Survive the Night is the fifth thriller written under the Sager nom de plume and weaves together the atmosphere and plots of film noir and nineties slasher movies to create a scintillating and thoroughly entertaining thrill ride. It's November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana's in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer. After her roommate and best friend Maddy was murdered by the Campus Killer at Olyphant University in New Jersey, Charlie feels she must get away for some respite. She blames herself, and feels guilt and shame, for Maddy’s slaying after letting her walk home alone from a bar back to their dormitory after an argument had ensued. Her deceased body was discovered the following day with multiple stab wounds and a missing tooth; a trophy collected by the Campus Killer double murderer who stalks campuses looking for victims. She decides to leave in the middle of the semester and high tail it back to her home in Ohio, so she posts a flyer looking for someone who might be going her way to give her a ride. Josh Baxter, a janitor at Olyphant, claims to be driving home to Ohio state to care for his sick father. Or so he says. As they travel an empty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly worried Charlie begins to think Josh is not being truthful about who he really is.

He's secretive and won't let her know what's in the boot of the car and she strongly suspects she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. What follows is a game of cat and mouse played out on night-shrouded roads and in neon-lit parking lots, during an age when the only call for help can be made on a payphone and in a place where there’s nowhere to run. Can Charlie survive the night? Riley Sager has done it again! In this compulsive, deliciously devious and endlessly twisty thriller Sager manages to take well-worn horror tropes and elevate them to the next level. It is a nail-biting and nightmare-inducing road trip with the narrative taking place over a single evening, yet it's often hard to fathom exactly why Charlie repeatedly makes ridiculously stupid mistakes. There is plenty of 90’s nostalgia to be had via the mention of the music and movies of the era too. This is one for those who enjoy unreliable narrators. The first half of the story focuses on setting the scene, introducing the cast of characters and Charlie coming to the realisation that her knight in shining armour is possibly a wolf in sheep's clothing who may plan to do her harm. However, past the halfway point the wicked twists come thick and fast and I was completely unprepared for the change of pace. It's dramatic, addictive and genuinely shocking when all the twists, which were plausible and explosive, hit you. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Survive the Night but that has in no way influenced my review.

I am currently suffering the biggest book hangover thanks to the divine Survive the Night. Regular readers of damppebbles may  be aware that I am a huge Riley Sager fan. Sager's debut, Final Girls, is one of my very favourite books (I have a Final Girls purse!). Home Before Dark, which was published last year, was one of my favourite books of 2020. If Riley Sager writes it, I want to read it. Getting my mitts on a copy of Survive the Night sent me a little giddy with joy. I devoured this book. I feel bereft now that it's over. But one thing's for sure, I know nothing else I read for a while is going to come anywhere close to topping Survive the Night.

Charlie has had enough of College and wants to return to the comfort of her home and Nana Norma. Her boyfriend, Robbie, isn't able to drive her to Youngstown for a few more days but Charlie can't wait any longer. Putting her trust in a stranger, she advertises on the 'ride board' for a lift. Which is where she meets Josh Baxter. He seems nice enough. She's cautious, of course. As a movie buff and a Film Theory student, she knows what can happen when you climb into a car with a stranger! She's desperate to return home though. The need to escape Olyphant University and everything that happened there is great. So she reluctantly accepts the risk. Telling herself over and over again to be smart, be brave and be careful. But as the journey progresses, Charlie starts to think she's made a terrible mistake. Could Josh be a serial killer after all...?

The first thing I need to say about Survive the Night is that it felt quite different to the author's previous books. I would classify Sager's books as predominantly mysteries, but mysteries which err on the side of horror. Survive the Night felt more crime noir than any of his previous novels. Movies play a big part of the plot, which may have given the book a different feel. Or it may be the overall vibe of the story (the long drive into the night with a complete stranger). Or perhaps it's because it's set in 1991 and the author has excelled at putting an aged/retro feel into his text (no matter what you say, 1991 wasn't THAT long ago! Thirty years is nothing, right...? ). I can't put my finger on exactly what gives Survive the Night its utterly hypnotic and immersive appeal, but I loved it. If this is the direction the author has chosen to go in, then I'm all for it!

