Bestselling author Riley Sager firmly believes he is a thriller writer who injects some horror elements into his books. He says he began watching the movies of Alfred Hitchcock movies at an early, very impressionable age and loves the artful way Hitchcock blended suspense, secrets, and character studies. And inspiration for The House Across the Lake struck in October 2020 when Sager spent a week in a Vermont lake house to which he escaped following the pandemic lockdown. "The first night there, I poured myself a bourbon, sat on the back porch that overlooked the water, and stared at the lights of the houses on the other side of the lake," he recalls. "It got me thinking about who lived there, what their lives were like, and, since I write about such things, what dark secrets they were hiding." Although Sager was supposed to be on vacation, he found his thoughts returning to the story and plotting the book, and acknowledges that The House Across the Lake "is totally Rear Window on a lake," paying homage to Hitchcock's classic film. But he promises "there is a lot more going on" in the tale than it initially appears.

From a show business family, Casey Fletcher has enjoyed her own successful career as an actress . . . until recently, when a very public meltdown made her fodder for paparazzi and cost her a role she loved in a Broadway play. At her mother's insistence, she has retreated to the family's charming house on the shore of Lake Greene in Vermont, built by her great-grandfather in 1878. Only five houses sit beside the dark waters of the lake and, as the book opens, it is mid-October and Casey is being questioned by Detective Wilma Anson. It seems that Tom Royce, a tech innovator who, along with his wife, Katherine, a former supermodel, owns the house directly across the lake from Casey's, is missing. He appears to have vanished, leaving his car, keys, and wallet behind, and his house unlocked. Katherine is also missing, and Wilma knows that Casey has been spending time watching the Royce home, as well as its occupants, from her porch. But Casey insists she has no idea where either of them are, and has not observed anything unusual that evening . . . . . . even though she has the prime tied up in her bedroom.

The action immediately shifts to a few days earlier. In Casey's first-person narrative, she describes her exile to the lake house, and her mother's daily calls to check in and see if Casey is drinking. She is. A lot. Her days revolve around her rigidly scheduled consumption of bourbon and vodka, ducking her mother's calls, and thoughts of the career she destroyed, as well as memories of her late husband, Len, a screenwriter, who died in the lake. Casey loved him deeply and they had a happy marriage for several years. Her drinking problem developed after Len's death. Alcohol is her coping mechanism -- it makes it possible for her to avoid confronting and dealing with her emotions.

One evening, despite having had several drinks, Casey is convinced she sees someone struggling in the water, so she clumsily navigates her boat out to the middle of the lake where she discovers Katherine's motionless body bobbing on the surface. There is no one to help her since Eli, the lake's only full-time resident, is out for the night. Casey manages to dive into the icy cold water and guide the woman's body toward the boat, convinced she is dead. But she surprises Casey by regaining consciousness and a budding friendship is born from gratitude, on Katherine's part, as well as an immediate camaraderie punctuated by crisp, humorous dialogue. Casey is witty, with a sharply self-deprecating sense of humor that Katherine does not understand at first. Casey explains, "I make jokes because it's easier to pretend I'm not feeling what I'm feeling than to actually feel it." Casey recognizes that she and Katherine have much in common. "Ridiculously privileged, but self-aware enough to realize it. Yearning to be seen as more than what people project onto us." But their relationship is short-lived.

Soon, Katherine mysteriously disappears and Casey becomes obsessed with finding her. After all, because the Royce home is a modern glass, steel, and stone structure with massive windows fronting the lake, Casey was able to peer directly inside the Royce home and, using binoculars, observe interactions between Tom and Katherine that Casey found troubling, including one physical altercation. The night before she went missing, Katherine and Tom joined Casey and Eli for drinks, and the tension between them was palpable. The couple is "so at odds that it sucks all energy from the area, making the porch seem stuffy and crowded." Katherine confides in Casey about the problems in their marriage, revealing that she pays for everything with her substantial earnings from her former modeling career. "Tom needs me too much to agree to a divorce," she tells Casey half-jokingly. "He'd kill me before letting me leave." Katherine also confides to Casey that she has not felt well for several days. "I feel weird. Weak." Exhaustion caused her to collapse while swimming and had Casey not discovered her, she would surely have drowned. The next day, there is no trace of Katherine.

