Gifts

by Holden Williams

GIFTS elegantly and dramatically captures a major shift in singer-songwriter Amanda Sinclair's life, triggered by the loss of her mother. Hoping to find herself, Amanda slides into an identity crisis. Her sister, stepfather, ex-boyfriend, agent, and co-stars must compete for her attention against a fantastic world found inside her favorite childhood book of poems and illustrations.

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2025

Reviews

[Tara Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gifts is an imaginative, lyrical story about grief, family, and finding yourself after loss.

Amanda Sinclair, a singer-songwriter reeling from her mother’s death, slips between reality and the world of her favorite childhood book. The author’s writing is melodic and poetic, the kind that lingers long after the final page.

Beautiful, original, and quietly powerful.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about Amanda loosing her mother and how to deal with grief. I thought it was a great read and Thanks to the Author for reaching out and letting me read before it was released 🫶🏼

[The Aussie Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a thoughtful, engaging read that blends heart and reflection in a way that feels so relatable. Holden Williams has a knack for exploring the idea of “gifts” beyond the obvious, instead focusing on things like personal growth, connection, and the quiet moments that shape who we are.
The writing is clear and beautifully descriptive while the characters feel genuine, and their journeys are handled with care, even when the themes turn heavy. The overall message and emotional payoff make it worth your time.
This is a book that doesn’t just tell a story—it encourages you to look inward and appreciate the unseen gifts in everyday life and I think it will resonate with thoughtful readers.

[Crystel Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t give many 6 star ratings, but this book deserves 6 stars. I highly recommend to all readers no matter what your favorite genre is. It’s beautifully written - so descriptive with content that I will be thinking of for a long time. FMC Amanda takes us through a journey of grief when her mother passes, heartache as she discovers secrets about her mother, quick look at anxiety associated with being in the limelight of fame, and strength that we can give to others while also allowing ourselves to lean on others when needed. This read is so unique and meaningful that I don’t want to say more about it. I just want everyone to experience it on their own without my prejudice as it will hit everyone differently.

[Danielle R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gifts by Holden Williams is described as a book about grief, loss and self-discovery. There is so much more to this book than meets the eye. Love, family, secrets and finding a true sense of belonging.

Amanda Sinclair is a young woman who loses her mom to an illness. On the day of her funeral, her ex-boyfriend, Jack, finds a gift on her car and brings it to her. She finally opens the gift to reveal a well-used book. The book begins to open a whole other world to her. After feeling this haunting feeling surrounding her mother; uncertainties about her mother start to unravel as she digs into who her mother was and remembering her past.

"Sweetheart," he says, "there are things she had buried...
Things she sunk real deep. And she didn't want you to drown in them."-Holden Williams

Thank you to the author and Novelty Fiction for the advanced copy!

[Jen Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is way out of my comfort zone and I'm so glad I took the chance on it. This story is about Amanda Sinclair's journey to find and re-define herself after the tragic loss of the woman she knew as her mother. You can expect to feel several emotions as you read and experience her grief, confusion, and fear. Luckily, she a strong person in her corner who cares deeply for her and made sure she remained as steady as possible. The twist was absolutely unexpected and well incorporated into the story. I'm amazed at the sheer literally genius and imagination that it took to author this book. Truly a remarkable and touching read.

[Jonesy.Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifts is a debut novel that explores grief, self-reflection, and personal growth through the usage of magic realism. The descriptions in this novel are poetically lyrical. The writing is simply beautiful.

Amanda felt like she was just beginning to live the life she had always dreamed of when he mother dies, and her whole world is upended. She realizes her mother was keeping some epic secrets and is determined to get to the bottom of them, all while trying to keep her day to day life from spiralling out of control, and desperately trying to manage her grief.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

[MacKenzie Marcolini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifts is a hauntingly beautiful novel, distinguished by the author’s lyrical prose and the lingering resonance of its imagery. Though it engages with weighty themes, including grief, drug use, mental health, and death, it does so with a sensitivity that renders the narrative both impactful and deeply meaningful. The story never hesitates to explore the raw, complicated realities of mourning a profound loss, yet it balances this emotional intensity with moments of whimsy and quiet fantastical elements. The result is a compelling and memorable work that stays with the reader long after the final page.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book left me feeling a little unsure - 3 ⭐ rating for this reason

Whilst in many ways it is well written in its poetic form, there were times I felt like it dragged a little too much on descriptions and I found myself almost giving up with reading.

