Was this original? No
Was this still well done as a knock off? Also, no
Was this twist worth it? Still, no

This book annoyed me from the get go. The author is beating you over the head with the fact the main character drinks in order to prove she's unreliable. Like after 200 pages about her bourbon, vodka and gin intake- we get it she can't be trusted, try some subtlety dude. Then the twist comes and it made me want to punch someone in the face. The end is just as ridiculous. Without any spoilers, there's a slew of authors who do this type of story in a MUCH better way.

I loved Sager's earlier stuff and Home Before Dark but man did Survive the Night and THATL blow.

2.75 rounded up to 3 because I'm second hand drunk on bourbon.

What did I just read? This is my fourth Riley Sager book and I still can't tell how I feel about him but I think generally he's a no for me. The classic unreliable female alcoholic narrator written by a man trope is getting to be too much. The set up for this book is incredibly similar to The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn -- a drunk neighbor sees crazy things and ~nobody believes her~. There was a complete plot twist which at first, I enjoyed. It make the book actually interesting and made it hard to put down. But upon reflection, it was completely random and felt like a lazy way to move the plot of a pretty standard copy cat novel along. It was probably my favorite Sager after Final Girls, but I still don't think I'm going to read him again.

I can honestly say I didn't see the twist coming. On the surface, this book has all the things I love about Riley Sager and his writing. For some reason, I couldn't really connect to this story, on really any level. I rounded up to 4 stars here, but have this as a 3.5 in my head. The story didn't reach a depth I could get into, and felt I was just treading water. I didn't have the energy to move forward in the book, but kept going to reach the end. I did enjoy the plot twists and the various red herrings, but the lead up to the twist gave me a harder time to get through than other Riley Sager novels. My internal flame will always burn for The Last Time I Lied, my favorite of all of his books (and I've read them all). Riley Sager fans will still enjoy this novel, guaranteed!

Overally, I enjoyed this book although it took a left turn that I wasn't expecting and didn't really feel like the story supported it. But it was definitely interesting!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. I loved the book. It is probably the best one written so far. I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, however sometimes they were very hard to like. The book has twists and turns that I didn't see coming and the ending was a surprise.

Is this one of my favorite books of 2022? Without a doubt. I devoured this book in one sitting and could not read it fast enough.

The House Across the Lake takes place on a beautiful lake in Vermont. Casey, is a famous actress but has had some horrible things happen to her so she has turned to the bottle. Her mother gave her an ultimatum, go to the lakehouse and detox or go to rehab. Casey decides to go to the lakehouse where her drinking gets worse. The lakehouse is where her husband drowned a year ago. While in her drinking stupor and being bored she spies on the house across the lake, the golden couple. Although, the more she spies the more she realizes this couple is anything from perfect. The wife goes missing and Casey knows she needs to get her act together and help find her.

Y'all when I say this book had me shocked I mean it. I was so shocked I had to stop reading and think about what I read before continuing. I don't want to give away anything, but if you're wanting a wild plot twist then you need to read this. I really loved how this book was set up. I like how the plot slowly unfolds, but at the same time keeps you on the edge of your seat. Casey was a handful of a main character, but I felt what she was going through and thought she was a really developed character. The way Sager shows grief and alcoholism was very spot on and I appreciate how realistic he wrote it.

I could imagine myself on this lake, but after reading this book you won't find me near any lake. While this didn't top my favorite Sager book, it came a close second. I loved where Sager took this storyline and thought it was very original.

So good! Read this title with my book club and cannot wait to recommend it to library patrons. The twists I didn't expect but they just kept coming amd I loved it!!

My summer is never complete until I read the latest Riley Sager thriller! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞 was that perfect mix of whodunnit/what the heck is going on mystery and spookiness that had me furiously turning pages. I love a mystery with a bit of ghostly spook in it so this book was easy for me to suspend my disbelief and simply sink to. ⁣
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So without giving too much away - what do we have here? Disgraced former actress Casey Fletcher, our unreliable bourbon drinking MC, has been relegated to her family’s lake house after a rough year. There she spends her days and nights, in a drunken stupor, spying on her neighbors through binoculars. Her spying pays off when she spots Katherine Royce drowning and saves her life, making them instant BFFs. Shortly thereafter, Katherine goes missing and no one seems to take her disappearance seriously. Except Casey of course. ⁣
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Told in alternating Before & Now timelines we team up with Casey and the sexy, former cop from next door to find Katherine as secrets unfold from the past year in Casey’s life. Obviously, all is not what it seems and there is danger afoot! ⁣
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I was all in for the twists and extraordinary elements! And the ending - so satisfying! I loved it! If you enjoy your mystery/thrillers with twists, a splash of the paranormal and characters that fill you with nothing but doubt and mistrust - don’t miss this one. Pure page turning entertainment!

I absolutely loved this book! The setting, in the woods on a lake and the voyeurism made it even better. Fabulous Sager twists and unputdownably creeptastastic!

Any book that starts with a Taylor Swift quote has my full attention! Shoutout to Riley Sager for being the only mystery author that I consistently read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Well friends, this is the first Sager book I did not care for. I found it rather hard to stay interested in. I kept getting caught up on the drunk lady, Casey, talking about alcohol and how much she drank. The other thing that I kept getting hung up on was the fact that she was a snoop, and pretty much that is all she did for most of the book, dpy on her neighbor across the lake and drink.

Now, there was some substance to the book once you reached about 75 to 85% of the book where you get the full story, the twist, and the why behind most of the things. At that point I was more interested in how this would end. So I would say, I was into the book about 15% of the time.

With that…will i continue to auto-buy Riley Sager’s books, yes. I have really enjoyed all of his books. This one was just not this one for me. This does not go to say that you shouldn’t read it for yourself because everyone’s taste is different. Pick it up and give it a whirl and let me know what you think. I know others have enjoyed it.

Absolutely LOVED the book. It's dark, it's a mystery and it will leave you guessing, so prepare for a long night. I simply had to finish it in one go!

After reading a few of Sager’s other books - Lock Every Door and Behind Closed Doors - I was excited to pick up his newest release, The House Across the Lake. I didn’t even read the synopsis for this one, I just jumped right in.

The thing I love most about Riley Sager’s books is how he blurs the line between thriller and supernatural. You never know which one you are going to get from his books, which keeps the reader guessing. The House Across the Lake is no different.

The House Across the Lake seemingly falls into common thriller tropes - jaded and unreliable female main character, spying leads to seeing something nefarious, something sinister going on between famous couple, etc. - however Sager does a good job giving new life to these familiar tropes. Like Sager’s other books, this one is compulsively readable.

The House Across the Lake includes a dual timeline alternating between ‘then’ and ‘now’ chapters. While I did not enjoy this format in the early parts of the book because it made the story feel a bit rushed, everything does eventually unfold nicely. I was completely surprised by the plot twist and enjoyed the direction the story takes.

While I did overall enjoy this story, I did feel like parts of this story were a bit implausible and questioned the actions of the characters. Like I mentioned, not my favorite Sager book, but I still think it is definitely worth the read. Because it seems to be so polarizing, The House Across the Lake would make for a great book club discussion.

***A big thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.***

WOW! Riley Sager does it again! This one was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. I am in LOVE with it!!!!

Wasn't my favourite Riley Sager, but definitely kept me on my toes throughout the entire book. The twist is unlike any other - so it was interesting that it was a different/unique twist BUT it was not the twist for me and the book felt like it went in a completely opposite direction towards the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager. All opinions are my own.

Being entirely honest, in Riley Sager-standards, this fell flat for me. I'm usually instantly hooked and can't put it down. This book didn't do that for me, but it was still a solid read. Sager is a master storyteller and truly one of the best of our time.

Sager's "The House Across the Lake" is at the same time similar to the author's past novels and a semi-welcome deviation. I was not expecting the story to end the way it did and the twist was not predictable, as it had been in previous novels by the author. Casey is plagued by memories of her deceased husband and is drinking away the pain during a mandatory sabbatical at her family's lake house. When she picks up her husband's old birdwatching binoculars, she begins spying on the ex-supermodel and her husband that live across the lake. Casey sees things that she's not meant to see and she begins working to unravel mysteries of the past with the help of a neighbor after believing she has witnessed a murder.

I very rarely do this when I have an advanced reader copy, but I did not finish this book. I adore this author and was so excited to start reading it, but it just never pulled me. I kept trying to return to it and I just wasn’t interested enough to keep going. I will definitely read everything else that comes out, as I have always loved Riley‘s works. This one just didn’t do it for me, unfortunately .

I love Riley Sager. I love all of his books. I loved this book until about 2/3 of the way through. I am used to a certain format for Sager's books, and this twist was frankly too scary for me to finish except during daylight hours. I love twists and Sager's stories, and while this was a great twist and plotline, it was not my style of story and I did not enjoy the final third of the book.

Felt kind of familiar. Went kind of strange. Worth reading. Not my favorite Sager book. Four stars. Ready for the next Sager book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.