A unique and interesting premise that is deftly executed. I especially enjoyed how the story takes a turn from what you'd expect of the setup near the halfway mark, and the style of writing itself lends a cinematic quality that's true to the storyline. Very enjoyable!

This is only the second Riley Sager book I have read, I absolutely loved Final Girls sadly Survive The Night didn’t hit the spot as much as I wanted it to.
It was very slow to get going and I didn’t really feel any connection to the main character. I felt that what was happening was a little farfetched. The last part of the book was better and did have me gasping at a few places and I did enjoy this part. Overall it was okay.

Riley Sager's previous books are all fraught with tension and a sense of dread and Survive the Night is perhaps the best of the Sager's books. Charlie, a university student who's best friend has been murdered, hitches a ride with a stranger because she needs to get home. She becomes suspicious on the driver she's riding with, Josh, and we're not sure how dangerous or threatening he really is. As a film major and a film noir fan, Charlie is fully aware of the overused movie trope of the untrustworthy stranger but we're not sure if she has just watched too many films. To compound the problem, Charlie also suffers from hallucinations and has stopped taking her medication so we're never sure what is real or not.
Survive the Night is set in the nineties and features tropes from nineties horror films. With its breakneck speed and twists, the book is perfect for a film adaptation.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author, Riley Sager, and Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Riley Sager thriller. As expected, this was a very fast-paced novel with lots of twists and turns, increasing towards the end of the book especially. It is set over the course of one night and there is a lot to unpack in such a short space of time. I didn’t realise that the book is formatted like a screenplay (maybe because it was an ARC and on kindle) until right near the end, but it is obvious that the author is penning a love letter to movies.

Initially I did not enjoy the ‘movie in my mind’ trope of the main character Charlie. However, I warmed to the idea more as the book went on and it was undeniably gripping to read from the POV of an unreliable narrator. I also enjoyed that this book tied up every loose end uncovered throughout. Every question had an answer by the end of the novel, though maybe there was slight over-explanations at points.

The ending of this book was full on crazy. There was so much action and drama, and so obviously it is easy to imagine this book as a movie itself. It was a very far-fetched concept but it surprised me how hooked I was.

In my opinion, you really can tell that this book was written by a man. The main character Charlie was so unlike any woman that exists in real life. She had no common sense and made some infuriating decisions the entire way through the book.

Even though this book did not blow me away (and even irritated me at points) I still could not put it down and read it all in one sitting. That is why I have gone with a mid-tier 3 star rating.

I read this book in one sitting. I kinda had to hate read it a little to find out what happened and to get to the end. Some twists were super obvious, there was one I didn't get which was a nice surprise.

Thanks to NetGalley, Riley Sager and Hodder and Stoughton for an earc in exchange for an honest review.

For some reason I just couldn't seem to get into reading this book no matter how much I tried. So unsure if it just wasn't for me or anything to do with the book itself.

REALLY GRIPPING! Full of tension, and some really unpredictable twists. Great YA thriller, that adults and teenagers will enjoy alike.

Charlie is leaving College after the murder of her best friend and room mate. Leaving behind the memories of why her friend was alone that night and her boyfriend, Charlie agrees to a ride with a stranger. However, as their journey begins, Charlie feels she may have actually stepped into the car with her friend's murderer. Quite a few twists and turns in this one, including right at the very end. Charlie's habit of slipping into"movies" in her mind also takes the reader on a bit of a mind bend. Interesting read.

Oh my God, this started off very slow, I almost gave up on it, but persevering, But it definitely picked up pace later on, and there were a few twists, one of which I wasn’t EXPECTING AT ALL. Was this one of my favourite reads? Definitely not, but I’m glad I stuck with it.
It was still worth a read.
Probably my least favorite of Riley's works.

DNF at 30%
This book was really not for me.
I was excited for the story, but it didn't really deliver on it i.m.o.

DNF at 21%

I tried to read this, I really did! After loving The Last Time I Lied, I was beyond excited to get an ARC for this, but sadly I'm just not enjoying it.

Boring, with an annoying main character, Survive the Night is putting me in another slump, and I just haven't wanted to pick it up. It may get better, but I can't muster up the motivation to read more than a couple of pages at a time before rolling my eyes, yawning and closing the book.

The reviews are mixed but many have enjoyed it, unfortunately I am just not one of them.

Many thanks to Netgalley UK and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgaelly, Hodder & Stoughton, Hodder Paperbacks and Riley Sager for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

I read a lot of thrillers and I am not easy to surprise. I can usually predict what's lay ahead. I was wrong about this one - Survive The Night is totally unpredictable. The plot weaves and twist all the time and when you think you got it - you got it wrong. You want something surprising, totally unpredictable, something that keeps you second guess yourself - this book might be for me.

However, even with the full of astonishing twists and turns, I wasn't really engaged. I was tired of the main protagonist, Charlie Jordan from the very first page. Her peculiarity about movies and how she created some images in her head instead of reality was interesting at first but annoying by the middle of the novel. Many references to old movies have been lost on me as I am not familiar with them. At first I tried to google, and it tuned out to be a tedious task as too many references - too many distractions.

