This book was a total head trip! I was unsure what to believe at so many points and found myself doubling back and doubting what I knew I had read.
The dynamic between every single character played so well. Just who is the good guy in this book? Is anyone?? I found myself uncomfortably supporting characters I was unsure I should support while turning my back against ones I thought I should like...just to change my mind two seconds later. And as every good thriller should have, there are twists that make your eyes pop open and reread parts to make sure you really read what you think you did.
If you're up for a solidly terrifying roadtrip (in more than one way), you want this book!
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Survive the Night by Riley Sager. All opinions are my own.

Riley Sager is an instant read for me. He is a master in the thriller genre, and a constant go-to recommendation within the library. I keep waiting for one of his books to disappoint me, and we're (thankfully) not there yet.

Survive the Night was incredibly creepy and confusing in the best ways. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very end.

AMAZING BOOK. I could not stop reading, the characters are well enveloped , the plot is unique, very easy to read, i lover her books.

Riley Sager has become one of my favourite authors, I love his twisty characters and plot lines and always look forward to his new releases. I will be honest though, this wasn't my favourite of his. It had a pretty slow start that wasn't overly well explained and just kind of confusing. I kept at it and was glad I did because the second half was definitely more typical to his usual writing style with lots of psychological twists and surprises. The ending was great and I read it in two days so clearly I must have enjoyed it! I will still be telling people to check it out, because Riley Sager always writes an awesome psychological thriller. Thanks Netgalley!

This book takes the reader on a wild ride full of suspense, action, and suspicion. The story's chapters are so uniquely told like sections of a screenplay and it fits the story so well. I was enthralled with this book and I loved how when you thought you were certain of one thing, then the next moment you are thrown back into uncertainty and doubt. The author's use of making the reader doubt reality and even having the reader question the reliability of the character's experiences made me want to devour the book to find out what was really happening. I was driven to determine whether Charlie would in fact survive the night or not. Charlie's experiences with grief were very relatable, and the story gave a great recounting of the emotional and physical devastation of grief. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and will be thrilled to add this to our library's collection.

Survive the Night? More like, can you survive Riley Sager’s latest pulse pounding thriller guaranteed to leave you breathless!

This is, in my humble opinion, Riley Sager’s best book yet. I would not miss this journey of madness for love nor money.. but if you choose to pass it up ... I hope you’re able to Survive the Night .. and day and your monochrome vision existence while the rest of us pound full speed ahead on the ride share of terror!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Riley Sager, and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Full review to be posted before release date.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

I am a massive Riley Sager fan, and I must say, I think this is, without question, Riley's best book yet.

Taking place over the course of one night/day, the tension from page one is sky high, and it never lets up for a single second. I don't think I would have believe you, had you told me., that I would be utterly addicted and fascinating by a plot that takes place 90% within a car on one terrifying night - but here we are.

This plot reminds me in the BEST WAY of the teen slasher films from the 90's that we all loved so much. If you took the best parts of movies like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend and Disturbing Behavior and created a book around a completely unique and perfectly messy lead character (Charlie) - you would end up with Survive the Night. This book feels totally nostalgic and totally horrifying in equal measure, and I DEVOURED it one sitting.

Not even a HINT of a spoiler here, but I will say that this is the exact kind of book you can (and should) settle in with for an evening, with full intentions to finish, because I don't know how you would ever pause reading this one. Fast paced, deliciously devious, and insanely tense - my only hope is that SOMEONE SOMEWHERE hears my pleas, and makes this one into a series/movie, because the teenager inside me is dying to see this adapted to the big screen.

An absolute MUST for 2021!

I love Riley Sager and this book did not disappoint! This was such a suspenseful story and I couldn't put the book down!

