This was fine - I didn't love it, but I read it over Christmas during a particularly busy stint in the bookshop. I think maybe I;m just the wrong target audience but generally enjoyable and I can see the appeal to other readers

If you are a fan of Peter Swanson like I am, then you will devour this novella in one sitting. It’s a creepy, twisty story with a touch of horror.
American student, Ashley thought she would be spending her Christmas alone in London where she is an art student in her junior year. When her fellow classmate, Emma, invites her to spend Christmas with her family in the Cotswolds, she jumps at the chance picturing a stately manor set among pine trees and a dusting of snow. The first sense the reader gets of unease is when Emma just casually tells Ashley to make her own way there by train and someone will meet her at the station. That someone is Emma’s brother Andy. Charming and very good looking. Ashley soon is under his spell. The only thing is he was a person of interest in a recent murder of a young girl who looked surprisingly like Ashley.
The story is narrated some 30 years later by Ashley reading her diaries from that time.
Really can’t say too much more as with the story being so short a lot of the story is full of twists and red herrings.NetGalley
A satisfying read.

#TheChristmasGuest. #

This was such a fabulous novella by the author, and it’s so nice to see a cozy and eerie Christmas mystery. The story had some twists that I definitely did not expect, and I love the setting in the English countryside manner with a mysterious family harbouring lots of secrets.

Ashley, American art student in London, plans on spending Christmas alone, that is until Emma, a fellow student she doesn't know well, invites her home to their country residence. She meets the large quirky family and Emma's handsome brother and everything seems to be going so well. Until it isn't. A stranger creeping around the woods and Adam's link to the death of his ex-girlfriend, along with the behaviour of Emma's family. 
I enjoyed the diary format for the first part and Swanson is just the master of creating suspense, involving lots of suspicious characters. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for this gifted review copy.

This was a great short read- a mystery in novella form by an author I always enjoy.
Set in a country house at Christmas, it is the story of an American exchange student who is invited to a friend’s English home over Christmas. As she is alone and has no family in the US she accepts and finds herself involved in what turns out to be a gothic novel! When she finds out there has been an unexplained murder earlier in the year the tension begins to ratchet up.
As one would expect from Peter Swanson there are several unexpected twists in the story, none of which I saw coming.
I’m not a lover of short novels or stories but I will certainly make an exception for this one!
A thoroughly enjoyable read and one that I’d highly recommend. Why not choose it as a Christmas gift?
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

A quick read novella perfect for this time of year easy to read in a quick sitting. The book had a Gothic feel to it which I enjoyed, particularly the setting of an old manor house with its cold rooms on a wooded estate. The home as well as the cold setting provided atmosphere as did the setting in the Cotswold's. Told in two parts moving between time frames but cleverly done. Overall an enjoyable read.

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson is a dark and twisted tale perfect for readers looking for an antidote to all the Christmas cuteness and schmaltz. In this slim volume Swanson invites the reader to spend the holiday with the rather unusual Chapman family at their stately pile in the Cotswolds along with American student Ashley. Ashley is at university with Emma, and despite a somewhat rocky start to their friendship she is delighted when Emma invites her to spend Christmas , and even more so when she meets Emma's handsome twin brother Adam. At first everything seems wonderful, but as Ashely starts to hear stories about a young girl found murdered in the near by woods who looked remarkably like her she begins to feel a little anxious...and possibly with good reason.
This is a fast read, the writing is very propulsive and draws the reader into the story. The first half of the book is a series of diary entries from Ashley's perspective, and they give the reader quite a bit of insight into the family dynamics and complex relationships that drive the story. The fact that there is a twist will come as little surprise to readers familiar with this author's works, and here it works really well to subvert the reader's expectations,
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

A lovely Christmas mystery set in a country house. Perfect read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.
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This book has everything you want from a Christmas mystery, however I found it rather short and was waiting for another tranche of plot to kick in! But for its length, it definitely does the job

Every Peter Swanson book is brilliant and this is no exception. It is a short one, a novella, but contains all the page turning tension and intrigue of his longer books. Loved it!

