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The Christmas Guest: A Novella

"Delicious...I defy you to stop reading The Christmas Guest once you begin." -- New York Times Book Review

New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson pens a spectacularly spine-chilling novella in which an American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family's Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village's grim history.

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma's aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she'd ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.

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112 pages

Average rating: 6.61

54 RATINGS

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7 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Barbara ~
Dec 11, 2024
6/10 stars
This novella is perfect for those who want a different take on Christmas. Not everyone has a perfect family and a warm, cozy home. Ashley Smith is one of those people. Her mother recently passed away several years ago, and she's all alone in the world. She befriends Emma Chapman, a fellow English student, who invites Ashley to spend Christmas with her family at their English manor. Ashley meets Emma's devilishly handsome brother, Adam, and the rest of the eerie clan. Nothing is what it seems.

The story is told from Ashley's diary, and she's a pretty upbeat and daft person. She's always talking and filling in the silences with random conversation.

The ending is what got me. It's a deliciously wicked tale that will keep you entertained, but it will not stick with you long after you finish it. Giving it 3 stars because I wanted more from the ending. I can't say what without giving it away, but I wanted more from the person at the
very end.
Shahna
Jul 18, 2024
6/10 stars
That was fun.
Mizbabe
May 13, 2024
Great read can definitely read in a setting I love how it left me shocked with the revealing of events going into the second chapter!
Anilatac
Mar 26, 2024
4/10 stars
Felt like the reverse of Saltburn. At times, I wanted to say Emma and Adam would get along with Henry Winter from The Secret History if it wouldn't be a disservice to TSH. Meh
lesliebooks
Dec 27, 2023
9/10 stars
This was such a fun quick read, I did not see that twist coming. :)

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