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The 25 Christmas Gifts: A Christmas Advent Psychological Thriller
25 gifts.
25 days.
25 chilling chapters
Robert Lyles has given up on Christmas and on life. Since his wife’s, Clara, untimely death, the lonely widower in apartment 126 has embraced silence, shadows, and total obscurity. It was ruled a suicide, but everyone blames him.
This year, the holidays feel heavier than ever. He’s barely leaving his apartment. Some days, he wonders if it would be easier to end things altogether because being blamed for killing his wife is too much to bare.
So when a small, wrapped gift appears in the mailroom December 1st, he’s stunned.
Then another arrives the next day.
And the next.
At first, the gifts seem harmless. Thoughtful, even. But they grow colder. Sharper. Crueler. Each one feels more personal than the last.
Now Robert can’t shake the feeling.
Is he being watched? Is he being studied? Or is this some twisted secret admirer or a cruel Christmas joke?
This year, Christmas doesn’t feel like a holiday. It feels like something is coming and Robert has no idea what it is.
*Make sure you grab the 25 Christmas Gifts Advent Word Search so you can read a chapter and do two word-searches a day! You get 50 Word Search Puzzles!
25 days.
25 chilling chapters
Robert Lyles has given up on Christmas and on life. Since his wife’s, Clara, untimely death, the lonely widower in apartment 126 has embraced silence, shadows, and total obscurity. It was ruled a suicide, but everyone blames him.
This year, the holidays feel heavier than ever. He’s barely leaving his apartment. Some days, he wonders if it would be easier to end things altogether because being blamed for killing his wife is too much to bare.
So when a small, wrapped gift appears in the mailroom December 1st, he’s stunned.
Then another arrives the next day.
And the next.
At first, the gifts seem harmless. Thoughtful, even. But they grow colder. Sharper. Crueler. Each one feels more personal than the last.
Now Robert can’t shake the feeling.
Is he being watched? Is he being studied? Or is this some twisted secret admirer or a cruel Christmas joke?
This year, Christmas doesn’t feel like a holiday. It feels like something is coming and Robert has no idea what it is.
*Make sure you grab the 25 Christmas Gifts Advent Word Search so you can read a chapter and do two word-searches a day! You get 50 Word Search Puzzles!
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2025
158 people are currently reading
674 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
December 6, 2025
2.5 stars. It was going to be a 2 but based on twists and bingeability, I gave it an extra half star. Listen, I am the least pretentious reader but this guy needs an editor. ASAP! Oh. My. Word. I basically DNFd after chapter 1 but decided to pick it back up when I was sitting around. A few friends and I always buddy read these advent calendar books.
This one had the best twists I've read it any advent calendar book but the worst writing. I give credit to the author on the twists because there must have been a lot of mapping out done ahead of time. Also, there were a few choice phrases in this book that HAVE to go. Also, pretty tacky to plug your own book not once, but twice..... And even talk about which formats they're available in. Oof.
Spoiler ahead.....
Unless I missed it, I don't think we ever found out who Edward's mom was. I guess we should just assume it's one of the many women that Clara made him sleep with?
This one had the best twists I've read it any advent calendar book but the worst writing. I give credit to the author on the twists because there must have been a lot of mapping out done ahead of time. Also, there were a few choice phrases in this book that HAVE to go. Also, pretty tacky to plug your own book not once, but twice..... And even talk about which formats they're available in. Oof.
Spoiler ahead.....
Unless I missed it, I don't think we ever found out who Edward's mom was. I guess we should just assume it's one of the many women that Clara made him sleep with?
December 17, 2025
mi s-a părut interesantă și m-a intrigat.
s-a simțit tensiune și suspans.
Ben primește cadouri de la o persoană necunoscută, inițial lucruri drăguțe și apoi chestii care au legătură cu m0artea soției lui; aceasta a murit în urmă cu 2 ani dar lumea își imaginează că Ben a fost vinovat dar a scăpat basma curată.
