Omg talk about a roller coaster read wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat threw out I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go I found this book thrilling the characters were fantastic and well thought out and the little clues all the way threw keep you guessing until the end this book stays with you long after you close the book this book is well worth the read I promise you wont be disappointed

Great story, thrilling plot that I could not put down. Well worth a read, and would recommend to others.

This is one of those crime thriller-y type of books that once you start you need to keep reading until it's done. Its nothing overly unique or special but defiantly a good thriller book that i would recommend anyone that enjoys a nicely done crime book!

This is a really well-written twisty turny thriller that I throughly enjoyed from start to finish. Caitlin is definitely a bit of a lost case from the start and as a reader I really felt for her and while at the same time I was slightly embarrassed by how desperate she was for friends, I also really wanted to her find someone and Jake was perfect.

So much in this book feels off but right at the same time. The camp is almost like a fitness camp for a majority of the book, and I mean who wouldn't want to go somewhere where you get thin and eat healthy. It didn't seem so bad until it did. I loved how much I just wanted Caitlin to get out of there but at the same time understood why she wanted to stay. I find the way cult leaders are written in books really interesting and I think Emma Didin nailed Don in this book. He's very fatherly and just wants to take care of everyone - why wouldn't you confide in him and want to listen to him.

I enjoyed the end but I maybe would have liked a bit more of a thrill. This had more of an uncomfortable feeling. I also would have liked more info on what happened to everyone else - especially Tyra and Mary/Robin.

When I first sat down to read this book, I was only going to read a couple of chapters. I finished it in a couple of sittings. The story is all-consuming ad runs at a good pace. The protagonist, Caitlin, is easy to relate to. There were even times when I could remember thinking the things she thinks when I was in my 20's. I think the author captures that period of time when a person goes through a traumatic event and feels unfettered. The most chilling part of the story is Caitlin's interaction with Don and her slide into living in a cult. The subtle manipulation of the people around her is well told, and truly frightening to read. I really enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Fans of Sophie Hannah, Clare Mackintosh and Fiona Barton are going to love Emma Dibdin’s dark, twisted and unsettling thriller, The Room by the Lake.

Caitlin is desperate to escape and to start over. Still haunted by the death of her mother who had mental health issues and needing to desperately get away from her father and his slow but insidious slide into alcohol addiction, a fresh start is what Caitlin needs more than anything else in the world. Leaving London behind for New York, Caitlin hopes that her new life in a new city will help her to vanquish the demons that consume her. However, Caitlin soon finds herself broke, alone and with nobody to talk to in a strange city in a new country. When a chance encounter propels her into the path of handsome stranger Jake, Caitlin thinks that she has finally found the answers to all of her prayers. But little does she realise that her troubles are only just beginning…

When good-looking, smart and charismatic Jake asks her to meet his family, Caitlin, although slightly concerned that things might be moving too fast, goes along with it, but when he takes her to a lake house in the middle of the woods as far away from civilization as she can possibly imagine, she immediately realises that Jake has not taken her to his family home, but to a secluded community living off the grid where group therapy and regular exercise are key. Shutting themselves off from the world seems to have given them a piece of mind that Caitlin envies. However, as more time passes, the more uneasy she begins to get. Everyone seems to be really nice and friendly, but Caitlin cannot shake off this feeling of trepidation that things are not what they seem and that there is something far more sinister at play.

When Caitlin had moved to New York, she had wanted to run away from her family and her problems, but has she ended up stumbling into a community that, far from being a safe haven, will end up breaking her and cutting her off from the entire world forever?

A haunting, frightening and captivating tale that will chill readers to their very bones, The Room by the Lake is an intelligently written, shocking and sinister thriller about putting one’s trust in the wrong people, actions and consequences and the perils of loneliness that will make readers jaws drop as they get immersed in this creepy and menacing page-turner from a fantastic new writer.

The Room by the Lake is a compulsively readable spine-chiller and a cautionary tale rolled into one and readers who like their thrillers rich in tension, intrigue and suspense should add Emma Dibdin to their must-buy list.

The Room by the Lake is an engrossing fictional account of a young women adrift, finding home in the arms of strangers, and the consequences that ensue. The first novel by Emma Dibdin is stylish and well plotted and I found myself questioning whether what our main character Caitlin was experiencing was real, her unreliable memory, or a dream. This made for a very engaging read.

Enduring grief and disappointment, Caitlin makes a desperate escape to New York City from London. The story is mostly narrated from her inner dialogue. Lost and alone and in a very vulnerable state, she finds herself swept into a friendship/potential romance. Where she ends up is not at all in her plan, even with the few that she has. She's in a daily mode of survival and the promise of a respite from this is all too tempting.

