i loved this format of video, you should definitely do other mini-reviews for other authors you liked!!

Based on all the hype I read Lock Every Door and the ending just absolutely killed it for me. The premise otherwise was intriguing and there was a great amount of balance with tension and mystery. I couldn’t stand the main character after a while either, I kept yelling at her. But I gave Home Before Dark a chance because people said it was his best book yet. It felt a bit pulled from the Netflix version of Haunting of Hill House, but I enjoyed it more than Lock Every Door. The main character was also annoying after a while, I wanted to shake her. And the ending just had me sitting there like 😑 So I guess my biggest issue would be his way of portraying his main female characters and his handling of endings. (A man leaving me unsatisfied at the end? Unheard of. 💀)

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

💀

@moonykun63

3 жыл бұрын

saikat93ify No, just the ‘twist’ of who was behind it had me rolling my eyes and really killed the atmosphere of the book for me. I can’t explain what exact ending I would’ve preferred without giving a lot of spoilers, but not a supernatural one or the ‘twist’ I got.

@ninithenoob900

3 жыл бұрын

I hated the ending of Lock every door

@moonykun63

3 жыл бұрын

saikat93ify other people haven’t though and could see this, that’s why I’m avoiding spoilers.

@jessicaaaaaaaaaaa95

3 жыл бұрын

I was disappointed by Lock Every Door as well. I’m not sure why-because they’re different-but it felt to me like a rip-off of Rosemary’s Baby. It must’ve been the whole “moving into a famous, yet haunted building and being used for your body” thing.

I’d like to see you do a ranking of Ruth Ware’s books.

@atin7151

3 жыл бұрын

Just what I need.

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

I actually had looked and I think I have 3 of books to read to have read them all

@natcommon

3 жыл бұрын

BookswithEmilyFox 😄❤️

@MarilynMayaMendoza

3 жыл бұрын

@@BookswithEmilyFox speaking of Bad Endings. Ruth ware in the beginning of her writing career specialized and very bad endings. I didn't read her last two or three books and I heard that she's improved, but hey I paid full price for her books and one was really really really bad

@fortifarse

3 жыл бұрын

@@MarilynMayaMendoza which one?

The Last Time I Lied was also my favorite! It was the only one that truly shocked me. Though I love the atmosphere in both Lock Every Door and Home Before Dark. 🖤

I love the mini review and comparison format.

I really like that the concept is fresh in the sense that we are not following a woman who’s main motivation is her relationship or marriage. That was a very good observation ! I did not think about it that way, but when you said it, I realised that it is definitely a factor !

Oh I definitely like this format of videos! Whether it's a specific genre or author, it's good to hear your more in-depth thoughts on them.

Riley Sager is such a hit or miss author for me. I'm so excited for Home Before Dark! Need a good ghost story in my life. Liking this format definitely do more like this!!

Can I just say I bought all these 4 books immediately after watching this review? U r the ONLY person who makes me do that...when u mentioned in another video the Licanus Trilogy...I actually pressed pause, ordered them and came back. U truly are amazing! Such a fan of both ur channels for years now.😍😍😍😍😍

I'm so glad you've done a review even though you don't typically do them.

I love this format! xx

I really enjoyed this kind of format!

Love this kind of videos. Informative & short. Would love to see more of these! 🥰

I would love to have a spoiler section for these books! I'm curious why Lock Every Door bugged you so much, I personally really enjoyed it! But overall, loved this video!!

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

I kinda mentioned it a bit in an other comment but... SPOILERS It felt like a huge cop out to me. Paranormal ending could have been fun or really... anything other than rich people stealing organs XD

@joannapats6843

3 жыл бұрын

@@BookswithEmilyFox that's fair! But idk, I feel like what it was could be very possible - idk?

@VanessaMarieBooks

3 жыл бұрын

@@BookswithEmilyFox SPOILERS!!! That's what I thought. A paranormal ending would have been cool and a lot of fun. The actual ending, while it makes sense, I was just like "Ok, that's it." 🤷🏽‍♀️

@lbeard7661

3 жыл бұрын

It was a definitely a creative ending, lol.

