Survive The Night by Riley Sager

Survive The Night by Riley Sager

Release Date - June 29, 2021 

Publisher Website - Penguin Random House Canada
Publisher Social Media - Twitter

Pages - 336 pages
My Rating - 5/5

**received in exchange of an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Malibu: August 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over--especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud--because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he's been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can't stop thinking about promised she'll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own--including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family's generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind. 

Riley Sager's Survive The Night takes so many of the things I am interested in and blends them together in to a engrossingly readable novel. It has elements of classic Hollywood, true crime, and cinematic flair. It should therefore be no surprise that this is now my personal favourite Riley Sager novel.

This book feels cinematic in so many ways and it definitely reads like a movie. You can visualize everything that is happening but the format of the writing invokes a movie as well. It captures that essence so thoroughly that I will be upset if this doesn't end up getting a movie adaptation. 

This is a love letter to to both Hitchcock films and women in them. Charlie displays the characteristics of a classic Hitchcock blonde and the plot feels very Hitchcockian to me. It will make you want to pair reading it with a watch of Shadow of a Doubt (and possibly binge a bunch of older thrillers). 

The entire premise of this book is entirely unsettling to me. You are in an enclosed space that is not easily escapable and with every moment that passes you become increasingly convinced that the person in that space with you is a serial killer. It is a great plot idea that was even more effective than I imagined.

The 90s setting is especially effective at creating more tension and raising the stakes. No cell phones means no easy access to help and that heightens every beat of dread woven into the story. This story wouldn't feel the same in more current times and that is part of what makes the story work.

The interaction between Josh and Charlie is the crux of the novel, especially at first. The limited setting, the inside of the car, makes the focus shift to the characters. There is something thrilling at each stomach drop and skipped heartbeat as things start to unravel. The first half is a restrained, but pulse pounding, increase in fear that feels more psychological when compared to the latter part of the book.

A suspense novel is built on the twists that it unveils. This one has reveals that you will see coming and hopefully a couple of surprises as well. I was very satisfied with the ending and felt it only added to overall tone of the novel. It is definitely a Hollywood type of ending that you only see in the movies.

This is a book for those who have ever gotten lost in a movie. It has a plucky and resourceful heroine at its core and is filled with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. If you are someone who loves reading thrillers at the beach this will be your new obsession. 

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

 

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

Release Date - February 18, 2020 

Publisher Website - Penguin Random House Canada
Publisher Social Media - Twitter

Pages - 327 pages
My Rating - 4/5

**borrowed from library**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.

Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…

There is something inherently creepy about a motel (or hotel). That creep factor doubles if it happens to be located in the middle of nowhere. We've all seen Psycho. We've heard the infamous stories about the Cecil Hotel. Places like these allow for a bit of anonymity and you could be staying next door to anyone. It is no surprise that a place like this would make an effective setting for a mystery and The Sun Down Motel proves just that.

The motel of the book's title is the centerpiece of this murder mystery. It has such a presence that it becomes a character in the story. It has the middle of nowhere location, a mysterious disappearance, and its potentially haunted status all helping to create an atmosphere that is perfect for the tense plot that is being woven. The darkness of the motel extends into the surrounding town which has its share of secrets. 

The most fun and interesting element is the dual narration. We have Viv who is working at the hotel in the 1980s and Carly, her niece, who is working there in 2017.  Carly is retracing her Aunt's footsteps trying to unravel what happened the night she went missing while working the night shift at the motel. The story blends these two story arcs together in a way that compliments one another and builds off the other. I found it compelling and  that added an extra element to the twists in the story. The downside is how similar the storylines sometimes are. It adds a bit of a repetitive feel to the writing that might impact some reader's enjoyment of the book. 

Viv and Carly are both determined women who don't give up. They both investigate the mystery within the novel with a single minded focus. They were both engaging characters which made them interesting to read about. 

The first half of the book was incredibly compelling and I could not put it down. It does lose a little bit of its steam towards the latter half and some elements of the plot did not work as well as others did for me. The expanding mystery worked for me and didn't really need all the extra window dressing. The ending itself was also a bit mixed for me. There were elements that weren't as satisfying which created an uneven feeling to the story.

If you are a fan of  mystery novels this one certainly offers up plenty of twists and turns in a unique feeling story. It has a strong atmosphere and setting that makes it easy to immerse yourself in the story. Toss it in your beach bag for an enjoyable summer reading experience.