Last Christmas by Maria Frankland

Title: Last Christmas

Author: Maria Frankland

Publisher: Autonomy Press

Expected publication date: November 10, 2023

The last place that Neil wants to spend Christmas is at his in-laws new house, especially since the whole family seems to be aware that he's a depressed, out of work, alcoholic with a strained marriage. A miserable few days is what he expects. What he didn't expect is that the miserable few days at this in laws house would end up being his last days alive. Now his wife is left to figure out the circumstances of his death. What happened? Who is responsible? Nobody in her family really liked him, but who could hate him enough to want him dead?

I want to state first that I feel a little bit mislead by this being classified as a thriller. To me, it is more of just a family drama. It's an extremely dysfunctional family with a mysterious death looming in the middle of it, but mostly the plot is focused on all of the members of the family taking turns being awful to each other.

I feel that it lacked the suspense and anticipation that drive most thrillers, and I also found that even with all the drama that all the characters brought around, it still fell flat for me. I would have preferred if the characters were developed a little deeper emotionally, so I would have felt more moved by each characters distress.

My lack of strong connection to any of the characters aside, I did enjoy the occasional switch in POV. It was really nice to have a peek into a few of the characters lives, I just wish that it could have been fleshed out more.

Overall, I didn't love this book as a thriller, but it was alight as a family drama. If you're looking for a quick read about an extremely dysfunctional family with a bit of mysterious circumstances around the edges, you might enjoy this one. 

Silent Pretty Things by O.J. Lovaz

Title: Silent Pretty Things

Author: O.J. Lovaz

Format: epub.

Expected publication date: August 17, 2021

Pages: 222

Goodreads

Introduction (Goodreads Synopsis)

A small town…a prominent family…a secret. Only two people know the truth, and their silence will have murderous consequences.

Anna Goddard has spent a lifetime being the Good Daughter. Polished and primped into sleek, blond perfection, Anna learned from an early age that being a Goddard meant presenting a flawless façade to the world. But all that changes when Anna stumbles upon a private correspondence that leaves her reeling. With the help of Michael Donovan, a shy but charming local historian, Anna embarks on a journey to find the one thing her family has always denied: The Truth.

Propelled by her mission to protect those she loves, the young woman experiences a tantalizing taste of freedom. But in the process of unearthing the past, Anna and her family will expose a new threat so dangerous it could ruin them all.

Plot

Plot-wise, this book did not hold my attention. The secrets and drama that were seemingly promised in the synopsis fell short to me. I don't want to include spoilers but the twists were predictable to me, so the suspense aspect of the novel didn't hold up for me.

Writing Style

The writing felt very formal, especially during dialogue. An example of this is during this exchange between Anna and Michael:

"But, Mr. Donovan, I haven't even told you my age."

"And I'm not going to ask, but you look young."

"That's kind of you, and so very gracious, but I'm not too young"

"That's kind of you, and so very gracious." Is just...not how real people talk. The book is full of passages like this and it made so many scenes feel very stiff.

Romance

The romance between Anna and Michael was a bigger part of the story than I thought it would be, and that wouldn't bother me if it wasn't insta-love. Right after their first meeting, they already seemed weirdly attached to each other. At only 7% through the book, Anna has this thought about Michael:

"He was clean-shaven with his hair brushed back, but a few strands were already beginning to defy orders, falling over his temples. She imagined him under a full moon with the wind blowing his hair and felt tempted to get her hands in there and mess it up."

This was right after their second meeting, and only 17 pages into the book. I really wanted to like them together, since their relationship turned out to take up a lot more of the story than I expected, but I just couldn't. Their relationship progressed too quickly and because they never built any foundation for romantic feelings, I didn't feel any connection to their romance.

Conclusion

Overall this book was not for me. I was so drawn to the book from the synopsis, but I don't feel like what was alluded to was actually delivered.