Finalul destul de grăbit.
s-a simțit tensiune și suspans.
Ben primește cadouri de la o persoană necunoscută, inițial lucruri drăguțe și apoi chestii care au legătură cu m0artea soției lui; aceasta a murit în urmă cu 2 ani dar lumea își imaginează că Ben a fost vinovat dar a scăpat basma curată.
Finalul destul de grăbit.
December 14, 2025
You can keep these gifts!
These were definitely some gifts that I would not want! Bob is lost after his wife Clara’s death but finds himself getting a bit more spunk after mysterious gifts begin to be delivered to him. He almost feels like these gifts have given him something to look forward to. But slowly these gifts turn very sinister & the secrets, deception & lies begin to unravel. I definitely enjoyed the satisfying twist at the end!
These were definitely some gifts that I would not want! Bob is lost after his wife Clara’s death but finds himself getting a bit more spunk after mysterious gifts begin to be delivered to him. He almost feels like these gifts have given him something to look forward to. But slowly these gifts turn very sinister & the secrets, deception & lies begin to unravel. I definitely enjoyed the satisfying twist at the end!
December 14, 2025
Wow, the editor of this book should be fired. The writing is awful, choppy, with repeated thoughts, and I am only on page 20. I can't even finish this book. An example, the character is going to the coffee shop to see "Noah, Clara, his favorite barista". Clara is his dead wife.The barista "writes Bob" on his cup and a few paragraphs later, "writes Bob on his cup". Did he write it twice or was the editor sleeping? Absolutely terrible. Finished the book, skimmed the last few chapters and it was an absolute train wreck.
December 23, 2025
I never wanted to do an advent book. It seemed too annoying to just read one chapter a day. But when Franklin wrote one, I had to give it a try. He’s know for insane twists. This definitely kept me intrigued. It was fun doing one chapter a day and being left hanging. What made me love the book was his interaction with the fans daily in a discussion of each chapter. If not for that, I’m not sure it would have been as fun. Overall book was probably 3.5 but the fun of it with the author’s daily interaction was 4.5.
December 15, 2025
It's a solid 3.5.
I have a few issues with this book:
1. The main character is unlikable. Not always a deal breaker for me but he was thoroughly annoying at times and just plain dumb. Ridiculously so, actually.
2. There were clear flaws in the writing. For example, the author tells us someone had their hands bound with duct tape behind his back but later on, tells us the same captive awkwardly holds his coffee in his bound hands...and drinks it. These are obvious and easy to fix errors and they took away from my enjoyment of the story. Sometimes this writing was giving Freida McFadden and I don't like her writing soooo....
3. The author inserts plugs of his own books into the story. Part of me found that clever, the other, larger part of me, found it annoying and tacky.
4. Some lines in this book were so cringe worthy I literally rolled my eyes. "Elixir of life..."give me a break.
5. I would have appreciated if the author gave us the reasoning behind the life insurance policies (in an effort to avoid spoilers, that is all I will say). He pointed it out a few times but never elaborated, even through the bonus chapter. As such, I feel that certain aspects of the story lacked some depth that I would have very much appreciated, had he added it.
Now that the bad news is over, this is the first year I've read advent calendar books and I have enjoyed the experience. I enjoyed this story so much I looked forward to reading it, even with the aspects I didn't like, and couldn't wait until Christmas to finish it. I am not now, nor will I ever be, someone who cries about lack of representation of any group in books but I did enjoy the learning disability representation. It was unexpected and I actually found it added nicely to the story. I liked the twists and the vengeance aspect. I think the ending was pretty perfect for this particular story and I'm glad I read it.
I have a few issues with this book:
1. The main character is unlikable. Not always a deal breaker for me but he was thoroughly annoying at times and just plain dumb. Ridiculously so, actually.
