I didn’t understand the character motivations whatsoever, but perhaps that was the point. We all love to yell at the characters in a horror movie when they make bad decisions, decide to turn back, run away from the killer by going upstairs, etc. It felt very much like a straight-to-VOD horror movie, and as a huge horror fan, I mean that in the best way possible.

Riley Sager does it again! His books have so many twists and turns. This one was different from his lasts because of how he set it up, but overall another win for this thriller writer.

Fast paced book with a few unexpected twists. Almost too many unexpected twists, but still a fun read.

If you’ve been following me for awhile now, then you know my love of @riley.sager books. From FINAL GIRLS to SURVIVE THE NIGHT, I have devoured them all, and I will keep coming back for more! And as always, I will forever be grateful to my friend, the gorgeous Abby, aka @crimebythebook, for starting me out on this obsession with my first ever free publisher book, FINAL GIRLS.

#QuickTake - SURVIVE THE NIGHT is the perfect summer read! Although I am a definite year-round #RileySager reader, it pairs well with being on a beach sipping a daiquiri. The story is gripping, suspenseful, and propulsive. I could not put it down, nor did I want to. Let’s just say, I had a blast reading it. I am kicking myself that I didn’t order a signed copy because I am obsessed with Mr. Sager and all his talent.

What’s the verdict? Are you in or are you out?!

Nope. I am offended that this author writes such weak female characters and often leans on mental health as a trope for being “crazy.”
This book is basically every overused, unoriginal plot device crammed in between two covers and has his name slapped on it. I’m over it.

Written like a Hitchcock-esque dark thriller complete with over the top drama and setting. Very 50's noir. Main character is unlikeable, unreliable, and such a wet dishrag that I felt zero sympathy for her. Plot moves fairly quickly, but the actual events are so unrealistic that it reads like a farce. Maybe that was the whole point? To make a movie into a book instead of the other way around? If so, it didn't work for me.

Maybe those who love this genre of movies will enjoy this novel.

The only saving grace is that it shows how some people in certain situations might not "save themselves" while in danger.

It's 1991 and Charlie Jordan is trapped in a car with a stranger. Oh yeah, that stranger might be the Campus Killer that killed her roommate. That's pretty all you need to know.

So this book is kind of my worst nightmare come to life. Even though I would never take a ride from a stranger and one with that many red flags... But anyways, a road trip at night, no cell phones, empty rest stops. Like I said, my worst nightmare.

I absolutely love a thriller that takes place over just one day (or night). It's such a fast game of cat and mouse that sometimes it's hard to keep. Plus, Charlie is the ultimate unreliable narrator because she doesn't even trust herself.

As much as I really enjoyed the beginning, the book starts to unravel and lose me a bit as it continues. Charlie makes the worst decisions the ENTIRE time (I know, I know the show must go on. But come on girl) and I didn't love the direction it took. With that being said, I couldn't put it down and had to know what happen at the end.

Overall, this is an enjoyable, fast-paced thriller that maybe took some wrong turns. But would I ever skip a Riley Sager book? Absolutely not and I'm still glad I read this one.

Thank you to Dutton Books and Netgalley for my eARC of this book.

Wow 😲 I feel battered after reading this book🤕. The rollercoaster of high anxiety and panic were draining. Sager knows how to keep your emotions on the ledge. I thought I knew what was going on. I figured out most of it, but Riley threw me off and I doubted my logic.

The pacing was great. Not once did I become confused by which person was speaking in each chapter. I thought the story quite original and refreshing. I loved the movie references. I don't read many thrillers, but I do know that Charlie's character made the book.

Survive the Night
by Riley Sager
Pub date: June 29,2021
Dutton

I was highly anticipating this novel's release. Unfortunately, It was a huge disappointment to me. I really enjoy Mystery/thriller books and this one did not hit the mark for me.
Thanks to Dutton Publishers and Netgalley for sending me the ARC.
I cannot recommend this book. With so many great books to read this one did not rate well.

3 star

We carry all of Riley Sager’s titles and handsell them to our customers often. We chose his newest release, Survive the Night, for our first, post-pandemic, in-person book club pick. EVERYONE loved it, and that was a first!

We loved the characters, the rapid pacing, and the format of the chapters. And those plot twists! These are the kinds of plot twists that give us the whiplash every mystery/thriller reader yearns for. We’re giving this one a solid, FIVE stars, and I can already tell Survive the Night will be one of those books we’ll always have on the shelves – no matter how old it is.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin/Dutton for the advance review copy.

A super interesting concept that I didn't completely feel grasped to, which was unfortunate. It was really well written, and I did enjoy reading it, but I found myself falling off of picking it up for other things.

Riley Sager is one of my favorite thriller authors. This book didn't do it for me. The main character, Charlie, basically had to survive the night (just like the title). She wasn't very intelligent when it came to decision-making. Every choice she made was obviously the wrong choice. "Survive the Night" had a very predictable plot and the book was just dragged out.

Charlie Jordan is desperate to get home. Even though it’s only a week before Thanksgiving vacation, she’s anxious to leave her college dorm. There are too many memories of her roommate and best friend who was murdered three months earlier – the killer still not caught. So, she posts on the ride board on campus, hoping to find someone traveling to New Jersey. And, that’s how she has ended up in a car with a complete stranger.

I have enjoyed previous books by Riley Sager but Survive the Night isn’t one of my favorites. Jordan is difficult to understand and her decision-making skills are definitely lacking. At the same time, she is dealing with the death of her friend and some mental health issues as well. Even so, I really expected her to have better survival instincts and trust her gut feelings. In the end, the story works because it is set in 1991, before the advent of cell phones. Otherwise, the book would have been over before it even began.

Survive the Night, in my opinion, isn’t the strongest book on the Riley Sager bookshelf. But it was enjoyable enough that I wanted to see it through to the end and I’ll definitely pick up the next book he writes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Charlie has to survive the night on the road with Josh who might be the Campus Killer. This is a twisted catch the runner story that will make your heart thump. But unlike other Sager’s books, the story does take time to build the momentum, but the pac is kept steady once the thumping starts. Wouldn’t say this was a fresh take on cat-mouse story, but it sure is an entertaining one.

Thank you Dutton via Netgalley for the arc.

I am a huge, huge fan of Riley Sager normally. This, however, wasn't it. The main character was insufferably dumb which, I think, was supposed to serve the story by showing the reader that, character-wise, she would stay to fight the baddie (or whatever). However, she made the story really drag; she was boring; the whole plot was boring; it was so boring. I cannot stress to you how boring and predictable this was. I do, though, think that this novel could have a lot of potential as a movie/script because it would serve a visual medium so much better than a written one. Again, I love RS so I will definitely always pick up what he's putting out, however, I implore you not to start here if you're new to RS.

I love Riley Sager's books. He does a fantastic job of setting up situations that are terrifying and realistic at the same time.
Charlie Jordan is leaving college after a traumatic event makes it impossible for her to stay. She finds a posting on a student board from someone who will be leaving the night she plans to, and decides to take him up on the offer. The only problem is that his story doesn't seem to match up and Charlie is getting more and more suspicious as the ride goes on.

This was a very strange read.. Most of the read I had to keep myself from not finishing it. I don’t like to quit but this one.. I was surprised.. I typically really like Riley Sager.. But I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the story line.. It seemed from the start that. Charlie, has been hiding out in her dorm room for months.. wants to go home. During the semester and she is afraid of everything and yet she gets a ride from the ride share board on campus. Charlie’s roommate/best friend was killed and the murder hadn’t been solved and Charlie takes the chance of a ride share? The driver, is shady from the start. Charlie doesn’t trust him and yet continues on this crazy road trip.. Robbie, Charlie’s boyfriend gets involved is this drive.. and all hell breaks lose. Such a weird twisty middle and end. Started to lose track of the characters and I really didn’t like the characters. I did finish and maybe it was just not the book for me. or not the right book for me at this time. I will read Riley Sager’s books again.. this just wasn’t my favorite.

This was an overall just ok read for me. The plot read like a play, with an introduction to each scene, which I found to be clunky and redundant. It was definitely suspenseful but I felt like the main character made really poor decisions and the ending was predictable.

Holy unreliable narrator. I didn’t believe a damn word Charlie said the whole book. Not one. I was actually really close to guessing parts of what was going, but others just came out of left field for me. A lot of the things that happened felt like they were playing out a little too perfectly for the narrator. Even though she found her life in danger…multiple times, it still felt like she was just heading towards being the heroine the whole book. And that annoyed me. That 100% could be because I just didn’t like most of her actions.

The ending made me angry but also a little impressed in a way because duh. In retrospect, of course that’s what was going on!!

This did not take place of my top Sager book like I hoped it would. Lock Every Door is going strong. We will have to see if it stays that way after I finally read Final Girls and have completed all of his novels.

This was not my favorite of Sager's books. I appreciate the little twist at the end, but found much of the rest of the story predictable.