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The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas
A perfect pre-Christmas read. Dark and twisted, a must for fans of psychological thrillers.Behind the beautifully decorated doors, not every Christmas is destined to be merry and bright.How far would you go to protect your daughter?When Alice Adams met her daughter’s boyfriend, she was far from impressed.He was everything she didn’t want for her little girl and so decided to give fate a helping hand.Luckily, they were invited to spend Christmas with his family which was just the opportunity she needed.Three days to ruin their relationship and save her daughter from a lifetime of regrets.However, Alice has secrets she hopes her daughter will never discover. In interfering with fate, she unlocks the past with devastating consequences.There are more than presents under this Christmas tree and as they unwrap the past, the future will never be the same again.As the snow falls and the sleigh bells ring, this will be one Christmas they will all want to forget.Alice Adams thought she was prepared this Christmas – she was wrong.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2019
550 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Hardy
8 books62 followersPseudonym for author S.J. Crabb.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
December 10, 2023
3.5⭐️
Alice only has one thing on her mind during the most wonderful time of the year: ruin her daughter’s relationship with her college boyfriend while spending Christmas with his family. She succeeds in her mission but at what cost to her own sanity…
The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas is a holiday thriller that reads like a fast paced family drama/domestic suspense novel. Based on the synopsis, it’s no secret who the villain of the story will be but there are still plenty of twists and dark secrets revealed to keep readers engaged. You can just feel how terrifyingly overbearing Alice is to her daughter, Lily, through the pages. Overall, I enjoyed the dramatics and feeling as if I was watching a soap opera while reading this.
Unfortunately, I do think the editing was poor enough to be noted. There were quite a few grammatical errors, randomly repeated words/phrases, and question marks after statements that clearly weren’t meant to be questions.
Alice only has one thing on her mind during the most wonderful time of the year: ruin her daughter’s relationship with her college boyfriend while spending Christmas with his family. She succeeds in her mission but at what cost to her own sanity…
The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas is a holiday thriller that reads like a fast paced family drama/domestic suspense novel. Based on the synopsis, it’s no secret who the villain of the story will be but there are still plenty of twists and dark secrets revealed to keep readers engaged. You can just feel how terrifyingly overbearing Alice is to her daughter, Lily, through the pages. Overall, I enjoyed the dramatics and feeling as if I was watching a soap opera while reading this.
Unfortunately, I do think the editing was poor enough to be noted. There were quite a few grammatical errors, randomly repeated words/phrases, and question marks after statements that clearly weren’t meant to be questions.
December 14, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up
There are always tons of Christmas romances and cozy mysteries to read, but I rarely come across Christmas-themed thrillers. I searched “Christmas thriller” on Kindle, and this popped up for only 99 cents, so I decided to give it a shot. This book was more of a domestic drama/suspense than thriller, but that was okay with me. It starts off with one of the best prologues I’ve ever read! This is a fun, quick read, and I loved that it was set during Christmas, but it really could have used an editor. This book had some pretty brutal dialogue and grammatical errors. There were also a ton of overused phrases. Lily was super annoying - she was the most indecisive character I’ve ever read about lol. That said, if you are in the mood for a soapy family drama set during Christmas, and can get past the negatives I mentioned, I would give it a try. It’s only 250 pages and is entertaining if nothing else.
There are always tons of Christmas romances and cozy mysteries to read, but I rarely come across Christmas-themed thrillers. I searched “Christmas thriller” on Kindle, and this popped up for only 99 cents, so I decided to give it a shot. This book was more of a domestic drama/suspense than thriller, but that was okay with me. It starts off with one of the best prologues I’ve ever read! This is a fun, quick read, and I loved that it was set during Christmas, but it really could have used an editor. This book had some pretty brutal dialogue and grammatical errors. There were also a ton of overused phrases. Lily was super annoying - she was the most indecisive character I’ve ever read about lol. That said, if you are in the mood for a soapy family drama set during Christmas, and can get past the negatives I mentioned, I would give it a try. It’s only 250 pages and is entertaining if nothing else.
