Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

43 reviews

behindherpages's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

infjkiki's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Excrement, and Vomit

lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Outside of it being completely beyond all laws of science and logic, there's the simple fact that people's brains are capable of strange things. They split and mutate and create all kinds of trouble.

As with any Riley Sager book, this was a page-turner. However, I found it to be just okay. The twist wasn't very satisfying for me because I had read a similar one earlier this year, making it less unique. Nonetheless, the book was still decent.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Death

Moderate: Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse and Infidelity

espressoreader's review against another edition

tense slow-paced

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

1.0

This is what happens when an author has a bunch of ideas on sticky notes and then decides to chose which one to use by playing pin the tail on the donkey.  Unfortunately, the reader is the donkey in this scenario.  The plot of this book was about 3 different mismatched and then mangled story arcs that were never spliced.  

The alcoholism of the main character took too much time.  Does it happen?  Absolutely, but functional alcoholics are functional not constantly at the booze at the cost of other things, and dysfunctional alcoholics don’t make good narrators.  Too much of the main character’s personality was obfuscated by the addiction.  I am aware that it happens in life, but that does not render it a good person to select to guide the whole book.

Fail.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

amandaredinger's review against another edition

dark 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, and Murder

Minor: Infertility and Infidelity

sp34kn0ww's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol

eilseleslie's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, and Murder

batcaves's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

readwithde's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Murder

shannananahey's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Riley Sager hits it out of the park again. I usually predict the “twist” or large event before I’m halfway through most books. This one came out of left field and I never saw it coming. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Kidnapping and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Blood, and Abandonment