There’s a part where FMC discovers an old book left to her as a gift to help bring her memory back. The book brought her into an illustrated world which does bring back your childish imagination. This was important for the story to help a FMC struggling with the loss of her mother. But she also discovers many hidden truths a long her journey. It is a very dark story which did lead to some drug abuse by the FMC and the mother who faked having cancer to kill herself with prescription medication.

The description of embryos popping did leave me feeling very uncomfortable.

FMC is struggling a lot with troubling thoughts, and loneliness but did find comfort in an old flame.

It could help someone who is struggling, but I also found that it could go either way.

I am grateful for the author for allowing me the opportunity to read this story. It is very deep.


Trigger warnings:
Death
Depression
Anxiety
Suicidal thoughts

[Insight Chronicle · Rating 4 out of 5]

- First of all, this book deals with the loss of loved ones, so please be aware of that if you’re sensitive to the topic.

For me, Amanda was incredibly relatable in the way she navigated losing someone she cherished deeply. Her emotions were portrayed beautifully. The writing style is very descriptive and imaginative, which makes the reading experience immersive.

The story gave me a lot of Wizard Of Oz, and Chronicles Of Narnia vibes. If you like stories that deal with emotions, but also has a mix of fantasy and thrill, then you'll surely enjoy this book! 🔮

At first, I thought Jack would be a very shady character but omg he's literally the sweetest. Really loved their bonding (tho Amanda ghosting him constantly made me mad but I understand because she was going through so much 😭). As someone who loves plot twists, I really enjoyed the ending. Didn't see the twist coming from a mile away, it was shocking and so good! The story also has some depiction of Hollywood and fame, which I personally enjoy reading about. 🎥

It was nice to see how genuine Flo's character was. Though I do wish we had more of Sophie & Frank's storyline, especially Katy's relationship with him and Lucy.

Overall, it was a short yet enjoyable read. If you love stories that are imaginative, and mixes heavy emotions with adventure, this one is worth picking up!

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifts is the author's debut novel, if I'm not mistaken It is a journey through grief, about how to deal with it, in which we remember not only the good, but also the bad. I really liked the writing; you have to immerse yourself in the book because everything is revealed little by little.

Amanda has just lost her mother, with whom she had, as we see throughout the book, a peculiar relationship, but the pain, sadness, and above all that feeling of loss and confusion are clearly shown both in the protagonists and in the setting

Fantastic elements are mixed into the novel, because dissociation is quite normal during moments of grief, but here the author disguises it with fantastic elements, where you have to pay attention because there is more than meets the eye.

+ i want to thank the author for the ARC. This is my voluntary and honest opinion+
I enjoyed the book.

[FictionHealsMe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was not what I was expecting, not even close. I thought I was stepping into something familiar, but Gifts turned out to be completely different, and in a way, that made it even more fascinating. It’s one of those books that leaves you both amazed and a little lost. I’m not even sure I fully understood everything that happened, and maybe that’s part of its magic.

The story follows Amanda, who loses her mother and finds herself drawn into grief, memory, and mystery. When she receives a strange book, the “gift,” the magic begins and reality becomes a little bit distorted.

It’s a story full of layers, grief, love, identity, memory, and that’s what makes it so intriguing. Even when I didn’t completely understand what was going on, I felt it. The writing has this quiet pull that keeps you turning the pages, wanting to make sense of it all.

For a debut, it’s incredibly ambitious and emotional. Gifts feels like a story you experience rather than simply read, mysterious, moving, and beautifully strange.