I really like Riley Sager and I’ve been looking forward to reading this book since it was first mentioned that it was coming out this summer, so when I realised I had been chosen to read it free from NetGalley, I was so happy! BUT, I hate to say it - I was a bit disappointed…. and I really really didn’t want to be!! It’s not bad, and the beginning is good - you’re happily going along the right track - and then …. the train is derailed and crashes … and then bursts into flames 🔥 I figured out who the real killer was pretty early on - with such a small cast of characters, who else could it be? The waitress thing was just confusing to start with a so out of nowhere that it just didn’t quite fit. Wasn’t keen on the ending wrapping everything up with a nice little bow. 😞 I really wanted to love this book, it was only ok!! 😢

I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review; thank you NetGalley and the publisher.

Survive the Night takes place over the course of… well, one night. After Charlie Jordan’s best friend was murdered by a serial killer, she decides she needs to leave campus as quickly as possible – so quickly she doesn’t want to wait for her boyfriend to take her home. Instead, she accepts a ride from a stranger: who is maybe less of a stranger to recent events than is safe.

I stumbled across another of Riley Sager’s books slightly accidentally last year and really enjoyed it, so I was really excited for this one. I liked the premise too, I think it’s always interesting to see how an author uses a largely ‘one scene’ setting, particularly for something that promises to be as grippy and twisty as this book. It definitely didn’t disappoint, the use of setting was excellent – it did mostly stick to the ‘one scene’, but that was rooted in the campus vibe, and the most was made of American road trip liminal spaces too. Added to the fantastic use of 90s reference, it was a very eerie, atmospheric read.

Survive the Night was really interesting because some of the plot elements were predictable – and yet they still had me gasping. It was the perfect blend of plot that is expertly foreshadowed, yet still somewhat of a surprise. I wish I could read it all over again, just to get all those OMG moments.

It definitely did have some weaker moments. I’m not entirely sure how I felt about the portrayal of Charlie’s mental health – it felt like it could run the risk of being too much of a caricature. However, that’s not to say that it might not ring true for some people. I also think that the handling of the gaslighting was done really really well, that was an absolute stand-out for me personally. I can see some people feeling that some of the twists were too obvious, and/or that a couple of the plot points were a bit ridiculous, and I can definitely see that! I also don’t necessarily think that the ending was necessary, it didn’t really add much to the plot I didn’t think, other than feeling a little cliched.

Overall, this is a great read – I know I’ve already discussed the atmosphere, but again, it is truly utterly excellent for that! Would definitely recommend.

So far this summer I’ve been disappointed with the highly anticipated blockbuster type thrillers I’ve read, so I was wondering why I was reading yet another one, but I was pleasantly surprised

The unique twist to the plot is that the main character is a film studies major and there is a running theme of old movies throughout the book. I love old movies and love how the author is able to tie these old classics into the story he wove. I will say I’m not sure everyone will connect with the choice by the author if they haven’t seen or appreciated any of the referenced movies. North by Northwest. Shadow of a Doubt.

Charlie is a student at Olyphant University and has decided to leave school after her roommate is murdered. It’s 1991 and she needs a ride home, so the solution is the school ride board, where she agrees to a ride with a stranger. I know your senses are already a tingle right? While the book never references 80s horror movies, it reminds me of screaming don’t do it, while watching Halloween or Friday the 13th. There are many moments throughout the book where you’ll question Charlie’s decisions, but I never thought it was too much. I like that to explain Charlie’s questionable decision making and her reliability in general, she has a past that is fraught with grief and regrets, that are slowly revealed during the book.

I’m also a fan of the time period of the novel. I loved the references to music and other small details. And by choosing the previous century, it pains me to write that, it is pre cell phones, when you really were out of contact at times. I don’t want to go into too much detail and risk spoiling one of the twists and turns. But I’ll say I saw a few of them coming long before the revelations and still liked the book. And there were a few that made me go whoa.

While I’ve seen mixed reviews on this one, I think anyone that liked Sager’s earlier work, The Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied, will enjoy this novel.

Although Josh is a stranger, Charlie is desperate to get away and gets in the car with Josh – escaping her student life and the murder of her best friend. At first, the long journey seems pleasant enough but after they get talking

Charlie realises that Josh might be the campus killer, and she is in real danger.

What a claustrophobic, chilling, twisty masterpiece!

I have to hand it to Riley Sager – what a rollercoaster ride. I loved the characters and the plot had me on edge the entire way through. Charlie’s movie fanaticism was brilliant, and I loved all the movie references.

So intense and the danger felt so real.

Superb!

My first Riley Sager book and I was overwhelmed with the suspense he has written in this book. I read the book in one sitting and was mind blown.

The process of changing the story process, as a reader you learn how thrillers work and read confidently. Sager breaks all the unspoken rules in suspense writing and had be questioning everything I had just read.

A superior suspense thriller that has rocked my world. I have all Riley Sagers previous books I must experience his writing again and again.

After reading survive the night by Riley sager I can confidently say this and home before dark by the same author are some of my favourite thrillers. I couldn’t put the book down even for a moment until I’d finished, it has be on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering what was going to happen next. This book had some of the most amazing plot twists after plot twists that I’ve ever seen. And I highly recommend that anyone looking for another thriller or book by this author to please pick it up ASAP.

So this book reads kind of like a 90s horror movie. Charlie is just so naive and it takes her awhile to get anything. She just is one of these characters in a movie where you just wanna yell why? She is probably the best character for this type of book. But as a reader i was annoyed by her the whole time. I wish she actually got things and actually thought things through. I wasn’t a fan of the flow of this book. I don’t think it made sense a lot of the time. It’s sad because this story had literally all the potential to be an amazing book but it wasn’t executed very well at all. I don’t know about this author. Only the second book i have read by him but i was hoping this one would have been better.

Trigger Warnings: blood, car accident (mentioned, also happens on page), grief, loss of parents, murder (mentioned multiple time, brief description of how it was carried out), stabbing (on page), suicide (attempted & committed, both mentioned briefly of how it happened), threat of kidnapping/kidnapping, torture (brief - tooth pulling)

This is my first book by Riley Sager, and certainly not my last (immediately after finishing this book I downloaded and read The Last Time I Lied). If you know me, you know I am a giant wuss, and can only really take thriller novels in small doses because I get freaked out sooo easily and get filled with paranoia! But this one sounded good, and not *too scary* (The Last Time I Lied, however, that had me sooo jumpy!).

I'm really glad I requested this (thank you for the arc, Netgalley!) because I did enjoy it, it was an entertaining way to pass the afternoon, keeping me enthralled in the mystery of 'who did it?' and 'What's going to happen to Charlie?'

Charlie was an interesting protagonist with an unreliable narration. This narrative style helped layer in the mystery to the novel because you just didn't know whether what Charlie was thinking was 'real' or was it part of her hallucinations? Charlie too felt herself to be unreliable, so it really took both us - reader - and Charlie on a journey of trying to piece the puzzle pieces together with the limited information amongst the deception being put on by others & battling the hallucinations. I was worried at times that it would become too confusing, but Sager brought everything together nicely at the end, that you left the book with a clear narrative of how things went down (whether you enjoyed how it all went down, well...)

Despite this unreliable narration trying to throw you off, and making everyone (everyone!!) seem suspicious, I did guess who the murderer was. This didn't really impact my enjoyment of the novel too much, but obviously I did not experience any shock at the reveal.

I enjoyed the car ride setting. Isolated in the car and in scene (highways at night) really set the atmosphere. (This is also great to think about when you read the ending and get *that* reveal, and realise the author made the conscious choice to do that to give the reader a more 'cinematic' experience).

Overall, a decent murder mystery novel! It gets a 3 stars from me, as I was let down by the predictability of it & I think we could have spent just a bit more time on characterisation and unfolding the plot (while it did all come together, I was just like 'oh. That's it, huh?').

Thank you, as always, to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

There’s a good reason that women are told not to get in the car with a stranger, even if they meet up at the college ride board. This should be especially true for our main character, Charlie, her roommate is the latest victim of the Campus Killer.