December 14, 2019
If you like domestic thrillers/dramas, with an added christmassy spin; then you're in for a treat with The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas!
So. Much. Family. Drama!
The title gives it away who the main culprit of the book is, but it was still twisty and executed well. The story is told from three characters point of view, giving a more rounded outlook as the drama unfolds.
I'd never read a christmassy thriller before, and it made a nice change to all the christmassy romance novels I've been reading lately. So I'd recommend adding this to your Christmas tbr if you like a good thriller!
So. Much. Family. Drama!
The title gives it away who the main culprit of the book is, but it was still twisty and executed well. The story is told from three characters point of view, giving a more rounded outlook as the drama unfolds.
I'd never read a christmassy thriller before, and it made a nice change to all the christmassy romance novels I've been reading lately. So I'd recommend adding this to your Christmas tbr if you like a good thriller!
December 17, 2019
“The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas” by M J Hardy is a fast paced domestic drama. The chapters are short and yet full of suspense. The characters are all written well with a satisfactory ending to a good festive read.
October 19, 2025
wow so good. short and to the point didn't run on. What was needed was said and nothing more.
clever story
would like to explore this Author more
clever story
would like to explore this Author more
December 13, 2022
What a Christmas
Interesting plot twist. There were so many psychological issues happening among most of the characters. They all needed therapy in my opinion.
Interesting plot twist. There were so many psychological issues happening among most of the characters. They all needed therapy in my opinion.
February 17, 2020
In 'The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas', it's always just been Alice and her daughter Lily against the world since her husband died years ago. This Christmas though, things will be different as they will be spending three days with Lily's boyfriend Oliver and his family, giving Alice the perfect opportunity to execute her plan..
The title robbed the book of suspense and unpredictability which wasn't an issue at first, owing to the deceptively serene and joyful atmosphere as well as how unsuspecting everyone was. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose and not knowing what exactly Alice had in mind to 'save' Lily kept it interesting.
However, the repeated phrases (such as 'she is a credit to you') and telling rather than showing (Alice's overprotectiveness towards Lily / dislike of Oliver, Oliver being the perfect boyfriend, etc), combined with the one-dimensional, bland characters didn't hold up over the course of the story. It didn't help that several occurrences felt contrived.
Alice's attempts to turn her daughter against Oliver were pathetically laughable, obvious and ham-fisted, contrary to what I expected. On top of that, there were too many huge, life-changing secrets revealed within the span of minutes and the characters' reactions were underwhelming and fleeting. As a result, there was zero emotional impact.
Overall, 'The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas' conveyed a sense of impending trouble but wound up predictable and uninteresting, featuring a forgettable cast of characters.
The title robbed the book of suspense and unpredictability which wasn't an issue at first, owing to the deceptively serene and joyful atmosphere as well as how unsuspecting everyone was. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose and not knowing what exactly Alice had in mind to 'save' Lily kept it interesting.
However, the repeated phrases (such as 'she is a credit to you') and telling rather than showing (Alice's overprotectiveness towards Lily / dislike of Oliver, Oliver being the perfect boyfriend, etc), combined with the one-dimensional, bland characters didn't hold up over the course of the story. It didn't help that several occurrences felt contrived.
Alice's attempts to turn her daughter against Oliver were pathetically laughable, obvious and ham-fisted, contrary to what I expected. On top of that, there were too many huge, life-changing secrets revealed within the span of minutes and the characters' reactions were underwhelming and fleeting. As a result, there was zero emotional impact.
Overall, 'The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas' conveyed a sense of impending trouble but wound up predictable and uninteresting, featuring a forgettable cast of characters.
December 12, 2020
“She may have my best interests at heart but I have to face something I’ve been trying to ignore for several years now - my mum scares the hell out of me.”
