Reading the synopsis to this book, I was in two minds over whether I would enjoy it.

The reason for my doubts was that although I love books which are told over short time periods, particularly, like this novel, over the space of a few hours, it was also clear that there were only going to be a small number of characters in this story which I think can cause issues. If an author is going down this path, the characters need to be believable and strong enough to keep you enthralled.

Here we have Charlie who has recently lost her best friend to the Campus Killer, a serial killer who has been stalking her university and has killed 3 young women so far, the latest being Maddy, Charlie's best friend.

What we find out quickly is that Charlie blames herself for Maddy's death however we don't find out why until a little later. Keen to leave uni to get away and clear her head Charlie accepts a lift from another student whom she doesn't know.

I've read some reviews of this novel which cast aspersions and ridicule Charlie's decisions, such as accepting a lift from a stranger when you know that a killer is on the loose. However, as crazy as it seems initially, Sager introduces us to Charlie's state of mind and, in particular, her overwhelming guilt over the death of her friend that I find the character of Charlie believable and find myself empathising with her state of mind and understanding why she is acting the way she does.

To add anymore to the story would only spoil it however I have to say it kept me enthralled for hours. This was my first Sager novel and won't be my last.

It was twisty but not overly (or ridiculously) so which is how I like my mystery/thrillers. The ending was satisfying however there was one small part of it I didn't like however to explain why would require a spoiler.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys books of this genre.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

This is the story of Charlie she is a student who is obsessed with older movies. She is also lucky enough to be studying movies at college. However, Charlie is going through a difficult time as her best friend has been murdered by a serial killer called the Campus Killer. Charlie just wants to go home to her grandma and watch movies. Because she is so desperate to get back she accepts a ride from Josh who is looking for someone to share the cost of the 9 hour ride. Charlie has a condition that in times of stress movies play in her mind. Not long into the journey she realises that things with Josh are not exactly adding up and she begins to suspect that she is sharing a ride with the Campus Killer.

I would like to begin by saying that I am a huge fan of this authors work and I have been highly anticipating this book. Unfortunately I really didn’t enjoy this one very much. Although I thought that the protagonist was really stupid in the beginning by even considering accepting a lift from a stranger not long after her best friend was murdered. I really did love the whole dialogue about old movies as I knew the movies that she was referencing and I share much of the same taste in movies with this character. Then at 35% through this book I just started to get bored. I felt it was getting a bit repetitive with the whole movies in her mind and not knowing if what I just read was real or whether the character was being gaslighted.

Then came the second half where things got a bit nonsensical. There were a few twists here none of which made any sense to me. I have to say that because this book was not keeping my attention I kept having to go back and reread parts just to make sure I hadn’t missed something important which was why it didn’t make sense, I hadn’t. The actual ending had me confused and I still don’t know if what I think actually happened did happen. This could have been a fantastic read as the premise was great. I will continue to read this authors work and look forward to what comes next.

Riley Sager has to be one of the biggest names in relation to thrillers in the book community, his entire backlist is constantly recommended on Halloween reads and Thrillers for beginners. Though he may not have the complexity of some other authors and their stories, his books are so many peoples favourites for a reason.

Survive the Night is his latest release, it is a story of a potential kidnapping with a serial killer twist.

Charlie needs to get home to Ohio, but to do so sh will have to hitch a ride with a stranger and with a killer on the loose... could the driver be the source of al her misery?

I buddy read this with my friend Shannon, we have some of the greatest horror/ thriller buddy reads and she’s really helped me discover my love for these two genres in this past year. So obviously Sager’s newest release had to be one we read. We guessed who the killer was at 18% which neither of us were all that impressed with but don’t worry.. if you guess the twist early on there are plenty more bumps in the road on Charlie and Josh’s journey to keep you on your toes.

This book is literally a movie for your mind, not quite written like a screen play as The Last Final Girl but Survive the Night is such a visual story you cannot do anything but sit back and enjoy.

Though this is not the best thriller I have ever read, it was an easy read, the writing style is fast paced and simple the twists come sharp and fast which does throw the pacing off in some places but i think if you are a thriller newbie this would be a great place to start your journey through to the dark side.

People recommend reading Sager’s books in publication order, however this book is reminiscent of his debut works so if you were to start here i do not feel i would spoil you enjoyment for his other works. With the class I tropes of an unreliable narrator, serial killer, who-dunnit, revenge plot this is such an enjoyable easy read perfect for any vacation.

