The perfect short read for Christmas, curled up cosily inside while it’s cold and dark outside.
Isla and her sister Carla haven’t spoken since their Mother died, but this year Carla invites them to spend a family Christmas in their little place in mountains.
A strained dinner is made impossible by a power cut, with the snow falling thickly outside, it can only get worse can’t they?

A locked room style thriller, this is a great book club read and I think the idea of a chapter a day in the lead up to Christmas is a fun advent idea.

This was gripping and it had a lot of suspense. Everything was just eerie throughout this house and you’re just thinking what the hell is going on???? My favourite part was when Greg was slicing the goose. That entire part had me laughing! There were a lot of tense moments in this and it had me questioning what was actually real?

Overall, even though it was short , it was a good Christmas thriller 🎄❄️⛄️

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC.

This book may be short but it certainly packs a lot in. Isla and her husband James are invited by her estranged sister Clara to spend Christmas with her in a remote cabin. They haven’t spoken for three years, but Christmas is about forgiving and forgetting isn’t it. With the festive snowy back drop, this could be a Christmas to remember, for all the wrong reasons. Thank you to NetGalley, Books Go Social and the author for the chance to review.

I enjoyed the Christmas setting and the healing journey between the two sisters. However, I felt that much of Isla and James’ story was too ambiguous for the most part, and it didn’t make sense when the details were finally revealed. Also, the dramatic shift in personality of one of the characters seemed like it came out of the blue for me but was also fairly predictable, if that makes sense. A short read that could have used a bit more character and plot development.

I like nothing better than Christmas except a Christmas thriller book! This one has it all festive season cheer with murder, mystery, isolation, intrigue, family feuds and much more wrapped in a short book. I don't normally read short stories but I am glad that I read this one.

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller. It's written so you can read a chapter a day, like an advent calendar. I chose to read it all at once, I couldn't wait to find out what happened. If this sounds like something that interests you, throw in some Christmas season, this is the book for you. It had enough Christmas spirit in it along with edge of your seat thrills and chills.

Great short story! I normally don’t like short stories but this one had just enough that I feel like I got the whole story! It had suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery and a fabulous who done it that I didn’t see!! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I just finished the most entertaining Christmas thriller. Xmas Break: A Christmas Thriller was a great time!!

thank you NetGalley for having this book available to read!

I have mixed thoughts on this one.. i definitely needed it to be long and more sinister.. it had such potential to be a really good one.. but feel sort of flat once the big reveal came out.. the reasoning wasn’t at all scary.. although i did love the isolated/trapped snowstorm vibe the book had going on.. but I needed way more for this one..

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Xmas Break releases November 22, 2024

After being estranged with her sister for the past three years, Clara invites Isla and her husband James to an isolated cabin in a snow-capped mountain setting for Christmas.

This is perfect for those that are looking for a one-sitting read around the holidays, and are interested by smart homes and motivations rooted in money.

I think overall, the characterizations could have been a bit more defined as they didn’t always seem to fit the narrative. There was a lot of evasiveness and sentences that would trail off into ellipses which became frustrating, and left the story feeling rather surface-level.
I would have loved if this was dual pov! The addition of Clara’s pov would have added a lot more depth and dimension, and strengthened the familial themes.

A nice little novella for the Christmas season, I enjoyed it and was just the right size book, good ideas as well