Reviews with content warning for Violence - The House Across the Lake

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

126 reviews

rahanahava's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.5

3 1/2 stars

As with all Riley’s books, I enjoyed it to the end. The last minute twists are always a pleasant surprise.

I quite enjoyed this one having a “supernatural” element that wasn’t explained away at the end by a natural explanation. The open ending (somewhat) also makes me happy. Even if there’s not another book knowing that the story may or may not go on makes me smile.

Only Criticism I have is I listened to the audio and while the narrator was good, I felt like she was an “older” woman more like a Helen Mirren (who I could see rocking something like this) versus someone like a Julia Roberts (who I imagine the character being by description). 🤷🏻‍♀️

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aprilblues348's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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gknott's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

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bookedfortheweekend25's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.75

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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

4.25

“No matter how much you look, something just beneath the surface will always remain hidden. I should know. I’ve been watching.”

➽ I have to admit that this is probably my favorite Riley Sager book as it's so entertaining!! The House Across the Lake is about Casey, a recently widowed actress who owns a lake house in Vermont. She's trying to escape the press and is struggling with her mental health. Casey's an alcoholic and lives alone at the house, without much outside contact. When a couple moves into the house across the lake from her, she quickly gets obsessed with them and starts watching them through her binoculars.

➽ I loved the premise and how Casey couldn't help but keep watching her new neighbors Katherine and Tom. She's getting invested in their lives but finds herself questioning how perfect their life truly is. When Katherine disappears, she's convinced that Tom might have done it and goes to investigate despite the dangers. I found the story very compelling and was actually shocked by some of the twists! We get chapters set in different times and they do a good job of letting you make assumptions. The more we get to know Casey, the more we unravel the secrets of the lake. I liked her friendship with Katherine and how she was dedicated to helping her! The story was suspenseful from start to finish and I couldn't put it down!

The reveal that Casey's husband was a serial killer and she killed him when she found out was SO good! The possession trope won't be for anyone, but I thought it was a sinister twist on what happened to Katherine. In the end, we're meant to believe that Tom's actually innocent unlike Casey suspected ... only for him to turn out to be the villain after all!

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bravereads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.5

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hermione_gilmore's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

Well, let me tell you this was a rollercoaster but in the best way possible. So many plot twists I didn’t anticipate and never would have expected. I don’t think it’s a book for everyone but I personally liked the ending and how everything developed. I would recommend this, thanks Haley hihi. Also, I think you could make a great movie adaptation out of this book.

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