After finishing this book i was settled on a two star rating, however Charlie and her journey kept coming back to me and although I wasn’t compelled to pick up the book again i realise I enjoyed this story more than I originally thought. Even though it’s not a five star rating i am excited to see the anger comes up with next!!

Thank you NetGalley UK for my early review copy.

Riley Sager is one of my favourite authors and this book was my most anticipated read for 2021, and it did not disappoint. When I first heard the plot for this book, I was really intrigued and excited, as it felt a bit like a horror movie plot. This book had me gripped from the first chapter and I read it SO fast, needing to know how Charlie’s story would unfold. There are some great twists in it and although I did guess certain aspects, it still kept me completely gripped. I loved the movie references and how that was played into the story. I feel like lovers of horror/thriller movies will enjoy this book along with crime fiction lovers out there. If you haven’t read any Riley Sager books yet, you really are missing out.

I have conflicting feelings about this book. For the first 40% or so I was really enjoying it, it was keeping me guessing and on my toes, but then it took a bit of a turn and it wasn't quite as exciting anymore. I felt like I'd lost that burning desire to keep flipping the pages, so it dragged a little for me. But then it changed courses again and got more interesting (even if I did guess who done it earlier on).

A little bit of a disappointment for me, but still an enjoyable read.

Survive the Night is one of the books I can’t really place. There is no book I‘ve read that is similar. Most of the book plays in a car, it’s not lame though. I screamed „that’s the murder“ and „oh it’s definitiv not him“ and „i knew it“ more than I can count.
There's a lot about movies and somehow it is more like watching a movie than reading a book which is so fitting.
As soon as I was finished I told my boyfriend the whole storyline and even his aunt in the background asked about what I‘m talking.

10/10 would recommend. Loved everything about it.

This was my first Riley Sager and I was really excited to get in on the hype. I’ve seen a lot of four and five stars but, unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

We’re following a film major called Charlie who’s wanting to get away from her campus as soon as possible. Lucky for her, as she was pinning up a car ride request, she’s approached by a guy called Josh who is more than willing to help Charlie out. But taking a lift from a stranger, after what happened to her best friend, could be the worst decision she’s ever made - she could be sharing the car with the Campus Killer.

This is such an exciting premise! The amount of tension that can be created as Charlie slowly comes to her realisation of being in this awful situation and the idea of being stuck with a murderer holds incredible power for a terrifying moment. But it just didn’t hold up. We weren’t kept in that car long enough to find out if Charlie was spiralling and tricking herself, or if she was in real trouble. The decision to have a unreliable main character should have been played out more - as a reader it would have kept me continuously guessing and revelling in fear, but I feel like Sager really missed that opportunity. I also felt the structure of the chapters, specifically the placement of Josh’s first chapter, really cut through that tension and left me feeling deflated and frustrated. I’m not sure if this is a norm for Sager, but the plot twists felt like too much and it was just one after another as we reached the end of the book - they all felt a little ridiculous. And with all that in mind, the final plot twist just completely “justifies” any ridiculous decision, plot twist and character moment without letting Sager take any responsibility for poor writing.

Not too sure if I’ll be picking up any more of his books unfortunately, as they seem really hit or miss and this one just wasn’t for me.

But thank you NetGalley for allowing me to explore a new author - I really appreciate it.

*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review*

Ok I don't know where to start with this. Firstly, I'd like my time back. I spent an afternoon shouting as I read this genuinely gob smacked by how ridiculous this book was.

Charlie, the main character, was arguabley the most stupid main character I have ever read. She was in danger or at least perceived danger for most of this book and not once did she do the smart thing. I wonder if Sager actually asked any women about their experiences when he wrote this character because I do not know a single woman who would act this way in a dangerous situation. This was written as if following the dumb blonde trope from horror movies. News flash it's 2021, women know what to do in a crisis.

Did the plot twists catch me by surprise? Yeh. Did they make any sense? No. There was little to no foreshadowing so it just felt like Sager was plopping them in for the sake of it.

Please don't get me started on Charlie's obsession with movies. I understand she's been traumatised, she's been through some shit and people deal with these things in different ways but it was unhealthy and repetitive. We get it, she likes old movies.

