Having read and loved Riley Sager before I was interested in the blurb for Survive The Night. I did enjoy the book it just took a while to get going, I was not prepared for the twists and turns that awaited me. I did guess what was happening at 80% but this didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story.

This is one hell of a twisted tale, never know what is true and what is make believe, only thing we do know that is true is that somebody is a killer but who.
A struggle at the begging to get into the ways of the mind telling the story but really well worth the effort once it gets going you are totally entrapped. Is it the Stockholm syndrome or is it the opposite?

Be warned, this book is addictive! I intended to read this over a few evenings at a leisurely pace, but ended up devouring it in two sittings. I just needed to know how it would end. It is crammed with tension which is racked up at just the right pace throughout. Lots of twists and turns make this an enjoyable read.

Completely inhaled this book in one go, it definitely keeps you hooked throughout. This is one I've been building up to for a while because I thought it might be terrifying but it stays firmly in a good suspense driven territory. There are a ton of twists and turns that I didn't see coming but then had a real 'of course' moment when they happened. All in all I was gripped.

But wow, was I also frustrated. Charlie? Rarely has a protagonist made quite so many completely ridiculous decisions, I was close to screaming at the screen more than once. The reasoning for the killings? Truly wild, so wild that I actually laughed. And wow, the ending? That choice was really a kicker for bad decision making.

Basically what I'm saying is this book is completely off the wall ridiculous. So many irredeemable choices but I'm still making up my mind about whether it's in a fun way or not. If nothing else, it's certainly a rollercoaster of a time.

The first book I have read by Riley Sager, certainly won't be my last.

Easy to read - check.
Thrilling - check.
Not too many characters/a plot that can be followed - check.

But above all, it was a unique mix between a long car journey and a serial killer.

With that in mind, why didn't it get five stars? If truth be told, whilst I couldn't put the book down, the ending left me unsatisfied; it felt rushed and not as original as the preceding chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book which was certainly a non stop "ride'> There were definitely parts that felt like the author was throwing every possible plot twist in but overall there were a couple of twists that caught me by surprise. The premise of a girl taking a ride from a stranger and then wondering if the stranger is in fact the campus killer. The signs do not look good!
I gave this book a 4 star rating because I felt it was overloaded in many ways with too many plot lines that made it feel to the reader that just too much washing on. This may not have been the book for me but there will be many readers who will love it

Nevermind Survive the Night I was worried I wouldn't survive this ridiculous book. 🙄

I was warned ahead of time that I'd need to suspend disbelief but this was a stretch too far for my liking.

First of all Charlie is dumb, dumb, dumb. She's also a little off her rocker with her *mind* movies where she blanks out and hallucinates. Did I tell you that she's stopped taking her meds? *Gasp*

So Charlie's friend is murdered viciously, the killer is still on the loose, so she decides to ditch college to go home to her grandmother. Totally understandable. What I couldn't understand is why she would sign up for a ride share and accept a ride with a complete stranger. A man none-the-less. Oh wait! I know why, it's so this book exists. Got it!

So a good majority of the book is her and Josh riding together to Ohio. What a snooze. Basically the entire time it's just Charlie thinking to herself that he's the killer, he's going to kill and rape me, only to then say no, I'm crazy why would I think like this, which would then circle back to he's a killer, what am I going to do?

Not sure what you should do, Charlie, but if I were Josh I'd be dropping you off at the next exit.

Things only get more convoluted from here. Like, you REALLY can't expect me to buy into this. I can't discuss what I found so effing annoying because it would be a spoiler but I assure you I wasn't pleased with the route Sager took.

To top it all off I figured out the killer in like the first five minutes of reading this. I said to myself I bet you any money that this *person* did it and I was spot on correct. With such a small cast of characters it wasn't to hard to figure out.

So, yeah, as you can see this one was not a winner for me. In fact, I think I am parting ways with Sager because I find that his books annoy me rather than entertain me. 2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my complimentary copy.

Having read ‘Home Before Dark’ recently, also by Riley Sager, I knew he could set a scene well and tell a gripping tale. ‘Survive the Night’ is all that, and any story that references movies like Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity within the first page is off to a good start with me. It helps set the noir thriller atmosphere of this dark and twisty, cat and mouse road trip. Although I rushed through the book and recommend it as good reading for a dark winter’s night - I do have reservations…

Set in 1991, college student Charlie needs to get home now to escape the trauma of her best friend’s murder by the Campus Killer. After advertising on the college message board, she accepts the offer of a night-long lift from a stranger called Josh.
This is the main premise of the story and just the first of many times that the reader has to suspend their disbelief. When Harry Met Sally or slasher road movie?

