I picked this to read because I have read such positive reviews about the author and I was in the mood for a Christmas read (it’s cold in Michigan already). To be clear this did not really end up being a Christmas book, in fact it might have been a better Halloween themed book. 😉 It was a solid above average thriller but was a little predictable. The flashbacks to the victims pov really made this a thriller I wanted to continue with, there could have been more. It flowed nicely and won’t be my last read from this author.

This has been posted to Goodreads.

Thank you, NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

I have to admit - I've only read one of Lisa's books in the past and when it wasn't for me, I (wrongly) didn't read any of her other books until now. Let's just say that my opinion has done a 180 and I can't wait to read more.

I was excited to read a Christmas themed thriller and this did not disappoint.
It had all of the feels of Christmas and all of the suspense you'd want from a thriller.
It was fast paced and I did not want to put it down.
While I wasn't blown away at the final twist, the heartwarming ending between Madeline and Badger made up for that.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this ARC. This was my first read by Lisa and I went into the audiobook blind. Starting off, I really enjoyed the narrator! I’ve read another book that was done by Jennifer and I like how she brings the stories to life.

I found the plot to be interesting and I’m a huge fan of true crime myself. That being said, I felt the story fell a bit flat. Maybe it was because this is a novella so we didn’t get all the characters completely fleshed out? I’m not sure. Either way, I enjoyed listening to this story and I would recommend Christmas Presents to fans of true crime and true crime podcasts.

I am a big Lisa Unger fan so I was excited for the "Christmas Presents" as a shorter than usual but not a novella read. True to Ms. Unger there was very well written character development and I do like the true crime podcast aspect. The ending wasn't mind blowing but still satisfying as a clear resolution.
Great narration!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

Set during the holiday season, ‘Christmas Presents’ by Lisa Unger is definitely not a Christmas story! Though fiction, it’ll be a hit for true crime fans.

Premise - The sole survivor of a horrific crime is approached by a true crime podcaster ten years after the incident. Sex workers are disappearing again, but the alleged perpetrator is in captivity…

The mystery is twisty and the sections written from the perspective of the most recent victim are truly engaging. It’s well-written and I kept reading just to root for her!

I didn’t really connect to any of the characters, however, and I didn’t feel the Christmas atmosphere that was promised, so it’s a three star for me.

Thanks, NetGalley and Mysterious Press, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishing for this ALC.

The plot was extremely engaging, though not shocking or surprising. Early on, the reader knows who the abductor and killer is. What was interesting, is that Evan really was guilty as well.

I loved the main character, and the fact that she was a bookstore owner. I also appreciated the integration of a podcast element to the narrative.

An intriguing short story about Madeline, a single survival of a killer! Her father was the Sheriff and was obsessed with the case until he passed away from health complications!

When a Podcaster named Harley comes to town to care for his sick father, he can't help but to keep digging into the case.

Even tho Evan the supposed killer is still in jail, 3 more women have gone missing! Did they arrest the wrong guy? Or did Evan have help and there are 2 killers?

First, I was lucky enough to get an ARC of the audiobook. Thank you! On to the review. Lisa Unger does not disappoint! This book kept me hooked the entire time. There were some heavy hitting twists in the book. The narrators of the book did an amazing job. It was a very quick listen. The book was very short and sweet, but at no point did I feel like there was anything missing.

This was a good, quick read that hooked you and kept you wanting to figure out what was happening. Following the trend of a true crime podcast character, but switching it up as he wasn’t one of the main characters. More of a tool to get things going. I did have a hard time with the sheriff knowing who it was and not being able to pass information on while he recovered from a stroke, because I’ve seen way less important information get communicated in a variety of ways post stroke. But that wouldn’t make a good story, would it? 😅 overall, a good thriller set over the Christmas season.

The narrator did a wonderful job, and it was easy to tell which character was speaking as she consistently had them have their own unique voice.

Madeline survived a horrific attack that killed her best friend, almost killed her, and two of her other friends are still missing a decade later. A true crime podcaster rolls into town to look into things, even thought the bad guy is convicted in prison. Madeline had nothing to do with him until he showed her that more girls are missing, and they look like her. She steps into her dad’s home office, where the retired sheriff was working to try and find her friends still. He suffered from a stroke, and can’t tell her any theories, but she will keep looking to find her friends.