Against her better judgement, Charlie heads out from New Jersey to Ohio with Josh driving. Her roommate’s death has been too much and she’s leaving for Thanksgiving. There are countless red flags for Charlie, but she also has a strange condition where she sees movies in her head, so she has trouble distinguishing what is real from what is the movie playing in her head. As a film major, she knows a lot of movies!

This one becomes a major cat and mouse game, and I wasn’t sure Charlie would survive the night. Her boyfriend becomes embroiled in the drama as well.

This premise works because it is set in the days before cell phones when pay phones were your only option on the road.

This one had a clever ending and then the whole structure of the book made sense to me. This was great to read in one sitting and I found it compelling, not perfect, but I couldn’t put it down!

You think you can guess the story from the blurb? Guess again! There were so many plot twists that I didn't see coming and some I guessed, but only after enough clues were dropped! I think with the last twist there could have been more clues to indicate the reveal.

The book starts as a typical cat and mouse game between Charlie and Josh/Jake. You know they both know and you're waiting for the climatic ending but so much happens when it does that the book becomes a real page-turner.

The action and suspense begins pretty early on so it hooks you almost instantly. If you enjoy a thriller, this is definitely a must-read for you.

Well, this feels a like dropped ball of a book - the premise of a car ride with a potential killer sounded brilliant. The reality, not so much unfortunately. It feels like I can't say much about this novel without spoiling plot points which, for me, meant the book was a bit too full of plot if that makes sense? A little bloated for the fact that this was supposed to be based over a 24 hour period. Anyways. I've read other Riley Sager novels and loved them, sometimes even the best drop the ball.

Gripping novel by an author who puts his readers in some very scary situations. Take this one - a student fearful of the campus killer at her university decides to return to Oregon. Bit of a journey so she needs a lift. Someone from the university is also heading that way so he offers a lift. Brilliant you think, we're going the same way and it'll be good to have company.

If something happens, if you need help however, you are in the car with a stranger on the motorways crossing the USA. This is also the 1990s so there's no modern technology or phones and the highways are dark....

Now that is one good premise, right? IT's a cracking thriller I really enjoyed. Fast, tense and you can tell he had a great time working on it.

A Pre-Readers’ Guide to Riley Sager’s latest thriller, Survive the Night:

1. Picture the absolute stupidest female protagonist you have ever come across in fiction. Do you have her in your mind?

2. Recall a villain from another book or movie with the most ridiculous motive in the history of stories. Got one, and I mean a reeeaaalllly redonculous one?

3. Brush up on the terms “unreliable narrator” and “gaslighting.” Are you fired up to see some extreme examples?

4. Clear your schedule. Did you block off enough time to read this bonkers book all in one sitting?

And there you have it! Survive the Night is a page-turning thriller set in 1991 where the stupidest female protagonist ever decides to do a ride share road trip with a strange man just two months after her best friend was murdered by a serial killer still on the loose. Because she’s such an unreliable narrator, both she AND readers are prime targets for gaslighting, all at the mercy of a cray cray antagonist with a truly laughable agenda.

Despite all that, could I put the darn book down once I started? No.

Have I rated all 5 of Riley Sager’s suspense novels 3 stars now? Yep.

Will I read his next one? 100%.

My thanks go to Hodder & Stoughton for providing a gifted advance readers copy for review via NetGalley.

WOW WOW WOW is all I can say about this book.
This was my first Riley Sager book and hearing so much about this author I wasn't sure if it would live up to the hype. But it exceeded all my expectations! I was hooked from the very beginning and now I'm going to be reading all the rest of Sagers books immediately.

I never knew who to trust all the way through this! Is Josh really a killer or is Charlier hallucinating all of these details. Some things that came about from their conversations was so creepy and I was on edge waiting to find out more. I read this book in one sitting and it is 100% a 5 star read for me! Amazing!

Riley Sager wrecks my brain. Every. Time

-----------------------

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.</i>

<b>CW: Disassociative behaviours, gaslighting (these are the main two)</b>

-----------------------

As with all things Sager, this one has so many twists and turns with some easily predictable elements sprinkled to lull you into thinking you have it all figured out.

This one plays out like a movie, complete with scene tags and all. It's the perfect formula for a cult indie horror flick - the heroine who doesn't know who to trust, the sketchy and suspicious side characters, the tension and buildup. It won on all points.

