Riley Sager is a must read author for me. He releases a book, I’m there with bells on! His writing reminds me of a cross between Stephen King and the old school Point Horror novels. He explores near enough every single classic horror trope and I’m here for it. This one is a classic; two boys camping in their backyard in suburban America. One boy wakes in the morning to a rip in the tent and rolls over to find the other boy missing. What happened? Why was Billy taken and not him? All these eerie questions are explored in this heart racing new novel which is out on 2nd July in the UK.

This was, unfortunately, a massive letdown. The main character was a nonentity with zero personality. I didn’t care about him , what happened to him and his inner monologue was infuriating. The story was borrowed from several other horror books that were much better written. I had to force myself to read and the so called twist was obvious.

Friendship is a fickle thing at any age, but particularly for children as they are just learning the rules, learning to trust, learning the pleasures and the pains. Ethan Marsh lives with his parents in an affluent enclave in Princeton, New Jersey. The house is one of seven that form Hemlock Circle, front yards facing the street, backyards surrounded by woods. Ethan is ten, as is his next-door neighbour, Billy, so younger than the pre and early teens but older than Billy’s little brother who’s seven only seven. Age differences are important to the young so Ethan and Billy are best friends, aloof from the others. In the summer of 1994, their routine was to spend Friday nights in a tent in Ethan’s backyard, close to the safety of home but within a short distance of the unfenced, slightly spooky, woods. Billy’s last words before going to sleep on this particular night are “Hakuna Matata, Dude”. When Ethan wakes the next morning, he finds a slit has been cut in the side of the tent, and Billy has vanished. He has never been found.
Thirty years later, Ethan returns to the family home which he has been avoiding, in fact shunning, for most of his life. He is haunted by the memory of Billy’s disappearance, but increasingly he feels haunted by the actual spirit, ghost, shade, spectre (there a great many words for such a phantasm). Little incidents seem to be messages from Billy prodding him into investigating the disappearance, but also forcing him to revisit the event and the wider events around that night. And then a body is found and suddenly cans of worms are opening all over Hemlock Circle and the surrounding area.
The promise of this psychological thriller is high, lots of tensions, lots of twists, personality clashes, coming of age crises and exposure of secrets (some of them not really secrets just things that ten-year-old boys wouldn’t notice due to being unsophisticated and self-occupied). The execution is not as good as the promise, however, too repetitive and with some over stretched coincidences. I solved all but one of the bits of the mystery quite early on, and even that bit was really just a minor detail. The dénouement tries to build a drama but it’s really just a crisis and the final wrapping up felt maudlin. Overall I think 4 is too much and 3 is a bit mean, which leaves me with 3.5 but that rounds to 4 so there it sits overgenerously.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I've slowly but surely been reading Riley Sager to zero so I knew I needed to read Middle of the Night as soon as possible especially with its atmospheric and horror adjacent premise that focuses on childhood friendship, grief, trauma, and anxiety.

Back in 1994 Ethan and his best friend, Billy were camping in Ethan's backyard when overnight Billy disappeared from the tent they were sharing and Ethan can't remember anything. As an adult he is plagued by bad dreams and insomnia as Billy's disappearance continues to haunt him. Returning to his childhood home he's hoping to get some answers and some closure but strange things start happening making Ethan question could there really be such things as ghosts.

Told in a dual timeline with the present and 1994 perspectives, Riley Sager expertly unrolls the story in his classic style giving us an overall engaging, absorbing and thrilling story with a truly solid mystery element as well as poking his toe into the potential paranormal element. I found it to be a truly human story with generally well thought out and rounded characters who felt very realised to me, especially young Henry who I think was my favourite all round.

Whilst the story started slow - it took me until 35% in to warm up to it, by 50% I was all in and the story absolutely flew by. I also wish we had been given more about the mysterious research institute as it was a truly atmospheric and intriguing place/set of characters that alone that could be a book in itself.

I found Sager's use of the unreliable narrator trope though, to be pretty solid and it added to the story without ruining it for me. It helped build a sense of tension as we, along with Ethan, questioned him and his own recollections of events in 1994 and it really made me wonder who could be trusted and where did the truth actually lie. Combined with the speculative nature of elements of the story, it all made for a tense and at times, chilling read.

The truth, when it came out, I absolutely loved and found the final quarter of the book and the ending to be one of the best, for me, from Riley Sager. I found the layered reveals worked really well and whilst I didn't feel like there were jaw dropping twists, I was truly satisfied with how the story played out and how the truth was revealed.

This book doesn't break the mould or strike any new ground but it is a highly enjoyable mystery thriller that manages to be spooky, tense, sad and empathetic all at the same time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy of "Middle of the Night" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Riley Sager has been a bit of a hit and miss author for me, although I enjoyed The Last Time I Lied, I didn’t like Lock Every Door. He gets a lot of acclaim though, so I was excited to read his latest book – Middle of the Night.

Ethan’s childhood friend Billy disappeared in the night from the tent they were both sleeping in in their backyard. He was never found, and Ethan is plagued with dreams of the tent being slashed open. When he returns to his childhood home thirty years later, memories are starting to stir, and the ghosts of the past are becoming restless.

