This is my fourth Riley Sager book, two of which I've really enjoyed and two of which I haven't. Happily, this is one of those that I liked very much! It tells the story of Charlie, a university student accepting a ride share back to her home town who finds herself in an increasingly dangerous position. I thought that the narrative style and structure here worked really well. Charlie is a film buff and has a passion for old movies, and the structure reflects that, which I thought was a very clever choice by the author. I also thought that the plot, while utterly ridiculous, was wildly entertaining throughout and read like a movie - again, a clear choice by the author. There are some character motivation choices that I didn't like, however and some areas that pushed my suspension of disbelief too far, but overall I would say that this is another fast paced and wild ride from Riley Sager that starts strong and just keeps going. Such fun!
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Charlie needs to get home from university, so when she meets Josh at the college ride share board, she’s in luck. However, just like the movies, things aren’t all as they seem. On the road, the pair share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news — the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again. When Josh’s story starts to fall apart, suspicions grow. Charlie’s only objective? To survive the night.

“Survive the Night” is my first book from Riley Sager, and WHAT A BOOK! The story, the writing style, the twists. I can’t get enough.

The story is incredibly fast paced, and I couldn’t put it down. The writing style, paired with the plot, makes this one of the most unputdownable books I’ve read all year. The only thing that could have been improved is a little more depth with some of the characters, as I found a few of them bland and couldn’t easily picture them.

I’m really looking forward to picking up another of Sager’s books, and would recommend “Survive the Night” for anyone who’s a fan of suspenseful thrillers.

I must admit I was really excited to receive an ARC for this book. The female protagonist was naive and ubeliveable and the story spiralled into a fantasy-like scenario. It’s a shame as I love serial killer/thriller stories but this one was just not for me.

Survive The Night is the first book I’ve read by @riley.sager. I’ve watched many of Heather at @bookables booktube recommendations of Riley’s other books so I was excited to get started with this. I’ve been saving it until the end of September when all the Halloween decorations have started to appear on the shelves and it’s a bit darker at night so it was a more atmospheric reading experience!

The story follows Charlie and Jordan. They meet on campus when Charlie is looking to hitch a ride back home and Jordan just so happens to be looking for someone to share the journey with. The embark on the journey home shortly thereafter and almost immediately something just feels amiss.

From there the story twists and turns, I doubted myself the whole way through, often flicking back to check what I’d read. Charlie is introduced as an unreliable narrator from the get go and this definitely added to the overall suspense of the story.

I truly was completely captivated by this book. I’m not sure why I still find myself surprised when there’s always just one more twist. Lately I’ve been reading more thrillers so you would think I’d learn! The twists in this story just kept on coming, the pacing of the story cranking up with each one to the point where I didn’t want to put the book down. I read it over two sittings and just felt blown away by it by the end.

I’m definitely going to have a closer look at other books from this author. Have you read any of Riley’s books? If so where would you recommend I start next?

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was one nerve wracking, twisted tale. I loved it. So far, this is my favorite book by this author. Didn't care much for the others.

'Survive The Night' follows Charlie, a college student who has recently lost her best friend and is looking to escape back home. She gets a lift from stranger Josh Baxter and they end up travelling through the dead of night. Charlie starts questioning who she is travelling with and Josh's intentions. What will happen?

I read the whole book in one sitting and on the edge the entire time. Throughout the tension was thick and with the fast pace, it made for a entertaining read, I did have to suspend reality for some parts to work, too many questionable decisions were made. Charlie's internal monologue, at first I really enjoyed but it did get a bit convoluted towards the end. The mental-health aspect could have been explored at a deeper level (not more movies in the mind: too repetitive). I liked the epilogue, maybe it's the Pisces in me. The book had good twists and I liked I could visualise it like a movie, in line with the premise.

Thank you to the author, Riley Sager and publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, for the e-arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie needs to go home so accepts a lift from a stranger who may or may not be the campus killer..... All she has to do now is survive the night with Josh. It doesn't help that movies play in her mind and she isnt sure what's reality or what's just her mind. Josh keeping secrets and telling lie in the car doesn't help at all. All things point to Josh being the killer but is he and why? What does he want with Charlie, hasn't she been through enough trauma?

Many thanks to net galley for letting me read thus.

Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news - the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again. Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh's story. As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she's thinking. Meaning that she could very well end up as his next victim.

Wow, wow, wow! I absolutely ADORED this book and honestly do not know why I left it on my shelf for so long. This is set over the course of one night but events that took place prior to the night do come into play. Sager writes this like a film description and Charlie being a film buff plays right into this. I loved the classic film references that run throughout the read and the atmosphere that Sager creates ties in perfectly as well. This feels like a classic thrilling film that is actually a book and I was absolutely gripped by it.

Sager really throws everything at this read, there is twist after twist and I found the whole read incredibly exciting and could not wait to discover what twist would come next. From the beginning, I was hooked, but as the read progresses, I was even more thrilled by the way Sager ramps up the dramatics and the tension, I really did not know what would happen next and it was an intense experience.

I will not dwell on the characters too much as I think it will ruin it for you but suffice to say, the characters are excellent and really bring this plot to life. Sager has created the perfect balance in personalities and I loved what they all brought to the plot.

I think it is clear that I adored 'Survive the Night', it is such an exhilarating, thrilling read and definitely the most exciting thriller I have read this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.

Sorry, I will not write a Review about Survive the Night von Riley Sager. The book was not what I expected... not my cup of tea...

I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in one sitting. Yes, the main character Charlie, was extremely annoying and needed professional help and a hug. Yet, she had suffered from so much trauma with recent losses. Her best friend/ roommate was killed by the campus killer. The name alone was extremely nerve wracking. She decided to leave school to go home after her friend died. Totally understandable when there was a killer loose. Now what I don’t understand was why she choose to get in a car with a stranger?! No references, no discussion, no questions beforehand?! That was stupid on her part. The first half of the book was great in setting up what could be possibly be a great ending. Which was why I enjoyed the book. But then the second half was a bit of a let down because of the killer. Now the killer, which I never guessed but in retrospect should have, murdered those girls for reasons that made no sense to me. I didn’t get it. It seemed to me the writer was trying to give us something. Even if it made it worse. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot until the ending which was meh for me.
I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I have read a couple of Sager's books previously and although I enjoyed them, I felt they kind of just trundled along without much excitement or thrill.

Unfortunately this one didn't change my view on his work, and I don't know if I will read another. Although, I would never say never, it may just have been the plot/characters - the writing is good.

Charlie has to hitch a ride with a stranger and it turns out he's a serial killer. Will she SURVIVE THE NIGHT?

I didn't like Charlie - she's a bit stupid, she doesn't make good choices. I understand that kind of makes the book, but I had to really try hard to believe any of what she did/said. She is an unreliable narrator if ever I did read one, and I think this was just a bit too disorientating for me.

Like I say, the writing was good, it had good pace, I just didn't get on with the plot or characters and this let it down for me. I think if you are a horror film junkie then you may appreciate this one a little more as you will have the nostalgia and recognition coming through pretty much from the start. I lean more toward the thriller than the horror so I didn't appreciate this as much as I imagine it was intended.

The story premise for the first half of the book is quite simple, to survive the night in a car with a person who might or might not be a serial killer. Although, being in one place for the majority of the book might seem boring; however, Riley Sager played up that one setting. It propels the story instead of being stagnant. Charlie's concept of reality or a movie in her head does mess with the reader's mind. At times, I didn't know which way was the truth. The characters development was good. The ending does have one imperfection, the tooth. I won't ruin the book by stating what it is. This book is worth the read.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Riley Sager’s ‘Survive The Night’ is certainly entertaining, I’ll give it that.

It starts off with a snapshot of the story half way through (apparently film noir, but for me I was concerned it would spoil the narration and suspense going forward). That snapshot also provides a glimpse into one of the other key threads in the novel - ‘life as a film’, which again had me questioning the entire premise of the book.

Despite my reservations, the book was a definite page-turner, and by the end I was convinced that the initial snapshot of the future was brilliant, and that the film underpinning wasn’t absurd and convenient (convenient in the sense that the plot just wouldn’t work without it and the protagonists behaviour just wouldn’t be accepted as plausible), but was clever and even a little artistic.

Look, if you suspend the rational for a little bit, this book has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment and enjoyment.

I will split my thoughts in a way the main character of Survive the Night would appreciate: in reference to cinema. So here goes:

The Good:
• Super fun premise
• Well set up to predict future reveals
• Creepy scenes were creepy
• Pretty fast paced
• The numerous car scenes did not get boring so I think that was well written

The Bad:
• Charlie is the dumbest protagonist (I can always suspend disbelief a bit for a thriller, but this was beyond!)
• The 'epilogue' was ineffective and made me not want to ruminate over the plot twists after I finished
• Did not care for small sections from tertiary POVs - I'm not sure what these added, and one caused an actual plot hole!

The Ugly:
• Lazy trope of unreliable narrator via mental illness (that didn't come to as much as I thought it would)
• Seriously Charlie makes the STUPIDEST DECISIONS that no-one would make (especially a woman), even a few decades ago

She's unfortunately a 2🌟 for me (but I think there might be more in it for cinephiles as a guilty pleasure)

However, I would highly recommend Sager's previous book Lock Every Door for a protagonist that makes (slightly) fewer poor choices and a more satisfying turn of events!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Hodder and Staunton for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Love Rileys books and this one didn't let me down, well written and keeps you engaged. Twists and turns all the way through and I would never have guessed the ending.

Well this book takes place over one night, as could be guessed from the title. From receiving my copy to beginning to read it, I didn’t read too many reviews or re read the blurb. So I went in a little blind. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was set in 1991, which meant no mobile phones or internet. It was nice to revisit this time, and I have to say it makes thrillers seem more dangerous as you can’t just call for help on your phone.

