By: Mikayla Davids
It’s Christmas, and Holly, her husband Richard, and baby Arlo go to her parents’ house. Her sister and her husband are there as well. Holly just wants Arlo’s first Christmas to be a joyous experience. She opens a present with something unexpected inside, and envelope with someone else’s name on it. Someone has a secret and they want everyone else to know. Holly tries to hide the gift and the envelope, but then the envelope goes missing. Whoever is doing this really wants this life altering secret out. After a nap, Holly goes outside and finds a body. Who is it, who did it, and why?
This is a really awesome, fast paced, short story. Davids is able to pack a punch in just about 100 pages. Davids keeps things interesting and thriller, with a few twists that you don’t see coming. The story is mainly told from Holly’s POV, but we get the POV of the envelope writer/gift giver, and a chapter from her sister and her dad.
I enjoyed most of the characters, except Cheryl at first, and then when I read the chapter from her point of view, my opinion changed. One of my favorite parts of the book was the time spent making food and eating together (even if things were awkward). I love holidays together with family, and I hope mine is not as eventful as this one was!
The ending was perfect, though I could have read a bit more about the aftermath. I really enjoyed this short story!
Publish Date: October 28, 2025
Find the book here.
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