The House Across The Lake is a stunning example of the Riley Sager magic. The Rolling Stone referred to Sager as the “master of the twist and the turn”, a title that continues to ring true with his most recent thriller. One for the books for Sager fans!

The biggest thank you to Hodder Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

Disclaimer: e-Arc provided by Hodder & Stoughton, via Net Galley for Review. All thoughts are my own. My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, for providing me with the arc for review.

Plot
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed Actress is having trouble with the press, and her Broadway Actress mother sends her to stay in their lake house as punishment. She spends her time spying on her neighbours across the lake and drinking to excess. She meets her neighbour, former model Katherine Royce on the lake, when she saves Katherine from drowning. When Katherine vanishes Casey becomes obsessed with finding out what happened.

Thoughts
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars

I don't know what I thought of this book. I've now read two Riley Sager books and the both have been such let downs. I predicted the main twist pretty early on in the book, and thoughts the rest of the twists were boring, ridiculous and lazy. I do not recommend this book, although I am looking forward to the online book club discussions that arise from this book.

I wanted to give Riley Sager another chance after not loving his last book - admittedly because a YTer I love was doing the same.

But I just don’t get it. I’m just not that into him.

Again, the book drawls on with nothing of substance, only silly decisions and weird plot points. I don’t find his scenarios believable, the character actions silly.

I think this is it for our relationship.

Riley Sager delivers the ultimate power packed pill of thrill through her books. This book is nothing short of that. Fast paced and hooking you in, this book is a wild ride and enthralling to your senses. Recommended!

THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE is the sixth psychological thriller from Riley Sager. Having loved “Final Girls”, “The Last Time” and “Survive The Night” that I have read from this author, I am anxious to start his latest novel. Now after finishing this novel, I plan to catch up and read “Lock Every Door” and “Home Before Dark”. I am very impressed with his writing and having the other novels on my Kindle to read, I must make the time to complete his works.

Casey Fletcher, a grieving widowed actress, and the daughter of the world-famous theater actress Lilly Fletcher, is an alcoholic as a way to cope with her loss of her husband, Len. In order to hide out from the press, she has retreated to her family’s lake house in Vermont, on Lake Greene. Here, Casey passes the time drinking and spying with a pair of her husband’s binoculars, on her neighbors, across the Lake, Tom and Katherine Royce. Tom is rich and Katherine is a former supermodel.

One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two start up a friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect as it appears.

But then Katherine suddenly disappears without a trace. Casey becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Katherine but soon uncovers some very dark truths hiding just beneath the surface.

Casey is convinced that Katherine’s husband, is plotting to murder her…

The format of the story is divided into sections of “Now”, “Then” and “Later”, which provides depth and understanding to the novel. The beginning of the book is very slow-paced, but stick with it as things soon change.

There is a lot more going on in this story and I will not say too much as I don’t want to spoil it. Exciting gripping read with interesting characters, psychological suspense, and a shocking twisted ending; I did not see coming. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to the author, Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for granting my wish to receive a digital copy.

Another brilliant read from Riley Sager. Much different to 'Survive the Night' but with the same feelings and vibes as his other work. I loved the setting and although I don't usually like books about the rich and famous, it really didn't come to play in the storyline, thankfully. High stakes and full of trepidation this book would make a brilliant movie!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder Books and Riley Sager for this advanced copy!

The return of Riley Sager, something I have been so excited about since this book was announced. When I got approved for this advanced copy, I squealed! So when I picked this one up a few days ago, I was expecting not only great things but the usual feelings that come with reading a Sager book. I'm heartbroken to say, this was my least favourite one to date! When I first started, I was getting Rear Window vibes straight away and was beyond excited for the read ahead. I love Hitchcock, I love that atmosphere. Just like reading Lock Every Door which reminded me of Rosemary's Baby, I thought The House Across the Lake was going to be a winner!

I dont know about anyone else but this didn't have the usual feel I've come to expect. Previously, I have been scared out of my wits reading his books but this was just bland. There was no real eerie or foreboding atmosphere. It definitely lacks suspense for about 75% of the novel which is a shame. The build up of the story also felt quite dragged out whereas usually, I am page turning like a mad woman.

What I will say is this. There are many twists in this one and I was blindsided by all of them! I've come to expect this from Sager but I genuinely thought I had this all worked out but of course, I was nowhere near which I loved!