The story unfolds as she finds herself more and more captivated by the potential of this new life. Whether or not it's temporary, no one knows. The facts are that she's burdened with a family history of psychosis and addiction but at times she appears to be in deep denial. Her stay by the lake creates the perfect environment toward a path for healing. I'm not sure what it says about me that I found passages of Caitlins' inner thoughts resonated with me. Her observations leaned toward an insightful quality that at times is amusing ( making up backstories for people she "watches") and at times rather sobering "I remember hearing somewhere that as soon as one area of your life begins going well, another will inevitably fall to pieces, and so of course now I have control over my body, I have lost all grip on my mind. My thoughts have become treacherous , double agents whose loyalties remain a permanent mystery, and though I’m sleeping better my dreams feel invaded. "

As Caitlins' time in New York morphs from a place she escaped to a place she needs to escape from, she finds herself challenged to want to return home. Reality hits and things get real quickly. If you like a smart and thought provoking mystery, this is the read for you. 4.5 Stars and recommendation in the mystery genre.

This book was disturbing. No, not disturbing. It’s made me a bit out of sorts. I’ve never read a book that has left me with a cold feeling before. Not because it was awful, but because it was so dark and terrifying in a way. The way that this book is put across is rapid yet slow, you feel the lack of concept of time along with Caitlin, you feel the neediness of her. You feel her fear, paranoia and psychotic problems alongside every one of her emotions. I rarely feel confused while reading a book, or second guessing what I had read but this just made me a little untrusting of everything.

Tired with life in London after the death of her mother and dealing with an alcoholic father, Caitlin moves to New York where she hopes her problems will become something of the past. With her money quickly dwindling and feelings of loneliness appearing, her life seems to be looking up when she meets Jake, a handsome man who lives in a commune in the woods. With their emphasis on group therapy, healthy eating and exercise, this looks exactly like the sort of escape Caitlin needs. She soon realises, though, that there is more to this lifestyle than meets the eye and finding her way back out may not be as easy as she thinks.

From the start of the book, I had great sympathy for Caitlin and could understand why she felt the need to escape from her life. Underestimating how lonely it can be in a big city, however, was certainly her downfall and it was easy to see how she became smitten with Jake, the good-looking stranger who went out of his way to make her feel wanted. As the reader, alarm bells were immediately ringing when he suggested she go to meet his family in an isolated house in the woods and it was good to see how Caitlin had the same reservations, her feelings towards Jake suppressing these thoughts however.

Considering that the majority of the book takes place in a vast forest, Emma Dibdin has succeeded in creating a tense, claustrophobic setting with an air of foreboding. It is not really a spoiler to say that the commune Caitlin finds herself part of is not exactly what it seems but the author has done a fantastic job in skewing reality to the point that, even as the reader, you do not know what is real and what is in Caitlin’s head. There were several occasions when Caitlin was having doubts and I was willing her to trust her instincts and get out of there as fast as she could but such is the quality of the brainwashing that she never acted on her thoughts.

I admit that this is not the sort of book that would usually grab my attention, but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read it as it was a fast-paced, easy read filled with tension. This is a great debut and I look forward to reading more of Emma Dibdin’s work.

With thanks to Head of Zeus, Net Galley and Clare Gordon for my copy of the book.

Isn't that cover stunning? And the title is inspiring enough: The Room By The Lake. I only knew the book was about a mysterious cult, but I had no idea about the actual plot. And this book proved to be something completely different. I thought it might be a thriller, but it wasn't. I don't know how to properly explain what this wasi

Caitlin was a complex and likable character. Her relationship with her father isn't easy, so she flees to New York hoping for a new beginning. She then meets Jake and Jake introduces her to his "family". But his family isn't what we would expect...

I absolutely loved Emma Dibdin's writing and her ability to make us care about Caitlin, the way she described her feelings, her fears and dreams. This is not an easy novel to describe, so I'm going to keep things brief and simple. It's better to experience it.

While the first part of the book was mysterious yet slow-paced, the second part of the novel was something completely different. It was like being inside of someone's head. A dreamy and confusing set of scenes where you didn't know what was exactly going on.

The Room By The Lake is an original story, not the typical cult book and definitely not a thriller. The ending was a bit underwhelming perhaps, but the story was nevertheless a breath of fresh air.

There will probably never be a time when cults stop being utterly fascinating. How do they work? What drives people to join them? How are they manipulated into staying? What happens if they decide they’d like to leave? These are all questions that make an excellent premise for a thriller.

