As a big fan of Peter Swanson's writing, I jumped on the chance to read an early copy of his novella, The Christmas Guest. I was curious how he'd manage with this shorter storytelling format but let me tell you, he was up for the task. This novella fits in perfectly with the rest of his works.

Ashley Smith is an American student living in London and she has been invited by Emma Chapman to spend Christmas at Starvewood Hall, the country estate owned by Emma's family. And that's all you are getting from me in regards to the plot. Just sit back and watch everything unfold.

The Author's Note is worth reading after you finish the novella. He brings up a good point that most of the holiday themed stories out there are romances or cozy mysteries. Why not add thrillers to the mix? I'm glad he stuck to what he's good at and that's coming up with a sinister plot with crazy characters. Given the shorter page count and a story that held my interest, it was a fun way to spend an evening.

A Quick and Captivating Read

The Christmas Guest is a dark novella about an American college student studying in London who is invited to spend Christmas at an estate in the English Countryside. What seems like a fantasy trip turns into a harsh reality as it ends in murder.

Picture a sprawling manor house in the Cotswolds with drafty rooms surrounded by the woods. Add a quaint village, Christmas decorations, and chilly weather. Swanson brings the atmosphere to life, adding another layer to the events of this story.

The characters run the gamut from naive to chilling to creepy to aloof.

The novella is divided into two parts. Part One is told through the diary of the American student and takes place in 1989. Part two is told from the perspective of one of the manor guests. Part One is very readable and entertaining. Part Two is a game-changer with some big reveals. The final sentence gave me the chills and made me want to start over from page one.

This is a suspenseful and thrilling read. The atmosphere and the structure take it to another level. I loved Swanson’s author’s note explaining why he wrote this story. It is for those who love Christmas and those who hate Christmas. The Christmas Guest got me in the holiday spirit--it is well-executed and well-worth reading.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect Christmas mystery with a twist, this is one to savor. With all the trimmings—English country house, snow, a touch of romance, we’re drawn into college student Ashley Smith’s upcoming lonely holiday break, but are instead swept away to the Cotswolds, where a casual friend has invited her to spend the holidays with her family. This sounds promising, but soon goes awry as she is also drawn into family dysfunction and murder..

Nice short story by one of my favorite authors. It had that “ghost of Christmas past” feel to it. It really kept my interested. I’d been reading a decent amount of longer books lately, so this one really fit the bill being a shorter book.

Swanson does it again! I'm so glad that I got to read this early. I love a Christmas mystery. This is the perfect novella as a seasonal read.

I loved the way it was told. Two timelines are presented, a diary from the past and a present-day told from another point of view. The twists and surprises were well done. I did suspect one major point but that didn't diminish the enjoyment at all. As always, I'll continue to be ready to read whatever Swanson wants to write.

Recommended.

Ashley is an American art student in London for her junior year of collect. She planned on spending Christmas alone but receives an invitation from fellow student Emma. She ends up spending Christmas at the Cotswold manor house and meeting Emma’s brother, Adam, it is a dream come true for her.

Turns out Adam has some secrets, such as being investigated for the brutal killing of a girl. As Ashley ponders her relationship with Adam, she begins to wonder what it actually is…

Over thirty years later, the horrific events of that weekend are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began all those years ago will come to a ghostly conclusion all these years later.

I love this author and was excited to read this one! I was at my daughter’s piano practice and read this one listening to her play. I really enjoyed this story, but I struggled hard with the formatting of the journal entries, and most of this book was journal entries. I struggle reading italicized font, and that is how the journal entries were done. I wish there was an option to turn this off, but alas there is no option. I was able to struggle through, but it took a lot of effort. I did enjoy the gothic thriller vibes of this book and the twist was a lot of fun. I just wish I could have stayed a little more engaged. Although this novella wasn’t my favorite, I adored the author’s note. His reason for writing this as a novella was relatable and I enjoyed it. I do with I had some eggnog while reading.

I would recommend this for those looking for a nice quick Christmas read.

Thank you so much to William Morrow, @williammorrowbooks, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm usually reluctant to read novellas, but I'm so glad I read The Christmas Guest--it sure delivers a thrilling and satisfying Christmas narrative. This one is for all of the anglophiles--a mystery about an American studying abroad in England, who stays at a friend's country house over the Christmas holidays. You will want to curl up with this one next to the fire place, and you won't be able to put it down until you reach the end! Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and the author for the librarian preview.

I'm a fan of the author, but this wasn't a favorite.

I'm not a huge fan of diary entries and much of the story relies on them to set the stage. I do enjoy a gothic thriller, so the huge rundown manor, Cotswold was my favorite aspect, but something about the mystery and resolution made me feel uncomfortable and it wasn't what I expected and just too dark and macrabre. I also didn't connect with a single character. I imagine if it ever snowed there, it would be black!

It is a short novella, only 112 pages.

Just not my cup of Christmas tea, but I will be in line for the author's next as he usually delivers a worthy read!

