Peter Swanson’s novella, The Christmas Guest is an outstanding, nerve racking, frightening story with an amazing plot, twists and turns and an unbelievable chilling ending. Trust me, it’s a far cry from The Night Before Christmas!

American student, Ashley Smith is in London doing a junior year abroad. It’s coming up to Christmas, a difficult time for Ashley as she has no family, her mother dying years ago. She is used to spending the holiday alone, something she has gotten quite use to. Until this year when an English student, Emma Chapman asks her if she would like to come and stay at her family’s house for the week and celebrate Christmas with her, her parents and her brother Adam.

Ashley can’t believe her luck! Emma lives in Cotswold manor! What a luxury it will be for her to be pampered for once during the holiday season! She is so excited to find out what an English Christmas will be like. In her excitement she decides to buy a diary and document her stay which she can’t help but think will be the best week of her life!

But, as Ashely soon discovers, life at Cotswold manor is not what she imagined. It’s frightfully cold inside the house, she is left on her own quite a bit, Emma’s father is mean and unkind, and her mother, very meek. The only saving grace is Emma’s brother Adam who is not only handsome but funny and easy to talk to. Although she would never say the words out loud, she has a terrible crush on him!

There has also been a strange death in this cozy village. A young girl was murdered recently, and the killer has not been found. At one point Emma’s brother Adam had even been suspected on the crime, but he had a solid alibi. Now, Ashley has seen a terrifying stranger walking out of the woods and thinks she may have actually seen the killer!

As we follow the story through Ashley’s eyes and witness the dark path the story goes down and how its terribly horrendous turn, it will give the reader not only goosebumps but a shock at the stunning conclusion.

The Christmas Guest is another brilliant, imaginative Peter Swanson story, and even though it is short, it pacts that horrifying punch his readers are so use to and do look forward to. Merry Christmas?

Thank you #NetGalley #WilliamMorrow #PeterSwanson #TheChristmasGuest for the advanced copy.

I am such a HUGE fan of Peter Swanson, and I was so excited he was releasing a short story for Christmas.

This is short story is 112 pages, but the impact of a full-length story.

This was a gothic, gripping story set in the Cotswold's.
I absolutely love epistolary style novels and the diary entries that led the story were such a great surprise as I haven't seen that with this author before.

Ashley Smith the main character is so well crafted. I loved her diary entries and her story with the Chapman family. There was such a sense of foreboding which I had no clue what was going to happen.

OMG I never saw the end coming. In true Peter Swanson style, this book was jaw dropping and fantastic.

Finally, I loved the author's note and dedication.

Can't wait for his next masterpiece.

This was a really enjoyable quick read. I loved that the dedication was to two aunts who dislike Christmas, such an amusing choice for a Christmas story, but it really fits, all things considered. There wasn't a ton of character development, but the story was fast paced and I have to admit I didn't see the twist coming. Overall a fun story for a moody day.

My thanks to William Morrow, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book summary lays out the premise storyline for this entire short story: Ashley’s diary entries from 1989 regarding her Christmas vacation stay with a college friend, Emma, at Emma’s family home. The story starts out in the present day but the reader is transported to 1989 through Emma’s diary entries from that time. It also includes secondary storylines like Ashley’s attraction to Emma’s brother, Adam, along with the investigation of Adam for the murder of a local girl as well as the sightings of a “mysterious stranger” who haunts the wood.

Part One of the story had all the requisite features of an eerie ghost story: old, spooky, rundown, English country home – check, suspicious death of a vulnerable woman (Paula) and the accusation of an MC (Adam) as the murderer – check, and a creepy, old, deranged-looking, man chasing girls in the dark and dangerous woods – check! By the end of Part One, I already had my suspicions on who the crazy in the woods was as well as who killed Paula.

For Part Two, Swanson brings the reader back to the present day and the reader is met with a twist, one that I had most certainly not seen coming. The end comes pretty quickly after that to a fairly decent and satisfying end. Moral of the story: karma’s a bitch!!! This short story was a quick read. Swanson is a good writer and storyteller. I've had another one of his books on my to-read list for a while now that I'm thinking I want to get to sooner rather than later. I want to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #WilliamMorrow #TheChristmasGuest

Oh this was such a fun book! Peter Swanson is one of my favorite authors and I loved getting a chance to read this one. It was fun having the holiday twist in this one. I can't wait to see what he writes next.

Peter Swanson offers a Christmas mystery novella with a shocking twist in “The Christmas Guest.”

American student Ashley Smith is invited to her friend’s English country home for Christmas. She’s excited to experience a real English country Christmas, and spend time with her friend Emma’s hunky brother Adam. But when mysteries begin happening, can they be linked to the village’s past tragedies? And how do they relate to Ashley and her visit?

Told in two segments, through Ashley’s diary written 30 years ago when the mystery takes place, and in present day, “The Christmas Guest” offers a stunning story that will leave the reader in shock. Swanson does an incredible job of directing the story through twists and turns to its incredible ending.

Due out Oct. 17, fans of mysteries as well as authors like Ruth Ware will love “The Christmas Guest.” The story does contain some cursing, so be aware of that.

Five stars out of five.