Okay, I never really thought I'd be so into a "Christmas thriller" but I actually was really digging the creepy Christmas vibes. Even though, it's October. I love Christmas. I did chuckle at the Santa mask moment which was a weird moment to laugh I know. This was a great, fast paced, quick thriller. I enjoyed the audio format too! I liked that we even got a little romance.

I will say the overall case or mystery element was so fast. When the grand reveal moment happened I was legit like "wait, what just happened?". It wasn't the most unique story ever but yet I was still invested. If you're looking for a different type of Christmas book like a thriller, I'd definitely give this a shot! I almost wished it had been a smidge longer so it wasn't quite so fast.

This was a very quick listen. Of course I had to listen since the holiday season is almost upon us and this was also my first Lisa Unger.

Maddie is the “final girl” in the brutal slaying of her best friend and the disappearance and assumed death of two other friends. She’s a good final girl. Carrying around the weight of survivors guilt, she tries to make a life for herself 10 years later. Owns her own bookstore (swoon) and takes care of her ailing father (also the sheriff) after his stroke. That is until Harley, true crime writer/podcaster, comes into town wanting to do a story on the massacre.

This had all the juicy stuff of a good teen slasher but more updated with podcasting and Instagram live. I could see the twist, but was still into the character development and seeing it through to the end.

For fans of slashers and the true crime universe.

For many years now, I’ve vacillated numerous times about adding many of Lisa Unger’s books to my to-read list. This is the second book I’ve read by Lisa Unger. I discovered this book while looking for a Christmas themed murder mystery for my holiday reading binge.

The book summary lays out the primary storylines so I’m not going to repeat them here. What the book summary doesn’t mention is that Evan was Madeline’s boyfriend at the time of her attack as well as Steph’s murder and Ainsley and Sam’s disappearances. Part one flips back and forth between Madeline and Harly with a couple of chapters from Lolly, the most recent missing woman, an exotic dancer at the local strip club. Madeline’s chapters flip back and forth between present-day and the past when she first met Evan. The few chapters of Lolly are of her meeting the killer and subsequently being abducted. Harly’s chapters are about collecting interviews for his podcast. Pretty early in the story, I began to suspect two of the characters of possibly being the killer, besides Evan Handy.

Part two is just more of the same with the story flipping back and forth between past and present and between the different characters. It’s well into the second half that Madeline reveals some more details of the night of the murder/disappearances that shed a little different light. I’m now vacillating between three different characters and am getting a little confused too! After a series of intense and scary scenes with Madeline, Hardy and Lolly, the end comes pretty fast after that. My initial suspicions of who the killer was? I was right about one of the suspects.

Most of the story was a solid 3star read, however, the best part of the story was the ending. Before thanking NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review, I just want to comment that the narrator was terrible! I was so bummed this wasn’t a Kindle Unlimited book, where I could turn off the audio version and just read the kindle version. The narrator sounded absolutely bored and uninterested in the story she was reading. Definitely not the kind of energy you want to be projecting on your audiobooks. JMHO

#NetGalley #HighBridgeAudio #ChristmasPresents

This was a really fun thriller/mystery novella. It was the perfect length to where nothing was super dragged out, but everything was explained thoroughly.
Our main character Madeline went through a horrible ordeal 10 years ago where she watched her boyfriend Evan murder her best friend and the same night 2 of her other friends went missing. Everyone was sure Evan murdered them too but they were never found and Evan denied everything. In the present, true crime podcast host Harley wants to dig into this cold case, especially after another local girl Lolly goes missing. At first Madeline doesn't want to talk, but the more she is reminded of that night, the more she wants to really know what happened.
The characters were all good, we get the POV of Madeline, Harley and Lolly. They are all in very different situations and it lends a lot to the story. Madeline is digging into her own past, she is brave and smart. Harley kind of adds the outside perspective of just wanting to figure this case out while Madeline is reliving the trauma. Lolly's perspective was so intense because she is obviously a missing person and being held captive.
The story felt very complete with the 3 POV's. We also got flashbacks of the party where everything happened 10 years ago. Sometimes, especially in the audio version, it was hard to figure out who you were with at what time if you weren't paying close attention, but most of the time it was easy. The story was so suspenseful between the past and present and Lolly and I just couldn't wait to figure out what happened.
The narrator was great, she had almost a soothing voice, but made it sound very scared at the right parts. She really brought the story to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read this gem. I was confused why a Christmas story would be released before Halloween (October 24th) but I completely understand now.

