didn't work for me within the setting and the overall plot line.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 8 hours 24 minutes
🎤: Mara Wilson
Publisher: MacMillan Audio
Format: Singular POV
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in her narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range.
Themes:
🎲: Grief
🎲: Finding purpose after disaster
🎲: Challenging homophobia
🎲: Questioning our existence
Representation:
🃏: Logical type A female lead
🃏: Queer characters
Tropes:
💗: Alien invasion
💗: Vegas Setting
🥵: Spice: 🚫
Potential Triggers: gore and violence **check authors page/socials for full list.
Short Synopsis:
When Vera, a former statistics and probability professor, lives through a disaster that kills 8 million people in the most bizarre and improbable ways, she descends into grief and depression. Four years later special agent Layne knocks on her door and asks her to join him in trying to disprove a casino that is "Lucky" to an impossible degree statistically. in fact, he believes the casino is responsible for the death of the millions.
General Thoughts:
Type A peeps unite, this is one for you! Vera is logical and reasonable to a fault. I, being somebody who also likes to hear statistics on certain aspects of things, really found her to be endearing and comical. But in that droll very dry way that academics who are exceedingly smart, usually are. Think Sheldon!
This book is fast paced and kicks off immediately. The portion of the book where Vera lives her pre-disaster life does not last very long at all. This created a very empty feeling for me surrounding her previous life as well as her relationship with people. I feel like this made the portion of the book where Vera grieves for everything she's lost feel a little flat for me.
I do enjoy the character growth that Vera goes through during the duration of the novel. I do feel like she does a lot of self reflection and I liked the discussions surrounding grief. The existential conversations about whether or not we really exist and if anything we do has actual purpose felt so relatable. Are you reading my journal Chuck Tingle??
I was not a fan of Layne as a character in general. He felt like a mish-mash of tropes that just didn't work overly well up against Vera. An interaction between Layne and Vera surrounding biphobia felt was very unresolved. Also, it didn't really match up to how Vera dealt with biphobia earlier in the book. I really would've liked a few more discussions between Layne and Vera surrounding what it means to be dismissed as a bisexual and the inherent biphobia that runs rampant throughout LGBTQIA community.
There were parts that were really well written that mostly revolved around the violence and gore aspect in the novel. They came across as super comical and very fun, and I wish that the Vegas aspect had played more into that type of feel. I never really felt like this was a "Vegas" setting, larger than life/glitz and glam. I really wish it would've leaned more into that.
Overall, I would say this book hits the middle of the road for me, leaning more towards not one of my faves. While it had some great aspects, and I really enjoyed our main characters type A personality as well as the premise surrounding statistics and probability, there was a lot of things that didn't work for me within the setting and the overall plot line.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
August 31, 2025
I did not have an existential crisis care of Chuck Tingle on my bingo card for the day, yet here I am. (Bad enough that Katabasis rearranged my entire brain earlier this week.) This was probably the most unique Tingle book, yet. Part logical and statistical argument and part horror, this is the story of what happens when you must choose between life and chaos. The effects of those choices are real and grisly, squeamish readers be warned. Despite being on the shorter side, coming in at 228 pages, you cannot help but feel like the person that started this book and the one that finished it are vastly different. If anyone needs me, I’ll be over there in the corner, pondering over each one of my life choices.
July 14, 2025
Hey Chuck, super quick question for you: what the actual fuck? (Complimentary)
This book is a glorious combination of Final Destination, Nope, and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once and I love it. Chuck Tingle just gets better and better with each book I read from him. I admit I was a Chuck Tingle novice when I read Camp Damascus so I didn’t get the vision. I started to get it with Bury Your Gays and now with Lucky Day I’m a full on buckaroo.
I also will admit I went into this not really knowing what the plot would bring and now having read the book I have to say that I don’t really know what I read, but I know it was beautiful. What I mean is, to me, the actual plot takes a backseat to Vera’s emotional journey. I will warn readers now, while I love the ending of this book (may in fact still be crying because it was so touching), I will tell you Vera is in a really rough emotional place for a lot of the book and struggles with SI much of the time. It might be hard to read if you’re in a similar headspace. It’s a lot of nothing matters before Vera realizes nothing matters. If you’ve watched EEAAO, this sentence makes sense to you. If you’ve haven’t, idk, sorry you hate good cinema, I guess.