I really enjoy this video. Looking forward to seeing these kind of videos. I'm adding "the last time I lied" to my TBR, thanx!

This was such a good video. I loved Home Before Dark! The Last Time I Lied is definitely the next Riley Sager book for me.

My feelings about his books are precisely the same. Splendid review ma'am!!!

Love this type of video! And yes, PLEASE, a video for recommended fall reads! I'm getting my Oct TBR together. You are the only booktuber who I have almost the same exact tastes with! Sanderson forever!

Thanks so much for this video, I've seen so many people talking about Riley Sager's books and I love thrillers but have been struggling to decide which book to pick up first. Home Before Dark in particular sounds SO interesting!

@lbeard7661

3 жыл бұрын

I read Lock Every Door, Home Before Dark, then Final Girls. I feel like that’s a good order honestly.

I've only read Lock Every Door, so thanks for the review of the others 💕

you are sooooo pretty!!! 💗 i'd be curious to know what you'd think of his newer books now that they're out! i loved survive the night

I've really enjoyed all of his books. I'm actually the opposite on Lock Every Door, as I loved the ending and it is my favorite of his books. My rankings are as follows: Lock Every Door, The Last Time I Lied, Home Before Dark, & Final Girls. I thought Home Before Dark would be my favorite, but Maggie was not a good character and I would have much rather just read the "haunted house" section of the book.

Your video could not come at a better timing for me. I am currently reading Lock Every Door and on page 103. I also have a copy of Final Girls that I got last year and is still on my TBR pile. Thanks to your video I have an idea what to expect from all of Riley Sager's books. Please make more of these videos. Really enjoyed it!

Thank for for your diligence on NOT spoiling anything. I'm the type of person where I don't even watch spoilers cause when I watch a movie I'll remember the clips and I'll know what's coming. So even you holding yourself back during the Home Before Dark part was very appropriated. I just finished it, it was a fun ride despite feeling kinda cheap at some parts. I definitely didn't guess the ending, but I don't read often and wasn't trying to guess.

I do like this format! 😁

Final Girls is on my tbr list so thanks for this.

I’ve been deciding whether or not I want to buy his books. I needed this thank you

Which book did you prefer or which one is on your TBR?

@R.G.LovesBooks

3 жыл бұрын

BookswithEmilyFox the last time I lied, I loved the ending

@stefania5099

3 жыл бұрын

I did enjoy The last time I lied, so I want to read Final Girls and Home before dark soon!!

I have also read them all, and enjoyed them all. My favourites in order are: 1: Lock Every Door 2: The Last Time I Lied 3: Home Before Dark 4: Final Girls Although it has been so long since I read Final Girls, I may actually like that one more than Home Before Dark.

The only book I read by him is Home Before Dark, which I enjoyed a lot ! Si happy about you publishing a Riley Sager's books review video as I'm so willing to get to another of his books. I really liked the atmosphere in Home Before Dark, not the hugest fan of the main character, but the story was good enough for me not to be bothered to much.

Love mini reviews 😍

Can I know which one is worth reading though lock every door or home before dark

I think the format of this was perfect. Riley Sager books are books you can’t say tons about without giving away something so I think you did it well. My wife and I listened to The Only One Left on a long trip and that is the first time I ever read one of his books. Both of us actually assumed HE was a female author for the longest time so I do think maybe you just have a really good sense! I can’t really say anything, but my wife now raves about the fact that he writes his female characters really well for a guy. When I told her Riley Sager was a guy she was shocked!

Love this video. I have read his first 3, and I am finishing Home Before Dark right now. I actually liked them all. I really loved Lock Every Door the most. Home Before Dark is really great so far. Him and Ruth Ware are my 2 new favorites.

I loved this format of video . Please make more

I’ve read 3/4 of these books, and I really enjoyed all of them. He’s good at surprising you with the ending, and I agree he’s good at not doing shock violence just for the heck of it.