The plot begins with the main character Charlie, we learn that her best friend has been murdered on a night out. Charlie feels guilty and wants to leave campus and get home. As she isn’t able to drive herself home she looks for a travel buddy to car share with. Here enters Josh. The majority of the story is between these two characters and told from their points of view.

Because the chapters are written from the two main characters point of view, I got a good sense of who they both are. Personally I didn’t like Charlie and after the first few chapters, any sympathy that I had for her was gone. I found her to be one of the most stupid characters I have ever read about. She made terrible decisions concerning her own safety and I don’t think this was due to lack of common sense I think she just decided to do stupid things. Charlie was a very frustrating character to me. The only positive part of her that I liked was that she used a lot of movie references. These were entertaining and helped to get a better idea of who she was and why she was as she is.

Josh on the other hand was a bit more interesting. I had a few theories about who he was while I read the chapters. I won’t say too much about that because it would lead to spoilers. The writing was easy to read and flowed well.

As we were reading this as part of a book club we ended up reading it much faster than we initially planned.

Overall I have to say that sadly I was a bit disappointed with this book. All the chapters lasted the one night, but then at the very end goes years to the future and tells us what happened there. Again I found Charlie to be continuing to make bad decisions.

I wouldn’t be against reading another book by this author as the writing style and the idea of the plot was good. I just felt to strongly that the decisions made were a little ridiculous. There was also a part of Charlie’s character where she had what she called ” movies in her mind” . It was left unclear whether this was a mental health condition or just part of Charlie’s coping mechanism. ( perhaps it’s the same thing?) I would have liked the epilogue to make this a bit clearer as I felt it was quite a big part of the story that wasn’t explored and explained to the reader enough.

This story was a really surprising one for me, as it was a slow burn for a large proportion of the book, and it felt really predictable. I felt really apprehensive when I read this as it had received a lot of hype and I couldn’t really understand how a thriller based on a single car ride could be anything but predictable. How wrong I was! Although it was a slow burn for the first half of the book, the twists came thick and fast and were 100% unexpected! It was a total rollercoaster as I really thought I had this one figured out and then I was proved wrong... then I definitely had it nailed... but actually didn’t! Towards the end I was just holding my breath in anticipation!

I have to admit that I struggled with Charlie’s character as she tried to come across as risk adverse and safety conscious but in fact, she put herself in some utterly stupid situations. Honestly, the lack of common sense hurt my brain and times and I just wanted to shake some sense into her and wake her up to the situation she put herself in. Her headspace was, at times, a difficult place to negotiate as she was very uncertain of her thoughts and opinions so, as a reader, it felt uncomfortable at times. However, I did grow to appreciate her, and the development of her character was great to witness.

Riley Sager is a master at multiple layer twists as there is never just one huge reveal, instead he opts for smaller yet more frequent reveals throughout the entire book. I personally love this style of writing as it keeps me engaged throughout and my mind races as I try to guess what will happen next. I really really loved the reference to movies throughout the book and this was a constant theme in both the dialogue and the description throughout. Although I am not hugely informed on the ‘classic’ films, it was really lovely to see the Riley Sager’s other passion of films taking centre stage in his novel. I really felt like I not only enjoyed the book, but I now have a huge list of films I need to watch! For me, the pace of writing is hugely important as I love constant drama or friction in a thriller and this book had lots of dialogue, which is a great tool to keep it pacey and I simply love dialogue, so it kept me interested!

I really thought I would not love this book as much as I did! I expected it to be slightly predictable, but I found it to be so unexpected and refreshing! Although I struggled with Charlie’s character, I was able to look past this and enjoy the book for what it was. I definitely feel like I am officially on the Riley Sager train right now as I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to read more of his other books!

I rolled my eyes a lot whilst reading this book. The concept was fun and different and I really wanted to like it,

The protagonist annoyed me from the start. Why, when your best friend’s killer hasn’t been found, would you get into a car with a stranger? Now, you could say she was desperate to leave her college campus, desperate to go home and isolate herself to come to terms with her friend’s death. But urgh, why? 

The pacing, for me, was incredibly slow. Even though we get thrown straight into the story, it was difficult to get into and I found it boring.

This one just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect to the protagonist and I just felt like she was reckless and unlikeable. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author, for a chance to read and review this book.

This is the first Riley Sager book I've read and although I've seen mixed opinions on this book, I was pleasantly surprised. The unconventional format was a treat and made the short chapters easy to read and also helped to understand where you were at all times which in turn helps the reader to picture the scene. I was fully enveloped by the story and the characters. I will definitely be checking out more Riley Sager.

This was my first Riley Sager’s book. As I have seen that many people have given lower ratings on this book compared to his other books so I decided to start with this book so that I wouldn’t have highest expectations.

It’s a slow paced and quite frustrating for the first half because nothing much happens and it’s just repetitive. I had figured out who the “campus killer” was at some point. It’s not a greatest thriller it was an okay read for me. Will definitely read more of his books though as I have already bought all of them. Thankyou Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc.