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_pauline 's review for:
Christmas Presents
by Lisa Unger
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
One of the best books I‘ve read in a while. The only reason I‘m not giving it 5 stars is bc it‘s probably not a book that I‘ll think about (or read) over and over again, and I didn‘t love / care about the characters as much as the ones in books I‘d consider my favourites.
There are 3 main storylines/POVs (I think? Lolly, Madeline & Harley) + sometimes it switches between past and present. Several chapters end on a cliffhanger but all storylines are so interesting that even though it‘s always a little disappointing when the POV changes right after a cliffhanger, it rarely got even a little bit boring, and it never took me long to get into the next POV and almost forget about the previous one. I also really liked the side characters, esp Van & Miranda.
There were no crazy plot twists (which usually is what I like most about thrillers) but I also didn‘t know Chet was the second murderer, at least not long before it was explicitly revealed. I wasn‘t sure about Badger but really hoped it wouldn‘t be him, though he did scare me a little sometimes.
I think Maddie‘s dad could‘ve been involved more/earlier, trying to communicate, everyone wondering what he knows etc (thinking of The Only One Left, Verity, Do not Disturb).
The only thing I didn‘t like was the portrayal of Lolly as “the (implicit: only) one who fought“, who escaped because she put up a fight which - while true in some way - makes it sound a little as if the others didn‘t try or were at fault for not fighting. He killed women “until Lolly fought him and escaped“ but then again that’s just something a (male) characters says in a podcast so… not necessarily a reflection on the author
There are 3 main storylines/POVs (I think? Lolly, Madeline & Harley) + sometimes it switches between past and present. Several chapters end on a cliffhanger but all storylines are so interesting that even though it‘s always a little disappointing when the POV changes right after a cliffhanger, it rarely got even a little bit boring, and it never took me long to get into the next POV and almost forget about the previous one. I also really liked the side characters, esp Van & Miranda.
I think Maddie‘s dad could‘ve been involved more/earlier, trying to communicate, everyone wondering what he knows etc (thinking of The Only One Left, Verity, Do not Disturb).
The only thing I didn‘t like was the portrayal of Lolly as “the (implicit: only) one who fought“, who escaped because she put up a fight which - while true in some way - makes it sound a little as if the others didn‘t try or were at fault for not fighting. He killed women “until Lolly fought him and escaped“ but then again that’s just something a (male) characters says in a podcast so… not necessarily a reflection on the author
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Torture