Member Reviews

An edge-of-your-seat read!

Romee may be my new favorite female lead in a thriller. Audacious, brave, and in touch with her intuition—a reminder to trust those gut instincts. The perfect thriller with “just enough” Christmas thrown in. Suspense with a side of Charlie Brown Christmas tree and candy canes.

I hold my 5-star reviews closely.

This was an incredible debut for the author and I can’t wait to read more of their work.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun, fast paced novella that kept me interested through most of the story. I liked how the female main character showed a lot of spunk and a whole other side to herself at the end. Not only by her actions but also her internal dialogue was a surprise- but in a good way. I would definitely recommend this novella to others. Thank you for the ARC!

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars. The concept for this book is fairly unique. I haven’t read to many Christmas thrillers. This book did hold my interest, but not as much as thrillers usually do. Also there were some things that I wanted a better explanation for. Overall a decent read. I got an advanced readers copy from netgalley, but my review is unbiased.

Was this review helpful?

This book was a quick read . I was full of suspense and thrill . This book only took me two days to finish . I would have read it in one day if I had time .

Was this review helpful?

I loved the idea of a Christmas novella that’s a thriller! I enjoyed the set up of the main character’s back story, then her initial time at the house to the Home Alone style attack on the intruders. What a bad ass!

Was this review helpful?

I just think I found the perfect holiday read for this year!!!
in this book we follow Romee as she goed to a Airbnb all by herself, after a break up with her boyfriend. But when she arrives strange things started to happen, she may not be all by herself anymore.

I recently read a book called The last word and that was one of my favorites books and this does in my opinion follow the same kind of structure plot wise. the plot is super entertaining and easy to follow, a lot of action packed scenes with also some humor in it. a super read for the holiday to read beside your Christmas tree.

Was this review helpful?

4 Stars: WOW what a ride! this novella was jam packed with scary! If you like thrillers you will love it. It scared the crap out of me lol. Let's just say I will never go on vacation alone lol.

Thank you NetGalley and Meyer Matthews for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you #NetGalley and #MeyerMatthews for allowing me to read and review this book.I think Matthews did a good job building the suspense without being too heavy handed for a novella. This thriller novella is a quick-paced novella for when you want some murder with the holiday season!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Overview:
Romee was hoping to spend a romantic Christmas at an isolated cabin with her boyfriend but instead he has ended the relationship. Keen not to waste the money she’s paid, Romee decides to go by herself thinking that getting away may give her space and time to heal. But strange things start to happen. Things go missing or have moved. There are strange noises. Romee is not so alone after all.

My Review:
Based on the title and cover of this book I honestly would never have thought to read it. But after seeing it recommended on a book group, I read the synopsis and knew I had to read it. I was not disappointed and this is a perfect example of “don’t judge a book by its cover”! It’s a novella so a short read but it’s packed full of eerie tension, gore and Christmassy things! It was well written and perfect if you’re looking for something a little different to get you into the Christmas spirit. I really liked Romee’s character. We’ve all been there where we just want to wallow in our self pity but as the story unfolds we also get to see her strong side, determined to survive.

Was this review helpful?

Well damn. From that cover you wouldn't expect what is hidden inside.

A great surprise of a read. The summary sounded something right up my alley and it didn't disappoint. A great horror Christmas reads that really has a punch to it with keeping you on edge with little things that happen. I also liked Romee as a character and how she reacted to things. Fantastic!

4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!

Was this review helpful?

Oh so fun! I couldn’t figure out where this book was going, I only wish we got the WHY behind it all. Love the simplicity of the storyline and how the it started off quite nicely, almost realistically, before taking off completely into a wonderfully violent end! More than once while reading this novella did I actually get spooked, and I had no idea where the author was going to take us. I also really appreciated how the reader wasn’t drowned in details or internal dialogue. On the other hand, I did appreciate the level of detail in the more action-packed sequences because it made the visuals easier to decipher.

A solid 4-star read!

Was this review helpful?

Romee had planned a holiday trip to a remote cabin for her and her long-time boyfriend, hoping he would finally pop the question. Instead, a week before the trip, he broke up with her. Unable to get her money back for the cabin rental, she decided to go alone but right from the beginning, she felt something was wrong. she tried to write it off as her imagination, the natural creaking of an old house, or the copious amounts of wine she was consuming to try to drown her heartbreak. Unfortunately, she should have listened to her gut because it wasn’t wrong.

