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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Ashley Smith is alone, except for her cat Elspeth, on Christmas Day in her New York apartment - just how she likes it! She decides to de-clutter her wardrobe and comes across her diary from 1989, exactly thirty years earlier, a year she describes as murderous. We’re transported back in time to England, when Ashley was a student, invited to spend the Christmas holiday with a friend at her family’s quintessential stately home in the country.
I won’t tell you any more about the story but I’d highly recommend The Christmas Guest if you’re looking for a seasonal read that isn’t light and fluffy! The Manor House provides the perfect gothic setting and the Chapman family are just strange enough to leave you feeling unsettled throughout. At only 130 pages long I consumed the novella in one sitting which makes it the perfect Christmas Eve read in my opinion!
I won’t tell you any more about the story but I’d highly recommend The Christmas Guest if you’re looking for a seasonal read that isn’t light and fluffy! The Manor House provides the perfect gothic setting and the Chapman family are just strange enough to leave you feeling unsettled throughout. At only 130 pages long I consumed the novella in one sitting which makes it the perfect Christmas Eve read in my opinion!
I love it when I can find a Christmas thriller. It’s told partially in diary entries, which is not my favorite style, but it works all right in this novella. Not my favorite Peter Swanson book, but I enjoyed it.
Perfect creepy christmas-y book that I was able to start and finish on a short plane ride. Did not see the twists coming!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Short book, first I have read of author. Would read more of his work.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Man writing a female character and it shows
Peter Swanson is definitely one of my favorite authors and I have really enjoyed all the books I’ve read by him! So I was just so freaking excited that I was able to read this novella early!!! This was a dark holiday read and it was actually really good. It was a typical messed up thriller ish book that you would expect from Swanson and can be read in about an hour or so and I really enjoyed it and tore through it real quick before bed! If you’re not really into holiday reads or romantic holiday reads this is a fun one I’d definitely recommend or even if you’re just looking for one last quick read during the holidays! I will never stop recommending Peter Swanson lol! Thank you so so much Jes Lyons and William Marrow for letting me have early access to this one!!!!
Can easily be read in one sitting
A short, dark, Christmas murder mystery. Had a little twist, which I wasn't expecting. Overall, I enjoyed it, but the second half of the book was more interesting than the first half.
A short, dark, Christmas murder mystery. Had a little twist, which I wasn't expecting. Overall, I enjoyed it, but the second half of the book was more interesting than the first half.
For those that swoon over Verity, you will probably love this. For the rest, you might have a lasting impression of “wtf did I just read?”
I think this is a 2.5 stars rounded up.
The first part of this novella drug on and on. Once we finally got near the end of the diary entries it picked up, but I'm still not sure it improved that much.
I also feel like gothic books aren't for me so that's probably my fault for not enjoying this.
The first part of this novella drug on and on. Once we finally got near the end of the diary entries it picked up, but I'm still not sure it improved that much.
I also feel like gothic books aren't for me so that's probably my fault for not enjoying this.
lighthearted
mysterious
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