Oh this book. Was a little bit of two halfs for me. Don't get me wrong it's a good book and it is well written, it is also gripping. However I really thought that the ending was going to have a final massive twist. But it didn't come. So it left me feeling a little bit conflicted once I had finished reading it.

Okay it’s taken me some thinking time on this one. I’m normally pretty convinced on my ratings when I finish a book, but this one has got me stumped.

The last quarter of this book threw me a curve ball, at first I thought I loved the direction it went in. I thought it was going to have a final twist to the twist - but it didn’t. I think the kind of twists that work, or what I imagine Sager was trying to achieve, have to keep you guessing - but this didn’t. So it lost impact.

It really was a 4-5 star read at that point, and I was tempted to give it a 2 by the end. I’m settling on a 3 which feels fair for my thoughts. I’m really disappointed actually as I think this could have been game changing and incredible.

I LOVED this book. Casey Fletcher is a recently bereaved actress, with a subsequent issue with alcohol, who is 'resting' at her idyllic family holiday home by a lake. Then, one evening, she rescues a neighbour and from there, thinks that something horrific is going on in the house across the lake. What follows is a gripping, wonderful, spooky tale that is so well written, I practically read in one sitting.

There are only a few characters and all are so well drawn and fascinating in themselves. Then, there's the way the book is split into varying chapters of 'Now' and 'Before' and each one weaves another thread in this absorbing thriller that tells of family dysfunction and mystery and I was hooked throughout.

For me - 5 star fabulous! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to preview this excellent read.

My second Riley Sager and my favourite. I loved this so much! The setting, the use of narratives, the tropes we know so well used in a fresh way!
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Recently widowed actress Casey Fletcher has escaped to her family's lake house for peace and quiet. She's been happily losing herself in her thoughts and several bottles of bourbon, until the glamorous couple across the lake catch her attention. They look so perfect - just like Casey and her husband used to be.
But is anyone what they seem?
Casey has a detective sat at her kitchen table.
She has a man bound and gagged upstairs.
Casey will uncover dark truths so life-changing that nothing will ever be the same again.
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I could see the movie of this book so clear in my mind, yes this may be as it uses tropes in which we have seen in movies before this, but it weaves in a good few different ones and uses them all in a fresh and thrilling way! I also liked the fact that even though alcoholism was used as a device for our protagonist, it was never used in an overly destructive or demeaning way which was refreshing to read, as we she was never shamed for it
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All in all, a great addition to an author I know is loved by many. This one comes out in the UK July 7th! So keep your eyes pealed!!

"What is marriage but a series of mutual deceptions." For me this was the whole premise of this book and I loved it. The use of then and now chapters was done to perfection. The twists and turns throughout the books reading to the characters' marriages were excellent.

I'm a huge Riley Sager fan, who has loved each of his books, and this one was definitely my favorite! It immediately begins with an air of mystery, that had me hooked. I felt like I was right there on the lake with the characters.

I did find the book a bit repetitive with it's descriptions of the main character's drinking of alcohol. To see why, and for it to come full circle was wonderful. It really made you see how unreliable of a narrator our main character actually was.

I highly recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of this author. The main twist was the BEST I've seen in a long time. I cannot wait to continue reading all of this author's books!