Oh my goddd you’re so right about authors projecting themselves into random love interests. “I’m gonna create this female character that is described as really hot multiple times in the book and then I’m gonna make her fall for this random middle-aged guy that is extremely unremarkable but for some reason attracts every woman he passes ”

Really enjoyed the format

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

Yay! :)

Yes do more recommendations, they’ve been doing me good :,)

So interesting, our book taste are normally quite different, but thriller wise very similar. I've only read 3 of his books and the only one I didn read is the last time I lied. I wasn't sure if I should read it but since I have the exact same order as you for the other ones I do have to now. Thank you ☺️

I’ve read Last Time I Lied ans Lock Every Door. Had very similar thoughts as you for both. At this point I’m not planning to read the rest but maybe I’ll read the new one around Halloween.

Home Before Dark is the only one I've read, but I really want to read all of his books now because I enjoyed it so much!

Please do this type videos more. Fantastic!

I found this format very helpful. I just read my first Sager, Home Before Dark, and am giving it only 3 stars, so I was wondering if I should give him another chance. I think I will try The Last Time I Lied.

I have not read anything from this author but will be adding to my TBR. It would be awesome to see this format for other authors too. It would be interesting to find some that I haven’t read compared to ones I have finished.

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

Any authors in mind?

The last time i lied is also my favorite and the first one i've read. Havent checked home before dark though

I read all 4 of his books and would rank them the way you did too. His books are just so easy to read!

I enjoyed this video. Great job.

I've read The last time I lied and Final Girls so far. I loved the last time I lied as well. Kept me on my toes and loved the atmosphere. I hated final girls. I hated the main character. But I'm interested in reading home before dark.

I read Final Girls and absolutely hated it. Makes me with i could give negative stars. I haven’t picked up his work since but maybe I should give him another try.

@mclovin737

3 жыл бұрын

Stephen King compared it to Gone Girl. 😭

Home Before Dark sounds like it has some things in common with House of Leaves. @BooksWithEmilyFox have you ever read that one? It's kind of a book that makes you work, but it was really good and it really stuck with me. :) (Plus the spine is gorgeous and it's bookshelf eye-candy). I wanted to put one or 2 of these on my TBR but my library doesn't have any of them! I have to get through a few more of my unread, owned books before I can let myself buy any more. But I want to read Home Before Dark!

I'd love to see you take on a few Harlan Coben books. Maybe not all since that would be a lot lol

Oooh can you please do a video on haunted house books? Thanks! My favorite is The House Next Door by Ann Rivers Siddons.

yes for fall reads video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My favorite is “The House Across the Lake” and I think the ONLY reason is because I read every other book first so I didn’t expect the end. My VERY close second is Survive the Night. Survive the Night is definitely faster paced.

Love this format for a video. And you're right, now that you mention it, I barely remember Final Girls! Also, where can I find your top (dress/sweater?)? I love that pattern!

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

The sweater is from the brand Free People but I got it on Lulus 2 years ago!

@fileanavailable

3 жыл бұрын

BookswithEmilyFox thank you 💕 I will look for something similar love that folklore-esque pattern

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

I saw a similar pattern on cushions from IKEA and I had to laugh XD

@fileanavailable

3 жыл бұрын

BookswithEmilyFox matching home decor has to be a niche fashion trend somewhere 😂

I’ve been really wanting to try reading some of his thrillers since they are really popular on booktube. Also you uploaded on my birthday😍😇

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

Happy birthday!!

@caitlins5846

3 жыл бұрын

BookswithEmilyFox omg you replied! Thank you so much 😇

I think more of these types of short reviews are great! I have read all of Riley Sager's book too and my favorite was also The Last Time I Lied. I thought the ending was absolutely insane and completely changes everything on the final page (for those who want to read the book, DO NOT flip to the last page early, because you WILL see something you shouldn't see). I think Final Girls is my least favorite (but I still gave it 5 stars) just because parts of if with the main character baking constantly felt out of place for a thriller. One thing I love about Riley Sager's books is that he always has one twist that's easy to guess and so you feel secure and think you know what's going to happen, but then there will be other ones after that are wild and (at least for me) unguessable. The one thing I don't agree with looking at a lot of the comments is how he portrays women. I think he does a pretty good job and he's one of two male authors I've encountered where he writes female characters in a respectful and not weirdly sexual way. That doesn't mean his female characters are great (because let's be real: they are not what makes his books good), but he's not creepy about them like some other authors (*cough* Stephen King *cough*).

