This is a short read with only 184 pages, and 25 chapters making it readable as an advent calendar. I thought that was cleaver, however I read this in a day. This story flows well and has you suspicious of everything with all the family drama involved. This holiday thriller takes place in a remote cabin home during a snowstorm with an estranged pair of sisters and their husbands. Which one holds a dark secret? You will find out soon enough. This is a perfect read for someone wanting a little holiday mixed in with their thrillers, without investing a lot of time.

3.5 stars. (Here's Johnny)!
Perfect for fans of Freda McFadden books.
Cozy Christmas thriller Arc received from NetGalley with BooksGoSocial publishing company.

⋆❆⋆Fast pace
⋆❆⋆Family drama
⋆❆⋆Secluded smart house
⋆❆⋆Mental breakdown
⋆❆⋆Internally healed wounds

This book includes 25 chapters for 25 days of Christmas but the question is; can you wait to turn the pages or will this be your Christmas binge read?"

Isla recieves a Christmas invite from her estranged sister Clara after 3 years of silence after the passing of their mother. The place they are going to spend Christmas with Clara and her husband Greg is a luxury mountain retreat and the house is smart controlled. The retreat is miles away from civilization and a brutal winter storm in coming in.

Will the get the chance to recreate a perfect family Christmas or will their perfect Christmas end in violence?

Isla and Clara are estranged sisters who haven’t seen each other in three years, but Clara and her husband Greg have invited Isla and her husband James to have a Christmas holiday at their “little mountain house”. Isla only goes because James tells her they don’t have to stay any longer than she wants to, but a snowstorm makes a liar of him…

They walk into the home, which is decorated like a Christmas wonderland gone berserk, and soon Isla notices the pictures in the house are of another couple, and Greg is acting very strangely. He and Clara are obviously fighting; she seems almost manic, and he seems terrified. Then the power goes out, leaving their smart home…well, not as smart. When the men go to check on the generator, only one of them comes back, and then the story finally starts to pick up…

This novella is written over 25 chapters, so that the reader can use it as an advent calendar (or you can just read it all in one sitting, as I did!). I thought that concept was fun, and helps make up for the lackluster writing and story that began stiffly. It did pick up though, and overall this novella was cheesy but still entertaining (and I loved all The Shining references!) 3.5 stars.

(Thank you to Little Fox Publishing, J.E. Downey and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Xmas Break by J.E. Rowney is a suspenseful novella.
A very quick and enjoyable book.
The storytelling and chilling premise drew me in from the very first page, and I was completely enthralled.
With its gripping plot, well-drawn characters, and evocative prose, it is sure to captivate readers from beginning to end.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION DAY BOOK REVIEW 📚

Xmas Break: A Christmas Thriller By JE Rowney
Publication Date: November 22, 2024
Publisher: Little Fox Publishing

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

This novella from JE Rowney combined two of my favorite things: Christmas and thrillers. When I saw it available as a Read Now option on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it! And I'm so happy I did!

This was a fun and quick read that just DRIPPED with creepy suspense. There was a strong presence of foreshadowing from the book's very beginning, and that left me feeling like I didn't know the whole story - which was a fantastic tactic to nudge up my anxiety. Nothing felt right with any of the happenings within this story, and I knew something bad was coming...I just didn't know what it was.

An isolated and remote setting. Estranged family relationships. Pictures of strangers throughout the house. The power going out. A giant snowstorm. Weird noises upstairs. Sounds like the perfect book for a holly jolly holiday... And I'm here for it.

Maybe some will feel the conclusion was predictable -- I definitely didn't predict it. Once the pieces of the puzzle started coming together, I still found myself wondering if maybe I had it wrong. It's tough to develop deeply-understood characters in a novella, but I thought Rowney did a good job of that.

I loved the "just what in the hell is going on here?!" vibe I immediately got from this book, and the fact that it was such a quick read made it even more fun! If you're looking for a quick and entertaining holiday read, with the suspense you love in your favorite thrillers, I definitely recommend picking up Xmas Break. Thank you to NetGalley, Little Fox Publishing, and JE Rowney for this advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

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A very easy read; the writing was entrancing. I saw on another review that the author spent a lot of time describing the setting, but honestly, it didn’t feel like it at all. Rowney did a great job in setting the setting and introducing the characters, and I honestly don’t feel like she wrote too much. 
 
My only issue with the book is that it is too short! I would have loved it to be a little bit longer so we could have more context of the dynamic between the sisters and know more about their husbands because it almost feels like we’re dealing with strangers. I feel like I only cared about Isla and her sister, but even then, when the ending comes, I feel like I didn’t even know Isla, so I would have loved to have more context about the characters so we could fully engage with them. The suspenseful tone was palpable, so powerful. 
 
A great quick read to get you in the holiday spirit for us thriller lovers.

