"The House Across the Lake" is a solid summer thriller! I thought the book started off a little slow but once it picked up I couldn't put it down. I just wish authors would move away from the trend of making every female, unreliable narrator an alcoholic. I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. The past and present narration had me questioning everything I thought I knew! Overall, this book was a fun thriller to dive into.

I decided to not continue reading this book, it felt to me like Sager watched that spoof with Kristen Bell on Netflix unironically and decided he needed to get churn out another novel before it was too late. It was very disappointing because I loved his last two books even if they were formulaic they were gripping and the main characters and their circumstances were more palpable. I think the problem here is that everything about the main charcter is so detached that I couldn't care less, after a while it just felt like I was reading a comedy and a guy with a scream mask was about to stab the silicon implant off of Carmen Electra's boob.

hope the next one is better.

Hi! The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager is a psychological suspense thriller that I LOVED. Interesting and dark right from the first page, I was hooked. I ended up finishing it at 2 a.m. because I literally couldn't put it down despite it creeping me out at times.

I recommend this book to everyone that enjoys thrillers, I promise it won't disappoint. I recommend going in blind other than reading this review but please do look up the trigger warnings beforehand. Keep reading to know more about what I loved in this read!

Why you should read it

Now- you need to know it's the perfect escapist read. It's so easy to forget where you are and simply get engrossed in the story. It has moments that will send chills down your spine, moments that will make you smile, moments where you'll have a chilling revelation and moments where you simply can't figure out what happens next.

I really enjoyed reading about the characters and loved how diverse and interesting their personalities were. I loved the main characters, got goosebumps on my arms as I read about the extra twisted ones and I felt for all of them.

Lastly, the emotions. For thrillers- it's especially important for me that I feel connected to both the story and the characters. And I was in this book. The writing style conveyed everything amazingly and induced the right emotions, at the right times. The backstories, the personalities, everything about the characters was built around them so well that every piece in the story just fits amazingly. It actually makes some of the sub-plots obvious in hindsight and makes you have that aw shit moment when everything clicks in place.

I genuinely cannot convey how much I loved reading this story. Creepy and dark but in a quite different way, it's right up every thriller lover's alley. Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense and gasp-worthy plot twists, this book is so worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! This read was published earlier this year.

4.3 STARS

Casey can’t stop herself from watching her neighbors across the lake. When her neighbor goes missing, she can’t help but start investigating what’s really been happening at Lake Greene.

Casey lost her husband in an accident at their lake house a year ago. Now that she is back at the lake she is confronting the reality of what happened to not only her husband but a string of murders in the area.

MY THOUGHTS:
🔪So, I was hooked immediately and I would say it’s pretty fast-paced. I really enjoyed this book and though there were definitely cliché aspects, like even the title, there are things I did not see coming.

🔪It felt like a very classic but engaging neighborhood thriller with some wild twists.

Yup, I recommend this one!

This is a tough one to review without spoiling anything so bare with me! I really enjoyed it, until I didn’t.

While the drunk unreliable narrator has been a popular trope in thrillers lately, I did enjoy this one! I liked never knowing who to trust and Sager did a fantastic job seemingly implicating everyone.

In true Sager fashion, this one has a jaw dropping twist that I certainly didn’t see coming! Did I like it though? Unfortunately not really. I did find the book as a whole to be incredibly propulsive and I definitely did fly through this chilling and atmospheric read!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for goodreads

Casey Fletcher, a recent widow and disgraced actress, has been sent to her family’s lake house to hide from the paparazzi, and keep her mother happy. What ends up happening will change everything.

This gave me strong “Woman in the Window” vibes, which is honestly one of my favorite thrillers, and why I insist curtains are drawn at night! This is my first novel to read and review by Riley, and it was a solid 4 star for me. The writing kept me captivated and it was so hard to put down! I thought I had it all figured out but there was a solid reverse uno card played that I never saw coming! This was a great read, I strongly recommend!

Thank you to Riley Sager and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for a free and honest review.

This latest thriller by Riley Sager pays homage to Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Casey is coping with the loss of her husband and career by drinking as much alcohol as possible. After an swimming accident, Casey befriends Katherine, a former model. Katherine is married to tech mogul Tom and the couple have moved into the house directory across the lake from Casey. She becomes obsessed with the couple and begins to watch the new neighbors with a pair of binoculars. Casey begins to see the marriage unravel through her lenses and soon Katherine disappears. Unfortunately Casey is not very credible due to her alcoholic hobby and she decides to investigate Katherine’s disappearance on her own.

This is a fast paced thriller that has many surprises that you won’t see coming. As with many other horror novels an open mind is required in order to completely enjoy the story. Let yourself go and enjoy the ride!

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

I knew it!
Oh, wait, no. I didn't.
At about 40% I had this book all wrapped up, knew what was going on and was certain of it...Except that's not how Riley Sager works and we all know it.
After I finished it I explained it to my husband who was very intrigued.
This book truly has a bit of everything. No spoilers, but if you're looking for a good book with enough twists to keep you guessing, this fits the bill.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I truly enjoyed it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Riley Sager for this ARC. This was my first Riley Sager novel. I was drawn in to the plot right away, Sager has a way of strongly evoking the setting for the reader. Newly widowed Casey is trying to drown her demons in the bottom of a bottle while staying on her lake house. But when she saves her neighbor Katherine from drowning, she sets herself on a path that sees her trying to determine where Katherine disappeared to and if it was by choice.

Interesting novel, and I will be checking out other Riley Sager books.

This was my first Riley Sager book. I absolutely loved the story and the quirky characters. I liked the twists up until the last one at the conclusion of the story. What was that all about? This perfectly entertaining book was ruined by its farfetched ridiculous ending. What a waste.

This book truly kept me on my toes! Riley Sager is the king of plot twists & this book was so exception! I enjoyed the alternating timelines and how everything came together. This one is definitely a solid thriller.

Riley Sager is an automatic read for me. He's a staple in the thriller genre and I always enjoy his books simply for the compulsiveness of them. With that being said, this was not his best work. I went into this knowing there's a HUGE twist that's divided fans. It's an interesting twist but I feel like it wasn't executed properly. There's a few subtle hints dropped along the way, so I guess it's not COMPLETELY out of left field looking back but it is wild... It got too outlandish for me and went in a whole different direction that I wasn't really interested in. Will I continue to read Sager's books? Of course. It was a fun compulsive read I really enjoyed it until we got to THAT part. Some may enjoy it but I think a lot of his avid readers and fans will be surprised.

Ugh,...so disappointed. This book started out so so strong. I loved the first 40% of the book...had me on the edge of my seat. Then it slowed down for me in the middle, then took a nose dive. I wish I'd know this book had paranormal offerings., I found the ending so unbelievable. The book had been great up until that point. Too unbelievable for my taste. Thank you for the advanced copy.

Well, this was a very disappointing read, and a generous 3 star rating. I am such a huge fan of Riley Sager, but this book…I think we have to talk about this book in two sections because they were two completely different things.

The first half of the book is completely a The Woman in the Window story. I mean drunk woman, unreliable narrator, binoculars to spy on neighbors, secrets untold…It’s the same story, and I just wasn’t interested in it. I was a bit tired of the drink, spy, phone call, pass out, and repeat story line (TBH I felt the same way with The Woman in the Window).

But then, the story takes a new, and surprising turn in the second half…It didn’t get better though.

I thought the second half was a crazy storyline, that didn’t mesh well with the first half. I would have liked an entire story that truly melded well surrounding the second half, but the book felt like two different stories stuck together. There were some twists at the end, and I enjoyed them, but it was all just a bit over the top.

I will be picking up whatever Sager writes next, but I certainly hope we get more Home Before Dark vibes and less of this next time.

So,...I loved it! I feel like it is the kind of book that when you get to the twist you are either here for it or over it. I appreciated how Sager completely committed to it and made it work.

'The House Across the Lake' is full of characters that are relatable, likable (except for when they're not supposed to be), and you want to read their story.

The twist begins about 80% of the way through the book and carries through to the ending. Then throws a few more curveballs before wrapping things up neatly.

The novel is a great summer read, a perfect beach book that doesn't take itself too seriously.

This was a bit different than his other books. It has a supernational feel to it. I enjoyed the creepy aspect of the book. And even though Casey has a slew of problems she's extremely likable and you root for her throughout the book. Overall I enjoyed the book

Rating 3.5 rounded up to 4

Uh this was an interesting ride. First part of my vacations I was reading this as a buddy reading fortunatelly, so I had the motivation. It was really slow at the beggining but I was not annoyed couse was easy reading.. I was clear nothing is like it seems but the was it was done was great. It surprised me even I suspected some things right and was nice wraped up. I did not like the paranormal but was incorporated nice. I let it go and I enjoyed the end of the book anyway.

An interesting story. The supernatural element is a bit much, but overall a fun read. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Spoiler alert - do not read this if you don't want the ending spoiled. I would never do this but had I been forewarned I might not have invested the time - this book was truly riveting, being on the edge of your seat type of read. You wonder how the author is going to make this all add up - it's awesome! I could not put it down!! Well evidently the author was wondering too because suddenly we've got Deus Ex Machina come out of nowhere, as it does, and change what had been a compelling suspense story into one with supernatural solutions. No warning. No transition time. Just - now this is paranormal lit not mystery genre. IF you are a paranormal fan, go ahead, you will be fine, this author is seriously fantastic. But, if you are not, be aware. I should have done my research - this was my first by this author and his obvious talent pulled me in smoothly.

This will undoubtedly sell well in our store, but it personally didn't work well for me. I have a hit-or-miss relationship with Sager. loved The Last Time I Lied, but haven't enjoyed his other books as much. I am very tired of the drunk unreliable female narrator (The Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window did it best). I also didn't enjoy the paranormal twist at the end.