This is a cute not really scare your pants off horror book that should be a good nostalgic book for many gen xers. It was a slow burn but a fun Christmas read nevertheless.

Overall I quite liked this book but, I was interested to see what would happen. I managed to read this in one sitting as it was such a quick read, but definitely think if I’d had to put it down for any reason I wouldn’t have been rushing to pick it back up. I didn’t really have any particular feelings on any of the characters and I think that’s because the story was so short, we didn’t get a chance to properly know them

Lussi Myer is facing a string of unfortunate events in her life, including falling behind on rent payments and losing her job as an editor. She desperately needs to find a new job quickly. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems. Despite a disastrous interview and the boss's heart attack, Lussi lands the Senior Editor role at the esteemed Blackwood-Patterson publishing house. But when she visits the hospital to check on her boss, she overhears his son, confirming that he has passed away. Lussi uses Mr Blackwood Junior's financial concerns to secure the job.

The story is a dark comedy horror that keeps the reader guessing.

Secret Santa was so much fun. Reading it felt like a real treat. I recently got to read a handful of '90s YA horror (thanks, Megan!) and this book clearly has affection for the paperback horror of the 80s and 90s without being just a pastiche. There are little meta moments, but Shaffer spends most of his writing energy building good lead characters and a fun, PG-13 horror story. I loved it.
I wished that he had dropped that Lussi is pronounced Lucy before my brain decided otherwise (i.e. immediately), but her sense of humor was very fun and as a lead character I think she worked really well--good genre knowledge without being Randy from Scream, a strong female lead without a lot of fuss about it.

SECRET SANTA is an absorbing and entertaining Horror read! From the creeping subtlety to the Teutonic mythology and occultish Nazi hints, SECRET SANTA was a one-session delight. Kickin' empowered Feckless Heroine Lussy [pronounced Lucy] is like the Timex commercials of old, or maybe like a superhero of the 1930's and 1940's. She takes a lot, including actual potentially fatal danger, but she doesn't stop. She doesn't quit. She refuses to back down, NO MATTER THE DANGER! She's unstoppable! I so admire her determination and integrity.

Secret Santa was a ton of fun! A quick, festive read that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I enjoyed the mythos and the way that it was over- dramatized contributed perfectly to the humorous undertones of the story. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone looking to pick up some holiday spirit next Christmas season.

Crazy storyline but I couldn't put it down. Those who like their horror and can suspend disbelief should definitely read it.

More or less a fast-paced dark adventure set during Christmas time, Secret Santa gives all the familiar-feel good thrills as GREMLINS but not so much the horror.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book to read in advance. I saved this one for Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic tradition of reading on Christmas Eve. It was a fun read and I enjoyed it.

Unemployed Lussi Meyer is looking for a job, and once she finds herself employed and tasked with finding the next big writing star, she's up for the challenge. Soon, however, she finds herself the target of her co-workers' mean-spirited pranks. When she receives an odd object in the Secret Santa gift exchange, her coworkers begin to get their comeuppance.

This was a fun story but not as creepy as I'd hoped. I think the characters were written well and the plot was intriguing, but I did find it a bit slow to build up. It was also funnier than I expected, so that was nice.

Thank you @quirkbooks for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

At the beginning of our story we meet our main character Lussi Meyer, who is very desperate to work in publishing. After a bizarre set of circumstances it leads her to be hired but she must find the next horror superstar to compete with likes of Stephen King and Anne Rice.

This 80s themed horror story wasn’t actually very scary to me. It does have a few classic horror/comedy moments but none that I would particularly point out as scary. However there were a few scenes which I felt were quite dark, but none that scared me. Many of the scenes we have seen in this book have already been done before in other books, I don’t know if this was meant to be the point of the book or not.

Even though the book is quite short and fast paced in places it still took me quite a while to read through as I couldn’t fully get into the story. I can get behind horror/comedy usually but I just felt very out of place in this book, like it needed to be one or the other.

The main part I enjoyed about this book is the characters, I found this story to be very character driven and our main character Lussi to be a very smart and interesting character to read about.

Overall I did enjoy this read, really good for someone not wanting your classic soppy Christmas read and great if you love a very character driven and fast paced horror/comedy.

A well-written, horrifying holiday romp with a satisfying plot and an interesting set of characters.

It may be past the holiday season, but it’s never the wrong time for a little horror ☠️

Secret Santa follows Lussi (pronounced Lucy), an out of work twenty-something in the 80s, desperate to get back into the world of publishing. She loves, and specialize in, the horror genre, and after a bizarre series of events, ends up at the mysterious publishing house Blackwood-Patterson. Horror novels are currently all the rage, and her job is to find the next Stephen King. This seems like a simple enough (albeit daunting and certainly not easy) task, but Lussi quickly becomes the target of hazing, and during a secret Santa exchange, she receives a demonic toy she recognizes from her past...

Soon after, one by one her coworkers start to succumb to a series of horrific events 🥴

But don’t fret! While Secret Santa is classified as a horror novel, but I’d say it’s a thriller with horror elements-a good choice for those who aren’t typically into the horror genre but want to read something a little darker. It’s a quick and quirky read sprinkled with dry humor that’s not super gory.