The house across the lake
A woman with a drink problem may be witness to a domestic crime. As a starting premise, so far so much like a very successful book from a few years back and a myriad of similar efforts that followed. But there is, of course, an older influence at play and the author is upfront about it early on in the book when describing a character’s hiring out a cinema screen to watch ‘rear window’ as a private screening and even more directly as the protagonist compares herself to Jimmy Stewart later on.
There are things in this book that should have put me off- the creeping around the suspect’s house and them returning, both the disbelieving authorities and the same authorities sharing more information than they would with a member of the public…a ‘then’ and ‘now’ (although the ‘now’ takes up only a page or two through out the book it did, after the second appearance makes me think I’d guessed the ending). So, there are some tropes or cliches - depending how kind you want to be, and then… At the three quarter mark everything changes. It’s a change that some readers may have a problem with- and I will say no more about it for risk of spoilers other than to say it’s a turn reminiscent of only two movies I can think of and not one I think I’ve seen in a Crime: mystery novel before. Whether you see it as audacious or ‘cheap’ will be dependent on you- I enjoyed it and thought it turned the book into something very different.
I’ve never read this author before- there were a couple of loose ends as I got to the end - logic issues- which I was ready to dismiss for the strength of the overall story, and then a final turn that resolved and answered them all. With no bragging or false modesty, I normally roll my eyes at the ‘twist you never saw coming’ blurb. I’d say, 75% I saw coming way ahead of time. I’m pretty sure no one will see this one: whether they like it or not will be up to them. I thought it was a blast and will be seeking out more from the author

I was very much looking forward to this book. I saw on some reviews that there were some elements of Rear Window which I love so that made it all the more exciting to read.

Unfortunately this is not the book I was expecting. The main character Casey is staying at her family’s lake house while dealing with a sunken career after her husband dies. She’s taken to excessive drinking and her work as an actress is no longer viable.

One night Casey finds her late husband’s binoculars and starts snooping at the huge glass house across the lake from her where supermodel Katherine and social media magnate Tom live.

This part of the book was interesting but then from absolutely nowhere the book became paranormal. It lost all credibility for me and I really think it should be marketed in a way that lets people know that it gets silly.

A real shame.

Also writing a woman as a character is difficult. This author fails to do it justice.

This book was as dry as the desert for one set around a lake. For the first 200 pages, nothing happens. When I read a thriller, I expect something thrilling happening or at least a tiny bit of tension or mystery. Events unfurl only past 60% into the book and then all the twists happen one after another in the span of one day making it seem like a desperate and frenzied attempt for the author to save this book…

The issue with most books in an isolated setting with a MC living alone is that very often there is little interaction and we end up stuck in the repetitive and boring thoughts of a one-dimensional character. The protagonist doesn’t have anyone to bounce off her thoughts and therefore keeps repeating the same thought process over and over again, obsessing over something completely irrelevant.

On top of that, our MC is drinking excessively making everything sound paranoid and slightly blurry with a very boring routine of caffeine and Advil for the hangover, followed by alcohol/pills, some rambling and paranoia, some more alcohol and never being quite sure if they can trust their own eyes/ears/memories and when/where they passed out to redo it all again. It’s just very tiresome to follow, in particular in a thriller where alcohol abuse is definitely not a topic discussed but just a way to make the plot more blurry and throw in some potential herrings. A bit lazy, if you ask me.

I don’t like alcohol abuse being used as a plot convenience and even less as a personality trait. Alcoholism is not cute and not something you can pause and come back to when you feel like it. Also, I’m not sure what’s in her bottle but after so many glasses of bourbon or whichever other alcohol she’s been drinking all day, I’m kinda surprised that she has the energy and clarity of mind to think, let alone, run around a lake obsessing over her odd new neighbours or swim in it.

Another problem with being stuck in the head of a character is that there’s no space for lies. You follow her thoughts and reasoning. Yet, although Casey is not telling a story nor writing what happened, she conveniently omits in her thoughts important information on certain topics while thinking about them. That’s not how thinking works. You don’t lie or omit things in your own stream of consciousness. Which once again shows how unlikely the twists at the end are.

Unfortunately, everything in this book just screams plot convenience and doesn’t make much sense. If the last few twists were not completely unbelievable and ridiculous it could have been an ok book. I cannot reveal more without spoilers but the logic is just not present here. Quite a disappointment.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You'll be hooked from the start and won't be able to put it down until the very last page. Riley Sager keeps doing what he does best, which is why he is one of my favourite authors of all time. 5 out of 5

Well this really is an edge of your seat book about a woman who is convinced the husband in the house across the lake has done something to his wife but as she starts to get more invested in what actually happened the truth may end up being even stranger and darker than she could ever imagine.