Tom claims that Katherine returned to their New York City apartment, unnerved at the prospective of the forecasted storm passing through the area, Casey simply does not believe his explanation. Undaunted, Casey launches her own investigation, enthusiastically joined by handsome Boone Conrad, who is staying in the house next door while he completes renovations for the owners. Casey finds herself drawn to the former police officer and recovering alcoholic whose wife died under mysterious circumstances. Sager reveals that creating the character was motivated by his own struggle during the pandemic. "Everything was scary and uncertain and we were all stuck at home, so why not drink up?" But after a few months, he recognized that drinking every day could become a problem for him, so he "wanted Boone to be that voice of reason," he says. "He represents the part of me that realized my actions were close to getting out of hand." When Casey voices her suspicions, Detective Anson insists that Boone is a sincere voice of reason, and he is honorable and intent on putting his life back together. But could Boone be playing Detective Anson, along with Casey? Sager slyly brings his character and motivations into question, along with those of Tom and Eli, as the story proceeds and Katherine's whereabouts and fate remain unknown.

Casey is a deeply sympathetic and likable character. She is self-aware: she knows exactly why she is drinking too much and consciously chooses to continue doing so, even as she acknowledges that it does not solve any of her problems or resolve the past she is not yet ready to face. Her concern for Katherine and her well-being is genuine -- she is a loyal and supportive friend. As the story proceeds and Casey relates details about the past, explaining how she came to be a drunken voyeur, it becomes clear that she has experienced loss and profound disappointment, including the loss of the husband she loved under tragic circumstances, and has a strong sense of right and wrong. She is stubborn and resilient.

The House Across the Lake is replete with shocking revelations and surprising plot developments that keep the story moving forward at a relentless pace. And yes, Sager eventually demonstrates there is indeed "a lot more going on," with an inventive, mind-bending, and cohesive twist that readers will not anticipate. He acknowledges that anyone can dream up a plot twist, but the "hard part is making it work in a way that feels organic to the story that’s being told while also playing fair with the reader. The best twists are something you don’t see coming, even though the book has been secretly guiding you to that point the entire time." Sager seamlessly weaves the surprising twist into the story such that, once revealed, it is apparent that he injected clues throughout the narrative, but readers never saw it coming until he unveiled the truth at an expertly-timed juncture calculated to yield maximum impact. No hints can be revealed, but readers are reminded that Sager is devoted to writing thrillers that contain "some horror elements." And his observation "that you think you’ve read this story before. Trust me, you haven’t," is apt.

The House Across the Lake is an engrossing and entertaining thriller, at the center of which is an emotionally complex woman that readers will find themselves cheering on as she searches for her new friend, but the truth eludes her until Sager dramatically unveils a twist that feels completely organic and satisfying. But take Sager's advice and go "in blind, . . . The less you know, the better."

☁️ BOOK REVIEW☁️

The House Across the Lake
@riley.sager
Thriller
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Goodreads rating: 3.66

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️MAJOR twists and darkkk turns
▫️Unreliable narrators
▫️Creepy and eery atmospheres 🔦

INITIAL THOUGHTS:
When I say I let out an audible GASP at the climax y’all 😵😵😵 I legitimately did!!! Sweet Jesus. My heart rate still hasn’t descended lol. This book took a totally different turn than what I was expecting but WOW. Loved every second of all those shock factors!

MY MINI SYNOPSIS:
GO IN TOTALLY BLIND. 🫣 So so so glad I did that! Did not read a single review or the synopsis beforehand.

RATING EXPLAINED:
Like most book reviewers, I get picky with thrillers because once you have read so many… sometimes it’s genuinely hard to be mind blown from a twist(s). BUT this book did that for me 🤯 Very unique and had me gripping the page!! 💯

DETAILS:
▪️ Published: 06/21/22 (TODAY!)
▪️ Thank you so much @duttonbooks, @penguinbooks, and @netgalley for my gifted e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Reading Between the Wines book review #48/135 for 2022:
Rating: 5 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: The House Across the Lake
Author: Riley Sager
Genre: General Fiction (Adult)
RELEASES TODAY, June 21, 2022!!! Get your copy today!!

