This book was like a cross between The Woman in the window and Behind her eyes and I’m sure that a lot of people will love that. For me, it was just okay and didn’t live up to some of this authors previous books. It had a lot of the usual thriller tropes - unreliable narrator, nosey neighbours and a slightly spooky isolated setting but it just didn’t wow me like his earlier books.

I really like Riley’s writing style and will continue to pick up his books as they are entertaining but would love to see him mix it up a bit and change up the formula.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Casey recently widowed and now hiding out at the family lake house with alcohol for company until she notices the glamorous couple living across the lake. Casey takes a deep interest but not everyone is who they seem….

This book was simply jaw dropping, Riley Sager really took the twists and turns to a new level. I loved the fast pace of this book along with the unpredictable dark story line.

I thought I had it mostly figured out then the story would take another twist. The way it’s written makes you want to live in illicit setting despite the dark side the lake holds. I felt so immersed in the story it really took me to Lake Greene on Casey’s journey.

Do you trust and know your neighbours? If you are a fan of The Woman in the Window this is definitely one for you.

I love reading about unreliable narrators who spy on their neighbours and see something they shouldn’t. I really loved this one until the end. The twist was just a little too far fetched for my liking and you really had to suspend your disbelief. However it was really fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was just a little too unbelievable for me.

The House Across The Lake is Sager’s latest twisty page-turner.

In The House Across the Lake Sager does his own take on the nosy neighbour who, when spying on the house opposite her, sees something that leaves her fearful something terrible has happened.

It’s a trope we’ve seen time and again, but Sager has skillfully put his own twist on it, and has created a cast of characters so captivating, he’s made the trope feel entirely new.

The epigraph of this book is a lyric by the very talented Taylor Swift, and I can see how that song might have inspired this book, but in the way you would least expect.

I love that Sager always allows the reader to come to their own conclusion. He lets you assume you’ve got it all worked out, then sends your head spinning. After reading so many of his books I thought I’d got him sussed. I thought I knew better. But no, he still got me!

I think this will be Sager’s most polarizing book yet. Some people will accept the twist, some will think it was a cop out. But if you’ve read Sager before, you know he knows how to write a genius conclusion that brings everything together in a way you weren’t expecting. With The House Across the Lake he knew what he wanted to do and I think he was fearless for doing it.

Riley Sager remains on the small list of authors who has never disappointed. If you haven’t read from him yet, please remedy that!

Riley Sager, one of the world's most popular authors writes brilliantly. I read every book he publishes. While it's true that I have a unique perspective as a Sager fan, I am also considering the book's target audience in my review of The House Across the Lake.

Synopsis:
Casey Fletcher is grieving the recent loss of her husband. Casey has the propensity to bury her sadness in a bottle of bourbon. To regain her life she retreats to the family lake house. Casey meets the seemingly flawless couple across the lake, but as she gets to know her newly found friends better, she has doubts. Something feels suspicious about the circumstance. Is anyone who they seem?

The House Across the Lake captured my imagination. It is difficult to describe the plot without giving away any spoilers. If you are looking for a mind-bending psychological thriller Sager has it, but it is so much more. For Sager's work to be enjoyed, one must suspend all sense of reality and just let the story flow. The result will be a captivating journey.

The House Across the Lake is gritty and intense. I was visually drawn into the book through the descriptive writing. I read many books that follow a basic thriller outline, but this novel presented a different context that I found fascinating. Sager moved the boundaries of realism with shocking plot twists. I fully understand that this book may not be suitable or desirable for everyone. Check the trigger warning before reading it.
(5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The House Across the Lake by the gifted Riley Sager is available by Hodder and Stoughton on July 7th.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Hodder and Stoughton, for the wonderful opportunity to review The House Across the Lake. A special thank you to Riley Sager for the pleasure of reading your work. Your books always brighten my day.

@HodderBooks, @HodderPublicity @NetGalley, #RileySager, #TheHouseAcrossTheLake

I’ve read every book Riley Sager has written and mostly adored them all.

I went into The House Across the Lake not knowing much and not really knowing what to expect - his previous books truly prepared me for this.

But I still didn’t expect this. Like?? I was gasping and left shocked because I truly did not see part of the ending coming. I think it’s a leap compared to his previous books and I don’t think everyone will like it, and to be honest I’m not sure whether I liked it, but it definitely left me hooked and led me to finish The House Across the Lake in less than 12 hours.

I’m still forever amazed by Sager and his ability to turn a seemingly classic thriller trope into something unexpected and shocking.

I’ll be waiting for his next book with impatience, and hoping to be as surprised as I was with The House Across the Lake.

Thank you to NetGalley, Riley Sager and the publisher for proving me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I was gripped by this book from the beginning. I loved the whole backstories of two of the characters being celebrities. However, the plot twist near the end threw me off. The more it went on, the more I accepted it, but it definitely confused things.
Overall I loved it though, would definitely recommend it.

WOW! What a book. This is the first I’ve read by this author and certainly won’t be the last.
The story runs along at a good pace with lots of twists and turns, many I was not expecting. It held my attention from start to finish and struggled to put it down. This is a must edge of your seat read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review. It was an absolute pleasure.

