Cover Image: Survive the Night

Survive the Night

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Member Reviews

Lights, Camera, Action: Survive the Night Rolls into Twisty Territory!

*Fade in*

Let’s set the scene: it’s the 1990s, it’s night and our main character is in a car with a man who may very well be a serial killer. It doesn’t help that she has a history of “seeing movies in her head” aka she’s not sure of what’s really playing out before her eyes. And if that sounds tense to you, you’d better climb in cos it’s gonna be one crazy ride.

Told uniquely in a movie-script style, I found it hard to be certain what was really playing out. With such an unreliable narrator, it’s easy to feel lost in the dark. I will admit that the style was somewhat distancing, making it hard to connect to the characters. Yet nonetheless I was gripped, as the story swerved in maddening directions and drove towards a bonkers conclusion.

As if through headlights, I could see some of the dangers coming, but Sager still pulled some curveballs. And WHAM-BAM-THANK-YOU-MA’AM those twists sent me into a tailspin! Skidding off into something of a melodramatic end, it may not have pleased every reader, but I have to say I was satisfied.

So, expect something a little bit larger than life, because this homage to movies does not hold back.

*Fade out*

*End credits*

4/5 bananas

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Wow, what a journey that was! Not long after starting this book I thought I had the whole story figured out... turns out I couldn't have been more wrong! Each twist and turn left me pondering the many different directions that the story could take. The story centres around the main protagonist Charlie whose best friend Maddie has recently been murdered. Wracked with guilt and grief, Charlie makes the decision to head home to Ohio and shares the journey with a virtual stranger who may or may not be Maddie's murderer. It does start at a slower pace but very quickly ramps up to a point where I was desperately trying to get the end as I couldn't wait for all to be revealed. At times the decisions that Charlie makes are super frustrating, leaving you internally screaming "What are you doing?!" however the story wouldn't be what it is without them. Fantastic character development throughout and the nods to 90's culture are forever enjoyable. I can't wait to read more of Sager's work after this!

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Thank you to Hodder books & Netgalley for the review copy of Survive the night.

This book takes place over one night in 1991 and is told in the form of a film script.
The story is told from the points of view of 4 different characters though my far the biggest chunk of the story is from the point of view of main character Charlie who is studying film at University and is grieving the death of her best friend/college roommate who was murdered two months ago by a serial killer known as the Campus killer. Charlie blames herself for abandoning her friend on the night of her death, is experiencing survivor guilt as well having long term mental health issues which leave her unable to differentiate between reality and the "movie" in her mind. Unable to cope, Charlie makes the decision to leave University and travel home to her grandmother & arranges a ride share with a stranger, Josh who she meets via a ride share board. Josh wants to travel at night & they are barely on the road before Charlie starts to have some big doubts about Josh, if that is even his real name.
But are her doubts even reasonable or is it all in her head? Is Josh a nice guy who happens to be driving to exactly where she needs to go or is he someone more sinister? Maybe even the Campus killer? He certainly seems to know a lot about the killings and about Charlie.

The story has lots of twists and an impending sense of doom. I can tell you now that not all the characters in this story are going to survive the night.

There are many references to Alfred Hitchcock films among other cinema references in this book and the entire plot is pretty Hitchcockian. I grew up watching Hitchcock films so I really enjoy this kind of twisty story.

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Goodbye reading slump, hello Riley Sager!

For the last few months, for various reasons, my reading has completely slipped. I should have realised sooner – all I needed was a true edge-of-your-seat, popcorn thriller to get me racing through the pages again. And this was it.

No, this book isn’t perfect – it’s not deep, it’s exaggerated and unrealistic in places. But what a ride. This is by far the most addictive, unputdownable book I’ve read this year – and for saving me from a reading slump, I have to give it five stars.

I think part of the reason this book worked so well for me is that it’s set over a short period of time – around six hours in total, with a clever epilogue at the end. The story unfolds in real time, scene by scene – movie style.

