2.5 stars. I was intrigued by the premise of this one. A christmas mystery sounded interesting, but the Christmasy side of it really wasn't there as much as I was hoping. The read was entertaining, but I think I would have liked this one to be a normal length book. I'm not a fan of short books or novellas because the characters are never developed enough.

3.75⭐

When true crime writer and podcaster Harley Granger arrives in the small town of Little Valley, New York, just days before Christmas, bookstore owner Madeline Martin is compelled to revisit a traumatic event from her past. It has been over a decade since Madeline survived a vicious attack that left her seriously injured. On the same night, her close friend Stephanie was murdered and two other girls, also friends of Madeline and Stephanie, disappeared. Madeline’s then-boyfriend Evan Handy was convicted of the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. Madeline survived, though her memories of the events of that night remain cloudy. She has made life for herself in her hometown, keeps busy with the bookstore and takes care of her ailing father who was once the Sheriff of the town, but is wary of romantic relationships. Evan Handy maintains that he is innocent, and Harley Granger is in town to find out as much as can about the old case as well as the most recent disappearance of a young woman – one of three women who have disappeared after Evan was convicted.

Does this mean Evan was innocent? If so, who was responsible for the events from all those years ago? Are the most recent disappearances connected to the old case?

Told from multiple perspectives, Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger is an engaging read. The author seamlessly weaves past and present events into a gripping narrative that had me engaged from the very first page. The author depicts Madeline’s trauma and how it casts a shadow in her present life with much sensitivity. The ending did feel a tad rushed and was not entirely unpredictable, but I enjoyed this novella and thought that the plot was well structured, consistently paced and overall, well executed.

This was my first time reading Lisa Unger and look forward to exploring more of the author’s work.

Many thanks to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novella. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Christmas Presents was published on October 24, 2023.

I love a good crime story. This was a quick read perfect for the holiday season with a couple great twists and turns.

Loved the setting and atmosphere it was told. Also the switching of timelines to give you a look into the MC's past events that led to how she is now.

I think however no shocking the story wrapped up really well and I throughly enjoyed it!

Thank you @netgalley @penzlerpub
@mysteriouspress
@launger for allowing me to read and give my honest review!

⭐⭐/5

• holiday mystery novella
• flat characters

I'm glad this was short because I didn't enjoy it. I was kind of confused while reading it which ended up with me being bored... probably just a "me" thing, but it felt choppy.

🗣️ Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Madeline Martin owns a small bookshop in her hometown. When author/true crime podcaster Harley Granger walks into her shop, it's for more than a book signing. He knows Madeline is the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the young man who murdered her best friend years ago. Since Handy has been in jail, three other women have gone missing, leading Granger and Madeline’s own father (Sheriff Martin), to think he has an accomplice. This Christmas, a local girl named Lolly is the latest girl to disappear. And Madeline has a secret: every Christmas, since Handy was arrested, she receives an anonymous Christmas present.

I love Lisa Unger so it was very much a Christmas present to hear she wrote a holiday novella! I loved everything about this story; told in dual timelines, Madeline’s past unfolds as the present plays out around her. The small town, surrounded by woods and cold, snowy weather, set an eerie backdrop as well. I was on the edge of my seat to find out what had happened to Lolly and if it was somehow related to Madeline. And as usual, the author had several perfectly executed twists that I did not see coming! This is the perfect story if you love Christmas and also love mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mysterious Press for the ARC! “Christmas Presents” is out now and this review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I have only recently discovered Lisa Unger's books and they are so good. I'm sad I didn't find her sooner but glad I have several to read now.

I am a huge fan of mystery Christmas books and this did not disappoint!

I found myself being glad that this was a novella instead of a full-length novel. The plot was very slow-paced and at no point did I feel like I couldn't put the book down. I would have liked Christmas to play a little more into the story and the characters to be more developed. Everything felt a little shallow and the plot twist at the end felt forced.

This was a fun little holiday novella. I have enjoyed this author and this book was no different. Full of suspense, twists and add it to your holiday list.

Lisa Unger is on my list of go to authors when I want a thrilling page turner. She did not disappoint with Christmas Presents.
Madeline Martin, owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop, has built a life for herself despite her tragic childhood and now having to care for her infirm father.
Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, arrives in Madeline's shop a few days before Christmas. He wants to dig up events from her past being the only survivor of a convicted murderer.
Now a cold case with many unanswered questions, until 3 women are recently murdered. Was the right man convicted?
A page turning novella that I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to this on audiobook (thanks to libro.fm for an ALC) in a day. It's very fast-paced and a nice potato chip type of thriller (tasty while it lasts but kind of blends together with all the other bingeable/unmemorable-type thrillers).

A spooky read just in time for Christmas! Not your typical feel-good seasonal read, this one has all the scary elements many of readers crave during the festive season. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time!

