I was soooo over the moon, couldn't stop smiling, wanting to jump for joy, happy to be approved for an ARC copy of this. So firstly thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, you made my day, week, month and possibly year!
I have only read one Riley Sager book before this, The Only One Left, and gave it five stars because I loved it. I felt it was so good I wasn't sure this could compare, but it definitely did! I loved this book. It's similar to The Only One Left in that it starts as quite a slow burn, they both definitely gripped me from the start, but for the first part of the book you're getting to know the characters, in this one its Ethan the main character. But like in The Only One Left, once the twists in this book start they don't stop! It's dual timelines and we're introduced to Ethan both in the present as an adult and as a boy in 1994. Whilst they're camping in 1994 his best friend Billy goes missing. He can't remember seeing or hearing anything that night but suffers from insomnia and constant dreams of that night. The story unfolds then telling the story of the few days before Billy went missing, this is told alongside Ethan of the present day back in his childhood home, trying to figure out once and for all what happened to his best friend. I think that's all I can say without giving too much away. But this book has it all, it's a thriller but has mystery, suspense and even paranormal laced through it. I find anything to do with the paranormal a bit hit and miss but this one is definitely a hit. It definitely has a paranormal aspect to it but it isn't in your face and doesn't take over the story. I know a lot of people don't like that aspect to their thrillers, but I 100% do as long as it doesn't take over the whole story. I loved the nostalgic feel of the chapters in 1994, they reminded me of my own childhood camping in the feild behind my parents house. This book dealt with a lot of themes such as loss, grief, friendship and mental health. There was a good cast of characters, most of which were children in 1994 and adults now. And you get to the point where everyone is a suspect as the author leads you to believe one thing only to drag the rug out from under you and lead you in a different direction. This book gave me all the Stephen King Vibes, not quite as descriptive as King (is anyone?!?!) but honestly just as good, so if you like King, I would imagine you'd like this. I've now purchased this authors entire back catalogue to work through seeing as the two I've read so far are five star reads for me.
All in all I think this is definitely one to keep a look out for!

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager takes readers on a suspenseful journey through a seemingly idyllic suburban paradise where dark secrets lurk beneath the surface.

Narrated in a conversational first person style, the story is rich in description, vividly bringing the setting to life.

The narrative skilfully navigates between a thirty year period of summer 1994 and summer 2024 adding layers of intrigue where past and present collide. For me, it was very much like watching a captivating murder mystery thriller television show but with the scenes playing out in my imagination.

While the book is full of twists and turns, I felt that they took longer to unravel than I would have liked which left me craving for quicker revelations.

I thought however, the ending was stunningly done and by the end I really loved the main character and his journey throughout the book.

This book was a high 3.75/5 stars.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, NetGalley, and of course Riley Sager for allowing me to read and review ‘Middle Of The Night’

This is very far from the first book I’ve read by Riley Sager and as soon as I read the blurb I knew I wanted to read this book. A 10 year old boy called Billy disappears from his very safe neighbourhood and thirty years later his family and friends still don’t have answers. The first half of the book was a look at the guilt and the loss that was being felt by his then best friend Ethan, who was present the night Billy disappeared. I thought it had started to wrap up when suddenly the book starts to unravel and secrets are revealed. I guessed the who, but not the how and the why but I still kept reading. Riley’s characters are always so fleshed out and you really do feel for them and their struggles. Really enjoyed this book and nothing is as it seems in this neighbourhood.

This book is all creepy and ghosty and nostalgic… it’s quite an unusual tale, even for Riley, Sager, but with the usual twists and magic we expect from him. A must request.

Riley Sager churns books out at a million miles an hour and I am HERE. FOR. IT. 👏🏻 This wasn’t his best work, but I still read it in a day and had a brilliant time with it! If you’re a fan of Eerie Indiana, Stranger Things & Goosebumps, you’ll love this book.

