Check chapter word counts against targets.
Chapter length is a pacing tool, and the target follows from dividing your manuscript goal by the planned chapter count — 90,000 words across 32 chapters is about 2800 each. What matters more than hitting that number is staying within a deliberate variance band. Some unevenness is good writing: a short chapter accelerates, a long one settles the reader in. But a chapter running 60 percent above the others usually contains two chapters' worth of material and a natural break point you have not used, while a very short one often needs merging or developing rather than standing alone.
Target per chapter
Target = manuscript target words / chapter count
Variance band
Lower = target x (1 - variance%); Upper = target x (1 + variance%)
No — deliberate variation controls pace. A two-page chapter after a long one creates urgency, and thrillers use exactly that effect. What to avoid is unintentional variation, where a chapter is long because you did not find its break point rather than because the pacing calls for it.
Two chapters fused together. If a chapter runs well beyond your band, look for a natural pivot — a change of scene, viewpoint, or a moment of decision. Splitting there almost always improves pace and gives you a stronger chapter opening than you had.