I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, but in all honesty, I found it a little predictable and underwhelming.
I can’t award it more than 2.5 stars.

3.5/5 stars



That twist saved this novel

I always look forward to when Sager is releasing new thriller novels. I really like his novels except Final Girls. Some may not like his novels but honestly, reading his novels is like a good snack while sitting in front of the beach or having tea on a rainy day. A good read.

But I have mixed feelings about Survive the Night. I do get that his woman protagonist is gullible, sometimes not thinking, or very irrational but the story and plot itself are good. For me. In the case of Survive the Night, the same woman protagonist but the plot is meh. The first part was too suspicious and the twist at the end is okay but very predictable.

Charlie Jordan, filled with grief and guilt after the murder of her best friend on campus, Maddie, decides to leave university early and needs to get home to Ohio. She meets Josh at a ride board, whom she assumes is a student, and decides to share a ride with him. There's a serial killer on the loose...what could go wrong?

Charlie often loses her sense of time because she thinks in movies; she takes medication for it. Alone in the car with Josh, she starts to feel that Josh is not all he appears to be. Charlie's sense of reality starts to fade in and out, and she wonders if she's being driven to Ohio by the Campus Killer himself.

The sense of unease carries the reader through the novel - is Charlie imagining the scenario, is Josh what he seems? Most of the action takes place within the confines of the car, and the claustrophobic atmosphere is well portrayed. When they stop at an isolated diner, the twists and turns come along ever faster, and the intrigue builds.

I read this book in one sitting, desperate to get to the end. The author keeps you guessing, and the plot twists build up to the somewhat implausible ending, but as a keep you on the edge of your seat read, it was quite enjoyable.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

A great contemporary voice with twists and turns on every page! The potentially unreliable narrator made this a nail-biting read!

I've been a fan of Riley Sager since Final Girls and have eagerly anticipated each and every book of his. Once again, my hopes were high and this one did not disappoint!

I love how this book has a minimalistic setting and there are just a handful of characters, but is packed full of tension! As with all of the author's previous books, I was hooked from the very first page. There were quite a few twists and turns that had my head spinning, while some parts had me cheering. I also really enjoyed the 90s vibes, when smartphones weren’t yet a thing and calling for help ain’t that easy.

Some scenes might make you question the protagonist's decisions, but I think the author does a good job in addressing them through his storytelling.

This book also pays homage to old movies and film noir fans will love the references peppered throughout. Even the format and execution is in line with the movie theme, which makes me love that final chapter even more.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC! 💖

who do you trust when you can't trust yourself. who do you trust when you think you deserve to die and that maybe you are riding in a car with a killer. An interesting premise to this new and very tense Riley Sager book, told as scenes from a movie, esp confusing to the main character, a girl names Charlie as she has blackouts that show up as movie scenes. He has the ability to write realistic female characters, which I appreciate about him. Though did wonder why no one seemed to have a cell phone??????

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Net Galley for my advance review copy of this book.

Not quite a thrill ride ★★☆☆☆

Grieving from the murder of her best friend Maddy, Charlie makes the snap decision to quit uni and accepts a ride home to Ohio from campus worker Josh. But has she put herself in danger?

I’m a big fan of Riley Sager and his last two novels Lock Every Door (2019) and Home Before Dark (2020) were both five star reads. However, Survive The Night didn’t quite make the final cut for me.

The division into movie scenes – which we assume is due to Charlie’s obsession with films – is distracting but makes more sense at the end. Charlie’s “mind movies” detract from the tension of the cat and mouse game with Josh which forms most of the plot. Rather than creating suspense, the uncertainty surrounding Charlie’s version of events during the drive – such as whether Josh knew about the tooth taken from each victim – takes us back to square one each time.

When Josh insists on stopping at a remote diner, the slow-burning plot takes several turns. After an unexpected and unlikely detour involving Maddy’s grandmother, the true murderer – a relatively easy guess – is revealed.