2. There were clear flaws in the writing. For example, the author tells us someone had their hands bound with duct tape behind his back but later on, tells us the same captive awkwardly holds his coffee in his bound hands...and drinks it. These are obvious and easy to fix errors and they took away from my enjoyment of the story. Sometimes this writing was giving Freida McFadden and I don't like her writing soooo....
3. The author inserts plugs of his own books into the story. Part of me found that clever, the other, larger part of me, found it annoying and tacky.
4. Some lines in this book were so cringe worthy I literally rolled my eyes. "Elixir of life..."give me a break.
5. I would have appreciated if the author gave us the reasoning behind the life insurance policies (in an effort to avoid spoilers, that is all I will say). He pointed it out a few times but never elaborated, even through the bonus chapter. As such, I feel that certain aspects of the story lacked some depth that I would have very much appreciated, had he added it.
Now that the bad news is over, this is the first year I've read advent calendar books and I have enjoyed the experience. I enjoyed this story so much I looked forward to reading it, even with the aspects I didn't like, and couldn't wait until Christmas to finish it. I am not now, nor will I ever be, someone who cries about lack of representation of any group in books but I did enjoy the learning disability representation. It was unexpected and I actually found it added nicely to the story. I liked the twists and the vengeance aspect. I think the ending was pretty perfect for this particular story and I'm glad I read it.
December 7, 2025
Another Advent Christmas book… and yet another personal failure to stick to the one chapter a day plan. One day I will learn restraint—but clearly this was not that year. I tore through the chapters far too quickly, but honestly, that’s a testament to how engaging the story was.
This was my first book by Franklin Christopher, and I went into it with a hunch about a certain character. I was sure I knew where things were headed—but nope. The twist completely blindsided me in the best way. I love when a book lets me feel confident and then pulls the rug out from under me, and this one definitely delivered.
I also really appreciated how the different character perspectives were woven in near the end. It added depth and tension right when the story needed it most. And of course, Christopher made sure to leave me with more questions than answers—which, admittedly, I kind of love. There’s something so fun about finishing a book and immediately wanting to discuss theories with someone.
Overall, this was a suspenseful, clever read that kept me invested all the way through. Franklin Christopher has officially made a fan out of me, and I’m already looking forward to picking up more of his work.
This was my first book by Franklin Christopher, and I went into it with a hunch about a certain character. I was sure I knew where things were headed—but nope. The twist completely blindsided me in the best way. I love when a book lets me feel confident and then pulls the rug out from under me, and this one definitely delivered.
I also really appreciated how the different character perspectives were woven in near the end. It added depth and tension right when the story needed it most. And of course, Christopher made sure to leave me with more questions than answers—which, admittedly, I kind of love. There’s something so fun about finishing a book and immediately wanting to discuss theories with someone.
Overall, this was a suspenseful, clever read that kept me invested all the way through. Franklin Christopher has officially made a fan out of me, and I’m already looking forward to picking up more of his work.
December 15, 2025
Stumbled over this book & author by accident - but I wanted to read something about the current season...
So guess, what ?
I am glad, I did !
This book starts out "simply" interesting...but you want to know, what's in the next present he gets, day-by-day....
Then come to find out, that none of the characters are, what they seem...and this is, how the twists begin.
This book kept me glued to it.
Would highly recommend to read it: You won't regret it !
So guess, what ?
I am glad, I did !
This book starts out "simply" interesting...but you want to know, what's in the next present he gets, day-by-day....
Then come to find out, that none of the characters are, what they seem...and this is, how the twists begin.
This book kept me glued to it.
Would highly recommend to read it: You won't regret it !
December 12, 2025
Wow, just wow. Wasn’t expecting that one. At first I thought about reading a chapter each day like it was meant to be read, but I couldn’t. I wanted to keep reading and I did…. Great Christmas thriller book for the holiday season.
December 13, 2025
My First…
This is my first read by this author. It is an advent style book, but I had no restraint, finished before Christmas. It was very good and kept me engaged. The ending was a bit rushed, but overall I enjoyed it. I will read more by this author.
