Reviews

A Nancy Drew Christmas by Carolyn Keene

swils519's review

adventurous inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nicolelovesbooks's review against another edition

4.5

A captivating modern Nancy Drew mystery (published in 2018), I thoroughly enjoyed this and now I want to read more of the Nancy Drew Diaries series. This one had a fun cameo in it that I wasn't expecting, and Nancy had a unique challenge that made her "detecting" a bit more interesting than normal (I haven't seen detecting used as a verb much before this book but I liked it). This book has an environmental spin that makes it feel very modern. I will put this at upper middle grade as the mystery is on the complicated side, and it touches on some slightly high-level political and environmental issues & details that might be a lot for a younger reader.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence

elenival's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

bthegood's review

mysterious fast-paced

4.0

Good, solid, Nancy Drew mystery.  She must solve sabotage going on at a ski resort.  She works with the Hardy Boys in this one.  Fun, quick, read. 

linhsbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

remykinz's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

love love love

aimmyarrowshigh's review

5.0

"Bess fluttered her eyelashes, and Joe melted. George ignored Frank, and Frank melted. And Ned kissed me on the cheek, and I melted."

I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would! I tend to be very "womp-womp" about the Hardy Boys, but this series handled them much better than most of the Nancy Drew canon (and there's SO MUCH Nancy Drew canon)! I also love anything that's a Rear Window homage, and to get both Rear Window and The Shining in one fell swoop was a delight.

jdsutter's review

3.0

Meh. Nowhere near as good as the old Nancy Drew books. The Hardy Boys make an appearance in this book but in this series universe Nancy hadn't met them until this story and they are pretty minor characters. There are also lots of political opinions stuck in here (oil co vs. environmentalists, for one) that just felt weird, some odd implausible situations, and overall not great writing which soured the book for me. 2.5 stars.

meekumoh's review

2.0

Unlike the bulk of the series where the characters carry the plot, this story was tepid, and Nancy, unlikeable. She just came across as petulant, with sloppy work. There's no snappy, take-charge Nancy (yes, I know she's in a cast), but she felt so stubborn and passive all at once.

The tension goes way up with multiple close calls, but then the plot just slips back into boring narrative and fails to build up a cohesive mystery. Honestly, skip this one.

nmmarie's review against another edition

3.0

Though I played the games growing up, this is the first Nancy Drew book I have ever finished. The story was lighthearted and fun, though not very deep. I wasn’t expecting it to be, though, so no issue there!

The mystery was engaging, with many false leads and lots of mishaps. I’d say I agree with others in that this, although marketed as such, did not at all feel like Christmas. Sure, there was a sleigh ride and some snow, but that’s it. Also, it did feel slightly didactic as others have said, even as someone who agrees with the supported sentiments. It was just a lot!

But these were relatively small issues, and I enjoyed it overall. Also, the Hardy Boys!!