Previously, among Riley Sager’s catalog, FINAL GIRLS reigned supreme as my favorite read. As of last week, the Girls were dethroned as SURVIVE THE NIGHT (OUT 07/06) roared ahead. Sager’s latest has it all — an independent heroine, psychological cinematics (rooted in fear inducing ‘90s noir), and bone chilling twists that will have you gripping the “oh-shit” handle of your automobile. What’s more, the text reads real, real fast (think THE SILENT PATIENT pacing), making the summer thriller one to be read in one sitting......well into the night.

I love Riley Sager. This book is no exception. It’s literally a thrill ride that last for 300 something pages. Heart palpitations, quick breathes, and all consuming anxiety until I read the last page. This book is an absolute masterpiece.

Holy shit, this book had me tied up in knots and staying up way too late on a work night to finish it. Edge of my seat the entire time, literally yelling OH MY GOD at _that_ twist and scaring my cat.
It's gonna be a hit, for sure.

Me one page into Survive the Night: the boyfriend is the serial killer.

Spoiler alert: I was right.

For anything else about this book it moves, I read it in a few hours and couldn’t put it down. Charlie is an appealing main character who makes some very dumb choices but they seem driven by her actual character and not because she needs to be an idiot to keep the plot going. The conceit of the whole thing is well done and the final reveal works. Twists are plentiful but not completely outlandish. A solid thriller where I could predict the end but not the entire path to get there.

Hang on tight and buckle up, because this is Riley Sager at his absolute best. Survive the Night will give you all the 90s nostalgia feels, and will take you on an epic ride, all in just one night. Previous to Survive the Night, Final Girls had been my favorite Sager, but move over, Quincy Carpenter, because there's a new final girl in town. I promise that you will love Charlie, and you will be absolutely riveted as she takes this twisty, winding drive, just trying to "survive the night". I feel so privileged to have had the chance to read this phenomenal novel early, Huge thanks to the publicity team at Dutton for my advance copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

3.5 stars
I've read Riley Sager's other books and enjoyed the suspense and mystery within those pages. It took a bit for me to get into Survive the Night, the story of Charlie, seeking a ride home after the death of her best friend. She decides to accept a ride with another college student, that she doesn't know but meets at the ride board. One of my pet peeves in books is when the narrator is unreliable to the point that it plays tricks on the reader. In this case, Charlie is obsessed with movies and sometimes sees life as a movie. So there are portions that may have happened...? Or may just be a scene in Charlie's imagination?
Overall it was a good story and I don't think Sager's fans will be disappointed. It's not my favorite of his, but it had some good twists at the end that redeemed the parts I wasn't a fan of.

Solid read by Sager. I enjoyed the characters and the story. My only problem was that there were times when I questioned the main character's actions. For such a smart girl, she seemed to make "dumb" choices.

Riley Sager knows how to write suspense. Survive The Night follows Charlie as she finds a ride with a stranger from college to Ohio. I loved how you didn’t know if things are really happening or if she was dreaming it. As soon as I thought I knew what was going to happen, it quickly turned out I absolutely had no idea.

There's few authors I get more excited about than Riley Sager. When I read the premise for Survive the Night, I was instantly excited to get my hands on a copy. Charlie, a college student, secures a ride home with a stranger on campus, but as they hit the road, she realizes he might be a serial killer.

Let me tell you, the TENSION and suspense that Sager builds literally had me having to put the book down at night - I was SCARED - and I thought nightmares were coming - in the best possible way. I have read and enjoyed all of Sager's books thus far, but this one may be a new favorite for me. Not that I need to say this, but definitely grab your copy on June 29th!

Thank you to Dutton Books & NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Sensational and immersive. This is the best Riley Sager book to date and proof that with Sager's writing capabilities that no one can keep readers on the edge of their seats like he can.

I've been a fan of Riley Sager's for years, ever since I read his first book. I've enjoyed all of them; this one is my favorite.

A big part of it is the fact that Charlie loves old movies (like I do) and I enjoyed all the references she made. (I haven't seen Shadow of a Doubt yet, but I hope to fix that soon, ideally this very weekend.) Like Charlie, I also tend to process things with movie references and I definitely over-related.

But a lot of it is also the situation she's in. She may or may not be in the car with a serial killer. And it's the early 1990s, so her options aren't great. She can't send a pin with her address to anyone or sneakily call 911 or even make sure anyone knows where she is and who she's with. All she has to rely on is herself.

As you would expect, there are a ton of twists, turns and red herrings. I didn't expect any of them and it was the best ride I could possibly imagine. Highly recommended.

I should be used to Sager's twisty-turniness by now, but it smacks me dead in the face every. dang. time. I will say that I liked the others a bit more than this one, but it was still awesome. Now the long, long wait until another one appears.

Riley Sager is always at the top of my Must Read list and “Final Girls” is the novel that I always compare his other novels against. “Survive the Night” managed to become my second favorite, mainly due to Sager’s twist ending.

The novel reads incredibly fast and the plot (while always somewhat far fetched) was fun to follow. The characters were engaging and I found myself really rooting for Charlie. Sager is always known for a twist, and while certain plot points became evident, that last twist wasn’t and really made up for the moments where I thought “really?!” I also really liked that it was set in the early 90s.

Sager does have this habit of making all of his male characters charming but so obviously guilty...but this time it worked (similar to “Final Girls”).

Can’t wait to suggest this one to people this summer. It was an incredibly fun ride.

A dark night. Two strangers in a car, traveling down dark roads. Set before the days of cell phones and internet. I thought I was in for an awesome ride, but things took a detour.