It was an ok thriller and it did not blow my mind away.

This book was a nice read. I hope to get to read more books like this.
I would like to suggest this book to others, for the nice plot and it sure is an interesting read.

It’s 1991, and Charlie is leaving college, maybe temporarily, but probably for good. The main problem is, she can’t get over the death of her friend Maddy, who was a victim of the Campus Killer - Charlie blames herself for Maddy’s death.

She’s just posting a flyer on the campus ride board, to see if anyone wants to share a ride back to Ohio, when she meets Josh, who is looking for a passenger to share his gas costs to roughly the same area, and so it’s agreed that they’ll travel together.
Charlie immediately starts to have her doubts, she’s never actually seen Josh around college, knows nothing about him, could even be the Campus Killer for all she knows!

Gosh this was a slow start, I almost gave up on it, but persevering, I discovered that it picked up considerably later on, and there were a few twists, one of which I wasn’t expecting. Was this one of my favourite reads? Definitely not, but I’m glad I stuck with it.

Sigh. I picked this book not only because of all the hype on Instagram and Twitter (and look at that cover!) but also because I worship Riley Sager (see my bio if you don't believe me). But, but, but... I had high expectations from this book and I fell flat on my face.

Okay, let me go over the plot first.

Charlie Jordan has decided to go home. After the tragic death of her best friend Maddy by the serial killer nicknamed the Campus Killer, she doesn't want to wait for the end of term. She wants to make a clean break with her boyfriend, Robbie, and just leave.

While posting a notice on her college's ride share board, she comes across Josh Baxter. He is travelling to where she wants to go. And sure, he will drop her.

True to his word, he picks her up at 9 pm. It will take at least 6 hours to reach home. But they have a long night ahead together and Charlie begins to suspect Josh might not be who she thought he was. Is he the Campus Killer? Is he out to kill her?

Not helping the fact are her hallucinations. Charlie is a movie buff and she literally sees movies in her head. After a while, she cannot decide if what she saw was even true or not. A simple car ride becomes a game of wits between two strangers.

WHAT I LIKED:
🤩 The writing - Simple and accessible, as always.
🤩 Minimal characters - At least something to look forward to.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
😕 Charlie Jordan - I mean, I spent almost the whole book shouting, "Why, Charlie? WHY???" I think I can safely say that I haven't come across such a dumb lead character in a long time. She is such a tough competition to Bridget Jones that I will not be surprised if Charlie Jordan bests Bridget Jones in the "nothing-up-there" competition.
😕 Weak plot - WHY would a woman leave in a car with an unknown man at night? WHY would she not run at the first chance available (and she has many, believe me?) Weren't there any modes of public transport available? I mean, I would have preferred a couple of bus changes in the morning and afternoon than a car ride with a stranger at night.
😕 Too many American movies - I am not an American and I hardly knew a handful of the movie and song names they were throwing about. Please now, Riley, you have readers across the globe too.

MY THOUGHTS:
I HATED this book with a VEHEMENCE!!! I cannot believe this came from the pen of the same writer who wrote <i>Lock Every Door</i>.

MY RATING: 1 star (and hoping I will love Riley's next book)

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

Riley Sager continues to be a master of this genre, I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I wish the red flags were either more subtle of the MC's were smarter when they spotted them.

I was hoping for great things but I did not get them. The characters were not likeable and really annoying. Some spooky aspects but the bad decisions hide of took from any enjoyment.

Wow what a ride. I have spent the whole book screaming at the protagonist. When she gets in the rideshare knowing NOTHING about this random man, who is HIGHLY suspicious only a couple of months after her roommate and best friend is murdered by a serial killer who is still at large, well I just found it way way too unbelievable and that for me ruined the book. It was however a well written tense thriller and probably deserves the good reviews it has been getting. For me, it just didn't hit the mark unfortunately.

Love Riley Sager’s books so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed with this one! I saw most of the twists coming (except the last one) but that didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment! This one reminds me of No Exit by Taylor Adams which I also loved!!! Yes some of the main characters actions were questionable but it’s A FICTION BOOK! Of course it’s going to be abit unrealistic. I loved it and will definitely be buying a finished copy!

"Sometimes your only choice is to drive like hell"

This absolutely dynamite page turner grasped me with sharp talons and held me captive until the last page. The pace is dynamic, and the twists and turns completely audacious.
Set in the 90's Charlie is the Nirvana song playing, film noir obsessed protagonist. Her best friend was murdered by the Campus Killer and the surviver guilt she feels, coupled with the urge to find some answers leads her to make what could be the worst mistake of her life. What unfolds is a cinematic mash up of 80's teen horror film / AHS Camp Redwood through the lens of Hitchcock.

Some might say it's over the top, but I bloody (excuse the pun) loved it.

My thanks go to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.