This is my first read by this author. It is an advent style book, but I had no restraint, finished before Christmas. It was very good and kept me engaged. The ending was a bit rushed, but overall I enjoyed it. I will read more by this author.
December 25, 2025
Merry Christmas!
Hey, if you wanna experience this story like I did, go for it! You'll totally get caught up in the suspense. I was so shocked, I had to cover my mouth! This book is super intense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's got murder, secrets, and crazy twists that'll make your head spin. Totally a 5-star book! Nice work, Franklin!
Hey, if you wanna experience this story like I did, go for it! You'll totally get caught up in the suspense. I was so shocked, I had to cover my mouth! This book is super intense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's got murder, secrets, and crazy twists that'll make your head spin. Totally a 5-star book! Nice work, Franklin!
December 8, 2025
This book was not what I expected! I definitely couldn’t read a chapter a day lol this book drew me in from the start & each chapter had you guessing what happened next! The ending was mind blowing! The twists that happened at the end was like a WTF moment!
Definitely recommend!
Definitely recommend!
December 19, 2025
Two years ago, Robert’s wife died in a tragic accident. But Bob’s life since then has been hell. His kids barely talk to him, people think he’s a murderer, and he gets harassed, with the word murder spray-painted on his front door. When the first gift arrives on December 1st, he thinks he has an admirer. He enjoys receiving the gifts each day—until they start to become more aggressive and threatening. Can he find out who the mysterious sender is?
At the beginning of this book, it says that the reader is only allowed to read one chapter a day. But Mr Christopher, you can’t tell me what to do, so I read it in a day 😝
This was a brilliant advent book. Every chapter was gripping enough that, if you were to read one a day, you’d do so very impatiently. There’s no way I could have stopped after each chapter once I got started.
The story was great, and I was kept guessing right until the end. When everything was revealed, I gasped so hard I nearly put myself back in hospital. I also loved how the author made himself the character’s favourite author and dropped in the names of some of his other books. I’ve added those to my TBR now, so they’d better be good lol.
At the beginning of this book, it says that the reader is only allowed to read one chapter a day. But Mr Christopher, you can’t tell me what to do, so I read it in a day 😝
This was a brilliant advent book. Every chapter was gripping enough that, if you were to read one a day, you’d do so very impatiently. There’s no way I could have stopped after each chapter once I got started.
The story was great, and I was kept guessing right until the end. When everything was revealed, I gasped so hard I nearly put myself back in hospital. I also loved how the author made himself the character’s favourite author and dropped in the names of some of his other books. I’ve added those to my TBR now, so they’d better be good lol.
December 26, 2025
This was a really enjoyable Advent mystery. This is my first book by Franklin Christopher and I plan on reading more. Great imagination, creativity, and the talent to keep you trying to fight the urge to go ahead and read the next chapter instead of waiting for the next day. I'm impressed by this author.
My only concern is that I may have gotten one of those "uncorrected proof" copies. Or the author's editor needs a new profession. There were three big mistakes in Chapter 1 alone. Not punctuation mistakes. Those don't really bother me. These were details in the story that contradicted themselves. Those things do bother me. Then all was good until a few chapters later and it started again. Chapter 1 almost had me stop reading, but the story had already piqued my curiosity. Anyway, just be aware and keep going. I'm sure it's some kind of eBook glitch. The story is worth it. :)
My only concern is that I may have gotten one of those "uncorrected proof" copies. Or the author's editor needs a new profession. There were three big mistakes in Chapter 1 alone. Not punctuation mistakes. Those don't really bother me. These were details in the story that contradicted themselves. Those things do bother me. Then all was good until a few chapters later and it started again. Chapter 1 almost had me stop reading, but the story had already piqued my curiosity. Anyway, just be aware and keep going. I'm sure it's some kind of eBook glitch. The story is worth it. :)
December 28, 2025
Robert Lyles is depressed. His wife Clara died in a freak accident and he's losing the will to live, so he cuts himself off from society by staying in his apartment. He's certainly not looking forward to Christmas.
