Reviews - Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

2.71k reviews for:

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

Benjamin Stevenson

3.81 AVERAGE

misstatertot's review against another edition

4.0

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

madshebrink's review against another edition

5.0

funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

dizzyblonde's review against another edition

3.0

funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Shorter than the other books, likely by virtue of being a "holiday special," but still enjoyable. I did figure out the

Christmas = Chris + Sam

bit almost immediately as it appeared, but there was still enough to the mystery to keep me engaged to the end. Perhaps that wouldn't have been true if it were a longer book, so maybe the shortened length is for the best.

rosepressedpages's review

4.0

I don’t like mysteries very much and I struggle to commit to series, but by god I will read every Ernest Cunningham book Benjamin Stevenson writes. Thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the advanced copy! I was so ecstatic to see there was gonna be a holiday special of Ernest Cunningham and I felt so lucky to get a copy not long after reading Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect. I have read each book in one sitting, and this third installment was no different.

Ernest is such a charming and funny character, and I enjoy his breaking the fourth wall throughout the book. I will say the beginning felt a little clunky and rushed, but I’m not sure if my opinion would change if I had listened to this book. I was a little confused about how Erin (who is back!) met her boyfriend Lyle, they just seemed like such a random and unlikely couple. I also felt like the tension between Juliette and Ernest wasn’t properly worked through or resolved like it was in the second book of the series.

Those are pretty minor gripes. I really liked the way the book was set up with christmas-y clues for each chapter, the new cast of interesting characters, and setting the reader as Watson. I still haven’t been able to work out any of the whodunits Stevenson has presented, but watching Ernest tease it all out is so much fun. I’m so excited for any new installments of this series.

Stevenson’s acknowledgments to booksellers actually made me tear up (all of his acknowledgments at the end of his books have lol). I was that bookseller! Stevenson is convincing me the mystery genre can be hilarious :)