What a wild ride! I thought the story was going one way but it completely flipped and took it a different way. Definitely a fun read.

The House Across the Lake
By: Riley Sager

Storygraph Rating:★★★.47
3.47 Stars

My Rating: ★★★★★
5 Stars

Pub date: 6/21/22

What in the ever living hell did I just read?

But in the best way possible!

Let me start by saying how you need to set the mood while reading this gem. Read this book alone on a stormy day. Only have one dim reading lamp or reading light on. Get cozy, listen to the storm, and enjoy the chaos that is The House Across the Lake!

This book will have you looking into curtains. It will make you wonder who is watching when you think you are alone.

This book will not be for everyone. This truly feels like a horror book disguised as a crime book.

Any Rumors that this is like The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn can now be squashed.

The imagery in the book is stunning. Horror and Northeastern USA mix so perfectly! The Lake has a history and the wooded seclusion adds an extra level of eerie.

This plot is so twisty and will have you second guessing everything you think you know is going to happen.

The main characters were very well done despite the horrible decisions they seem to make. There is a lot of talk about grief, addiction, and death in this book so make sure you look up TWs prior to reading.

It took me a bit to get into this story, however from half way through the book to the end I read in one sitting as it was just too good to put down.

I can't wait for everyone else to read this book! This is definitely another winner from Sager and may even tie with my favorite, Survive the Night!

I liked the premise, but I felt that the actual mystery aspect was dragged out for too long. However, I think the setting was perfect and I liked most of the character interactions.

I am a big fan of Riley Sager’s when I need a book that I can zone out in and enjoy without taking anything too seriously. The House Across The Lake met that criteria. At first, some of the supernatural aspects were questionable and I was wondering if it would just be a knockoff The Woman in the Window, but the twists successfully shocked me and left me satisfied. As always, if you are looking for something to hyper-analyze and intellectually stimulate you, Sager’s books are not for you. But if you happen to be looking for thrillers with unreliable narrators that are quick and enjoyable and will leave you gasping at the twists, this book fits in with the rest of Sager’s novels to do just that.

Like every other Riley Sager book, this was a fun, creepy adventure. It's a bit genre-bending, which I suppose I should expect from this author, but was a surprise, nonetheless. That said, it didn't change the fact I sped through this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's the best sort of book that comes with reveal after reveal--you won't be disappointed!

This is a stunning thriller that is brilliant on so many levels and I am not surprised because I believe Riley Sager is that talented of a writer. Sager is one of the most entertaining and engaging writers in the mystery and thriller genres today and their latest novel is further evidence supporting my theory. I consider myself a mature and open minded reader. I can appreciate a slow burn but The House Across the Lake is absolutely not that and I love it! I really enjoyed this absolutely addictive and dramatic page turner. This is why Sager is one of my few auto buy authors.

There are only a few things I didn’t like about The House Across the Lake. The title is awful and I couldn’t remember it the whole time I was reading this and trying to tell friends and customers about it. This may seem like a small thing in some regards but to me it’s an annoyance and a dislike that should have been improved. Casey is a gripping and titular character and I would have liked to seen the outer cast of characters a little more developed. I saw a lot of aspects as one dimensional but it also fit in with its horror movie type vibe so I am torn on that criticism.

I appreciate that it payed homage to the classics that it played upon and the stereotypical scary story cast. There are twist elements in it. I will tell you that I can usually guess a twist or see it coming but not in this one! Not from miles away. This is more proof that Sager is one of the best in this game.

I was glued to this book until the very last page!

Casey Fletcher is a young actress with an alcohol problem and is sent by her famously-perfect mother to live at their lake house until Casey's latest controversies blow over. Bored and drunk, Casey picks up a pair of binoculars and gazes into the house across the lake, belonging to supermodel Katherine Royce and her tech millionaire husband. When Katherine goes missing, Casey dives into a mystery that goes deeper than she thought possible.

Like his previous books, Sager fills this story with enough suspense and a foreboding chill that keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Unfortunately, the resolution Sager leaves us with feels disappointing after all that build-up. I really loved this story until the end.

Recommended for fans of the film "Rear Window" and "The Woman in the Window" by A.J. Finn.

Casey Fletcher is a recently widowed actress escaping a stint of bad press, laying low at an old family retreat in Vermont . . . and she soon learns that the depths of her beloved Lake Greene are now even darker than she remembered.

This is a fun and twisty read!! I stayed up super late and reorganized my day to finish this book.

I’m a person that pays close attention to details and I did not prepare to have my mind blown. Cancel your plans, get your snacks, and enjoy the spooky and unexpected thrills lurking in this private lakeside neighborhood.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Dutton for an advanced copy of The House Across The Lake for my unbiased evaluation.  5 stars

Riley Sager has provided me with inconsistent reading material since Final Girls, and The House Across the Lake may just be the book to kill the relationship. Some of the fault lies with me, for starting this book the same week I watched a couple episodes of The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window, so as Casey poured another drink I kept waiting for a casserole to smash - just blurring all the plots. When the alcoholic woman trope is so worn out that Netflix is making satires, it's just hard to get into the plot device anymore.
However, midway along we get a subversion of expectations and the real batsh***ery of the plot comes out. When I tell you the twist was out of nowhere, boy do I mean it - the absolute lack of groundwork laid for this bait and switch was unrivalled. And to know how to defeat the evil off the cuff? OK....
This book either needed to lay appropriate groundwork beyond a childhood scary story about the lake at the beginning, or just keep it a paint by numbers thriller. The supernatural element was so unwelcome because it didn't feel grounded in anything. I have no quarrel with the supernatural over all, but all the hallmarks of that genre were absent - where's the trip to the magic store, or the creepy gas station attendant warning of doom, where's the haunted tourism industry for the region?

Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an arc for review.

After absolutely hating his last book, my hopes weren't super high for this one, but I was willing to give it a chance. I wanted to be proven wrong, but sadly, it seems that just isn't the author for me.

The first 67% of the book was engaging, and I liked it well enough to think it would end up being a four-star read. I overlooked some little things, such as the tired trope of the drunk/mentally unstable woman no one believes. I even overlooked the underlying hostility that is present in the creation of just about every female character by this author; he seems to be communicating that women are "less than"; helpless and inferior. Again, I was having a good time with the book, so I put those issues in the back of my mind because I was enjoying unraveling this mystery. When the first twist came, my guess was wrong; when I figured it out, I thought, "Oh man, maybe this will end up being a five star read!"

And then I got to 67% mark where I did a literal double-take to make sure I read what I thought I read. I tossed my Kindle aside in disgust and went to bed. When I picked it up the next morning, things were headed straight to "woo-woo-ville" with no logical explanation save for a brief story about a legend associated with the lake. By the time the final twist appeared almost at the book's end, it was beyond salvageable.

I like being surprised by thrillers. I adore clever red herrings. I do not, however, like being duped by cheap plot devices.

Fans of the movies Rear Window and The Night House will enjoy this twisting thriller steeped in grief and paranoia. If you are looking for a pretty quick read, thrillers that keep you in the dark, and multi-leveled twists - try this out.

Actress Casey Fletcher has been exiled to her family's lake house by her mother after a booze-filled binge made tabloid headlines. Casey's been through a lot - 14 months ago she lost her husband in a tragic drowning accident at the very lake she is now confined to. Her only comfort comes in the form of a bottle - and lots of them. While Casey contemplates her struggles, she becomes fascinated with the couple across the lake - tech billionaire, Tom Royce, and his super model wife, Katherine. After saving Katherine from a near drowning, dredging up memories of her deceased husband, Casey becomes a fly on the wall in the Royce's lives as she watches them through a pair of binoculars. She becomes suspicious of both Tom and Katherine's behavior as she fears for Katherine's life, and soon becomes entwined in a mystery which pulls her even deeper into the darkness.

For me personally - I am a huge Riley Sager fan and was so looking forward to this book, but I have to say I was disappointed. Much like his last book, the shocking reveals fell rather flat for me. Without revealing spoilers I cannot say why I was disappointed. Sager took a different approach to this story than his other books which I don't know how I feel about. It's still a page turner of course, it just didn't resonate with me in the same way some of his prior works did. If you have read other Sager books it is worth the read because the storyline is great and I was totally sold most of the book. Overall, up to the reader whether the twists work for them, but expect the unexpected for sure!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC of this title.

What starts as your average domestic thriller takes a quick and unexpected turn. The plot twists in this book were right up my alley, so good!!! A fast-paced thriller in which no one can be trusted is one of my favorite things. My only complaint concerns the main character POV, which felt a bit like something I’ve read a million times before. Maybe we should leave the alcoholic ex-wives alone for a while.

I was a big fan of Lock Every Door and I knew I had to request Riley Sager's new book on Netgalley - The House Across the Lake. This book wasn't what I imagined. It had supernatural twists that I was not expecting.

We follow the story of Casey. She has returned to her family lake house due to personal issues. Casey is not in the right mindset - too much drinking after the loss of her husband. Casey meets her new neighbours Katherine and Tom Royce, strange things start happening. Katherine disappears and Casey tries to get to the bottom of it with Boone.

I'm actually sitting on the fence with this one. It had a great premise but the supernatural aspect had me expecting more. I found the book rather a slow burn. This won't stop me reading more Riley Sager as I absolutely loved Lock Every Door.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for the advanced copy for an honest review.

Wow. That one word is exactly what you'll be saying after you read this book. You think you know Riley Sager and what he's capable of writing, but once you've read this book, you'll throw everything you though you once knew out the window. As an avid reader, who has looked forward to the few Riley Sager books there are, this book threw me for a loop, in a good way. At first I didn't quite feel that this was the one that would overtake his other books, but once you get to that twist, the main twist, you'll know this is the one. Upon hearing the name of the book when it was announced, I wasn't quite sure this would be a book for me because the name and the synopsis gave me 'The Woman in the Window' by AJ Finn vibes. I was wrong. I admit it. I. Was. Wrong. This book is nothing like it and you will absolutely love it.

Casey is an out of work actress, who after losing her husband, is sent to her family's lake house by her mother. After meeting the couple in the house across the lake, she starts to watch them and one night witnesses something that unsettles her and makes her question what she saw and what exactly happened. The lake holds secrets and sometimes those secrets need to be let free. Will Casey be able to redeem herself after everything that has happened or will she become just another secret on the lake ?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Always a fan of Riley sager books! This one did not disappoint! Full of twists and turns, I couldn’t put it down!

Hang on...I'm still reeling from this book. Like I need to take a few more breaths to really grasp what I just read (and I mean that in the best way possible)
Ok, I'm going to try and do this without giving away any spoilers..because...well because you really need to experience this for yourself!

The book focuses on Casey who is staying at her family's lake house. Casey is an actress who is trying to get her stuff together so to speak but spends most of her time drinking. She drinks to forget the events that led to the death of her husband. One night, she pulls Kathleen Royce, a well known model out of the lake and that begins one of the most twisted and suprising stories I have read in a long time.
There are a lot of red herrings. I mean, I thought I had it figured out and was even like "Come on Riley, why did you make this one so easy to figure out" and then BAM there came the whole "WTF" twist of all twists.

I really can not thank "NetGalley and especially Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this book! Buckle up everyone! You are in for a crazy ride with The House Across the Lake

Casey is recently widowed and has been having dealing with problems ever since. She is sent to her family's lake house so she can live a quiet life for a while, until she meets her new neighbors across the lake, becomes slightly obsessed with them and starts to observe them with binoculars and sees something she shouldn't have.

I'm all in for this kind of mystery novels and the synopsis caught my attention right away. I liked the cast of characters overall, and Casey was an interesting protagonist. The story is told in two different time lines, but it's mainly set in the past, leading all the way up to the present. The author did a great job in intertwining the characters and making the mystery more complex as the story went on. However, I had to lower the rating because of the resolution. I felt like the "thing" he added into the plot wasn't necessary. He had an entertaining story with a great mystery that the "thing" just threw me off unfortunately. You might disagree with me and really enjoy that aspect of the plot, but it just wasn't for me. Overall, I did enjoy the story and will definitely give the author's other books a go.

The twist is pure desperation, completely silly. I've liked a few of Sager's novels, but it's clear from this one that he's running out of ideas. I know thriller authors are supposed to pump a new installment out every couple of years, but that's not a recipe for good writing. I resent the time I spent reading this book only to learn that it swerves idiotically into the supernatural.

As a new reader of Sager’s work, I was skeptical about this latest offering - but I’ll give it to him, Sager definitely had me intrigued throughout.

Casey Fletcher is a recently widowed actress who is hiding out at her lake house to escape some bad press. Perpetually drunk, she takes to watching her seemingly perfect neighbours, Tom & Katherine Royce, across the lake. When Katherine suddenly vanishes after a near death experience out on the lake, Casey takes it upon herself to find out what happened to her neighbour. Things take a strange turn as Casey uncovers some dark and eerie truths that might be better left alone.

While the trope of the protagonist dealing with substance abuse is a little overdone, it worked well in this story. The pacing flagged in the middle of the book, but by the 70% mark, it had picked back up and led to an exciting finish filled with twists I would never have seen coming. If you think you know where this book is going…buckle up. You are in for a BIG surprise!

I actually really enjoyed this book and would recommend to fans of thrillers and Sager’s other books!

TW: Drowning, death of a spouse, alcoholism, domestic violence

Holy Cow!! What a ride that was. I could not put this book down. I thought things were going one way and then it totally changed directions and I had no clue what was going to happen in the end. It was fantastic.