A review by minimicropup
Survive the Night by Riley Sager

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

4.0

Tragic, distressing, suspicious

We follow a University student looking for a rideshare so they can return to their childhood home after their roommate was brutally murdered. They are struggling with the losses and stresses in their life and it affects the decisions they make and how they interpret events. 
  • Set in Autumn 1991 on the route from New Jersey to Ohio, USA

Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags πŸΊπŸ•: 
  • πŸ”‡ Switched from audio to digital. The narrator and writing style didn't pair well for me. It made everything seem campy and cheesy, and took away from the suspense. That wasn't a problem when I read the text, just when listening. I'm not sure why - narrator wasn't bad, maybe just not nuanced enough?
  • Charlie makes some ridiculous choices during the plot. When she's clearly in danger she doesn't try to escape, but when she's not in any obvious danger she's ready to hurl herself out of a moving vehicle. As her character develops we come to understand the reasons for her behaviour and rationale, but there are moments that still felt contrived, particularly as we near the end and get the tea about what is really going on. 
  • The ending seemed very cringe, BUT it isn't all that it seems. Can't explain without giving up some spoilers! I thought it was clever, but I could see it being more on the trickster side for some. I think it was justifiable, not lazy - it made me feel differently about the MC and plot.

Cred Rating πŸ€”: Plausible + Justifiable OTT campiness

Mood Reading Match Up: 
  • Touch of '90's teen thriller movie vibes
  • Suspenseful slasher turned cat-and-mouse action adventure plot
  • Stories with classic Hollywood and cinephile themes
  • Character-driven mysteries with unreliable narrators and serial killers

Content Heads-Up: Fire. Vehicle accident (fatalities). Terminal illness (on page). Gun Violence. Kidnapping and confinement. Mental illness (dissociative, hallucinatory, psychosis)

Format: Library Digital via Libby
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