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

I feel like that's putting the bar a bit low. I agree it's nice that they're not overly sexualized but... they're not very credible and half of them were pretty dumb in my opinion. I wish it were more the norm that male authors can write decent female characters tbh. Who's the other author I'm curious? :)

@Katertot8895

3 жыл бұрын

@@BookswithEmilyFox Markus Zusak! Most of his books are written from a male POV, but I always thought he had his male narrators describe and talk about the female characters in a respectful way while still maintaining the charm of his writing style and not diminishing the women in any way. I also think Brandon Sanderson did a great job with Spensa in the Skyward books and Vin in Mistborn, but those are the only books from him that I've read so that opinion isn't as solid. And yes I agree that the characters are dumb, but to be fair, a LOT of horror/thriller main characters are and that's part of why they are in those situations in the first place, so I think that's more a criticism on the genre rather than Riley Sager. I would be curious to see though if he'll ever write a book with a male main character or a smarter/harder to spook character.

The Last Time I Lied is one of the best books that I ever read. It was phenomenal. I read it almost two years ago, and I still remember the plot. It was great. I was disappointed by Lock Every Door and The Final Girls, more by Lock Every Door. Home Before Dark freaked me out in the best possible way. So my ranking is 1) The Last Time I Lied 2) Home Before Dark 3) Lock Every Door 4) The Final Girls

I enjoyed Lock Every Door for what it was, but also completely agree with your thoughts on it. That ending... 🤷🏻‍♀️

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

SPOILERS I just wish it had been paranormal you know? Or like... anything but that lol

I read that one first and it was ok for me too

I'm currently reading Lock Every Door. Now I'm curious what I'll think about the ending. 😜 Because I agree about the main character.

@judithcakelover

3 жыл бұрын

I finally finished it 🙈 I did DNF it 2 times before I could. 😅 I also really disliked the ending and I also did not care about the characters at all

I haven't read Final Girls yet but... 1. The Last Time I Lied 2. Home Before Dark 3. Lock Every Door (I'm guessing it will drop to 4th soon!)

Haven’t read Home Before Dark but I agree. I liked The last time I lied the most and lock every door was suuuuch a miss for me. Totally forgettable. Can you do a similar video for Peter Swanson? I’m reading one of his books now but I know you’ve read most of his books if not all!

Home Before Dark was my favorite of the 4 books but I have a weakness for haunted house books.

YES! Finally someone who hated the ending of Lock Every Door. I felt so cheated at the finale which rapidly reduced my overall rating to 2 stars. Again, the MC was incredibly inconsistent and did some very stupid things!! Ugh. I haven’t picked up Home Before Dark since I was bitterly disappointed by LED 😔 but I did enjoy Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied - both were solid 4 - 4.5 star reads for me. Looking forward to your fall recommendations 😌

I couldn’t get through Final Girls. I read over 100 pages and it was such a struggle so I just gave up. Glad to see I didn’t give up on something that would have been incredible. It has turned me off of picking up any of his other books though...

@alexandracogen1182

3 жыл бұрын

This makes me feel better because I’m around 100 pages in and watched this video to see if I should keep going...

I started Final Girls a week ago and read the first 40% of the book in one sitting. But then I had nightmares three nights in a row (not unusual for me, but still), so I haven't picked it back up yet. It's good to know that this is the most violent of his books, maybe I'll give the others a chance

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

Oh wow... definitely stay away from Karin Slaughter lol She's one of the only author I refuse to read more from because I find her books too gratuitously sexually violent

@julibaro575

3 жыл бұрын

@@BookswithEmilyFox I definitely won't read any of her books then. I hate when there's violence just for the sake of shock value (and also I'm easily scarred hahah)

Please do this with Ruth Ware!

Final Girls is the only one I tried and DNFed it cause I hated the MC and been afraid to try any more lol. I need to try another just to see if it was just the one book In don't like.