I knew I would love this book. Not only was it written by one of my favourite authors it was st in a country house - at Christmas! I adored it and would heartily recommend to anyone. It’s really really well written with full characters - wish there were more writers like Peter Swanson

When Ashley Smith - a bright-eyed but lonely American studying in London - is invited to spend Christmas with her classmate's family at their Cotswolds manor house, it seems like a perfect country idyll. And for Ashley - who records it all in her diary - there's the added romantic potential of her friend's twin brother, Adam, who she thinks could be her wildest dream come true.

But is there something strange about the old house, both stately and rundown? What could the motives of the mysterious Chapman family be? And what holiday horrors might be lying in wait?

Given that two of my greatest bookish passions are books about Christmas and the novels of Peter Swanson, I was pretty much guaranteed to like The Christmas Guest. Employing themes which will be familiar to long-time readers of Swanson, The Christmas Guest is an homage to the classic country house mystery and an elegant and extremely enjoyable short read. I will be buying several copies to stuff in stockings this festive season.

When I saw The Christmas Guest on Netgalley I quickly requested a copy. Confession – I did not read the synopsis for this one and went in blind. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a short novella of 160 pages.

Ashley Smith has been invited to spend Christmas with her classmates family at the Cotswold's Manor. It seems to be an amazing offer until it isn't. Something is not quite right with the run down Manor house and the Chapman family. Luckily for us Ashley writes in her diary daily and gives us a lot of insight.

What I enjoyed:
* Christmas Gothic thriller
* Fast paced read
* Diary Entries
* The twist at the end was absolutely writing gold.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for giving me an advance copy for my honest book review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

A Christmas story with a twist.

Everything about this book is exquisite, the characters, the gothic setting and indeed...the murder.

I will be buying copies for people this holiday season.

Short but perfectly formed, this novella is beautifully written and about a murder at Christmas. The way the story is told is clever but I would have liked a bigger, longer story as the ending just wasn’t enough for me.

I really enjoyed The Christmas Guest. It is a short, Christmas themed story which was really atmospheric. The tension builds throughout and kept me reading. I actually finished it in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for my ARC.

The first half of The Christmas Guest unfolds through the diary of Ashley Smith, an American studying in London, who can't believe her luck when she is invited to spend Christmas at her friend's home, a manor house in the Cotswolds. Ashley jokes to her diary that it sounds like the beginning of a romance novel, or else maybe a murder mystery, but then she arrives and starts to feel as though she is actually living in a gothic thriller. As for the second half, you'll have to read it yourself to find out.

The Christmas Guest is a slim novella, and I read it in one sitting. I enjoyed the short length, which is ideal for anyone looking to rack up their book count, but I would quite happily have read much more about these intriguing characters and their atmospheric setting. I liked that The Christmas Guest didn't feel unfinished, despite its short length, wrapping up the story while also hinting at so much more beyond what is written. I especially liked the way the characters are developed in such a short space, their individuality and the hints at depth beneath the surface.

I found The Christmas Guest compulsively readable, and I always appreciate a book that has a twist I didn't see coming. Diary entries don't always work for me, but I enjoyed the way this one was written. If the ending had taken a slightly different turn, I think The Christmas Guest would have been a five-star read for me. This was my first Peter Swanson, but it definitely won't be my last.

I really struggled to get into this pretty short story. Still a fan of Peter Swanson and look forward to his future work.

I chose to read a free eARC of The Christmas Guest but that has in no way influenced my review.

I am the biggest fan of Peter Swanson's books. I've read and loved all of them with The Kind Worth Killing and Rules for Perfect Murders riding high on my 'top books of all time' list. So I was delighted to hear that Peter Swanson was going to be publishing a second book in 2023, hot on the heels of The Kind Worth Saving (which was published in March). What I wasn't expecting was a Christmas murder mystery! I don't read a lot of Christmas themed books because I don't think, in the grand scheme of things, there are many crimey-y ones to choose from. I could of course be wrong and just be a little bit blinkered. Because, well, Christmas and murder aren't exactly compatible bedmates! Again, maybe just my opinion. Maybe I'm missing out on something. And if anyone was going to prove me wrong then I'm glad it was Peter Swanson. After all, there was no way on this earth I wasn't going to read The Christmas Guest!