I also really struggled with the dead cat scene. Yes, a cat dies and yes you better believe I’m going to talk about my dead cat again. But this is about my reading experience, not yours, so hush. I was full on going to rate this 4 stars because I don’t really enjoy animal deaths and I am especially sensitive to animal deaths now that my own beautiful boy has passed away, call me sensitive. But I have to give it to Chuck, he really transformed the whole scene and I appreciate it. I won’t give the ending away because like I said, it’s just so achingly beautiful and I will say that it all made sense and came together at the end. At least with the cat, there was some other stuff that I don’t think stuck the landing as well but I also don’t think that it was supposed to so I’ll give it a pass. Again, it’s not really about the plot itself, it’s very much about Vera. In my opinion anyway.
I also must shoutout the narrator for the audiobook, who I believe is THE Mara Wilson. A good narrator really makes or breaks an audiobook and Mara really nailed it.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a glorious combination of Final Destination, Nope, and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once and I love it. Chuck Tingle just gets better and better with each book I read from him. I admit I was a Chuck Tingle novice when I read Camp Damascus so I didn’t get the vision. I started to get it with Bury Your Gays and now with Lucky Day I’m a full on buckaroo.
I also will admit I went into this not really knowing what the plot would bring and now having read the book I have to say that I don’t really know what I read, but I know it was beautiful. What I mean is, to me, the actual plot takes a backseat to Vera’s emotional journey. I will warn readers now, while I love the ending of this book (may in fact still be crying because it was so touching), I will tell you Vera is in a really rough emotional place for a lot of the book and struggles with SI much of the time. It might be hard to read if you’re in a similar headspace. It’s a lot of nothing matters before Vera realizes nothing matters. If you’ve watched EEAAO, this sentence makes sense to you. If you’ve haven’t, idk, sorry you hate good cinema, I guess.
I also really struggled with the dead cat scene. Yes, a cat dies and yes you better believe I’m going to talk about my dead cat again. But this is about my reading experience, not yours, so hush. I was full on going to rate this 4 stars because I don’t really enjoy animal deaths and I am especially sensitive to animal deaths now that my own beautiful boy has passed away, call me sensitive. But I have to give it to Chuck, he really transformed the whole scene and I appreciate it. I won’t give the ending away because like I said, it’s just so achingly beautiful and I will say that it all made sense and came together at the end. At least with the cat, there was some other stuff that I don’t think stuck the landing as well but I also don’t think that it was supposed to so I’ll give it a pass. Again, it’s not really about the plot itself, it’s very much about Vera. In my opinion anyway.
I also must shoutout the narrator for the audiobook, who I believe is THE Mara Wilson. A good narrator really makes or breaks an audiobook and Mara really nailed it.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2025
I’m a Chuck Tingle fan, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I usually love his mix of humor, sincerity, and chaotic horror, but here it felt kind of muddled. I never really understood the “why” of anything that was happening. It’s like "Final Destination" meets "The X-Files", except fate isn’t driving the unhinged kills and Mulder tells Scully that her brand of queer is a farce.
Which brings us to the biphobia. It comes up (twice!), but nothing is really done with it, which left me unsettled. It’s used as a tool to invalidate the protagonist and enforce her nihilistic nature. She has a straight person telling her she’s an attention seeker and a queer person telling her she has one foot in the closet. What she is isn’t real. She isn’t real. She doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. Got it?
I’ve actually been stewing in my anger for the last hour and a half thinking about this book and getting more agitated. Cool concept. The cover is fire. But… *sigh*
Which brings us to the biphobia. It comes up (twice!), but nothing is really done with it, which left me unsettled. It’s used as a tool to invalidate the protagonist and enforce her nihilistic nature. She has a straight person telling her she’s an attention seeker and a queer person telling her she has one foot in the closet. What she is isn’t real. She isn’t real. She doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. Got it?
I’ve actually been stewing in my anger for the last hour and a half thinking about this book and getting more agitated. Cool concept. The cover is fire. But… *sigh*
August 13, 2025
Chuck Tingle’s Lucky Day isn’t your typical horror novel — it’s a wild, weird ride that somehow manages to blend absurdity, dark humor, and genuine suspense into one unforgettable package. The story kicks off after a catastrophic event where millions died in wildly improbable, almost cartoonish ways, shattering any faith in order or logic. Enter Vera, a former statistics professor who’s been broken by this chaos and now struggles to find meaning in a world where luck isn’t just random — it’s deadly.
Tingle uses statistics not just as a backdrop but as a vital element of its narrative. Vera’s expertise in probability becomes the lens through which we see a terrifying casino in Vegas defying all odds. The casino’s success isn’t just improbable; it’s impossibly lucky — and that luck has a sinister price. This is where the story flips from quirky to chilling, as the unraveling mystery threatens everything Vera once believed about how the world works.
