Just finished reading this and wow! so good. I wasn't sure what to expect but I thought I had it figured out and I was completely wrong. Some good twists and turns and I can honestly say what happens near the end is nothing how I thought it would turn. It is a page turner till the very end! If you like the psychological thrillers this is a great boo to pick up and read.

I was conversing with a friend recently about how we only read books written by women. I looked back through my Goodreads list and noted that it had been several months since I read a book by a man. But then I discovered that Riley Sager, despite always writing from the point of view of a woman, is in fact a man.

So here’s another book by the token male author in my portfolio. It starts as a riff on Rear Window and then goes completely bonkers, in a good way. Mr Sager is often categorized as a horror writer but in the previous two books I've read of his, I didn’t really see it. Creepy, yes, but not really horror. This one, I could see it.

Actress Casey’s husband Len drowned at their lake home a year ago and since then Casey has gone to pieces. She was fired from the Broadway show she was in and is drinking her way to oblivion. After a humiliating paparazzi moment, she’s now hiding out, back at the lake house.

She rescues Katherine Royce, a world famous supermodel, who was drowning in the lake, and then becomes obsessed with Katherine and her tech exec husband, Tom, who are staying in their house across the lake. Spying on them with her high powered binoculars, she becomes convinced that Something Is Going On.

There are so many twists that follow this that I was constantly “Whaaat?”ing at my iPad. Some I thought I saw coming and some are so far out of left field that they’re almost back into right field. This is the most satisfyingly surprising thriller that I’ve read in quite a while.

Casey, a drunken and hence unreliable narrator, does a great job of letting us in and then sideswiping us with a new revelation. Other than the Royces, there’s also the hunky ex-cop working on the house next door, Eli, the old timer, and Wilma Anson, a cop who we meet at the beginning of the novel in the ‘now’ section, which then shifts to ‘before.’ All the characters are well crafted and all, of course, have their secrets.

All in all, a thumping good read, perfect for a lazy weekend or vacation.

Thanks to Dutton and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I enjoyed the mystery and suspense of the book however, about 80% of the way through the book the twist had a fantastical element to it which was hard for me to buy into when the rest the book was more realistic. I did have to keep reading to see what happened, so the book did keep me hooked, even though I felt it was unbelievable resolution.

Big fan of Riley Sager. The setting of this book - Vermont forests and lake houses, as very atmospheric and gives me summer at the lake vibes, which is one of my favorites. Sager weaved a great mystery with very unexpected twists, and a pretty large splash of the supernatural, which honest caught me off guard. Typically these elements end up being explained as something completely rational, but spoiler, that is not the case in this novel. I found this element a bit off-putting as I've come to expect a certain type of book from Sager, but maybe that's not fair. I did find Casey's (the main character) struggle with alcoholism to be very honest and thoughtful, especially as a person who has had similar struggles.

Riley Sager always writes a solidly good thriller and this was no exception for me. I also enjoyed that he diverged from his normal style. However, I don't think everyone will like this one because of this divergence from his norm. I will say, I saw a couple of the twists coming, but not all of them, which was nice.

Typically I love Riley Sager's books, but I really didn't like the supernatural type twist this one took. I also didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them in the end.

This book was one of my most anticipated of the year and one of my fav authors! The story is so cliche and boring. It makes me sad and the writing/plot/characters/twist felt lazy.

I still love RS. But this one was predictable and not what I have come to expect from this author.

This was a fantastic book! I was told by the publisher No Spoilers! So all I can say is if you loved Lock Every Door you will not be disappointed in this book at all. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a great thriller with so many possibilities of who done it.

Riley Sager churned out another very readable thriller. Personally I felt like this was just a copy and paste of Rear Window plus Woman in the Window with a strange twist that didn't make very much sense. Overall I enjoyed it but wish Mr. Sager would switch up his writing formula a little bit.

I sort of stumbled upon Riley Sager during an audible sale, and have been hooked on her books ever since. This doesn't disappoint. Famous actress Casey, has been sent to her secluded family holiday home on the edge of lake Greene, with only a handful of other people nearby. She's been sent here after a very public breakdown and alcohol problem, to help her overcome the accidental drowning of her husband Len....in this very lake. When she meets the glamorous ex supermodel, Katherine who lives in the house across the lake, they immediately gel, especially given the Casey has saved her from drowning in the lake just like Len did...

However, a few days later, a scream is heard and Katherine vanishes without a trace. Casey partners up with Boone, another lake-lodger and starts to unravel what has happened and where Katherine has gone.

As a storm hits, things become more complicated still, and with a killer on the loose, no-one really seems safe anymore. Casey isn't sure who she can trust.

I loved this and sped through it. Told in a then/now format the story slowly unravels and we learn more and more about the characters as the pages turn. Another triumph for Riley Sager!

I like this one...a lot. I know there's been early criticism about an overused drunken, not reliable narrator but it worked for this one in my opinion. I enjoyed this one because it was simply a fun read. It was a quick, completely ridiculous page turner that helped me escape reality for the few hours it took me to read it. It requires the right mood and the ability to suspend some reality but I found it to be a really good read at the right time for me. In comparison to his other books, I enjoyed this one more than Survive the Night but not as much as The Last Time I Lied (which is my favorite Sager book.)

Not my favourite Riley Sager book. This one didn’t have the sense of dread and eeriness present in his other books (his first three are some of my favourite reads), and the dive into the supernatural didn’t do much for me.

If you love thrillers, especially the slow burn Hitchcockian mess with your mind style, then this one is for you! I like Sager's books, so I had high hopes for this one and he did not disappoint. In fact, it might be my favorite yet. Sager pushed genre limits with this one, and I think he was really effective at straddling the line between thriller, psychological suspense, and venturing into horror. This was a fast read for me and I really enjoyed it.

