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aprilblues348's review
- 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
Graphic: Kidnapping, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Cursing, Grief, and Mental illness
bookcheshirecat's review
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!
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Murder
Minor: Suicide and Toxic relationship
infjkiki's review
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Death, Alcohol, Grief, Confinement, Stalking, Alcoholism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Drug abuse
Minor: Physical abuse, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, and Infidelity
literally_mint's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Murder, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, and Kidnapping
cheeseandsausages's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Suicide, Murder, Violence, and Death
elthewallflower's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Torture, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Addiction, Violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, and Alcohol
_bookishbrina's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It took a while for me to actually get hooked on this book but once that was done, there was no coming back. the ending BLEW me away, I never saw it coming.
Very entertaining! Definitely the kind of book that gets you out of a solid slump (you know, like I am).
TW: murder, alcohol, voyeurism
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, and Alcoholism
meeklovestoread's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
HOWEVER, my goodness! This book was messy and the big plot twists was outlandish and ludicrous. It was so out of left field and although I didn't mind it and it didn't make me angry I can completely understand why people would rate this low and/or dislike this book because of it.
I felt like the twist would've been awesome if the author actually forwarded/gave the reader hints throughout the book then maybe the twist would've been more effective.
I didn't mind the female character, however, the withholding of information until the end made no sense considering we're already in her head anyways. And she was also picking another big secret from everyone else anyways so the author withholding said information from the reader made no sense.
The book just felt unorganized towards the middle-end because it felt like the author was jumbling multiple ideas at once and never wanted to just stick to one so he chose them all. Overall its not a bad book, but if you like thrillers that make sense and are symbolic through and through then you can skip this one. I did find it entertaining though so I'll give the author that.
Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Stalking, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gun violence, Gaslighting, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
espressoreader's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Stalking, Grief, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
mlkreege's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship