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

Survive The Night by Danielle Vega

Survive The Night by Danielle Vega
Release Date - July 7, 2015
Publisher Website - Penguin Canada
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 272 pages
My Rating - 3/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

We're all gonna die down here. . . .

Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.

In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse . . .
             
. . . until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.

Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.

They’re being hunted.
             
Trapped underground with someone—or something—out to get them, Casey can’t help but listen to her friend’s terrified refrain: “We’re all gonna die down here. . . .” in this bone-chilling sophmore novel by the acclaimed author of The Merciless.

Danielle Vega's first novel, The Merciless, had one of the most chilling premises I've ever encountered. A group of teenage girls performing an exorcism that spirals horribly out of control.  I was excited to see what she would do with a 'locked' room type of horror story in her underground rave turned deadly set novel. She's created a dizzying, atmospheric setting that delivers the scares, but doesn't quite have the ending punch I was hoping for.

Psychological scares work on me so much more than any gore ever could. If you get me to imagine the worst case scenario and let that run wild it can send shivers down my spine. Danielle Vegas is a master of creating electric, taunt atmospheres and settings that are terrifying. She weaves the story in a way that allows you to experience the horror along with the characters. This is where her writing shines, and both of her novels boast fantastic pacing, and set up.

The first half of this book is incredibly promising and particularly strong in terms of writing. The characters feel authentic to a teen horror story, and the setting is inspired. The chills and thrills are plentiful with just enough wiggle room to keep the reader guessing. The latter half of the book however was not my favourite. The 'boogeyman' hunting them, when revealed, sets this into a specific category of horror genre. I am not going to spoil the reveal, but this required a little more explanation than we are given. I wanted to know the whys and hows behind everything. This particular 'hunter', to me, requires more backstory and answers than what we were given. It jarred me out of the psychological aspect of the story that was so compelling in the beginning and left me pulled outside of the story, never really bringing back into that same level of palpable fear. The minute the danger became a real and tangible is when the tone of the story changed, and the pay off just never quite came to fruition for me.

While this genre of horror may not be what I was expecting or my favourite, Danielle Vega's skill with weaving atmosphere and chills were more than enough to keep me turning the pages. A vivid voice in young adult horror novels, especially if you happen to like her genre of choice. I, for one, hope that Danielle Vega continues to branch out and try her hand at a variety of horror tropes as her voice lends itself to chills and thrills naturally.

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).

Some very exciting titles made their way into my mailbox this week.

Survive The Night by Danielle Vega (goodreads)
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll (goodreads)
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen (goodreads)

A huge thank you to Penguin Canada, and Simon and Schuster Canada for these ARCs. Cannot wait to read them!

I also received one eARC this week...

Sisters of Blood and Spirit by Kady Cross (goodreads)

A huge thank you to HarlequinTeen for the chance to read this one!

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!