William Morrow provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson is an entertaining little holiday mystery novella.
Peter Swanson is an amazing writer and his thrillers never disappoint.
The storyline was fast-paced, fun, shocking and unputdownable.
The writing is so well done. He always keeps me hooked till the very last page.
A fun, clever and cozy little murder mystery that sucked me in on page one.
This Christmas thriller will be the absolute best thing you read if you’re looking for something a little different to devour during your holiday reading.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Christmas at cozy English manor house. Check. 80s throwback with dreamy, gothic atmosphere. Check. Diary entries by a relatable young protagonist. Check.

All the elements are present for a wintery, seasonal cozy delight.

But masterful author Peter Swanson flips everything on its head and the winter wonderland turns sinister.

Excellent novella length and an atmosphere that will safely transport you to your cozy, winter English countryside mystery dreams. Highly recommend you pick up this quick read. Please note that I was provided with an advance review copy via NetGalley.

You would be wrong if you think The Christmas Guest is just a sweet tale about Christmas. This book is a mystery and it spans between 1989 (via entries in a diary) and the present day. I wasn't sure I would like it at first but in a very short time I found myself turning the pages (of my Kindle) as fast as I could.

Highly recommend this book.

Every year I read one of Dickens' Christmas stories (there are 5 of them). In the author's note, Swanson mentions that he intended this novella to be readable in a solo sitting. It is! It felt very similar to my seasonal Dickens read. Quick, engaging, and takes the reader away to a new place! I loved the set up for the story and the first section of the book was great! Bouncing back and forth between dialogue and diary entries, the events felt very real. The second part of the book started off rather slow and sedate compared to the first half but thankfully gets a bit more suspenseful as it goes along. While those Dickens' stories are usually the only rereads I do, this one might get thrown into the rotation just to spice things up!

Ashley Smith is content to spend Christmas alone. With an ocean between her and her home back in the States, her choices for company--aside from her art studies--are few and far between. When out of the blue, the alluring Emma Chapman invites Ashley to her family's grand estate for the holidays, things seem almost too good to be true.

From the Cotswold Manor House to her quarters in Starvehood Hall, Ashley couldn't be more enamored with how her London Christmas has panned out. Until, that is, she meets Emma's handsome brother Adam, and the holidays grow more interesting by the night.

"The Christmas Guest" is a perfectly atmospheric, mysterious novella written to be devoured in a single setting. In its own, dark way, it boasts the kind of coziness readers seek out for wintertime while maintaining both strong plot and prose throughout. Coming in at just over 100 pages, to say much more in this review would be to spoil Peter Swanson's giftedness--yet again on display here just as it was in his unforgettable novel "The Kind Worth Killing."

Grab a mug of mulled wine, find a crackling fire after dark, and wait for the snow to fall: that's when you know it's time to read "The Christmas Guest."

I typically find novellas disappointing. But since it's a Peter Swanson book I gave it a chance. And I am glad I did.

This little book packs a big punch.

An American college student studying in London is invited to a fellow students house for the Christmas holiday. She is looking for the cozy family atmosphere that is lacking in her own life. She does find that, but also some things she didn't want.

Christmas, a crush worthy brother, missing woman, deception, betrayal and murder all wrapped up in a small package.

A quick and fun read!

Thanks to netgalley and William Morrow for the arc.

Ashley is an American who is studying abroad in England. Emma, twin of Adam, invites Ashley to spend the Christmas holiday at the family’s estate.
It was totally not what I was expecting. Definitely not your typical Christmas story. If you’d like to read something different, maybe a creepy horror novella will do the trick. In a word - chilling. It’s a really good read if you like your stories short and on the sinister side. 3.75 stars

A cute and delightful tale with a very surprising ending! Not quite the cozy mystery I expected. Very enjoyable and a quick afternoon read.

A captivating tale from the very first page. It is a novella, but the story reads like something longer because of the twists and turns it takes. Ashley, an American student in London is invited for Christmas at a classmates home in the country. This will be so much nicer than being alone. Ashley realizes that all is not well at the manor, and she may have made a terrible decision.

This novella is chilling, dark, and Christmassy at the same time! The first part is in journal entries from Ashley Smith's diary in 1989. It sets the stage for a Gothic feel with a huge country mansion and nighttime walks through the woods to local pubs. Ashley's friendship with Emma isn't as genuine as she thinks it is even though it is Emma who invited her to spend the holiday with her family. The second part is written in the present day from Emma's musings of Ashley. I highly recommend and can easily fit into a busy holiday schedule!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the arc.

This was a cute little novella! When I say cute, I mean cute like how Gremlins are cute 😂. I didn’t even read the blurb, I love the author so I requested it, it did not disappoint. I read it in about an hour or so. It was a very good little story.

Are you serious, Peter Swanson?!! Amazing. Everything you write is just awesome. This is no exception.

I INHALED this novella. Wow. This was this a twisty, fun, thrilling, quick holiday read! That twist... so good, and so unpredictable! I did not see any of that coming.

I love Peter Swanson and this short story/novella is everything I hoped it would be. I liked the holiday/winter setting and I immediately was drawn into the story and I loved the ride it took me on. Highly recommend this!

I was worried that I was going to want to read this over Christmas, but October 17th is the perfect pub date for this creepy little novel. This is cozy and chilling at the same time and it goes down easily. Like The Nightmare Before Christmas, this has both the scary Halloween and the cozy Christmas vibes, and Swanson fans will find a lot to enjoy in these few pages.