It’s a quick twisted read.

I did not see any of that coming at all.

Perfect transition story to move from Halloween into the holidays!

I received an audio arc and this is my honest opinion!

3.5 ⭐️

It’s Christmas Eve, and Stella Hansen is broke. Despite working two jobs, she can’t even afford a present for her husband, Justin, on their first Christmas as newlyweds. On the night before Christmas, Stella meets an old woman, Helga, who invites Stella to her pawn shop to find a gift for Justin. At Helga's pawn shop, the mysterious storekeeper offers Stella an intriguing trade. Stella wants more than anything to buy her husband the Christmas gift of his dreams, but will it come at a terrible price?

"The Gift" is a fast-paced Christmas thriller novelette that is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. At just 53 pages, or 1 hour and 4 minutes on audio, this story is much shorter than Freida McFadden's other works, but still full of her classic twists. "The Gift" is a modern-day retelling of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," but much, much creepier. This wasn't my favorite from Freida, but it was still a compelling story.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Alyson Krawchuk, who has narrated several of Freida McFadden's book. As usual, she did a great job bringing the story to life and made this an enjoyable listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select/Hollywood Upstairs Press for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. "The Gift" is out now in paperback, and the audiobook will be available on November 7, 2023.

This is my favorite story of hers yet! It is a shame its the shortest lol. It was fantastic and then the epilogue sealed the deal. The narration was a 10/10 as well! Perfect for us spooky ladies who also want to “celebrate” the holidays HA

4 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

“The Gift” By Freida McFadden

📕 Edition: Audiobook

Super short novella but pretty good.

McFadden's storytelling is simple yet effective, making you empathize with Stella's predicament.

The mysterious storekeeper adds an element of intrigue, and the trade offered presents a dilemma that keeps you engaged throughout this short story.

Thank you @NetGalley, Freida McFadden and Hollywood Upstairs Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

THE GIFT A SHORT STORY BY FREIDA MCFADDEN.
This is not your high school required reading the gift of the magi. This is a great short Christmas read
When you are sick of the hallmark Christmas movies

The Gift by Freida McFadden
Narrated by Alyson Krawchuk

What might have been a lesson in "real love" in action is twisted around to show that you just might get more or less than you asked for if you try to pull one over on others. Stella Hansen and her husband are broke and it's Christmas Eve. With the not so kindly prodding of a gnarly old lady, Stella gives up her greatest feature only to have doing so backfire. But the backfires don't stop coming when someone gets their comeuppance in more ways than one.

If you've read the story this one is based on, you'll know (maybe) where this contemporary version of the story is probably going. But here the story deviates pretty quickly and then turns around on itself (or someone) which is only fair, if one bad deed deserves another. This maybe not so merry Christmas short story is narrated for us by Alyson Krawchuk.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select, Hollywood Upstairs Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to Freida McFadden, Dreamscape Select, and Netgalley for access to the ALC in exchange for my honest review. The new audiobook will be released on November 7, 2023.

I’ve never read a Christmas tale like that!

Overworked Stella Hansen is having the worst Christmas ever! She wants to get her new husband Justin a gift, but they’re low cash. So Stella makes a deal with an old lady pawnshop owner.

The Gift is a short Christmas story putting a twist on the Magi’s Gift. It’s a solid domestic suspense. The narrator does a fine job.

Rounded up from 3.5
It’s Christmas Eve and Stella is looking for the perfect gift for her husband, for their first Christmas as husband and wife, but she is broke. Now a mysterious storekeeper has offered her an intriguing deal... but will it be worth it?
This psychological thriller is a creepy short story, and although the final twist was good, the rest was pretty annoying. The narrator in the audio book did a great job.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a fun short story and the narrator did a good job. It all worked out great and I liked the ending. Something to read during a readathon.

Oh the irony!

I honestly thought it was going to be where they both gave away their most prized possession to get the other something to go with their prized possession but alas it was so much better than that!

My thoughts in short snippets
- foolish girl
- crazy old lady
- ungrateful man
- well that took a quick turn
- A quick thriller Christmas time novella.

If you’re searching for a short Christmas thriller, I recommend The Gift. I saw Freida’s name and that’s all it took to sell me on it. The length of the audiobook is under an hour, so it really is a quick one! It was entertaining, and in parts I found it humorous. I always enjoy Freida McFadden because her stories are easy, fast-paced, and hold my attention throughout. In this story, financially struggling newlyweds are planning their first Christmas together, and Stella wants to make it extra special with the perfect gift (that she waited until almost midnight on Christmas Eve to try to find). The narrator, Alyson Krawchuk, did a fantastic job and made it an enjoyable listen. Thank you NetGalley, Hollywood Upstairs Press, and the author for this ALC.

I went into this Christmas novella without knowing what it was about. The whole time I was envisioning the Mickey Mouse story where Mickey and Minnie sell their prize possessions to buy each other the perfect Christmas gift.

While this was very short and entertaining enough, it didn't leave me feeling anything. Maybe because everything happened so quickly, there was no time to connect with any of the characters. I did appreciate how everything wrapped up in the end, even down to the suitcase.

Overall, if you want some quick entertainment to pass 30 minutes, this one works. But it wouldn't be at the top of my recommendation list.

This short story -- drew me in right away -- I felt I could relate to Stella and her feelings about her husband, the more I listened the more I was reminded of my ex-husband, so I could empathize with Stella a lot -- I was very surprised with the ending though. I would enjoy an anthology of short stories from this author in the future. I enjoyed the narrator's voicing of the characters and the expression of the different characters' voices.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select, Hollywood Upstairs Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

This unsettling bite-sized story is perfect for the holiday season. I thought I knew exactly where it was going, but I was wrong. It's hard to say much more without giving anything away since it's such a short read.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Excellent short story by Freida McFadden. I have enjoyed all her stores so far. I listened to this one at work today and while it was one of the short ones, it still kept my interest and dang she has that twist that always tricks me! Xoxo Frieda!

I listened to a short story and found myself unable to enjoy the narrative. The events throughout the story felt off, and my discomfort only grew as the plot unfolded. Despite a potentially redeeming epilogue, the overall experience left much to be desired.

The story's events lacked coherence, making it challenging to connect with the characters or their experiences. As a listener, I struggled to find a foothold in the narrative, feeling a sense of disorientation that persisted until the end.

The conclusion did little to salvage my overall impression. Any potential improvement brought by the epilogue was overshadowed by the lingering sense of dissatisfaction from the main storyline. It left me questioning the purpose of the unsettling journey I had embarked upon with the characters.

While every listener's taste varies, I find it difficult to recommend this story to a broader audience. Although the narration quality was evident, the lack of a compelling plot and a satisfying resolution made it a challenging listen for me.

I read this book last year and when I saw that it was available as an audiobook I figured what the heck I want to listen to it now because I really like the story and wouldn’t mind reading it again.

The Audiobook is excellent. I love it so much. This is such a cool story.

It kind of has a creepy twilight zone, vibe to it, but a little bit darker than the twilight zone.

I really hope that this author creates more novellas like this, and maybe creates an anthology of similar stories

When you can't afford a Christmas gift, you make a trade, but you have to ask if the trade is worth it.

JESUS, MEN! MEN! they will always embarrass you and honestly, this man.got what he deserved!

Short and sweet and an ending that had me like 😱

Short but oh so sweet! Amazing from beginning to end. My first Fredia read, but it definitely won’t be my last. Thanks NetGallery!

Well, this was not what i expected
And in the best way ;( i hated every moment of it and wanted it ti end so bad
Guess no more Freida McFadden for me