An interesting concept and a quick read but the end result is more of a movie script than a novel.

For once it's not a spoiler to use the words 'unreliable narrator' because wow is one at work here! Be warned - don't pick this up planning to 'just read a bit' because you won't put it down until the end. This is a great serial killer/suspense thriller that ramps up the tension throughout to a finale that made my jaw drop.

What a fantastic book!
I am a hug fan of Riley Sager and have enjoyed his other texts, this new book did not disappoint.

The story follows grieving Charlie, who after losing her best friend tragically decided to leave University and to return home.

Charlie finds a ride home with a 'friendly stranger' , but, all is not what it seems.

Many red flags makes Charlie see that her friendly ride is in fact the murderer who killed her best friend and who has now come back for her.

What follows is a game of cat and mouse with roles between Charlie and the killer interchangeable in these roles throughout.

Charlie must get home safe but also stop 'Josh' from murdering other women.

Throughout the story there are potential 'saviours' who could help Charlie but for one reason and another, cant really help Charlie who is left to avenge her friend, whilst staying alive.

I was constantly questioning Charlie's actions, almost like shouting at the TV screen while watching a thriller, and was engaged throughout the story.

Riley is able to write from a female perspective really well and does reference the 'blame' that Women experience from the world and themselves for actions and circumstance beyond their control and how Women when attacked, physically or mentally, are blamed rather than supported.

5 out of 5 from me.

An interesting read for sure. Lots of twists and turns that kept on edge from beginning to end. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this read!

An interesting read and not as expected. With some twists and turns and a surprising ending. However, a little confusing at times, and a little hard going in places.

Another amazing Riley Sager book!

When I first heard the premise of this book, I knew it would be completely up my street! As a horror movie buff, it was everything I expected and more!

I absolutely loved it! The whole story had me on the edge of my seat and the twists and turns kept me wanting to read more! The characters (although there wasn’t many) had me rooting for them and I wish there were more books like this out there!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

I am a huge Riley Sager fan and was thrilled to be approved for this book. I immediately jumped into reading it, and I’m so disappointed. While I loved the 90s timeline that this is written in, the main character, Charlie got on my nerves, and was just stupid. I also got bored with the endless dialogue between her and Josh in the car. NOTHING else was happening. I did feel a sense of claustrophobia while reading this, which may be what the author intended. I just did not enjoy this at all.

I have enjoyed Riley Sager's novels in the past but i struggled to even finish this one. What begins as an interesting book, soon becomes repetitive, predictable and even boring. It was hard to connect to the protagonist and the movie script like narrative technique didn't help, evwn though i get it that it supposedly complements the protagonist's love for movies.

The book felt tedious after a point and i skipped many pages and descriptions just so that i could finish it. The idea behind the book is interesting, the execution not so much. Towards the end, i was realky disappointed. The book left me feeling underwhelmed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me a copy in exchange of an honest review.

5 stars
Enjoyability 10/10

After losing her best friend to a brutal murder, Charlie decides to leave her college life behind and go home to heal. She feels like she can't wait and arranges a ride with a stranger she met on the post board. This is the 90's way before rideshare and cell phones; keep that in mind.

As the drive goes on and they exchange stories, Charlie starts to notice there is more to Josh than meets the eye and panics as she suspects she might be riding with the Campus Killer. Will she survive the night?

Nothing I can say about Survive the Night will do it justice. It feels that with every Sager I read, I think that's his best yet, but seriously THIS is Sager's best novel so far. I kind of feel bad for him. It must have been so painful to wait so long to share this book with the world. Hopefully, his torture has an end date - June 29th.

The opening chapter is one of the strongest I have read in a long while, definitely in my top 10 of all times. I was hooked from the first word. Sager set the pace, and it never slowed down. The quote from All About Eve was eerily accurate, and I am glad I listened and fastened my seatbelt!