Oh boy, what was this. I chose it for a twisted Christmas tale, but what I got instead was a mess better suited for Jerry Springer.
The story is told through different voices, but it sometimes got confusing because the voices weren’t well differentiated. The dialogue of the characters and their interactions felt forced and stilted.
There was also little suspense because it’s given away in the title and blurb, butttt that title and blurb did draw me in.
I kept reading this one because I wanted to see how it was all connected and how crazy it actually got, but whew.
The epilogue was especially hmm, with a lot of cliches, pages of dialogue, and all telling with little showing.
This one wasn’t for me, but a reader looking for some wild Christmas drama may be into it.
Oh boy, what was this. I chose it for a twisted Christmas tale, but what I got instead was a mess better suited for Jerry Springer.
The story is told through different voices, but it sometimes got confusing because the voices weren’t well differentiated. The dialogue of the characters and their interactions felt forced and stilted.
There was also little suspense because it’s given away in the title and blurb, butttt that title and blurb did draw me in.
I kept reading this one because I wanted to see how it was all connected and how crazy it actually got, but whew.
The epilogue was especially hmm, with a lot of cliches, pages of dialogue, and all telling with little showing.
This one wasn’t for me, but a reader looking for some wild Christmas drama may be into it.
November 25, 2019
Lily is in love with Oliver and has been invited, along with her mother, Alice, to spend Christmas with Oliver and his family. Alice refuses to see Lily and Oliver as a couple and has only one thing in mind, to break them up for good. Lots of devious surprises in this book. Highly recommend!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 27, 2019
I didn't know what to expect from this book but it was
pretty good.Fun, fast-paced and twisty.Perfect little
thriller for these cold days.
pretty good.Fun, fast-paced and twisty.Perfect little
thriller for these cold days.
November 21, 2019
Wow, another book I absolutely did not want to put down that has been penned by this author. I have read all of her other books and each one really grabbed me and held on tight. This book in particular is also just as good if not better that the ones before, and how great that it is set during the magical holiday season of Christmas. (Bonus)! It's just a shame that for everyone involved it will be anything BUT magical! The story line itself was intriguing for me: Crazy obsessive, single, doting, mother sets out to sabotage and ruin Christmas for not only her daughter, but her daughters new boyfriend, the "PERFECT" family of her daughter’s new boyfriend and all in order to keep her daughter from continuing to date the boy she just knows is bad news and definitely not good enough for her little girl. But why? What does her mother care if it ruins her daughter’s life and quite possibly everyone elses in the process? Not a lot, which quickly becomes obvious. I could not turn the pages fast enough and who wouldn’t want to know what happens!? The setting was picturesque, a three day Christmas holiday weekend, in a storybook town, staying at the beautiful home of the perfect family who SEEM to have it all. But do they really? This loving, welcoming family who graciously opens their doors to share the magic of Christmas with a woman they have never met. Alice. Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to them she wants their perfect world to crumble…brick by brick. But why?? Well there is the intrigue in itself…The story is told from three different character’s perspective, and it is hard to discern what is fact and what is simply smoke and mirrors. Many shocking facts may be revealed, which might devastate everyone involved. There is one thing for certain, as Boxing day approaches no one will be left unscathed by Alice.....because as the weekend progresses it becomes crystal clear that she has only one objective and she doesn’t care who gets devastated in the process. A must read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 25, 2020
Great twist
This story was not something I would normally choose for myself preferring instead true crime books but it was on my recommended titles this month so I figured why not try it. I was very pleasantly surprised when I couldn’t put it down until I had reached the last page. Very well written with a great deal of time going into backgrounds of all characters meant I became invested in them and wanted to know exactly what secrets each character carried. When the secrets slowly revealed themselves I found myself wanting to see if the next would be as shocking as the last however nothing prepares me for the final twist that I never saw coming.
Well worth the read and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of plot twists and the unexpected.
