Wow! This was a wild ride! I was throughly entertained the entire time and felt like I was fly through the pages! There's not a lot of plot development, it jumps right to the point. It it very suspenseful and had my heart racing numerous times.

The MC Charlie has lost both parents in a car crash and her best friend was just killed. She uses movies as a coping mechanism to deal with her grief which leads Charlie to see these movie like hallucinations in her grief stricken mind which make it hard to know what is real or not.

There were a few twists that I really enjoyed but Lso some moments and character actions that were hard for me to believe.

Overall the unreliable narrator and suspense filled story made this a very quick, enjoyable read!

Thank you Dutton Books and Netgalley for my arc!

I did not think Riley Sager‘s last book was worth the hype. This one fell short of five stars for me. I will say I saw the ending from the beginning but the twist and turns that eventually got there had me self doubting, which is very much like what is happening to the main character. This was a page turner, I will give it that. I consumed this book so quickly.

As with all Riley Sager novels, this one kept me guessing until the final chapters. I really enjoyed the closed room aspect of Charlie being stuck in a car on a long road trip with a stranger she just met and then started suspecting was actually the infamous Campus Killer who had just recently been suspected of murdering Charlie's best friend, Maddy. But as the two get closer to their destination, Charlie begins to second guess what she believes to be true, and then things take a wrong turn, indeed. I enjoyed this book, but it's not my favorite Sager novel. It felt like the plot moved along a little slowly at the start and then at the end, everything was rushed to be finished. Thank you for the early review copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5
I love Riley Sager's stories. This may not be one of my favorite books by this author but it kept me reading, it kept me invested. I finished it in one sitting. I did guess the main plot twist and no matter that it was predictable in that way, I still enjoyed the twists and turns that led to that reveal. It was a fun, fast-paced thriller with unreliable but intriguing characters.

3.5 stars
It's November 1991 and Charlie Jordan is stressed, and depressed, and can't wait another minute to leave this college town. Charlie is failing her classes, hiding in her dorm room and feeling overwhelmed by the death of her roommate and best friend Maddie by the newly returned serial killer "Campus Killer."
Charlie wants to go to Ohio and her grandmother NOW. At the college ride board, Charlie encounters Josh who is leaving that night to care for his ill father in Ohio. Even though Charlie's hunky, kind professor boyfriend thinks this is a poor idea, Charlie decides to take the six hour trip to see Nana.
Oh what a trip it is, Remember it is 1991 - no cell phones - no GPS - no internet. Is Josh who he says he is? Why is he secretive about the contents of the car trunk? The empty highway, the dark night, the snow fall - all add to the question, who will Survive the Night?
This is a story that drives you one way only to interrupt that ride when the next curve comes up. It is interesting to read a story where updated technology is not used, only common sense and intuition help Charlie. The too neat ending takes too long to arrive. I felt that the tense and serious atmosphere somehow got lost in an unexpected out of nowhere end.
Overall it is a swift read that will keep one's interest
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #SurvivetheNight #RileySager

Charlie's had "movies" that play in her head most of her life, leaving no choice but to question what is real and what is not. So, after her best friend is murdered practically right in front of her own eyes, she decides she needs to leave college immediately and takes a ride offer from a complete and utter stranger.. and then begins one.long.night.

This is one cat and mouse game that will leave you questioning every character and every action! It was a fun and thrilling premise as usual from Sager, however I think he lost me with his out of character ending on this one. It just seemed a bit detached from the rest of the book, and I feel like he would have normally played it out differently.

But that's just a little glitch for me, and this is definitely still a 4-star read for me and not one to miss!

Thanks to NetGalley, Riley Sager and Dutton/Penguin Group for this eARC!!

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie, a movie-obsessed, guilt-ridden college student is trying to escape her demons by leaving her college campus in the week leading up to Thanksgiving 1991. She accepts a ride from a handsome stranger at a ride board on campus (despite there being a serial killer on the loose who murdered her best friend/roommate) and makes the very wise decision to get into a car with this man at 9pm for an overnight drive from New Jersey to Ohio. Rather quickly into the ride, she determines that she may indeed be in the car with the Campus Killer and it's going to take a miracle for her to "survive the night".

I have enjoyed Riley Sager books in the past. The premise is really good, but the execution just wasn't quite it. There were a lot of clichés, and none of the character behaviors are particularly believable. Characters are very important for me in a book, and sadly, I think that the characters are just really weak in this book. Normally, I enjoy an unreliable narrator, but Charlie's "movies" and wavering gets a bit repetitive after a while. I also just didn't really like Charlie. She was a difficult character to relate to, and every single decision she made was the wrong one.

