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kimveach's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual violence, Vomit, Gaslighting, Blood, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Murder, Abandonment, Child abuse, Alcohol, Drug use, Gore, Stalking, Child death, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship
noellesmagicallibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
I think the shorter length of this book did it a disservice. It either needed to be condensed a little bit into a novella or drawn out to give more of a backstory. Harley’s character and his role in the story could have been really cool but he didn’t do much. I wanted him to get more involved in the cold case, uncover some deep dark secrets and ultimately find out what happened to those missing girls.
Big spoiler ahead — this is the big reveal I was hoping for
Also, I didn’t care for the “romance” aspect between Madeline and Badger
Overall, Christmas Presents isn’t the best holiday thriller I’ve read, but it’s not terrible either. The author does do a great job at utilizing different characters points of view, switching between first and third person, while also using past and present timelines.
Oh and one more thing. The profession is “physician assistant” not “physician’s assistant”. There’s no possessive; I do not belong to the doctor I work with.
Moderate: Kidnapping, Torture, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol and Abandonment
lauren_reads_outside's review
- 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
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, Rape, Transphobia, Torture, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Confinement
alisonfaith426's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Drug abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Alcohol
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.5
“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.
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
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Medical content, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Torture