The characters were flawed but real, and I appreciated the way that they grappled with morally grey areas. The protagonists grief and pain was raw, and I cheered for her all the way. This cinched Sager as an auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait for his next book. I know this will be one of the most-read thrillers of the summer and it will be well-deserved. This is definitely a book you want to grab as you head to that summer vacation - especially if you are heading to the lake... keep an eye on your neighbors!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced reader's edition!

I love Sager’s books. They are always so captivating and this one was no exception but I hated the end. The last 30 percent of the book was just a no for me. I can’t say why without actually spoiling it but I needed it to be different. That was not the plot twist I wanted at all. Also, needed more Boone.

Eek. I wasn't a fan. I'm not normally disappointed by a book but i am for this one.

I will say I liked the fast pacing. I was engaged enough to binge within 9 hours and that is where 3 stars comes in. This is really a 2.5 rating for me.

▪︎ This book wasn't original.

▪︎ we have a mentally unstable woman who is an alcoholic as our MC, had it been a fresh take on that I could have looked passed this overused trope, unfortunately, there wasn't any originality and quite honestly it wasn't even necessary for this story...at all

▪︎ the overuse of words was roadkill

▪︎ the number of twists in the last 30% of the book had me laughing. All ridiculous

▪︎ nothing about this book felt fresh. It felt stale.

▪︎ I know this will be a huge hit for others but me, it was a dud. This is just my personal opinion. I went in with an open mind and it was not what I expected from Sager. Take what you will from this review.

Many thanks to the Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early.

The House by the Lake is set to publish 6/21

Casey Fletcher is a recently widowed actress who struggles with alcohol abuse and has had extremely negative press attention because of this. She returns to her family’s peaceful lake home in Vermont and to keep herself occupied, begins to watch the glamorous couple living across the lake. One day, she witnesses something disturbing in the house across the lake and it becomes clear that the couple’s marriage is far from perfect. The wife suddenly disappears and Casey becomes determined to find out what happened and save her.

This novel starts out one way for about sixty percent of the book and then a sudden reveal turns the whole story upside down! I felt like the first half of the book was much more slow burn than Sager’s usual writing which unfortunately made me less invested in the story. Once the twist is revealed, it was so shocking and surprising to be in a thriller but I’m not sure if I like the twist very much. I would have never predicted it but it seemed to not match the usual tone of Sager’s novels and seemed way too improbable. I don’t have a problem with suspending disbelief for plot twists but this one just felt so unrealistic to me in the context of this book. If you are someone who is irritated reading about an alcoholic who is an unreliable narrator, I wouldn’t recommend picking this one up because I think you would get frustrated. If this doesn’t bother you, I still think you should give this one a try! I really loved the location and imagery which Sager always excels at. I feel like I would have liked this a lot better if a lot of the first half of the novel was cut down. I also wanted to get to know the side characters more in this one instead of focussing so much on Casey the whole novel. Unfortunately, this is my least favorite of his books and the only book of his so far that I am rating under 4 stars. I'm giving this one a 3-3.5 star rating.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review!

P.S. Riley Sager, I need another Gothic novel from you!! Those are my favs of yours and I can’t wait to read your next book!

i’m genuinely shook by this entire book. first off, i cannot say enough to emphasize that this book is not what i was expecting AT ALL. the first half of this book is basically just establishing setting, introducing us to the characters, but still fast moving. however, the second half is a WILD RIDE. i found myself audibly gasping at so many parts because i was thinking one thing, and then you find out that it’s not at all what you thought. it felt like whip lash in the best way. it’s hard not to give away spoilers, so i will finish with this: if you’re a fan of thillers, this is will be like nothing you have ever read and truly keep you guessing until the very end.

There's nothing better than a spooky atmospheric thriller, delivered by Riley Sager. From the setting, to the seriously flawed characters, and surprise twist, readers are in for a ride.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ A certain part of this book was done very well and definitely made my head spin a tiny bit. Tiny. Not much.
◘ This book is “genre bending”. It’s not exactly thriller all by itself. Some readers will love it. Some will hate it. I actually didn’t mind it, oddly enough. But I had the heads up so maybe that’s why.
◘ This read super easy. Like, really easy.
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ Obviously the MC has a drinking problem. A big one. We are talking “has a drink every page or at least mentions alcohol, getting wasted, feeling drunk, etc”. I skimmed those parts because I was feeling buzzed just reading about Casey having 20 drinks a day.
◘ The ending. Gawd. It felt like Survive The Night part 2.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
★★★☆☆
I’m rounding down my 3.5 because I think it’s physically impossible for me to rate this author 4 stars or higher. He writes women so bad. Like all his female characters are drunk morons. Is that what he thinks of us? Just kidding, I don’t care that much. But this one was honestly decent. Like The Night Shift, I went into it expecting a good story, and I got it. I didn’t try too hard to guess all the details of who did it and why. Really curious what others will think about this one!

Swipe to see minor spoilers and then again for major spoilers if you’ve read it. DM me if you have a comment that includes a spoiler. I don’t want to ruin this for anyone else.

As with all of Sager's books, I read his newest in one sitting. His books are truly unputdownable. I can't stop turning the pages.

I still don't know what to think of this one. It's hovering between a 3.5 and a 4 for me right now. That could all change the more I think about it. And trust me, I'll be thinking about this one for awhile.

Was it better than Survive the Night? Yes
Was it fast paced and twisty? Yes
Did it have an off the wall ridiculous Sager twist that had my jaw on the floor, while also rolling my eyes? Also yes.

Overall, this was a wild ride in true Sager style. I wanted to hate it. But I think it's my favorite one yet.

Thanks to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the advance e-book in exchange for an honest review