Freida McFadden’s psychological thriller, The Gift, is a gripping and suspenseful novelette that packs a powerful punch. The main character, Stella, is a poor newlywed mother who is struggling to make ends meet, but she is determined to find her husband a meaningful gift for their first Christmas together.
Stella’s search leads her to a mysterious little shop, owned by a woman who appears to have knowledge of Stella’s past. The woman offers her an unusual trade: a personal item in exchange for a favor. Stella accepts, and soon finds herself in a dangerous situation as an unexpected twist of fate leads her to uncover secrets that will change her life forever.
McFadden has crafted an intense and captivating novelette that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. She expertly builds suspense and creates a unique atmosphere of mystery and intrigue. The story is full of suspenseful twists and turns, and Stella’s journey is both thrilling and thought-provoking. The Gift is wrapped up with no plot holes but leaves you wishing Freida would write a Part 2. (Update: In the McFans Facebook group, the author has hinted at a possible sequel.)
Here’s a twist for this PonderingBooks review: everything above was written by an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
It’s a little too cliche for me, but it’s not bad. I’ve certainly seen far worse writing.
Here’s my review for The Gift. 100% AI free.
Freida McFadden has done it again. She’s crafted a compelling story, with memorable characters and a twisty plot, ending with a “whoa, didn’t see that coming” ending.
The Gift is a “novelette.” Maybe you’re like me, whose first question on seeing that was, “what the hell is a novelette? Is that like a ‘novella’? WTH is a novella?”
Not to be confused with a short story, or flash fiction, according to the almighty internet, a novella is a “brief novel or a long short story.” Helpful… where does a novelette come in?
Here’s what the Author Learning Center has to say, based on word count:
Novel: > 50,000 words
Novella: 20,000 – 50,000
Novelette: 7,500 – 20,000
Short story: 1000 – 7500
Flash Fiction: < 1000 words
There are other terms, with other definitions, but this is the gist of it.
I have no idea what The Gift’s word count is. To be honest, I don’t really care. It’s a great story and that is usually mostly pretty much often why I read.
Non-writers may understandably believe a novelette is easier to write than a novel. As a writer who is sometimes compensated for his words, I can tell you storytelling with fewer words is harder in many ways than just letting the words go until you run out. There are other writers that would disagree. For them, writing short-form is easier than writing long-form I kinda hate them sometimes.
Shorter does not necessarily mean easier. Or that you’ll only get a half-done story.
A great writer can craft a complete, suspenseful, story with a believable, relatable character in any length format. A great writer keeps you engaged. Turning pages. A great writer has the ability to create captivating stories and characters that resonate with readers. A great writer keeps you wanting more, yet satisfied when you close the book.
Freida McFadden is a great writer. She may not write deep, complex, insightful prose that will contend for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Good. This isn’t Literary Fiction, it’s Psychological Thriller. Freida knows her craft.
The Gift is a quick read. The Kindle version (available on Kindle Unlimited) shows it at 53 pages, but that includes a preview of another novel (that you should read). The story itself runs 33 pages. I easily read it on a hour-long flight from Corpus Christi to Dallas.
You’re not going to find a complex, super-twisty story line. It’s a novelette for Pete’s sake. There’s not enough room to get that. What you do get is insight into characters, good pacing, and a fun (dark, at times) read.
If you’re a Freida McFan, of course you’ll read it. If you’re new to Freida, The Gift would be a great way to start. Fair warning: once you start reading her, there’s more than a reasonable chance you’ll be sucked in and not spit out until you’ve read them all. I’ve got two more to go.
For the record, here’s how the AI bot concluded their review. It’s not wrong. Well, I don’t know about “best works.” Truth be told, I’ve never read a Freida McFadden book I didn’t enjoy. Are some “better” than others? Sure. But that’s 100% subjective. What’s 100% certain is I enjoy her writing.
The Gift is an excellent psychological thriller novelette that will keep readers engrossed until the very end. McFadden’s skillful writing and excellent storytelling make keep going this a must-read for fans of the genre. With its captivating plot and intense suspense, The Gift is sure to be a hit. McFadden is a master of the psychological thriller genre, and The Gift is sure to be one of her best works.
AI Chatbot GPT-3
Read other reviews here:
Goodreads reviews for The Gift
Buy The Gift on Amazon. Available on Kindle Unlimited (as of Dec 2022)