This story was not something I would normally choose for myself preferring instead true crime books but it was on my recommended titles this month so I figured why not try it. I was very pleasantly surprised when I couldn’t put it down until I had reached the last page. Very well written with a great deal of time going into backgrounds of all characters meant I became invested in them and wanted to know exactly what secrets each character carried. When the secrets slowly revealed themselves I found myself wanting to see if the next would be as shocking as the last however nothing prepares me for the final twist that I never saw coming.
Well worth the read and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of plot twists and the unexpected.
November 26, 2019
Every mother wants to protect their daughter and no man is ever good enough, this novel goes beyond and when a new boyfriend came on the scene Alice (the mother) definitely thought that there was something about him she didn't like so she decided to do all in her power to stop the relationship.
Christmas is the time of year for families and Alice had a secret which she held on to for years. A must read the novel is inventive quirky and exciting.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Christmas is the time of year for families and Alice had a secret which she held on to for years. A must read the novel is inventive quirky and exciting.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 10, 2019
Being a fan of unreliable narration, I would have preferred if this story had not been relayed in both the title and the book's blurb so blatantly. I would have liked more guesswork on my part as to which brother was the "villain", or was it the mom? But otherwise, it was a decent story, easy flow and nothing wasted. A story about a truly dysfunctional family that was a bit over the top in some spots but eerily familiar in the gist of it that a lot of people I'm sure could relate to. And I read it two weeks before Christmas!
November 25, 2019
Wow. This has turned out to be quite a twisted story. You think it’s about Lily and Oliver, and it is, but then there is Alice, Florence, David, Toby, Peter... how this story turned and flipped and made me have to close my jaw every time it dropped was incredible. I love you M J Hardy but you scare me... lol. Everyone please read this hold your breath while sitting on the edge of your seat book!!!
April 1, 2020
A real page turner
I always feel if a book grips you, for whatever reason then it's a good book. This book has me intrigued just by the title, especially as Christmas is supposed to be such a special time. The story of Lily and her controlling mum Alice is interesting enough, but throw in another largely dysfunctional functional family and well, sir back and enjoy. With themes of addiction, mother love and a painful past.
I always feel if a book grips you, for whatever reason then it's a good book. This book has me intrigued just by the title, especially as Christmas is supposed to be such a special time. The story of Lily and her controlling mum Alice is interesting enough, but throw in another largely dysfunctional functional family and well, sir back and enjoy. With themes of addiction, mother love and a painful past.
November 29, 2021
Good. A little over the top in execution but a good story. Heavy on maternal stereotyping & cliché making me think the author is of a generation that doesn't fully understand feminism, under the impression that going back to traditional roles is the solution rather than evolving. It's not that cut & dried. Traditional roles will still have the traditional drawbacks. Recycling the fairy tale won't change that. However, I did like the themes of redemption & awareness overcoming genetics.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2022
This was a good book ( fast read) about a woman with a vendetta against her daughter’s boyfriend. There are several unexpected twists and turns. Overall a fairly good read - could be read in a day or so. Not one that would be remembered a year from now and I’m not sure I would read another one by this author. Just sit back and watch what happens as Alice and her daughter spend Christmas with Oliver and his family as the drama unravels.
December 17, 2019
This was OK...not "chilling" as promised. The big reveal was not that big of a surprise and I felt the ending was wrapped up a little quick for all the build-up. This was more of a "domestic thriller" that really didn't "thrill". I will read this author again as she really develops her characters and the storyline flows. It was just this book didn't WOW me but held my interest.
March 8, 2020
Awesome!
Loved the story and the twists in this story. It petty much takes place over the Christmas holiday and was really interesting. I love this author and would recommend all of the books she has written. She has a way of getting you interested in a story and then all of a sudden these twists come out of nowhere. Loved it.
Loved the story and the twists in this story. It petty much takes place over the Christmas holiday and was really interesting. I love this author and would recommend all of the books she has written. She has a way of getting you interested in a story and then all of a sudden these twists come out of nowhere. Loved it.
