For me, an okay read, but not my favorite. Maybe if not a novella, it could have expanded the plot more effectively. None of the main characters were easy to like.

I did appreciate the opportunity by Netgalley, the author and publisher to read and offer an honest appraisal of the work.

American, Ashley Smith, has been studying art in London. It's now Christmas and she has no family to spend it with. Her classmate, Emma, invites her at the last minute to her family home, Stravewood Hall, in Cotswold. When Ashley arrives, she is immediately smitten with Emma's twin brother, Adam. During her visit, she learns about a local girl in the village named Joanna Davies that had gone missing and was found dead in the woods nearby. Adam tells Ashley that some people believe he committed this crime because he saw Joanna before she went missing, but of course Ashley doesn't believe it. After a night out at a local Pub while walking back to Starvewood Hall, Ashley encounters a creepy stranger in the woods. When Emma encounters the same stranger at another time, the police are called to investigate.

THE CHRISTMAS GUEST was the perfect novella. It was filled with suspense and just the right amount of creepiness. I thought it was neat that part of the story was told through Ashley's diary entries. I was not prepared for the shocking revelation. I have been a fan of Peter Swanson's books for a long time and I feel he really hit it out of park with this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to the pub date.

A Christmas murder novella? What’s not to love! I enjoyed the mystery, the ah ha moment, and the Christmas vibes. Very cute story, designed per the author to be read in one sitting. Would recommend for a quick read!

A fairly unassuming start that turned into a very dark and twisted little tale.

I have some very mixed feelings about this. I will say to start off that while I do enjoy the occasional Christmassy thriller or mystery, on the whole I prefer my Christmas books on the lighthearted end, which this most definitely was not.

This novella follows Ashley, an American studying abroad in London who is invited to spend the holidays with her friend Emma and Emma’s family.

The first half of the novella is Ashley’s diary entries leading up to Christmas.

And then the twist happened. I had kind of suspected things with some context clues, but I didn’t love just how dark the story got, and I really didn’t like the second half of the story. I guess overall I would give this a 3/5 but those who enjoy reading macabre stories at Christmas would enjoy this one more.

A Christmas novella mystery set in the Cotswolds. The protagonist is an American art student invited to spend Christmas in the countryside. Mystery and murder abound.

I normally really enjoy Swanson's writing but this didn't hit the mark for me. I just found the style a bit confusing. Others might enjoy it more but the suspense I normally love from.his books wasn't there for me.

A Christmas Novella with a spooky twist. I enjoyed this story. It is about Ashley, who goes to London to her friend's family home for Christmas and there have been some unsolved murders, there. Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow publisher and the author for the arc in exchange for a fair review.

Peter Swanson, oh how I love thee! This was a fantastic novella. From the English manor setting, to the creepy Christmas hosts, this story was perfect. The only downfall was wishing I had waited to read it on a snowy night!

Thank you to Peter Swanson, Netgalley, and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Peter Swanson does it again! The Christmas Guest is a novella I devoured in about an hour. I loved the feel of the book. It’s dark, festive, and a wonderful mystery. It was a bit predictable but there’s more to it than you think! I will read anything by Peter Swanson, he really knows how to weave a web of a story. 4 1/2 stars!

When Ashley is invited to an English country Christmas by her college friend Emma she is excited and also a little surprised; she didn't think she and Emma were that close. But since Ashley is an orphan, going home for the holiday to California wasn't really an option. When she arrives at the estate she is immediately smitten with Emma's twin brother Adam, and the story that unfolds has a twist that I didn't see coming. Swanson is a master of psychological thrillers.

There's no place like homicide for the holidays. This was a fun, twisty, quick read that you can devour in one sitting. The Christmas setting was the perfect combination of cozy and gothic. I just got done with reading all of Agatha Christie's murder mysteries so this was a fun one to dive into immediately after. I do admit that this could have been better had I not read it on a sweltering sunny day.

When I saw that The Christmas Guest was a novella, I was a little worried. Would Peter Swanson be able to make a shorter book as great as his others? The answer is yes. The Christmas Guest did not disappoint!
It had plenty of thrills, which left me pleasantly surprised. How was the author able to do so much in such a short book?
I love how the author used diary entries and flashbacks to add variety to this story. I also liked how the story focuses on the relationship between two college friends and the friend's brother. It was a fun triangle. I also loved how it took place at Christmas time at an English country home. What a perfect holiday mystery.
I would recommend this book to people who like books about siblings, Christmas mysteries, and old fashion mansion crimes.