Thousands of miles away from home and with Christmas on the horizon, Art History student, Ashley Smith, decides to stay in London for the holidays rather than head back to the US. Which works out better than she ever expected when classmate, Emma Chapman, invites Ashley to stay with her and her family over the holiday period in their Cotswolds Manor House. Lonely Ashley accepts the invitation and daydreams of the picture perfect country house idyll whilst packing for her week-long stay with Emma and Emma's handsome twin brother, Adam. But on arrival at Starvewood Hall, reality doesn't quite meet Ashley's daydreams. The house is a little run down, Emma's parents are odd and unwelcoming, the locals of Clevemoor stare at Ashley as though they've seen a ghost, and Ashley still can't quite understand why Emma, someone she doesn't really know, has invited her to spend Christmas with her family....

The Christmas Guest is a spooky, gothic-esque mystery that I devoured in two short sittings. The first part of the book is told in diary format by Ashley Smith. I absolutely believed in the character 100% and I thought the author had Ashley's voice spot on. She's excited about life, about a new start in London with new friends and every opportunity at her feet. Then along comes Emma's brother, Adam, who she falls desperately in love with. The diary sections were at times wonderfully giddy as Ashley is swept up in the moment and is living her very best life. The arrival of an ominous figure in the grounds of the house who both Ashley and Emma encounter does little to dampen her infectious (or maybe some would say, annoying) spirit. The diary entries approach Christmas day and then, they stop. The second part of the book follows an older woman living a quiet life in New York. As Christmas day approaches she looks back on her life and considers her regular Christmas day traditions. There's a loneliness to the character that is almost palpable and there's no ignoring the sense of apprehension the author creates.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Christmas Guest has as much content, as much storytelling in its 111 pages as a full length, 330+ page book. It's a gripping, unsettling story with a devastating, dark twist that had me completely enraptured. The characters are a perfect mix. Ashley is bright and bubbly, Emma is distanced and secretive and Adam is full of himself! The book is beautifully paced and very compelling from start to finish.  Swanson is the master of the murder mystery and as a Brit, I loved that this one was set in the Cotswolds, rather than Maine which is where the majority of Swanson's books are set (I adore the author's Maine settings, they're such a big part of his books and Maine does get a small mention, but it was nice to see the Cotswolds through the author's eyes). Will I be reading more murder mysteries with a Christmas theme? Only if Peter Swanson writes them! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Christmas Guest and remain a huge fan of this author. I just wish I'd had a comfy armchair to curl up in, in front of a roaring fire in a crumbling, old manor house. It would have been the perfect setting to read this creepy, chilling tale. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Christmas Guest. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

We start in the present where a woman finds an old diary. She has bad memories of the year the diary covers. but just can't stop herself from reading it... The diary takes us back to 1989 when an American student Ashley Smith is invited to spend Christmas with fellow student Emma Chapman at her family home. She accepts as she has nothing planned and no one else to spend the holiday with. It is there that she meets Emma's twin brother Adam...
And so begins a spine tingling Gothic tale which tells of Ashley's attraction to Adam and of a terrible thing that previously occurred that he is suspected of being involved with...
This is only a relatively short book, a novella, but it is the complete package. I always say that a book should only contain as many words as needed to get the story across to the reader and this book is the perfect length for the story being told. We start with a diary which means that we only get one person's point of view for quite a long time. Which is always quite interesting and intriguing. And then, once that is over, finished abruptly - but then you'd expect that sort of thing from this author - we veer off into uncharted territory with a newspaper article which rocks the boat somewhat...
This threw me off course, but in a good way... Once I picked myself up, it was a veritable race to the end and the real truth... Which was both shocking and satisfying.
All in all, another winner from another of my go-to authors. Roll on next time... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.