We meet Charlie – named after a character in a classic thriller movie. After her best friend and college roommate was murdered by The Campus Killer, traumatised Charlie needs to get out of University fast. She doesn’t drive since her parents’ tragic car accident years before. So, she arranges a car share with a stranger she meets at the campus Ride Board, and they set off in the snowy night for a long ride.

This is a book you need to go into with as little information as possible – and it seems to be dividing reviewers. Because, in general, it is pretty formulaic. It reads like a thriller movie you might catch on TV. The heroine doesn’t always make the wisest decisions but I was rooting for her all the way. It’s littered with references to classic movies – Charlie is obsessed with them and studies film theory, not to mention she’s got the small problem of seeing ‘movies in her mind’ – hallucinations where she disassociates with reality due to the trauma in her past.

And not being able to trust your own mind really doesn’t help when you think you might be on a road trip with a serial killer. Or is she?

She’s Ellen Ripley.

She’s Laurie Strode.

She’s Clarice Starling.

She’s Thelma and Louise, kicking up dirt in a final fuck-you as they choose freedom over life.

You’ll have to read it to find out.

I’ve noticed this is one of the author’s least popular releases to date. I’ve read three of his novels and I rate this one the highest purely because I was glued to the pages.

So, go into it with an open mind, embrace the classic thriller movie vibe, and enjoy the ride.

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Honestly, I don't know where to start with this .... I had such high expectations for this.

I am such a fan of Riley Sager's work and so I was really excited to be given the chance to review Sager's new novel. Like Sager's previous works, I flew through this in one sitting. I mean that, it took me about 4 hours to read this and I did enjoy it.

However, I had such high expectations of this which were sadly not completely met. I felt this book was almost two separate stories and the plot twist at the end ... well, I already guessed what it was going to be.

Overall, it was enjoyable but I feel some of Riley Sager's previous works are better.

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I enjoyed this thriller and liked the 1990s music references in it.
Once the story got going I couldn’t put it down. Just when I thought I knew what was happening the book took another unexpected turn and kept me guessing until the end.
My only criticism would be that I found the pacing a little off. For me it moved too slowly at the beginning of the book but maybe this was the author’s way of putting me off the scent.

Thank You to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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I'll preface this by saying I've only read one other book by Riley Sager (Home Before Dark) and I enjoyed it a lot, I thought the writing was solid and the creepy bits were genuinely creepy. This, unfortunately, wasn't for me.

It's set in 1991, for no reason that I can see other than the entire thing being inconceivable if anyone carried a mobile phone. There's really nothing else that dates it apart from a Nirvana song playing.

Charlie holds a lot of guilt about her friend Maddy. They ended on bad terms and then something horrific happened to Maddy, which Charlie finds it hard to deal with. Charlie wants to leave school for good and head cross-country to her Grandmother's house. She accepts a lift from a stranger (as you do) and off they go.

Of course the driver is a creep. Charlie begins to think he's the one who hurt Maddy - but can she trust herself considering she slips into "movies in her head" as a coping mechanism? She's one of the most unreliable narrators ever, which is annoying in itself, but throw in an almost unfathomable obsession with movies and a complete unwillingness to cop on, and you have a very annoying main character. We don't know what's real and what's not, nor does Charlie.

Parts of this book were genuinely creepy - the twenty questions thing made my skin crawl, but unfortunately the whole thing descended into madness towards the end and I just roared at the ending.

This would make a great film - one of those so-bad-it's-a-must-see ones that stars Nic Cage or Ray Liotta (any other Turbulence fans out there?). As a book, it's pure chaos.

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This is my first Riley Sager book and unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations, having heard so much about his other books. Even suspending my disbelief, I couldn't get over protagonist Charlie's terrible decisions - it's very clear that she's written by a man. The constant 90s and movie references were exhausting, as well as Charlie's internal dialogue and the plot twists which made no sense. The characters' motivations weren't believable and they all lacked depth, and I hated the way Sager made Charlie an unreliable narrator through her hallucinations. The ending was unsatisfying too, but the story was a interesting concept and easy to read at least.

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A binge-worthy, campy joy ride!

Buckle-up, Lock Every Door , and hang on tight for this one!

