Survive the Night

5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've been hearing some mixed reviews on this one.
To be honest, while I was reading even into the middle of the book, I was unsure I was going to rate it higher than 4 stars IF that.
It confused me a bit because it was heavy on the unreliable narrator trope. I felt like I knew where the book was heading and it felt a little disappointing. I ended up predicting one of the twists but the other twist is what gave it 5 stars for me!! ⭐️
It literally made me jump up from bed and gasp and I love when books can really surprise you like that.
The very end of the book wasn't my absolute favorite but it did wrap things up enough for me to thoroughly enjoy it.
That TWIST though. That's what did it.

Read for Summerween 2021 - book with orange or black on the cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD0XJfa0dAU

I really really enjoyed this book a lot. The twists and turns had me shooketh and shaken and I love how unreliable the narrator was. It did take me a little bit of suspending my belief to think a woman would get into a car with a stranger in the 90s but it was talked about a lot in the book specifically her desperation. I also talked to my mom about it who was actually alive in the 90s lol and she said women's safety wasn't as big of a thing as it is now.

This will be the second book from Riley Sager that I have read and it most definitely will not be the last.

It started slow but by the time I got into the middle of this book, I was constantly on edge. There's something about books like these that just have a hold on me and I always seem to struggle to find the ability to put it down even just for a moment.

I love books where I struggle to find the main protagonists reliable. I love not knowing who to trust or who to root for.

This took me on a wild ride and I never knew what to expect. It was filled with twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I would happily read this again.

This is probably my favourite book by this author so far and I am so excited to check his other works out.

In the first couple chapters and knowing the Bookish circles I follow that said “ending is hit or miss” I got my brain working on what it was going to be. Though I didn't guess all the details correctly on that final chapter, I had correctly assumed the general ending which after reading I don't know how I feel in regards to piecing it together so early.

slight spoiler ahead!!

!!! Proceed with caution if you don't want anything spoiled !!!

I wish more than anything that Charlie's delusions were more prominent and wasn't immediately contradicted by what we can assume (in the midst of reading) with facts due to the change of POVs, where other characters were recounting things that were said/seen by Charlie while she was “hallucinating”. I had wanted and hoped for a different vibe. Something maybe more fever dream. Something where you're becoming genuinely unsure of the environment and situation from Charlie's movie trance hallucinations, and could spend lots of time picking it all apart and battling between a narrative you'd prefer vs a narrative that led and concluded to truths. This was way more “let me seem like I understand feminism by making a women with trauma but without comprehension of genuine women's suffering.”

You can go so many delicious ways with this kind of premise but alas, it's Riley Sager, and from what I've read in the past I've never experienced something the authors written that I've felt was sensational and recommend to all of your friends worthy.

This would've worked much, much better as a movie. A 90's slasher movie, to be more specific.
I enjoyed it, I was intrigued, kept thinking the story couldn't be as simpler as it seemed, was scared for the MC and I definitely wanted to figure out what was going on.

The thing is... I struggled a lot with Charlie. So MANY DUMB decisions. It got to a point I couldn't care less about what would happen to her.

I still found it very entertaining and surprising. The ending was not what I was expecting at all, I'll give it that.

 “No one tells women that none of it is their fault. That the blame falls squarely on the awful men who do terrible things and the fucked-up society that raises them, molds them, makes excuses for them. People don't want to admit that there are monsters in their midst, so the monsters continue to roam free and the cycle of violence and blame continues.” 

I didn't like Charlie at all. There are two things that she doesn't stop talking about and the author made it her whole personality, she was so one dimensional that I just found her irritating to read from. I felt frustrated with all the stupid decisions she made, like come on! Your best friend got murdered and you don't even have any sense of survival. 

This mystery thriller wasn't all that mysterious to me as I knew who the killer was from the very beginning. I expected it already but now because I was smart enough to put two and two together, but because I predicted the book to be ridiculous enough to have such a plot twist. Riley Sager thought he did something there, but in reality, not really.

What a wild ride! Told over a night in 1991, this story could only be told before cell phones and apps that can track your loved ones. At first, I didn't trust Charlie. She didn't trust herself either.

But as the night unfolds, it takes a hard left, then more hard lefts. I loved the way it was told in a cinematic style and the end justifies that decision.

I don't want to brag, but I called the who-dun-it haha. I wanted to read at work (which I'm allowed to do as long as guests aren't around), but being alone at the front desk at night is unnerving enough, without adding a thriller haha.

This book is a high pick for me. It had action, mystery, and drama. This was my first Riley Sager book. I want to read more of his!

Yes! I didn't think it would be possible for Riley Sager to disappoint me and so far I have been right! This book is probably my first closed “stuck-in-a-car” kind of trope and even though originally I wasn't sure I was going to like it, I really ended up loving how Sager executed the whole premise. I am starting to get more and more certain that I know what the big reveal is going to be or who the bad guy really is and let me just say, when it comes to Sager's books I literally know nothing. I was really taken by surprise and the ending left me stunned and shaking my head in awe. I mean, talk about a quality author. Forever a Riley Sager fan.

To begin with, Survive the Night is about a girl named Charlie, who is grieving over the murder of her best friend/roommate by a killer fittingly named “The Campus Killer”. She wants to get as far away from her university campus as possible so she accepts a ride share with a stranger, who ends up having a lot more secrets that she could have ever imagined. I seriously loved this plot, it had so many different levels and I never grew bored of it because it was super fast paced and exhilarating as I felt as though I was riding in that car along with the two characters. I didn't think the car-trip trope would be my thing but I absolutely devoured this book and it was seriously, suspense-central all throughout. I can see similarities between this book and No Exit but for me I think this one is everything that I wished No Exit was. The suspense lasted a lot longer and many questions we had to wait for the whole book to be done in order to find answers for. I liked that way more.

