NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Monday, June 28, 2021

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

 "Be smart. Be brave. Be careful."

Charlie Jordan, a college student at Olyphant University, was none of these things the night she accepted a ride share with a total stranger on November 19, 1981. Charlie, a distraught wreck after the murder of her roommate, Maddy, was desperate to get home to her beloved grandmother in Youngstown, Ohio. The handsome young man standing at the ride board as she put up her flyer seemed the answer. Although she doesn't know Josh Baxter, Charlie packs up her dorm room, says goodbye to her boyfriend, Robbie, and hops in the car. Soon, her suspicions and paranoia creep in and Charlie -- movie obsessed with a vivid imagination -- wonders if he could be the Campus Killer. No spoilers.

This was a very quick read but I had some issues with it right from the start. As the narrative continued, I was often confused as to what was really happening, what was the movie, and what was Charlie's fugue states. Sager tries a few of the usual twisty tricks, but the rising action and the denouement were quite a stretch for my believability scale. Perhaps you will have better luck relating to this protagonist and find it less predictable than I did. I've read all of Sager's previous books, but did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - suspense thriller

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