Judging from the cover of the novella I’ll Be Alone For Christmas by Meyer Matthews, Inwas expecting a nice cozy Christmas mystery. This is definitely not that. It starts out slowly, allowing time to ramp up the suspense and creep factor so that when it finally got going, it was like an adrenaline shot to the heart. Christmas, itself, plays very little part in this story except as a timeline. In fact, the spirit of Christmas is pretty much absent here. There is, however, plenty of violence, gore and chills so probably not for the squeamish. But, if you’re in the mood for a chilling winter tale that packs one hell of a wallop, this may be just what you’re looking for. I read it in one setting and loved every minute of it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Mini Review: I'll Be Alone For Christmas: A Thriller Novella by Meyer Matthews. This is not my usual type of read. It has no romance which is my got to but I wanted something different and at least one spooky book for the season so I chose this novella. And let me tell this is definitely a don’t judge a book by the cover situation. This is definitely a suspenseful thriller. Synopsis: The main character Romee is supposed to be on a Christmas vacation with her boyfriend in the middle of nowhere but instead she’s been dumped before Christmas and heads to the Airbnb Cabin she rented by herself. Take a bit of a paranoid women out in the middle of nowhere by herself and what do you get lot’s of jumps and scares until that fear becomes real and then what do you do? Fight to survive. I loved this is was a quick, short, & scary read for perfect for the season. So if your into Suspense or Thriller reads this is the perfect for you.
Content Warning: this is graphic and scary. It also has a some foul language.

Was this review helpful?

This book pleasantly surprised me with its exceptional writing and I felt engaged right away. The vivid descriptions allowed me to immerse myself in the setting, and the suspenseful moments sent shivers down my spine multiple times, unlike any other book I've read. It was just the perfect length, to be able to read in a single setting. One of my favorite books of the year!

Was this review helpful?

This book was a intense ride through hell and I have decided I never want to read any home evasion story for the rest of my life because I am now paranoid.

This novella was short but the plot move quickly enough to keep you wanting for more. I really enjoyed the way the creepy vibes were installed, from the beginning and they slowly became more intense and I really liked how in the end we have a lot of action and suspense.

However, I’m a bit disappointed with the ending because it left us with a lot of question that for me are important to the plot, for example, why did they do it, what was their motive? Is Romee there first victims or did it happened before? also I would have like to have something more with Jessica in the end.

Overall this novella is a great short and entertaining Christmas book.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy in exchange of an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

If you're looking for a holiday thriller that will hit the spot, I think this is a good option! We follow Romee as she goes to an Airbnb in the mountains all by herself after a breakup. However, strange things start to happen and she may not be as alone as she thinks.

I think this is the first holiday thriller I've ever read, but I've watched a few, so I feel like I know enough to say this was very good. It's simple, entertaining, action-packed, and a lot of fun. I could see where this was going and correctly guessed a few things, but it didn't take away from the thrill.

It's the kind of book that you can curl up with and be fully immersed in for a couple of hours cause it feels like a movie.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars

This was such a quick and enjoyable read! The gradual build-up in the first half was genuinely captivating. While I thought I could figure out where the story was heading, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and the unexpected direction it took, especially the spooky and scary element that the cover didn't prepare me for. The wintry atmosphere and the feeling of isolation it created were truly enchanting. My only desire was for the conclusion to be slightly more extensive, allowing for a deeper exploration of the reasons behind certain events and a stronger connection to the protagonist. It seemed to me that she appeared younger than her intended age. Nonetheless, it was an overall enjoyable reading experience.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A picturesque cabin surrounded by snowy mountains and frosted trees sounds like a holiday paradise - but this will be anything but. This story might be short, but it packs a serious punch; packed with suspense, horror and suspicion all wrapped up with a shiny bow.

From the moment our tale starts, the scene is set brilliantly - with deeply descriptive surroundings that feel both beautiful and claustrophobic at the same time. Our narrator, Romee, is having a terrible time setting off on a Christmas break alone and heartbroken; she’s understandably a little bitter and angry but I loved her, and this made it too easy to slip into her paranoia and fear as the cabin became less of a holiday and more a threat.

It spirals into a locked-room kind of mystery, with an atmosphere somewhere between a haunted house and a killers lair - a quiet horror that’s all about the lurking shadows and mysterious noises until it all comes to a dramatic and bloody end.

Was this review helpful?

This was so good! There were some points where I was worried I was not going to like the direction it was going. And I am so, so glad with the way it ended.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

4.5/5 ★
Romee thinks that her boyfriend is about to propose before their holiday vacation, but instead, he dumps her. She decides to go on the mountain vacation anyway. However, when she arrives there, she soon starts to feel that maybe she isn't alone. When intruders attack her, she must fight for her life to survive.

Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read! I think Matthews did a good job building the suspense without being too heavy handed for a novella. The only reason I'm not giving five stars is that the motive felt so weird/too random for me. Maybe if Romee had been digging more into disappearances as she was staying in the cabin or something. Otherwise, a quick-paced novella for when you want some murder with the holiday season!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?