FESTIVE REVIEW: I'll Be Alone for Christmas by Meyer Matthews

Romee's winter break was planned out months ahead. A week at a cabin in the woods sounded romantic, and maybe it was just what her boyfriend of two years needed to pop the question.

Instead, he proposed they break up, a week before they were destined to wake up Christmas morning, happier than ever. Heartbroken but undaunted, Romee embarks on a solitary journey to the remote cabin, yearning for peace and closure in the tranquil snowscape. Six nights of isolation, wine, and TV shows seemed like the perfect remedy for a breakup.

Yet, from the moment she arrives, an ominous presence clings to her. The house is old, creaking and shifting, as if harbouring another occupant. Bizarre occurrences escalate as each day passes, blurring the line between reality and a nightmare, making her question everything. She is alone, right?

When Romee decides it’s time to leave the vacation rental early, it’s already too late. Snowed in and unable to escape, she has to survive the frigid conditions and limited resources... And the possibility that someone sees her when she’s sleeping and knows when she’s awake.

A picturesque cabin surrounded by snowy mountains and frosted trees sounds like a holiday paradise - but this will be anything but. This story might be short, but it packs a serious punch; packed with suspense, horror and suspicion all wrapped up with a shiny bow.

From the moment our tale starts, the scene is set brilliantly - with deeply descriptive surroundings that feel both beautiful and claustrophobic at the same time. Our narrator, Romee, is having a terrible time setting off on a Christmas break alone and heartbroken; she’s understandably a little bitter and angry but I loved her, and this made it too easy to slip into her paranoia and fear as the cabin became less of a holiday and more a threat.

It spirals into a locked-room kind of mystery, with an atmosphere somewhere between a haunted house and a killers lair - a quiet horror that’s all about the lurking shadows and mysterious noises until it all comes to a dramatic and bloody end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'll Be Alone for Christmas is available now. I received an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

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