I'm a Sager fan, make no mistake about that. I did feel the story was a bit predictable, but I still liked the ride Sager takes the reader on. I'm definitely buying a few copies for the library because our Mystery book club will devour it. They're all pretty hardcore Sager fans.

I love movies, I love books and I love Riley Sager. The format of the book is perfect for the storyline, the characters are all so believable and well rounded and I didn’t see the twist coming until just before it did (and I’m usually catch on early). Another one out of the park, now please start making these books movies or shows SOMETHING.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

Set in 1991, Charlie is still struggling with guilt after the murder of her roommate a few months ago. Charlie decided to leave school and get in a ride share with a strange man she just met.

Funny to think of how different our lives are with cell phones.

I like Riley Sager’s books a lot but couldn’t get into this story or care for the characters.

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.

Now that's a lede.

I gave Survive the Night 4 stars purely for the mindfuck twists. It's a ride, to be sure, but it's not quite the electrifying novel it could have, and should have been.

Sager is a must-read author for me - anything he puts out, I'll snap up (or nab on NetGalley before my finger even knows I'm smashing the Request button) - I loved Final Girls and Lock Every Door so very much. The way that Sager turns tropes on their head is like a drug to a thriller addict like me - his writing is fresh and surprising, often funny and smart. There is a lot to like about Survive the Night, but there are a few key things that I think would have made this even better.

Like the blurb says, our heroine Charlie is a young woman living in the 1990s, taking a road trip with a man she suspects might be the serial killer who murdered her best friend. Unable to cope with the death of Maddy, Charlie is heading home, leaving her boyfriend behind on campus and hoping that she'll heal with the help of her grandmother and their beloved movies. Charlie is a film buff and uses their familiarity to escape from the tragedies that have befallen her at such a young age.

Her ride, Josh, seems great at first. Handsome and self assured, he's an easy conversationalist and good company on the emptiness of the midnight roads. But soon, Charlie starts to wonder - why is his story changing so often? Why won't he let her see what's in the trunk of his car? Why is he sticking so close, seemingly unwilling to let her leave his side?

Is he the Campus Killer?

And if so, can she kill him before he kills her?

What follows is pretty juicy, up till the end, when everything falls apart a bit. There are some excellent twists throughout this page turner - some I saw coming and others I very much didn't.

The issue isn't with the plot so much - it's with the atmosphere. I wanted so much more of the 90s setting and vibes. The 1990s is the decade in which I became a teenager, and I remember it fondly. The mall, the lack of cellphones, not even a whisper of an Apple Watch or iPad, the clothes and trends, the celebrities (Leo DiCaprio heeeeey), movies, music... it's such a rich decade because it really was the cusp of a new age in the way human beings interact. There was no social media or even messenger / DM - people had to use pay phones when they were out and at night, you talked endlessly on the phone to your friends until your parents shouted at you to stop taking up the line.

I felt that Sager could have utilized this more - although there are plenty of Nirvana mentions and pay phones abound, it just didn't feel like the 90s as much, I'm not sure why.

There's also a gimmick used throughout the novel that weakened it, in my humble opinion. Especially in the epilogue, when the gimmick reveals itself in an extremely meta way that affected how I looked at the novel in its entirety.

However, these really are small quibbles. Survive the Night is a banger of a thriller. It's a testament to Sager's talent that I expect so much from his books and that there were tons of twists I never in a million years saw coming. Like a 90s trend, Sager's writing is just that irresistible.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Riley Sager is hit or miss for me. I don’t 100% get the hype and have only had one so far that really made my heart race. Now there are two. This one is set in the 90s - totally awesome vibe and gave me major nostalgia. Loved it!

I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have loved everything that I've read by Riley Sager and this is no exception. One of my favorite YA writers!

This was fabulous. I would have read it in a single sitting if I hadn't started the book past midnight the first night. As it is, it only took me two nights to devour the entire thing. I swear Riley Sager just gets better and better with each subsequent book. This one in particular was fabulous--the use of the 90s setting really added to the feeling of isolation and dread. (Can I also mention that isolation horror is becoming one of my favorite subgenres of the thriller/mystery/horror set? And it's done perfectly here.) I was a little surprised by the twist, and not in a way that was like...oh I should have seen that coming, more in a 'wait, what?' way. But it didn't diminish my enjoyment whatsoever. 5/5 stars.