Peter Swanson's novella, The Christmas Guest, was excellent. The gothic feel of an English manor left me wishing this was just a bit longer. American student, Ashley Smith is studying in London. As the holidays, approach, she believed she would spend the holidays alone. She is enthralled when her classmate Emma invites her to stay with her family. This book contains everything you want from a full-length Peter Swanson thriller, but on a smaller scale. I was able to read this in one sitting and it was a fantastic afternoon well-spent.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for a my non-biased review.

This was such a twisted and fun novella. I almost wish I could’ve waited and read it in the winter for the vibes but oh well. I really didn’t know what was going to happen but I really loved all of the descriptions. I could feel how cold it was, I could imagine how intimidating the house and family were. I felt very unsettled the whole time waiting for something to happen. I loved the twists I loved the haunting ending. Any book that starts with a quote from A Christmas Carol is one I want to read. Thank you so much to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

An enjoyable one-sitting read, perfect for Christmas, Halloween and otherwise!

This was so fun and bingeable. I loved the atmospheric setting and gothic thriller vibes. There was plenty of suspense despite this being a novella and I was left blindsided 🤯 I'll admit the diary entries came across as juvenile and like the author was trying too hard to sound female, but it was all very engaging still.

At the end of the book, Peter Swanson shares why he wrote The Christmas Guest where "friends and families gathered in country houses with snow piling up outside. Lots of drinking and resentment. Perfect recipe for a murder". Well, I think he has nailed it with this one!

I received a free copy of, The Christmas Guest, by Peter Swanson, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. American university student of art, Ashley Smith is studying in London for her junior year, thinking she would be spending the holidays alone, she is delighted when her classmate Emma invites her to stay with her family. Emma's family has a lot of baggage though. This book was a little disturbing to be honest, not a very cozy Christmas read.

Cozy, gothic, Christmas murder mystery is just up alley!! I loved the diary entries and I could not put it down. The ending kinda frustrated me just because I expected a twistier ending. But, another great Peter Swanson novel (la). Perfect read for a holiday vacation with a warm fire and hit chocolate! 4/5 ⭐️ 🎅🏼 🩸

Thank you William Morrow, Netgalley and Peter Swanson for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC of this new novella!

Ashley is an American studying aboard in England. She didn't immediately hit it off with Emma, one of her classmates, but when Emma invites her to her home for Christmas, Ashley accepts because who wants to be alone for the holidays? Ashley is immediately smitten with Emma's brother Adam, but everything is not as it seems. Lots of secrets, ulterior motives, and drama involved. This is a typical Peter Swanson thriller with twists and turns, but in snack size! Set in modern day NYC and also England during Christmas time in the late 1980's, this murder mystery has lots of creepy vibes. It's a quick read, the story progresses at a fast pace.

This part of my review is what I like to call, "it's not you, it's me." I just don't care for diary entries or letters as part of the narration in books. Like, I kinda hate it. And the first half of this novella was all dairy excerpts, so the story lost something for me because of that. But that's a me problem, and this style of writing may totally be your jam!

An unsatisfied, low 3 stars. Or maybe a high 2 stars. I can’t really make up my mind.

The first half of this novella sits somewhere between 4 and 5 stars. I loved it. But unfortunately, the second half landed between 1 or 2 stars. It frustrated me to no end. Overall, the two halves just did not successfully work as a book. But I can’t ignore how much I enjoyed the beginning! So, I’ve settled for a rating somewhere in the middle.

The second half was odd and did not fit into this novella, given how it started, with the ending being anticlimactic. It completely lacked impact. There was no punch to it, even though there was so much potential for a juicy or fun conclusion. It just fizzles out! All of it together didn't make sense as a book.

This novella definitely felt more like a thriller than a mystery, in my opinion. And it wasn’t really a take on a classic country house mystery either.

Another great one by Peter Swanson. I think he is so underrated. This is a short novella and he accomplishes a great Christmas feel, mixed with some twists and spooky settings all in 70 pages!

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 112 / Genre: Christmas Murder Mystery
Release Date: October 17, 2023

My first Christmas read of the year is a short one—just a 112-page novella by mystery writer Peter Swanson.

Orphaned American college student Ashely Smith is saved from spending another Christmas alone when her schoolmate Emma invites her to spend Christmas break with her at her idyllic country house in the Cotswolds. Emma also has a cute and charming brother who may or may not have killed a girl not long ago, but there’s also a weirdo running around the woods nearby, so it’s probably him who killed the girl, right? I enjoyed the fast pace of this little novella and the murder mystery twist on this Christmas read.

Thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the advanced copy of this book.