July 2023 Group Read (non-spoiler): The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sagar

[Randy]

Hi, all.

Here's a spoiler-free thread for The Last Time I Lied, which will be moderated by Ted.

[Ted]

Hi Friends:

I really look forward to reading The Last Time I Lied with you all. Remember, this is the Non-Spoiler Thread, so please don’t post details about the book here. The Spoiler Thread is at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/....

This is my first time moderating, so I beg your forgiveness in advance for being a newbie. Though I may occasionally offer prompts, feel free to talk about what you want.

My first prompt: What is your experience reading Riley Sager and how have you liked his books?

[Leena]

Hi Ted,
I have read a few of Riley Sager's books. The House Across the Lake and Home Before Dark were a decent 4star reads. But the Final Girls was really disappointing and predictable. Here's hoping this one will be a hit.

[Randy]

I've only read Final Girls and liked it more than Leena probably because it was the first time I'd come across something focusing on the repercussions of being a "final girl". Grady Hendrix's The Final Girl Support Group is another one that does that, and arguably does it better.

[Leena]

actually, this one put me off Grady Hendrix 's book. maybe I should pick it up again.

[Randy]

The Hendrix has a more complicated plot and Hendrix's humor shines through in the protagonist's life choices. Somehow that makes her more relatable even when you want to shake her. I found the novel compelling, even more so than My Best Friend's Exorcism, which I also enjoyed.

If you're interested in a longer review, I have one here,
https://www.sffworld.com/2022/10/sffw...

(Hoping GR allows the link.)

[Ted]

Hi Leena and Randy:

I thought Final Girls was good, not great. I give Sager some grace because the first book of his I read was Lock Every Door, which may be one of my ten favorite thrillers of all time, ranking with the likes of Silence of the Lambs and Gone Girl.

I’ve had The Last Time I Lied, Home Before Dark and The House Across the Lake on my shelf to read for a while now.

I’ve never heard of Grady Hendrix. I’ll have to check that book out.

[Randy]

Hendrix pretty much has horror/comedy in a headlock. He's a fun read and he seems to have an instinct for when to turn serious and when to undercut the serious.

[Michelle]

Hi there! This is my first group read and I’m excited to be reading The Last Time I Lied. I’ve had it for awhile and have been meaning to pick it up. I haven’t read any other of his books either so I don’t know what to expect. Hoping it’s a good read!

[Ted]

Welcome Michelle. Looking forward to reading the book with you. It stayed on my shelf for a while too. Happy reading!

[Leena]

For a very long time, I've always assumed that both Riley and Hendrix were
women. d)
Group reads are fun.
One gets to understand how differently people interpret a seemingly straightforward book.

[Michelle]

Ted wrote: "Welcome Michelle. Looking forward to reading the book with you. It stayed on my shelf for a while too. Happy reading!"

I just put Lock Every Door on my list. Silence of the Lambs and Gone Girl are also in my top 10 of all time, so I'm anxious to read this one now!

[Randy]

I'm a little over 80 pages in (U.S. trade paper edition) and enjoying it. I keep wondering what Emma's holding back.

[Ted]

Randy, me too. What was this last lie???

Michelle, I hope you like Lock Every Door. It has a twist I will never forget.

Leena, Sager’s Wikipedia says that early on, the pseudonym’s gender was intentionally withheld. I think it was because he writes about women to a readership that is almost certainly majority female.

That brings me to my next prompt. Does Sager write women well? As a man, I’m not sure I really can know the answer.

[Randy]

Ted wrote: "That brings me to my next prompt. Does Sager write women well? As a man, I’m not sure I really can know the answer."

Good question. Just because it works for me, doesn't mean he's doing it well. :)

[Rachel]

Hey! I'm like Michelle - first group read & first time reading Sagar, and I'm excited for both. (Also, I'm adding Lock Every Door & The Final Girl Support Group to my TBR now. As far as the second prompt, I'm 33% of the way through, and so far, I feel like he's written the women well - which is a relief. I generally don't enjoy female protagonists written by men because they feel inauthentic. But so far, so good. Happy to be reading this with y'all.

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Got it from the library!

[Ted]

Hi Rachel and aPriL. Welcome to the group. There’s a couple of good reviews over in the spoiler thread. I’m also hearing good things about Sager’s new book that just came out. Happy reading!

[Pam]

I finished listening to this book September 25, 2021, and gave it 4*s.

[Ted]

Welcome Pam. Since it has been a couple of years, you may benefit by discussions in the spoiler thread at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/.... It is early in the month, but as more people complete the book, the discussion should get livelier. Have you read anything else by Riley Sager?

[Pam]

I've read all but the latest one.

[Lora]

I’ve read Home Before Dark, Lock Every Door, and Final Girls. I really liked HBD and LED but Final Girls fell apart for me in the last third.

[Ted]

I finished the book and really enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I usually have to think about my ranking for a day or so. Happy reading everyone!

[Clare]

I enjoyed this book! Quite a different setting for a mystery -- a girls' summer camp in upstate New York, which is automatically creepy. Lots of tantalizing red herrings throughout, a main character we can sympathize with, and a good job by the author tying up loose threads in the solution of the mystery. Bonus: a zinger of a twist at the end.

Note: Despite the setting being a summer camp for teenage girls, the book contains adult subject matter and rough language, so not recommended for younger or more sensitive readers.