I don't know what I was hoping for with this book but I don't think I found it. It was a pretty fun read, and I finished it in a day, but it wasn't everything I had hoped. This thriller is a fun "beach read" but I just felt myself wondering more about the supporting characters. There was lots of imagery, but unfortunately I felt like I had read it all before in different books.

With a title like Survive the Night, you know Riley Sager's latest thriller is going to be intense. In fact, intense may be an understatement because this is one of the few books I have read that literally had me on the edge of my seat. I rarely find a book that I cannot put down, but Survive the Night takes the cake. If taut, heart-pounding suspense stories are your thing, be sure to pick up Survive the Night.

The premise of Survive the Night is fairly simple, but it is put to such great effect and works so well with Sager's writing style that it quickly becomes a tangled web of deception leaving readers unsure of the events that are unfolding right before their eyes. When college student Charlie puts a notice on a ride share board at her university, she doesn't expect to get a response immediately. Before she knows it, she has a ride back home to Ohio with fellow student Josh. Charlie can't wait to leave her past at Olyphant University behind her - her best friend and roommate was murdered by a serial killer, the Campus Killer, just two months before and Charlie believes it was her fault. She wants to escape to her hometown and forget about what happened at Olyphant, and Josh is going to help her get there.

You'd think that being so close to someone who was victimized by a cold-blooded murderer would make Charlie extra cautious about sharing a ride with a stranger, but rather she does some things that may have those of us living in the 2020s raising our eyebrows (this book does take place in the early 90s.) To make matters worse, not long into the ride, Charlie begins suspecting that Josh may very well be the man that murdered her best friend. Is he the Campus Killer, and if he is, how does Charlie make it out of this car alive? Can she "survive the night?"

"Wow" is all I can say about Survive the Night. This book had everything that I look for in a suspense novel - a simple setting (in this case, primarily the inside of a traveling car); intriguing characters (Charlie is obsessed with classic film noir and so am I, so this was a big plus for me); a short timeline (the events of the novel take place over the course of a few hours); and an ominous vibe (is there anything scarier than being trapped in a car with a potential serial killer?!) To top it off, Sager is a masterful storyteller - he literally had chills running down my spine and my heart beating out of my chest. This novel is unsettling and claustrophobic ... but in a good way.
All the while you are reading, you are hoping that Charlie is wrong about Josh, but you are reading with your eyes wide open searching for clues just in case she's not. And last but not least, what's a suspense thriller without a few twists? You get all of that and more with Survive the Night!

Survive the Night is a book I won't be able to get out of my head for a long time. This storyline is so memorable and compulsive that I will be looking for a similar pay-off in every suspense novel I read for the rest of the year! Highly recommended to fans of the suspense genre, those who love film noir and 80s and 90s slasher films, and anyone who enjoys a taut, tightly-woven tale of utter horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did! Riley Sager has written some great books, books that I've thought about long after the final page. I really enjoyed Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied and Survive the Night is maybe my new favorite!

Charlie, named after Teresa Wright's character in Hitchcock's classic Shadow of a Doubt, is looking to take a break from college. Her best friend and roommate, Maddie, was murdered by someone known as the Campus Killer. Charlie feels like it is her fault. An introvert, Maddie helped entice Charlie out of their dorm room, where otherwise, she could happily have spent all her time watching classic movies on VHS. One night, Maddie wants to go out to a bar. Charlie doesn't feel like going out, but finally relents and goes with her. When Maddie leaves her alone to flirt, Charlie storms off. When Maddie tries to persuade her to stay, Charlie calls her a bad friend and walks away, glancing back to see a shadowy male figure lighting a cigarette for Maddie.

Charlie sometimes has spells, where she can't tell if what she's seeing is reality, or a movie scene in her head. So when she's questioned as the last person to see Maddie alive, she can't describe the man she saw, because he may not have been real.

Maddie's boyfriend, Robbie, doesn't understand why she needs to leave. ASAP. He offers to drive her home, to her grandmother, her only family, when the semester ended, but Maddie goes to put an ad on the rideboard at school. There's a guy there, handsome, a slightly older student in a campus hoodie.
Turns out, he's looking for someone to keep him company on a long drive and he will be going right past where Charlie needs to go, Youngstown, Ohio. He needs to leave that night.
"I can be that someone" she says.
So begins the journey that will take place over the course of a long night. From the moment Charlie gets in the car with Josh, we begin to wonder, along with Charlie, if this was the smartest move she has taken.
This is such a twisty, surprising thrill ride, and we are there, beside Charlie, following that long dark road with a complete stranger, as well as those movie stars also along for the ride, care of Charlie's imagination! This is a perfect book for film lovers who also enjoy a suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing right up to the end!
Highly recommended! Thanks to NetGalley for the DRC!