On December 1st however, a wrapped gift appears by his mail box which shocks him - who is it from? Another one arrives the next day, and yes, you get the theme - 25 gifts over 25 days....
As the days pass, the gifts that at first seemed kind and innocent, turn crueler and even MORE personal.
Is someone stalking Robert and playing a sick game?
The tension builds throughout the book as each gift gets more sinister. I did read it at a chapter a day and actually got behind lol.
I didn't know who to trust in this book, even Robert was dodgy af. The ending had several twists, and I was completely blindsided by the last chapter. It's dark, gripping, and well written!
Thanks Franklin Christopher for another riveting read - this is my 7th book of yours and I look forward to reading more!
On December 1st however, a wrapped gift appears by his mail box which shocks him - who is it from? Another one arrives the next day, and yes, you get the theme - 25 gifts over 25 days....
As the days pass, the gifts that at first seemed kind and innocent, turn crueler and even MORE personal.
Is someone stalking Robert and playing a sick game?
The tension builds throughout the book as each gift gets more sinister. I did read it at a chapter a day and actually got behind lol.
I didn't know who to trust in this book, even Robert was dodgy af. The ending had several twists, and I was completely blindsided by the last chapter. It's dark, gripping, and well written!
Thanks Franklin Christopher for another riveting read - this is my 7th book of yours and I look forward to reading more!
December 11, 2025
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me! Really enjoyed the MANY unpredictable twists.
25 gifts.
25 days.
25 chilling chapters
Robert Lyles has given up on Christmas and on life. Since his wife’s, Clara, untimely death, the lonely widower in apartment 126 has embraced silence, shadows, and total obscurity.
This year, the holidays feel heavier than ever. He’s barely leaving his apartment. Some days, he wonders if it would be easier to end things altogether.
So when a small, wrapped gift appears outside his mailbox on December 1st, he’s stunned.
Then another arrives the next day.
And the next.
At first, the gifts seem harmless. Thoughtful, even. But they grow colder. Sharper. Crueler. Each one feels more personal than the last.
Now Robert can’t shake the feeling
25 gifts.
25 days.
25 chilling chapters
Robert Lyles has given up on Christmas and on life. Since his wife’s, Clara, untimely death, the lonely widower in apartment 126 has embraced silence, shadows, and total obscurity.
This year, the holidays feel heavier than ever. He’s barely leaving his apartment. Some days, he wonders if it would be easier to end things altogether.
So when a small, wrapped gift appears outside his mailbox on December 1st, he’s stunned.
Then another arrives the next day.
And the next.
At first, the gifts seem harmless. Thoughtful, even. But they grow colder. Sharper. Crueler. Each one feels more personal than the last.
Now Robert can’t shake the feeling
December 25, 2025
This is the first time I have ever read a Franklin Christopher book before. It was also the very first time I read an advent book. I wanted to read the 25 Christmas gifts since I saw it and read a preview of what it was about. Unfortunately there was a problem with Amazon and it didn’t come out on the first of the month. So the author gave us the first three chapters for free so that we didn’t fall behind. Not only that he had a group on Facebook where we could talk about each chapter as we read it each day. Franklin Chapter actually replied to all the comments about the chapter. All I have to say I was not disappointed this book was excellent and I am passing it on to friends at work who like psychological thriller’s. I am anxious to read more books by this author too. This book also had so many twists and turns and surprises that it was very hard to just read a chapter a day. I wanted to finish it. However I did just read a chapter a day.
December 11, 2025
I was so annoyed by the writing and grammatical errors that I just went ahead and finished. I wanted it to be over. Punctuation in the wrong spots or not at all. Quotation marks are missing in the conversations and that makes it hard to read. For me to notice this stuff, it definitely has to be bad.
