Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: November 7th, 2023
Pages: 53
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“It’s Christmas Eve and Stella Hansen is broke.
She is so broke that despite working two jobs, she can’t even afford a present for her husband on their first Christmas as man and wife. But then a mysterious storekeeper at a pawn shop offers Stella an intriguing trade.
Stella wants more than anything to buy her husband the Christmas gift of his dreams. But will it come at a terrible price?
The Gift is a gripping Christmas-themed thriller inspired by the classic O. Henry tale, The Gift of the Magi.”
My Review:
This is just a short novella, a fun, fast read. It’s creepy and ominous and the sense of dread builds throughout. I really enjoyed the way it ended. Even in a short amount of time, I still felt a connection with the protagonist and was rooting for her the whole way. I can see this being a good palate-cleanser of a read, something to cozy up and finish in one sitting and get you out of a reading slump. If you like this author’s other works, you’ll like this one too. It’s her signature style of writing. Definitely recommend for the upcoming holiday season. I listened to the audiobook version and it was well done. It was the same narrator as McFadden’s other recent release, The Coworker. I think she does a great job with the character’s voice and her style of narration keeps me engaged. I’d love to see the same narrator again for McFadden’s work in the future. Her voice has become synonymous with the author’s stories for me.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
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