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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
This was very good for a short novella mystery! Perfect for Christmas time when you’re tired of romance books and for trying to hit your reading goal :)
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
Quick read. Nothing special. Detectable characters.
***These are my random thoughts after finishing the book. Some of the thoughts are an overall review of the book, or any questions/feelings that nagged at me throughout. There will almost definitely be spoilers. Read at your own risk.*** ‐----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.5 stars down
Easy quick novella
Suitable Christmas murder read
3.5 stars down
Easy quick novella
Suitable Christmas murder read
Could not connect with any of the characters.
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I’ve been trying to find a nice way to say this… but honestly, this book is just so dumb
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder
dark
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:
Complicated
I blasted through this book. I picked it up because it was Christmas themed and had a character named Ashley. I figured it’d be a quick, fun murder mystery.
To begin: JUSTICE FOR ASHLEY!
I loved the first act of the book. It was told from Ashley’s perspective via her diary. It did a great job of setting the stage and was writing in an interesting and entertaining way. I loved reading the details of the home and the characters. I connected with Ashley and was excited to see where she would go.
However, act two was not it. I think disclosing who the killer is right away, with like 40 pages left of the book, was not the move. It killed (get it?) any momentum the book had going for it. I actually found it hard to continue because I felt like it was all kinda downhill after finding out whodunnit. But the book was only 93 pages so I wasn’t about to DNF it.
I also very much dislike that Emma got off basically scot free. Maybe that’s a common thing for this type of book but I dislike that there weren’t any consequences for her. She steals Ashley’s identity and lives out her days in comfort. I hate that.
This isn’t my usual genre, so I don’t know how common this type of story structure is. If finding out the killer halfway through is normal then I should just stick to romcoms.
To begin: JUSTICE FOR ASHLEY!
I loved the first act of the book. It was told from Ashley’s perspective via her diary. It did a great job of setting the stage and was writing in an interesting and entertaining way. I loved reading the details of the home and the characters. I connected with Ashley and was excited to see where she would go.
However, act two was not it. I think disclosing who the killer is right away, with like 40 pages left of the book, was not the move. It killed (get it?) any momentum the book had going for it. I actually found it hard to continue because I felt like it was all kinda downhill after finding out whodunnit. But the book was only 93 pages so I wasn’t about to DNF it.
I also very much dislike that Emma got off basically scot free. Maybe that’s a common thing for this type of book but I dislike that there weren’t any consequences for her. She steals Ashley’s identity and lives out her days in comfort. I hate that.
This isn’t my usual genre, so I don’t know how common this type of story structure is. If finding out the killer halfway through is normal then I should just stick to romcoms.
This is a short and twisty holiday mystery. American Ashley is alone in the world, and alone in England. She eagerly accepts an invitation to spend Christmas at English acquaintance, Emma's, country estate. She quickly becomes infatuated with Adam, Emma's twin brother. A magical holiday romance seems to be inevitable. The holiday ends in a tragedy. We see the unfolding of events leading up to the climax, through the reading of Ashley's diary, 30 years later. As old memories are refreshed, the ghosts of that year come to visit.