Rounding up to 2.5 stars. What a bummer of a book. Definitely not one of Riley Sager's best. Felt like a poorly executed combination of Rear Window and Girl on the Train. I also didn't like the way he wrote the women in this one. And without sharing too much, the big "twist" was really weird, came completely out of the blue, and just wasn't what I was expecting at all. Kind of feels like he's losing his touch and running out of ideas.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Riley Sager is a master of the suspense/thriller genre. The House Across the Lake is about Casey Fletcher who is headed to her family's lake house after some disastrous incidents with the press. Casey is an actor and widow who may just be an alcoholic. When she makes friends with the woman across the lake, she starts to watch from her house and when she seems troubling events.
Sager is fantastic at weaving supernatural elements into his books in an interesting and organic way. This one kept me guessing till the end.

I absolutely love Riley Sager and his books. This wasn't my favorite of his but I still really enjoyed it and will be buying it for my personal library

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for an advanced copy of this title! Riley Sager is one of my favorites! It is no wonder he has become a LibraryReads Hall of Fame Author! Each year, I can't wait for Riley's latest to come out! This one was no exception. The perfect story in a great setting that features multiple twists! Just when you think your are on the correct path, Sager adds path for you to follow as your read about all the secrets contained in The House Across The Lake!

Casey Fletcher is hermiting after a recent bout of bad paparazzi press that flaunted her alcoholism, which she has been engaging in to cope with her husband’s unexpected death. Isolated on a lake, she is doing nothing but drinking away the day and night. One day, she saves Katherine, her neighbour, from drowning. Katherine and her husband, Tom, live across from Casey in a house that is entirely covered in glass. Casey becomes obsessed with spying on them, until Katherine goes missing.

When I picked this up and started reading, I initially thought it was unoriginal. I thought it was anything but by the end. We have another white woman protagonist who sees things while intoxicated and therefore is unreliable/unbelievable. I think Woman in the Window has ruined that trope for me. However, I found myself liking Casey and buying into her, which led to me becoming invested in the story. I thought the portrayal of her grief was really well done and I was steamrolling through the first 200 pages. Then BAM. Crazy twist, crazier twist, even crazier twist?? I literally had to go back and re-read multiple times because I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. I don’t want to give anything away, but WOW. Talk about unpredictable. This started out as a winner for me, but lost me at the end.

If there is one thing Riley Sager is excellent at it's building a story that twists and turns. There were so many moments that left me turning quickly to the next page. However, I don't think this is the author's best work. Majority of this book felt like many other thrillers that I have read - the setting, the characters, the plot. Everything felt reminiscent of any of thriller with a female protagonist that is handling alcoholism and gaslighting. When the story gets going, it's great but quickly falls into the same thriller tropes. By the time it turned into what felt like supposed to be an half-attempted message of empowerment for his female characters, I didn't really care.

This one was a trip. Trippy, twisty, thrilling end. Casey, a recently widowed actress who has been in the tabloids due to her ability to drown sorrows in alcohol, is sent to her family's lake house to dry out. After saving the beautiful model, Katherine, In Rear Window fashion, Casey starts to spy on her and her husband, Tom, an app developer from across the lake. Soon Casey believes there is more going on in Katherine and Tom’s relationship then happiness and bliss. When Katherine goes missing then the twists really start. I loved the atmosphere of this book with the secluded cluster of affluent lake houses with a storm approaching. This set a tone of mystery that added depth to the mystery. I can’t say I liked the main character but as the twists started happening the character development went through the roof and I went from a 3 star to a 4 star rating for this atmospheric, twisty novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced electronic copy of this book.

I had so many reservations about this book going into it. I struggled with Sager’s previous release, Survive the Night… it was so disappointing to me. I went into this one expecting to not like it and instead I read it in 2 days because I didn’t want to put it down 👏🏻 I thought the pacing of The House Across the Lake was really well done, mysterious and kept me guessing. The twists (yes, multiple twists) were really clever and while not all of them were for me I still didn’t see them coming. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was just the right amount of everything - the pacing, the mystery, the thrills and twists. Check this one out!

I loved everything about this book and it might honestly be my favorite Riley Sager yet! Obviously this book reminded me of the movie Rear Window as well as the book, Woman in the Window, both of which I enjoyed. I enjoyed the feeling of being in the Vermont wilderness with the creepy vibes from the lake. As expected though, I was shocked by the ending. I am definitely going to be picking up a copy of the hardcover when it comes out!