If you’re looking for a story that makes you think about fate, resilience, and what it means when the universe stops making sense, Lucky Day delivers. It’s not just a book about bad luck — it’s about how we cling to meaning when everything’s falling apart. There’s something deeply unsettling about a world where the impossible can happen at any moment, and Tingle captures that with a flair that’s as smart as it is strange.
I read the audiobook, and Mara Wilson’s narration is fantastic. She nails the tone perfectly — balancing the deadpan, dry wit of Vera with the story’s creeping horror and weird humor. Her grounded delivery makes the bizarre moments even funnier and more unsettling, while never losing sight of the emotional weight beneath it all.
So, if you want a book that’s part mind-bending mystery, part off-kilter horror, and completely original, Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle is a ride worth taking. It’s a bizarre dance with fate, where the odds are never in your favor — but you just can’t look away. Highly recommended.
Tingle uses statistics not just as a backdrop but as a vital element of its narrative. Vera’s expertise in probability becomes the lens through which we see a terrifying casino in Vegas defying all odds. The casino’s success isn’t just improbable; it’s impossibly lucky — and that luck has a sinister price. This is where the story flips from quirky to chilling, as the unraveling mystery threatens everything Vera once believed about how the world works.
If you’re looking for a story that makes you think about fate, resilience, and what it means when the universe stops making sense, Lucky Day delivers. It’s not just a book about bad luck — it’s about how we cling to meaning when everything’s falling apart. There’s something deeply unsettling about a world where the impossible can happen at any moment, and Tingle captures that with a flair that’s as smart as it is strange.
I read the audiobook, and Mara Wilson’s narration is fantastic. She nails the tone perfectly — balancing the deadpan, dry wit of Vera with the story’s creeping horror and weird humor. Her grounded delivery makes the bizarre moments even funnier and more unsettling, while never losing sight of the emotional weight beneath it all.
So, if you want a book that’s part mind-bending mystery, part off-kilter horror, and completely original, Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle is a ride worth taking. It’s a bizarre dance with fate, where the odds are never in your favor — but you just can’t look away. Highly recommended.
March 29, 2025
This review is admittedly a little bit biased, as I am fully a member of the Tingle cult and will happily read whatever he gives us.
This particular novel was an incredibly smart, existentially horrific book. It takes more of a sci-fi turn in the second half, which is different from what Tingle has typically done in his traditionally-published novels, but he does so with the finesse that you’d expect from the World’s Greatest Author.
The imagery of the scary moments is what Tingle really excels at, equal parts campy and unimaginably terrifying. I also loved how the story was a queer parable, and great bisexuality rep, as expected for Tingle’s work.
Chuck Tingle will never cease to amaze me with his outlandish writing and undeniable talent. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This particular novel was an incredibly smart, existentially horrific book. It takes more of a sci-fi turn in the second half, which is different from what Tingle has typically done in his traditionally-published novels, but he does so with the finesse that you’d expect from the World’s Greatest Author.
The imagery of the scary moments is what Tingle really excels at, equal parts campy and unimaginably terrifying. I also loved how the story was a queer parable, and great bisexuality rep, as expected for Tingle’s work.
Chuck Tingle will never cease to amaze me with his outlandish writing and undeniable talent. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 6, 2025
The first third of this I was like hell yeah man….
- bisexual math professor watches most of the world die and then proceeds to convince herself she might not be real and what’s the point of anything? (Real af)
- loved the horror and gore and shock value of it all in that first third lmao
But then around the 40% mark and on it kinda just lost the plot for me…? I very much hit a point where I was like what is even going on anymore and what’s the point??? So I guess me and this protagonist have a lot in common idk
- bisexual math professor watches most of the world die and then proceeds to convince herself she might not be real and what’s the point of anything? (Real af)
- loved the horror and gore and shock value of it all in that first third lmao
But then around the 40% mark and on it kinda just lost the plot for me…? I very much hit a point where I was like what is even going on anymore and what’s the point??? So I guess me and this protagonist have a lot in common idk
May 20, 2025
This started out interesting enough, a freak “low probability event” accident kills 7 million people, but that’s about where it stops being entertaining. Of course it’s nonsensical, and I’m sure if you like Chuck Tingle you’ll like it. I didn’t fully know what I was getting into, but was able to roll with it, ultimately I found it got boring around the 50% mark, there was a real lack of character depth, which sure this is very much a plot book, but yea unfortunately this didn’t work for me.
Thanks to the publisher for the eARC.
Thanks to the publisher for the eARC.
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