Don't get me wrong, this is in no way a bad book! In fact, it's quite an enjoyable, thrilling read. The story is very gripping and its so hard to tell what will happen next. Not only that, but all of the characters seem so unreliable it's hard to tell who you can actually trust! It's just not what I was wanting from it at all being such a huge Riley Sager fan! But I am, of course, comparing to his other books. If I read this as a standalone, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

* Please research any trigger warnings before reading *

With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a 3.5 for me - but I couldn't bring myself to round up to 4 , and had to round down.

The description of the lake, and the landscape was evocative and absolutely made me want to book a holiday. As with Sager's other books, it's well written and I liked the nod to Rear Window but here is where the positives end I'm afraid. Partly because of the "unreliable female narrator" trope, partly for the unnecessary romantic ending - I'm also never a fan of the spooky supernatural twist. It may be that this one just wasn't for me, but I'll be thinking twice about picking up a book from this author again!

Casey Fletcher a well known actress has been recently widowed; after her husband's death she retreats to her house at the lake after grief and drunkenness can no longer be hidden. Now ensconced at the lake she spends her days drinking and watching her neighbours but when the woman who lives across the lake goes missing Casey is convinced her husband has murdered her but is she thinking clearly or is she mistaken?

I thought at first this may be an unreliable narrator story but I was so wrong! Loved the unexpected twists and turns of this story made this a gripping read and I was truly surprised which I love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this thriller overall. You do have to suspend your disbelief with Sager's books but it does not deter too much away from the novel. The characters were generally written well for the most part but there were a couple of moments that seemed to be really out of place. The action was written well and fast paced and the scenarios kept me on the edge of my seat in these moments. The ending was good for the most part but there were a couple of moments that seemed a bit too convenient for the story itself.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Is it a good or a bad thing when an author veers from their well-worn path into previously uncharted territory?

You know the feeling: you’re jaunting along nicely in the safe, familiar hands of a much-loved writer, when there’s a sudden jolt and you’re plunged into a space so alien, all you can do is look around in stunned disbelief.

Well, hello, Riley Sager meets Alfred Hitchcock meets Stephen King!

Sager purists will no doubt have their reservations about The House Across The Lake, but personally I loved it. I’m all for authors trying something different and keeping me on my toes.

We start off in Rear Window territory in a remote, lakeside house in Vermont, where erstwhile actor Casey Fletcher has escaped the media to get over the tragic death of her husband. Casey spends the days drinking herself into a stupor and spying on the celebrity couple — Tom and Katherine Royce —in the house on the other side of the lake.

What she sees, along with the vibes she gets when they drop by to say hello, gives Casey cause for concern. And when Katherine mysteriously disappears, Casey — the most unreliable but utterly compelling of narrators — is convinced that Tom is the culprit.

What can I say, except that I tore through this book like a tornado. It was creepy. It was twisty. It was chilling. And when it took a dive into SK territory, I hesitated for only a moment before giving in and going with the flow.

I’m usually critical of anything remotely far-fetched in thrillers, but this was all about imagination and taking that leap into the realm of possibility. For me, it worked, and I’d happily read more in this vein from Sager.

I've enjoyed Sager's work before so this was a highly anticipated release for me. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it half as much as I expected to and did contemplate DNFing once or twice.

I think that the pacing was my biggest issue. It starts off really tense then becomes incredibly slow and then ramps back up again much later on. I thought that the twist was unique and interesting but I felt like I'd already lost interest in both the characters and the plot by the time the twist was revealed.

Overall, this was okay. Sure, it was a bit slow at times and I wasn't too keen on the way the MC's mental health was handled but it does have a very interesting twist and more than one mystery to uncover along the way.

Will I still read whatever Sager puts out next? Absolutely. He is still very much an auto-buy author for me.

2.5 ✨
A schwing and a miss!
I'm gutted to be giving this book such a low bloody rating, I never rate books this low because I'm a big DNF-er but I wanted to get through this in the hopes it would get better. It did not!
The first twist was one I kinda wasn't expecting but also suspected (not whom but the supernatural element) but the last one, urgh, so obvious, and so unnecessary. I rolled my eyes so hard i saw my brain, which was sobbing at how disappointed it was with this book.
The only reason I kept going was cause I wanted to find out what happened to Katherine, that's it.
Will I continue to read Riley's books? Yes, in the hope they go back to being as good as Home Before Dark, Lock Every Door and Final Girls 🤞🏼
At this point, I'm still yet to read Survive the Night, and I AM NOT confident about picking that book up 🫣

I really enjoyed this book which was surprising because I'm not a massive fan of these types of thrillers (if you know what I mean!). I thought the beginning was slow and it took me a while to get into it, I didn't like Casey and I'm over the unreliable alcoholic narrator trope but the ending was wild, caught my attention and I'm glad I pushed through to the end.