Sipping thoughts: Sager has done it again! This book is unlike any of his other books in my opinion. To be honest, it is WAY different than what I was expecting. The twists and reveals hit me so hard I had to go back a few chapters just to make sure I did not miss something. Because of the plot of this story, I really hope no one ruins it by putting “key words” in their reviews or compare it to other books so that it does not spoil it for readers. There are things that if said will ruin the reveal; So, with that said, get your book now before someone does ruin it. I do not think you will be sorry

Cheers and thank you to @riley.sager, @NetGalley and @PenguinGroupDutton for an advance copy of @TheHouseAcrossTheLake.

#TheHouseAcrossTheLake #RileySager #PenguinGroupDutton #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Riley Sager did such a phenomenal job of taking watching your neighbors to a whole new level. 

When I thought I would have something figured out it would swerve in a totally different direction. This is what makes this book so wonderful, so many moving pieces trying to fit and when you think you have it the piece is all wrong.....all the way to the very end.

This was my first Riley Sager book but definitely not my last. 

Arc provided by Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an honest review

After being disappointed in Riley Sager's last book, I was hoping that I would like this one as much as I liked his first four books. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I thought that the first part was slow and it gave me too many "Woman in the Window" vibes. While the second half did pick up and there were some big twists, they just didn't work for me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the e-arc of this book.

Riley Sager is one of my favorite thriller authors. I have read all of his books and always anxiously await his newest release. Since I’ve read this trope so many times before, I was a little bummed that this was his next book. The alcoholic female MC feels overdone. However, Sager certainly puts his own spin on it and the twists are unlike anything I could have expected.

The story has an alternating timeline, switching from “now” and “before.” I loved the setting of a remote lake house — it definitely gives off creepy vibes. I can’t say much more without spoiling the story, and it’s best to go into this one spoiler free. You will NOT be able to predict what comes! Just when I thought I knew what was coming, Sager turned in a different direction. As always, his writing gripped me from the beginning and I stayed up late finishing this one!

This was by far my favorite book by Riley Sager! I love that when you read his books, you never know if it's paranormal or not until the end. The amount of twists in this book were insane and I did not see them coming! I love that this book started with the main character Casey spying on her neighbors because she is worried about her neighbors. That is something that I think a lot of people do even if they don’t admit it. As the mystery goes on and we are finding out more and more about each character, I just loved how real these characters became. This is definitely going to be the Riley Sager book I will recommend to friends and customers constantly.

Casey Fletcher has recently lost her husband, and subsequently turned to alcohol to numb the pain of her loss. Forced to leave acting due to bad publicity, she retreats to her family's lake house. Here, she watches her neighbors across the lake with a pair of binoculars her husband left behind. Tom and Katherine aren't quite the perfect couple they appear to be from the outside. When Katherine goes missing, Casey attempts to figure out what may have happened to her.

I was happily coasting through this book until about 3/4 of the way through. I found the big supernatural twist to be a huge disappointment that ruined the rest of the novel's build up. I did enjoy the majority of the book though, so I will be giving Sager another shot.

It wouldn't be summer without a Riley Sager book to devour! Full of the twists and turns you expect from Sager, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The concept reminded me a little of The Woman in the Window at first but that quickly changed.

This was not quite what I expected, but it might still be one of my favorite Sager book so far. At first I thought it was going to be a Rear Window retelling (and it’s even mentioned in the story) but then it took a few twists I didn’t see coming. I really want to talk about something I absolutely, definitely did not see coming, but I won’t give you any spoilers. (DM me if you’ve read this one and know what I’m talking about).

Casey Fletcher is an actress, hiding out after some bad press due to her alcoholism and mental health struggles. Her mother (also a famous actress) has sent her to the family lake house to rest and ‘dry out’, with no thought to it being the place were her husband died and that it may cause Casey to spiral further.

Soon after arriving Casey rescues Katherine, a famous ex-model who has moved in across the lake. She then becomes a little obsessed with watching the couple from her back deck. She starts to suspect something isn’t right, but she’s so deep in her drink she’s not sure if she can trust her own eyes, memory or intuition.