A slightly spooky thriller that is not my normal go to type of book but it definitely had me hooked. A fast paced book that makes you question everyone and everything but still leaves you surprised.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton, NetGalley and the author for the ARC of Middle of the Night.
Riley Sager is one of my go to authors so I was very excited to read this book, especially as the main character is a male which is not typical for Sager. This is a fast paced, page turner that will have you gripped and did not disappoint. I loved the spooky elements to the book and found myself genuinely scared at points which was exciting. The twist at the end was something I hadn't even considered and I had nearly suspected everyone in the book at that point. I have no doubt this will be an incredibly popular book this summer! 4.5 stars

"In my experience, men who say they want the truth end up wishing they had settled for a lie"

The latest from Riley Sager, due to be released July 2nd, sees Ethan return to his childhood home desperate to understand what happened to Billy, his best friend, who still haunts his dreams 30 years later.

Like many of his books, there are plenty of red herrings dropped throughout the narrative to put Ethan, and the reader, off the trail of the real killer. The tension builds slowly throughout but rachets up in the last quarter ready for the final reveal at the end.

Home Before Dark, the first book I read by Sager, remains my favourite by him and I'm not sure it can be topped, but Middle of the Night was still a fun twisty thriller to dive into.

Very claustrophobic!

This is a very creepy novel. Two boys camping in a garden and then one of them wakes up to find a slit in the tent and no friend....

Many years later, he thinks he sees his missing friend in the street or at least he senses his presence.
The woods, the street - this was Riley territory to be sure. I could see this play out like a Stephen King film.

Did I say this was creepy?

This book…wow! A dark and disturbing thriller that had me desperate to read just one more chapter. A cast of shady characters, a gripping story, everything I want from a book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

YES, Riley Sager!!

'Middle of the Night' is a thriller, holding a dab of supernatural, that immediately grabs your attention & has so many hooks & twists to keep you guessing throughout. It also has that perfect level of spookiness & horror, whilst still feeling like none of it is quite outside the realm of possibility; which, for me, made it that much more enjoyable, as it didn't feel over the top or silly.

My favourite thing about this book, though, was it's characters & they're development. It wasn't difficult to feel connected to every single person (which is quite the feat, as most of the time there's always someone unlikeable or unrelatable!) & I really rooted for a positive & satisfying ending (which I'm pleased to say, I got).

'Middle of the Night' was another fantastic read from Riley Sager & shows another reason why he's one of my favourite authors. I already can't wait to read his next novel!

Thank you to NetGalley, Riley Sager & Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read & review the ARC of 'Middle of the Night'; all views are honest & my own.

I absolutely loved every book I have read by Riley Sager and this one was no different, the darkness and twists are like no other.

I really enjoy Riley Sager novels and this one was no exception.

God, this got SO creepy at times that I wondered if I could continue reading it. I have a vivid imagination and let me tell you, I was dreaming up some frightful and creepy thoughts. No thanks! This shows that there was really great, evocative writing though.

I thought the mystery was well planned and executed. For a good portion of the novel I was absolutely lost. I’d say it was about halfway through that I started to theorise and make some guesses as to who was messing with Ethan in his garden and who murdered Billy, and I’m very smug in saying that I guessed correctly even though I did not have one of the motives pinned down.

I liked how this novel went from the present to the past, and included different perspectives to get other sides of the story and to build in suspense as it made some people look more suspicious and others less suspicious. For me the clue is in the absences, and that’s all I’m going to say on that matter.

There’s a big change for Ethan at the end where he becomes something he never wanted to be and I’m not sure how I feel about it. On one hand I feel it felt out of place due to his past reluctance, yet on the other it demonstrated his healing and how coming to terms with his trauma changed certain views and beliefs of his.

All in all I really did enjoy this, I found it suspenseful, intriguing and well written. I liked the final twist at the end and I think it spoke to a certain set of people who view real life true crime as entertainment and feel ‘disappointed’ when the facts of the case are ‘a let down’ like someone hasn’t been murdered. I can’t say too much on this, however, without spoiling.

I've read the majority of Riley Sagers' work, with The Only One Left being my favourite and the last book of his that I've read. With how much I loved his previous work, I was excited to dive into The Middle of the Night, and I wasn't disappointed.