Secondly, the characterization was amazing, as always. The main heroine, Charlie is very complicated and flawed and yet she changes and develops into a different person as the book progresses, in accordance with the experience she is going through and I think that is very realistic. She definitely felt very real to me and I loved her little quirks, like her obsession with movies, having had that same obsession myself. I also really enjoyed all the movie references and seeing different things that were unique to each and every character, which made them all separate individuals who stood out in their own ways.

Finally, the writing style is exceptional, as it always is in my opinion when it comes to Riley Sager. Perfect writing style for a thriller, straight and to the point without being choppy or cutting out important aspects like setting the scene and painting us a picture of the action as it is happening. While with some books I have a hard time getting through the writing, Riley Sager never disappoints me in that area or any other area for that matter. It's just so smooth and flowing, like a breath of fresh air.

In conclusion, I would recommend this novel to any thriller lover out there or even someone who likes a very fast-paced and suspenseful read. I have heard mixed reviews about this book so far but in my opinion it was amazing and I don't think you'll be disappointed if you give it a try. I still love Lock Every Door the best but this one might now be my second favorite. Can't wait to see what else Sager comes up with!

loved this at first- the serial killer aspect, the 90s setting, the movie references, how anxiety inducing it was - but the plot twists.. womp womp. also not a fan of the hallucinations. this could have gone in such a cool, more horror direction, which is kind of what I was expecting after Home Before Dark, but alas it did not.
first 75% of the book was 5 stars, remaining 25% was probably a 2.

4.25/5 ✮

This was an incredibly fast paced gripping read that ultimately had me yelling at the characters going “WHY” every 10 minutes. This book is the definition of gaslighting, gaslighting yourself even and how that might lead to your ultimate demise - yay!

I'm under no impression this was a perfect book. I've lowered my rating since finishing it after discussing it with people and then I found the glaringly obvious plot holes staring back at me. I also couldn't give it a higher rating because I guessed every twist and turn - and if you're an experienced thriller enthusiast you probably will as well. I still found it enjoyable and couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting.

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જ⁀➴ The plot was fast paced, but predictable.

Josh wasn't the killer, I instantly went *inhale gasp* it's Robbie.

Charlie

lacks common sense

I'm no mental health professional

Josh's

little

જ⁀➴ The writing style? Enthralling.

જ⁀➴ Would I recommend this?

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post reading ♡༄

pre-readingੈ♡༄

WHY IS THIS BOOK HATED ON- i literally loved it so much. the twist midway through i did not expect at all and it was a crazy ride. I had low expectations thinking this would be my least favorite riley sager but it definitely isn't, I loved the way the end came together and the way the story played out. This is an amazing book and now I have read every single Riley Sager book except for the new one which will release Tuesday!

I really hated listening to every second of this. I kept waiting for it stop being so frustrating, and it only got worse the longer I listened. The main character's inner monologue and choices were INFURIATING. And I was able to predict every “twist.”

This is the 2nd Riley Sager book I've read, and I had a marginally better experience with that one.
(LOCK EVERY DOOR)

I'm ready to not pickup any other book from them after this though.
Harsh? Maybe. But both of these books were not enjoyable to me. They just made me angry.

Rating: 4.3 leaves out of 5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery/Fiction
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Sure

This book was a rollercoaster. One minute it was okay, to why did I even pick up the book, and the BAM...plot twist AFTER PLOT TWIST. I know people are complaining he doesn't know how to write a female. Let's get this straight. He can write a female as well as a female can write a male. That was one of the dumbest arguments I have seen about this book so far.

Riley had me wondering if he even knew what he was writing, I ate my words. There was a part where Charlie let Josh pretty much go because of the damn waitress. I was about done at that part but something just told me to keep going and so I did! The plot twists were mouth dropping!

At the end I know it could be seen as... weird. Her marrying Josh could be seen as kind of fucked up but to be honest I was rooting for her to be with him. XD

I am going to begin by saying that I could not wait to read this book! I have read all of Riley Sager's other books and very much enjoyed all of them. So this was a highly anticipated read for me. I was also born in the 90's and was looking forward to some 90's nostalgia.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed. I'm not sure if it's from the book overall or just being a bit let down because I was looking forward to it so much.

I'll start by saying what I liked about the book. I think the premise of this is very interesting. I do enjoy his writing and it flowed well. The illness that ailed the MC was interesting. I actually liked the ending but I don't want to say why because it would be a spoiler. Lets just say that for loving the thriller/horror genre I have a thing for a certain type of ending that is rarely seen.

Now to get to what I did not enjoy. I did not enjoy the MC. I thought she was incredibly stupid - because she wasn't naive, she knew the decisions she was making wasn't the greatest. Most of the twist I saw coming very early on, however, the extent of it I did not. The reason for that is, it was a bit far fetched. (However, this kind of ties in at the end so this didn't have bearing on my rating). There was very little 90's nostalgia. Other than having to use payphones (lack of cell phones, etc.) and SOME pop culture nothing much was said. The MC is a movie buff but it's not what I was hoping for, unfortunately. (And my own personal opinion, but I'm a bit played out of the classic movie trope, but if you like it you'll probably enjoy that part of this book)! And I just kind of felt bored through the whole thing. Sager is so good at making you feel the anxiety and stress of his characters and playing the guessing game. I never felt that with this one. Even the action parts I felt a bit bored and just wanted to get through because I just had a feeling of how it was going to end.

Overall, my least favorite Sager book. I'll be looking forward to his next one though! I also always like to add to any negative reviews that this is my OPINION and your experience with the book may be very different. I know a lot of people who very much enjoyed this. Happy reading!