Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Survive the Night

Overall: loved the set-up of the chapters, good descriptions

Truly couldn't stand the first half of the book. The main character ignored all of the red flags, and then, when she found out certain information,

she would just confront the alleged serial killer directly

. I had to pause the audio book to scream way too many times (in frustration)

I was reeled back in by the second half though. Less 'screaming at the girl running up the stairs instead of out the front door' vibes. More plot

Content Warnings

cryptidonwheels's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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amgarrido's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I barely know what to think after having listened to this audiobook. The plot twists are so extreme that I don’t know if it’s excellent or terrible; for now, I think I like how the story was turned around. I never know what to think with thrillers that are impossible to guess because the resolution storyline is in no way related to anything else in the book and is practically always introduced in the last few chapters (e.g. a good girls guide to murder series). Is the author scared that if they drop in more clues the readers will be able to guess what happens and they’ll be criticised for being too predictable? I guess we'll never know.

The fact that I was gripped enough to listen to the majority of it in one afternoon and I loved the unreliable narrator; it really got me thinking about how we (or maybe just me) inherently assume the protagonist is good or even trustworthy just because it is their story. I do have to say, though, the epilogue is absolutely ridiculous- and the way that everything Josh/Jake and Marge do is forgiven just because of the way the events turn out in the end is also extremely unrealistic.

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minimicropup's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Tragic, distressing, suspicious

We follow a University student looking for a rideshare so they can return to their childhood home after their roommate was brutally murdered. They are struggling with the losses and stresses in their life and it affects the decisions they make and how they interpret events.

Set in Autumn 1991 on the route from New Jersey to Ohio, USA

Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐺🐕:

🔇 Switched from audio to digital. The narrator and writing style didn't pair well for me. It made everything seem campy and cheesy, and took away from the suspense. That wasn't a problem when I read the text, just when listening. I'm not sure why - narrator wasn't bad, maybe just not nuanced enough?
Charlie makes some ridiculous choices during the plot. When she's clearly in danger she doesn't try to escape, but when she's not in any obvious danger she's ready to hurl herself out of a moving vehicle. As her character develops we come to understand the reasons for her behaviour and rationale, but there are moments that still felt contrived, particularly as we near the end and get the tea about what is really going on.
The ending seemed very cringe, BUT it isn't all that it seems. Can't explain without giving up some spoilers! I thought it was clever, but I could see it being more on the trickster side for some. I think it was justifiable, not lazy - it made me feel differently about the MC and plot.

Cred Rating 🤔: Plausible + Justifiable OTT campiness

Mood Reading Match Up:

Touch of '90's teen thriller movie vibes
Suspenseful slasher turned cat-and-mouse action adventure plot
Stories with classic Hollywood and cinephile themes
Character-driven mysteries with unreliable narrators and serial killers

Content Heads-Up: Fire. Vehicle accident (fatalities). Terminal illness (on page). Gun Violence. Kidnapping and confinement. Mental illness (dissociative, hallucinatory, psychosis)

Format: Library Digital via Libby

Content Warnings

dollhousebooks's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Riley Sager is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. While this wasn't my favorite book of theirs, I still really enjoyed it. I mean, I ended up reading this in half a day because I was so intrigued!!!

I've seen a lot of critiques on how this story didn't feel very realistic, and there was a lack of common sense in the characters, which I can see to an extent; I think thrillers/horror-thrillers don't need to be realistic to be twisty, fun, and terrifying though!

I found Charlie to be annoying, but that's because I dislike cinephiles like her. Classics don't necessarily equate to quality which is often what those film bros and movie fanatics believe, which is rather grating. But other than that, I liked her "plucky" character despite all she was going through emotionally and mentally. The end was pretty great, too. I liked the hint of romance to solidify a semi-happy ending!

All in all, 3.5 stars.

Content Warnings

minimicropup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Narration 🤷‍♀️:
Croaky, flat, and lacking emotion. Sometimes it worked well for the MC, but other times it was hard to listen to and feel anything beyond "meh".

Oops 🙃: Need to read this, not listen to it. Made it almost 80% of the way through before having to return the audio and that's because it was a struggle to get through it with audio alone. Going to wait to complete this review with the digital text or physical version of the book.

Format: Library Audio via Libby

Content Warnings

noxygens's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Content Warnings

chloestansifer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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