This was okay, it held my interest well enough. I did find it overall predictable and guessed the plot twist within the first few chapters. I do love a christmas thriller as I feel like I don't come across those very often!

What more do you want than a thriller set around a bookstore owner at Christmas time? The absolute PERFECT setting. Throw in a true-crime podcaster and it's literally the best. This was a novella, so I did feel there were some aspects of the story I wish were explored a little more thoroughly, it definitely left me wanting more! A haunting thriller with an unexpected twist left me wishing for colder weather!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own!

This is a slow burn thriller that I finished in a day. It’s a good book and once started I couldn’t put it down. It didn’t have all the twists that I enjoy in a thriller but ending was a bit of a surprise.

I was so happy to be chose to get an advanced readers copy of Christmas Presents. This Novella was wonderful! A story about a small town tragedy, secrets, and searching for truth. I wouldn’t have known it was a novella because of the length and the details of the story. It was suspenseful and twisty. I can’t wait to read more by Lisa Unger! I definitely recommend this book.

Lisa Unger is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors!

Christmas Presents is a great thrill ride.
10 years ago a murder took place and 2 girls went missing. Both friends of Madeline. Evan, Madeline's boyfriend, was convicted of the murder of Sam, bestie to Madeline Martin. Madeline was 17 and Evan attacked her as well and left her to die on a cold December night by the river, just days before Christmas.

Now Madeline owns a bookstore and takes care of her disabled father, who was the Sherrif at the time. A true crime podcaster comes into town and wants to solve this cold case. Will Madeline help him or is it too much for her to return to that night that she will never quite recover from?

Lots of characters and players. I have to say I figured out the killer (or one of them) at about 80% but was not bothered by it. I stayed up late to finish this bc it was so good. If I stay up late to finish it is a very good read for me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy to read for review. I will be adding more and more by Lisa Unger. Highly recommended!

Thrillers are my favorite genre right now, and Unger is one of the queens of the genre, so requesting this was a no-brainer.

As Christmas approaches, podcaster, Harley starts investigating the murder case of Evan Handy. Madeline was the only survivor of the murders a decade ago, and Harley’s arrival has her questioning what she thought she knew about that night.

This book weaves together the past, the present, and a current victim of Evan’s unknown accomplice from back then. This layout and the storyline kept me turning pages. Fans of thrillers, or of this author will definitely enjoy this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I love Lisa Unger and requested this one as soon as I saw it. I will say that I didn't realize it was a novella, until I was 70% of the way through and thought, Wow it's almost done?? So that was my bad! If you're looking for a quick mystery read, this is it. I will say it does not feel particularly Christmas-y, so if you're looking for something cozy, this isn't it! But, if you want to catch up on a crime that involves a bookstore owner, a podcaster, and characters adjacent to The Hollows, this is it for you!

Before writing my review, I want to extend a huge thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Unger, and Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press for gifting me the ARC of this book! I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!! It was a privilege to be able to read CHRISTMAS PRESENTS before publication in October!

This novella by Lisa Unger was such an enjoyable read for me this summer— who doesn’t love a bit of Christmas spirit to make this unprecedented July heat a little more bearable! The premise seemed fantastic and quite unique, and drew me in immediately. The novella took off right away, and the short chapters helped keep a fast pace, adding to the suspense and propelling the story forward. The alternating points of view keep you, as a reader, on your toes and help you understand more fully what the characters are going through— especially Madeline, our main protagonist. And I do enjoy when stories like this one that take you back in time to experience events first hand, so to speak.

The characters of Madeline and Badger were so intriguing, and I would have loved for them to be fleshed out a bit more— that being said, I would have loved CHRISTMAS PRESENTS to be a bit longer than a novella. The ending seemed a bit rushed, and a full-sized novel could have let events and plot points play out more fully. But this did not in any way take away from my enjoyment of this novella, which is a perfect escape from the summer heat— at least for one afternoon! :)

Lisa Unger‘s Christmas Presents immediately sucked me in as the main character, Madeline, owns a bookshop. Admittedly, I’m a sucker for bookish characters in novels. The quick synopsis is that Madeline feels anxious when a well-known true-crime author begins investigating a cold case in her city. We quickly discover that not only does Madeline have firsthand knowledge of this crime, she has worked hard to keep quiet about all that she knows. Her anxiety ratchets to new levels when the true-crime author wants Madeline’s assistance on his new book.

I appreciated Unger’s steady momentum in this novel. The short chapters made for quick reading. It’s a novella so the characters were somewhat unknowable, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. The varying perspectives and timelines were initially somewhat confusing. However, the various viewpoints did seem necessary to the storyline and certainly added more intrigue. I thought I had the ending figured out throughout the entire novel, and I was surprised to see I was wrong.

I always recommend Lisa Unger to fans of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, or Harlan Coben. Even though, this is a work of fiction, I would also recommend Christmas Presents to anyone who enjoys the true-crime genre. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a DRC copy.