The story overall was meh. I’ve never read anything from this author before but he plugged his other books twice in this one and that’s pretty cringe. After all this, I don’t have any interest in the rest of his books.
The story overall was meh. I’ve never read anything from this author before but he plugged his other books twice in this one and that’s pretty cringe. After all this, I don’t have any interest in the rest of his books.
December 4, 2025
Very rarely will I start a book and finish in one sitting, but this book is one of them! This book follow Bob navigating life after his wife Clara passes away. The story then unravels and skeletons come out of the closet. You’ll find out there more than meets the eye. I thought I knew exactly how the book would end and I was mistaken. I would have never expected such a gripping ending. This is definitely a page turner and you won’t want to put it down! Bravo to Franklin Christopher! If I could leave 10 stars I would! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 9, 2025
I really tried sooooooo hard to just read a chapter a day… but buy do you make it hard with all those twists and turns. My head was spinning lol. The perfect amount of darkness along with the Christmas vibe. 5 stars from me.
Sorry not sorry that I couldn’t have any self control when it came to this book lol. 😂
Sorry not sorry that I couldn’t have any self control when it came to this book lol. 😂
December 17, 2025
I devoured The 25 Christmas Gifts by Franklin Christopher. I started off one chapter a day leading up to Christmas, but I cracked on day 17 and blew through the rest 😅. Robert Lyles is stuck in grief after losing his wife, and then creepy gifts start showing up at his door. This was a suspenseful page turner that I couldn’t put down! 🎁🎄
December 6, 2025
Franklin Christopher, you’ve done it again. The 25 Christmas Gifts was truly a gift. I had absolutely no self-control—I couldn’t read this as an advent book because I simply couldn’t put it down. Suspenseful, twisty, and completely absorbing. Simply superb.
December 7, 2025
Oh this was SO freaking good! I of course didn’t follow the advent rules again and I’m so glad I didn’t!
The gifts started off not too bad but then turned gruesome! I loved that it kept the reader guessing right up too the last chapter! I would absolutely recommend!!
The gifts started off not too bad but then turned gruesome! I loved that it kept the reader guessing right up too the last chapter! I would absolutely recommend!!
December 9, 2025
I tried my hardest and couldn’t just read one chapter at a time.. The 25 Christams gifts has many twists and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Can you figure out what really happened to Clara?? Get your copy today!
December 20, 2025
This story kept my attention and it was fun trying to guess what had happened. I guessed a part of it early on, but all the twists were still entertaining. Docked a few stars for the editing - elementary mistakes in this one lost me a bit.
December 25, 2025
That is how you do an advent book! Had a blast reading it along with the reader group. From page one, you are immediately pulled in. Throughout the chapters your giving breadcrumbs to clues for the penultimate ending. On top of that, there's so many twists it'll have your head spinning. If you weren't careful you became addicted. This was my first book by this author but certainly not the last.
December 25, 2025
Calvin and I read this together. I give it a 1 for the sheer fact it was so poorly written and edited. Calvin gave it a 2 because there were a few twists that did surprise us. Fun concept to do together!
December 28, 2025
Woah. The twists. The turns. The never ending surprises that kept coming even hit in the extra chapter. If you are looking for a Christmas advent reading this is for you! The thriller that would make you want to read ahead just to get to the end.
So many twist but just enough to make the ending explosive! Two twists I didn’t see coming and weren’t what I initially thought they would be. Great read! I will continue to read more of your books!
So many twist but just enough to make the ending explosive! Two twists I didn’t see coming and weren’t what I initially thought they would be. Great read! I will continue to read more of your books!
December 9, 2025
This book was awesome. I know I was supposed to read a chapter a day, but that was NOT going to happen. Finished it in a few hours. Highly recommend ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
December 12, 2025
Omg ! I couldn't follow the Advent theme. But I just think I found a new author I like !
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews