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lauren_reads_outside's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, Rape, Transphobia, Torture, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Confinement
adriapeters's review
dark
mysterious
tense
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
2.5
Predictable…I predicted the “twist” less than halfway through & there was no other crazy twist than that. Definitely not psychologically thrilling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Rape, Torture, Stalking, and Violence
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Blood, Child death, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Stalking, and Violence
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