The atmosphere during the first like 70% of the book is actually pretty spooky and good, but it's that last 30ish% that really throw the whole book off. Character behaviors are not realistic or believable. Additionally, the epilogue is just... not quite what should have happened. I wanted to like this. However, it just wasn't for me.

Short Review: What a wild ride! Thrill seekers this is your book.

Long Review: I loved Home Before Dark so I highly anticipated reading this one. First, I love this cover. The typography lover/designer in me is swooning. It's got creepy written all over it. Second, let me just say, this one packs in the surprises up until the very end. I love that in a thriller. The whole book had me questioning all the characters motives and dying to know who the real killer was...see what I did there?

My only criticism is it took me awhile to "warm" up to the main character. However, by the end of the book, I was thoroughly rooting for Charlie!

Thriller lovers get this one on your must read list! Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for an eARC copy of this book.

I absolutely loved the setup for this one. The story appeared to be simple, but I was reading for some easy entertainment. The story out great with a growing sense that "something was not right", creating a sense of claustrophobic unease. Unfortunately, I really disliked how the story progressed and was ultimately unsatisfied by the conclusion. I have read and loved all of Sager's previous books, so I am sadden that this one left me so disappointed.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

First off -Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for my review copy!

OK once again I am going to be the odd one out on what I believe will be a super popular book! I just did not love this one. Charlie the movie buff that sees "movies" in her mind really got on my nerves after a while. What's real what isn't? It was ok for a bit but did really start wearing on me after a while. I know many will love that aspect. I guess I just couldn't get past the fact that Charlie got into a car with a complete stranger after her BFF was murdered and she knew there was a serial killer still out there. WHO DOES THAT?! I know it needed to happen for the whole story line and such but geez. I did like the drama of it all after we were knee deep into the story and even though I had it figured out I still liked how the story ended.

This is my first Riley Sager book and boy did it not disappoint!

It is so fast paced and I love the twists and mind blown each time.

I loved the main character so much - even though there were times she stressed me out i just loved getting to know her and I loved her love for films.

I will definitely be reading more of his books

5 stars!

HOLY SH*T. What. Did. I. Just. Read?

Where do I even begin with this one? First of all, I really like Riley Sager's book. I think this is my 3rd one I've read (plus I have "Home Before Dark" waiting in the wings for me). Let me set the stage first. Our main character, Charlie, is a student at Olyphant University. She her roommate and best friend was just murdered and she's decided to drop out of school and head home (which is with her Grandma Norma). The only problem? She hasn't driven a car since her parents died in a horrible, freak, car accident. This leaves only one choice: The campus ride share board. Charlie quickly finds a ride and in the following days, they set out for home. Initially, everything seems fine then Charlie starts to worry about this stranger she's decided to take a ride with. As the night unfolds, more and more is revealed that makes her more and more anxious.

I absolutely LOVE thrillers, especially now because I have been in a bit of a reading slump. Survive The Night blasted me out of that slump. Pacing of this book was perfect and the eerie, suspenseful vibe made me effortlessly flip the pages. I've read my fair share of thrillers over the years and not much surprises me anymore, especially endings. Sager really wrote a creative ending - it was true to the story and definitely not cookie cutter! I highly recommend this book to fans of thrillers, suspense or fast-paced books!

A big thank you to Penguin / Random House for the ARC (and for helping me get out of this reading slump)!

I've read all of Riley Sager's books, and Survive the Night is definitely my favorite! Survive the Night is the perfect fast paced, tense thriller.

The year is 1991. Charlie, a movie obsessed college student, has found herself stuck in a car, in the middle of the night, with a stranger. A stranger who just might be a serial killer. The Campus Killer, to be specific. The killer who murdered her best friend.

Following the murder of her best friend, Charlie decides it is time to leave campus, and all of the grief and loss she has suffered, behind. She meets a man named Josh at a ride share board on campus and they decide to drive together in hopes of making a long, lonely trip a little less lonely. But then things start to get odd with Josh and his back story isn't exactly adding up. Charlie grows suspicious and starts to think that Josh, if that even is his real name, is the campus serial killer.