Casey Fletcher is a former actress who lost her husband at just 35. Struggling to cope with his death, she turns to alcohol and her destructive behaviour leads to her making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Forced by her family to retreat to their lake house to lay low and recuperate, Casey spends her days and nights drinking alone until one day she befriends her neighbour Katherine, who she saves from drowning after a swim in the lake.

Casey soon begins spying on her neighbours, curious about the relationship between the former model and rich businessman and then one night, after witnessing a fight between the pair, Katherine disappears. Casey takes it upon herself to investigate what happened, but who can she trust, and is she putting her own life at risk by doing so?

I knew from the very first line that this book was going to be perfect for me. Set up like a Hitchcock thriller but with classic and unexpected horror elements, it went from an idea that sounded similar to quite a few novels, television shows and films to a completely fresh and exciting take on the isolated cabin in the woods style thriller mixed in with the voyeuristic concept of spying on the neighbours and suspecting a murder.

Despite her obvious flaws, I loved Casey as the main protagonist and I think that she was perfectly written with just the right balance of likeability and recklessness. The House Across the Lake was an entertaining and surprising read. The setting, the characters and the twists all added up to create the perfect modern mystery thriller. Prepare to be stunned!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read an ARC.

4-5 stars

Riley Sager is a must read author for me and in this one he transports us to Lake Greene in Eastern Vermont for a kind of ‘Rear Window’ (with references made several times) meets ‘The Woman in the Window’ experience with some added je ne sais quoi. Successful actress Casey Fletcher meets ex-supermodel Katherine Royce when she saves her from drowning. Katherine lives in The House across the Lake, a modern all glass feature which is opposite Casey’s much older family property. Now Katherine is missing and Casey is determined to find her doing whatever it takes to do so. Casey narrates Then and Now, how reliably only time will tell. Interspersed are some very evocative lake pictures. So, grab your binoculars and take a good hard look at the lake house as you too could be shocked and surprised.

Wow. Again. I did so not expect what I’ve just read as Riley Sager jolts me out of my preconceptions and how. Fool me once, fool me several times! There are some excellent twists and I’m sure my jaw hits the deck with a resounding thump on more than one occasion. Yes, sure, some require the donning of the infamous disbelief suspenders as they’re so, well, unexpected! I’m surprised how much I enjoy the direction it takes so I go with the rapid flow.

The characterisation is excellent. Casey is a young widow at 35, to say she’s struggling is an understatement as she takes deep dives into the bottom of a bottle or three and some of her issues are conveyed well. The other characters are fleshed out and you chop and change about where to place your trust. There’s so much tension between some characters at times the atmosphere could be cut with a knife especially as the author builds the mystery layer by layer. The setting is superb, the deep unsettling waters of the lake mirror the dark chills and fears that unfurl and with few to view the black deeds. The weather matches the approaching human storm with the impending and actual arrival of Storm Trish.

Overall, this is a very different, surprising, entertaining and enjoyable read just as I thought it would be.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This seemed rather a thriller-by-numbers… until three quarters of the way through, when it took a strange turn and was lifted out of the ordinary into something unusual and memorable. After a promisingly creepy beginning, the story didn’t really go anywhere and I struggled to be interested in it. Mostly it was the protagonist describing how many drinks she had and watching the neighbours’ house (conveniently, they don’t seem to have curtains, or if they do then they don’t close them).

The story is narrated by Casey Fletcher, a disgraced alcoholic actress who lives alone by Lake Greene in Vermont. Her husband drowned in the lake and she is drinking to cope. A famous couple, Tom and Katherine Royce, move into the house opposite. When Katherine goes missing and Tom seems to be implicated, Casey investigates and is about to discover the frightening truth about the lake…

I liked the bizarre twists towards the end, although perhaps readers who dislike hints of the supernatural in their thrillers will be disappointed. There were other elements of the book that I enjoyed but the pace was too slow and the narrative style a little repetitive. I thought it was an improvement on the author’s previous book Survive the Night, but not up to the standard of Lock Every Door, Home Before Dark or Final Girls.

