Publisher’s Synopsis:

She has everything to live for — and everything to hide.

Nine years ago, with the world’s eyes on her, Charlie Colbert fled. The press and the police called Charlie a “witness” to the nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve — events known to the public as “Scarlet Christmas” — though Charlie knows she was much more than that.

Now, Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life: She’s the editor-in-chief of a major magazine, engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry, and hell-bent on never, ever letting her guard down again. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie’s former classmates threatens to shatter everything she’s worked for, Charlie realizes how much she’s changed in nine years. Now, she’s not going to let anything — not even the people she once loved most — get in her way.

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Rating: 3 Stars

My Thoughts:

With that title, how could I resist? It’s been nearly a decade since Charlie was the only witness to a horrific incident at her grad school known as “Scarlet Christmas.” Someone who was part of her friend group then wants to make a movie about the ordeal for its 10th anniversary, but that’s the last thing Charlie wants, since she’s unsure of what really happened. With the help of her therapist, she’s trying to bring those deeply buried memories to the surface.

The book started off strong, and the mystery and unreliable narrator had me intrigued for a while. What annoyed me was that it took forever to learn what Scarlet Christmas actually involved, other than it was a tragedy in Charlie’s past that she didn’t want revisited. I understand withholding some secrets, but after a while I started losing interest. There was a great twist at about halfway, but I feel like ultimately it didn’t go anywhere. The ending was a bit underwhelming given that it took so long to find out what actually happened. Overall, this was an ok read, but I felt like it was missing something.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. Opinions are my own.