What you can expect- A campus killer on the loose, A girl (Charlie) meets stranger at ride board on campus, Girl accepts ride with stranger, Charlie's namesake is from a Hitchcock film (could there be a lesson here?), a diner on Dead River Road (wink), twists that may produce vertigo and some fun times spent in Sillyville, nothing too serious here, ignore all the red flags and ride along...

If this trip sounds like a rollercoaster you'd get on, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did!

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Thank you to the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
I liked this book. I didn't find it very unique but it did keep me entertained.
I do recommend this book if it's your type and your not looking for anything new and unique.

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I am going to go with a 3.5 stars rounded up here. It annoyed me sometimes but at the same time I read it straight through and I was surprised by a twist at the end.

Charlie is a 20 year old college student whose best friend and roommate is killed two months earlier. Charlie blames herself because she left Maddy alone at a bar and went home without her. She never saw her again.

The stress of this has Charlie hallucinating and so she leaves school to head home for a while. Josh offers her a ride home and she accepts. What this fateful night of driving brings is the crux of the story.

I don’t want to give too much away here, but at first I was very frustrated with Charlie. The ending redeemed her for me, but I don’t know. These unreliable narrators get my goat. I will definitely read another book by this author because truly the book did fly by. Thanks so much to Netgalley, the publisher Hodder and Stoughton, and the author Riley Sager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Reading the synopsis to this book, I was in two minds over whether I would enjoy it.

The reason for my doubts was that although I love books which are told over short time periods, particularly, like this novel, over the space of a few hours, it was also clear that there were only going to be a small number of characters in this story which I think can cause issues. If an author is going down this path, the characters need to be believable and strong enough to keep you enthralled.

Here we have Charlie who has recently lost her best friend to the Campus Killer, a serial killer who has been stalking her university and has killed 3 young women so far, the latest being Maddy, Charlie's best friend.

What we find out quickly is that Charlie blames herself for Maddy's death however we don't find out why until a little later. Keen to leave uni to get away and clear her head Charlie accepts a lift from another student whom she doesn't know.

I've read some reviews of this novel which cast aspersions and ridicule Charlie's decisions, such as accepting a lift from a stranger when you know that a killer is on the loose. However, as crazy as it seems initially, Sager introduces us to Charlie's state of mind and, in particular, her overwhelming guilt over the death of her friend that I find the character of Charlie believable and find myself empathising with her state of mind and understanding why she is acting the way she does.

To add anymore to the story would only spoil it however I have to say it kept me enthralled for hours. This was my first Sager novel and won't be my last.

It was twisty but not overly (or ridiculously) so which is how I like my mystery/thrillers. The ending was satisfying however there was one small part of it I didn't like however to explain why would require a spoiler.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys books of this genre.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

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This is the story of Charlie she is a student who is obsessed with older movies. She is also lucky enough to be studying movies at college. However, Charlie is going through a difficult time as her best friend has been murdered by a serial killer called the Campus Killer. Charlie just wants to go home to her grandma and watch movies. Because she is so desperate to get back she accepts a ride from Josh who is looking for someone to share the cost of the 9 hour ride. Charlie has a condition that in times of stress movies play in her mind. Not long into the journey she realises that things with Josh are not exactly adding up and she begins to suspect that she is sharing a ride with the Campus Killer.

I would like to begin by saying that I am a huge fan of this authors work and I have been highly anticipating this book. Unfortunately I really didn’t enjoy this one very much. Although I thought that the protagonist was really stupid in the beginning by even considering accepting a lift from a stranger not long after her best friend was murdered. I really did love the whole dialogue about old movies as I knew the movies that she was referencing and I share much of the same taste in movies with this character. Then at 35% through this book I just started to get bored. I felt it was getting a bit repetitive with the whole movies in her mind and not knowing if what I just read was real or whether the character was being gaslighted.

Then came the second half where things got a bit nonsensical. There were a few twists here none of which made any sense to me. I have to say that because this book was not keeping my attention I kept having to go back and reread parts just to make sure I hadn’t missed something important which was why it didn’t make sense, I hadn’t. The actual ending had me confused and I still don’t know if what I think actually happened did happen. This could have been a fantastic read as the premise was great. I will continue to read this authors work and look forward to what comes next.

