Totally recommend solely for the atmosphere! Very fast-paced and plot-driven and is great for a quick read over the holiday!

I really enjoyed how much action was packed into this short little novella. I felt like I experienced a whole full-length novel in half the time. I do agree with other reviewers that some parts (a la the ending) felt a little rushed, but I don't particularly think we needed anymore to the story to be left feeling satisfied. I had several theories while reading and I enjoyed that I didn't quite exactly know which direction the book was going to take. I'm not sure what it says about this book or my memory, but the most memorable part of this novella were the descriptions of Madeline's bookshop. Add that to fictional places I would like to visit one day!

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you Penzler Publishers & NetGalley for my ARC!

Such a cute fun Christmas read!!! Lisa Unger is a favorite thriller author of mine and I love that she jumped into a holiday novella!!!

Christmas Presents
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Lisa Unger

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Penzler Publishers, and High Bridge Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that Madeline would much rather forget. She's the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the man who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also good friends of Madeline's, who have been missing for nearly a decade.

Harley Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss. He wasn't much of a novelist, but his work as a true crime author and podcaster has earned him fame and wealth—and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Still, visiting Little Valley to be closer to his dying father has caused him to look into a case that many people think is closed—and some want reopened.

Since Evan Handy went to jail, three other young women have gone missing, most recently a young college dropout named Lolly. Five young women missing in the same area in a decade. Are they connected? Was Evan Handy innocent after all? Or was there some else there that night? Someone who is still satisfying his dark appetites?

My Thoughts: This was more of a novella at a shorter length. I had the pleasure of having both the digital (260 pages) and audio (5 hours and 39 minutes) books. This was definitely haunting and gripping, and perfect for the Christmas season! Madeline was brutally attacked ten years ago, her best friend was murdered and two more of her friends disappeared. Her then boyfriend, Evan, was convicted of the murder and was sentenced to life. Ten years later, she has moved on the best she can and owns a small bookstore. A well known podcaster comes to town to reopen the cold case of the two missing friends. Madeline has to reopen closed wounds, will this cause her to break? When another woman goes missing, will this open the door to finding the two missing girls?

The story is narrated by multiple characters and in multiple timelines. Once you get the who is who and which POV timeline, it flows well. Madeline suffered a tragic event that has left her scarred, cautious, and untrusting. The characters were developed throughout the story, they were mysterious, and were creatively woven. The author’s writing style was complex, was dark, flowed well, was creepy, twisty, the pacing was quick, and the plot points were spot on. While a tad predictable, this was still a compelling twisty read.

This atmospheric thrilling story kept me engaged and invested. While I felt the scenes could have been expanded a little more and a little more detail, it was a still a good read that I throughly enjoyed. I am a Lisa Unger fan and would definitely read anything she puts out. I would recommend to other readers this Christmas season.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Unger and Penzler publishing for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I love Unger’s writing and this is just the perfect Christmas time thriller. It’s a quick paced, keep you at the edge of your seat novel. I did figure out the twist, but the reveal was totally worth it and it all tied together so nicely.

I enjoyed this quick suspenseful novella about a murder and disappearance of high school friends years prior. When a podcaster shows up in town all secrets seem to be revealed. My only wish was honestly that this had been a full novel. I would’ve loved more back story and details of the characters relationships in high school.

I love reading Holiday reads and lately I’ve been really loving Holiday mysteries and thrillers. Christmas Presents is a fast paced murder mystery novella that quickly pulls you in and can easily be read in one setting. The characters are mostly all loveable and well developed. There’s a strong female lead which is always something I love in a book. Even though I kind of figured out who the killer was before it was still quite a good read. If you’re looking to add a bit of murder and mystery to your holiday season this one is perfect for it.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger. I’ve was in the mood for a good Christmas thriller and that’s exactly what I got. This book was amazing. It kept me interested and page turning until the end! Thanks Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

This one fell a bit flat for me. I feel that some details didn't quite get the explanation they needed and it was a bit rushed.

This was a quick, easy to read holiday novella which I really enjoy.

I think this would have been a great full length novel as there were lots of storylines and character development to keep up with. The story was there but just needed a little better execution. The ending was a little open-ended and I still had some questions after finishing. I did not guess the mystery before the end but I can how people would think it was predictable once getting to the end.

I enjoyed reading this and I am loving the emergence of Christmas thrillers. This book led to a great discussion with my book club.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the context of this book and it was the perfect fast paced thriller for the holidays! The characters and backstories were well built and I really liked the podcast element of the story. There were times where it was difficult to establish if it was happening in the present or the past at times, but eventually it became clearer. If you like psychological thrillers that take place at Christmas, this may be perfect for you!

