I love Riley Sager books and I will continue to devour each one as I get my hands on them. I loved that this book kept me guessing throughout and how it all came together at the end. I thought I had it figured out at one point, but I was oh so wrong. There's also fun Taylor Swift references. Definitely worth checking out when it's released, especially if you like their other books!

Riley Sager is always hit or miss for me and this one was a big MISS. The unreliable drunk white lady thriller has been done to death. Given I did not enjoy this, I will not be posting a review anywhere public. I prefer to only post for books I enjoyed.

I'm starting to feel like Sager is phoning it in a bit, to be honest. He's a good writer and can definitely crank out a fast-paced thriller, but there doesn't seem to be much thought being put into the actual plotlines or the characters in his most recent books - this one included.

This one features another story about an alcoholic, lonely woman whose recently suffered a tragedy and spends her time binge drinking while spying on neighbors. Sound familiar? This has been done to death lately - so any book in this vein really needs to have a good, solid character and a great plot. While Sager does try to put a spin on this plot-wise, that plot twist comes out of left field and it's SO far-fetched that it changes the entire nature of the book. The alcoholism is also widely inconsistent in regards to the character's actions. We're repeatedly told that she's drinking/drunk/hungover, but it doesn't usually seem relevant since she almost always still has full capacity of her thoughts and movements (there are a few times when she is too drunk to function, but these moments are few and far between). Although I do appreciate being given a copy in exchange for review, this was not for me, and not my favorite Riley Sager book.

Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed famous actress, is holed up at her families lake house in Vermont trying desperately to escape some bad press. Along with a glass (or five) of strong alcohol, she notices what looks like a floating body in the lake. She jumps in her boat and saves a woman who she thought was drowning. Come to find out, this woman is Katherine Royce, a former model and the wife to a social media creator Tom Royce. As Casy gets to know Katherine (and watched their glass house through binoculars) she realizes their marriage may not be as perfect as it seems. When Katherine suddenly goes missing, Casey knows Tom did something and she’ll go to great lengths to prove it.

Told from the perspectives of “Now” and “Before” we are weaved through Casey’s past, and how she’s dealing with the current situations.

I didn’t feel any sort of attachment or sympathy for any of the characters. I’m not a fan of the main character being so drunk all the time she can’t function properly. And why would her mother ship her (an adult woman) to a lake house she’s been traumatized by.

While I found this book entertaining and wanted to see how it ended, I also found it somewhat unoriginal. That being said, the twist was not something I’d have ever guessed so there’s that. It reminded me of two other books just meshed together.

I can always count on Riley Sager for a wild read.

Casey Fletcher is a sympathetic main character who has recently lost her beloved husband and, due to subsequent drinking, her acting career. Her overbearing mother has forced her into a retreat of sorts at the family lake house at Lake Greene. (It’s that or true rehab.) Naturally with no monitor or chaperone Casey continues to drink, and, with little else but time and bourbon and a set of binoculars on her hands she begins spying on the neighbors. Most are the more mundane folks she’s known and grown up with. Then there are the Royce’s, a power couple consisting of a former supermodel and her tech giant husband. They are new to the community, and they live in a glass house. Who wouldn’t watch? Especially after Casey saves Katherine Royce from drowning in the lake, and they become friends.

As Casey continues to drunk-spy she grows suspicious. Something isn’t quite right between Tom Royce and his gorgeous wife. But is there truly something nefarious going on? Or is it Casey’s drunken imaginings? Casey, as both an actress and an alcoholic, has the makings of a double-barreled unreliable narrator here.

The rest of the cast includes Eli, the long-time neighbor who lives on the lake; Wilma, the detective who’s as suspicious of Casey as she is of everyone else; and Boone, the new hot cop next door. They round out Casey’s set of allies, or antagonists, depending on the day and how much Casey’s had to drink. A slew of recent lake-based murders sets this pot to full boil.