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Riley Sager has to be one of the biggest names in relation to thrillers in the book community, his entire backlist is constantly recommended on Halloween reads and Thrillers for beginners. Though he may not have the complexity of some other authors and their stories, his books are so many peoples favourites for a reason.

Survive the Night is his latest release, it is a story of a potential kidnapping with a serial killer twist.

Charlie needs to get home to Ohio, but to do so sh will have to hitch a ride with a stranger and with a killer on the loose... could the driver be the source of al her misery?

I buddy read this with my friend Shannon, we have some of the greatest horror/ thriller buddy reads and she’s really helped me discover my love for these two genres in this past year. So obviously Sager’s newest release had to be one we read. We guessed who the killer was at 18% which neither of us were all that impressed with but don’t worry.. if you guess the twist early on there are plenty more bumps in the road on Charlie and Josh’s journey to keep you on your toes.

This book is literally a movie for your mind, not quite written like a screen play as The Last Final Girl but Survive the Night is such a visual story you cannot do anything but sit back and enjoy.

Though this is not the best thriller I have ever read, it was an easy read, the writing style is fast paced and simple the twists come sharp and fast which does throw the pacing off in some places but i think if you are a thriller newbie this would be a great place to start your journey through to the dark side.

People recommend reading Sager’s books in publication order, however this book is reminiscent of his debut works so if you were to start here i do not feel i would spoil you enjoyment for his other works. With the class I tropes of an unreliable narrator, serial killer, who-dunnit, revenge plot this is such an enjoyable easy read perfect for any vacation.

After finishing this book i was settled on a two star rating, however Charlie and her journey kept coming back to me and although I wasn’t compelled to pick up the book again i realise I enjoyed this story more than I originally thought. Even though it’s not a five star rating i am excited to see the anger comes up with next!!

Thank you NetGalley UK for my early review copy.

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Riley Sager is one of my favourite authors and this book was my most anticipated read for 2021, and it did not disappoint. When I first heard the plot for this book, I was really intrigued and excited, as it felt a bit like a horror movie plot. This book had me gripped from the first chapter and I read it SO fast, needing to know how Charlie’s story would unfold. There are some great twists in it and although I did guess certain aspects, it still kept me completely gripped. I loved the movie references and how that was played into the story. I feel like lovers of horror/thriller movies will enjoy this book along with crime fiction lovers out there. If you haven’t read any Riley Sager books yet, you really are missing out.

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I have conflicting feelings about this book. For the first 40% or so I was really enjoying it, it was keeping me guessing and on my toes, but then it took a bit of a turn and it wasn't quite as exciting anymore. I felt like I'd lost that burning desire to keep flipping the pages, so it dragged a little for me. But then it changed courses again and got more interesting (even if I did guess who done it earlier on).

A little bit of a disappointment for me, but still an enjoyable read.

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Survive the Night is one of the books I can’t really place. There is no book I‘ve read that is similar. Most of the book plays in a car, it’s not lame though. I screamed „that’s the murder“ and „oh it’s definitiv not him“ and „i knew it“ more than I can count.
There's a lot about movies and somehow it is more like watching a movie than reading a book which is so fitting.
As soon as I was finished I told my boyfriend the whole storyline and even his aunt in the background asked about what I‘m talking.

10/10 would recommend. Loved everything about it.

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This was my first Riley Sager and I was really excited to get in on the hype. I’ve seen a lot of four and five stars but, unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

We’re following a film major called Charlie who’s wanting to get away from her campus as soon as possible. Lucky for her, as she was pinning up a car ride request, she’s approached by a guy called Josh who is more than willing to help Charlie out. But taking a lift from a stranger, after what happened to her best friend, could be the worst decision she’s ever made - she could be sharing the car with the Campus Killer.

