How to Find Time to Read During the Holidays: 5 Quick Page-Turners

December is chaos — twinkle lights, travel plans, endless to-do lists, and family members who keep asking where the tape went (it’s always right in front of them). Somewhere between the gift wrapping and cookie baking, your reading life starts to collect dust like that Elf on the Shelf you forgot to move three nights ago.

But here’s the truth: you can still read — you just need the right kind of book.
Enter: the fast-paced, twisty, emotionally charged domestic suspense novel.

These are the perfect holiday reads because they grab you by the throat (in a good way), keep you turning pages long after you should’ve gone to bed, and make you forget that you were supposed to preheat the oven 20 minutes ago.

Here are five bingeable thrillers to keep you company through the holiday madness — because who doesn’t love a little family drama and moral ambiguity with their hot cocoa?

1. The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden

If you like your thrillers unputdownable and just a little bit unhinged, Freida McFadden has your back. The Housemaid series is like popcorn — one handful leads to another, and suddenly it’s midnight and your wrapping paper is still untouched. Twists, secrets, and revenge? Yes, please. Perfect to read before the film adaptation makes it's debut.

2. The Fury by Alex Michaelides

A secluded Greek island. A glamorous group of friends. A murder (of course). This one reads like Knives Out meets Big Little Lies — stylish, smart, and totally bingeable. The short chapters practically turn themselves, which is exactly what you need between shopping trips and sugar-cookie meltdowns.

3. The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Creepy mansion on a cliff? Check. Unreliable narrator? Double check. Shocking twist that will make you gasp out loud and scare your dog? Triple check. Riley Sager’s latest gives major gothic vibes, and once you start, you’ll find yourself saying, “Just one more chapter” until 2 a.m.

4. All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Equal parts haunting and heart-thumping, this one’s about a mother obsessed with finding her missing son — and the truths she’s forced to face along the way. It’s dark, deeply emotional, and impossible to put down. Willingham nails the slow-burn suspense that keeps you both anxious and addicted.

5. The Baby Left Behind by Jen Craven

Okay, yes — this one’s mine. But if you like your domestic suspense layered with emotion, secrets, and moral gray areas, it’s the perfect holiday escape. When a newborn is found on our protagonist’s doorstep, she must decide whether to keep him or call the police. It’s fast, tense, and totally bingeable — because even between holiday chaos, you’ll need to know: how is this going to end?

A Few Festive Reading Tips for the Overcommitted

Hide your book inside a holiday magazine. (No one will ever know.)
Audiobooks + gift wrapping = productivity and plot twists.
Ten minutes here, ten minutes there — thrillers are perfect for short bursts of reading.
Pretend you’re “organizing the pantry” and sneak in a few chapters. (Highly recommend.)
Remember: reading counts as stress relief. Doctor’s orders.

So go ahead — pour a little something festive, claim a corner of the couch, and let someone else handle the gravy for once. These twisty page-turners will keep your pulse racing and your spirits high, even if your to-do list is longer than Santa’s.

Because the holidays might be full of surprises — but none are as juicy as the ones hiding in these books.