Another Pulse racing, nail biting, wild
Ride (quite literally) by Riley Sager and it does not disappoint. A five ✰ thriller that left me questioning at every turn of the page giving me whiplash.
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It’s 1991 Nirvana is on the radio and movie obsessed Charlie needs to get home from college. She meets Josh at the ride share board and he offers to drive her home. Charlie is devastated after the murder of her best friend and she needs to get out of their dorm room ASAP even if it means taking a ride home with a stranger.
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A cross country trip at the dead of night on an empty road is terrifying. When Charlie begins to question if the man behind the wheel could be the campus killer the ride becomes downright horrifying. In an ultimate cat and mouse game set in a film noir filter I could not devour this book fast enough.
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I have been reading so many thrillers they become somewhat the same. This is fresh take on an old thriller and I loved it. Sager does not disappoint in creating a setting of fear in life before cell phones at your disposable. What it truly means to be on your own just trying to survive the night.
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A huge thank you to #NetGalley and #Dutton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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Get this on your calendar for June 29th!

Riley Sager is an immensely talented writer. He knows how to create these dark characters that screw with your mind and leave you thinking. Each one of his books his writing only continues to improve and the stories get stronger.

I'll be honest that I think Home Before Dark remains my favorite book of his, but Survive the Night is truly a great piece of literature, it's just kinda different from what he's written before.

This novel begins with a young woman who is recovering from the murder of her best friend and embarks on a road trip to her Nana's house with a stranger....and will she survive the night? That's the premise....

But this book is so much deeper than that. For a book that 65-70% of it is written set in a moving Grand Am car on the road it never feels stale or boring, it's a gripping page turner and psychoanalysis of a woman's struggles with grief and overcoming loss.

I could have done without the epilogue. I don't really like what it does to the arc of the overall book. I'm being vague purposefully ofcourse to not spoil for anyone. But it kinda bugged me.

But, fans of Sager will for sure still enjoy this as different as it is, it still has the creepy vibe of his backlist, and anyone that likes a psychological thriller should pick it up.

4.5 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the advanced reading copy.

Just FYI: I'm listening to 'Come As You Are' while writing this review. I'm pretty sure that song is this book's theme song.

Charlie-GIRL YOU PUT ME ON AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER. Of course I felt for you, even if I didn't fully understand your choices. Then I kept thinking 'omg girl so many red flags! Listen to your instincts!' Then 'why didn't you say something!' Then 'thank goodness you didn't!' Then finally, 'YOU GO GIRL! YOU GOT THIS!'

Josh- I keep writing then deleting what I want to say about him. So for those who have read it-do you like him or not?

Robbie-dude's got some serious issues.

This was a locked room mystery and it's also not... the majority of the setting is in a car so I guess in that respect it is, but the end totally opens up. And oh the 90s! Soooooo 90's- the songs, the cars, the references. I forgot when it was set at one point and so I was super confused with one of the current events mentioned...

As for the plot, at some points it really is character driven (see what I did there?!). It's a horrible situation and is super sad.

The resolution was EPIC! Like it's one of those that you can see in your head so clearly. It's made for the silver screen.

Like most thrillers I review, I always think I have a lot to write, but turns out that if I write more, I will give it all away.

This is my new favorite Sager! Thank you Katie for the eARC and for organizing a Zoom convo with Riley. Y'ALL GO READ THIS BOOK!

Riley Sager's newest release was an amazing, twisty thrill ride. Not knowing what was real and what wasn't because of Charlie's mental state was an excellent way to drive the story forward and keeps the reader in the same mentally fraught place as Charlie. The teaser chapters from other characters helped give insight, but were also totally misleading and I loved every minute of it. Of course, the twist ending was classic Sager fashion. It wrapped everything up nicely without being predictable and is one of his best. The closing paragraphs were a little corny, but I'll allow it because the rest of it was so good.

Survive the Night is a jaw dropping, action packed, heart pounding novel that is truly a psychological masterpiece.

The year is 1991, there are no cell phones and no internet yet. The only way to reach someone is to find a pay phone and hope that is works. Charlie is a college student who recently lost her best friend. She was murdered by the campus killer that has been getting away with murder for a while now. Charlie saw him, she thinks or was it the movie in her head that she saw? She needs to leave campus now and go home but she doesn’t have a ride. As she is putting up an ad for a ride share on the bulletin board a gentleman sees the ad and asks her when she wants to go. They decide to leave in the evening after Josh gets off of work. Since Josh is wearing a campus sweatshirt, Charlie assumes he is a graduate student.