Of course, we also need to acknowledge that Sager is the king of unreliable narrators, so this one had me so unsure of what was reality and what was a side effect of Charlie's disassociation. You also became so invested because I needed to see if justice will ever be met. Or at least some sense of closure.

The overall experience is very much worth the price of the ticket. Read it.

Riley Sager can do no wrong. But her characters...well, wow. That was one helluva car ride. And it had me screaming at the protagonist, Charlie, a young college student recovering haphazardly from trauma. Leaving behind a caring, concerned boyfriend and a dead roommate, Charlie gets into the car with a relative stranger.

There was a lot of suspense and twists, and I WISH it had been a little less...confusing. Sometimes too many ingredients ruin the pot and that almost happened here. The saving grace? Riley Sager's writing is always fun.

Thanks for the ARC!

The writing was just perfect the build up was brilliant. How can you build something up so tensely with mainly being in a car? Honestly the twists and turns in this were perfect I was on the edge of my seat reading it and I could not put it down. 5 stars as the atmosphere and plot were 🤌🏼

Survive the Night is the fifth thriller written under the Sager nom de plume and weaves together the atmosphere and plots of film noir and nineties slasher movies to create a scintillating and thoroughly entertaining thrill ride. It's November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana's in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer. After her roommate and best friend Maddy was murdered by the Campus Killer at Olyphant University in New Jersey, Charlie feels she must get away for some respite. She blames herself, and feels guilt and shame, for Maddy’s slaying after letting her walk home alone from a bar back to their dormitory after an argument had ensued. Her deceased body was discovered the following day with multiple stab wounds and a missing tooth; a trophy collected by the Campus Killer double murderer who stalks campuses looking for victims. She decides to leave in the middle of the semester and high tail it back to her home in Ohio, so she posts a flyer looking for someone who might be going her way to give her a ride. Josh Baxter, a janitor at Olyphant, claims to be driving home to Ohio state to care for his sick father. Or so he says. As they travel an empty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly worried Charlie begins to think Josh is not being truthful about who he really is.

He's secretive and won't let her know what's in the boot of the car and she strongly suspects she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. What follows is a game of cat and mouse played out on night-shrouded roads and in neon-lit parking lots, during an age when the only call for help can be made on a payphone and in a place where there’s nowhere to run. Can Charlie survive the night? Riley Sager has done it again! In this compulsive, deliciously devious and endlessly twisty thriller Sager manages to take well-worn horror tropes and elevate them to the next level. It is a nail-biting and nightmare-inducing road trip with the narrative taking place over a single evening, yet it's often hard to fathom exactly why Charlie repeatedly makes ridiculously stupid mistakes. There is plenty of 90’s nostalgia to be had via the mention of the music and movies of the era too. This is one for those who enjoy unreliable narrators. The first half of the story focuses on setting the scene, introducing the cast of characters and Charlie coming to the realisation that her knight in shining armour is possibly a wolf in sheep's clothing who may plan to do her harm. However, past the halfway point the wicked twists come thick and fast and I was completely unprepared for the change of pace. It's dramatic, addictive and genuinely shocking when all the twists, which were plausible and explosive, hit you. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Survive the Night but that has in no way influenced my review.

I am currently suffering the biggest book hangover thanks to the divine Survive the Night. Regular readers of damppebbles may  be aware that I am a huge Riley Sager fan. Sager's debut, Final Girls, is one of my very favourite books (I have a Final Girls purse!). Home Before Dark, which was published last year, was one of my favourite books of 2020. If Riley Sager writes it, I want to read it. Getting my mitts on a copy of Survive the Night sent me a little giddy with joy. I devoured this book. I feel bereft now that it's over. But one thing's for sure, I know nothing else I read for a while is going to come anywhere close to topping Survive the Night.

