Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

7 reviews

lcm_xo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Character development was good for the most part, however it lacked background of one of the most crucial characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Gun violence

mallory10100's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

oh my GOD???? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Drug abuse, Grief, Medical content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

Minor: Body shaming

shelfofunread's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

bookishgoob's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

“People don’t want to admit that there are monsters in their midst, so the monsters continue to roam free and the cycle of violence and blame continues.” this is a story that takes place within 24 hours. the story kept me on the edge of my seat and i held my breath a lot. the story consumed me and made my heart race. such a great story told incredibly well. i don’t really like the way sager writes women, he writes them kind of dumb and sad but i enjoyed the way this book turned out. while i didn’t like the main character, or the way that she acted, i did think it added a cool element to the story, thinking about myself in the position and what i would do differently. the twists and turns of this story were so winding and confusing. i’m giving this a 4/5 for being such an interesting and fun book. the ending was super sweet and made me super happy. however, i can’t get over the way Charlie acted and was written. it just wasn’t my favorite thing. i do recommend it, though. it’s a great read and perfect for spooky season. TW// there is lots of gaslighting that happens in this book and can confuse you as the reader. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Mental illness

readsandrants's review against another edition

4.0

The ending?? plot twists were pretty predictable, but surprising that they were so predictable because I guessed them while sleep deprived and delirious 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Terminal illness

Minor: Vomit

theidlereader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Blood, Car accident, Drug use, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content

johneepixels7's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

As someone who doesn't read a lot of thriller (Though, does horror count?!), I really enjoyed this book. To say that the story starts to put the pedal to the metal once you reach halfway is an accurate catchphrase - I even said, "This is getting GOOOOD!" aloud to my partner sitting next to me.

Riley Sager does a great job of transitioning from flashbacks to the present state, weaving them into the story in a natural manner. As a movie buff, I particularly enjoyed all the references to movies and 90s pop culture. The 90s setting is also important because smart phones aren’t a thing in this time, which means no “Find My Phone”, no easy way to call 9-1-1, and well, you get the idea.

The trope of the potential unreliable POV of the MC is alluded to early, which I unexpectedly welcomed — I think this trope is better upfront and known than to serve as a twist later on.

Even though it’s told in third person from Charlie’s perspective, you still feel her tension, her neurotic thoughts and fear. The revelations had me gasping aloud many a times. And sure, there are moments when her emotions can be over-the-top and back-and-forth, but I truly felt that this only enhanced the fact that it's who Charlie is as a person.

Other than the main plot, the author introduces some backstories and occasionally POV chapters from other characters, which I think helps mix up the otherwise straightforward storyline and also adds a needed depth to the reason why the characters react and do what they do, which I appreciate.

I loved how the book kept me guessing, and at the edge of my (car) seat (I can say that since I read this while at a cottage and couldn't put it down when we would take trips to pick up food!). I would definitely recommend it to other thriller readers, people who like horror tropes, and anyone who enjoys a good trip back to the 90s.

The ending was alright. I won't reveal much because of spoilers but I felt like I wanted a little more and it fell just a touch short. It wasn't terrible but it was enough to bring my otherwise 5 star rating down to a 4. Still, it was an awesome and fun read!

TW: Gaslighting, Murder, Parental Death, Medicine/Drug Usage, Suicide 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Drug use