3 stars and 4 stars. I liked the overall concept and twists of the story BUT I did NOT like the audiobook narrator. She did not sound like a 36 year old ex-actress and made the main character sound like a 50+ year old smoker. So 4 stars for the story and 3 stars for the narration of the book.

2.75 stars

I wanted to love this so much more than I did. Most of the book was incredibly slow, and I was so tired of hearing about how much Casey was drinking by the end of the book. I feel like female MC with substance abuse issues is overused in a lot of thrillers. I get the unreliable narrator aspect of it, but like.. can we do it differently?

I will admit that Riley had be guessing the entire time, and when that plot twist hit I was like “WHAT”?! That was definitely as aspect that I wasn’t t expecting to be thrown into the story.

Creepy secluded lake, vacation gone wrong vibes, check.

Thank you Netgalley for this advantaged copy!

Overall a solid thriller. Exceeded my expectations given I hated Survive the Night.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers / murder mysteries with an unreliable narrator and a hint of the supernatural, this one is definitely for you!

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

Casey Fletcher, a recent widow, is staying at her Vermont lake house situated across from new neighbors, Tom and his model/actress wife, Katherine. When she begins to snoop on the neighbors, she finds that they may not be the happy couple she once thought. When Katherine goes missing, she's sure that Tom has done something to her.

This book was WILD. So many twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I read it. Trying to figure out the twists only to be wrong or slammed with another big twists. I definitely saw none of it coming and I was delighted at that. It's really difficult to review this without giving spoilers, so I'll just say I would recommend for a fan of thrillers that like to be surprised with elements you might not expect.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Just…..what the actual crap is this book?! I don’t understand at all what the plotting process was behind this, and I can usually get behind even the most strange things, but this one was too much even for me.

Was it mindlessly entertaining? Sure. Is it a fast and relatively easy read? Also sure. Is it the right book if you want very outlandish escapism? Definitely sure. Is it a MUST read? I don’t think so.

While Sager makes no secret of writing in homage to his favorite horror and thriller movies, this one is just too much of a rip of works that have been done, overdone, and done better. Too many aspects of this one fall into the overdone trope (the alcoholic, unreliable female narrator spying on her neighbors, the hot neighbor with a questionable and shady past, the possibly abusive husband with his beautiful trophy wife), and the "twists" just feel like an effort of trying way too hard to surprise the reader - except they make very little sense in the wider story and the writing and plot become completely lazy and sloppy, and filled with inexplicable plot holes that are glossed entirely over.

I wanted to love this one - but sadly I did not. Fingers crossed the next one gets back to the magic Sager captured with Final Girls.

I absolutely love Riley Sager and his novels, they are always a must read. This is no exception.

I love his writing and his ability to keep me guessing. I score this about a 3.5 I feel like this plot has been done so many ways. It just wasn't original.

All that being said I did enjoy it and it was a good brach read that kept me flipping the pages.

I would have definitely given this book a higher rating if the beginning hadn't been so damn slow and repetitive before exploding with action toward the end.

Riley Sager does a really good job to writing unreliable narrators. Casey drinks her days away and when she starts to see strange things at the house across the lake she's unsure how much of the paranoia is real and how much was caused by the drinking. This is something I found interesting and engaging. What I didn't find interesting or engaging was the ridiculous amount of time she spent drinking and looking through her binoculars. Seriously, so much of the book felt like it was her ruminating on what could be real and thinking that she should stop drinking so she could figure it out, then her getting another drink. There's only so much of that repetition I can take before getting bored, you know?

The plot itself was interesting but it was too spread out throughout the book for me to feel truly engaged in it while reading. It was a bit of a struggle to make myself turn the pages in the beginning. It felt like mysterious nuggets of information were being dropped but not pursued until the end and I really wish the author had expanded on those points well before he finally did. It was less suspenseful and more boring.

The characters were all unreliable and seemed to be hiding something which was really fun. One thing I loved were the red herrings throughout the book. I love a well-crafter red herring and Sager did a great job of making me feel like I had spotted them and figured it out. I definitely had NOT figured out the ending and I loved that.

The ending definitely took a turn that I wasn't expecting. It was a line that Sager had toed before but with The House Across the Lake he dove right into that other realm. It definitely took me by surprise but I was into it. A (very) subplot of the book involved missing girls from the area and I do wish the author had developed that subplot more before the ending. I had honestly somewhat forgotten about it before the end.