I was a bit scared in some scenes. This was action packed and full of all the good things in suspense, thriller, and in my opinion a little horror. It was all the good things someone like me loves!

I pray for a second book to this work of art! ❤️❤️❤️

Audiobook Review:

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger:
My rating:
4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Madeline was almost murdered when she was 17 years old by the guy she was seeing at that time. Years later, a woman is abducted and Madeline is approached by a cold case true crime podcaster to hear her story and to see if the two events were connected.

This was such an enjoyable audiobook! Lisa Unger is a great thriller writer and this did not disappoint. The narrator definitely did a good job at portraying emotion and I highly recommend listening to this one!

I loved the two points of views and the timelines of the past and present all coming together.

This was a rather short book, being under 250 pages and had short chapters and great pacing. I will say I think this book could have been expanded with more details of what happened on that night where Madeline was attacked.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this one for spooky season as well as the holiday season as it has lots of holiday elements!

Thank you HighBridge Audio and Netgalley for the ARC! This will be published October 24, 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and Lisa Unger for the early release copy of Christmas Presents in exchange for my review.
An escaped victim of a murderer, Madeline Martin has a thriving business as a bookstore owner. When a true crime podcaster comes to town to work on an unsolved case it brings up things in her past that she would much rather forget. More missing girls and discovering that the killer was much closer to her circle than she could have ever imagined.
Definitely not a warm and fuzzy Christmas read, and I feel it could have done without some of the language, but that’s my personal opinion. A different type of Christmas read and definitely kept my attention. Quickly listened to it in one afternoon.

I sped through this small town, holiday thriller about a woman who survived a murderous attack in high school. She now owns a bookstore, a podcast host comes to town to reopen the case, so on and so forth. All of the reveals were painfully obvious but I still had fun watching the mystery unfold and I’m a sucker for the Christmas setting. Nothing revolutionary but it was an entertaining way to spend the evening!

3.5 ⭐️

This Christmas related mystery was definitely a unique one! There was a lot going on, in many different viewpoints for such a short book!

There is the POVs from Madeline - a sole survivor from a tragedy from ten years prior. We get to see past and present POVs from her.

Then we get the present POV from Lolly, who is the newest victim to the possible serial kidnapper. Suspected to be the same person who kidnapped Madeline’s friends years prior.

Then we get a third person POV from the podcaster, Harley Granger, who is doing a podcast investigation into the murder and supposed kidnappers by the man who was convicted of the murder, Evan Grandy.

This was an interesting story and I think I just wanted more! Especially in regards to the kidnapper.

This is an entertaining, well-written, fast paced, suspenseful psychological thriller, which takes place in a small upstate NY town. It has a likable female protagonist who owns a bookstore, vividly described settings, murder, mystery, tragedy, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. I listened to the audio version of this novella, and the narrator, Ms. Jennifer Pickens, has a lovely voice and does an excellent job depicting the characters and their personalities. Many thanks to Ms. Lisa Unger, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance listener copy of this outstanding novella. This is my honest opinion.

Run, don’t walk, to pick this one up!
Wow! Wow! Wow!!!!

It is definitely 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️…maybe even 6!

Madeline Martin is a young woman who owns a local bookshop. When a stranger comes in and starts talking to her about what happened in her past…and wanting to talk to her about it, she immediately shuts him down. She does not want any part of this.

After all, her best friend was murdered…almost a decade ago. And two other girls were taken, but never found…til this day!

The stranger in the store ends up being a famed murder mystery podcaster. He had started out wanting to be a writer, but when he failed at that, turned to podcasts!

As the story unravels, we have dual timelines showing what happened that night, as well as what’s going on NOW!

Funny thing is…they caught the guy, and he’s behind bars…for life, so why do girls keep going missing???

Oh…and NOT about Christmas Presents at all…well, not really.

Terrific story! Terrific characters! Kind of story where my heart was racing and I can’t catch my breath!!

Absolutely LOVED this one!!

#ChristmasPresents by #LisaUnger.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HighbridgeAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which releases in one week (10.24.23).

Check out all my book reviews on Instagram at #BookReviews_with_emsr.
Thanks for reading! 📚📖