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akevaa's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Definitely not a book to read if you’re struggling with alcohol. I understand it as a focus of the novel but wasn’t expecting such a heavy feature. Would rather have focused more on the crime aspect. Not my favorite though the narrator was nice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Addiction, and Violence
annadupreo's review
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I was into it at the beginning then the paranormal completely threw me for a loop. I thought she must of been having some drunken delusions but no lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Addiction
kaitlynleigh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I listened to this on a whim and am so glad I did! I didn't know anything going into it and the last few hours of it my mouth was just fully agape!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
stephaniezd's review
challenging
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
4.5
What a twist! I should know what to expect from Riley Sager by now, but it always catches me off guard. Loved this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Vomit, Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Murder, and Stalking
sonygaystation's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Vomit, Suicide, and Infidelity
davidb71's review
1.0
I read my first Riley Sager novel late last year - The Only One Left - and I thought it was a real treat. A twisty gothic thriller that was better than I was expecting it to be, and a pleasant surprise. Since then I've read two other books of his - Home Before Dark and Lock Every Door - and while I didn't enjoy them anywhere near as much as The Only One Left, I still found them enjoyable reads. With his books I've found that I just need to enter into the spirit of them, and go along with them - they may be a little blunt at times, a little lacking in subtlety, the dialogue a little on the nose, there may be some implausibilities in the plot - but there's been enough to enjoy in them to stop any issues I had from completely dragging them down.
And this is how I felt about this book - The House Across the Lake - for perhaps the first half of it. I felt it was a little blunt and heavy-handed in lots of ways, but I was still drawn into the mystery and quite happy to go along with it, eager to see where the story was heading.
But at around the two-thirds mark the novel went from being flawed and a little too heavy-handed for my taste, but basically okay-ish, to going completely off the rails. And I mean completely off the rails. I can't recall ever seeing a novel take such a jarring turn into total craziness like this one did. And for me it didn't work at all.
I couldn't believe what I reading - and not in a good way. There's a supernatural twist that comes from nowhere that I found totally jarring. For two-thirds of the book you're reading one type of novel - a mystery surrounding a missing woman at a lake house, with echoes of Hitchcock's Rear Window - and then, suddenly, you're reading a completely different type of novel involving supernatural elements and people being possessed by spirits. If this sounds like fun, it isn't. I thought it was a mess.
And it wasn't just the supernatural elements that I didn't like - there were other plot twists and revelations piled upon this supernatural nonsense - and none of it worked for me. Too much made absolutely no sense. None of it felt cohesive - I can't remember a less cohesive novel I've read in a long time, if ever. And it just kept getting worse and worse - to the final 'twist' that I thought was so poorly executed it had all the sophistication of a villain's reveal in an episode of Scooby Doo.
I finished this book feeling dazed, stupefied, in a state of disbelief - not because of the story itself, but because I couldn't believe how bad it was. I couldn't believe how anyone could think this was a good idea, from the writer himself, to the publisher, the editors, the whole litany of people involved in bringing a book to publication. I thought it was a complete mess. It's a book that will live on in my memory for all the wrong reasons. Truly awful.
And this is how I felt about this book - The House Across the Lake - for perhaps the first half of it. I felt it was a little blunt and heavy-handed in lots of ways, but I was still drawn into the mystery and quite happy to go along with it, eager to see where the story was heading.
But at around the two-thirds mark the novel went from being flawed and a little too heavy-handed for my taste, but basically okay-ish, to going completely off the rails. And I mean completely off the rails. I can't recall ever seeing a novel take such a jarring turn into total craziness like this one did. And for me it didn't work at all.
I couldn't believe what I reading - and not in a good way. There's a supernatural twist that comes from nowhere that I found totally jarring. For two-thirds of the book you're reading one type of novel - a mystery surrounding a missing woman at a lake house, with echoes of Hitchcock's Rear Window - and then, suddenly, you're reading a completely different type of novel involving supernatural elements and people being possessed by spirits. If this sounds like fun, it isn't. I thought it was a mess.
And it wasn't just the supernatural elements that I didn't like - there were other plot twists and revelations piled upon this supernatural nonsense - and none of it worked for me. Too much made absolutely no sense. None of it felt cohesive - I can't remember a less cohesive novel I've read in a long time, if ever. And it just kept getting worse and worse - to the final 'twist' that I thought was so poorly executed it had all the sophistication of a villain's reveal in an episode of Scooby Doo.
I finished this book feeling dazed, stupefied, in a state of disbelief - not because of the story itself, but because I couldn't believe how bad it was. I couldn't believe how anyone could think this was a good idea, from the writer himself, to the publisher, the editors, the whole litany of people involved in bringing a book to publication. I thought it was a complete mess. It's a book that will live on in my memory for all the wrong reasons. Truly awful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
dishaslibrary's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
3.25
So good I love Sager’s writing. Wanted more of Boome. A very unrealistic novel - not a fan of supernatural stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Addiction
fiercereadsfiction's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Suicide and Toxic relationship
ash_trys's review
adventurous
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? No
4.75
I really enjoyed this book. I have loved the few other works this author has published that I have read, and this one was no exception. There were plenty of twists and turns throughout to keep me on my toes. My one flaw is that is a cut and paste of "Rear Window" in many aspects, which made some of it predictable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism
amie_mullane_sellers's review
Just couldn't get into it. Too much talk about toxic drinking alcohol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Addiction