Charlie knows the dangers but goes for it anyway, despite having doubts from the start. The author works hard to justify Charlie’s decisions. Her film obsession acts as motivation, reasoning and emotional escape for her, to the extent that she has interludes of dropping out of reality while a hallucinatory ‘movie’ in her brain takes over from real life. Newly off her meds, this helpful device means that Charlie and the reader always have reason to doubt what she thinks is happening to her. “She’s the girl who sees movies in her mind, and Josh is the guy who fills his trunk in a weird way. End of story.” But I found myself at many points saying “Whaat? No!” A woman in real life would not make these choices. Similarly, there are some really dubious character motivations and actions throughout. I guess this is all part of the reader’s participatory experience, just as in a scary movie when the characters choose to go into the haunted house. Just be prepared to go with it and suspend your disbelief a LOT, or risk chucking your book/reading device at the wall.

The 1991 setting is fun and necessary (pay phones only) - but did we really say “my bad” back then?

Overall there’s plenty to be gripped by and plenty to be annoyed at in this novel, but it is an entertaining read. Wonder if it’ll be made into a movie?

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are entirely my own.

This was my first Riley Sager and this was beyond disappointing, it was so boring and one dimensional

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The protagonist in this is definitely the person who gets killed first in a horror movie. It is hard to believe that someone would go on a long drive with a man they've never met before, never mind whilst there's a serial killer about. There are a lot of parts where you can't tell if what happened was real or if it was Charlie being in "one of her movies"

This aside, I still found it an interesting concept and the ending was unexpected, which made me enjoy it more.

I finished this book over 24 hours ago and this is the longest I have ever waited to write a review. I normally like to do it when the book is fresh in my mind and go by my initial feelings but I really didn't know how to even start writing this review as I both loved and hated it...which is why after thought the 3 stars.

Firstly;
* I adored the style. I loved it being wrote like a screenplay/movie script...absolutely adored this.
One of my favourite writing styles I have seen in a long time and it just worked so well.
*The atmosphere was so creepy. It worked so well and was so descriptive and I could visualise every scene...which is a credit to the writing
* I really enjoyed the story and the unravelling of who the campus killer was.
* Once I started I could not put it down.
* Really enjoyed the car journey and all exchanges between Charlie and Josh.
* It definitely highlighted gaslighting and how easily this can be done.
*I liked the ending...thought last couple of pages were quite clever.


Now onto the negatives:

*Charlie was possibly one of the stupidest characters in literature. Her best friend murdered by a killer still on the lose...yet everything she does is so unbelievably dumb...I would say NO ONE should put herself in the situations she does let alone someone who has the trauma she has had and yet there she goes. I wanted to shake her! When others don't protect you...please protect yourself at least!
*Charlie blaming herself. Understand guilt (who doesn't) but was such a tenuous link on why she should blame herself for what happened to Maddy. Made me really cross. This goes back to the whole blame the victim thing...Charlie's actions didn't cause anything. The killers did.
At one point I was really happy to see this idea start to be explored but it was never really fleshed out which was a shame as it needed to be
* The last 25% of the book. HATED HATED HATED it. It went from being a taut interesting and original thriller to completely jumping the shark. It became ridiculous and I was really disappointed....I actually laughed out loud a couple of times because no, I couldn't suspend belief ...and it really didn't need all the extra bits.

It was a taut well written book up until it decided to try to surprise us a few times. I especially hated every scene with Marge.

Overall though I loved the writing style and it did grip me. Will definitely be reading other books by this author.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I could just see this as a streaming movie and I think it would work a lot better. I did read it in one session but I got so annoyed with some of the characters that I wanted to shake them. I am glad that I read it but it really was more of a hate read if that makes sense.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Another cracking read from Sager, I would advise as I did, going into this blind and enjoying the ride(pun intended)

Set in the very early 90s, in a world with little internet and no mobile phones, this one again has a real 80s slasher feel to it despite having only a small amount of violence in it.

Taking place over a 6 hour period as a girl takes a lift with a stranger, this is not your garden variety serial killer story. Its more of a suspense thriller as the author plays with your sense of what is and isnt real.

There are some twists in this that were fantastic, a real sense that I had the carpet pulled from under my feet. The main twist towards the end was kind of obvious but at that point it didnt really matter as the book was so enjoyable.

Sagers writing style is as always utterly readable. You will be lost in this book and finished it before you know it.

Yes our main protagonist does make some questionable decisions from time to time but it in no way takes away from the fun of this book. Yes this book is a fun read despite the subject matter.

Grab yourself a copy if you can and as I said at the start, go in blind for maximum enjoyment.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

This was my first every Riley Sager book and a highly anticipated one at that — because I know that people just love his books and I also love a good thriller.

But… and I’m not sure if I was unduly influenced by some of the reviews I’d read prior to picking this one up… the first two-thirds of the book bored me a bit.

I just didn’t love the incessant mind games that took place in the car, I found the twist a bit far-fetched and the conclusion had me like, yeah right!

So, all in all not the most satisfying thriller for me.

However, because I know that so many people have loved his previous books I will totally give him another go at some point.

I was so looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately for me it did not deliver. Talk about a slow burner I kept waiting for something to happen. Charlie was so annoying and dumb. I just wanted to shake her. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

This was stupid and I’m annoyed.

What a frustrating book, with frustrating characters and a frustrating plot. The plot was pointless, the twists rubbish and the main character an absolute idiot with all the sense of a wet paper towel.