This is such an exciting premise! The amount of tension that can be created as Charlie slowly comes to her realisation of being in this awful situation and the idea of being stuck with a murderer holds incredible power for a terrifying moment. But it just didn’t hold up. We weren’t kept in that car long enough to find out if Charlie was spiralling and tricking herself, or if she was in real trouble. The decision to have a unreliable main character should have been played out more - as a reader it would have kept me continuously guessing and revelling in fear, but I feel like Sager really missed that opportunity. I also felt the structure of the chapters, specifically the placement of Josh’s first chapter, really cut through that tension and left me feeling deflated and frustrated. I’m not sure if this is a norm for Sager, but the plot twists felt like too much and it was just one after another as we reached the end of the book - they all felt a little ridiculous. And with all that in mind, the final plot twist just completely “justifies” any ridiculous decision, plot twist and character moment without letting Sager take any responsibility for poor writing.

Not too sure if I’ll be picking up any more of his books unfortunately, as they seem really hit or miss and this one just wasn’t for me.

But thank you NetGalley for allowing me to explore a new author - I really appreciate it.

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*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review*

Ok I don't know where to start with this. Firstly, I'd like my time back. I spent an afternoon shouting as I read this genuinely gob smacked by how ridiculous this book was.

Charlie, the main character, was arguabley the most stupid main character I have ever read. She was in danger or at least perceived danger for most of this book and not once did she do the smart thing. I wonder if Sager actually asked any women about their experiences when he wrote this character because I do not know a single woman who would act this way in a dangerous situation. This was written as if following the dumb blonde trope from horror movies. News flash it's 2021, women know what to do in a crisis.

Did the plot twists catch me by surprise? Yeh. Did they make any sense? No. There was little to no foreshadowing so it just felt like Sager was plopping them in for the sake of it.

Please don't get me started on Charlie's obsession with movies. I understand she's been traumatised, she's been through some shit and people deal with these things in different ways but it was unhealthy and repetitive. We get it, she likes old movies.

Overall, is this the worst book I've ever read? Probably not, there's a few others out there which may take take top spot. Will I ever read anything by Sager again? Eh maybe, this is my 3rd book by him and none have left me yearning for more.

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Survive the Night was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, what after thoroughly enjoying Riley Sager's writing and plot ideas. Naturally, the plot of StN had me very intrigued - I mean, being stuck like that is scary.

We have our MC Charlie who is leaving uni with a stranger because she's unable to deal with the trauma of her best friend's murder, which she blames herself for. To get away for a while, she strikes it up with a stranger and they leave for hours long journey in the lonesome night. The ride is terrifying as it keeps revealing more and more secrets about her stranger driver, but since she keeps having zone outs where she completely loses herself, she's unsure of what to believe anymore. Things take quick turn when they arrive at rest stop and more secrets start spilling.

Honestly, though, this book had an interesting plotline. A cat-and-mouse chase as indicated, there's enough thrill here that kept me moving the pages so fast, and I finished it in a day. It was definitely a past paced book, and had the clever RS plot-climax moments. Despite this, I don't think this was Riley Sager's best work. It was, well, a bit of an underwhelming experience at the end.

The thing is, this book was kinda sloppy. Maybe I was expecting a bit more at the end, especially with Marge's storyline. It was also pretty evident who the actual killer was - I guessed it from the moment they were introduced. And moreover, the reasoning behind their actions sounded pretty slack, easy. Not enough crazy as it was deemed to be.

Charlie as a character I think was smart enough until she wasn't. It was toxic level of friendship she had going on with Maddy, is what felt to me. Maddy was the popular one, of course, and coaxed Charlie into events she wasn't comfortable with. Adults blaming Charlie for Maddy's death seemed so unreasonable. But I also understand the emotional trauma that she must have gone through because her one single decision led to her best friend's death. I liked her willpower at the end and the way she fought through.

I think the end resolved very easily without much confrontation and stakes. It did build up real well but the actions and the reasons behind them were sloppy and I at times couldn't take them seriously. It was still a decent thriller at the end, gave me a good reading experience as it kept me very engaged. The writing was smooth and the suspense build up was swift. The climax didn't have any surprising element for me, to be honest. It was an okay thriller for me, nothing as spectacular.

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