I really enjoyed this holiday mystery novella! Madeline Martin, the main character, survived a horrific attack as a teenager. One friend was killed, and two others disappeared. Madeline now leads a quiet life in her small home town, but when a true crime podcaster comes to town, events from the past are stirred up, and questions are raised about whether they caught the right man all those years ago.

Lisa Unger does a great job of illuminating the lives of the characters by alternating points of view and going back in time to the events of that fateful nights. And the suspense is ratcheted up by the disappearance of yet another young woman in the present--is she still alive, and will she be discovered in time?

A quick and enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Madeleine is the surviving victim of Evan Handy, who murdered her best friend 10 years ago and was suspected to be involved in the disappearance of two sisters and also friends of Madeleine's. When a true crime author and podcaster comes to town with the belief that someone else was there that night and the mystery is still unsolved., Madeleine has to start reliving the past.

This was difficult to put down and I was hooked from the beginning. I love thrillers that have to dig up the past because something wasn't quite right and I enjoy the suspenseful way Lisa Unger writes. So far I have enjoyed everything I've read of hers. Would recommend this one when it comes out in october!

After surviving a horrifying crime that almost killed her and left her visibly scarred, Madeline is still trying to put her life back together. Enter Harley,a Podcaster, determined to find out what really happened to her 2 friends who disappear without a trace on the same night that she is nearly killed and another friend brutally stabbed to death.
Madeline is finally ready to find out,for her own peace of mind, what happened that night.
This book is well written and the characters are believable. I really liked the plot twist at the end

I received a free copy of, Christmas Presents, by Lisa Unger, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Book shop owner, Madeline Martin, having had a traumatic time before, she is ready to glide into the Christmas season unfazed, but a true crime podcaster, has different plans. I could definitely do without the language in this story, I did not care for the language, though it was a very cool read, besides that.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the ARC!

There aren’t enough words to describe how AMAZING this book is. I could NOT put it down. You are hooked from the first page and have to literally devour this in one setting. Will recommend this to EVERYONE.

This story centers on a small town that went through some traumatic events several years ago and suddenly a famous podcaster comes to investigate. Old wounds come open and Madeline is at the center. I couldn’t stop reading this to find out what would happen!


I received an early copy from Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.

When a famous crime podcast investigator comes to a sleepy country town to stir the hornets nest by investigating the crimes committed by convicted murderer Evan Handy. It's up to life long best friends Madeline and Badger to face the horrible winter night when 17 year old Madeline was attacked and allow the truth to finally come to light. Is Evan innocent? Why are more young women missing? Why do they all look like Madeline?
I had figured out the who early on but that was ok because I was more interested in the Why and what happened. I did find Madeline frustrating and maddening, she never listened to anyone, not Badger, not her father, not her friends. It made her come across a little self-centered and naive, also for Badger being her best life-long friend she sure treated him like crap and never once considered his feelings.
There was nothing spectacular about this book, I found it a little slow and lacked more excitement. The ending also really frustrated me, was I happy about the ending? Yes, but I felt like yhe main characters should have had a nice heart to heart ( that the readers were in on) that didn't leave the readers feeling like it was just thrown together. So final answer: it was just OK. #NetGallery #Christmas Presents #LisaUnger #suspense #novella

I just finished reading Christmas Presents after a wicked 18 hour read. Everyone should heed my warning. This book is a frenzied five star read. This is probably one of the best psychological thriller I have read in years.
One horrible Christmas break evening, one friend is murdered, two friends disappeared and the fourth left to die on the bank of the lake. What really happened??? Now, years later, another woman disappeared. Granger, mystery writer and up and coming podcast host, is on the scene. Who will discover the real truth???
Sooo good!!!!!
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this!
Christmas thriller novels are not something I would typically pick up, but this did not disappoint. It did a really great job of setting the scene: decades old murder / disappearance, podcast host coming to reinvestigate the seemingly closed case, and the only survivor having to question if what she remembers is TRULY what happens.
In between, we see glimpses of a current crime, which makes the reader know almost from the get-go that something is definitely not as it seems.
I thought the pacing was really well done, the lead's survivors' guilt / desire to avoid the past very palpable, and the very minor romance side story was believable. I saw the 'twist' coming a mile away but it still worked well for the story. My only minor critique: I loved the idea that the podcaster was going to go see the real killer who claimed his innocence...I just wish we had really gotten to see that. That characterization could have brought so much more depth to this story.
But all in all a good and captivating thriller.

For a Novella this was a bit longer but the length fit the story. I am a Lisa Unger fan and this was on par with her other books, twists and turn that keep you guessing what really happened.

This book has 3 different points of views that overlap and eventually merge into a great story - a great Christmas themed thriller book and an easy Sunday afternoon book

Wow! This was like reading a suspenseful movie. This was such a fun read and super fast-paced! A great thriller that’s “Christmas” themed! I would totally recommend this book, I had been looking forward to reading more from this author! I REALLY enjoyed, Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger and this one was also really good and totally bingeable!!! Definitely recommend for a quick twisty read!