And then the author goes on a tangent about women not being believed enough which I am in full agreement with, but it won’t make me think any better of Charlie. What a wet wipe.

A quick and easy read though so sure I’ll look into more of Riley’s work but this was very disappointing.

Charlie is drowning in grief and guilt after the death of her best friend, Maddy. After an argument in a club, Charlie said things she shouldn’t to Maddy and they parted ways only for the Campus Killer to swoop in to make Maddy their latest victim. Now Charlie finds the university is filled with haunting memories of Maddy and she needs to escape. She signs up to a ride share with Josh, a fellow student she hasn’t met, in order to get away as soon as possible. Not long after they hit the road, it’s clear Josh is not all he seems and hiding something. Could Charlie had accepted a lift from the Campus Killer? Can she survive the night?

“Survive the Night” was a fast paced, real page turner of a thriller. Tension and plot twists are really well crafted by the author so that I struggled to put the book down or stop thinking about it when I had to stop reading. Yes, I figured out the identity of the killer early on but I still enjoyed being along for the ride (if you pardon the awful pun) whilst Charlie figured it out. I could have done without Charlie’s unique defence mechanism of imagining film scenes when the going gets tough - that just got irritating after a while. There were a couple of plot holes/actions that didn’t fit in with the characters the author had built up- unfortunately I can’t elaborate here as I want to avoid spoilers. However all in all the book delivered all I want from a thriller - an interesting and unique plot, a fast and tense pace and a satisfying ending. I would recommend it other fans of the genre. As Charlie might say, it would certainly make a good movie.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a little bit of a slow and confusing start, but once I understood Charlie’s penchant for seeing movies in her mind, I was able to delve into the flow of the writing much more easily.

There’s something about stories where the bulk of the plot takes place over one day/evening. Notable movies in this area are: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Empire Records, and my personal favourite The Breakfast Club. I’m sure there are books in this field, but I can’t think of any except This Loe Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher. How these writers fit in so much plot, character growth, and action over such a short time frame is nothing short of masterful.

Survive the Night, as the title implies, follows Charlie, our movie obsessed protagonist over one evening where while trying to get away from the mayhem caused by The Campus Killer at her college, she may have actually accepted a ride from New Jersey to Ohio WITH him.
She can’t be certain, but something about her ride share buddy definitely seems off.
Cue in some well placed early 90s music and what we have here is a psychological thriller that will play with your own mind as much as Charlie’s.
I’m certainly never going to hear Nirvana’s Come As You Are in the same way again.

It’s my first Riley Sager novel and I dare say it won’t be my last. I struggled to put it down.l and totally got into the heart in mouth moments, the blood pumping tension, the fear of being trapped in a car with someone who may or may not be a serial killer.
Whoo-wee this was one wild ride (pardon the pun!)

Full of movie quotes, red herrings, misdirections, and a protagonist that finds even herself to be unreliable, Survive the Night is one heck of a suspense novel that carries a strong message.
Not all strangers are dangerous, and not all loved ones are safe.

Many thanks to Riley Sager, Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. While I may have guessed some parts, the confirmation and the way things played out, were equally as exciting!

Book titles rarely give a true picture of the plot, but this is an exception since it is basically a story of continuous jeopardy throughout one night in November 1991. Charlie is a student of Cinema at Olyphant University, an introverted girl who experiences episodes where the real world sinks beneath a hallucination which looks and operates like a cinematic version of the situation, or a plausible extrapolation from the present. Possibly a defence mechanism she had created to get through the death of her parents in a car crash, these episodes have become more extreme since her roommate, Maddy, became the third victim of the “Campus Killer”. Charlie is riddled with guilt because, after an argument, she had abandoned Maddy at a dance, leaving her to walk home alone. Her last glimpse of Maddy was of her lighting a cigarette for a man, a man she can’t describe because the scene had been overlaid with a Hollywood veneer. Haunted by Maddy appearing in hallucinatory flashbacks and current movies in her mind Charlie wants to flee to the safety of her grandmother’s house. Her boyfriend, Robbie, offers to take her in a few days but she feels she can’t wait and puts up a notice on the University “Ride Board” seeking a lift. Josh, a stranger but apparently a fellow student, happens to be nearby at that moment and becomes her driver for the trip, leaving shortly before midnight and due to last about six hours. Shortly after they set off, she becomes suspicious of Josh and concludes that he is the “Campus Killer”. For reasons which appear increasingly contrived, she strings along with him as they drive onwards into the wilderness of the Poconos.
The author is good at building tension through the various scenes, but Charlie’s rationale for sticking with Josh (which shifts several times) never seems very convincing. When the first big reveal occurs it seems to require that Charlie seeking a car ride with a stranger was inevitable but I can’t deduce why this would be the case. The second is not exactly a surprise. The aftermath doesn’t accord with any police or other legal procedures. If you are prepared to overlook these issues then it is a good and fairly exciting story.
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.

Gripping, enthralling, dark, tense and atmospheric. I couldnt put this book down, from the storyline to the characters everything just came together perfectly on the pages. I loved it.