I really enjoyed this read and was hooked throughout. The story jumps between perspectives and flashbacks but at no point does it get confusing. Each perspective tells a little more about the over-arching story, slowly drip-feeding information to the reader. There’s a certain amount of a supernatural aspect to the book, with the ideas of ghosts being explored, and the mechanic of a PING when Ethan’s backyard camera detects motion is really creepy.

There’s plenty of red herrings throughout and there’s a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming. It’s hard to know who to trust and all of the characters felt well-defined and realistic. Ethan is easy to sympathise with as he tries to investigate his friend’s death, especially with his insomnia and bad dreams.

Overall, Middle of the Night is a gripping and spooky read from Riley Sager. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder and Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am a fan of Sager's more recent books, particularly The House Across The Lake and The Only One Left, but this one just didn't hit as hard. I found it slightly repetitive in parts and also oddly familiar, as if I had read it before (I haven't). Overall, there were parts I enjoyed more than others but mostly I just found it underwhelming.

Riley Sager's latest thriller offers a familiar yet atmospheric story set in a quiet New Jersey cul de sac. The plot follows Ethan, who returns to his childhood home 30 years after his friend Billy disappeared without a trace. While the premise is intriguing, the execution feels somewhat predictable, with familiar tropes and a few overly convenient plot twists. The tension is palpable, but the pacing can be uneven at times. Although the novel has its moments of suspense and a few surprises, it may not stand out for readers looking for something truly original in the thriller genre.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

So the reason I wanted to read this book is because I was scrolling on Netgalley and had heard so many good things about Riley Sager's writing so I decided to apply for it. Friends this book blew me away. I'm not gonna lie, halfway through I got into a bit of a reading slump due to getting back into streaming and life being hectic but this sure brought me right back out of it too! This book was very mysterious and captivating throughout and left me wanting more every time I had to put it down. Nothing could have prepared me for the twists and turns throughout the novel, even the ones that weren't about Billy's disappearance really took me by surprise. Honestly, if I hadn't of been so busy I would of 100% read this book so much faster because I was eating it up every time. I loved that we got to jump between the past and the present and the jump between first person and third person for each (present being first, past being third) it really allowed us to get all sides of the story without just focusing on our MC. The writing also truly made me feel very empathetic to everything the MC was feeling to the point that when he was scared, I too was scared, when he was sad, I too was sad etc. I've had a good mix of mystery/thrillers this year and this one definitely is currently in my top 3. I would recommend this to anyone who just loves a good mystery/thriller.

As Ethan’s parents retire to Florida, he returns to his tranquil, suburban childhood home - where, 30 years earlier, his best friend Billy disappeared during a seemingly ordinary night of camping in the garden. Ethan woke to find the tent empty, with a slash down the side where Billy should have been sleeping.

Now, still haunted by Billy's mysterious disappearance, Ethan begins to notice strange occurrences. He sees signs only Billy would understand and feels his presence. Is Billy still alive, or is something supernatural happening? Is Ethan's crippling insomnia distorting reality, or is Billy trying to send a message?

I was hooked from the start and couldn't put this book down. The blending of psychological suspense with supernatural elements reminded me of Home Before Dark, seamlessly blurring the lines between reality and the unexplainable.

The split-time narrative, alternating between past and present, slowly unravels the mystery, with cleverly placed clues that I kicked myself for not spotting sooner.

Sager has crafted great and complex characters. Ethan, in particular, is wholly sympathetic, still grappling with the trauma of his childhood. Henry is another standout character; I thought he was brilliant.

Middle of the Night is tense, chilling, and twisty, with many unexpected turns. Sager’s storytelling prowess shines as he navigates themes of loss, fear, and resilience, making this book a gripping page-turner with moments of both tenderness and terror.

This is my third Sager novel, and it makes me glad I have three more on my shelf and Kindle to read soon.

A huge thanks to the author, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for review consideration.  All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

As a thriller, this book was not the best I’ve read. But, all the others themes within this book such as grief and guilt made this book really interesting and I couldn’t stop reading. The close knit community and the secrets within built in this book kept me guessing.

I enjoyed the ‘supernatural’ elements of this book and the focus on ghosts.

I did feel like there were a few too many characters though which led to some characters serving no purpose. I also wish the mysterious research facility was built up a bit more as it ended up playing a part in the conclusion of the story.

3.5

I always get excited when a new Riley Sager book is coming out even though I still have some of his backlog to get through!

I'm not the biggest fan of the supernatural in thriller books, but I was actually quite gripped from the get go with this one, only for it to end the way it did!

I had an inkling that the reveal was going to be as so, but I had no way of justifying it until the reveal, and it was actually quite sad, not going to lie.

DNF @46%

The amount of times 'Middle of the Night' used was absolutely insufferable. The book felt extremely disjointed and nothing like a Riley Sager book.

"In my experience, men who say they want the truth end up wishing they had settled for the lie."

