𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙍𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧

This was my first novel by Sager and I was instantly drawn in by this beautiful cover. I was slightly apprehensive, having seen nothing but praise for books like LOCK EVERY DOOR and FINAL GIRLS but pretty mixed reviews for this one. Set in the early 90’s and told through the perspectives of Charlie and Josh, I found Charlie’s chapters the most engaging as the paranoia and ‘movie daydreams’ lull you into a sense of not knowing what was real and what wasn’t.

I’m personally not a big movie fan and this book references movies a lot, so if you’re into your films, you’d probably appreciate this element a lot more than I did. The plot, covering only 24 hours, was expectedly very character led. Charlie was literally every dumb 90’s girl in a cheesy horror movie (the one you’re constantly shouting “what are you doing!?” at) and although she wasn’t entirely unlikeable, she sure made some questionable decisions. Would you get in a car with a stranger after your best friend gets murdered by a still-on-the-loose ‘campus killer’? Just absolutely not.

This book was full of tension and every decision was well planned out, aiding in the suspense - the element of the 90’s setting, with no mobile phones or internet really added to the oppressive feeling. I’m excited to read more of Sager’s work as the writing style is engaging and well plotted and I enjoyed this book, but I’ve nothing to compare it with.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂!

Hmm.. I struggled with this one a bit I am afraid. Great premise and started well, but the plot was very inconsistent and was just very difficult to get into.

I was truly excited to finally get my hands on a book by Riley Sager, mainly because it's a name that is quite popular on Booktube and Bookstagram. Everyone recommends Riley Sager's books, and everyone raves about them, so I was so happy to have been approved for this ARC.

Maybe because of my high expectations, this book kind of fell flat for me. I went into it expecting the next best thing, but really, it's a book that I forgot days after I have read it.

I found the characters foolish and frustrating, and I like a good character. That, paired with the writing...it just all didn't work for me.

It's not particularly good or bad, it's just...a forgettable story, that didn't make me feel anything really....

I do look forward to reading something else from Riley Sager, but if I were to base that decision solely on this book, I wouldn't go picking up anything else by this author.

I apologise to the publisher for the belated review, due to personal issues.

Strong story with well-developed characters. The pacing was going up and down, same was the books ability to hold my attention. Overall, not the best I've read by this author.

This title wasn’t for me. I didn’t love it. The story was strong though. Book was well written. Characters were well developed. The scope was strong. A lot of other people enjoyed this title

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I had such big expectations but I just couldn’t get into the writing style or plot. Apologies

An interesting premise that does manage to stand strong on Sager's writing and pretty excellent pacing, but the plot fails to keep the attention intact and the start frustrates a little too much before the later half actually unfolds with a fine cinema-like thrilling undertone. Unreliable narrators can be shocking but also a lazy tactic and this one gives a mix of both. There's definitely potential and some readers will enjoy this but it speaks volumes when the plot twists fail to impress not because they could be guessed by the reader but because the protagonist was ridiculous enough to not see any of it coming.

I was disappointed in this book, largely because there were major plotholes and unrealistic character behavior. The entire ending fell flat and I soon realized that it didn't matter anyways.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton, in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy. Every so often a thriller will come along which just blows all other thrillers out of the water, and Survive the Night is just one in a long line by Riley Sager to do so.

Survive the Night is the story of Charlie, a college girl whose roommate has recently been murdered by the notorious 'Campus Killer'. Riddled with guilt and suffering periods of dissociation, she makes the rash decision one night to hitch a long ride home with a guy she meets on campus who happens to be driving her way. Faced with a long roadtrip and a potentially bad decision, they start talking and Charlie starts to wonder if maybe she has gotten into the car with precisely the person who might have killed her roommate.

This book is intense. I was worried at first that it was playing its cards too early, but of course I should have known better. Rather than being full of dramatic twists, this book gently shifts and shifts back like a rope ladder, never quite letting you feel secure. The writing is a beautiful lesson in how to create tension and a sense of dread. I read it on a journey home and it made the trip seem so quick, that's how absorbed I was.

As a protagonist, Charlie is a super interesting character. People who are tired of the whole 'mentally ill' heroine trope in thrillers might be disappointed here, but I found her an intriguing and (perhaps most importantly) sympathetic protagonist. Even as she makes stupid decisions, you can always understand her rationale, even if you don't agree with it. That's quite a hard task for a thriller author to accomplish, and it never felt like Charlie was being forced into making stupid decisions for the sake of the plot.

I can't say a whole lot more without giving stuff away, but if you're a fan of either closed space or cat and mouse thrillers, then this book is for you. It's a fast-paced, tightly woven read with plenty to keep you engaged for the ride. Definitely worth checking out this author if you haven't already!

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This was a DNF for me. I just could not get into the story, the protagonist just did not do it for me unfortunately

Review hadn’t saved. Really enjoyed this one- writing what fantastic and drew me in, didn’t want it to end! Always love his books- can’t wait for next

The writing was easy to follow, the pacing was good. But..

The campus killer twist got me gasping and then I felt let down because it was literally revealed out of thin air with no indication/hints throughout the book?