Charlie has had enough of College and wants to return to the comfort of her home and Nana Norma. Her boyfriend, Robbie, isn't able to drive her to Youngstown for a few more days but Charlie can't wait any longer. Putting her trust in a stranger, she advertises on the 'ride board' for a lift. Which is where she meets Josh Baxter. He seems nice enough. She's cautious, of course. As a movie buff and a Film Theory student, she knows what can happen when you climb into a car with a stranger! She's desperate to return home though. The need to escape Olyphant University and everything that happened there is great. So she reluctantly accepts the risk. Telling herself over and over again to be smart, be brave and be careful. But as the journey progresses, Charlie starts to think she's made a terrible mistake. Could Josh be a serial killer after all...?

The first thing I need to say about Survive the Night is that it felt quite different to the author's previous books. I would classify Sager's books as predominantly mysteries, but mysteries which err on the side of horror. Survive the Night felt more crime noir than any of his previous novels. Movies play a big part of the plot, which may have given the book a different feel. Or it may be the overall vibe of the story (the long drive into the night with a complete stranger). Or perhaps it's because it's set in 1991 and the author has excelled at putting an aged/retro feel into his text (no matter what you say, 1991 wasn't THAT long ago! Thirty years is nothing, right...? ). I can't put my finger on exactly what gives Survive the Night its utterly hypnotic and immersive appeal, but I loved it. If this is the direction the author has chosen to go in, then I'm all for it!

I adored Charlie. If you're a fan of the unreliable narrator then oh boy, you need to get yourself a copy of this book! Charlie, having lost both parents in a car accident when she was younger, and having to deal with the trauma of a double funeral, now experiences 'movies in her mind'. Hallucinations to the rest of us. These vivid scenes play out in front of her and only afterwards, when she has 'come to' does she realise they weren't real. Unfortunately for Charlie, the occurrence and the clarity of these 'movies' is on the increase. Which Josh uses to his advantage...

I was a little concerned, before starting the book, that a tale about a six hour long road trip could end up being a little dry. I needn't have worried. It's anything but! As realisation dawns on Charlie, an intricate game of cat and mouse begins in the confines of Josh's Grand Am. The tension builds beautifully, unease and suspicion mount and it's a glorious, hypnotic thing!

Would I recommend this book? 100%, YES! I loved Survive the Night. Everything about it was perfection on a page. The twists are weaved into the story masterfully. One in particular I was able to guess but as you can see, it certainly didn't spoil my reading experience at all. Plus there are lots of other really clever little details thrown into the story to keep you gripped and turning the pages. Sager has excelled himself. I feel as though I lived this book alongside the characters. Absolutely bloody marvellous! Tense, all absorbing and utterly captivating. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Survive the Night. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Synopsis -

It’s the pre-digital era of 1991. Depressed, saddened & overwhelmed with guilt, from the recent death of her best friend & roommate Maddy, the victim of a serial killer in the campus, Charlie decides to take a break from university. She hitches a ride home with a stranger Josh, who she met at the ride-board. Soon, Charlie realizes Josh is not who he claims to be. As the journey progresses, Charlie’s movie obsession turns into a nightmare, with circumstances demanding that, she stands up for her survival.

Review -

I loved Charlie’s character portrayal. Her fragile mental state due to all the grief & loss, was pictured very well. The comfort she found in movies & the way she employs her imagination as her mental defense mechanism during difficult situations, worked wonders with the plot. Her delusion, suspicions & her mind’s working, all left me dazed & at the edge of my seat.

Though the initial part of the book didn’t get me very interested, gradually Sager’s magic began kicking in. He very cleverly creates confusion, by playing all sorts of mind games on us via Charlie & Josh’s conversation. Blurring the lines between reality & imagination, the reader will just grapple, trying to discern what’s true or false.

Going into the book blind, helped a lot with the surprise factor. I visualized so many scenarios, but mostly got proved wrong. As the author spilt the beans one by one, I did find myself gasping! Charlie’s transformation amazed me & I really rooted for her.

Packed with movie references, I think movie (old & classics) buffs will enjoy this book a lot. Sager took maximum advantage of this throughout the book, influencing Charlie’s behavior & decision making.

Overall, I think this book is a wonderful entertainer. With limited casting, it was not hard to guess the killer towards the end. The ending itself wasn’t really big on the “wow” factor, but it was enough to satisfy my expectations.

Thanks NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton books, for the digital ARC!