Charlie leaves behind a boyfriend that isn’t sure where their relationship stands and heads off into the night with a stranger. It quickly becomes obvious that Josh knows something about her best friend’s murder that only the killer and the police know. As the night progresses Charlie is certain he is the campus killer but is she really sure? Is it possible she is just having another waking dream in her head?

As a mom, I am screaming to Charlie about her stupid choices and pleading with her to get out of the car! This begins a long night of cat and mouse. Who will survive the night? A mysterious man with secrets or a traumatized girl who has a hard time differentiating between reality and delusions.

So many twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the end. This is a shocking and fast paced thriller that has quickly become one of my favorites!

I’m a HUGE Riley Sager fan, so this was a highly anticipated read. Especially after last summer’s Home Before Dark, which was one of my favourite thrillers of all time, I went into this book with high hopes. However, it fell a bit flat for me. I particularly found the premise a little hard to believe, where a woman whose friend was brutally murdered just two months earlier would voluntarily get in a car with a stranger, despite Sager’s attempts at making it seem like a logical decision. This hurdle was especially hard to overcome as a reader, since the main character’s choices continue to be infuriatingly illogical throughout the book. There is an overuse of the unreliable narrator trope, which treads into gimmicky territory at times. Some of the twists were good and unexpected, but I found the main twist was predictable and a little convoluted.

Despite this, the book is as thrilling as promised and the plot moves quickly – I read the whole thing in a couple sittings. Though I felt the story was just okay, the pace is still exciting, especially if you’re better at suspending your disbelief than I am. The references to classic films, especially film noir, was a fun addition. Even though this was a bit of a disappointment, I definitely have not been turned off Sager’s work and will definitely be reading whatever he releases next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the ARC.

The early 90s were a simpler time. People still used payphones, cassette tapes... and got into cars with strangers.
Charlie, desperate to go home from uni, finds a ride home on the ride share board at her school from a fellow student.
Along the way, as things become more and more claustrophobic in the Nirvana-filled car, she realizes the driver is not the person he claimed.
This was a twisty, suspense-filled novel. Everytime you feel like you have it figured out, the author proves you wrong. Unreliable narrators, dubious motives, and your own incorrect perceptions keep you guessing.
You will root for the struggling, yet strong, Charlie the whole way. It's definitely a ride along worth your time!
Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the advance digital copy to review!

A traumatized girl struggling to differentiate between reality and delusion getting in a car mysterious man keeping secrets..who will survive the night?

Well, that book was quite the ride. I had to take some time to figure out my thoughts/rating and write a review. I'm still struggling a bit. But this book definitely wasn't what I expected though. mostly it was a good thing.

The story starts off a bit slow and then build and builds like a classic film noir. It was a really cool way to read this story and watch it unfold. The premise isn't new (a girl gets in a car with a stranger and things going wrong) but what sets it apart besides the more movie script style format, it's Sager's ability to make not only is (the readers) but the main character wonder is real and what isn't. Unreliable characters (intentional or not) are often my favorite.

Some things were too predictable. Some things were too over the top, but the ending makes you realize why it all was sort of necessary and worked in a way.

No, this didn't wow me but I couldn't stop turning the page. Overall the ending was satisfying I think more than it wasn't. You'll have to read the book to understand as I don't want to spoil much. But keep your eyes and imagination open. Every character and setting and conversation serves a purpose. Lots of breadcrumbs, so pay attention. If only the characters and some things had been more compelling

Definitely was very entertaining even despite some slow and ridiculous parts. Really was like a hollywood movie. So I'm quite torn on a star rating. I think 3.5🌟 and I recommend it especially if you're big on dark movies as well as books.

Thank you netgalley and duttonbooks.

Review to be posted on instagram @fortheloveofcrime

Welp, I was looking for a breakneck read to get me out of a reading slump and I chose well! This is now up there with my favorite Riley Sager books--the page-turning suspense is intense, especially in act 2 (a feat) with some nice twists I didn't see coming. I did worry at first that the "movie in her mind" conceit might not work, but Sager doesn't spin it out too cheaply (as other authors might) and ultimately I landed on it working well-ie: it didn't wander into uncomfy mental illness territory and was used a a "cheap plot device" relatively sparingly.

Overall, this one will appeal in subject matter/vibe/tone most to fans of Final Girls, and in terms of tension/creepiness/pacing to fans of Lock Every Door (and it's now my second fave behind The Last Time I Lied). It's least like Home Before Dark in terms of lens/tone/pacing, but as that one was my least favorite, that's all good for me, ha. I LOVED how tight the pacing was in Survive the Night, with the book moving quickly past pretty obvious twists instead of drawing them out, ie: we know the guy in the car is creepy, and Charlie figures it out fast, too. It keeps you on your toes, too. She's a sharp horror heroine, thank god (though one or two things she does are hella cringe haha).

I do have some small quibbles and I hesitate to discuss them without spoilers--the plot is so tight and contained with a small cast (and it works) that even the tiniest comment might spoil the book for some. So much of the fun was trying to stay ahead of the plot/guess things/figure out motivations, and I wouldn't want to steal that from anyone. That said, still going to keep it vague enough behind the spoiler tag. So I have that under a spoiler tag in my GR review.

I'm kind of "welllllllll" on the final frame device--I liked bits of it, but one part of it I'm like hmmmmmmmm but I almost would want to do a reread knowing all the twists to see how I feel about the ending. It was definitely interesting! And I'm certainly left with a bit of nostalgia for thriller stories before the age of cell phones in the Internet. Most of the tension in this book and why it works pacing/thrill wise is b/c it's set in the early 90s.

Basically if you like "locked room" mysteries (where two characters are in an isolated location without reasonable means of escape) and want that but in a car for 50% of the book, with some great turns for the second half in terms of setting/stakes... highly recommend. Definitely a book that should be a movie, so much so it's literally baked into the meta lol.

This gets a whole extra star for improbable comedy. The first 3/4 of the book is so frustrating because this girl is just...umm...not really made of final girl material. But then! The back quarter reads like that horrible movie Wild Things without the drugs and sexy heterosexual lesbians.

“She’s no longer the scared, self-loathing girl she was when she left campus. She’s something else.
A fucking femme fatale.”
— Survive the Night, Riley Sager

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️/5

After the death of her best friend, Charlie’s depression drives her to leave her university, the place where she shared all of her memories with Mandy, behind. She meets Josh, an essential stranger, at the ride board on campus and agrees to let him drive her back to Ohio. But the road trip quickly turns frightening when Charlie realizes she’s in the car with a killer, and only one of them will survive the night.

This latest addition to Sager’s already impression resume was fantastic. You couldn’t help but feel deeply for Charlie, whose grief and guilt is a heavy blanket over the entire novel. I also thoroughly enjoyed that the bulk of this novel, all of the truly spectacular and revealing moments, took place in the front seat of a car. It was a fun spin that I feel like only Sager could pull off.

This story is written like a movie script, which is probably why I can so easily see this book being adapted into a kickass film. This is the story of a road trip gone bad. Charlie is leaving college after enduring a horrific tragedy where her roommate is killed by a campus serial killer. Josh, a stranger, who she meets on the campus "ride board" is happy to take her home in exchange for gas money.

Along the way, we learn why Charlie is so desperate to leave school, more about Josh and his background. The title is pretty key here....will both or either of these two survive the night?

The first third of this book did not really impress me, to be honest, but at a key point in the story that I will not reveal, Sager shows off his why he is writing chops and I was on pins and needles for the remainder of the book. This book has the most satisfying ending of any of Sager's titles and I completely adored it! It did put my stomach in knots, you have been warned. Publication Date: 6/29/21 Thank you so to Netgalley and Dutton Publishing for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.