Wooow, what was that??? I thought the unreliable character plot would be something related to a mental illness but it was not. That part was really well done. I was a bit annoyed with some decisions made by the main character but overall I really enjoyed this one. Definitely going to read more from this author.

I’ve had a weird reading month where I’ve had a hard time focusing on just one book. It wasn’t until I was more than halfway through the book I finally got into the book and had a hard time putting it down. Up until that point I thought I knew it all, I knew what was going to happen. Then came the first twist which I didn’t expect. It really blew me off. The next twist was more predictable and I knew it long before it was revealed. Then came the ending which I didn’t really expect either, but I did quite like it.

I enjoyed the main character and loved her transformation throughout the book. It was really well written.

This wasn’t my favorite book by Riley Sager. I liked some of his other books better, but I will definitely continue to pick up his books in the future.

OMG, Survive The Night had me reeling!
I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor because I couldn't believe what I was reading.
This was such a tense read. Suspense dripping of each page!

Believe it or not, this is actually the first Riley Sager book I've read.
Somehow I got the idea his books would not be for me, didn't like the covers either...🙈
However, when I read about this release, the premise and all the buzz surrounding it I was intrigued and hit the Netgalley request button.
Oh and I think this cover really is stunning by the way!🤩

So grateful to @netgalley and @hodderstoughton for allowing me to read and review the arc because this has proven to be one spectacular read!

Synopsis:
When Charlie's best friend and roommate Maddie is brutally killed by the so-called Campus Killer, guilt, fear and despair wash over her in the weeks after. All she wants to do is leave their dorm room and all that reminds her of the tragedy that took place.
Not wanting to waste any more time she decides to share a ride home to Ohio with a fellow student called Josh who's headed out in the same direction.
Although apprehensive about getting in the car with a virtual stranger, Charlie's urge to get away from campus is bigger. She promises her boyfriend Robbie that she will call him if she doesn't trust the situation or when she feels unsafe. And although Josh shows up in a decent car and is a sensible driver, Charlie quickly feels like there is something off about him. When discovering he lied to her, that feeling of unease starts to change into down right terror the farther they drive out... In fact, getting into the Grand Am that night might be the biggest mistake of her life...

I cannot get over the genius plot line and structure of this story. It's so cinematic, well crafted and original. Also loved the early ninetees vibe.

If you are only going to read one thriller this year, you need to get your hands on this although you probably already know that because this one is all over Bookstagram.
Meanwhile, I have to catch up on some of Sager's earlier work...
Any recommendations?

Plot - 4/5
This was a solid story. Of the three main plot twists in the last act, I caught two of them quite early in the story. Mainly because I think the author has foreshadowed it well. I like it when the author foreshadows in such a way that the guess itself acts as a reward for the reader.

But, one plot twist took me totally by surprise. While I enjoy the occasional guessing & getting rewarded game, I like it better when the author surprises me with the twists. It should not be illogical or completely out-of-the-blue, but there's nothing I revel in more than when the clues are hidden in plain sight and the author reveals it. I have read one other book by Riley Sager, Lock Every Door. And I must say I liked this one better than Lock Every Door which I had given a solid 4⭐s.

Pacing - 5/5
The pacing was perfect. Neither too fast as to give you a whiplash nor too slow that you drowse off during the ride. This was a perfect ride at an optimum speed. I am amazed at how the author could pull off such perfection in pacing. It's obvious that at no point was I bored. I read this entire book within half a day. Every time I took a break I was be itching to get back to the story.

Characters - 4/5
For the first time, I could connect with the characters in a Riley Sager book. Admittedly I have read just one other book, but, in Lock Every Door, that was my major complaint. The characters were too two-dimensional and archetypical. Also, I had no love for the heroine who seemed TSTL(Too-stupid-to-live). Riley Sager is known within the book community for creating dumb heroines who lack the sense of survival and plain common sense.
Thankfully I adored Charlie in this. Charlie isn't a TSTL heroine. She was realistic. Her actions, decisions were if not smart, atleast realistic and logical. People do weird things in weird situations. I can't talk about the other characters because it might be spoilery. But I liked the characterizations of the rest of them as well, except Charlie's friend. I couldn't understand their friendship dynamic at all.