This is such an atmospheric novel. From the first page, Rowney sets the tone and draws the reader into the book. It is a wonderfully tense book, that really tests trusts, and dives into the complexities of family dynamics. Rowney builds the tension expertly through this fast paced book and flawlessly executes twists and turns throughout. This is a gripping novella that is definitely worth a read!

Clearly inspired by The Shining, Xmas Break suffers a bit from novella syndrome, in which the short length makes it difficult to tell a full-fledged story.

In the book, two estranged sisters gather with their spouses for the holidays. Will they make peace? Or will things get dark and deadly?

I always do like a sister story, though!

Estranged sisters Isla and Clara agree to spend Christmas in a remote mountainside haven with the husbands after several years apart. The holiday reunion seems too good to be true, and when a brutal snowstorm cuts them off from civilization, family secrets begin to surface and tension ensues.

This short holiday novella is a perfect read to help you meet your year-end Goodreads goal and will be best enjoyed with the lights on.

Thank you to J.E. Rowney, Little Fox Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of the book for an honest review.

The Christmas vibes in this book were really fun, especially when set in a thriller book. The author did a great job of conveying the season and turning normally happy Christmas items into something more sinister.

Unfortunately, the story fell flat. There was so much potential in the beginning but it ended up being boring and predictable. I found there was some weird repetition in the story, which was odd for a book so short. There was also a lot of alluding to something happening in the past and not enough of a payoff in the end.

I did really enjoy the author's writing and would pick up another book by this author.

Xmas Break: A Christmas Thriller by J.E. Rowney is a quick and suspenseful read, perfect for the holiday season. The novella centers on two estranged sisters, Isla and Clara, who reunite for a Christmas getaway at a remote mountain retreat with their husbands. As a snowstorm traps them in isolation, tension builds within the family, and secrets begin to unravel, making for a thrilling (and at times eerie) atmosphere.

The story is filled with familial drama, which adds an intriguing layer of complexity to the thriller genre. While it may not be as "scary" as one might expect from a thriller, the suspense is palpable, and the plot twists are cleverly executed. Many readers appreciated the unexpected ending, though some felt the pace was rushed, given the novella's short length.

A unique feature of the book is its structure, which is designed like an advent calendar with 25 chapters that could be read one per day leading up to Christmas. However, some reviewers noted that the story's brevity made it hard to maintain the pacing of one chapter a day, and a few found the repetitive dialogue and similarities to The Shining detracted from the overall experience.

That said, the holiday setting and familial themes of healing and reunion make this a heartwarming read, despite the tension and suspense. The twist at the end adds a satisfying surprise, and the novel’s atmosphere is one of its strongest points, with readers commenting on how well Rowney captures the snowy, secluded retreat and the tension that builds as the power goes out.

Overall, Xmas Break is a quick, engaging Christmas thriller that provides a blend of suspense and holiday cheer, perfect for those looking for a short, intense read. Though some aspects could have been fleshed out more, the book is still a fun, festive choice for fans of domestic thrillers.

first christmas read of the year! this book has 25 chapters so can be read as an advent calendar with one chapter a day or in one sitting like I did. it was a short and Christmassy read and I liked the aspect of sisters, healing and Christmas being about family and creating memories. however for a thriller, this wasn’t eerie or scary at all which is why I’m giving it 1.5 stars.

thank you NetGalley for the arc.

When it came to some of the descriptions I think Rowney did a little too much. I also think that it's resemblance to The Shining was so obvious it took me away from the story. I think if you're writing/publishing a short story you really have to laser focus on having everything and make it super clean, and this didn't feel that way.

Giving this a 1.5.

Sometimes the power goes out and the masks fall away; leaving something much more precious in their place. Xmas break is a wonderfully short thriller that helps you get into the Christmas spirit, and then leads you to ponder what perfection means and leads you to grow increasingly suspicious until - wham!!! You won’t know what hits you - but it’s definitely worth the read in this cleverly told Christmas thriller. Perfection can be over rated, breaks can turn into breakdowns and sometimes we all need reminders of the value of family especially at Christmas. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my review.

Difficult one to review really.
An ok storyline set in a wintery/xmas setting but just as it started getting going it had finished.
Short and sweet.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I wanted to like this novella but for me it was too predictable, redundant dialogue, and too simple. I really didn’t care for the writing so I will not be posting this on my blog.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and reviews this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Compelling..
An idyllic luxury mountain retreat, a snowstorm and a family torn at the seams. A short and snappy Christmas domestic suspense packed with familial drama, hidden secrets, lies and tension. Is this one Christmas family reunion too good to be true? Compelling and engaging with twenty five chapters for the run up to Christmas Day.

This was just okay for me. Wanted more thriller and less family drama- but it was quick and would be a great read to help meet your Goodreads goal for the year.

A few years after the death of their mother. Sisters decide a family retreat to spend Christmas at a luxury mountain is just what they need! But they are far from wrong when a storm blocks their only escape!

This was a great Christmas thriller! A beautiful wintery setting filled with tons of suspense! I really enjoyed the twist at the end and was entertained throughout the book!