Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark By: Riley Sager had me CONFUSED in the best way possible 😭📖Every time I thought I figured it out… I was WRONG.Like completely wrong. This book kept twisting everything.The truth about Maggie’s past?? CRAZY.Finding out Petra’s death wasn’t what we were led to believe, and that Maggie was blamed while the real truth was hidden for YEARS?? yeah… that shocked me.The fact that the people around her kept secrets instead of telling her the truth?? that part made me so frustrated.And Maggie almost losing her life before everything came out?? I was STRESSED.The reveals with Marta and Elsa?? actually wild.The hidden staircase, the secrets, the way everything connected back to her childhood… it all came full circle in the craziest way.Jess finally speaking up after all those years?? I didn’t expect that at all.This book had me questioning EVERYTHING — reality, memories, and who to trust.

Well done. I used to love horror stories and being afraid, but it’s been awhile since I’ve delved into a scary story, and I’m a wimp now. This book definitely has the creepy eerie oh crap feeling to it that makes you want to leave the night light on. The characters were mostly great, with their flaws and all, and the story was very engaging and well paced. Flipping between the two narrations flowed well also, which I appreciate. Definitely a good read.

I genuinely have nothing to say about this. It wasn't a bad book. It wasn't a good book. It's a book that I read and now I finished it and I get to start another book.The spooky haunted house vibes were interesting, but the ending was stupid (to me) and I really stopped caring around halfway through the book.

Instant TOP TIER RILEY SAGER! On par with house across the lake! Im so glad I gave this book another chance!

This one took me a little while to get into. I started reading it when I was working so I was listening to it as an audiobook. Then I decided I should finish it before moving onto Riley Sagers new book & Maggie Stiefvaters new book. I like that you don’t know what’s happened until literally the very end & it’s not super obvious. It seems like a ghost story up until then but at some point there’s a reference to Scooby-Doo & that’s pretty accurate. All the scary stuff ended up being real people all along. A fun read for sure but a little slow at times. The characters were likable enough but also took some time to get used to. I didn’t like any of them until the end but I also don’t feel attaches to any of them even when the book is over.

5 freaking stars⭐ "𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚. 𝑶𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚."𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛Home Before Dark follows Maggie Holt as she returns to Baneberry Hall—the infamous, supposedly haunted house from her childhood that has loomed over her life ever since. When Maggie was just five, her family moved into the grand old estate, hoping for a fresh start, only to find themselves trapped in a waking nightmare. Now, years later, Maggie comes back to uncover the truth behind House of Horrors, the bestselling book her father wrote about their time there. As eerie events unfold—strikingly similar to those described in the book—Maggie begins to wonder if her father’s story was really fiction after all.𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭I devoured this book in two sittings! From the moment I picked it up, I was drawn into a chilling, atmospheric blend of the supernatural and the real—eerie, unsettling, and utterly impossible to put down.With its fast-paced plot, the book shifts between two POVs—Maggie Holt’s and her father Ewan Holt’s—told through a clever book-within-a-book format. Not going to lie, this book was genuinely scary; the ambience and atmosphere were haunting and tense.Right from the start, we’re drawn into a mysterious world of the supernatural, with a string of bizarre paranormal events that keep you on edge😨. I absolutely loved how the author intertwined the supernatural story from the father’s perspective with the present-day timeline— an uncanny connection that kept me hooked.The moments of horror—the bells, the chandelier, the music, the snakes—were incredibly scary. The tense suspense of the paranormal events, combined with the countless small details all working together to shape the story’s outcome, were amazing."𝑰’𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌. 𝑻𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆."Then the plot took an unexpected turn that completely caught me off guard. Twist after twist towards the end blew my mind, and I couldn’t contain my excitement. It was incredibly well-written and really surprising. Every twist had me questioning what was real and what was imagined!🤯The ending was satisfying, and I loved how everything came together perfectly. Just awesome—deeply unsettling and creepy. A haunting story that stays with you long after the last page!!🤩𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐓𝐋;𝐃𝐑)Overall, this is a fast-paced book with an eerie, unsettling plot that's utterly impossible to put down. With dual POVs and a book-within-a-book format, it delivers genuinely scary, creepy, and haunting moments. Packed with unexpected twists, it blurs the lines between reality and imagination. Must-read for horror lovers👻

Riley Sager's 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 is my second venture into his thrilling world, and I'm hooked. His ability to build a creeping, ominous suspense is truly masterful. The story-within-a-story format, narrated through Maggie's present-day perspective and Ewan's past-tense excerpts, is a brilliantly executed way to weave together a haunted house, a family secret, and a murder mystery.Sager's writing is filled with vivid details that bring the story to life. There's no filler, just a fast-paced narrative that's easy to devour in one sitting. I even found myself wishing that Ewan's "House of Horrors" book was real, so I could read it too!The intertwining plot threads and numerous twists keep the reader on the edge of their seat. While I guessed a few of the turns, the overall story remains suspenseful and engaging.Unfortunately, the ending felt a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the book. However, this minor flaw doesn't detract too much from the overall experience.If you're a fan of thrillers with a touch of the supernatural, 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 is a must-read. Sager's talent for crafting suspenseful narratives is undeniable.

Twist was unexpected tho mej outlandish. Loved the fiction counterpart book within a book tho

it took me a good while to get through this one but OH ME OH MY the twists really shocked me!! i love when a book makes me gasp

Throughout the book, I kept questioning what was true and what wasn't. I'd thought I'd figured out the ending, but it was different for sure.

I did not expect that The beginning was pretty typical but the end blew my mind. I enjoyed this book very much and I'll definitely be looking for more books from this author

I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

I really enjoyed this one! It gave me major Haunting of Hill House vibes (but not in a bad way) up until the last 30% or so. Very creepy and it kept me guessing right to the very end.Did not like the epilogue at all, but that might stem from my personal vendetta against them more than anything the author actually did. I don't feel they're necessary and often end up a bit contrived as the author attempts to put a neat little bow on everything. I promise, 9 out of 10 times, the book doesn't need it.HOWEVER. It didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. The audiobook cast was great and believable, and I loved the breath of life they gave the characters.

4.5* Its been a long time since I've read a book this quickly! Very, very entertaining. Even though I kinda knew before hand that there was nothing paranormal going on it was very spooky at times. Also, I really REALLY hate snakes now. Me in my head whenever snakes appeared. ^^