Riley Sager is known for plot twists. That’s half the fun of reading him, and he’s got some great ones here. However a plot twist has to make sense, and that’s where I take issue with “House.” The biggest plot twist comes out of nowhere. If I were reading a cozy romance I would not expect it to turn into a murder mystery at the 70% mark. I would not expect a historical novel to turn into science fiction by the end. Such genre detours, or twists, are unsatisfying and stretch all credibility unless they are set up properly. I just don’t think this plot twist is set up well enough in this novel.

Fans of Finn’s “The Woman in the Window,” and Pinborough’s “Behind Her Eyes,” will find similar vibes here, and might enjoy the outcome more than I did. I still give “The House Across the Lake” 3.5 stars because, again, Riley Sager is a riveting author and I can always count on an engrossing book from him. Even if it does turn weird.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this. Again, something that is a quick read, and at least half of why I loved this book was that it reminded me of a place I actually go to- this made reading it feel incredibly surreal. And awesome. It definitely doesn't go the way I anticipated. And although the end is maybe a little rushed, and some things could have been more detailed, I really enjoyed this book.

I keep hoping Sager won’t disappoint me and yet here we are again…another book that was just kinda meh. I’m super sick of the drunk woman with unreliable memories trope and even more so when it’s a man who writes it. This book was slow for the first 3/4 and then the last 1/4 was a quick trip to whackadoo island. Suspend all forms of reality and belief for the last 70 pages.

I wanted to love this one so much...but I just couldn't. There are so many different things going on, and all of them have been done before. We really don't need another unreliable female narrator with a drinking problem. The ending would have been a surprise had a very well-known book not already used a similar gimmick. I will say it's a fast read, and Riley Sager fans are going to want to try it for themselves. He has so much talent as a writer, it just didn't shine through on this one.

I always turn to Riley Sager when I need a good thriller/horror story that is going to leave me with chills and force me to keep the lights on at night while I'm reading, and this book gave me what I needed! I enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed all of his other stories, which is a lot. I think I always walk away from a Riley Sager book a bit confused, but not in a bad way, and this book was no different. This story wasn't exactly believable, but as I stated, it was enjoyable and I think that makes it worth it!


Thank you #Netgalley for an ARC of #TheHouseAcrossTheLake

My favorite Riley Sager story yet! Taking the trope of being the man known for creating twists and turns you've never thought would happen and taking his storytelling to a whole other level, this is the Sager story that will leave jaws on the floor. Again, Sager surprised me by focusing on a smaller cast in an isolated setting and kept the pacing at 100. Fantastic story.

This book was... a lot. Was this the best Sager book? Not even close. Did I spend a good part of it confused? Yes - I'm honestly still not sure I understood what happened. Did I still enjoy it? I think so.

No one is denying the Riley Sager is a good writer. I was very thankful I got the chance to read this book, and will eagerly look forward to the next one. Right now, I think I need to sit and process everything I just read though.

I enjoyed The House Across the Lake, even though it was quite unbelievable. The writing was decent and the character development is interesting. I appreciate the chance to get an advanced copy from NetGalley.

Riley Sager comes out swinging again with a great old fashion ghost story! Filled with suspense and action this book is another Sager must read.

The best Sager book I’ve read yet. For an novelist known for twists, this one still manages catch me off guard. I thought I had called the ending, the final quarter had me throwing all my theories out the window.

Casey Greene, a defamed actor and recent widow, is sent by her mother to live in her family’s summer house to stay out of the public eye and hopefully sober up. Casey, already bottle in hand when the book starts, intends on drowning herself in a bourbon induced oblivion. It was foolish of her mother to think ostracizing her at the location of her husbands death would keep her sober.
But Casey is not the only one settling into the off season of Lake Greene.

Enter the Royce’s, tech mogul and his beautiful model wife have recently bought the house across the lake, a glamourous glass house, whose windows leave little hidden. When Casey drunkenly spies more than she should’ve through windows of the glass house, the residents of the quiet lake community become entrenched in mystery torn from a Hitchcock film.