The year is 1991, and right before Thanksgiving break, Charlie decides she wants to leave college...most likely indefinitely. She hasn’t gotten over the murder of her best friend, who fell victim to the Campus Killer.

Charlie meets Josh at the campus ride board while putting up a flyer to see if anyone wants to share a ride and gas money to her home in Ohio. It just so happens that he’s going that way as well, and he’d be happy to take her along for the ride.

They begin their trip late at night, and as they get to chatting, Charlie suspects Josh may not be a student like she originally thought. Further incidents lead her to believe that she is in the car with the actual Campus Killer.

On a quiet night with nobody on the highway and nobody to hear a scream, who will survive the night?

There was an early indication that I wouldn’t enjoy this as much as I’d hoped. Early in the car ride, Josh asks if Charlie would like to play some music, and says, “You’re my guest. What do you like? And please don’t say Paula Abdul.” Well, excusez-moi, but I happen to own and still listen to all of Paula Abdul’s albums, so that line didn’t fly with me.

In all seriousness, the story is fine. I was never bored. Riley Sager’s last book, Home Before Dark, was on my top of 2020 list. I think my expectations were way too high. While the writing in this one is still fantastic, it’s not oozing with atmosphere the way I hoped it would. There’s also not a lot going on in it that gave me 90’s vibes, and I really wanted that.

I don’t post spoilers, but I will say the last 20% was a bit too convoluted for me. The motives and character actions weren’t very realistic, and I personally expected something with a bit more depth. There is also a gimmick used to possibly trick the reader, but I wasn’t a huge fan of it.

Overall, this is a decent read that kept me engaged...but just didn’t WOW me. I have a feeling many others will love this one, so keep an eye out for other reviews.

I’ve come to the conclusion that for every Sager book that leaves me wanting more, I end up loving his next one. Following that science, I am excited to predict that his NEXT book is going to be a 5-star stunner for me.

Thank you to Dutton for sending me a widget for an ARC. This book will be published 6/29/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Wow! Hang on film lovers... because Mr. Sager has returned to his film noir roots and outdone himself.

I've never related so deeply with a character on a personal level, and that's saying something considering I'm a huge fan of each Riley Sager title. Every heroine he writes is different. And I've felt for them. Loved them. I've known them. But I never was them. Until now. I am Charlie. I'm the 90s college girl who sees life as a movie. Sometimes it's a drama. Sometimes it's a comedy. But too often it's a noir with a twisting gray area of irony and tragedy.

Charlie has a habit of imagining worst-case scenarios the way others daydream of destinations. But these vivid and dark hallucinations, or movies as she likes to call them, throw her off-track so she tends to dismiss them, pretending everything is perfectly fine. But this time, Charlie should've listened to her gut.

I can't thank Dutton Books enough for allowing me to read this absolute page-turner! It has amazing 90s vibes set along a dark road where Charlie is trying to get home from college, immediately. She agrees to a ride from a guy named Josh but her stranger-danger sensors are on high alert after the recent murder of her dorm roommate Maddy. Is he really a concern, or is she just letting her imagination take control?

I kept thinking of Lost Highway and those words, "We've met before, haven't we?" David Lynch gave me chills, but Riley Sager gave me one perfectly raw shiver after another. Putting two characters into a car alone for a long time could be suicide for some writers but he used it to elevate tension and had me begging her to pull the handle and jump out.

The trouble is that Charlie is the best friend even in her own story instead of the femme fatale. She doesn't see herself in control of anything and apologizes for moments when she might tread over the line. But a woman can only take so much before something breaks. And I loved being there when Charlie finds her power.

This book leans into the nervousness and distrust we all feel right now, which is at the heart of what made noir come to life in the 40s. The main character is either being subjected to the will of others or they're subjecting their will on them. There's no middle ground. Riley is onto something new while bringing back the old and I'm here for it 100%. Don't miss this book! It's a wild ride you will never forget.

Literally every single book I read by Riley Sager is unique and amazing. Thank you so much to Dutton Books for this fun throwback thriller! It’s set in the 90’s which is completely fantastic and is about Charlie, a girl looking for a ride home from college. She meets Josh at a ride-share board and they decide to travel together, since they are going the same way. Charlie is very wary of people though, after her roommate Maddy was recently murdered by The Campus Killer.

Charlie has a habit of treating real life like a movie, and imagining vivid scenes that seem real. Her therapist calls them hallucinations, and she has suffered from them since both her parents were killed in a car crash. Now, on a road trip with a stranger, Charlie isn’t sure who she signed up to be in a car with and begins to suspect that there is a lot more to Josh than she originally thought.

Thoughts: I LOVED the setting and time period of this book. The 90s nostalgia was amazing and so much fun to read. Charlie was a fantastic main character, remnant of Quincy in Final Girls. Adding the film aspects and movie references made it so enjoyable for me. I loved how the tension built throughout the book and you couldn’t help but yell at Charlie at some points. BE WARY OF STRANGERS! RUN! She is both a strong and weak character, with many flaws that made her likable.

The car ride basically puts the characters in a locked room setting, and with so few main characters, there were only a few things that I could imagine happening. It helped that there would be things you thought happened, but then it was just a movie playing out in Charlie’s head. A very poignant storyline was the idea that women are too scared of being impolite to get out of unsafe situations. Women fear inconveniencing others in case they are wrong, so they neglect to stand up for themselves when something doesn’t seem right.

This book was full of twists, some of which I guessed immediately and some I had no idea about! Riley Sager is a master of surprise, turning each situation into a heart-pounding game of cat and mouse. I am forever a fan- 4.9999 stars for this nostalgic and tension-building thriller!