Set-up - 4/5
I don't care much about set-up when it comes to thrillers. In fact, in a toss-up between set-up and action, I'll certainly choose action. The set-up here was adequate to move the story and I was happy with that. It did get a little info-dumpy towards the end, but that's not a huge complaint. A movie director might require such information, but I couldn't care less and I simply skimmed over such parts which were thankfully minimal.

Writing - 5/5
Just as in Lock Every Door, I have zero complaints with regards to Riley Sager's writing. The author has a knack of weaving a story and captivating the readers. This was a movie in book form and I for one would be very glad to see this adapted into a good action flick.

Overall rating - 4.4

Objective Rating - Invest grade - Book worth buying and adding to your collection
Subjective Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

All I can say is "amazing" and "READ THIS BOOK"!! you will definitely not regret it. Its on an entirely different level than most thrillers etc I've read recently. I had began to wonder if books like this were still being written and thank god I had requested the pre release of this one because this book is the reason I love reading so much!!I'm quite sure my house could have been burning around me and I'd never had noticed as long as I had my kindle to find out what was going to happen next. Everything about this book from the concept to the characters to the twists and turns just come together to make it *chefs kiss* ..... just incredible

I started the book knowing from reviews that I will read a good thriller. It exceeded, by far, my expectations!

The trope of mentally unstable main character, at the beginning gave me the feeling that it will be a usual story as many others out there. But I was wrong and I’ve never been more pleased about being wrong!

The plot has so many twists and turns, and heroes become the villains when you don’t expect it. You have suspicions but you’re never completely right and then things swift again and your point of view changes.

I found marvellous the way the story is woven in this fast-paced, suspenseful, page-turner read! The book is not long and it doesn’t ‘slouch’ at any point. This is the first book of RS that I read and I’m already looking for the next one!

Riley does it again…..this guy is just an absolute genius with thrillers and misdirection. What would you do if you accepted a lift home from a stranger…..who turned out to be a serial killer? Very Ted Bundyesque….. this is perfect for those dark nights and reading by lamplight just to scare yourself silly

I’ve loved every Riley Sager book, an author that never disappoints, so I was very excited when I got approved for his latest book. Survive The Night is chilling and full of tension. I was able to guess the twists with this one early on so I think it’s best to go into it blind. That being said, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment. Already looking forward to his next!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Survive the Night is a masterpiece. Full of twists, turns and red herrings, proving that Sager has mastered the art of misdirection. You’re left constantly second guessing what you think you know and whether it’s actually real or not. I did eventually figure out who the Campus Killer was (around the 75% mark) but even then, I wasn’t absolutely certain until events started to unfold.

Charlie was a fantastic main character. Her character development was flawless. She rose to every new challenge presented to her and towards the end, she emerged a femme fatale more than worthy of leading lady status. There were times when her mental illness made her seem like an unreliable narrator. This isn’t a trope that I’m particularly warm towards as I feel that it stigmatises mental illness but I liked that Sager used this as an opportunity to address trauma and the many different types of coping mechanisms that can kick in as a response to trauma.

Initially, I wasn’t sure that I would like the way that the book was styled like a movie with noted directions for each setting. However, it worked incredibly well and managed to get across the classic Hitchcockian thriller movie vibes that I think Sager was going for.

Overall, Survive the Night was easily one of my favourite thrillers, if not books, of the year so far. It’s a book that I’ll be thinking about for a LONG time and one that I’ll be recommending to anyone and everyone who will listen to me rave about how good this is.

Imagine if there was a serial killer stalking your campus, and your best friend was one of their victims. You decide you need to leave the university and get home, so you take a lift from someone you barely know. As the journey gets going, you start to believe the man sitting next to you is the killer, and that you're his next victim.

That's the scenario our protagonist, Charlie finds herself in in Survive the Night. We are on this adrenaline ride with her. Will she escape the car in one piece? Who is the man driving? Is Charlie being paranoid?

I read Final Girls, which I enjoyed, and Sager's latest thriller didn't disappoint. It is dark, a little surreal at times, and very twisty. I read it in two sittings, but could have easily read it in one.

I recommend to fans of twisty, fast-paced thrillers.

Thanks to Riley Sager, NetGalley, and Hodder & Stoughton for this advanced copy.

I have read a few of Riley Sager's books and they have never failed to disappoint!

