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brookey8888's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was good. It wasn’t anything mind blowing, but it was a fun enough time. I liked the romance aspect of it. It’s also not really that Christmas themed tbh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, and Murder
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Medical content, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Torture
markedwithanm's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder
boats's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Felt like the skeleton of a novel rather than a meant-to-be-short novella. I thought that the romance thread was ridiculous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Stalking, Drug use, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Murder
killerpancake's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Page turny and very quick. Like I gasped when I realized I got to the end! The beginning pov was my favorite. This could have been a little longer but overall I enjoyed it .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Physical abuse, and Stalking
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Sexual assault, Murder, and Child death
minimicropup's review against another edition
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 ✨”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
Minor: Drug abuse
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