Riley Sager | FINAL GIRLS

Plot (via Goodreads):

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.
 
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past. 
 
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.

Review:

I got an email from Amazon about audio books and a free trial. I've never listened to an audiobook, so I thought I would listen to something I've already read. Now, as a blogger, there is barely enough time to get through my TBR pile, let alone read a book that I've read before and yearn to read again. That is how I knew the perfect audiobook would be one of my favorite novels of all time...

Okay, let's talk FINAL GIRLS. This obsession goes so much deeper than just what is on the pages of Riley Sager's novel, it's not even funny. I mean, if you grew up as a 90s kid, you loved the 90s slashers. Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legends, all of the other titles that didn't do too hot...we gobbled them up like cinema candy. The Final Girl was always the one that was easy to pick out; the (usually) brunette, smart, girl-next-door type. This sucked for us who's favorite actress was the beautiful blonde bestie...you knew she was dead meat before the opening credits (I'm lookin' at you, Sarah Michelle Gellar!) 

Riley Sager takes the fun in 90s slashers and just pumps it full of adrenaline, allowing the fascination to skyrocket into another world that is not only harrowing, but beautifully intense. Usually in a horror movie, the Final Girl is left with what? A sequel, maybe? If there is a sequel she is either the first to go or it's just another killer or the one before chasing her down. But...what if something completely different happened? What if that Final Girl didn't have a maniac chasing her, but her demons from the past? What if the past collided with the present and erupted in a cyclone of a mystery and psychological thriller? Well, then you have FINAL GIRLS by Riley Sager. It's beautiful, it's brilliant, and it smashes all cookie-cutter cliches with thrillers like broken glass. 

Let's talk plot; I loved the plot to this novel! You know, when you're a thriller junkie like myself, it's hard to note pick up a book and start to guess (and 90% of the time be right) with where the plot is going and what is going to happen. With the likes of Gone Girl an The Girl on the Train, readers who love this genre tend to be on the lookout to expect the unexpected. This novel ventures far from that avenue...so far in fact, it creates its own zip code. I loved the setting, the spin on the media fascination, and the backstory was amazing. Riley Sager did a fantastic job of taking the plots of three terrific sounding horror movies and turning them into the backdrop of an explanation on how these three main final girls were created....I could not get enough. I am also a sucker for a mysterious backstory that presents itself creatively as the novel goes along and Sager captured this brilliantly with Quincy's past at Pine Cottage. Combining the dark and twisted night of years ago in a cottage deep in the woods with a maniac, the media spin on Quincy and her friends past, the possibility of danger in the present, and some fantastic characters that bring the pages to life and you have yourself a huge winner. And this book is just that and more. The plot is so vivid and abrupt that it truly captivates the reader and takes them on a journey into how sensational Riley Sager's writing is and how remarkably gifted he is when it comes to taking one idea and knocking it right out of the park.

Now, the plot is amazing...but what about the characters? Well, they are dazzling, unapologetic, and easily the most three-dimensional people I have had the pleasure of reading. Characters are a huge part of a novel for me. I don't care what is happening to a character if I don't care about them at all. Right? Well with this novel, there is a plethora of characters. Too many to remember? Not at all. Sager doesn't just toss names and descriptions at you with his characters, he gives you a whole persona that is hard to forget. The best part? There are so many characters between the past and the present, that you just cannot help but wrap your brain around this amazing bunch of people you've just met on page and wonder...is this character a victim? A villain? A red herring? No one is safe and no one is to be trusted, but you can't help but love their personalities, flaws and all. That is what I call amazing characterization and each one is done remarkably. 

So I love the plot. I love the characters. I love the...ending? Yes, I do! Not only is this novel superbly paced throughout, but the last 50 pages just take such an anxious turn that there were thrills, chills, and twists reminiscent of fireworks to the bitter and disastrous finale. It was amazing. I actually think I was short of breath by the time I finished this novel and was left with feelings of sadness, terror, and smiling at the pure experience of a novel like this. It's amazing, it's wonderfully constructed, and the many talents of one man in a novel like this is just awe inspiring. It's always my go-to recommendation and people have actually praised ME for recommending it. So, if you haven't had a chance to, check out this novel and live in this world all you can because you won't regret it. I did it twice and I am anxious for the day that I am able to embark on this journey for a third time. Thank you, Riley Sager. Thank you for taking something fun and turning it into something that is thrill-seeking and superbly written and making it more than just entertainment. Thank you for making this a reading excursion that I will never forget.

Rating: Infinite. 5/5 doesn't do this novel justice. Just go read it.