Overall, is this the worst book I've ever read? Probably not, there's a few others out there which may take take top spot. Will I ever read anything by Sager again? Eh maybe, this is my 3rd book by him and none have left me yearning for more.

Survive the Night was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, what after thoroughly enjoying Riley Sager's writing and plot ideas. Naturally, the plot of StN had me very intrigued - I mean, being stuck like that is scary.

We have our MC Charlie who is leaving uni with a stranger because she's unable to deal with the trauma of her best friend's murder, which she blames herself for. To get away for a while, she strikes it up with a stranger and they leave for hours long journey in the lonesome night. The ride is terrifying as it keeps revealing more and more secrets about her stranger driver, but since she keeps having zone outs where she completely loses herself, she's unsure of what to believe anymore. Things take quick turn when they arrive at rest stop and more secrets start spilling.

Honestly, though, this book had an interesting plotline. A cat-and-mouse chase as indicated, there's enough thrill here that kept me moving the pages so fast, and I finished it in a day. It was definitely a past paced book, and had the clever RS plot-climax moments. Despite this, I don't think this was Riley Sager's best work. It was, well, a bit of an underwhelming experience at the end.

The thing is, this book was kinda sloppy. Maybe I was expecting a bit more at the end, especially with Marge's storyline. It was also pretty evident who the actual killer was - I guessed it from the moment they were introduced. And moreover, the reasoning behind their actions sounded pretty slack, easy. Not enough crazy as it was deemed to be.

Charlie as a character I think was smart enough until she wasn't. It was toxic level of friendship she had going on with Maddy, is what felt to me. Maddy was the popular one, of course, and coaxed Charlie into events she wasn't comfortable with. Adults blaming Charlie for Maddy's death seemed so unreasonable. But I also understand the emotional trauma that she must have gone through because her one single decision led to her best friend's death. I liked her willpower at the end and the way she fought through.

I think the end resolved very easily without much confrontation and stakes. It did build up real well but the actions and the reasons behind them were sloppy and I at times couldn't take them seriously. It was still a decent thriller at the end, gave me a good reading experience as it kept me very engaged. The writing was smooth and the suspense build up was swift. The climax didn't have any surprising element for me, to be honest. It was an okay thriller for me, nothing as spectacular.

This book had incredible potential for me. I've only read one Riley Sager before and I was so excited by this premise. Like, the idea of a badass female choosing to be in a car with a serial killer? Spectacular. Execution? Poor.
For me the first 75% of this was great I loved the unreliable narrator, the not knowing if the driver was the killer and the tension I felt was ridiculous! And then honestly I don't know what happened, there were so many plot twists in the last quarter of the book. Too too many. I found myself angry and confused and not in a good confused thriller way where you read back and wonder how you didn't notice, more in like a wtf way. It didn't make sense to me and there was too much change too quickly.

This feels like Riley was too afraid to do all the wild and crazy stuff in this book and used the 'mind movies' as a 'it was all a dream' replacement which is a pet peeve of mine and once that thought was in my mind I was out unfortunately.

I will say I read this basically in one sitting so I can't fault the writing style at all. It was a quick and easy read for me up until it got crazy. Potentially this story is just not for me but I will continue to pick up books by this author in future.

2/5 stars

Riley Sager's books just keep getting better.

I couldn't put this one down and after initially wondering how it was going to keep my attention (surely a killer in a car with a victim makes for a short book!) I was constantly kept on edge wondering where the story was going to go next.

Several plot twists in the book gave me full body shivers. It worked so well that this book was both set in the 90's and had an unreliable narrator. The sense that Charlie was completely shut off from contacting anybody and unable to corroborate what she was seeing and hearing gave a really creepy edge to the story.

I loved the script details throughout, and the realisation at the end of the book as to why it was laid out in that way. It was such a satisfying ending and really tied up all the loose ends it needed to, which is really important to me when I read a thriller.

One of the best thing about Riley Sager is that each of his novels is a slightly different spin on crime fiction. Whereas Home Before Dark was a spooky suspense, Survive the Night is a cat-and-mouse thriller.

Movie-addict Charlie's way of coping with her parents' deaths is to turn stressful situations into a classic film inside her head. She has pills to prevent these hallucinations but the latest traumatic event in her life has her throwing them down the drain. Big mistake. Because when she decides to abandon her studies and return home, she accepts a lift from a fellow student who isn't quite who he seems to be. It doesn't help that as her suspicions grow, and her stress levels rise, her mind begins its favourite trick of putting a sinister twist on the most innocent of actions. Or maybe her mind isn't playing tricks at all. Maybe she really should be worried...

