This was ok. It's a novella so it's a bit shorter than a regular novel. We read this for my book club.

There's some plot holes and it's really predictable. Some of the writing was awkward. This wasn't my favorite of hers but it was good for a holiday read.

Maddie has built a life for herself. She is learning to move on. She has had a difficult past that she just wants to forget
A true crime pod castor and book writer comes into her bookstore. He's here to dredge up the past that she is trying to forget. He wants answers.
Girls are missing, and the supposed killer is already locked up.
So what's going on in this town
Maddie dated Evan against everyone's better judgment. But Evan turned out to be a not very good person. With Evan behind bars who is taking these missing girls. Is this a copycat or a person who's worked with Evan all along

I enjoyed the audio of this quick book. Jennifer Pickens did a great job telling Madeline’s story.

I enjoyed the mystery of this story. Harley spends his time in Little Valley looking into missing women in the area. The man who was convicted in the beginning couldn’t have killed the more recent women, was there a copy cat, or was Evan innocent? Madeline ends up playing a part in Harley’s research. So many questions and I didn’t figure out who the killer was until almost the end.

Thank you NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for my ALC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I listened to this and also read the written version as well. I enjoyed both of them. Another great book by Lisa Unger!

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this book.
I generally enjoy mysteries and was interested in this premise. However, this book didn't deliver for me. I thought that the characters were very clunky and the plot was convoluted and didn't make much sense. I found myself really distracted and wasn't interested in the development of the story.
Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy

I'm always a fan of a book with a podcast. Don't ask me why since I never listen to them.

This one couples everyone's happy time of Christmas with a determination to resolve a chilling crime. I'm torn on whether I liked the at oddsness of this or it was too much.

But this kept me on my toes and I listened to it in a day, so I guess the uniqueness of it won out.

Narrated by Jennifer Pickens, she does a good job of bringing the story to life and letting the plot shine.

I love Lisa Unger’s books, but I struggled with “Christmas Presents,” as I was granted an advance copy in audio form & I think it was too complicated to follow. The story had a good foundation & was timely with its true crime podcast theme. I think I will give it another chance, but read the book version this time, so I can follow the storyline better. Unger is always producing great thrillers, so I feel like the reduced star rating is on me.

Thank you so much NetGalley and HighBridge audio for the advanced copy and the chance to review it honestly.

Christmas Presents is an addicting story that is easily read or listened to in one sitting! I found it to be atmospheric and engaging. For a novella, it really packed a punch! It moves quickly not really giving you too much time for tension but it was still very enjoyable and a book is recommended to read during the holidays.

Happy reading!

"Christmas Presents" was listed as a novella but it felt like a complete story on its own! The point of views in the story and the pace of the story kept me wanting to read and not able to stop the audio. I had to know what was going to happen and was happening. The narrator of the audio had a voice that was easy to understand, kept a great pace with the story and made the book immersive! Thank you to NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This is a well paced thriller that kept me guessing. At one point I suspected everyone in this book as being the killer - which is a sign of a well written book for me. The story comes together nicely and I love when I can look back and see the "easter eggs" along the way at the final reveal.
Thank you @netgalley, @w.w.norton and @highbridgeaudio for the gifted copy of this book.

I added this book to my holiday reading and it was a great addition to the normally fluffy holiday reads. Lisa Unger's books are always enjoyable to with shocking twists and fast paced writing. This book was quick and engaging and the narration was spot on. The setting at The Next Chapter Book Store at Christmas time added a cozy feel while the story was tense and suspenseful. Overall, it was a fun short novel to escape the holiday stresses. I would recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for providing me with an eAudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/_bookonthebrightside_/

I’ve been on the holiday romance trend for awhile now, but I’m loving that there are so many holiday thrillers releasing recently. I love author Lisa Unger, and was excited to read this holiday novella to kick things off this season.

𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧: 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
🖊️Lisa Unger
🗓️10.24.23
🔪Mystery/Thriller
★★★★

This was my first holiday thriller and I’m hooked! I loved that it was a novella, and the pacing was perfect. The plot had plenty of action with all the suspects, and I really enjoyed this one.

🎧The narration was great and I would definitely recommend this format!

*many thanks to High Bridge, publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I enjoy Lisa Unger's writing. It's down-to-earth and easy to read while sneaking in disturbing twists that keep the story fresh and appealing. The characters in this book were interesting and the narration was spot-on.

