I read this book in one sitting!!! From the very beginning your wondering what is going on and you keep that frame of mind throughout. This was such a fun simple read!

I didn't have the highest of expectations going into this book as the reviews weren't great but I was pleasantly surprised! It was a quick and fun holiday read! I love a good mystery that takes place in the mountains in a blizzard! ❄️

Quick read. Very fast paced, I loved that it was Christmas’-y. Kinda had it figured out at the beginning. It flowed pretty well. The ending was great and my favorite character was Isla. She was a strong woman doing what she did. Would definitely read another book by this author.
Thank you to the publisher and author J. E. Rowney for the advanced readers copy.

It was a great idea to have this set out like an advent calendar with 25 chapters to read every day. Clearly I did not do that and just binged it in a few sittings!

It was a quick read, a bit repetitive and a bit far fetched to be completely honest. I think the best bit about the book is the cute cover. I've read a few of this author's books now and I've decided I just don't gel with them, a bit rushed and simple at times.

Such a cute idea! I love the thought of using this book as an advent calendar so much! I ended up adopting the concept with a short novel in my classroom. A great read - too bad I couldn't put it down to use as an advent calendar!!

This was such a fun, quick read. I didn’t expect to be so enthralled as I know novellas can sometimes fall short without much time for character development. This was a mix of horror and thriller genres, and I appreciated that the author didn’t take it too seriously - lots of breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging just how silly characters in these genres can act (noooo, don’t go upstairs to investigate that noise alone!)

I loved the idea of a festive advent calendar novel, with a chapter a day. However I really struggled to read it as the print was so small, and when enlarged on my kindle made the formatting askew. It really affected my enjoyment of this one.

I really enjoyed this holiday read!
I obviously did not read one chapter a day, as I did not have that much self control. It was tense, thrilling, claustrophobic, and eerie all at once. The descriptions were great, albeit a bit repetitive.

If you’re looking for a good Christmas thriller that will keep you wanting more and keep you on the edge of your seat this is it! I highly recommend this short thriller!

This book was overall entertaining and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had gotten to read it the way the author intended, over the 25 days leading up to Christmas. I assume because it was written to be read over time some parts felt kind of repetitive. A lot of the same imagery was used multiple times. I wish the plot was a little more twisty and we got a little more explanation for some of the characters behaviors and motives but I understand it was meant to be short and sweet. I would recommend this book as a holiday read.

Wow what a fun Christmas thiller novella! Honestly I wish it was a little longer and went in a bit more depth of each character.I guessed the killer about half way through but even though I still enjoyed it. It was fast paced and an easy read. I feel like if you like Frieda McFadden you would enjoy this fast paced popcorn thiller. Also the Christmas vibes were SO good! Thanks to net galley for a e-arc!!!

This was a good read and very quick I read this in one day. I found this engaging and kept me wanting to read more, We meet a couple who is going to spend Christmas break with her estranged sister. Isla had anxiety about he whole thing and weird things start to happen around this beautiful cabin. I know this is meant to read a chapter a day up till Christmas day but it was too binge worthy. A great holiday read for sure and the creepy Santa was great. I didn't see the ending coming when others said they did I thought it was a great overall read.

This story had so much to offer, the build up was great, very tense and dramatic however the ending feel short for me I’m afraid. Maybe if the book was longer it would have had a better ending? It felt slightly rushed and I still had answered questions. It was a good Christmas read though and I enjoyed it to a certain extend

2.5 stars

This one just fell really flat for me. I almost put it down before they made it to Christmas Eve dinner.

Isla and James had two different conversations while they were getting ready about how odd the couple were. One conversation James told Isla she was imagining things, and in the second conversation he agrees and even adds input.

I know this was an ARC but it still could have used a bit more editing.

I think the concept had so much potential to be a really good short thriller but with a short story I expect well developed writing and this wasn't it.

Thank you to #netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for this ARC. I read this book in one sitting and laughed in parts. I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was a good book and a quick read. It felt a little too cheesy and unrealistic so that was tough for me. But all in all it was a great quick Christmas read.

The cover and the title of the book sounded interesting and at 119 pages it was a quick read. While there was some suspense, it fell a little flat for me. It was a little too wordy and predictable.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

I was so excited to receive this ARC of Xmas Break from Netgalley, I have to say it was the title and description of this book that grabbed my attention. I am an avid reader of a good cozy Christmas murder mystery so was excited to see a Christmas-themed thriller, something that isn't done too often! This novel is pretty short at only 181 pages so I thought this would be a great quick read. It pains me to say that I didn't really enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. There are 4 main characters in the story, two sisters with a strained relationship and their husbands. One couple is invited by the FMC sister for a Christmas-themed dinner. This takes place in a house that seems to be deserted from a major city during a snow storm. There are some odd interactions at the dinner, and the couple that is invited for dinner notice some odd things about the house, such as a different couple in the pictures on the walls. This part intrigued me, however so many "clues" were stressed too often, it felt a little forced. I didn't like any of the characters, I do understand at 181 pages it must be difficult to build character development. The twist was pretty predictable. I did enjoy parts of this book, and I have to give it props that I did finish it, as I generally don't hesitate to DNF if I really feel like I am wasting my time, so that is a plus. I did see a lot of elements of the Shining in this book too, which I am unsure how I feel about. I think a key element for me as a reader is that if you are going to mash genres such as Holiday and murder, it has to be either cozy, horror or funny, I don't know why but they just work!


Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC of this novel

🎄❄️ XMAS BREAK by J.E. Rowney [e-ARC] ❄️🎄

Genre: Thriller
Length: 184 pages
Pub Date: Nov. 22, 2024 *now available*
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated are solely my own.

Synopsis:
Isla and her husband, James, are invited to spend Christmas Eve/Day at her sister and brother-in-law's remote mountain retreat home. Far from a normal, warm, family holiday, Isla and Clara have been estranged for the last 3 years, since their mother passed away. The invitation is puzzling to Isla, but she and James accept. Clara and Greg's lavish mountain home seems like perfection, but it's all just TOO perfect and Isla can't help feeling like something is wrong... and then the winter snowstorm knocks out the power...

Opinion:
This was an extremely quick read (it's more of a novella) and I read it all in one sitting. I actually enjoyed the plot and the very strange family dynamic vibe. I did figure out who was the cause of all the accidents/violence, but I still liked the book. I did feel like the ending was a little sudden and a tiny bit anti-climactic, but it did explain everything well. Worth reading for a quick holiday thriller!

Thank you Books Go Social & JE Rowney for this read!

I binged this book from start to finish in one go. It was a quick and addictive thriller that is perfect for thriller lovers hoping to read a christmas books that is sure to thrill you!

The setting was creepy and while the intensity builds fast, you will be questioning what is going on! The twist was not totally unexpected however was still satisfying!

If you're after a quick and easy, addictive and thrilling holiday read -- this book is for you! Good enough to devour in one session or ready a chapter each day this December!

This was a pleasant read but found it too predictable for me. However as a short story it would do well.