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A review by isabellemay14
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

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

2.75

In my opinion there’s a difference between a plot twist you never see coming and a plot twist with absolutely no hints or build up that could have ever primed you to see it coming, and this book was definitely the latter. The big reveal—while shocking—came entirely out of left field in a way that didn’t feel satisfying or even particularly logical, and I personally wasn’t a fan of the
supernatural/paranormal
twist. This book also relied HEAVILY on having an unreliable narrator, and the way she was made unreliable was by repeatedly mentioning her alcoholism what felt like every other line. While I did enjoy the first half of the book, the thriller trope of “drunk housebound woman witnesses something sketchy going on at the neighbor’s house” has been done before and better. 
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