Friends that read this were right when they said it takes about 70% for the twists to revealed. And don’t get me started on how outlandish the major one was. I can see it being a “gasp” moment but I honestly rolled my eyes. I’ll admit, it was different and I didn’t see it coming. It was clever and it could’ve worked me. The problem is, we took TOO long to get there.

Another 👎🏽: The amount of times her drinks were counted per chapter could’ve shortened the book significantly. 🙄

If you don’t mind reading a book where only the last 30-ish % gets you excited, grab this book. As a huge fan of Sager, I knew I’d want to read it EVEN though his last one disappointed me as well. Seasoned thriller readers might agree with me on this latest one. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I know this a hugely anticipated summer thriller so I’ll just say maybe read it and form your own opinion; you may love it! However, I just can’t sit here and recommend it as a must-read.
2.5 ⭐️ rounded up

This was such an easy to read thriller that I think people are going to enjoy it. I liked it but I almost wish the paranormal aspect of it was the entire book because that was wild!!! I wish Casey wasn’t a drunk because I think that trope is so overdone in thrillers. She was a great character and I really liked the supporting characters.

The story of Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress who is spending some time at her family’s cabin after some bad press. She happens to watch the house across the lake from her, where a retired model and her tech husband reside. One day, Katherine suddenly vanishes and Casey makes it her mission to find out what happened to her.

Firstly, I want to say that I did like this book. I went back and forth on my review a lot because I wasn’t sure where I landed. I’m between a 3-3.5, but with no half stars being possible on netgalley I went with the former.

I wanted to feel like I was connected to Casey, but unfortunately I was not. I’m also not a big fan of romance in thrillers most of the time. Especially when it comes out of nowhere. I did think Boone made a nice “detective” and assistant to the “investigation”, but all the sexual innuendos constantly thrown in made me quite literally make a face at times. In the midst of an investigation is not the time to think of how someone is licking ice cream.

I enjoyed the twists, but they did feel like they were hitting back to back to back. Quick punches, and they could’ve been spaced out a little more. Or maybe even some of it left off.

I don’t mean to complain because I did find this one interesting. I thought I had it figured out, and I surely didn’t. I don’t mind a supernatural element and this one surprised me nonetheless. I did feel like it had too much nuance and got out of hand at times, but the first big twist was nice and shocking. Loved it.

This overall was a quick, fast paced read and appreciated it for the fact that it threw in some curve balls that stumped me. Because I make it my mission to try to guess how books end, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I will likely read more from Sager, and I’m looking forward to it.

Read if you like...
- unreliable narrator
- secluded settings with locked room vibes
- rear window/woman in the window
- books about obsession 
- slow starts, lots of build up, action packed ending
- completely jaw dropping twists

Thoughts
My recommendation to enjoy this book to its fullest is to treat it like a bingeable thriller, not think too deeply about it and be willing to suspend your disbelief.

This one's slow to get going and is very reminiscent of other thrillers written with this trope. You spend a lot of time with Casey as she's trying to cope (unhealthily) with what's going on in her life and as her obsession with Katharine deepens. The slow pace did get a bit repetitive for the first half of the book, but having the "present" chapters sprinkled in helped keep my interest.

Once things picked up, I was hooked! I can't say too much without getting in to spoiler territory, but I really enjoyed the twists and how Sager reinterpreted this trope. There were a couple places where I was flipping back to previous parts of the book because I thought I was so sure about something, but it turns out I was completely  wrong! While there were one or two things I thought could have been fleshed out more, this ultimately didn't take away from my reading experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.


This was incredible. Plot turns I never saw coming, morally grey characters, dual time line and rich people drama…. Sign me up!!!

As a plot driven reader I find it super hard to have a plot twist actually shock me. And this audibly did…. NUMEROUS TIMES!! This is exactly what I wanted from Ruth Ware’s new book. Something dramatic, different, pushing boundaries and being totally daring in order to live up the the best selling name! I’ll recommend this for ages, Survive the Night who?

