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A review by boomwormbrittany
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
The House Across the Lake follows actress Casey Fletcher whose life hasn't been the best. She recently lost her husband and jeopardized her career after getting caught in bad tabloid headlines. She's retreated to her families lake house to escape all the publicity. But when she saves the life of a supermodel and starts to spy on the model and her husband's house across the lake, things start to turn upside down.
I really liked this book. I had heard that if you liked Home Before Dark that this will be a Riley Sager book you will really enjoy and I did. This book had my head and mind spinning in so many different directions.
First off, there is an element in this book that Riliey Sager leaned into that I loved. I won't say what it is as I don't want to spoil anyone but it was one that I had hoped he would lean into in another book and he did in this. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing till the end. Every time I thought I had the answers, there was a new twist thrown in and they all worked so perfectly. There was a lot going on in this book but I never felt overwhelmed by it.
I thought every character was so distinct and interesting. I wanted to know all their life stories and they way they played into this tangled web that was woven. Casey's story really intrigued me and I was hooked from the beginning to the end.
The only reason this book got a four stars from me is that I'm not a huge fan of the unreliable narrator via drinking trope. It's just one that I feel has been used a ton and there are better ways to make an unreliable narrator. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of this story what so ever but it's just a trope that I don't enjoy.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It made me even more excited to read more Riley Sager this year and continue reading new thrillers.
I really liked this book. I had heard that if you liked Home Before Dark that this will be a Riley Sager book you will really enjoy and I did. This book had my head and mind spinning in so many different directions.
First off, there is an element in this book that Riliey Sager leaned into that I loved. I won't say what it is as I don't want to spoil anyone but it was one that I had hoped he would lean into in another book and he did in this. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing till the end. Every time I thought I had the answers, there was a new twist thrown in and they all worked so perfectly. There was a lot going on in this book but I never felt overwhelmed by it.
I thought every character was so distinct and interesting. I wanted to know all their life stories and they way they played into this tangled web that was woven. Casey's story really intrigued me and I was hooked from the beginning to the end.
The only reason this book got a four stars from me is that I'm not a huge fan of the unreliable narrator via drinking trope. It's just one that I feel has been used a ton and there are better ways to make an unreliable narrator. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of this story what so ever but it's just a trope that I don't enjoy.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It made me even more excited to read more Riley Sager this year and continue reading new thrillers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Gaslighting