Check out other reviews because this one has some big fans!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC! The Christmas Guest is a holiday crime novella from Peter Swanson (The Kind Worth Killing). American art student, Ashley Smith, is studying in London. She feels lucky when her friend Emma invites her to her country manor to spend the holidays. Ashley is swept up by Emma's family, her difficult parents, visiting uncle and cousins, but mostly she is taken by Emma's brother, Adam. But as Ashley visits the town, she begins to uncover a darker story, months ago a young woman was discovered murdered and her killer is still at large. The police suspect Adam, but as a stranger in a mask begins to torment Ashley and Emma, Ashley can't imagine Adam was to blame. But each day puts Ashley in more danger. The story concludes thirty years later with shocking revelations to Ashley's story. The Christmas Guest is the perfect, quick read for those looking for a break from the holiday rush and saccharine sweet stories.

This was my first novel by this author and I truly don’t know how I feel about it. There was the twist I didn’t expect, but I found it boring as well.

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson is a fast-paced short story about Ashley, an American girl attend college in London and her friend Emma. Emma invites Ashley to spend the Christmas break with her family at their English cottage estate. What could go wrong you may ask yourself. Ashley soon falls for Emma's brother Adam and writes the events into her diary so that she could reflect back on everything. Ashley soon finds out that Adam was a suspect in a local girl's murder and that the police are reopening the case since his alibi has some holes in it. This is a very quick read about the magic of the holidays. There is romance, suspense, and an unbelievable ending. I was hooked from the very start.

This is a dark and twisty tale. An awkward American student gets a invitation to spend the holidays at a classmate's manor house. For her it is a dream come true but there are dark overtones. Will the dream become a nightmare?

Such a fun and exciting novella! I’ll definitely be rereading this during the month of December. The gothic setting in this novella had me feeling creeped out, but in a good way. I enjoyed how fast the story grabbed me and just didn’t let go even till the end. I really like Peter Swanson’s writing and will continue to read his work. Thank you Peter Swanson, NetGalley and William Morrow for this early digital copy.

Quick read, this novella takes place at Christmas - both at present and in 1989 through rememberance, but really is not a Christmas based story. Well written, but not that engaging.

This novella really can be read in one sitting, perhaps in front of a crackling fire after you open Christmas gifts. I'm not sure I'd recommend it if you are home alone . . .

The main characters in this one are students – Ashley, an American studying abroad for the year at a London art school, and a fellow classmate, Emma. Emma invites Ashley to her country home as Christmas break approaches since she's not returning to the US.

We read about all these events from Ashey's diary, which was an interesting way to tell the story. I really grew to root for Ashely since we get her inner thoughts through her diary. And clever Peter Swanson, very clever!

It's a dream for Ashley to be at a cozy home, visiting pubs and meeting Emma's dashingly handsome brother Adam. Could there be a holiday romance, too? There's also a recent murder, so Ashely wonders if she should also investigate that over break.

The second part picks up the action about 30 years later and has some delicious twists I was not expecting. I enjoyed this quick read; the atmospheric setting put me in the holiday spirit!

Dedicated to three women who don’t particularly like Christmas, and with a nod to Charles Dickens, this 112 page novella opens in modern day New York, where Ashley Smith is happily spending Christmas Day ALONE.

In Part One, after partaking in her own personal Christmas Day rituals and traditions, Ashley decides to clean out her closet and she finds the diary written by her “younger self” thirty years prior in 1989.

It was the year that Ashley, then an American Art student studying in London, was invited to join fellow student Emma Chapman at her Cotswold Manor House, Starvewood Hall for Christmas week. The pages are oozing with atmosphere.

Despite being given a freezing cold attic room, she is enjoying drinking mulled wine by the fireplace, playing board games with the many guests at the Manor, and visiting the charming local Pubs. It’s a Christmas week like no other.

And, it doesn’t hurt that Emma’s handsome twin brother, Adam is also home for the holidays. Even the fact that he is being investigated for the brutal slaying of a girl he dated cannot put a damper on things.

But why exactly did Emma invite Ashley to tag along when they weren’t even close friends?
I immediately felt a sense of foreboding!

I enjoyed the diary entries of this more innocent, hopeful girl, but they will end abruptly on Christmas Eve.,

In Part Two, the woman in the PRESENT day who is haunted by the PAST, has all the answers of what transpired on December 24, 1989-and she will fill in the blanks for us.

This ISN’T your typical Christmas story, that is joyful, merry and bright.

And, you definitely WON’T see it getting adapted for the Hallmark channel, which is probably why I liked it so much! 😉

Expected publication date: October 17, 2023

Thank You to William Morrow for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this novella. I tend to have a harder time with shorter reads, but I enjoyed this one! I loved the two different perspectives between chapter 1 and chapter 2 and was happy that I didn’t guess the twist! It got me into the Christmas season spirit already and it’s only September 😝

An American student who avoids the holidays decides to spend it with a friend in England. What unfolds is a story filled with holiday cheer as best as it can be, friends, a strange family and a murder. What more do you need for a holiday read.

If you enjoy bite sized stories that pull you in, you'll feel like you've entered a place where anything can happen, no one can be trusted, and the truth ... that is still to be determined.

This was the first book I'd read by Peter Swanson and enjoyed the writing style using diary entries, texts, and a bit of narrative. I can't wait to read more.

"The Christmas Guest" is perfect holiday read with a side of just enough creepiness to give you the chills. Perfect for gothic literature fans who love a great twist.

3.5

this bummed me out :( it’s a quick creepy little christmas mystery and it’s basically an enjoyable read, just… unexpectedly sad.

thank you netgalley and william morrow for an arc.