I wish I had read this last month, but I was a bit late on this one. I was intrigued by the write-up saying this book is " The Office meets Stephen King, dressed up in holiday tinsel." It's called a parody, but maybe there's something wrong with me, but besides a laugh here or there, I wouldn't call this a parody. But that being said, I did really enjoy this. I loved the setting of the Publishing House as well. As a reader, that was icing on the cake. I will definitely look for more by Andrew Shaffer.

This is Shaffer's first horror novel and, right out the gate, it's a masterpiece. Equal parts hilarious and horrific. There were parts of this book that made me flitch and have to set it down. This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to dip there toe in the horror pool, and it will definitely have you coming back for more.

At 215 pages this was a nice quick horror fix which provided a perfect read on our dark wintery evenings. It also caught me slightly off guard, the early chapters lulled me into thinking this was a quirky and lite horror tale. A Gremlins or a Critters (yes my horror movies references are straight out of the 1980’s) but Secret Santa got dark and I do like that in a book.

What I really liked was the lead character – Lussi Meyer. She works in pubishing and Secret Santa sees her sitting in front of publishing legend Xavier Blackwood interviewing for a role as head of the new horror imprint at Blackwood-Patterson. Despite being an established and well respected name Blackwood-Patterson don’t publish horror. Lussi will have her work cut out convincing Xavier she is the ideal candidate for the job.

Before the interview can be concluded (unsuccessfully for Lussi) Xavier Blackwood dies at his desk with only Lussi in attendance. This leaves Lussi in the clear to confirm her new role to the staff at Blackwood-Patterson and she finds herself installed into a new job. With her new colleagues in mourning and a barely concealed distrust/dislike of Lussi on display it seems Lussi ia going to have her work cut out to become an accepted member of staff.

At the office christmas party the Secret Santa exchange of gifts is in full flow. Lussi opens her gift to uncover a creepy doll which she had last seen in the office of Xavier Blackwood during that fateful (fatal?) interview. Naturally Lussi is not too enamoured to be presented with the grotesque troll like doll but she feigns pleasure and puts the doll into her office.

Although life continues at Blackwood-Patterson under the new management of Xavier’s son, strange things are happening in the big old building which houses the publishing firm. Unexplained accidents to staff members. Excrement on Lussi’s office floor, which her colleagues don’t feel is too unusual. The feeling of not being alone when she visits the stacks of unread manuscrips in the basement of the building. Not to overlook the hooded figures performing a very perilous ritual after hours.

Lussi confides in one of her authors, the brilliant and larger than life horror writer Fabien Nightingale. Together they try to understand what is going on at Blackwood-Patterson and to get to the bottom of an old myth which surrounds Lussi’s secret santa gift.

The danger is growing and Lussi has increasing fear for her life, her colleagues can’t be trusted and people around her are dying – can she escape a similar fate?

Slick writing, dark but with humour and tension when it counts – Secret Santa was a very welcome diversion during a busy week and it’s a recommended read for horror fans.

This is a whole lot of campy, creepy fun harking back to the "golden age" of 1980s paperback horror. This should be a staple for any horror fan at Christmas - a truly enjoyable and escapist read. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it.

2.5
I really wanted to like this one more. Unfortunately I didn't quite click with the writing style. I'm glad it's seemed to work out for other readers. It's a shame because Christmas Horror is totally my thing

Secret Santa was a mixed bag. A run of bad luck has hit Lussi Myer. She’s behind in her share of the rent, she’s lost her beloved editor role in a publishing house and she needs to find something fast! As you delve into this kind of dark comedy horror you realise that a lot of things aren’t as they seem. She lands the position of Senior Editor in the prominent publishing house of Blackwood-Patterson. Well, of course there is the small matter of her interview going horrendously and the boss taking a heart attack right in front of her. When she arrives at the hospital to visit him, she overhears his son on the phone confirming that Mr Blackwood is dead. She ends up getting the role by basically playing on the financial concerns of Mr Blackwood junior.

Despite the terrible circumstances of her gaining employment at the firm, Lussi is incredibly happy. She can make plans to pay her half the rent and just be comfortable. Quickly the events that are taking place in Secret Santa are quite frankly odd. There’s comments that no-one ever leaves their job, but the secretary that had been there for what seems like an eternity left the day after Mr Blackwood’s death. There is a strange atmosphere between the already ordained employees and Lussi, they almost seem numb behind the eyes, and then of course, there is what occurs at the secret Santa exchange.

Lussi has been given a gift even though she had just started her role and hadn’t been given a name to buy for. It appears someone is pranking her. She was given the mysterious doll that was in Mr Blackwood’s office on the day of his heart attack. Lussi being fully aware of these dolls as her grandmother owned one, knows that they can be used to ward off evil spirits. Its an odd gift to receive but she accepts none the less. Still the odd behaviours and events continue. A missing Stollen cake, a broken shin on the intern and the heart attack of the boss.

Secret Santa was a solid read, but I think the authors brand of comedy was lost on me. I know where he was trying to take it, but he shot way past it in my opinion. The eighties references were pretty cool, and I did get “The Southern Book Clubs Guide To Slaying Vampires” but I enjoyed that one better. The book was relatively short but did take me a while to get through because I just couldn’t completely gel with it.

This book was a must for the holiday season. With a twist on the genie myth this book really takes you on a ride to realize what true worth and potential is, and what a person is willing to do to get it.