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vereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
Rating★★★☆☆
“At night, you can’t see your reflection on the water. Centuries ago, before people knew any better, it was a common belief that reflective surfaces could trap the souls of the dead.”
The settings in Sager's novels are such a powerful element. They draw you in, and the story would not be the same if they happened in other places. In this case, it is Green Lake. It's impossible not to imagine being at the lake spying on the neighbors with Casey. Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.
One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears.
“The lake is darker than a coffin with the lid shut,” she’d say. “And as deep as the ocean. If you sink under, you’ll never come back up again. You’ll be trapped forever.”
Casey is the typical unreliable narrator who drinks heavily and ends up obsessed with the couple who live in the house across the lake. I dislike these types of stories because they bore me, and I find them tedious. I also don't like it when the main character becomes obsessed with someone younger and prettier than her.
“The worst part about drinking too much—other than, you know, drinking too much”
The first part of the book is slow and dull. Things begin to take off slowly in the second half and become interesting. I didn't see the first plot twist coming. It was a twist that woke me up from the lethargy that the rest of the story had caused me. The plot twist was over the top, but I like it.
(view spoiler)
“there’s no such thing as happily ever after. There’s only happy for a short period of time before everything falls apart.”
This book has elements that sound ridiculous and excessive but somehow work.
Books I have read by this author
Final Girls ★★★☆☆
The Last Time I Lied ★★★★ ½
Home Before Dark ★★★★☆
Survive the Night ★☆☆☆☆
If you like this book, try this book
The Girl on the Train
Storygraph | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
“At night, you can’t see your reflection on the water. Centuries ago, before people knew any better, it was a common belief that reflective surfaces could trap the souls of the dead.”
The settings in Sager's novels are such a powerful element. They draw you in, and the story would not be the same if they happened in other places. In this case, it is Green Lake. It's impossible not to imagine being at the lake spying on the neighbors with Casey. Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.
One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears.
“The lake is darker than a coffin with the lid shut,” she’d say. “And as deep as the ocean. If you sink under, you’ll never come back up again. You’ll be trapped forever.”
Casey is the typical unreliable narrator who drinks heavily and ends up obsessed with the couple who live in the house across the lake. I dislike these types of stories because they bore me, and I find them tedious. I also don't like it when the main character becomes obsessed with someone younger and prettier than her.
“The worst part about drinking too much—other than, you know, drinking too much”
The first part of the book is slow and dull. Things begin to take off slowly in the second half and become interesting. I didn't see the first plot twist coming. It was a twist that woke me up from the lethargy that the rest of the story had caused me. The plot twist was over the top, but I like it.
(view spoiler)
“there’s no such thing as happily ever after. There’s only happy for a short period of time before everything falls apart.”
This book has elements that sound ridiculous and excessive but somehow work.
Books I have read by this author
Final Girls ★★★☆☆
The Last Time I Lied ★★★★ ½
Home Before Dark ★★★★☆
Survive the Night ★☆☆☆☆
If you like this book, try this book
The Girl on the Train
Storygraph | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Stalking
Moderate: Confinement and Kidnapping
mallory10100's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
this was so insanely twisty i had absolutely no idea where it was going
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Stalking, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Drug use, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Cursing
Minor: Blood, Infidelity, and Vomit
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
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
2.5
The stars I give this book are for the following: the creepy atmosphere, the writing that at times made me feel like I myself was on Lake Greene, the reference to "Lock Every Door," the fact that there were some pieces of this story that sent a couple of chills down my spine, and the decent pacing.
Other than that, things get a little dicey...
I wrote down in my journal around page 100 that the star rating of this book was very much going to depend on the twist(s)...and friends, I just thought that all of these twists were weak at best and goofy at worst. There was one twist that made me actually LOL and I really don't think that was Sager's intent.
When I wasn't rolling my eyes out of confusion or snort laughing at how dumb that one twist was, I was just...bored. I dunno, Riley. We'll try again next time.
Other than that, things get a little dicey...
I wrote down in my journal around page 100 that the star rating of this book was very much going to depend on the twist(s)...and friends, I just thought that all of these twists were weak at best and goofy at worst. There was one twist that made me actually LOL and I really don't think that was Sager's intent.
When I wasn't rolling my eyes out of confusion or snort laughing at how dumb that one twist was, I was just...bored. I dunno, Riley. We'll try again next time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Blood, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Vomit, Violence, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Suicide
Minor: Colonisation, Racism, and Sexual content
jackiemcguire's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
2.0
similar to Rear Window
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Murder, Kidnapping, and Stalking
dalmavatai's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
2.0
I'm so sad that this was such a miss, and with Survive the Night last year being 3.5🌟, I feel like Riley Sager's books just keep getting worse for me 😭
First of all, this book is very repetitive and boring. Casey drinks and she spies on her neighbors from across the lake. This is pretty much all we get until the 70% mark and you might enjoy it if you're into domestic drama in thrillers, but I really didn't care for it. I thought the atmosphere was great but that's about it.
And then, the twists. To be honest the first 2-3 twists that we get around the 70% mark were GREAT in my opinion, but then towards the end it just gets extremely convoluted and it feels like the author is trying to pull off 32556 different twists and endings. I think the twists could have been spaced out a bit better and also this book should've been a lot shorter. I also thought it would've been SO epic and impactful if the book had just ended like 30 pages before its actual ending. A much less convoluted but much more memorable and impactful ending in my opinion.
I think Sager needs to be given more time to write his books (which within the confines of the publishing industry is obviously difficult to manage) to regain his spark that was absolutely there in his previous books, especially Home Before Dark which is my favorite from him.
First of all, this book is very repetitive and boring. Casey drinks and she spies on her neighbors from across the lake. This is pretty much all we get until the 70% mark and you might enjoy it if you're into domestic drama in thrillers, but I really didn't care for it. I thought the atmosphere was great but that's about it.
And then, the twists. To be honest the first 2-3 twists that we get around the 70% mark were GREAT in my opinion, but then towards the end it just gets extremely convoluted and it feels like the author is trying to pull off 32556 different twists and endings. I think the twists could have been spaced out a bit better and also this book should've been a lot shorter. I also thought it would've been SO epic and impactful if the book had just ended like 30 pages before its actual ending. A much less convoluted but much more memorable and impactful ending in my opinion.
I think Sager needs to be given more time to write his books (which within the confines of the publishing industry is obviously difficult to manage) to regain his spark that was absolutely there in his previous books, especially Home Before Dark which is my favorite from him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Alcoholism, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Infidelity and Suicide
theliteraryhooker's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
That extra .25 stars is only because I hated this slightly less than Survive the Night, and I gave that 2 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Alcoholism
Minor: Vomit
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