I loved all the plot twists but did feel it was a little rushed and we could have spent less time with mopey Casey being a weird spy and more time fleshing out the twists and action.

I had never read Riley Sager before and was looking forward to this book. It starts with a bang and had me hooked right away. The flashback/ multiple timelines kept me in suspense as I got to know the characters and started to build a picture of the story.

My heart went out to Casey Fletcher, having lost her husband in unexplained circumstances, was it any wonder she was finding consolation in the bottom of a bottle of bourbon? Her friendship with Katherine was quickly forged and I was a little surprised at the lengths Casey was going to in order to help her new friend.

The twist had a twist which I did not see coming, but I am sitting on the fence over whether I enjoyed it or not! This thriller took on a supernatural vibe which I was not entirely convinced by. I certainly could not have predicted the ending, but it didn't really live up to the opening chapters for me.

“If my mother were still on the line, she’d tell me what I’m doing is playing pretend. Role-playing Jimmy Stewart in his wheelchair because I have nothing else going on in my sad little life. While that’s probably truer than I’d care to admit, this isn’t just playacting. It’s real. It’s happening. And I’m a part of it.”

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The House Across the Lake’ by Riley Sager.

Recently widowed actress Casey Fletcher has come to her family's lake house to escape the New York City paparazzi (and her pushy mother). She hopes to find some peace and quiet, though is drinking far too much. She then becomes fascinated by Katherine and Tom Royce, the glamorous couple living in the house across the lake.

An incident (no spoilers) leads Casey to meet Katherine and she feels an immediate connection. In imitation of ‘Rear Window’, Casey uses binoculars to watch them move about their house. This is possible as the side facing the lake is almost entirely covered in glass, allowing each room to be visible. As in the film, she indeed sees something suspicious. No further details to avoid spoilers.

Riley Sager certainly packed in a great deal of twisty twists into this novel leaving me with reader’s whiplash! There were also some elements of folk horror with respect to local legends.

I always enjoy a touch of the unexpected though at times it felt a little clumsy. Still, I had no real issue with creepy goings on happening alongside the more conventional tropes of domestic suspense.

Overall, I found ‘The House Across the Lake’ an engaging read. I especially appreciated the homage to Hitchcock and saw later that Sager had listed ‘Rear Window’ as one of his favourite films.

In the Acknowledgements Riley Sager admits that this was a bonkers plot. It made me smile as I respected that he embraced this playful designation.

Loved, loved, loved this stylish, sharply executed thriller. It’s the first time I’ve read anything by Riley Sager and didn’t disappoint. Recently widowed actress Casey fletcher has retreated to the family lake house house after a public (intoxicated) fall from Grace. With little to do with her days , which revolve around alcohol, she befriends a supermodel neighbour. When she goes missing Casey is convinced the husband is to blame and sets about trying to find out the truth. Sublime plot twist with excellent sub characters. Loved the narrative back and forth with ‘someone’ tied up in Casey’s bedroom. Excellent read.

Recently widowed, Casey Fletcher, an actress is staying at her family's lake house at Lake Greene in Vermont. Fond of the drink, especially bourbon, she has a few bottles and a set of binoculars for company whilst she seeks some peace and quiet. But then she spots something floating on the lake; it's a body. She activates herself and using a motorboat manages to rescue the person who turns out to be Katherine Royce, a former supermodel who is married to Tom, the CEO of a social media company. The Royces own the house across the lake. Then Katherine suddenly disappears.

The House Across the Lake is my fourth novel by Riley Sager and, as always with his novels, I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire time whilst reading. Highly entertaining and largely speedily paced, the reader may need to suspend disbelief here and there. Even so, I still think it's a five-star read, but then, I love Rear Window.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This was a slow burn for me, but by the second half of the book I was fully invested, and it certainly kept me guessing right up until the end. The big twist...hmmmm.... I wasn't sold on that at first, to be honest I thought it was a bit far-fetched and I wasn't sure about continuing with the book. But I suspended disbelief and stuck with it - and boy am I glad I did! I got fully back into it again and I was thrown by all the twists - right up until the end. It was a bit of a rollercoaster but all in all I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this book. I’ve enjoyed all of Riley Sager’s books and was looking forward to this one - it didn’t disappoint! Great writing, a really compelling character in Casey, and with lots of dark twists and turns. This was a really great book and I couldn’t put it down until I knew the ending!