Survive the Night is an extremely clever thriller that mixes Charlie's fantasies with reality. If the main character isn't sure what is going on, the poor reader doesn't stand a chance! Although I was led up the garden path on a few occasions, I did guess the ending fairly quickly. There are lots of fabulous twists on the way, including the jaw-dropping epilogue. There is also a nail-biting finale and lots of classic film references for movie buffs, and pop culture references for those of us old enough to remember the 90s (er, hem...).

A fabulous read, great fun and thoroughly recommended! I can't wait for the film!

Thanks to Riley Sager and Hodder & Stoughton for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

I am a big fan of Riley Sager, so of course I had high expectations for his latest release. I think this book has been out in the US for a while now because I’ve seen it doing the rounds on Book Twitter and BookTube. I don’t think I’ve actually read a review of it but as an auto-buy author, I was always going to be reading this book anyway!

In late 1991, Charlie is dropping out of college and is in need of a ride home to her Nana Norma’s house in Ohio. After posting an advert on the college communcal noticeboard, she meets Josh Baxter, who agrees to drive her. Charlie is wracked with guilt and grief for her best friend Maddy, who was murdered on campus two months before and Josh needs to get back to care for his ailing father -apparently. But as the dark road stretches ahead and the hours tick by, Charlie becomes increasingly suspicious that she may be sharing a car with the Campus Killer. She’s pretty sure she can escape his clutches if she can just survive the night.

Charlie is a Film Studies major and has an obsession with classic film noir. She has the air of a girl who struggles to make connections with people via normal means, which is why she has few friends. I think part of this is to do with the fact that she has been living most of her life inside movies. These films are her escape from the trauma that she has suffered but it has taken her away from reality.

Charlie has hallucinations, which means that she occasionally blacks out and sees the world through a movie-like lens. SIghts and sounds are heightened and she imagines conversations and events that she later finds out were all in her mind. She has no awareness of what really happened in that time, so there are periods of time where she doesn’t really know what’s real and what’s not. This means that although she was with Maddy on the night she died, Charlie can’t be a reliable witness to the crime that killed her friend, which is extremely painful for her.

One thing that Riley Sager is a master at is creating tension. Most of the book is a very intense stressful ride and this only increases when the twists start unravelling towards the end. Like Charlie, I was on edge for the entire car journey because the car was fizzing with anticipation of something terrible. I was expecting things to erupt and they did -but certainly not in the manner I was expecting!

Josh is an incredibly unsettling, suspicious character from the outset and my jaw dropped when he blatantly tricked and gaslighted Charlie. He knew about her mental state and used it to frighten her further. I was terrified of him and felt him more than capable of cold-hearted murder. I was just praying that Charlie would escape him as soon as she could.

Of course, Charlie is very distrustful of herself and she’s aware of what it would look like if she ran around seeking help. I think she is afraid that the fact she has a mental condition will make her words difficult for other people to believe and there’s no doubt that Josh has reinforced that train of thought during the drive. She is much more vulnerable than even she knows and while I could understand her fears about not being believed, I became increasingly frustrated that she wasn’t more proactive about getting out of the situation.

There is some commentary on the horrifically ingrained normality that is violence against women. Even women have come to accept it as a normal part of life and even internalise some of the blame. I love that Sager, especially as a man, decided to address this within a novel that leans on this issue so heavily. It just serves as a reminder that young girls being gaslit, overpowered and murdered by men doesn’t just exist in books and films. It happens every day in our real world and we need to remember that and do all that we can to fight it.

Charlie starts displaying symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome but I really didn’t understand why. She even fully explains that it’s because she senses that they are both lonely but I really didn’t think this was adequate redemption for the way he’d treated her for the majority of the book. I couldn’t get on board with this ‘kinship’ that she felt with him at all because my emotions had been parallel to hers and I really didn’t feel it myself.

I’m afraid the ending was where it all went downhill. I felt physical anger that things panned out the way they did and it didn’t feel very authentic at all. It felt like a huge betrayal of Charlie and I was left feeling thoroughly confused and bewildered by what I’d read.