April 27, 2020
It was a very quick easy read, with plenty of twists.
I think the author needs to hire a very good editor. This read like something on Wattpad almost. The dialogue stilted, plenty of sighing, tons of grammatical/syntax errors. Question marks at the end of sentences that weren’t questions at all. I think a good editor could turn this into something great.
Also, why did two unrelated characters have the same incredibly uncommon name? What was the point?
I think the author needs to hire a very good editor. This read like something on Wattpad almost. The dialogue stilted, plenty of sighing, tons of grammatical/syntax errors. Question marks at the end of sentences that weren’t questions at all. I think a good editor could turn this into something great.
Also, why did two unrelated characters have the same incredibly uncommon name? What was the point?
September 10, 2021
Sometimes I wish there was a button for 3 1/2 stars because that is where this fits. This was a readable drama, if a little improbable and drawn out. You can read the synopsis, but the writing is good and flows, and the story is well told. The characters are good. I will continue reading this author.
November 30, 2019
Read this novel
I enjoyed reading this story, I love peeking into the lives of other people even if it's fiction. I read this fast because I had to know the next thing happening. It totally kept my interest.
Yes I recommend this novel by MJ Hardy
I enjoyed reading this story, I love peeking into the lives of other people even if it's fiction. I read this fast because I had to know the next thing happening. It totally kept my interest.
Yes I recommend this novel by MJ Hardy
December 23, 2019
Loved it, thrilling psychological story
I loved this book. It was a little fanciful but the story was engaging and easy to read and kept me wanting to read on. In fact I read it in 2 days. It made a change to the other Christmas chic lit I have been reading.
I loved this book. It was a little fanciful but the story was engaging and easy to read and kept me wanting to read on. In fact I read it in 2 days. It made a change to the other Christmas chic lit I have been reading.
December 30, 2019
Really enjoyed this book
Found this a easy exciting book to read I literally couldn’t believe I had read 3 quarters of the book so quickly ... took me out of my world and into the book.
Found this a easy exciting book to read I literally couldn’t believe I had read 3 quarters of the book so quickly ... took me out of my world and into the book.
January 6, 2020
The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas
Yes, yes, yes this is a very chilling book! The characters are all amazing. The plot.....OMG! I couldn't put this one down. Wow! rather give this more than a 5 🌟 but it's not offer. Just so you know first page in had me caught!!!
Yes, yes, yes this is a very chilling book! The characters are all amazing. The plot.....OMG! I couldn't put this one down. Wow! rather give this more than a 5 🌟 but it's not offer. Just so you know first page in had me caught!!!
April 23, 2020
A FANTASTIC page turner! (Finally!) got given this one for Christmas and finally enjoyed reading again - I love a thriller physco style and this ticked all the boxes. It’s quite short and very easy to read but a great story and definitely page turning! Maybe one for a weekend break? Loved it!
September 9, 2020
Won’t lie, but trashy but I loved it
I love this author. Such easy reading and good storylines. I can’t say it would win a literature prize but I genuinely love all her books. Write some more!!!
I love this author. Such easy reading and good storylines. I can’t say it would win a literature prize but I genuinely love all her books. Write some more!!!
December 2, 2020
Hateful woman
Although there's an explanation at the end, one of the haracters is a horrible vwoman. I kept wondering how any mother could do such cruel
things to her own daughter.
I love suspense novels and this author doesn't disappoint. I'm a big fan.
Although there's an explanation at the end, one of the haracters is a horrible vwoman. I kept wondering how any mother could do such cruel
things to her own daughter.
I love suspense novels and this author doesn't disappoint. I'm a big fan.
December 10, 2022
I wanted to like this book. But the writing felt juvenile and didn't contain a lot of details. And to be honest, it just wasn't believable. Hard to see how all those pieces could have fallen into place.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews