Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger is a psychological thriller about woman trying to move on from a violent past.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher  Penzler Publsihers and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Madeline Martin has slowly been re-building her life.  Ten years ago Evan Handy killed her friend Steph, and possibly two other friends, whose bodies have never been found.  He also left Madeline in the river, almost dead, bleeding from a savage cut to her face.  She still has that scar.

Madeline's life has changed.  She is looking after her father, who had a stroke.  He was the Sheriff who had handled the case against Evan Handy. Madeline is also the owner of a thriving bookstore.

When a young woman goes missing, fears re-emerge.  Lolly's family haven't heard from her, and it's almost Christmas.  She will be the third missing woman from the area in recent years.  Five if you count Maddy's two friends. 

Harley Granger, a true-crime podcaster comes to town,  and Evan Handry's case is front and center again.  How can this small town of Little Valley ever move on.



My Opinions:
I really enjoyed this book.   The characters and plot were both good.

The story is told from three perspectives: Madeline's, Lolly's and Harley's.  This worked well.

The suspense continued to build throughout, and although I had a good idea of the perpetrator, it didn't take away from the story.

The end was a little prolonged, and detailed.  Everything (and then some) was tied up in a neat little bow.

Overall, it was a fast and entertaining read.

For this being a short book it felt super long lol. The story line was fine but really wasn’t an amazing read. Reminded me a lot of all the dangerous things which was much better. The ending was exciting but that’s about it

Add this one to your holiday reading list if you're in the mood for a quick and entertaining Christmas mystery/thriller. Madeline Martin is the survivor of a vicious attack by her former boyfriend, who also killed her best friend. Two other girls went missing the same night of the attack. It's nearly 10 years later and Madeline is contacted by Harley Granger, a successful true crime author and podcaster. He's searching for answers to what happened that fateful night and hopes to find out what happened to the missing girls. It was a good mystery with an ending that wraps things up nicely but overall didn't feel like anything special. I did like the dual POV and alternating timelines.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was a great read that kept me engaged from beginning to end! I love how Unger could write present day and past while keeping the storyline going. The background information from the past was perfect to bring the story forward. I will be recommending this book to others and look forward to reading more Unger books.

Lisa Unger's "Christmas Presents" is a riveting novella that expertly weaves past and present, keeping readers engaged with its intriguing characters and gripping storytelling.

Initially drawn in by the captivating plot and excellent characterization, I found myself guessing until the very end.
The narrative unfolds through different perspectives and timelines, adding a layer of complexity that, while confusing at first, eventually becomes clear. Jennifer Pickens' narration, though enjoyable, posed a challenge in distinguishing characters. Multiple narrators might have enhanced the experience.

The characters, particularly Madeleine Martin and Harley Granger, bear the weight of dysfunctional family dynamics, drawing intriguing parallels. I anticipated their connection to deepen, given their shared struggles. However, Unger took a different path, exploring how they coped with trauma and pursued answers to a cold case involving the disappearance of Ainsley and Sam Wallace.

While the plot is undeniably captivating, I yearned for more time with the characters. Unger skillfully explores the complexities of the characters' pasts and their quest for justice. "Christmas Presents" is a tale that keeps you on the edge, delving into the shadows of the characters' lives and the mystery that binds them.

I really enjoyed this novella. The storytelling was so good and I kept guessing at who the killer was.

This was a super quick, decent read. I honestly wish it wasn’t a novella and was a regular length book. The ending felt rushed and a bit incomplete. I finished the book wishing I knew more about the killers’ relationship and why the crimes occurred. It would have been a more satisfying read had the ending felt more complete. Regardless, I did enjoy the book and it was fun to read during the Christmas season. 3.5 ⭐️s rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for an ARC of this novella.

There were several things I liked about this short novel. I liked Maddie, the main character. She owned a bookstore, what can I say? Having worked in a book store around the holidays myself, I instantly related to her and the way she managed her customers. Lolly, the hapless stripper who is kidnapped just as she's planning on going home and confessing to her family that she's dropped out of school, was also great. She was tough and tenacious. As I think back on it, though, Maddie and Lolly might have made me overlook a lot of other stuff.

Harley Granger, the author turned podcaster turned true crime investigator, was not a great guy. In fact, none of the guys in this book, Badger the best friend included, Maddie's father included, were great guys IMO.

The basics are that Maddie survived a life-threatening attack when she was seventeen which claimed three of her friends and she's sort of been stuck in limbo ever since. Harley has gotten interested in this past event because recently girls have been going missing near Maddie's town. He wants to interview Maddie to gather more information that might help with the present crimes.

The flashbacks to Maddie's high school years and her falling for her first love felt relatable. The author really captured a mood there. But there was a lot of information that we simply don't find out until the end of the book that Maddie knows. When she finally goes over the events of that fateful long-ago night it's very frustrating because it's all laid out pretty clear right there. And the mystery is solved basically by falling into Maddie's lap. While the author does a good job of keeping us from knowing who to trust, it's only because she is holding back information that the characters would know. The end goes very quickly and it felt like the author was in a rush to end the book after drawing out the backstory for pages and pages. And I didn't need a romance in this one.