Lisa Unger's Christmas Presents is a disappointing novella that fails to deliver on its promising premise. The characters lack depth, the plot twists feel forced, and the suspense ultimately falls flat. While Unger's writing is generally engaging, it is not enough to salvage this otherwise underwhelming novella.

Rating: 2/5 stars

I think this was my first time ever reading a Christmas thriller and now I definitely want to read more! I really enjoyed this book and the characters, story and setting. My only complaint was that it kind of bounced around from POV and timeline without any notice. I would have liked a header with the characters name and date letting the reader know who and when we were about to start reading about. It was also really easy to figure out who it was so a little more of a twist towards the end would have been nice but I still really enjoyed the overall story and the suspense and the tiny bit of romance.

‘Tis the season to make our murdery reads festive 🤣 I love reading books that correlate with the season I’m in, but I also don’t want to give up all thrillers for romance! So thank you @lisaungers for writing this book just for me! And one thing I love is a well done novella! Sometimes you just want to read a story that is thrilling all the way through and not so much “fluff”. Don’t get me wrong, I love the extra details normally, but every once in awhile I like to just get down to the nitty gritty! Lisa throws you into the bulk of this story, weaving in the backstory details from ten years ago with the current timeline. Christmas Presents was the perfect balance for me!! It was full of relatable, well developed characters, a missing person, a podcast, a possible serial killer, all in this small town with tons of secrets. The three POVs worked so well and I was not able to flip the pages fast enough! This book provides the twists wrapped up in a beautiful Christmas bow!

This is a fast-paced and chillingly suspenseful Christmas novella. Lisa Unger packs a lot of story into a short page count. It was action-packed from beginning to end. Christmas Presents is intriguing and compelling. It combines two of my favorite things, Christmas and an excellent murder mystery! My only complaint would be that it was too short.

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

Thank you NetGalley, Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press, and Lisa Unger for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love Lisa Unger and was so so excited to be approved for this e-arc! A Christmas novella + a thriller?! My two favorite things! And as I expected I loved this book! Lisa did a fantastic job of hooking me into this story right away and had just enough twists and turns that I didn't see coming! Solid 4 star read for me!

This was the perfect length! I was engaged the whole time, never lost interest. No filler. I liked the different timelines and the addition of the podcast transcripts. Overall, a great “holiday” read!

One of my favorite authors wrote a Christmas thriller novella? Say no more, I’m in!

Madeline is the owner of the Next Chapter Bookshop and she’s surprised when Harley Granger, the famed true crime podcaster walks into her shop. He’s in town investigating the crimes of Evan Handy, who Madeline is the only survivor. Evan was convicted of murdering Madeline’s best friend and is suspected in the disappearance of two other young girls. Madeline’s father was the town’s sheriff and he was never able to solve their disappearance. She’s also been receiving annual little presents each year- who is sending these?

Harley is here to investigate, but he has a checkered past. He has some unconventional investigative skills and even unethical practices. But since Evan went to jail, 3 other woman have gone missing in a similar pattern. Is there a copycat? Was Evan not the right guy after all?

Madeline and her old friend Badger decide to figure out the mystery themselves as it gets closer to Christmas and an impending blizzard. Will they figure out the mystery or with they be the next victims?

I really enjoyed this! I always love a podcast angle and Harley was perfect for digging up dirt. He was well known and would do anything to get scoop. Despite the short novella, the story felt complete. I highly recommend.

Thank you @launger and @mysteriouspress for my gifted ebook. Christmas Presents is out now!

Another novella about a true crime podcast..

Madeline is the owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop which doesn’t leave her much time to care for her father who had a stroke. As Police Chief, this is difficult for him.

When Harley, a crime podcaster comes into the shop right before Christmas, she is fairly certain it has something to do with the past and herself.

Madeline is the only known surviving victim of Evan Handy. Evan was convicted of her best friend’s murder and is a suspect in the disappearance of more. Madeline can’t forget that night and doesn’t want to revisit it. Even if it means finding out what happened to the other girls.

Madeline’s father is still sure he knows the murderer. But is unable to communicate that.
While Harley sees a lot that others do not, she doesn’t trust him.

The problem is that since he went to prison, three more young women have gone missing. One named Lolly, recently. So what is going on? Did he have an accomplice?

When a Christmas blizzard blankets the area, Madeline will find out more than she ever dreamed about that night and her friends.

Madeline doesn’t want to remember the past, the night she was attacked, her friend murdered, and her other two friends missing, assumed murdered as well. But when podcaster and true crime novelist Hartley comes to town he starts digging around, making Madeline dig around too. Meanwhile a woman has gone missing locally, is this somehow connected?

I enjoyed this story a lot. The characters were mostly well thought out and likeable. There was an air of suspicion around almost everyone. I had no idea who would have been involved and what the truth of that long ago night was.

Another win by Unger.