And I found the ending between the two characters after everything just ... weird!?

Not a fan sadly and I don't even have much more to say about it.

I have such mixed feelings about this book.

The positives for me were: I liked the very basic storyline and was intrigued to see how it played out. I thought I had the book figured out and worked out one of the twists fairly early on however the main twist at the end I didn't see coming.

The negatives: the main character had me wanting to scream at her at times. She made incredibly stupid decisions and put herself into danger knowingly. It felt so unrealistic as I can't imagine any woman making those sorts of decisions, especially at a time where there is a killer on the loose.

All in all I did enjoy the book, though I think the author made some obvious mistakes.

I’m starting to really like Riley Sager as an author. I was drawn to this one instantly, the title made it sound like a game which I really liked and Riley is becoming a complete master of thriller books I feel! I loved how atmospheric it was and how I couldn’t stop turning the pages and reading one more chapter. Really enjoyable read!

After 50% I’m calling it quits. This Riley Sager just doesn’t feel like the same person wrote it compared to his earlier works. Maybe he’s just decided to go in a different direction for a change but this felt so gimmicky and cheap. Definitely not my cup of tea. I’m very interested to see what others think of this.

this book was a good mind boggling thriller! i loved it. it is fresh and new with unexpected plot twists. this book captivated me and i could not put it down for a single moment! i fell in love with the story, the plot, the characters, the writing style, all of it to be quite honest with you!

Thank you Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Riley Sager for the arc of this book.

Charlie just wants to get away for a while. She is full of guilt over the death of her best friend, blaming herself for not being able to stop it.
Making the decision to leave university and her boyfriend for a while. Charlie posts a flyer on a rideshare bulletin board and as luck would have it, she meets Josh. Assuming he is a graduate student, she takes him up on his offer to share a ride. He is sad, she is sad, they can be sad together!
What follows is a game of cat and mouse so full of twists you won't see coming. It's intense, atmospheric and incredibly unsettling in parts, watching someone slowly lose their hold on reality.

Riley Sager has done it again! Another amazing read. The only reason for the four stars is I felt it was a bit slow in parts and there was some repetitiveness. But I will read anything by this author and still enjoy it.

Title: Survive the night
Author : Riley Sager
Publication : 06/21
Page count : 324
Overall thoughts: Another excellent psychological thriller by Sager!

It’s 1991 and Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer….

Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it’s guilt and grief over the shocking murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it’s to help care for his sick father—or so he says.

The longer she sits in the passenger seat, the more Charlie notices there’s something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn’t want her to see inside the trunk. As they travel an empty, twisty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly anxious Charlie begins to think she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie’s jittery mistrust merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?

One thing is certain—Charlie has nowhere to run and no way to call for help. Trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse played out on pitch-black roads and in neon-lit parking lots, Charlie knows the only way to win is to survive the night.

This was such a good thriller!! Very highly anticipated, I enjoy all of Riley Sager’s books and this did not disappoint!

I'm really happy that for the most part when I'm reading a mystery or thriller my head is empty, no thoughts, so i just enjoy them because everything is shocking to me. Like I know they are tricking me and that this is a red herring but I don't put any more effort into thinking further.

Despite the scathing reviews for this book, i had a fun time. I love an insular, possibly trapped with my killer, in a car setting and was really engaged with the book the entire time. i also think that because I've been reading so much romance prior to this book, reading a thriller was a nice change that i forgot i enjoyed so much.

I loved the way the book was formatted like a screenplay and how Charlie’s love of movies was intertwined in the story. Her hallucinations were really fascinating and more terrifying to me because of the way they cosplay reality so well. I usually don’t love a thriller with a mentally ill female character because they are traditionally treated badly, I don’t know how I felt about Charlie and her treatment either.

Now for slightly spoilery thoughts.

Okay, look. I am what we call a whore and if there can be smut, i think there should be all the time, except in this book. He made it horny for no reason. Why was there a romance ugghh. I feel it just brought it to a place I didn’t like, just let the girl live her boyfriend just tried to kill her.


The weird part , which I guess is a tired critique, was the waitresses pov and her actions just absolutely not matching up. It feels like a straight trick and lie to the reader which is really disappointing in a thriller where you expect to be shocked from things that are well crafted rather than the author just lying?? Like i've never experienced that before in a book.

I really didn't enjoy the reveal at the end that the whole thing we read was the movie adaptation version of the story, i just wish it had ended at the hospital because the epilogue just made me dislike the book more.

And yes, the entire book could have just ended in the diner but alas…


Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for this review.

This is the second book of Riley Sager’s that I’ve read - I was instantly drawn in by the cover and the synopsis sounded fabulous.

I neither massively enjoyed or intensely disliked this book, I’m somewhere in the middle. The story started off strong and I definitely felt gripped to begin with but I was not a fan of our protagonist Charlie which sort of scuppered my feelings early doors. She ignored literally every red flag, even the ones that were hitting her in the face, and made endless questionable decisions.

However, I can’t deny that this book was entertaining and it was a quick read for me. Riley Sager has a very unique style of writing and I will absolutely continue to read his work but this one wasn’t for me.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.