The House Across the Lake can be added to the long list of "unreliable drunk female narrator" thrillers that gained popularity after Girl On A Train. Casey is drunk rich girl sequestered at her family's lake house to avoid the press after her husband's untimely death. Did I mention she's drunk? Casey drinks on every page. This is something Riley Sager won't let you forget! Drunk Casey gets herself tangled up in the lives of the people living across the lake after she becomes obsessed with watching them through her binoculars.
I won't spoil anything, but there is a paranormal plot twist like 75% of the way in that is so bananas I wanted to yeet my kindle across the room. Overall, I do not recommend this book. Most of the book is incredibly dull, until it's incredibly bonkers.

Ok Mr. Sager, I see you.

Sager tried something different this time and I did enjoy it! It wasn't perfectly done and it isn't his best novel by far but it is loads better than the last.

We start with the same age old mystery trope of a woman spying on the neighbors through binoculars and seeing things go down that she probably shouldn't be witnessing .
Things take a turn when she gets super involved with trying to figure out what happened while also dealing with her trauma from not only childhood but also from the loss of her husband recently.

The people living around the lake all have an air of mystery around them and I enjoyed that very much.

I enjoyed the secrets that were revealed however there was one part toward the end that just wasn't doing it for me enough. I am not trying to spoil anything so I won't say more.

I have enjoyed Riley Sager’s previous books and was excited to read this one. I loved the setting of The House Across the Lake, on a lake in Vermont and there was such rich description of the area and the homes that I could easily picture being there. This is a plus for me, as I really enjoy the atmospheric element of books that I read. This book will satisfy any thriller junkie who loves twists and turns, but it has a slow burn and a bit too much drinking and silly romance element for my taste. The supernatural element was a bit hard to take and will deter some readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First book I've read by Riley Sager and it won't be the last.
Fast pace story with lots of twisted and turns. When you think you know what is happening, you are wrong. I really enjoyed that part of the book.
Totally would recommend this book.
#TheHouseAcrosstheLake #NetGalley

This fast paced novel hooked me from the start. At first, you think it is going in one direction, then it spirals into something so completely different-omg. I couldn't stop reading. It was incredible and I loved it!!! 5 stars all the way. This has to be one of my favorite Riley Sager novels to date. Have been telling all of my thriller customers to watch for this one!

I didn't particularly enjoy The House Across the Lake and I am sure I will be an unpopular opinion from the hundreds of Riley Sager fans out there.

I had several problems with it. First and most importantly, was I thought it was sloooooow. Dreadfully so. It finally does pick up at about the 60-70 percent way through mark, but that is a long way, and I had to pick it up and put it down several times, and I often asked myself why I was even making the effort to read it.

Second....We have basically read this story many many times. A woman, in this case, Casey Fletcher, is unstable and drinking away her feelings because she is grieving the death of her husband. She spends an obsessive amount of time spying on her new neighbors and thinks she has seen something tragic happen. It is Rear Window, The Woman in the Window or better yet it is The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window. Did I get that title right? It's the new show on Netflix that makes fun of these types of books. Add The House Across The Lake to that list.

Third...the characters just fell flat for me. Maybe it was more the lagging of the story that caused me not to care anything for the characters. I do know that many people do drink away problems, and I imagine at times Casey's pain feels real to some readers. I just did not connect with her, I kind of felt sorry for her, and not in a good way.

Fouth... The plot twist, when we finally arrived at it. I was excited y'all, a twist was finally happening and this was hopefully going to redeem the book. Boy was I wrong. It was such a letdown to me sadly. I found it rather...well stupid, honestly, I just did not enjoy it. It was strange.

I don't know. I loved Home Before Dark, but I have been disappointed with every book since and I am asking myself why I keep picking them up because, at this point, I am thinking Sager may not be the author for me.

Big Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced reader.