The last few Summers in my reading life have definitely been marked by excitement at the release of Riley Sager's latest book. This year was no exception and I LOVED Home Before Dark. It may be my new favorite of his four books in fact. Alternating between main character Maggie's quest to renovate and understand what happened inside her family's "haunted" home and actual chapters from the book Maggie's father wrote about their experience there it is sufficiently scary with a very satisfying ending!

"Home Before Dark" is a satisfying blend of the popular domestic suspense genre with the added intrigue of a haunted house. Fans of "The Amityville Horror" will enjoy this novel, which centers around a fictional book written about the haunting of Baneberry Hall, a Victorian Mansion with a storied history. Sager includes plenty of jump scares and twists to keep readers turning the pages. I will be recommending this in Reader's Advisory for Gillian Flynn fans looking for a light summer read.

This is only my second Sager book (the first being Lock Every Door) and overall I’m pretty new to the thriller game. But let me tell you, I was hooked from the start of this one. Did it make me jumpy. Yes. Did I freak out when my husband opened a squeaky door but didn’t come into the room right away because he’d forgotten something? Hells yes! Now that I think about it maybe this is why I haven’t read very many thrillers...I’m a big ‘ol scaredy pants.

But all those bumps, creaks and groans (I’m sure now were the wind...right? RIGHT?!) didn’t get me to put it down, I devoured it.

I loved the book within a book format, and the story being split between the past and the present, slowly giving you a little more of the story with each switch.

While I didn’t particularly love the main characters, the story was paced perfectly to keep anticipation high. And I really felt like I was there at the house with them...maybe a little too much 💀

If you love a spine tingler then definitely check this one out!

Another Riley Sager win for me. While I tried twice to get into Final Girls and just couldn’t, I’ve enjoyed each of his books after that. I enjoyed the dichotomy between the main character’s present day story, and the chapters from her father’s book that we get to read. It was a little creepy, and I did not figure it out before the end, so I was pleased.

Although thrillers were my first love, it's been awhile since I've picked one up, so I can't comment on how this stacks up compared to other recently released thrillers, but I found myself enjoying HOME BEFORE DARK with every turn of the page. Sager is a compelling story teller, using dual timelines (there was a novel within this novel!) to weave a story that is equal parts spooky and thrilling.

Maggie is the daughter of a former journalist-turned-novelist who wrote the infamous book House of Horrors based off of true experiences Maggie's family endured at her childhood home, Baneberry Hall. Over the course of the twenty days Maggie and her family spent at Baneberry Hall, they experienced the unthinkable: snakes falling from the ceiling, chandeliers shinning bright in the middle of the day, bells ringing unprovoked. Maggie, featured prominently in the House of Horrors bestseller, allegedly saw the ghosts that haunted her bedroom. The problem is that Maggie, now an adult, has absolutely no memory of her time at Baneberry Hall and is convinced her father made the entire story up. For what purpose? She isn't sure. But after her father's death, Maggie returns to Baneberry Hall on a mission to uncover the truth behind what happened all those years ago. Haunted by both her past and the present, Maggie struggles with letting the skeletons stay in her childhood closet or letting them roam free.

Alternating between chapters from Maggie's father's story and her present day POV, Sager weaves a tale of possible paranormal activity and definite family strife. The two stories connect with one another like gears on a bike, fitting into each other seamlessly and propelling the plot forward.

It's always hard to review thrillers because you can't say much without running the risk of spoiling part of the magic, but I think this is a solid summer time read! I wasn't blown away by the twists, but I didn't think this was run-of-the-mill or rife with overdone tropes either.

I heard a lot of talk about this book being quite similar to a popular TV show. Well, good news: I haven't seen the show. So, I thought this book was just as amazing as every other Riley Sager. Untrustworthy narrator, creepy setting, dark and scary tone... loved every page. I also loved the Stephen King allusions like "foaming at the mouth like Cujo"... so good, and so typically masterful.

Riley Sager is by far one of my favorite thriller writers ever, and I’ve only read this book and Lock Every Door. I absolutely loved the concept for this book because I love the show “The Haunting of Hill House” and that was the vibe I got from this book 100%. I genuinely felt scared at moments reading this and that has never happened to me before while reading a book. For a second, I didn’t think the story was going in a good direction, and then he pulled me right back with some amazing plot twists that I did not see coming. If you’re a fan of haunted house mysteries or past events coming to haunt the character in the present, you will love this book. I highly recommend.

I read this book a few weeks ago when I was at the beach and have been struggling with what to rate it ever since then. I always have such high expectations for Riley Sager since his first two books are five stars for me, but last year I was disappointed with Lock Every Door. I believe this is going to be a 3.5 rating for me.

Home Before Dark does have Lock Every Door vibes, but I think it was written a lot better. What I'm disappointed with, is I hate when books are marketed as Horror, when they aren't really Horror. This book does give me Haunting at Hill House vibes and would be a great book to read during Halloween, just make sure you don't go into it thinking its ghost book. I felt like I was reading an episode of Scooby Doo, where at the end they pulled off the mask of the ghost and found an adult playing around.

This book is about Maggie who lived in this haunted house twenty-five years ago with her parents. They were only there for a bit, when they fled because of the fear of the house. Maggie's dad is a writer, and wrote a book about the house, which quickly became a best-seller. Maggie doesn't remember her time living in the house, and only knows the events from the book. Her whole life has been living with the fame, but she also doesn't believe the events in the book are real, so she has been mad at her parents for lying to her for years.

When Maggie's father dies, she finds out that he left the house to her, and she decides to renovate it. While working and living at the house, weird things start happening, which makes her believe that her dad's book was true all along.

The writing was definitely really good in this book, which is one of the reasons I love Riley Sager. I didn't have any problem with the pacing, but I was at the beach with no distractions. I loved reading about the haunted house and I REALLY loved reading about the events that happened within her dad's book. What I didn't like was the ending.

If you love thriller books that say they are ghost stories, but aren't, then you will probably love this book. If you want an actual ghost story, read The Invited by Jennifer McMahon.

Twenty-five years ago, the Holt family moved into Baneberry Hall, a house with a tragic past, but Ewan Holt believed his family could be happy. Though when his five-year old daughter, Maggie, begins to see imaginary friends and unexplained events haunt the house, Ewan must reevaluate. Documenting his experience, Ewan’s book became a best seller but Maggie has lived in the book’s shadow for most of her life. After all these years, she has always wanted the truth and now returns to where it all started.

“Never go back there, it’s not safe there. No for you.”

With the timeline shifting between Maggie’s perspective in the present and excerpts from the past in her father’s book, the plot is engaging and tensions rise. Uniquely, both perspectives offer parallels and each build upon the other. While it seems as though Maggie is eager for answers, she is constantly battling her inner voice and those who seek to deceive.

“What does Mr. Shadow say?” “He says – “Maggie gulped, trying hard to hold back her tears. “He says we’re going to die here.”

What I enjoyed the most about this story was how the timelines alternated and maintained a sense of being off kilter. Though Ewan’s account is presented as a non-fictional book, I kept trying to piece together the facts and unexplained phenomenon. Additionally, I was vested in his quest. As for Maggie’s perspective, I wanted her to find the truth, yet I didn’t feel as connected to her until closer to the end. Though I speculated correctly about certain aspects, I was also pleased for a couple twists.

Home Before Dark is a thriller where the truth lurks behind shadows of doubt. This book would appeal to those seeking a haunted tale mixed with the reality of facing one’s own demons.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have never read any of the other Riley Sager novels but they have always caught my eye with their bright covers so when I saw this book listed with the premise of a supposed haunted house and the story that follows it, I knew I had to read it. I have many other novels with a similar premise but I get sucked in each and every time. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. With a cast of interesting, flawed characters, including the house, and a plot line with twists and turns I didn’t see coming, I really loved this book. Now I must go back and read the others.