Middle of the Night, is a fast-paced page-turner, that grabs your attention from the start and keeps you interested through its structure and reveals (some of which I didn't see coming). It blends ideas of the supernatural, with classic thriller/mystery elements, that keep you guessing as to which direction the novel will ultimately take. However, I found that the mysterious Hawthorne Institute was underutilised, which left me disappointed. It was an interesting plot point, which could have added even more depth to the story but ultimately, it was mentioned and quickly explained away.

Overall, a solid novel that kept me entertained, but in the future, I'd love to see Sager write an all-out paranormal story. In my opinion, this is where he truly excels.

Riley Sager is an auto-buy author for me so I was thrilled to get access to Middle of the Night.

I loved the dual timeframes, slipping effortlessly between the day when 10 year old Ethan wakes in a tent in his backyard to find his best friend Billy gone, and the present where a sleep-deprived Ethan has returned home and is feeling haunted by Billy's presence.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the relatively small community of neighbours on the cul de sac of Hemlock Circle. Childhood and the influence of early friendships are vivid, there are twists, and an element of the supernatural, but what really affected me was the exploration of guilt and grief. Highly recommend this one.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

On Friday night July 15 1994 ten-year-old Ethan Marsh and his ten-year-old best friend Billy Barringer fell asleep ‘camping in a tent’ in Ethans backyard. The next morning Ethan wakes up to find a big slash down the side of the tent, Billy’s shoes are still there as well as his sleeping bag but Billy is gone.

Now its July 2024 and Ethan has moved back into his childhood home in Hemlock Circle in New Jersey, his parents, Joyce and Fred Marsh have moved to Florida. To this day Billy has never been found dead or alive.

Ethan suffers from insomnia and is always awake in the middle of the night as he looks outside at the street below, he can see the neighbourhood search lights turning on and then off one by one almost like someone is walking past but Ethan cannot see anyone else outside its almost ghostlike as there is nobody there. The next morning there is a baseball in Ethan’s backyard, a code that means let’s play that only Ethan and his next-door neighbour and best friend Billy knew. Ethan asks everyone on the street but they all deny leaving the ball there. Ethan has never believed in ghosts but now he thinks Billy is haunting him and asking him to help solve the mystery of his disappearance thirty years ago.

I loved this book! I could not put it down and couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Billy.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton Publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! I look forward to reading other books by this author. There were so many twists in this book I didn’t see coming. But then again I rarely can figure books out. I would definitely recommend this book!

Huge thanks for the arc!!

The story had a nostalgic feel to it and I thought the dual timelines and multiple POVs worked well, as well as supernatural touches throughout and the whole mystery of what was going on at the Hawthorne Institute.
I had a strong feeling that two characters in particular were up to no good, but this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story overall.

Book review 📚
Middle of the night by Riley Sager - 4/5 ⭐

As most did, I jumped at the chance to read the ARC when it released. I'm a huge Sager fan, and he has yet to disappoint me.

Like most of his books, it's not an in your fact kind of suspense/thriller. Sager takes normal a makes it a bit less normal with a pinch of thriller. But it's addictive. You don't stop trying to piece together bits of information and you are always trying to spot the plot twist.

Unlike majority of Sagers books, middle of the night was a much more slow burn pace but it wasn't boring by any means. There are great characters and fantastic plot lines. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and stoughton for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

This is Sager’s first novel following a male protagonist, how exciting. Ethan has moved back into his childhood home, the place where he experienced the worst night of his life; the night his best friend/neighbor was abducted from right beside him when they were camping in a tent in Ethan’s backyard. Ethan is now grown and Billy’s remains have been found and Ethan is determined to find who’s responsible after all these years.

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. I liked the setting and the premise of this book. However, the execution & plot line fell flat. Throughout the story I felt disconnected from the characters, there were far too many red herrings, and parts of the story were repetitive.

I enjoyed the ending of this book even though by the time I got there I wasn’t invested in the outcome. I didn’t guess the killer.


Mild spoilers……


I also felt that the addition of the institute was so unnecessary and wasn’t intriguing enough as a plot line to cause me to wonder its significance in Billy’s disappearance.