I wanted to love this- I really did.
I mean look at the cover!
An isolated tech house, unreachable by authorities? Christmas Eve killer? Yes please.
But it turned out to be very much no thanks. The writing was cliched and repetitive. We get it- the Christmas ornaments once ‘looked festive but now looked sinister’!
Not to mention the straightforward predictability of the story. I think this one might be a me problem because I wanted a different book. I can think of at least 2 ways that twist could have twisted way harder.
Overall this one wasn’t for me but if you are not a big thriller reader and wanted to dip your toes in this is very thriller lite! Also had some cool nods to The Shining.

“Xmas Break” is a very short novella. It starts off slow and I couldn’t tell where the story was going, but then the suspense kicks in, and I was hooked. I needed to know what was going on and it pushed me to actually not want to put the e-book down. Some of the descriptions felt a bit overdone, and there were moments that felt a little silly but overall, it delivered a good ending. I’d recommend it for the tension it builds.

My first Christmas read this year and I loved it!
This book held my interest through each chapter, a fast paced read.
If you love a classic thriller/horror story, this one’s for you!

This was a great idea, reading one chapter a day leading up to Christmas Day! But the chapters were short and addictive enough that I actually ended up reading it in a couple of sessions.
The plot line was fairly predictable (and a bit silly!) but I wasn't after a serious or complex read. There is some repetition throughout the story, although I think this is more noticeable because I read the book quickly, rather than over 25 days!
So, it was a fun fast Christmassy crime read.

Honest review in return for free eARC
3/5 stars

2.00 stars
-
The book's concept was cool. The author mentions that you could treat it as an advent calendar, reading a chapter a day, or binge-read it with a bit of mulled wine. Isla hasn't spoken with her sister after the death of their mother, so she feels it's a bit out of place when she and her husband James are invited to spend the holidays in isolation with them at a cabin in the woods.

Tensions are high once they arrive at the cabin, and everything seems off - Clara and husband Greg are acting strange, there are pictures of another couple around the cabin, and Clara can't help but talk about bringing up their mother a lot more than normal. As the couples try to be civil during their meal, the power goes out and panic ensues.

The synopsis claims that this is a fight for survival, but it's clear from the start (using some foreshadowing), who they're trying to survive. It felt like a nod to The Shining, where someone is meant to go "mad", however, things just happened a bit too fast for me. If this book had been a bit longer, and we could flesh out our characters a bit more I would have enjoyed it more.
-
Overall this was a bit too predictable for me, I don't think I would have been able to only read a chapter a day as they're so short. This was mainly a one-sitting read for me (give or take a few chapters), if you're looking for a fast-paced holiday thriller I could see someone enjoying this.
I want to thank BooksGoSocial, J.E. Rowney, and NetGalley for a copy of Xmas Break: A Christmas Thriller in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book was published on November 22nd, 2024. Order your copy today!

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.