A review by samphiresyl
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

3.75

Hmmm I liked this book - it was definitely terrifying at times and contained those fall vibes that I was looking for. I do think, however, that certain aspects of the plot could have been improved/elaborated upon. For example: the big storm was set up as a monumental moment, and ~things~ did happen during it, but the storm only lasted for 2 chapters or so, and the worst thing it did was rain a bit... Based on the foreshadowing, I expected there to be a bit more to the storm, for example: the storm floods something & reveals clues, the storm breaks something and is the catalyst for a big moment, etc. I know

the power went out but come on that lasted for like 30 sec... and of course Len escaped during that

. The supernatural aspect of the plot was quite unexpected. Personally, I did not enjoy it because there was no hint that it was coming - I was trying to guess the next twist with no concept that reality itself was being twisted. I would have preferred a more Scooby Doo style revelation aka the tease of supernatural, but then a person pops up as behind it. The ending was also kind of obvious. The readers are led to believe something in the beginning of the book, so it's not surprising when that thing does turn out to be true. Also wtf happened to Tom??! Definitely some loose ends here and there, but overall a good thriller I would say, if you're aware of the supernatural aspect. Also personally, I would not be able to look over the fact that

Casey killed two people and got off scot free T.T no matter how horrible those people were