Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Christmas Presents

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

8 reviews

kimveach's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed this mystery novella. While I had a pretty good idea of who the murderer was, there was enough doubt that it kept me interested until the end.

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lauren_reads_outside's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed the book as a quick Christmas thriller read, but I guessed the twist pretty early on because of the character descriptions and also didn't think the podcaster added anything to the book. The romance add in was also blah.

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alisonfaith426's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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3.5

Finished reading: December 14th 2023

“I know how you can miss something that's right in front of you.”

I mainly picked up this story because I needed an author starting with 'U' to complete the ABC Author challenge, but I tend to enjoy Lisa Unger's writing so it was by no means a chore to do so. I thought Christmas Presents was also quite fitting since we are currently in the holiday season... This turned out to be quite a quick and not that long read, and I would have probably finished it in an afternoon if I hadn't started a new crochet project and got distracted. I have a weak spot for stories with a podcast angle, so that was definitely a bonus here. I was also very much intrigued by the mystery around that night and the two girls still missing all those years later... The flashbacks to the teenage years weren't my favorite: I much preferred spending time in the present, although I do understand why these flashbacks were incorporated. What really put a damper on things though was that I guessed the truth about the disappearance of the two sisters and who was behind it very early on. The supposedly red herring was just too easy to guess, which was truly a shame. I could have done without the cheating, love triangle vibe and teen angst as well... But as a whole Christmas Presents was still entertaining enough and especially the second half is quite eventful. Just don't expect a complicated or nailbiting mystery, because the answers are mostly quite easy to guess. It's a good pick if you want to get in the holiday spirit and don't like reading Christmas romances though.

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Took awhile to get into it but halfway through I was hooked. There are references to Christmas but I wish it had just been a touch more festive than that.

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hazelgirl21's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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minimicropup's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Inquisitive. Detached. Impressionable.

🇺🇸🎅🏼 Set in a small town in Upstate New York, with the story unwinding in the days leading up to Christmas.

POV: The narrative mainly follows a bookshop owner and their retired sheriff father, spanning both their current life and past experiences as a teen. The narrative is mostly first person, but some minor characters have third person.

Mood Reading Match Up:

-A gritty Christmas-themed murder mystery with a “solve or cold?” aspect.

-Dark coming-of-age storyline intertwined with a love triangle.

-Subplot of a ‘friends-to-’ romance

-Themes include rebellion, betrayal, control, love, friendship, loyalty, virtue, and vice.

—

🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕

✏️ Writing: The writing style initially confused me with the POV (it took me way too long to realize Madeline and the dancer are two separate characters 🤦🏼‍♀️). It eventually settles into a compelling narrative. The timeline jumps can be disorienting, with the story oscillating between different periods in the lead-up to Christmas but sometimes it isn’t clear which time period we’re in.

🫥 Characters: Madeline’s journey from a conscientious teen to someone whose judgment is skewed by various pressures is engagingly explored.

🗺️ Worldbuilding: The setting provides a vague backdrop, allowing readers’ imaginations to fill in the details.

🔥 Fuel: Suspense is fuelled by the mystery of whether the past killer worked alone and the uncertainty over their conviction. There are also elements of jump scares, fight-for-your-life escapes, and moments of distrust.

🐢 Pacing: The story, while engaging, feels long for a novella, but it was enough to keep me hooked to find out the characters’ fates.

🎬 Scenes: Dialogue and body language occasionally felt stilted, requiring me to re-read sometimes for clarity.

💭 Random Thoughts: Christmas vibes are more pronounced at the beginning, continuing subtly through planning and dialogue.

I predicted the Big Bad, but it didn’t ruin it for me. I did find Madeline a bit dense sometimes, like she is looking for clues and doesn’t notice big red flags right in front of her. But it wasn’t too convenient or contrived, more like part of her personality.

—

Content Heads-Up: Sexual content (dancing). Medical (stroke, dementia; rehab and caregiving). Murder. Confinement, kidnapping. Parental abandonment (feels and recall). Violence (physical, gun). Drugging. Sexual assault.

Rep includes: White and ambiguously described characters.

Format: Library Digital via Libby.

“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI Bestie ✨”

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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Told from three points of view. Lolly is an exotic dancer who is kidnapped and held. Madeline is an independent bookstore owner who was almost killed in her teens. Harley is a true crime writer and podcaster looking into the recent disappearance of the young women and if they're linked to Madeline and her friend's case.
I found this book fairly predictable. I know since it was a shorter book it was harder to write a more complex mystery, but still. I knew from about halfway through the book who the murderer was.
I also could have gone without the romance, though luckily it wasn't a huge part of the book.
Overall an okay thriller. I just think the story could have been a longer and better book since it had good bones to it.

Extra ratings: Fluff - 0/5 Heartfelt- 4/5 Helpful-NA Horror- 1/5 Inspiration- NA Love aka Romance-2/5 Mystery-4/5 Predictability- 4.5/5 Spice- 0/5 Suspense- 3/5 Tear 4/5 Thrill- 4/5 Humor-0.5/5

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