I still need to read Final Girls but my order is basically identical to yours with: 1. Last Time I Lied 4 stars 2. Home Before Dark 4 stars 3. Lock Every Door 3 stars

Could you do another video recommending horror/thriller/mystery books? 😁😊💛

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

I'm planning on doing a fall recommendation video soon! To be honest I haven't read that many amazing ones since my last one (3 years ago?) but still lol

@MsIska28

3 жыл бұрын

@@BookswithEmilyFox 3 years ago? Guurl it's okay. I will put whatever book you recommend on my TBR just because of the fact that you liked it 😂

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

Just in case you haven't' seen it lol kzread.info/dash/bejne/o4Kk0LqrY92YoLQ.html

@MsIska28

3 жыл бұрын

@@BookswithEmilyFox OMG! How could I have not seen this?! Thank you! 💛 Still gonna wait for your upcomig video though 😂

I read Lock every door and hated it because the ending was such a cliché, but I finished Home before dark last month and liked it a lot better, so I think I'll give The last time I lied a try!

Spoilers kind of but not really for Home Before Dark Great video!! I've read Last Time I Lied and thought it was kind of boring and uneventful tbh :/ I loved the concept of the paintings with the girls behind the trees, but that was about it. I'm about halfway thru Home Before Dark now and it's definitely more interesting, even though it reminds me a lot of the Haunting Of Hill House series lol. I know it's insoired by the Amytiville books/movies, but I haven't read/watched any of those. I still think there are a lot of stupid things in the book, though. The main character is so annoying and makes so many poor choices. It bothers me how "not like other girls" she is, and how every chapter ends with smthn like "and if we only knew it was only going to get worse from here" or "i was yet to reach the worst of it" like urrghhhh don't tell me that, make me feel the suspense by the atmosphere and plot instead! And I HAD to laugh when she explained her handyman sidekick as "a tall glass of water" sjdklsls whyyyy 😂

These sound interesting, I'll pick em up as soon as I'm done with my own reading list. Thank you. Something is different about you, don't know what it is eactly, but you look different

I've only read 2 of his books so far (Final Girls & Lock Every Door), but I do want to read the other 2 and I just bought Home Before Dark this week. I actually loved Final Girls, but that could be cause it's the first book of his I read. I liked Lock Every Door, but not as much. I think part of that is because of the ending and part of it maybe because I had really high expectations cause I loved Final Girls. I also agree with how dumb the main character was in Lock Every Door.

I've read 3 of these 4 books. I haven't read Lock Every Door yet. The Last Time I Lied is my favorite so far as well. I like the atmosphere of these books and the tension that the author builds. The thing that drives me nuts, though, is the fact that the main character is so unlikable every time. Especially on Home Before Dark and Final Girls.

i didn’t care for lock every door... i do really want to get to the last time i lied

By the time i finished watching you video I realized you're way too much beautiful 🥺♥️

The Last Time I Lied was my favorite Sager book while Final Girls was my least favorite. I had Lock Every Door, second, and Home Before Dark, third.

I think I gave Final Girls 2 stars and The Last Time I Lied 3 stars. I didn't really love any of them, but TLTIL was ok xD Still looking for a 5 star thriller lol

Home Before Dark was so enjoyable until the end. The end felt half assed and kinda cringey - except for one point during the climax, but idk. I just hate thrillers where everything happens in the last 20 pages and then the book is over lol but up until the climax i really enjoyed it so I'd still recommend it too. I'm just hard to please with thriller endings honestly lol

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

I agree that the ending could have been better. My expectations were pretty low after Lock Every Door XD

@SlowpokeReads

3 жыл бұрын

@@BookswithEmilyFox This was my first book so i had high hopes cause everyone talks about him! It is also a lil weird all his books are female protagonists >_>

LMAOQHHWH when u said it’s the only one that is forgetten and I wouldn’t recommend I went 😳🤭 it’s the only one out of four that I’ve read actually the only one I got I still have a couple pages left to finish it but I only came here to hear ur opinion on it ahhahaha and this I made me laugh so hard omggg

If you guys want a great mystery/thriller book with fascinating female characters, I highly recommend Kristen Lepionka's Roxane Weary series. It's a four-book series featuring private investigator Roxane, but each book can be read as standalones. Great plot, amazing characters, and great LGBTQ+ representation!