This was an amazing book. I highly recommend it to everyone. Great characters and a great plot. I will be looking for more books by this author. The book is superbly written. Lots of twists, turns and shocking turns of events

I absolutely loved this novella! Fast paced, great storyline and the ending was perfect! I really enjoy all of Lisa's work but this one was super enjoyable and hit all of the Holiday vibes, alongside setting up a spooky environment!

Something happened several years back and they "think" they have the killer in custody. But when a Crime Writer comes to town to dive deeper into the story for his new Podcast, well things get very, very odd once again. Missing women, strange gifts being left on the sole survivor of the past murder spree. What is happening? Who is responsible for these murders? For the past murders? Read to find out!

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Madeline Martin is doing her best to move on from the tragic, childhood event she experienced years ago. Now the owner of a bookstore, Madeline is doing her best to forget about her attempted murder alongside the tragic killing of her friend, Stephanie, and two other missing girls. Assumedly the work of their old classmate Evan Handy, who has been in jail for the crimes for years, everyone in town is a bit confused when Lolly, a topless dancer, goes missing, making her the third missing girl since Evan went to prison. When failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, Harley Granger, shows up, he's determined to uncover the truth.

Madeline is, at first, strongly against this idea, as is her best friend, Badger. But as new things start to come up, Madeline decides she owes it to herself, and her Dad, former Sherriff who lost many of his abilities due to a stroke, to solve the case. None of them could ever guess what Madeline will uncover...

I had a lot of fun reading this book, despite being a bit disappointed with the execution! Believe it or not, this was my first book by Lisa Unger, and I will definitely be returning for more! I actually think this would have been a fantastic full-length novel. There were tons of storylines and character development to keep track of, and a lot of things that I feel were left too open-ended. I hate being left with questions and, unfortunately, I still have many after finishing this. Another major downside was that I solved the mystery like halfway through. There was a moment where it became so clear to me, and while I suspected a few other people along the way, I was never convinced that it was anybody other than who it was, which is always a disappointment for me.

Overall, though, this was a fast-paced thriller with a little bit of romance -- my personal preference -- and I really enjoyed it. This was a great book to discuss at book club, and, like I said, I look forward to reading many more books from Lisa Unger!

Having read other books by Lisa Unger, I was super excited to have the opportunity to read her new novella. I really enjoyed it and in fact, I wish it had been a bit longer!

Thanks to Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

I really enjoyed SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX by Lisa Unger, so I was excited to see that she was releasing this novella!

🎁 CHRISTMAS PRESENTS is about Madeline Martin, a woman who has built a life for herself after her tragic childhood. Enter Harley Granger — a true crime podcaster who has a lot of questions about the events that Madeline would much rather forget.

I enjoyed the unsettling plot and how more details were revealed over time. The chapters about Lolly added another element of mystery and unease. The ending wasn’t as satisfying as I was hoping, but I really enjoyed reading this! It’s a quick, suspenseful story that could be read any time of the year, but is especially fun around Christmas time.

I felt like this book had such great promise, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The characters relied heavily on tropes and felt very on dimensional.

I kind of wish this had been a full novel as opposed to a novella. It felt rushed in some areas or like the ideas didn't have enough space/time to be fully fleshed out. I think it would have made a better book if there had been more time for some extra details or to let the story flow and breathe a bit.

This is a shorter novel, but completely creeped me out the entire time. The author does such a good job creating a sinister atmosphere with her writing even during innocuous seeming scenes. I even had figured out what was going on and STILL couldn’t trust a single character and felt like I had to keep looking behind me. That’s some really well done thriller writing!

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉, 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒍, 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍, 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉, 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓.”

After reading Lisa Unger’s Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six last year and loving her writing style, I was excited to dive into this festive novella.

The opening chapter sets the tone right away for what’s to come - this isn’t a quaint mystery story, but rather has a gritty vibe with a claustrophobic small town and people poking into a past that has so many unanswered questions. Protagonist Madeline is a strong final girl, who uses books and isolation to escape from the traumas of one particular night. With the inclusion of Harley Granger, a true crime podcaster, Unger makes some great points about society’s fascination with true crime - many times it forgets the victims all together due to the fascination behind the perpetrator of the crimes. I thought overall, Unger deftly plots well timed moments that push the story forward, especially for a story that is longer than a typical novella, but shorter than a full length novel. The characters felt fully developed, although there were a few moments towards the end that could’ve used a bit more explanation. The ending was also a bit predictable (and I was so hoping it wouldn’t be), but overall it is satisfying, especially with the friendship between Madeline and her best friend, Badger.

Christmas Presents is a story of trauma, shame, magnetic power, and closure. It is a gritty festive thrill ride for those looking for something a bit darker to read this season. Thank you to Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press & NetGalley for the ARC!