This book will definitely keep you guessing, and surprise you even if you think you know what's coming!

After losing her husband, actress Casey Fletcher turns to alcohol to cope, causing her to receive a string of bad press and publicity. She retreats to her family’s lake house in Vermont to escape, and soon begins watching her neighbors, ex-model Katherine Royce and her husband Tom. When Katherine disappears, Casey becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened to her, discovering some dark truths along the way.

The first half of this novel was very similar to “The Woman in the Window”—the nosy, unreliable narrator with a drinking problem spying on her neighbors and witnessing a potential crime. The second half of the book delivered some unexpected twists, but I wasn’t thrilled with the direction the story went. While this was not my favorite of Riley Sager’s novels, it was a fast read, and a decent summer thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for my gifted e-ARC!

Yup. You read that correctly.

I rated this one star.

This book pissed me off. Made me wonder what the heck I was reading but not in a good way.

I have ALOT of opinions of this one. First and foremost is the fact I am so dang tired of authors using addiction as a plot device in thrillers. I don't mind an unreliable narrator, but I cannot stand that tired trope.. And speaking of the main character, I hated her. A lot. She irritated me so much. There was nothing I really cared for about her. She was a one-dimensional character who made stupid decisions and made ridiculous assumptions based on nothing. Again, another thriller trope I am not a fan of. But even with this, this book truly didn't go downhill until about 75% when there's a major plot twist which, while surprising, sunk this book entirely for me. At that point, this book randomly turns supernatural with exactly zero foreshadowing in the plot before that point. Like where the heck did that come from? There was no reason for it and it made no sense , and the big reveals after that followed suit was more of the same. In light of that, all of the things that happened in the first 3/4 of the book (which admittedly, wasn't much) was just POINTLESS. Everything felt pointless. There was zero character development (Casey thinks she's brave for the things she does, but in my opinion she isn't) in this book so any redeemability for this book was bungled for me. There was a lot about this book that did not sit well with me, but by the time I wanted to be done, it was done. Sager could have implemented the supernatural in this book much better but it was totally bungled. So yeah, this was all enough to make me feel so annoyed that it's getting a very rare (for me) 1 star rating. If you managed to enjoy it, congrats.

- Book Review -

The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager.

Genre: Psychological suspense thriller

Thoughts: First I have to say that I do not mind the drunk girl trope. I have seen a lot of people say they do not like it and if you don’t then you should probably steer clear. This main character can drink 😅.

Moving on I feel as though I’ve read this book before. I absolutely loved the writing and was excited for where things were going until they got there. The twist in this book used my least favorite trope and I absolutely cannot tell you what it is ( sorry 🥲).

I truly enjoy Sagers books. I think they are fun and some of them I would read again. With that being said I think this one will rank as my least favorite. I think a lot of people will like it but, it wasn’t for me. I am also ready for a book from a different point of view. It’s always the same damaged girl.

I’m thankful for this arc and will continue to be a Riley Sager fan girl.

The House Across the Lake finds Casey Fletcher, disgraced, widowed actress staying in Vermont to recover form a bad couple of years. When she saves a neighbor from drowning, Casey starts to notice strange happenings around the lake. This was a well paced thriller with characters that you immediately care for, so you must keep reading!

🌊 The House Across The Lake Review 🌊
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After not loving Sager’s latest, Survive the Night, I was a little nervous going into this one but I am happy to report that this didn’t disappoint! First off, I love love loved the setting of the secluded Lake Greene in Vermont. I think he did an amazing job painting the setting and it was really easy to picture everything!

Second, the TWISTS! A little unrealistic, yes but I wasn’t expecting anyyyy of them 🤯 just when I thought I figured out… I was totally wrong! It was not the must realistic ending but that doesn’t matter to me as long as I enjoyed the journey! Without giving too much away, it gave me total Layla vibes 👀

I think this is going to be a great summer thriller, especially if you’re into unreliable narrators, unique twists, and “what on earth did I just read?! 🤯” books!