I always look forward to Riley Sager books! It's funny because this one was centered around movies, and I always read his books with a "move projection mindset," because I think they all would make great movies. As usual, I thought I had this one figured out but there was an extra twist in the end! Not my favorite of his, but I enjoyed anyway!

Riley Sager created a nostalgic masterpiece, rife with shocking twists and perfectly-placed references. I loved the 90's setting and all of the details that made it seem real. Every time I thought I figured it out, a crazy twist had me second guessing it all. This book was fantastic, and I can't wait for everyone to read it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read this ARC.

Survive the Night adds a twist on the unreliable female narrator- Charlie suffers from “movies in her mind” (hallucinations) as a grief coping mechanism. When she finds herself accepting a ride home from college with a stranger who sets off a few alarm bells, she doesn’t know if she’s imagining her concerns or if they’re really happening.

I was tense in the way only a good thriller can make you feel as I read Survive the Night. While I did guess some of the reveals, there were still enough surprises to keep me on my toes. And sure, some of it is a bit far-fetched, but I rarely find a thriller that isn’t. If you enjoy getting lost in a suspense novel, then this ones for you.

Just when this book started to bore me, it threw me for a loop. I couldn’t read the last few sections fast enough to be honest and ended up staring at my iPad in disbelief was all of the twist and turns in this story transpired. I really loved the format the author chose for this story as well. Overall I like the characters, though I wish we had seen more of Robbie throughout.

SURVIVE THE NIGHT BOOK REVIEW

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a huge Riley Sager fan, SURVIVE THE NIGHT was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I loved the 90’s setting, the creepy vibes, and never knowing which characters I could trust. In typical Sager fashion, the plot twists were amazing and I didn’t predict them AT ALL!👏🏼

I also enjoyed the movie references throughout but at times found the unreliable narrator component to be a bit frustrating. This book seriously gave me the creeps and I binge read it in just a few sittings. I found the middle a little redundant at times, but the action towards the end made up for it and that last chapter had me like 🤭

My favorite aspects of Sager’s writing is that nothing is never quite as it seems and his ability to craft plot twists is impeccable. Not to mention how each of his thrillers has a different setting but the same uneasy, edge of your seat feel to them.

If you’re looking for a thriller that you won’t be able to put down, pick this one up! Thank you to Dutton for my Netgalley copy!

TW: death of a loved one, suicide attempt

Charlie is obsessed with movies; she even sees them in her head. Her hallucinations have been with her for years, but they’ve never hurt anyone… until now. Charlie’s roommate was murdered, and Charlie may have seen who killed her, but she’s not sure if her vision was real or imagined. Deciding to run from her grief, she meets a guy at the rideshare board who offers to drive her home from college. But can she trust him? Is she being paranoid, or is she in the car with the man who killed her roommate? The novel details the night in the car as if it were a movie, with scene directions as chapter titles. Readers follow Charlie’s unreliable point of view and are left guessing if every scene is real or a hallucination. Sager has done a great job yet again of building suspense in this eerie, unpredictable novel set in 1991.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 29, 2021
When Charlie’s best friend is murdered by a serial killer known as “The Campus Killer”, Charlie blames herself and decides to leave her college and return home. After posting an ad on the college ride board, Charlie accepts a ride from Josh, a young man who appears to be a student also returning home. Ignoring her instincts that are yelling at her to never accept rides from strange men, especially after what happened to her best friend, soon Charlie and Josh are Ohio bound. Throughout the road trip, Charlie keeps seeing things that make her question Josh’s identity. Is Josh who he says he is? Did she accept a ride from the Campus Killer?
Riley Sager’s new psychological thriller, “Survive the Night” is a gripping road trip tale full of 1990s references (including a lot of “Nirvana” music) with a few surprising twists!
Charlie is the awkward, shy young co-ed who uses movies as a way to escape. After losing both of her parents and then her best friend, she starts making up movies in her mind, leading to a psychological diagnosis and some anti-delusional medication. Then there’s Josh, who, at first glance, seems innocent enough, but you know that he has something up his sleeve and right from the beginning, he is not to be trusted.
The twist in this novel was beyond unexpected, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It came out of nowhere and blew all of my suspicions and assumptions out of the water. Although the “movies in the mind” plot line was a little unbelievable and difficult to swallow in spots, I couldn’t ignore the pulse-pounding suspense this novel provided.
After page-turning intrigue and mystery, the satisfying conclusion came in and all questions were answered. I loved the 1990s backdrop, and I found my soulmate in Charlie (who found her passion for movies as a way to disappear from the world, which is relatable if you change “movies” with “books”). “Survive the Night” is definitely creative, and is 100% pure Sager.