Survive The Night is a mostly a very intense, page-turning thriller that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. It’s very dark, very creepy and the twists are very unguessable. However, I think it’s going to take me a while to forgive Sager for that ending. I don’t remember the last time I felt this let down by a book that I really had been enjoying up until a certain point. It’s by far my least favourite of his books but if you like pulse-racing, twisty thrillers, most of it is very enjoyable!

Set in the 90s, Charlie's not been quite the same since her college roommate was murdered by the yet-to-be-caught Campus Killer. Charlie also decides to get into a ride share with a total stranger, Josh, to get home. Because why would she not? Is he the killer? She's starting to think so. Now she's just gotta get through the night.

Does this premise sound kinda dumb? It is. But I was interested anyway. Thought I could suspend my disbelief just enough to allow for Charlie getting into that car.

It's insulting to women and I find Sager repeatedly does this. I don't think I've ever come across stupider female characters than in his books. I don't know why he insists on writing women when he does so so poorly.

The ending was fully on par with 'and then they woke up and it was all a dream...'. It was god awful. The epilogue was horrid. I honestly hated this ending so so much.

Finally, using mental ill health or mental disorders as the sole mechanism for being an unreliable narrator is lazy at best and dangerous at worst. Stop it.

I'm constantly frustrated because Sager usually has decent premises and obviously can write! His books are very readable and usually well-paced. The content is lacking, if not outright offensive, however.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-ARC. Sorry I didn't love it.

There is a cinematic feel to the book that would make a terrific movie. Loved it from beginning to nearly the end. The ending fell a bit flat for me tho.

A huge thank you to netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book for me to read and review. I had to pick this up as soon as I was accepted.

Riley Sager is cementing himself as one of my favourite authors and tbh is my favourite thriller author. And he has without a doubt done it again. This book was so so good! I loved seeing the night progress and getting to see the interaction between Josh and Charlie as soon as Charlie starts to realise she may have put herself in one of the scariest situations someone could be in.

I did end up guessing who was the campus killer but not until way past the halfway point in the book and it didn't take away any of my enjoyment of the book. I enjoyed the book so much and read the whole book in a day because I just had to know what happened next. I loved the problems that Charlie had to try and overcome so that she could figure out what was real and what was not.

And oh my lord that ending was just perfect. I loved it so much. This is a 5 star read without doubt and would reccommend not only this book but anything by this author.

I normally love this authorbut I gave up on this book. However, I recommend the book to my brother who would love it x

Very interesting this book.
I recommend for who loves a good read.
Thanks a lot netgalley
#SurviveTheNight #NetGalley

This book was wild! The premise was something that really intrigued me and from the second I heard about this book I knew that I had to read it. The atmosphere was built so well and I found myself genuinely stressed out whilst reading this book. Things were uncovered at just the right moments that I was never bored and found myself so confused as to what the truth really was. It had a pretty slow start, although after all the introduction was finished I was absolutely hooked and struggled to put this book down.

I adored the way that Sager created an almost unreliable narrator. Charlie doesn’t always see things the way they truly are, the situation is often embellished in her mind like ‘movies.’ Because of this, there are so many moments throughout when you’re not sure whether what’s happening is real or not and there were multiple moments when Sager cleverly tricked me as to what the reality of the situation was. I was so impressed with the way this element was done and physically gasped a couple of times with the way I was tricked! I absolutely loved it!

I also felt that some of the characters were just a little bit flat and wanted a bit more from Charlie, Josh and Robbie. There just didn't feel to be a lot going for any of them and I didn't have much sympathy towards them and didn't feel like I was invested in their safety!

Despite elements of this book being predictable, there were enough mini twists throughout to keep me entertained, I did not see any of the stuff with Marge coming until it was too late! I just wanted something extra for the ending, some final twist to keep up with the pace and drama of the book. Whilst I wasn’t disappointed with the ending, I actually really enjoyed it, I did want just that little bit more.

This is was my first Riley Sager and it has definitely left me intrigued to read more.

As I was reading, I felt a little bit of a lack of intrigue as the plot seemed to be fairly straight forward however that did mean that the twists and turns took me completely by surprise. I did guess a couple of the major twists however it is really difficult when a story has such a small cast like this book does.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and likely will be an even more enjoyable re-read now that I know that everything is not quite as it first seems.