Survive the night lived up to my expectations, Imagine possibly being stuck in a car with a serial killer? Yikes! It's any woman's fear, This book was very engaging, addictive, It gave me goose bumps and kept me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend it will not disappoint you.

A big thank you to netgalley for my copy of this wonderful book in exchange for my honest review.

I was highly anticipating this book, as there is so much love for Riley Sager online, it's the June book for two online bookclubs I take part in, and I loved Home Before Dark which I preordered last year. There was so much to love about this - the early 90s setting and the classic movie references made for such a nostalgic read. The way that the 'movies' inside Charlie's head were described were fantastic - I could see them unfolding like a movie in my own head, with the sound and lighting changing as she loses touch with reality. I loved the first 50% of the novel, with the tension building and Charlie questioning what's real and what isn't.


*Mild spoilers below*


I really wish we hadn't switched perspectives. I understand why we got chapters from different characters, but it totally broke the tension for me as what I'd been loving up to that point was being in Charlie's head second-guessing herself, but as soon as we hear from other characters it helps us realise what's really happening. At first I was hoping that these other perspectives would also turn out to be Charlie's imagination, but that didn't happen. I also felt like some of the twists just fell flat for me - even though I didn't predict them, I wasn't shocked by them, because by the second half of the book I'd lost the intrigue the beginning had held, and all the character's motivations were way too over-explained. I always dislike a "here's why I'm doing what I'm doing!" speech.

Overall, there was a lot to like about this book, but I was just left a bit disappointed by the end. I would, however, recommend this book to those who enjoy thrillers, particularly those who enjoy thriller/slasher movies and are looking to try reading one! I'll definitely still be checking out more from Riley Sager in future, including more of his backlist.

I love this book. It is an atmospheric chiller and it made me visualise all the scenes. It was so wonderfully detailed that I felt like I personally knew every character. The twist was predictable but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. This author never fails to impress me!

The premise of 'Survive the Night' is interesting and it's what prompted me into wanting to read it. Charlie, a student at Olyphant University in New Jersey, is dropping out. She is heading home to Ohio to be with her grandma, mainly initiated by the murder of her roommate, Maddy, and the fall out from this horrific event. She meets Josh at the ride board and, and before long, she has 'signed up' for him to drive her ahead of Thanksgiving.

The novel is creepy from the outset, with the usual tropes. Throughout the book, each chapter is titled with a film director's reference, such as INT. GRAND AM. MIDNIGHT. As the story progresses, so does Charlie and Josh's journey.

For sure, there are many plot twists here. Without plot-spoiling, I was left pretty surprised throughout. Some parts are implausible, though, and jarred with me, such as when Charlie rifles through Josh's wallet without Josh [seemingly] realising - they are side-by-side in the car; and when Robbie, Charlie's boyfriend, identifies what Marge has in her hand when he is watching, from afar, in the dead of night. Hmmm... not sure such things would be possible but, like with many mysteries, it is important to suspend one's disbelief.

'Survive the Night' is a good, gripping, chilling mystery, and I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy of this book!

I think what happened here was that I set my expectations way too high - like Home Before Dark high.

I found it easy to predict unfortunately - the plot twists didn't throw me off!

Overall it was a good book (if you're not too used to thrillers), but I wouldn't re-read this one.

It’s 9pm on Tuesday 19th November 1991 and Olyphant University student Charlie is waiting for a ride with Josh to take her back to Ohio. She’s fleeing the university in grief and reluctantly leaving her relationship with Robbie following the murder of her best friend Maddy two months previously by the Campus Killer. Shortly after 9pm the headlights of the Pontiac Grand Am appear and not too long into the journey Charlie realises she has made a shocking error.

I absolutely love this book and it’s by far my favourite Riley Sager to date!! It’s the way it’s written that hooks me in as it has such a cinematic feel, it’s like a Hitchcock movie fading from colour to black and white. This is reinforced by the many movie references and by Charlie as she believes movies are like life, only better. I love how Night keeps being reiterated in various ways through film through suffering, through the journey in the night and by ‘Take back the Night’ after Maddy's murder. It’s so intriguing trying to work out what is real versus the illusion of what Mandy THINKS she sees and experiences and you have no idea who will survive the night. There’s a real intimacy and also creepiness with being in the car with Josh and there are admissions, uncertainties, growing nervousness, insecurity and fear but you also wonder if Charlie is willing something bad to happen because of guilt surrounding Maddy's death. The tension grows, you have no idea what is going to happen and so the atmosphere builds added to by fog, mental fog, snow and ice in veins. You feel what Charlie feels, her sense of isolation, her fear but then you question is she really seeing what she thinks she sees? As she cast herself as a femme fatale in a movie of her own making? What role is Josh playing? As we reach the climax I nearly jump out of my skin!! I so do not see that coming!!! It becomes a high octane thriller where you scarcely dare to breathe! I love the ultimate ending too, so clever, and yes, it feels right!