I’m huge Riley Sager fan so so was excited to hear his latest novel, The House Across the Lake, is releasing this summer! The House Across the Lake is a psychological thriller that explores stalking, former actor life, toxic relationships, and secrets. I had mixed feelings about this book. When I was first reading, I was a bit concerned about not liking the book because it had the overhyped trope of an unreliable female narrator. I like that Riley Sager’s writing style always keeps me engaged even if I feel unsure about the story. This is a definitely a slow build and character-driven story. I found the last third of the story to be the most interesting even though I’m not a fan of paranormal thrillers. I loved the twists and turns he provided and they were ones I wouldn’t have guessed. I ended up rating this 3.5 stars and rounded up to 4 stars. One thing to note is that I would definitely recommend reading the physical or the ebook. I wasn’t a fan of the audiobook narrator that was chosen as I felt the voice felt older than the narrator in the book. If you loved Riley Sager’s previous books or are a fan of psychological thrillers, you may want to check this one out.

Another Riley Rager book that doesn't disappoint! This might be my most favorite one yet. It had everything you could want in a thriller- twists and turns, thinking you've figured it out halfway through the book and being completely wrong, a hot man swimming naked in the middle of the night... LOL This was a great poolside read.

Cassie is at her family’s lake house after her husband’s death and a career mishap. She spends her days drinking and watching her celebrity neighbor. When the neighbor goes missing she’s convinced the husband hurt her.

Unfortunately his last book and this one didn’t do it for me. The previous one at least I was entertained. This one just was not my thing. Firstly, the trope. We’ve seen it a million times lately. I figured id still trying it. I can get over an overdone plot if the story is entertaining. There was so much going on and so many ridiculous twists, it almost felt like satire to me. It was just too much and felt way too forced. The ending was meant to be exciting, but I literally fell asleep three times. I loved some of Sager’s earlier works, but this one just didn’t do it.

“No matter how much you look, something just beneath the surface will always remain hidden. I should know. I’ve been watching.”

The House Across the Lake comes out 6/21.

Riley Sager does it again! This twisty little gem of “holy, what did I just read” moments kept me on my toes and wanting to know what comes next with every page. A haunting psychological thriller mixed with ghastly ghost stories, this book will keep you questioning everything! There is so much going on in this book that you’d think it wouldn’t possibly be a solid story, but you would be 💯 incorrect.

This one is out June 21, 2022 & needs to be preordered or in your cart asap! So good!

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Random House for the ARC and allowing me to read this awesome story!

Riley Sager’s upcoming book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 really got a lot of opinions before it’s even released. From the title, to the familiar premise, to the controversial tweet. And there’s no such thing as bad press, right? ⁣
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⁣So, Casey is an alcoholic forced by her mother to reside in her family's lake house due to her embarrassing public drunken displays after the death of her husband, Len. Sounds like a few other books, including 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸, right? ⁣
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⁣There were things I liked and didn't like. Very early on, I got vibes of Rear Window (a novella and movie that I highly enjoyed) rather than TWitW. I really dislike the whole alcoholic woman/character because I feel like it's just been done to death and, quite frankly, it makes the character really unlikable to me. It's not that I can't relate to someone who drinks, but it's because I feel like it's an overdone trope and I wish there were other vices the character can have, or another crutch that they can rely on. ⁣
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⁣(A possible spoiler in this paragraph bc I mention something about the writing in the twist.) Sager's writing almost seems formulaic by now: Struggling woman thrown into a mystery with a male side character who may or may not be trustworthy. It's not a bad formula, and it does keep me coming back to his books. However, I can definitely say for sure, I didn't see that twist coming toward the last 1/3 of this book. I almost feel maybe he was playing around with the idea of possibly dipping his toes (no pun intended) with the supernatural in 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 and decided to step knee-deep in with this book. So just some content warning in case you don't like any hints of supernatural writing in your thrillers. ⁣
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⁣I really liked the ending, I loved the twist, and the events really turned Casey around as a character for me. She was kind of annoying and rude up until that point. But the past that literally comes back to haunt her is definitely a good one. It'll definitely seem far-fetched to some but it’s a fun read nonetheless.

Riley Sager is one of my favorite authors and this one may be my new favorite next to The Last Time I Lied.
He never seems to disappoint with the “edge of your seat,” “keep them guessing” vibes and this one hit the nail on the head!

I thought I was getting myself into a domestic thriller- the nosy neighbor uncovers a loveless marriage where one of them is trying to figure out how to get rid of the other. What we’re given is so much more as lies and truths are uncovered about neighbors all across Lake Green & the eerie (and paranormal) truth about Lake Green itself.

I was intrigued the entire time (don’t let the amount of days it took me to finish this fool you) and I was second guessing myself every other page. Don’t forget to pick this one up and add it to your summer reading list- especially if you’re a Swiftie 😉