Typically my holiday reads are fluffy rom coms so I was SO excited when I found out Unger was doing a Christmas Thriller! I’m a big fan of her work and this one did not disappoint! I mean, who doesn’t love a festive serial killer read?! 😂

This one’s classified as a novella but i found it a bit longer than your typical novella but it’s still under 300 pages and something you can AND will easily fly through!

This small town setting was super atmospheric and it was certainly an engaging whodunit! In the end it was a bit predictable but ultimately I found it totally satisfying!

A quick and engaging novella! Loved the narrator, altho a 2nd narrator might have helped in some of the confusion on this one. Lisa Unger is always great for some solid entertainment :)

"Christmas Presents" is a gripping thriller that seamlessly blends the cozy atmosphere of the holiday season with a dark and suspenseful mystery. Madeline Martin, the owner of The Next Chapter Bookshop, is drawn into a chilling investigation when Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, arrives in town with intentions to reopen a cold case involving the disappearance of two sisters and the murder of Madeline's best friend.

While the ending of "Christmas Presents" predictable, they were still captivated by the atmospheric nature of the crime story. The book managed to grab my attention from the first page. However, I thought it lacked the buildup of tension often found in great thrillers, I like to have more depth in the character development, but this is something hard to do in such a short book.

This was my first Lisa Unger but won’t be my last! Although the “mystery” of whodunit was easily predictable, I still thoroughly enjoyed the character development, the story, and the Christmas theme weaved in. I wouldn’t have minded if this book was double the length. A perfect short Christmas-y thriller I saved for the end of the year!

Thank you to Lisa, Mysterious Press, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for the e-galley and ALC! I chose to read the digital copy, so I have no feedback specific to the audiobook.

Christmas Presents
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Lisa Unger

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Penzler Publishers, and High Bridge Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that Madeline would much rather forget. She's the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the man who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also good friends of Madeline's, who have been missing for nearly a decade.

Harley Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss. He wasn't much of a novelist, but his work as a true crime author and podcaster has earned him fame and wealth—and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Still, visiting Little Valley to be closer to his dying father has caused him to look into a case that many people think is closed—and some want reopened.

Since Evan Handy went to jail, three other young women have gone missing, most recently a young college dropout named Lolly. Five young women missing in the same area in a decade. Are they connected? Was Evan Handy innocent after all? Or was there some else there that night? Someone who is still satisfying his dark appetites?

My Thoughts: This was more of a novella at a shorter length. I had the pleasure of having both the digital (260 pages) and audio (5 hours and 39 minutes) books. This was definitely haunting and gripping, and perfect for the Christmas season! Madeline was brutally attacked ten years ago, her best friend was murdered and two more of her friends disappeared. Her then boyfriend, Evan, was convicted of the murder and was sentenced to life. Ten years later, she has moved on the best she can and owns a small bookstore. A well known podcaster comes to town to reopen the cold case of the two missing friends. Madeline has to reopen closed wounds, will this cause her to break? When another woman goes missing, will this open the door to finding the two missing girls?

The story is narrated by multiple characters and in multiple timelines. Once you get the who is who and which POV timeline, it flows well. Madeline suffered a tragic event that has left her scarred, cautious, and untrusting. The characters were developed throughout the story, they were mysterious, and were creatively woven. The author’s writing style was complex, was dark, flowed well, was creepy, twisty, the pacing was quick, and the plot points were spot on. While a tad predictable, this was still a compelling twisty read.

While the narrator does a great job at voice variation and pitch, I think this would have worked better with multiple narrators. This atmospheric thrilling story kept me engaged and invested. While I felt the scenes could have been expanded a little more and a little more detail, it was a still a good read that I throughly enjoyed. I am a Lisa Unger fan and would definitely read anything she puts out. I would recommend to other readers this Christmas season.

This was such a good holiday thriller! I listened to the audiobook and it definitely brought the book to life. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was really going on and who was really behind all of the bad things happening around Little Valley. This is a perfect mystery novella to put a little chill in your holiday plans!

Last year I was hardpressed to find good Christmas related thrillers. This year my luck has changed. I recently read Lisa Unger's Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six and enjoyed it so I was excited to get my hands on this Novella just in time for the holiday season. I listened to it on Audio and it did not disappoint. It was atmospheric, and while the ending was predictable I certainly had a fun time getting there and there was a good twist thrown into the mix for good measure as well. This was a quick and enjoyable read and definitely perfect for the holiday season. Exactly what I was looking for.