First of all, I am a big fan of Lisa Unger's. This novel begins 5 days before Xmas. I think that this book would have been a 5-star book for me had it been longer; the plotline could have used more development.

Christmas Presents is a thriller based on crime in the past that is being revisited by a true crime podcaster due to some unanswered questions and family requests to revisit. Story revolves around Maddy who is the survivor of a horrific event where her best friend was murdered, other friends disappeared, and Maddie was lucky to survive. Evan, the new boy in town with a bad reputation, was exactly what was promised. Book has great dialogue and switches between characters and also between the past and present. Maddie struggles with mistakes that were made due to young love and often questions her memories and regrets her decisions. Harley Granger is investigating because of the missing people in the past case, and recent disappearances of young women in the area and pursues the angle that Evan may not have acted alone.

Author gives good breadcrumbs along the way; I admit I missed one of the bigger reveals when the killer's name is mentioned at the very beginning, and it came up later in the book. However, there was still a lot of tension and build up. The tie into Christmas Presents was cute.

Lisa Unger is a favorite author and I was thrilled to see this one. I devoured Christmas Presents in a day. Such a great read that I would highly recommend.

Really enjoyable Christmas time thriller! The mystery kept me invested and guessing the whole time. The multiple perspectives and timelines told the story piece by piece and the overall pacing was great. The ending did seem abrupt with the final reveal, but I was left feeling satisfied with the conclusion. I am going to check out more Lids Unger mysteries after reading this one.

I think I would've enjoyed this book a bit more if it had been full length versus a novella (albeit a long novella haha) just to flesh the characters out, especially with the dynamics of Madeline, Badger, her girl friends, and Evan in the past.

This was a really quick read. I enjoyed following the different character perspectives, especially the young woman that originally gave the statement that put Evan in prison. There were some fun twists too, all around a great read.

Christmas Presents isn’t the usual feel good holiday story. Instead, it’s a twisty, suspenseful story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s a novella, not a full length novel. It’s worth the read if you want a short mystery with some Christmas thrown in.

Christmas suspense with a smidge of romance just in time for the holidays...

Madeline is the sole survivor of a deadly attack by sadistic Evan Handy, who killed her best friend, Stephanie, and is suspected in the disappearance of two of her other close friends, all in the same night. Rescued by her lifelong friend, Badger, Maddie has spent the years since the attack just trying to move on with her life. But one visit from true crime podcaster and author Harley Granger opens that chapter of her life up once again. With additional women missing ten years later, Harley is convinced someone else was involved in the attacks that night, leaving Maddie reliving that terrible night to try to find the truth. Someone else out there knows what happened ten years ago -- and isn't ready to let the past go just yet...

Thoughts: This was a gripping yet quick Christmas suspense, especially if read in the days leading up to Christmas when the book takes place. It's a bit longer for a novella, but the plot moves fast and I was almost surprised to find I'd reached the end so soon. The ending as a whole was satisfying, but the big reveal isn't that shocking if you pay close enough attention to details. And while the slow-burn romance is sweet, it's almost completely one-sided until the very end of the story, which was a bit too rushed and weak for me. But I liked the character development and interactions, the suspenseful scenes told from a victim's POV, and the way that Lisa Unger packs a lot of plot into a shorter story.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

More of a 3.5 star for this one. It’s super short and it was thrilling. I predicted the end really early on but I still enjoyed the ride to get there. The ending was a bit too clean for me and I would have liked a little more detail on the answers.

Otherwise, it wasn’t a bad read and it went by really fast. If you need to read just one more book before the end of year, read this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. The book was a good read just like Lisa Unger’s previous novels. This was fast and easy to read and interesting.

If Lisa Unger writes it, I'm going to read it. Plus I like to mix this up when it comes to my holiday reads so this novella came into my hands at just the right time. If you're looking for a quick, fun, murdery christmas read, you'll want to grab this one!

Madeline is a bookstore owner with a traumatic past she'd rather forget. A determined crime podcaster intent on doing a story on the gruesome crime, Madeline is the sole survivor of. Other women have since gone missing but is there a connection?

I loved the snowed-in setting and the past and present colliding. Lisa Unger's writing is always my cup of tea. For all my avid psychological thriller readers, I did figure out a key twist fairly early on but I think that's just the price we pay for reading the genre so much. It did not take away from the enjoyment factor though because I enjoyed the story so much.

Thank you Netgalley and Penzler Publishers, for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

This book felt like it was rushed out and needed another round of edits, which is not an issue on Lisa Unger’s part, but is frustrating when there’s multiple typos/typesetting issues and the spelling of a character’s name changes mid-book. Plot wise, I do think this was quite obvious. There were two possible suspects. It was also too short for certain relationships to be believable. That said, it did keep me engaged and reading and I would be interested in reading one of her longer books.

A fast-paced, entertaining read from one of my favorite authors. I loved the Christmas setting and the homage to Unger’s earlier works. Lots of twists make this a page-turner.