[Review will be on my blog, 26th June]

I have only just started to read books by Riley Sagar but after reading this, I added the rest of them to my Kindle wish list. Again, another intriguing premise for a story that kept me guessing! There weren’t too many characters either as sometimes that can get a little confusing. But I loved it… I would also never have guessed the twist at the end! Would definitely recommend.

I will start by saying that I am a huge Riley Sager fan. Lock Every Door is one of my favourite books of all time and I adored Home Before Dark, Last Time I Lied and Final Girls.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of his most recent book but after reading the blurb for this I hoped that he was back on form.
This built a world that had me hooked and gave me The Woman In The Window vibes, thanks to the spying and alcoholism. And I was really intrigued to see how it would go.
I guessed that certain characters might be involved but it didn’t turn out that way. Which is normally a good thing, however the turn it took felt a bit silly to me.
The whole possession storyline came out of nowhere and I just couldn’t take it seriously, which was a shame.
I feel like the setting and the missing person idea had a lot of promise but it just fell short with the twist that it took.
I did still enjoy it, particularly up until that point and I will be the first in line to read Riley Sager’s next book.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly this book was not for me, I thought the synopsis seemed really good but most of the book in my opinion was based on how much Casey could drink before getting drunk and how long she could stay sober. One moment she was fearful of going into her basement but had no such qualms in entering a neighbours basement when the house has stood empty for months. It was only the last quarter when the story became clear but unfortunately by this time I wasn't invested enough to care, maybe it's the authors style of writing but I found it all very far fetched. I would like to thank netgalley and Dutton books for the chance to read the advanced copy

A spectacular Riley Sager book! It is full of delicious twists throughout and interesting characters.
I really enjoyed the plot and descriptions of the lake and setting. I want to be friends with them all!
Absolutely enjoyed it!

What lies beneath ★★★☆☆

Having saved mysterious neighbour Katherine from drowning, Casey finds herself constantly watching their house across the lake.

When Katherine disappears, Casey becomes obsessed with finding her. However, as a grieving alcoholic will anybody believe Casey? Is Katherine’s disappearance linked to the other missing women? And which of Casey’s handful of neighbours on the isolated lake can she trust?

Without saying too much, there are many breathtaking twists which make this novel a really compelling read. However, there is also a supernatural element which I struggled with – particularly towards the end – which brought it down from a 4/5 star read.

“Lock Every Door” and “Home Before Dark” are still my favourites by this author but definitely a thriller worth reading.

Stick with it!

My Kindle said 25% progress before I started REALLY enjoying it. Very slow to start off, really couldn't get into it but once the story kicked in, rather than Caseys background it was amazing.

I pride myself on my ability to predict plot twists but I did not predict anything in this book, bloody brilliant.

Couldn't put it down, bizarre ending to a brilliant story.

Only negative was, it's not formatted for Kindle properly. Hopefully this will be sorted before release

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Casey is living at her family's lake house in Vermont after she has a sort of meltdown following the death of her husband. She drinks way too much and becomes fascinated with the couple across the lake. She can see right into their house through the large glass windows and suspects all is not well with their relationship.

I have been meaning to read something from this author after seeing favorable reviews for his books up and down Goodreads. Hopefully I just picked the wrong one of his books to read because I did not like this book at all. The first roughly 60% is Casey getting drunk and watching the neighbors. Very little happens. I was bored to say the least. Then things get completely ridiculous and thoroughly stupid and I was immediately disappointed and knew this book could not be redeemed for me. By 83% I had to start skimming to be done. This one ventures into a couldn't happen in real life territory that I just don't enjoy and besides that, more than half if it was just plain boring. Maybe someday I will try again with a different book from this author but this one was not my thing.