Overall, this is just my kind of book, really clever, well written, something to puzzle over and for me it’s a five star all the way!!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This book is absolutely amazing! I'm a first time Riley Sager reader, but it would definitely won't be the last book I read from him. Survive the Night is beautifully written, with just the perfect pace and thrilling details, where everything is not what it seems. All the twists are on the right place and the story is super addicting. I would say the main character will get on your nerves from time to time, but it is what it is. 5/5 starts!!

*This is an ARC. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this title. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Survive The Night....more like Survive The Disappointment. That’s right, I was devastatingly disappointed by this book, and it seriously hurts to even be writing this not so glowing review. I mean, it’s a RILEY FREAKING SAGER BOOK. He’s like a thriller writing god. His books have a way of drawing me in and frantically flipping through the pages because I just have to know what’s going to happen next, while also making me want to take my time and soak in each and every meticulously written word because the reading experience is so great that I don’t want the stories to ever end. I love all of his books. And then this one came along. And love it I did not. To make matters worse, I thought that this was actually going to become my favorite book of his, because it sounded so amazing and had all of the elements that I love in a thriller. But somehow the ingredients just didn’t blend well together, and in all honesty, while it was still well written with a compelling story line, I found it to be a bit boring and lackluster, especially the first half of the book. It starts to pick up more as the story goes along, but not enough to ever get me completely invested.

This was not just one of my most anticipated books of the year, but my most anticipated. Unfortunately, I was rather underwhelmed by it and place it as my least favorite Riley Sager book.

If you’re a fan of Sager, I would still recommend that you give this book a try because it may work for you even if it wasn’t my cup of tea. Prior to reading this one, my least favorite of his books was Lock Every Door and I seem to be in the minority in that regard because it seems to be his most popular book among fans. So hey, you may end up loving this one even though I didn’t!

This may have been a letdown, but i’m still a huge Riley Sager fan and I am still going to devour everything he releases and I am already biting my nails in eager anticipation of his next book release.

While a little more complex than the blurb makes out, this still feels like a bit of a generic thriller and the framing it as a movie inside a book didn't particularly add much. One of those thrillers where at the start I think "I bet it's so-and-so..." and no matter what twists and turns the author uses to throw me off, it was, in the end, exactly as I predicted. The killer's motives once revealed were quite flat; a criminal minds 'unsub' would have more depth. The additional dimension of the MC's hallucinations don't really do much besides trying to distract you from the otherwise totally predictable killer's identity.

Riley Sager is one of the best thriller writers I have read. Picking up a Riley Sager novel you 100% know you had better give up the whole weekend, don't make plans, get snacks and drinks because you are not moving, not going to bed, not talking the another human until you finish the last page, and Survive The Night is exactly that.
It starts with Charlie, a dry humoured, loner university student who just wants to get home to her Nana, her only family, in Ohio. She can't wait for her boyfriend to drive her home so she accepts a lift from a (suspish) well-timed meeting of another student who wants company along his drive home.
And so they set off at 9pm on the long night of driving ahead.
We find out that Charlie is running away from her University life. Her roommate has been murdered by a serial killer and her mental health is failing, she feels she needs to go home and rethink her whole life, but things start to play out along the way that Charlie questions if her imagination really is warped or whether she's the only one who's right.

So this book will definitely give you Hitchcock vibes. If you don't question everyone then we can't be friends. I literally had every character at some point of the book pegged as the baddie.
I couldn't find a fault with this book. The set up was fabulous, the tension was nerve-racking, the way it made me say "it's you" about every single person mentioned on every single page.
My only advise upon picking up this book is put a "do not disturb" sign around your neck because you are not going anywhere until you've turned the last page, read the last word, and closed the back cover!