Final Girls was my top fave then Lock Every Door. The other two I was very disappointed with

I don't know what it says about me that I guessed the ending of Lock Every Door pretty early on, but I think Lock Every Door is my least fav 🙃

Completely agree about domestic thrillers. I'm so tired of them. That's one of the reason I love Riley's books. They're different and original.

Putin demands JD Robb: Shadows in Death review!

I just did a reading vlog for Home Before Dark and it was another disappointment for me. The ending of Lock Every Door's "reveal" was so boring to me. Sometimes his delivery is too nonchalant.

@SlowpokeReads

3 жыл бұрын

the ending for home before dark was so bad. I liked the whole haunted house vibe and SPOILER BELOW i really wish he just kept that and rolled with it instead of making it some generic "oh really there was no ghost it was a person all along haha - bet you didnt guess it was this person let me take two pages to describe why its that person. hope youre satisfied - the end"

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

SPOILERS I agree that I also wish it was paranormal. Any good recommendation because I feel like it never is paranormal lol

@AdrianneChristineBooks

3 жыл бұрын

slowpoke reads 🤣

@AdrianneChristineBooks

3 жыл бұрын

BookswithEmilyFox The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. Ghosts aplenty, flips between two timelines, and a girl trying to figure out what happened to her aunt that disappeared 30 years ago, while working at the haunted motel.

I really liked the first half of Lock every door, but I just hated the ending.

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad most people agree! I was so mad lol

home before dark is the reason why i have trust issues with "paranormal" thrillers 😔

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

SPOILERS? I feel you! I don't feel like I've ever read a satisfying paranormal thriller. To be fair I went into this one not knowing anything and having read 3 other books by him so my expectations weren't too high for the paranormal.

I read "Home Before Dark". It was so hyped. Sadly, I didn't like it. I finished it and gave it a 3 but I hated the twist at the end. I didn't find it scary. It was just meh

oh wow i've just finished the book final girls and i completely agree that the story kinda makes you feel detached from what's happening. though i love the twists i couldn't feel fully immersed in the story and i think the portrayal of the main character was quite bland and didn't manage to convey the emotions she was supposed to. besides this book I've read lock every door and i can confidently say that i like that book much better than this one.

I just finished Home Before Dark and it was sooo underwhelming for me. I got so bored that every single time that I picked this book I fell asleep 😴

I'm agree with your comments on lock ever door, lol, i think the main character has the worst survival instint lol

I have his first 3 books signed out and I’ve already finished Final Girls and I couldn’t help but be annoyed by the main character 😩 now that I’ve watched this video I have a feeling that I’m going to dislike the others as well 🤦🏾‍♀️

Every book is written like a Goosebumps book. They are usually a rip off of other books and movies. I just don't get his success. I also don't understand why I keep reading them. *shrug*

I loved Lock Every Door until you mentioned how pathetic the ending was and then I realized you are right :'D

I HATED Lock every door. That ending was so stupid, so UGH and I thought I was alone.

@BookswithEmilyFox

3 жыл бұрын

SPOILERS? It took me everything to not just write "Eat the rich" as my review on Goodreads XD I HATED that ending so much... such a cop out!

@R.G.LovesBooks

3 жыл бұрын

I didn’t like this book either

@baileymerlino2945

3 жыл бұрын

It was So. Bad. I spent actual money on a book for that?! no.

@BooksWithJudy

3 жыл бұрын

@@baileymerlino2945 I was so incredibly mad, I talked to my mom about it, explained all of it to her. with reveal and all and she looked at me like I had three heads, shook her head and mumbled that this is exactly the reason why she doesnt read thrillers lmao

Yeah that “mansplaining” comment that was no mansplaining at all, like the author doesn’t really know what it means. And yeah.. the characters. I know how much you dislike Karin Slaughter but if there’s an author that knows how to write interesting, complex characters (both male and female) it’s her! And after reading her books, I can’t be entertained in any way by these wishy washy, shallow, insipid characters Sager creates. And yes the girl in Lock Every Door was dumb, I agree. That’s however my fave. The other 2 I’ve read are equally meh for me.