I adored Charlie. If you're a fan of the unreliable narrator then oh boy, you need to get yourself a copy of this book! Charlie, having lost both parents in a car accident when she was younger, and having to deal with the trauma of a double funeral, now experiences 'movies in her mind'. Hallucinations to the rest of us. These vivid scenes play out in front of her and only afterwards, when she has 'come to' does she realise they weren't real. Unfortunately for Charlie, the occurrence and the clarity of these 'movies' is on the increase. Which Josh uses to his advantage...

I was a little concerned, before starting the book, that a tale about a six hour long road trip could end up being a little dry. I needn't have worried. It's anything but! As realisation dawns on Charlie, an intricate game of cat and mouse begins in the confines of Josh's Grand Am. The tension builds beautifully, unease and suspicion mount and it's a glorious, hypnotic thing!

Would I recommend this book? 100%, YES! I loved Survive the Night. Everything about it was perfection on a page. The twists are weaved into the story masterfully. One in particular I was able to guess but as you can see, it certainly didn't spoil my reading experience at all. Plus there are lots of other really clever little details thrown into the story to keep you gripped and turning the pages. Sager has excelled himself. I feel as though I lived this book alongside the characters. Absolutely bloody marvellous! Tense, all absorbing and utterly captivating. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Survive the Night. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Survive The Night was my first book by Sager and it most definitely will not be my last!

Charlie is seeking a way home from her College semester in order to take a breather from the grief and drama she is experiencing at school. She conveniently meets Josh at the college rideboard who is looking for a passenger and is heading in the same direction. College has become too much for Charlie as she is experiencing extreme guilt and grief over the murder of her roomate. Her roommate became the third victim of the campus killer and if Charlie didn’t leave her at the party alone, her roommate would have been safe. On their 6 hour long drive, Charlie starts to get weird vibes from Josh. As they get to know each other she starts to spot holes in his stories and when his wallet falls open in the car exposing his true identity, she begins to realize she is in some serious trouble. Is Josh dangerous? Will she end up getting home safely or will she be in some serious trouble in the middle of nowhere? All Charlie knows is that this car ride is going to have some serious speed bumps and she better make a plan to survive the night.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen all the way until the last page. Survive The Night had a lot of twists and turns and it kept me guessing the whole time. Just when I thought I had it all figured out I was proved wrong time and time again. I loved that this book was from the 90s and stayed true to the time. Sager definitely has a skill for writing as most of this book took place in a car! This book creeped me out and that is something I look for in this genre.

If you’re looking for a thriller that will keep you guessing and give you the creeps, definitely give this one a go!

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton, Riley Sager and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this one. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to review this one before publication date. This book comes out June 29th in North America and December 23 in the UK and I highly recommend you read this one!

Synopsis -

It’s the pre-digital era of 1991. Depressed, saddened & overwhelmed with guilt, from the recent death of her best friend & roommate Maddy, the victim of a serial killer in the campus, Charlie decides to take a break from university. She hitches a ride home with a stranger Josh, who she met at the ride-board. Soon, Charlie realizes Josh is not who he claims to be. As the journey progresses, Charlie’s movie obsession turns into a nightmare, with circumstances demanding that, she stands up for her survival.

Review -

I loved Charlie’s character portrayal. Her fragile mental state due to all the grief & loss, was pictured very well. The comfort she found in movies & the way she employs her imagination as her mental defense mechanism during difficult situations, worked wonders with the plot. Her delusion, suspicions & her mind’s working, all left me dazed & at the edge of my seat.

Though the initial part of the book didn’t get me very interested, gradually Sager’s magic began kicking in. He very cleverly creates confusion, by playing all sorts of mind games on us via Charlie & Josh’s conversation. Blurring the lines between reality & imagination, the reader will just grapple, trying to discern what’s true or false.

Going into the book blind, helped a lot with the surprise factor. I visualized so many scenarios, but mostly got proved wrong. As the author spilt the beans one by one, I did find myself gasping! Charlie’s transformation amazed me & I really rooted for her.

Packed with movie references, I think movie (old & classics) buffs will enjoy this book a lot. Sager took maximum advantage of this throughout the book, influencing Charlie’s behavior & decision making.

Overall, I think this book is a wonderful entertainer. With limited casting, it was not hard to guess the killer towards the end. The ending itself wasn’t really big on the “wow” factor, but it was enough to satisfy my expectations.

Thanks NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton books, for the digital ARC!

this book had so many twists and turns i didn't see coming. I was living for the 90's backdrop. No cell phone's no internet all added to the tension of the whole book.

At times i found it hard to rot for the main character. I just felt like she made too many stupid mistakes one after the other. Parts of the plot were a bit too out there sometimes but i still enjoyed it.

This is the second book i've read by Riley Sager and it won't be the last one that's for sure.

I was so happy to receive the arc of my most anticipated thriller of the year! Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with it in exchange for my honest review!

I can say that it is super twisty, intriguing and tense read. I could not put it down (if I could, I would read it in 1 sitting)! However it is slightly slow paced, but it doesn't spoil the plot and the writing. I enjoyed it a little bit less than some other books by Riley Sager (Lock Every Door and Home Before Dark are still my favorite books written by him).

Even in spite of the fact that I had my conjectures from like middle of the book about the possible twist at the end which eventually really happened, I am still completely satisfied with the plot and the ending itself.
Overall, I think I will settle with 4.5 stars, but since I need to round up, I will give 4 stars in total.
Thank

I was drawn to the premise of this book - what if you realised you were in the wrong place, with a very bad person- and the visual style. Although the book initially drew me in I felt it lost its urgency a third of the way in and struggled to retain that momentum until the final section. Having said that the ideas behind the book and the enjoyment I gained from the first third means I would seek out another book by this author.
(Copy provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review).

This was my most anticipated book of the year and so I was beyond excited when my request for an eARC was accepted.

Riley Sager is an auto-buy author for me. More than the plot, I loved the way he executed the plot. This is a book I read in one sitting. The premise is interesting and the suspense pulse-pounding although you should be ready to suspend disbelief.

Charlie , a college student secures a ride home with a stranger on campus but as they hit the road she realises he maybe a serial killer or maybe not ?? What follows is a cat and mouse game which only adds to the question - Who will 'Survive the night?'

This is an amazing thriller that drips of 90's nostalgic music and films/movies with absolutely no cell phones.

If you love twisted and abhorrent characters and a wild ride keeping you guessing at every turn of the page then this is definitely the book for you.

Survive the night comes out on Tuesday, June 29th. This is going to be a popular read for sure.

Thank you to @netgalley @hodderbooks for providing me with an electronic ARC. This review and all opinions are my own.

Let me just start by saying that I LOVED this one! Riley Sager is one of my all time favorite thriller authors, so I was dying to get a copy of Survive the Night. I’d seen some mixed reviews come in from other early reviewers, but I didn’t read any of them prior to reading the book, because I wanted to go in fairly blind. I’m glad I did, because I ended up absolutely loving this one. Of Sager’s 5 novels, it’s up there at the top of the list with me as one of my favorites of his!

After the murder of her roommate/best friend by a serial killer known as the ‘Campus Killer’, Charlie can’t stay at school any longer. The trauma she’s endured between the death of her parents and now her friend has resulted in her seeing “movies in her mind” – she zones out and sees a false reality happening. She wants to go home to visit her grandmother, but since she doesn’t drive, she agrees to ride with a stranger named Josh that she meets at the campus ride share board. As their ride progresses, she becomes increasingly convinced that he’s lying to her, and may actually be the Campus Killer. Remember – this is set in 1991, so there are no cell phones she can use to call for help! That combined with the fact that she can’t always trust what she “sees” happening because of her mental movies lead to a tense, fast-paced, gripping story, and I devoured every second of it.

The novel is told sort of like reading a script or play – you get to see the location of each part of the book through headings, for example “INT GRAND AM”, so you know it’s set inside of the Grand Am car that our main character Charlie is in. In addition to that element, Charlie is a film student who is a big movie buff. There are several movies, directors, and actors mentioned throughout the book – it really is an homage to classic film in addition to being a thriller.

As I said before, I adored this one, from beginning to end (especially the end!) and rated it 5 big stars! I think this would be an excellent mini-series! Lots of twists and turns, a narrator who can’t trust herself, and an element of being ‘trapped’ in a car with someone you can’t trust. What more could you want?! I can’t wait to see what Sager writes next!

It's November 1991. Charlie's best friend, Maddy, was murdered by a still-at-large serial killer. To get away from it all, Charlie decides to take a trip home to see her nan. Good thing Josh Baxter also needs to drive cross country to visit his sick father, or so he says. After all, what does Charlie really know about Josh?

YAS. This is my new favourite Riley Sager book. I loved Lock Every Door but the ending was too far fetched for me for it to be a 5-star read. This one was so good.

What I loved:
- Charlie was big into her movie references, so I love that the whole book is framed as a script.
- The twists kept coming and they were believable.
- Sager did a great job at ramping up and maintaining the sense of uneasiness and tension.
- It was the perfect length.
- I adore the full circle ending of this book.

Any negatives?
- I'm not sure if it's because I basically read this book in two parts, but I do think that the first half of this book is stronger than the last half.

HOWEVER, the whole thing is great so go read this book!

Riley Sagar’s books are hit or miss for me personally and this was a miss unfortunately.
Charlie is seeking a ride. She wants to leave her university. Her best friend got killed by a serial killer, but Charlie keeps agonising over that last night and the role she played which inevitably led to her friend’s death. Meet Jake. He works at the university and coincidentally is leaving the campus and offers Charlie a ride. But there are no such thing as coincidences. And there’s more to Jake than meets the eye. Perhaps Charlie made the biggest mistake of her life taking a lift from a senior.

I wanted to like this book. It has a great premise, but it got really repetitive with Charlie unable to make up her mind on whether to trust Jake or not and jumping to conclusions. Then there was the issue with making her be an unreliable narrator by having her hallucinate in a movie-style. It confused me and was a cheap way of creating suspense. There were plenty of twists in the second half which kicks of massively for me and was compelling, I admit. Shame the first half was so baggy! 2,5/5

Riley Sager writes such compelling reads. It’s popcorn reads, a term coined by Abby of Crimebythebook 🍿 Books that fun, and you’ve gotta suspend your disbelief a little to enjoy the read, and that’s what Survive the Night. An ode to slasher movies, and films in general.
This follows 20-year old Charlie haunted by her best friend’s murder and her own guilt over the role she played. She wants to go back home. She meets Josh, who’s leaving the university campus coincidentally and offers her ride. But the several killer who killed her friend has not yet been caught, and then during the car journey Charlie has reasons to believe that Josh is lying to her...Could he be the killer?
This was a fun, breezy read. It’s set in real-time over a few hours, and has plenty of twists and turns. This was the perfect escapist read to the year 1991. Sager has penned the slashed fiction that is steeped in 90s nostalgia.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 . . . 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

Charlie and Josh meet at the car share board at uni and discover theyre both heading in the same direction so agree to ride the journey together, but with the murder of her best friend fresh in her mind, Charlie starts to doubt she’s made the right decision being alone with a stranger!

This was a slow burn for me, I was expecting so much more suspense than I actually felt but it picked up around 60% with more action. There was a twist I didn’t expect, but I wasn’t gobsmacked, I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

I so wanted to love this book after loving previous offerings form this author, however it just seemed to fall flat for me. I guessed the main twist pretty early on as it was a little predictable but I was pleased to have a few surprise mini twists throughout.
I didn't connect with the main character in any way, I found her quite annoying to be honest and wasn't invested in her outcome. The story itself was pretty outlandish in parts and I found that difficult to get through.
Overall I'd say its worth a read but perhaps not the top of a burgeoning TBR pile.
Huge thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC of this book on exchange for an honest review.