30 years ago in 1994, Ethan's best friend Billy went missing from their tent in the backyard, with Ethan being the only witness, but he can't remember a thing.

This was my most anticipated book of the year because, as you guys know, Home Before Dark is one of my favourites. Riley Sager + Ghosts, need i say more?

Did this meet my expectations? Absolutely. I was pretty invested in this, and after being in a slump, it was quite refreshing. I loved the two different time frames, the character development, the whole sense of unease throughout.

My rating = 4.5⭐️/5

I had been eagerly awaiting this book since it was announced, and I'm happy to say it was one of my favourites of Sager's as the childhood summer exploration vibes were immaculate.
I definitely found it gripping throughout--even in the early chapters which can be slow in most books. Despite being able to predict some of the plot twists, it didn't detract from the strong storytelling ties of childhood friendship, grief, trauma, anxiety, and finding closure.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton & NetGalley for providing an early release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly Riley Sager can do no wrong. I started this book at night, after reading the prologue and the first chapter I immediately realised this should be a day time book, I was instantly creeped out. Once again the intricate web of twists Sager lays down gave me whiplash, at one point I thought every character in this book was guilty. He just tells a story so expertly and I can’t wait for another book by one of my favourite authors.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the arc.

"Middle of the Night" was an average read for me. The first half of the book seemed uneventful, but it became more engaging beyond that point. Although I've enjoyed several books by this author, this one did not quite measure up to the others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC.

I think I might be obsessed with Riley Sager?

Another mystery thriller and it’s made me want to AVOID camping thank you very much ⛺️

Ethan was 10 years old when his best friend Billy disappeared without a trace whilst camping in the tent next to him. The book jumps timelines using flashbacks to connect a now 30 year old Ethan trying to piece together what happened which I loved and totally hooked me.
This book got my heart pounding ESPECIALLY at the end of chapter 14 👀
Not only was this book full of suspense, but emotional?! I god damn cried at a thriller.

There was certain plot lines (cult vibes) that kind of fizzled out that I wasn’t quite sure where it was heading… but actually I’m glad we dodged a satanic cult ending because how dull.
I could not wait to keep reading this book well done Riley Sager 👏🏼

P.S. THANKS NETGALLEY 🫶

I've always LOVED Riley Sager's books, I've read every one and always know that I'm in for a treat when I open that first page.

As soon as I seen his latest novel Middle of the night i knew I had to get my hands on it, it did not disappoint!

I love the way the story alternates between past and present, and the 90's vibes!!! Growing up myself in the 90's this really hit home for me.

I highly recommend Riley Sagers latest novel if you're looking for a good addictive read that you can't put down.

Middle of the Night is the latest thriller by the king of summer reads, Riley Sager. This novel, however, feels like a departure from his recent books. Notably, it features a male protagonist for the first time, and it feels less like a typical popcorn thriller and more nuanced, delving into themes of childhood and trauma. The story has a “Stand by Me” vibe, or perhaps that’s just my impression. The setting and the mysterious institute mentioned in the book made me picture the kids from “Stranger Things” roaming around.

I agree with some reviews stating that the book has a slower pace at first and that Ethan, the main character, isn’t particularly fascinating. The suburban setting plays a major role in the story, but it doesn’t evoke the same imagery as the gothic mansion in Sager’s previous book, which I loved.

However, as the novel progressed, the pace picked up, and I became more and more engrossed. I read it in just a couple of days, so I can’t say I was ever bored—if anything, I liked it more as I went along, practically devouring the second half in one sitting.

The aspect I loved most about this novel is a spoiler, so I can’t mention it. Still, I finished the book feeling quite sad, even though it didn’t have an unhappy ending per se. It’s a nostalgic and tragic book, portraying characters in shades of grey rather than as purely good or evil, which I really appreciate. Despite not being my favorite of his books, I really enjoyed it. I believe it’s a well-crafted mystery focused on childhood and grief.

I'm always really excited for a new Riley Sager book, but mostly because I never know what to expect. Will it be a popcorn thriller with slightly unbelievable twists? Will it be a horror with a nerve-wracking atmosphere? Or will it be a mystery with cliff-hangers galore? Yet Middle Of The Night still feels like something completely different from everything else I've read by Sager so far. Although the one thing that remains the same is that I never want to put his books down!

For me, Middle Of The Night felt a little tame for Sager overall, but it also felt obvious that he wanted a break from the jaw-dropping twists we can usually expect from him, and that he wanted to write something more authentic instead. Because I'll be honest, the twists in this one were average and I didn't much care for the ending, but there was also a lot that I did love. I loved the characters, the chilling atmosphere, the spooky location and mystery surrounding The Institute and what they do, and the true-crime feel to the whole story.

Some may be more disappointed with the slower pace and lack of shocks, but what we have instead is a well-written mystery with strong characters development and a moving exploration of grief. I love a story with supernatural elements and I really like how they worked in this story, bringing back Ethan's fears, guilt, and worries.

It's definitely a book I'll think about often, and another hit from Sager for me.