Survive the Night is a book that doesn't take itself seriously on the surface: It's a bit campy, and it pays homage to some of the best movies of all time. This book is heaven on earth to any movie buff! As an homage, it is a quilt of the most beloved tropes. In the hands of any other author, this would be a disaster. But what Sager achieve was a novel that, at its core, is tightly plotted, intentional, fast-paced, witty, intense, scary, vertigo-inducing (see what I did there?), and very interactive. I was literally talking to (okay, yelling at) Charlie through the whole book. I believed her, I doubted her, I was mad at her, I worried for her. When I finished reading the last word, I dropped the book started clapping as I thanked Sager out loud for such a fantastic experience.

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Hodder & Stoughton, Riley Sager, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Survive the Night.

This book would make a FANTASTIC movie! 🍿

It is written as screenplay, with each scene, depicted by its camera location:
INT (interior, inside of) or EXT (exterior, outside of)

In fact, this time, I think this story would be better as a movie, than as a book.

So, after reading some “less than enthusiastic” reviews for this one, I decided to approach it, by actually picturing what I would be SEEING, if this screenplay was on the BIG SCREEN! And, that worked for me.

It’s 1991-cars have tape decks, and if you want to call someone from the road, or CALL FOR HELP-you will have to find some coins and a pay phone….

Charlie is a film theory major who feels like she cannot stay at college for another day! Her roommate and best friend, Maddy was the 4th Victim of a serial murderer referred to as “The Campus Killer” and Charlie feels responsible. The little orange pills aren’t working, and she is retreating into a movie-like World and starting to wonder what is real and what is hallucination.

She searches the Campus ride-share board and as luck would have it, a guy named Josh Baxter is also looking for someone to share the 6 hour drive to Ohio. She says goodbye to her boyfriend Robbie and climbs into the car.

INT Grand AM-Night

The Snow is smacking the windshield, the fog is receding, and as Josh and Charlie begin making conversation, she becomes increasingly convinced that she may have just accepted a ride with the Campus Killer!

In order to SURVIVE THE NIGHT, Charlie must:
BE SMART. BE BRAVE. and BE CAREFUL.

But, sometimes you need to choose one!

Of course, this is a MOVIE and our VICTIM will not always choose wisely, or we wouldn’t have a story.

We wouldn’t have a reason to SCREAM at her, ROOT for her, or PEEK between our fingers while covering our eyes! What fun would that be??

And, the ending…Maybe only in the movies!

So, while I agree that the story doesn’t translate as well to the page as it would to the screen-it did offer some surprises once it got going and it DID kept me entertained!

It’s not my favorite by this author, so if it’s your first time reading his work, I wouldn’t judge his work, by this book alone.

3.5 ⭐️ rounding up!

I would like to thank Hodder and Stoughton for my gifted ARC provided through NetGalley! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Available June 29, 2021 in the U.S
Available December 23, 2021 in the UK

Survive the Night has a great concept: it's 1991, and Charlie accepts a lift from a stranger to get home from college. However, she becomes increasingly suspicious of her benefactor, Josh, as they drive through the night. Could he be the Campus Killer who has murdered three girls already? And if he is, how can she get away from him on the lonely roads?

This is definitely my favourite Riley Sager thriller so far, with the caveat that the only other two I've read are Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied. I'd become wary of his work because his books start well but tend to become too silly for me by the end; this one almost jumps the shark as well but, in my opinion, just manages to avoid it. Sager makes good use of his setting, with atmospheric set-pieces in a diner, a lodge, and on the road itself, and just about manages to make Charlie's actions plausible, although not without resorting to some psychological plot devices. The book takes place in the course of a single night, which makes it especially gripping to read.

Survive the Night is not without its own problems. The ending seemed to only serve to make meta excuses for the rest of the novel, and I wish it had felt more like it was set in the early 90s (there's no sense of the decade apart from a few popular culture references, and I got the sense that Sager only made this a historical novel to stop Charlie having access to a mobile phone). Nevertheless, I'm pleased that the execution of one of Sager's thrillers has at least got closer to what its blurb promised, and it's made me more interested in catching up on the rest of his books. 3.5 stars.

