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ashley_books_cats_judo's review against another edition
4.0
I started this one before its release date but had to travel for work and only just picked it up again - turned into a Christmas in July read!
This one had a lot of things that I typically like in thrillers - jumping between past and present timelines, podcast investigator, chief of police’s daughter who rebels and also incorporated a bookstore & bookclub.
This was a shorter read but it also in parts felt like the characters storylines became a bit rushed. We only briefly hear about some of the friendships/relationships in the book. There were also a lot of missing people in the town so i felt more disconnected to some of them than I would’ve liked. Overall, I still really enjoyed this one and thought it was a solid 3.5 ⭐️ read (rounded to 4 for GR).
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher (W.W Norton & Company) for the eARC.
This one had a lot of things that I typically like in thrillers - jumping between past and present timelines, podcast investigator, chief of police’s daughter who rebels and also incorporated a bookstore & bookclub.
This was a shorter read but it also in parts felt like the characters storylines became a bit rushed. We only briefly hear about some of the friendships/relationships in the book. There were also a lot of missing people in the town so i felt more disconnected to some of them than I would’ve liked. Overall, I still really enjoyed this one and thought it was a solid 3.5 ⭐️ read (rounded to 4 for GR).
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher (W.W Norton & Company) for the eARC.
browneyedbookwormm's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so much fun!! I went in blind & it was exactly what I was craving. A fun mystery with a little holiday twist!
kmazzaferri's review against another edition
5.0
I really like Christmas presents. It was a good story with a few little twists. I thought I knew who the killer was and then it switched it up. It was well put together and well paced. A pretty quick read. I didn’t really have a particular connection to any one character. They were all equally as important to the story. It does go into two different timelines which three separate casts of characters which all come together in the end. All in all, in a very good thriller.
hmishket's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The twist was surprising
a_sanders77's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
fairlyoddhippie's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to netgalley for this (unfinished) arc.
You better watch out cause Santa is coming to kill your ass.
I was all in for the book and expected big things. It was going really well even though I felt like the ending was revealed near the beginning with some not so subtle foreshadowing. But I was still trucking along thinking maybe I had it wrong. Nope. The very last chapter ruined it for me. I almost threw my kindle across the room. It was extremely anticlimactic. The ending was lackluster and seemed to take sort of a romantic twist and lost the thriller aspect.
You better watch out cause Santa is coming to kill your ass.
I was all in for the book and expected big things. It was going really well even though I felt like the ending was revealed near the beginning with some not so subtle foreshadowing. But I was still trucking along thinking maybe I had it wrong. Nope. The very last chapter ruined it for me. I almost threw my kindle across the room. It was extremely anticlimactic. The ending was lackluster and seemed to take sort of a romantic twist and lost the thriller aspect.
jmoura01's review against another edition
4.0
Madeleine is the victim of a heinous attack that left one of her friends dead and two missing. Years later, she is still reliving the horror. Although her attacker is serving time in prison, women are still going missing and she is receiving anonymous gifts every Christmas.
This was a straightforward, fast-paced thriller that had little to do with Christmas. Great narration by Jennifer Pickens. I was a little thrown off at first by the dual timelines, since the different times weren’t announced at the beginning of each chapter, but I soon picked up the flow. Good suspenseful listening for those looking for a shorter book. 3.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this complimentary ALC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This was a straightforward, fast-paced thriller that had little to do with Christmas. Great narration by Jennifer Pickens. I was a little thrown off at first by the dual timelines, since the different times weren’t announced at the beginning of each chapter, but I soon picked up the flow. Good suspenseful listening for those looking for a shorter book. 3.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this complimentary ALC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
darklitwithnic's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️ My first book by Lisa Unger and it was a great way to start off. This Christmas novella is anything but peace and joy. I enjoyed the audio of this story but I will say the timeline was a bit difficult to follow. Of course my initial thought of Evan Hardy was that I would’ve fallen for him just like Maddy did