Oh, my giddy aunt! Yay, I have FINALLY found something to rival All the Missing Girls in my affection! Well, almost...

So, I loved this. What a roller coaster of a ride it was, with twists and turns, and quite a few whammies thrown in. I must confess, I did get a bit mixed up every now and then, not sure if we were part of a movie or real life, but hey, as it turns out it didn't really matter.

I did have an inkling as to who the baddie was, but was never completely sure, not until it became obvious, that is. Charlie was great, I really enjoyed her, and that ending... That's what clinched it for me. It does occasionally stretch the imagination a bit, but so what? That's exactly what thrillers and novels (and movies!) are for.

Thanks to the author and publisher for my ARC.

Riley Sager's novel Survive The Night takes place over the course of one night, where main character Charlie tries to escape her college town and the memories of her best friend's murder, but doesn't quite know what is real and what is her imagination...

I really enjoyed the element of the unreliable narrator in this story, and found the inclusion of stage directions to introduce chapters very original. I almost felt I was reading a screenplay, which tied in nicely with the plot. For me the first half of the book was rather slow going, and the writing seemed quite repetitive, however there were plenty of twists and turns later on which I didn't expect at all, and which kept me reading on to the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thriller which is a fairly easy read but which has some good surprises in store.

What a ride!!!! I totally thought I had this booked sussed about halfway through. Even though I thought I knew where this book was going, I was still so compelled to keep reading. And I’m so glad I did, because I was wrong. This book took some unexpected turns in the second half which moved it from a 4 star to a 5 for me. I did unfortunately randomly guess part of the ending, but the way it was revealed and the action at the end had me racing to finish it. This book would make such a good film.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review,

Don`t you hate when one of your most anticipated releases doesn’t live up to your expectations? Well, that’s the case with Survive the night, the fifth Riley Sager I’ve read and the first one I’ve rated lower than 4 stars. Back when I first read the synopsis I thought this would be and addictive, edge-of-your-seat thriller but it took me more than half the book to get to the “can’t stop turning the pages” stage. First half was slow and quite repetitive, though I loved the numerous movie references. It’s not until the 60% mark that things start to pick up, but after a great scene at a diner, the plot took a turn that I found a bit outlandish and not that believable and the final twist, though nice, was quite predictable.

A quite average read with some suspenseful scenes but a bit of a letdown compared to Mr. Sager’s other books.

So I really really like Riley Sager as an author. I devoured all of his novels and at least liked, often loved them. "Survive the Night" is yet another unique thriller that I couldn't put down once I started reading it. Still, I do have to say that out of all of Sager's books, this is one of my least favourites.

"Survive the Night" has an intriguing and highly claustrophobic premise: Two people in one car, one of them a killer. Sounds great, starts out great, too. Additionally, the whole cinematic concept with the protagonist not only being a film buff, but zoning out to see her own films playing in her mind was an interesting one. I liked Charlie, I liked the whole premise. The pacing is fast as usual, the story gripping and exciting thanks to Sager's awesome writing, but the execution is often a little flawed.

I stumbled upon some parts that simply didn't make much sense, and while the concept is cool, Charlie's... well what was it? mental illness? often seemed too jarringly unrealistic. The cast of characters is relatively small so some reveals and twists didn't really work well because they were just too predictable. I saw almost all of it coming, with the biggest mystery (the murderer of Charlie's best friend and some other girls from her college) being the most predictable one. Additionally, the whole final part of the movie is just an insanely wild ride that felt somehow tonally disconnected from the rest of the book. There is a sort of explanation for that in the epilogue, but I still just didn't enjoy it much.

In the end, "Survive the Night" is a solid, unique thriller with a great concept but a not so great execution. It's a quick, entertaining read for sure.