I enjoyed the unreliable characters in this book and the ending but the beginning was just too slow for my tastes. I would've loved to feel more paranoia and suspense leading up to the big ending but it just wasn't there for me. I'll definitely continue to read Sager's books because I love loved most of them, but this one just wasn't it for me unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a copy of Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake.

Famed actress Casey Fletcher is an alcoholic, who recently lost her husband in a tragic accident. Her trauma from the loss, along with the drinking, caused her to lose a steady acting job, prompting her family to exile her to the family lake house in a bid to get her to “dry-out” and consider her future. This house has been in Casey’s family for generations and it happens to be on the lake where her husband drowned months earlier. Having no intentions of quitting alcohol, Casey enlists a long-time neighbor to keep her supplied and to keep his mouth shut.

As Casey drinks away her days, she uses binoculars to spy on the new neighbors across the lake; a tech tycoon and his wife, a glamorous mode named Katherine. When Katherine blacks-out during a swim on the lake, Casey saves her, and she begins to suspect that Katherine is involved in an abusive relationship. The more Casey spies on her neighbors, the more her suspicions grow.

This was my first novel by Riley Sager, an author that I had long been interested in reading. I’ve found Sager’s books shelved in the mystery section of bookstores, but this one blends genres, including suspense, horror, and mystery. If pressed, I would shelve it in horror. It’s a mix of Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Blatty’s The Exorcist. Casey’s alcoholism and role of unreliable narrator are reminiscent of the protagonist in Paula Hawkin’s novel, The Girl on the Train. The mix of genres work,, especially in concert with Sager’s quick pacing and atmospheric setting. The House Across the Lake is unsettling and creepy, the type of suspense where you are cringing when the protagonist decides to open the wrong door or enter a dark basement. It’s a visceral reading experience.

I enjoyed The House Across the Lake and look forward to reading Sager’s previous works.

I usually enjoy Riley sager, and this book was just crazy! That ending! Never could have guessed that in a million years. Good book. It's not my favorite of his but he gets points for that ending.

I was quite surprised I enjoyed this book so much considering the many negative reviews. Several houses around a remote lake up north, owners ranging from actors to supermodels to app moguls and former police officers,.. you know something bad is bound to happen.
Casey has been living on her own by the lake since her husband Len drowned in that same lake less than a year ago. Booze is her only friend and her binoculars her favorite accessory. She spends her time watching the neighborhood. One day she finds a lifeless body floating on the water. She rushes to it and saves her former-supermodel-turned-actress neighbor Kat. They quickly become friendly and that same night Casey observes Kat interact with her husband Tom in their fancy home across the lake. She notices questionable behavior in that home. The next morning, Kat is missing.. there starts Casey's chase toward some life-shattering revelations about her life and her neighbors'.

This book was fun, it kept me on my toes, I kept wanting to know more, and the unexpected twist at the end wasn't far-fetched. It was fantasy but Sager made it sound believable. I loved it. Al characters had redemptive traits that made me love them despite their flaws. If you want to put your hands on a good thriller this summer, pick this one. A very quick read!

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

4.5 stars

I was on the edge of my seat absolutely loving this book until the big twist. Riley has a way of writing quick pace so the story continues to love and you’re suspicious of everyone around even without cause. The secluded lake setting with an unreliable narrator was the perfect setting.

However the twist ruined It for me. The supernatural aspect was not what I was expecting and that’s not in a good way.

I am a sucker for Riley Sager. I've read all of his books and don't plan to stop any time soon! My favorite of his books is The Last Time I Lied, and the vibes in The House Across The Lake felt a bit like the former in the best way! I loved the atmospheric lake setting, and while I've seen mixed reviews about THE TWIST, I thought it was really fun and unexpected and it totally worked for me. It's a fun, popcorn thriller that was perfect for a balmy summer night! Don't know that I'll go swimming in a lake any time soon though...

I’m already a big Riley Sager fan, so I’m not surprised I enjoyed this new novel. The words that come to mind is that it was a wild ride. I like to think I’m really good at solving the. mystery before it’s revealed, but I was nowhere close.

Casey Fletcher, a widowed actress, escapes to her family's lake house for a reprieve from bad press and bad decisions. Casey saves her neighbor, Katherine, from drowning. As she briefly gets to know Katherine and her husband, Tom, things start to get strange. Katherine disappears and Casey is determined to find out what happened to her. Kind of predictable and based on my expectations, a little too much of a stretch into the supernatural.

Thank you @netgalley & @duttonbooks this ARC to read and review for an unbiased review.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑨𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒌𝒆
𝙱𝚢: @riley.sager
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Thriller, Mystery
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @duttonbooks
𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝙾𝚗: June 21st 2022
@goodreads 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 3.60
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 🏠🏠🏠🏠 / 5 Houses

“The lake is darker than a coffin with the lid shut. Out of the water, you can see clearly for about a foot beneath the surface before it starts to get cloudy. Then inky. Then dark as a grave. It’s worse when you’re fully submerged, the shimmer of light coming from above a stark contrast to the black depths below.” ─ Riley Sager, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑨𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒌𝒆

Okay, so I know there have been some mixed reviews with this novel. It was the same with “𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕”. I enjoyed both novels equally however I will admit they won’t be any of my favorites from Sager.

I found “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑨𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒌𝒆” unusual, creative, twisty and even mind spinning! Yes, the super-natural part of things was a “bit different”, but in my honest opinion it’s just one of those thing’s writers do. They’re trying out new things and seeing what works. It reminded me a bit of Colleen Hoover’s “𝑳𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒂” she too went off the beaten path & although it was different for her, she was trying out something new and seeing how things turned out. I enjoyed that book. Was it a favorite of mine, no but that doesn’t me I’ll stop reading her work or Sager for that matter.

There were many things you have to appreciate within this novel like the setting is superb, the deep unsettling waters of the lake mirror the dark chills and fears that unfurl. The weather surrounding the characters matches their approaching human storm with the impending and actual arrival of Storm Trish bursting onto their lake life.

All in all, I thought it was super entertaining. A great summer thriller that I think will once again divide readers, I don’t see a lot of middle ground here, I think you’ll either love it or hate it. I have quiet enjoyed all of Sager’s books and cannot wait for his next.

Follow me on IG, Youtube, & Tik Tok at readwithcupcake for more reviews and bookish content!

Thank you for the ARC from Kindle Edition via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Riley Sager novel and I was very excited to dive into this read and ready to start my journey with this author, but unfortunately, this read was not for me. When the story started off I was hooked from the beginning. However, it very soon turned stale and I found myself often "WTFing" throughout the remainder of the book. Unfortunately, I found this book to be quite boring and did not thrill me in any way. I can't wait to try a different book by this author in hopes that I have better luck in the future.

The book sets a wonderfully creepy scene in a secluded lake community of only 5 homes. Casey is a famous actress who is taking some time to herself at her family's lake property after a tragic event. Across the lake is a giant house filled with windows where a model and her tech husband live. The model, Katherine, and Casey meet in a dramatic way and this sets the stage and spiral for Casey during the entire novel. Casey starts spying on them across the lake and things start to unravel from there.

I don't want to give too much away, but here are some things that worked and didn't work for me as the reader.

Pros: Atmospheric, slightly spooky vibes, twists, quick read, alternating timeline.
Cons: Overdone alcoholic bitter middle-aged woman, unrealistic twist, too many twists in a row and didn't get a chance to ruminate on them and have it develop further.

I still enjoyed this novel but liked other Sager novels quite a bit better. 3.5 stars.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you!

In this supernatural thriller we follow Casey Fletcher, a 35-year-old actress, as she grapples with alcohol addiction in the wake of the death of her husband Len. Casey is staying in her family’s house on the lakeside where Len tragically drowned, when she sees another body floating in the water. In a successful rescue attempt, Casey saves the life of Katherine, a high profile model from New York, and the two subsequently become friends. But one day, Katherine disappears and Casey becomes fixated on finding out what happened to her. What follows is a thrilling supernatural whodunit with the ghosts from Casey’s past refusing to lay still.

As with all of Sager’s work, the writing in this is superb. It left me guessing until the end, although the supernatural element was a bit left field. Once I got over that though, I really loved this book, and finished it in a couple of sittings. My only slight critique is that I would like to have had a little more background to some of the supporting characters such as Casey’s mother and Boone.

Anyone who enjoyed The Woman In The Window by A. J. Finn, and The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins, will love this!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
4 to 4.5 stars!!
I love Riley Sager! If I needed another reason to not really enjoy floating in dark, deep lakes, this book did it!! It was a twisty murder mystery with domestic thriller and paranormal aspects mixed in. All of my favs in one!! And Casey, the main character, was relatable and likeable. I want to say more but I don't want to give anything away!

Well, this one certainly threw me for a loop!
I thought I knew what was going on, then I didn't... then I thought I figured it.. nope.

Not sure I really liked the direction it eventually went in... it did seem a little toooo far fetched for what I thought I was reading, but at least it was a surprise.

While this was not my favorite book by Riley Sager, it did keep me going until the end, and I did enjoy some of the twists.