Another solid Sager read, where you suspect one or two of the details thrown your way and are just feeling quite satisfied when another detail is slipped in that throws a curveball. I’m not going to pretend all the film references worked for me, and there is a rather superior tone to this that occasionally had me feeling it was all about being just that bit cleverer than your readers, but I devoured this book. It’s a definite 4.5 stars for me, but I can’t go all in for reasons I’ll explain later.
A gripping read, that depends on some twists coming at you from the darkness so I don’t want to give away crucial details.
We know the book centres on Charlie, a student who is struggling to come to terms with her part in the murder of her room-mate at the hands of the infamous Campus Killer. She is in a car with a relative stranger, Josh, who has offered a lift. Understandably nervous, Charlie cannot decide how much of her fear about Josh is in her head. As they drive, little details hint strongly that Charlie might be right to be afraid. Why won’t he let her see in the trunk? Why does his driving licence have a different name? Why does he follow her out of the diner when she tries to call her boyfriend?
The growing sense of unease as Charlie and Josh travel along quiet roads is palpable. Deliberately slow, but it reels you in. Just when we - and Charlie - think we’ve worked it out, there’s an abrupt shift.
Things pick up the pace after this point (almost too fast on occasion) and we soon find ourselves in a technicolour drama. Charlie’s obvious mental health issues and obsessive film referencing made it difficult to know to what extent she could be trusted at times. There’s a couple of moments where - when you’re not caught up in them - things seem just too convenient. While it was good to get some answers and be vindicated in some judgments, the big revelation rather came from nowhere.
I’m, once again, very grateful to have been given the opportunity via NetGalley to read this prior to publication.

Yes I may have done a little happy dance when I was approved for this... I do love Riley Sager ❤️ It was a drop everything and read for me ... and I smashed it out in just a few hours. I could not stop reading it. I have seen some mixed reviews on this one but I throughly enjoyed the ride.

I think the key is to go in with an open mind and be ready to suspend belief. Take it fo what it is and enjoy. Think of it as a movie, one that you cannot stop watching even though you think you know what I said going to happen. I did pick a few of the twists but that did not take away from the story. It was fun and addictive and an escape from reality for a few hours... work for me.

A 6 hour road rip with a complete stranger? Not for me, but Charle is that desperate to leave her life at college behind. Her best friend has been murdered by the Campus Killer, who has not been caught yet, an she feels so guilty. So she packs up her room and says goodbye to her boyfriend and gets into the car with Josh, he stranger. Things start. Feel off and he seems to know things about her and the meet that he shouldn’t know... stranger danger in the extreme.

As ai said, it is an addictive read, heavy in the movie quotes and talk. I loved that.! Highly recommend

Thank you so much up Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All the stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well this isn’t going to be pretty ....

Survive the Night is Riley Sagers latest thriller . Firstly I would like to say I loved some of Sagers previous books but wow, this one isn’t good.

We follow a young woman at university who decides to leave and go home mid semester. She posts on a board looking for someone to drive her to where she needs to go. Out of no where a random guy offers her a ride and she goes the next day. It all spirals from there.

Here is the problem .... our main characters best friend was recently murdered by the Campus Killer who had also killed two other young women.

What woman would get in a car with a complete stranger knowing there was a killer on the loose?

Throughout the journey , Charlie (our main idiot - sorry I mean woman) makes so many idiotic choices it’s unreal. She begins to quickly suspect her driver may be the murder. At one point she can escape him and doesn’t. Another point of escape quickly arises ...and she decides not to.

Sorry but Riley Sager knows nothing about women and cannot write them. This book is just insulting .

Unfortunately the cast of this book it’s so small , it was quite obvious who everyone turned out to be . Oh and the happy ending? Only complete because she gets married..... to the guy who drives her! Agghhhhhhhh!!!! Just no.

Given two starts purely for the fast pace and unique idea