Spoilers in the next comments… one thing I can’t stop thinking about it the wine glass that was broken that had a film on it? So was he poisoning her like the other man did to his wife or was this just a total red hearing? I feel like there’s a lot of unanswered questions I have so if you’ve read this — slide into my DMs!

Thank you to Netgalley and PRHAudio for the ARC and ALC copies!

This is my third book by this author, and I went in with fairly low expectations. To be completely honest, it started pretty slow. It had some suspenseful moments, but overall this was more character driven than plot driven, which is fine…but when it’s marketed as a thriller, I want to be scared.

While I am very thankful for the advanced copies, this just wasn’t for me.

Happy PUB DAY, @rileysager!

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 4.5/5 stars
GR: 3.68
TW: yes, DM me!
Thank you @duttonbooks & @penguinbooks for my #gifted copy, & @netgalley for my digital!

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🌊REMOTE LAKEHOUSE SETTING
🏠THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
🤯Mind-boggling twists
😯COMPLETE UNPREDICTABILITY
😱Books that KEEP your jaw on the floor
⏰Alternating timelines
👩🏻Singular POV

HOLY. COW.

I’ve never read a book with more INSANE twists BACK-TO-BACK; my head was SPINNING. I had NO idea what was going to happen- when I thought I had a teeny tiny inkling... I was WAY off. If you read this & say you predicted something, I will NOT believe you (unless you saw people’s stinkin spoilers). I did not see any of the events in the last 100 pages coming... Yes, there were literally like ONE HUNDRED PAGES full of twists! I finished 300 pages in one sitting, ignoring all responsibilities until I read that LAST page.👏🏼

I’ve seen mixed reviews & can see why this one isn’t for everyone- but can't say why without spoiling. To those who compared this to other books/shows in their review, PLEASE EDIT YOUR CAPTION, b/c it will ruin the shock factor. I am SO thankful I only looked at 🌟 ratings.

✨Casey is a widow who lives in a secluded lake house, spending her time drinking away her sorrows + spying on the neighbors across the lake. When she notices the wife is missing, she’s convinced the husband is responsible.

This was a BANGER. The ONLY reason it isn't a perfect 5 star for me is because the first 60%ish is a little "long.” Some are saying it was "slow" leading up to the huge twist; I DISAGREE- I enjoyed the backstory in the "before" chapters, although it could have been a teeny bit shorter.

No other complaints. Was I a bit confused at times? Yes. Was some of the plot twistery wild, & unbelievable? Yes, BUT I LOVED IT ALL. I should've kept a tally of how many times I audibly gasped! This is one that I’ll be thinking about for a LONG time. It was pure genius, in that after the big twists are revealed, SO many of the seemingly smaller details from previous chapters made so much sense.

If you like fantastically outrageous thrillers.. TRY THIS ONE!👏🏼

This suspenseful mystery taking place in on a small lake in Vermont was a fun read. The lake holds many secrets-not to mention bodies. I enjoyed until I got to the supernatural conclusion-I didn't see it coming!

2.5 stars - Unfortunately, this one was not for me 😬

This is only my second Sager book, but I really enjoyed Lock Every Door…so I was a bit disappointed with this one.

The first 70% is about a drunk girl, Casey, spying on her neighbors. That’s about it… I thought Casey’s alcoholism was WAY over done. I got the point early on that she was an alcoholic, and didn’t needed to be reminded every 5 pages about her downing a bottle of bourbon. This was probably my biggest turn-off

The last 30% is when everything happens. Although I didn’t see the twist coming, I thought it was very far fetched and just weird. Usually, I don’t mind when things are unbelievable, but this was just a big no 😂 I would have rather it gone the predictable route that it was leading me to believe 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sager did do a good job setting up a spooky atmosphere, and I enjoyed the setting on the lake. Thank you @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the e-arc on exchange for my review.

This was my first book by Riley Sager and it did not disappoint! It was also outside of my typical genre but I really liked it. The beginning was a tad slow but when the plot twists started, they didn’t stop. I can honestly say I didn’t see the plot twist coming and I was thoroughly creeped out reading this at night! This would be a great book to read while camping or sitting by the lake (if you want to be creeped out! 😂).