4.5 Stars.
The last few summers, Riley Sager has written my favorite “beach reads.” This was a wild ride and I read the whole thing in one sitting. There wasn’t a single boring moment in this book and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. If you are a fan of his other books, definitely pick this one up because it is one of his best.

Charlie uses movies as her coping mechanism for her trauma and when she gets stressed, she dissociates. This causes her surroundings to become movie-like. Done poorly, the unreliable narrator trope can be irritating, but in this case the trope added an extra bit of campiness that the book needed.

The reason this wasn’t a five star read and only 4.5 stars is that I found the final twist to be so cheesy and Hollywoodesque that I groaned a little. I just hate hokey, unlikely romances in my books. The other twists paid off, so I wasn’t too disappointed by the sappy ending.

I look forward to all future Riley Sager books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow! I think this is my favorite Sager book yet! It was filled with anxiety contagious from the anxiety dripping off the main character, lot of great (and at times frustrating) twists! I really enjoyed it, of not knowing whom to trust, whom the characters really were or what was real. It was very thrilling with mysterious characters. I loved everything about it! Great twists even to the very end.

Charlie was there on the night of Maddy’s murder, she saw Maddy’s killer...but did she really?

Since the death of her parents as a young child, Charlie struggles with hallucinations that play out like scenes from an old film noir, a coping mechanism to deal with life’s harsh realities. Now, Charlie isn’t sure if what she saw was real or another movie in her mind.

Two months since the murder, Charlie decides she needs to escape from Olyphant University and the guilt it holds for her, wanting to head home as soon as possible to her grandmother. In order to do this, she accepts a ride from stranger Josh whom she met while looking for carpool ads on the campus bulletin board. Leaving the comfort of the dorm she shared with Maddy, along with her adoring and handsome boyfriend Robbie, she packs everything and leaves the next night.

Before parting ways, Robbie tells her to call from a payphone, jokingly saying “If anything goes wrong, just say things took a detour.”

But as the nine hour drive begins, Charlie realizes she doesn’t know Josh and that Maddy’s killer is still out there. Doubt settles in, making her question everything. As conversations begin to blur between reality and the movies in her mind, Charlie starts to spiral and wonder if things have taken a detour?

Likes:
This book runs like a carnival ride: a slow start, questioning what’s going to happen, then full speed ahead until all you can do is hold on until the ride slows to safely eject your heart and stomach on the ground.

I have been a huge fan of Riley Sager since first discovering Final Girls; he writes female characters so well! They’re all flawed and emotional and real. Charlie is no exception of this, and was even more convoluted with her struggles with mental health and anxiety. I also related to Charlie’s devotion to her friend, who she looked to as family, despite her imperfections and not always being the most thoughtful friend. Female friendships run deep, especially those made during such life-changing moments like college and so the bond between Charlie and Maddy felt extremely real.

I also loved that book was set in the early 90s, taking away the convenience and safety of modern technology. Also the beauty of tapes in cars!

But the best part of the book were the constant twists and turns Sager takes you on. I yelled out loud multiple times when things were revealed, much to the chagrin of my partner who thought I was in trouble. Nope, just constant surprise at trying to figure out who to trust and never expecting the reveal.


Dislikes:
While Charlie’s “movies” are supposed to make the story disjointed, some parts felt unnecessary and made the story too jerky for my taste. There were also a few questions I had about the plot, but it wasn’t a dire detail that affected the whole story so I looked past it. I wasn’t particularly a fan of Maddy myself and did feel she was a bit selfish, but I also lean heavily toward the introverted side so I don’t understand highly outgoing, outlandish personalities. And that’s totally okay! My cup of tea is just a more quiet blend, so to speak.


Survive the Night is one of those reads that you wish you could reset your brain to forget it all, so you can experience it again. I started it, interested in the plot but wondering if it could top Sager’s previous books. In my opinion, it definitely did.