One thing that I really enjoyed about this book was that you never really knew who to trust. As Charlie begins to suspect Josh, so does the reader, but then you sort of doubt yourself/ Charlie. Is she just being paranoid? Or is this guy really sketchy? It was one of those books that you just had to keep turning the pages to figure out what these characters were up to and to figure them out! Plus, with the entirety of the book taking place in a car, there was so much claustrophobic tension.

I also loved the nostalgic feel this book had. From the music, to the cars, taking place in the 90's added an extra element of atmosphere.

Charlie is a college student still reeling from the murder of her best friend. They had some harsh final words, and the guilt is too much for her to bear. She decides to leave school and go home, accepting a ride from a stranger off a bulletin board. Soon Charlie wonders if the friendly, handsome guy behind the wheel is who he claims to be, and after a series of terrifying events, Charlie knows she's in for the fight of her life.

The beginning of this book was tough. I struggled to stay engaged and connect with the characters. While Charlie comes across as a sympathetic character, the "movies" she sees in her head were quite disturbing, as the reader never really knew what true reality was or if Charlie was a reliable narrator. However, I accepted this as part of her character, and the action picked up. There were some incredible twists and turns that I didn't see coming which more than made up for that rough start.

And then I got to the ending.

I finished the book two days ago, and I'm still super salty over that ending. I didn't like it one bit. It seemed cheap, cliche, and a bit Lifetime movie-of-the-week.

If you discount the beginning and ending, you have a pretty good character-driven thriller.

I have loved all of Riley Sager's books, but Survive the Night is by far my favorite! I loved that it was set in the 90s, and that definitely added to the suspense of the story (no cell phone = no immediate help). I am one of those people who could talk about movies for hours with anybody, so Charlie's obsession with movies was very relatable for me. One I realized Josh/Jake wasn't actually the Campus Killer, it was pretty obvious to me that the killer would be Robbie. However, this did not tamper my enjoyment of the last quarter of the story. I also thoroughly enjoyed the ending and the fact that the entire story was the "movie version" of Charlie's nightmarish experience. Overall, I LOVED this book, and I cannot wait to read more from Sager!

WOW!!! What a wild roller coaster ride this book will take you on! At times it's hard to distinguish between what's real and what's a movie scene playing inside of Charlie's head. You will not believe who the killer is! Great book! Riley Sager never disappoints.

I’m a huge Riley Sager fan! So when I got this ARC from Net Galley I was pumped! His other novels have had me from the start, questioning every turn and twist taken along the way. This one was a little different.....

Charlie decides to drop out of school, or at least take a break for a while. Her best friend, Maddy, has been murdered, and she just can’t seem to get back on track, often times living in a world that isn’t reality.

She heads to the college ride share board only to find Josh, an older student that works on campus, who offers to pick her up and drop her off at home along the way.

As they’re traveling along, Charlie is having a hard time with what really is happening as she and Josh drive, and what might be in her head. She can’t keep her mind focused, and is afraid that she might be in the car with Maddy’s never found killer!

Holy crap!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, and boy am I glad I requested it.

I normally am all about YA. But saw this Thriller and decided to check it out.

Guys, I was hooked! Page one till the end I couldn't stop. Charlie just lost her friend to a campus serial killer. While still grieving her lost Charlie decides to quit college and head home. Robbie her boyfriend doesn't know what will come of their relationship but hopes Charlie returns. Charlie begins her 6 hour road trip with Josh, the mysterious stranger who happens to be going where she is.

See the problem here? Her friend was just murdered by a serial killer and Charlie still takes a ride with a stranger? Oh yeah and the crazy part, Charlie sees movies in her head so as a read you don't know what she is seeing is real or not.

Survive the Night takes a reader on a non-stop thrill ride where they will question everything! Such a great book!

Thank you @Duttonbooks and @netgalley for the gifted e-galley of Survive The Night by Riley Sager!

This was a quick read for me, I blew through it. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite Riley Sager book but it’s a solid read! Momentum is kept up between trying to find out who the serial killer is to the deeper story of grief, guilt, and learning to forgive yourself.

Also that ending… a few parts were a bit unbelievable but I enjoyed the mental health aspect of it as well. Overall a great read!

I have to admit that my relationship with the writing of Riley Sager has been deteriorating the more I read his books. He writes female characters that range from dumb and annoying, to mid level intelligence and *somewhat* competent. He never writes female characters that are believably intelligent, which makes me wonder if he's either intellectually limited himself, or he hates women and doesn't think very highly of them.

This book was a mid-level thriller with a lot of cliches. I wanted to love it but it just didn't make the mark.