Abandoned haunted houses? Mysterious deaths? Creepy interior decorating? Yes, please.
Riley Sager is definitely one of the “buzziest” authors in the Book of the Month bubble. I’m most certainly the type of person that will read an author’s book just to see “what all the dang fuss is about,” and Sager has quickly tumbled into that category for me.

The thing I love most about Sager is that he clearly takes things he loves and puts his owns spin on it: Lock Every Door was a nod to Rosemary’s Baby/Ira Levin; Final Girls was perhaps a nod to 80s teen slasher flicks; and Home Before Dark is The Amityville Horror.

I’m here for this.

I, too, love writing my obsessions into my work, so it’s glaringly obvious to me when an author writes to something in which they clearly are passionate about. I think it goes without saying that you’d have to care a lot about famously haunted houses in order to write your fictional account of a family that survived a terrifyingly haunted house. Which is exactly what Home Before Dark is about. (Oddly enough, the title really has nothing to do with the book. I also argue this with Lock Every Door.)

Okay y’all. I’m a chicken. I don’t do “scary” very well–particularly the scary that involves:

Vengeful ghosts
Children (they are always the ones that see the shit first!)
Possessions
Haunted houses of any kind, really
So let it be known: I was nervous about this one. For good reason: Sager is really good at writing scenes filled with creepy suspense that keeps readers on their toes, throwing twists at you left and right, and wrapping things up with a bow (albeit, a bloody bow, but still).

The protagonist, Maggie (my sister’s name, but I doubt I could convince her to read this book, she’s as much of a chicken as I am), inherits the house she and her family fled decades ago, and which made her writer-father famous for his take on what happened in the house. Convinced her parents were full of crap (because ghosts are, like, totally not real, right?), Mags has to face the creepy house and uncover all the deep, dark secrets buried in those walls.

Some people have said this book isn’t scary at all. I disagree, perhaps because my imagination loves to run wild when the lights go out. I was essentially haunting myself with the visions of the ghosts in this book, and it gave me the creeps. Now that I’ve fully recovered (I recommend lights on for at least three nights with this one), I can move on to another Sager book.

If you’re a big chicken but love Riley Sager, this one might be your favorite. Be a chicken, but go forth. Be brave. And maybe read some David Sedaris before bedtime, to laugh those ghosts away.

I recommend this book for fans of:

Every haunted house book/movie ever made, particularly The Amityville Horror and The Conjuring*
Shirley Jackson in general
All those HGTV shows, because you really want to see a show about interior decorators taking on haunted houses (10/10 would watch this)
Antiques
Small towns

We recently read this book for our podcast, Genre Junkies. The episode will be airing in early July. We also got to interview author Riley Sager for this review episode of Home Before Dark. This book is an absolute page turner and another fantastic entry in Sager’s catalogue. We love the way he works in different sub genres. Reading his books are never a straight path. He winds up and guides his readers into fantastic guessing games. Here we have a thriller, a mystery, a gothic haunted house tale, and a domestic drama with a great dual timeline.

If you have not read Sager before you are in for a treat. Enjoy this book and also delve into his backlist. Sager is an expert at finding ways to keep his readers on their toes. In Home Before Dark he once again shows us that an “everyday” horror can be just as scary as things that go bump in the night.

This story within a story was interestingly crafted with chapters alternating between a haunted house mystery written by the father and a haunted house mystery written by the daughter. Both stories concern the same house and the same events, just 25 years apart. The father has died and the daughter is trying to figure out just what happened the year she was 5 and they lived in the house for 20 days, leaving abruptly and never returning.

Over the years the daughter has begged her parents to tell her the whole story or to tell her the truth. It’s only upon her father’s death and upon her inheritance of the property that she goes back to it to see what she can learn.

On the plus side it kept me reading. On the negative side, there were just too many instances of “why in the world don’t they see that?” or “How can you be so obtuse?”

Good for a light, quick read when you don’t need to be too hung up on facts – or on action that makes sense. Well after all, it is a haunted house mystery so I guess truth is relative.

I appreciate this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a little lukewarm on Riley Sager - I didn't love "Final Girls" but enjoyed "Lock Every Door" - so I was cautiously optimistic about 'Home Before Dark' and wow, it did not disappoint! As the book unfolds, there's a very "Haunting of Hill House" Shirley Jackson-esque feel to this book. Honestly, there were a few times I was reading in bed at night and I spooked myself so much I had to switch over to a lighthearted romance novel just so I could fall asleep, that's how spooky this novel was. The lead character, Maggie, was easy to connect with as a reader, and I loved the exploration of family within the creepy suspenseful plot.

NetGalley ARC | I ultimately pick up Home Before Dark when I saw the title as a BOTM selection and saw the words "haunted house" and "Ouija board." Sign me up!

I appreciated the ending, plot twists, and how thankfully, not everything or everyone cleaned up so nicely. I felt moments of suspense or horror throughout, but with a lack of consistency and strong pacing, Home Before Dark just fizzled out on me. I would recommend this one as a fun and spooky escapist summer read, though. It's still a tad thrilling.

You can find the complete review here on The Uncorked Librarian: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/currently-reading-july-2020/

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is so atmospheric! The house is almost like a character itself. I would best describe this novel as a paranormal thriller and there are twists that I did not see coming! Probably my favorite Riley Sager novel yet!

This book is different than Riley Sager's other work. It is creepy and full of suspense, though! The story kept me engaged and the characters were well-developed. This writer just cannot write a bad book!

I wanted to love this so much, but unfortunately, I didn’t.

I just felt bored for the majority of this book - I felt like we were being told things more than being shown, I felt like the motivation behind a lot of actions just wasn’t there & I couldn’t stop thinking that all the characters actions were just plain dumb. I l have taken a different route, I felt like there was very little build up & I was just left feeling bored. I am definitely interested in reading Sager’s backlist though!

A woman confronts the ghosts of her past in Riley Sager’s must-read, HOME BEFORE DARK.

Sager freshens a classic horror trope to deliver this outstanding gothic thriller. Wonderfully atmospheric and creepy, his latest channels The Amityville Horror and House on Haunted Hill.

Twenty-five years ago, in the dead of night, Maggie Holt and her family fled Baneberry Hall—a Victorian estate nestled in the Vermont woods. In House of Horrors, a novel that subsequently fascinated readers worldwide, her father claims they were terrorized by evil spirits. But Maggie has no memories of these malevolent encounters. She’s confident that what her father penned is nothing but lies—lies which have haunted the whole of her adulthood.

Now dedicated to restoring old homes, Maggie decides to return to Baneberry Hall with the guise of flipping the ill-famed mansion. She’s determined to uncover the real reason behind their abrupt departure.

But almost immediately Maggie experiences things right out of her father’s book, things which hint at the sinister secrets that hide within its crumbling walls. And before too long, she uncovers the truth is far more terrifying than the lies.

Sager creates a rich, deeply menacing atmosphere that kept me on edge. I could clearly envision Baneberry Hall with its glowing entry chandelier, filled with old furniture no one dared return to claim, scarred by the murder and insanity it witnessed (or instigated). Tension rachets as we alternate between Maggie’s present-day experience and chapters from her father’s book, making me wonder what truly lurked around the corner. I had theories aplenty of course, and was yet surprised as the final, satisfying scenes felt into place. I didn’t think I could love another book of his as much as FINAL GIRLS, but I loved this one just as much.

Brilliantly plotted, wonderfully creepy and impossible to put down. Read it immediately into the night… but leave the lights on.

The best psychological thriller I've read this year - Riley Sager is quickly becoming an author you can rely on for a great, scary book.