In this spin on the Rear Window story a washed up actress with a serious drinking problem moves to the family lake house for a while to mourn her late husband.  She becomes obsessed with the the house across the lake and the couple who live there, constantly watching them through binoculars while in a drunken stupor. The big twist in this story is hinted at quite early on but when it came there was no big wow from me, more like a tut and an eye roll.  It is ridiculous to say the least, and while I appreciate the author's attempt to make something new of the well used Real Window plot line, this really didn't work for me at all.  I have greatly enjoyed Riley Sager's novels over the last few years, but I was very disappointed by this one.Thank you NetGalley and  the publishers for approving me for an ARC but sadly it's only a 3(stars) from me on this occasion.

I definitely didn’t see the ending of this coming. In fact pretty much all of my theories were wrong! I was expecting a thriller and not something with a paranormal twist to it so that did come as a surprise although I didn’t hate it, it certainly wasn’t something I was expecting anyway. Overall I really like Riley Sagar as an author and although this wasn’t one of my favourite books, I did enjoy it.

Casey Fletcher, a widowed actor with a liking for an alcoholic tipple is staying at her lakeside lodge. She makes use of her late husbands binoculars and starts observing the lakeside neighbours activities. Then one night she sees something unusual and her newly acquainted neighbour goes missing but the husband denies this. Casey is determined to find out what has really happened and gets caught in a web of events.
I was loving this book until around 75% through when it took a very unusual, unbelievable twist. It is worth persevering with this twist as the book remains entertaining although rather unrealistic.

I am so happy I got the chance to read this. Riley Sager is such a good author. I loved the suspense that was in this book and found the characters all so intriguing. The twists were so great and I never saw any of them coming. I thought the ending was extremely satisfying and cleared everything up. I couldn't put this book down.

the first half of this book gives woman in the window/girl on the train vibes. Alcoholic woman seeing things and thinking things. We see a woman who completely is destroyed and not dealing with the death of her husband and becomes a complete alcoholic. We see a woman with no real support system in the whole thing. It really makes you hurt for her and even allow her fall into alcoholism truly. Then the book turns as soon as she saves a woman from drowning in the lake that killer her husband. The amount of plot twists here give you whiplash but it also makes you not able to book the book down for the entire second half. I was just yelling no way, okay okay.. waitttt noooo way.. what the heck... and just wow. loved the second half of this book!

This is a fast paced and entertaining psychological drama, there is the requisite unreliable narrator, but it does require a suspension of disbelief to get the most out of it. I recommend this to Sager fans and to others who enjoy psychological thrillers.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC… this is awkward. Please don’t decline my future requests. I’m sure we’ll have success again soon 😅

LIKES
☀️ ….um?

DISLIKES
🌙 Well, I tried really hard to think of a single like and couldn’t 🤷🏼‍♀️
🌙 The twist was so ridiculous and random I actually laughed out loud.
🌙 Never ending cliches I’d read 100 times before. A thriller featuring an alcoholic, unreliable main character? These cliches aren’t just tired, they’re freaking exhausted.
🌙 At no point was I hooked.
🌙 Tons of predictable plotlines.
🌙 An unrealistic romance that made zero sense.
🌙 A totally blah setting.

I like Riley Sager a lot, but this? This is not worth it. Go read his backlist instead as they're all fantastic!

This is possibly the most ridiculous Riley Sager book yet! It starts as a Rear Window type suspense with an unreliable protagonist (she is an alcoholic) and then there is a big tonal shift about three quarters of the way through, which was a shocker. As always with Riley Sager, the narrative was entertaining, the writing was fluid and accessible and the characters were easy to spend time with, albeit one-dimensional for the most part. I think that this may be the most divisive of his offerings to date and it is hard to discuss without spoiling anything. For me, I don't think the tonal shift worked very well in this particular book, but I would be intrigued to see Sager write a book that focused on the way in which the tone shifts completely!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author but I can definitely say that it won’t be the last.
A thriller packed with suspense and some completely unexpected plot twists.
A great book that is definitely worth a read

This is the first book I’ve read by this author but I can definitely say that it won’t be the last.
A thriller packed with suspense and some completely unexpected plot twists.
A great book that is definitely worth a read

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. This was a wild ride as always can be said about Riley’s books, this one however it became a slight bit unbelievable in parts was still an enjoyable experience and I am sure I will wait with eager anticipation to read the next release as I always do.

This was my first Riley Sager and unfortunately it wasn't for me at all. I read the ARC, so it may be more polished by publication but I don't think I'll be going back in for another.

The first 60-70% was just a constant repetition of the narrator drinking and looking at things through binoculars. Supporting characters had no depth, mainly because so much page time was given to describing the alcohol consumption and not giving the characters personalities outside of their good looks.

After the 60-70% point, the plot finally picked up and I started to get interested and then there was a massive WTF moment which totally ruined it all and made me wish I'd never bothered.

I know this is a harsh review but honestly, it really did not work for me at all.