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. 

Waiting On Wednesday ... Survive The Night

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is Survive The Night by Riley Sager

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

It’s November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana’s in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.

Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it’s guilt and grief over the murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it’s to help care for his sick father. Or so he says. Like the Hitchcock heroine she’s named after, Charlie has her doubts. There’s something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn’t seem to want Charlie to see inside the car’s trunk. As they travel an empty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly worried Charlie begins to think she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie’s suspicion merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?

What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse played out on night-shrouded roads and in neon-lit parking lots, during an age when the only call for help can be made on a pay phone and in a place where there’s nowhere to run. In order to win, Charlie must do one thing—survive the night.

With the popularity of true crime podcasts still at an all time high I predict we will be seeing many more books that feature them like this one (potentially) does. 

This book is already giving me Hitchcockian vibes and that interests me very much. I also love that we do not know if Josh is a serial killer. I predict it will make the suspense and unease a little more intense.s

It releases just in time for summer reading so get your sunscreen and favourite beverage ready.

Expected release date - July 6, 2021

Final Girls by Riley Sager

Final Girls by Riley Sager
Release Date -  July 11, 2017

Publisher Website - Random House Canada
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  342 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.

Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.

The 'Final Girl' trope is one well known to horror movie fans. She's the last person standing at the end of the horror movie. She's the girl who gets away (and gets to be in the sequel). She's typically young, and attractive. Riley Sager has this term refer to girls who are the sole survivors of horrific massacres. It's the perfect backdrop for his gripping, twist filled story that is filled with complex female characters.

My favourite part of this novel is the fact that Quincy, Lisa, and Sam are apologetically messed up. They are women who are shaped by what happened to them as girls. It is shown that what they experienced is something that never truly leaves you, even if you learn to live with it. Each of them are damaged in their own way, and the author allowed you to see them as these imperfect women who were stronger than they gave themselves credit for. I was even more thrilled that there were three women of this complexity included in the story, not just one. It didn't quite scratch that itch that the character of Amy Dunne left within me, but it came close.

Much like I do while watching horror movies, I spent most of my time reading this novel wanting to yell at these characters to not make the choices they were making. You wanted them to make better decisions for themselves because you were rooting for them. This, much like the title, read as a deliberate nod to horror movies. A lot of this novel comes from a love of horror movies, and the people's fascination with true crime. It's a blend of both and it works rather well for most of the novel.

The author masterfully includes plenty of possible suspects (literally everyone is a suspect at various points in the novel) and red herrings. The most impressive thing about this novel, for me anyways, was that it didn't take the easy path. There are twists that are you think are going to happen. Twists that would have been telegraphed and predictable. The author manages to not use any of them and the story is all the better for it. The twists that do happen are both smart and unexpected which makes for a stronger story.

The ending, however, hurts the story as much as it helps. While I was pleasantly surprised to see all of my predictions be incorrect, I didn't not feel the ending was earned. The novel suffers a little from pacing issues. The beginning is more methodical and it slowly unravels. The ending, however, is like a freight train with things rushing so quickly you can barely catch your breath. It doesn't give the reveals time to have the proper impact, and I don't think the ending was set up as well as it could have been. It is the type of story I want to read again to see if the clues are laid out within the story at some point, but I am not sure that is the case. It didn't quite connect to the rest of the story as seamlessly as I wanted it to, but it still offers a thrilling closure to Quincy's story.

A taunt mystery that will make for fantastic beach reading this summer. It's certainly a conversation starter so it would also be a good pick for book club reading. I recommend this one to those who devour mysteries, and love the idea of experiencing a story with some complex women at its heart. I found the ending to be not as satisfying as I hoped, but feel the rest of the novel is strong enough for me to recommend it. 

Waiting On Wednesday ..... Final Girls

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is Final Girls by Riley Sager

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.

Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past. 

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.

I am a sucker for anything that twists horror movie tropes, and 'the final girl' is one of the biggest tropes out there. I cannot wait to see what twists this story takes and how Riley Sager uses the 'final girl' trope in new and exciting ways.

Expected release date - July 11, 2017

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

Only one egalley to share this week. Super excited about this one though because it sounds amazing!

Final Girls by Riley Sager (Goodreads)

Hard to believe next weekend is Christmas! Hope everyone has a great holiday season.

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!