Caitlin is lost. She’s left her homeland, England, without a clear plan and has ended up in New York. She is lonely, has no job, no goals and barely any money. Then she meets Jake and there’s an instant attraction so when he says he’d like to introduce her to his family, Caitlin agrees. But Jake’s family isn’t your typical set-up and before she realises it, Caitlin finds herself in a truly dangerous situation.

Caitlin’s mother was a schizophrenic and Caitlin constantly worries she may suffer the same fate. Practically stranded in this big and busy city with nobody to turn to, she seems to make the perfect “victim” for cult members to zero in on. Caitlin seems quite vulnerable and maybe slightly naive at times, but she’s actually a lot stronger than she realises. The story truly shows how easily someone can be “broken” when you deprive them of the bare necessities like decent food and sleep. How things that at one point sound rather innocent, can suddenly come across as incredibly threatening. In that respect, this tale is quite scary and thought-provoking.

I found this book to be quite slow for the most part until the final chapters, where the pace picked up considerably. I think I would have preferred something a tad more thrilling and gripping. I needed some more tension to truly keep me hooked. But the author does succeed in adding a threatening vibe throughout and even managed to make me wonder if Caitlin was a reliable narrator or not. Overall, I enjoyed this one and it’s a great debut by Emma Dibdin, whose writing was almost as mesmerising as the cult members themselves.

I’ve had a long fascination with cults, it’s always so interesting to see why an average person would ever join one. Was it just because they were at a vulnerable time in their life? Were they targeted and stalked like a hunter circling their prey? And how were they roped in to a place where they have to cut off contact with the outside world?

Caitlin was definitely in a tough time in her life and I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. She was fragile and very easily manipulated and cult leaders are generally very adept at spotting this and using it to their advantage. Don is the leader of the group Caitlin joins and she is instantly mesmerized and intrigued by him, he has a charisma that speaks to her. The cast of characters here were well drawn and complex with histories and backgrounds that made it easy to see why they were drawn to “The Group”.

This was a slow burn with a lot of psychological insight as group members all participate in both individual and group therapy sessions. The bulk of this novel focuses on Caitlin and her sessions and as human psych interests me, I liked it. Things do get intense the further you read, there is a sense of discomfort and uneasiness because you know sinister things are lurking just beneath the surface. If you like books that explore cults and the behavior of their members, this is a solid read.

A fantastic story with captivating writing.
Dibdin constructs clever plot lines and well thought out characters. Loved it.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this book. I was almost half way through, after telling myself to keep going, when I finally gave up. It felt too unfinished with some scenes really rushed, as tough the rest was still waiting to be put in.

I think it maybe has potential, but right now it's not for me.

Having recently lost her mother after a long illness and watching her father drown his grief in alcohol, Caitlin flees England for New York in the hope of escaping her everyday life. Shy in the company of strangers, she finds that loneliness plagues her even in this seductive big city – until she meets Jake, a handsome stranger, in a bar one night. After only a couple of blissful days together, Jake asks Caitlin to come with him to the country to meet his parents. Despite some misgivings, Caitlin agrees, and they set off to a remote “house by the lake”, an old mansion Jake says has been in his family forever. But what Caitlin finds there is not at all what she expected ....

I love discovering a new author who manages to draw me into the story within the first few pages, and Emma Dibdin managed to do just that. Everyone has had periods in their lives when things were not going well, when running away seemed like the only option, and Caitlin is portrayed with insight and feeling, making her an irresistible main protagonist I couldn’t help fear for. After her mother’s lifelong struggle with mental health issues, Caitlin is especially vulnerable to any signs that she, too, will one day succumb to this terrible illness, which makes part of her normal grieving process even scarier for her. Sad, lonely and far away from home, she makes the perfect target for a predator. What follows is a chilling account of a journey gone wrong, and I couldn’t put the book down as Caitlin’s life spiralled out of control in front of my eyes. Dibdin manages to create a constant undertone of menace and confusion, which had me questioning my own interpretation of events several times – I just love it when a book messes with my mind! The setting, too, was irresistibly creepy – a remote old mansion set in a dark forest on the shores of a lake – and gave the additional pleasure of some armchair travel to Upstate NY. There were perhaps a couple of moments when I felt I had to suspend disbelief a little bit, mainly to do with some characters’ motives, but this did not spoil my reading pleasure and I sat up reading late into the night to find out what would happen next.

The Room by the Lake is a gripping psychological thriller by a new author I hope to read a lot more from in future. I really enjoyed it and can wholeheartedly recommend it to all lovers of the genre.

Following the death of her mother following years of acute mental illness and her father’s growing alcohol dependency, Caitlin seeks escape in New York, leaving no trace behind of her intended destination. She is intelligent but socially awkward, introspective, a loner by nature, with no previous serious relationships and hypersensitive to any sign she may have inherited the psychoses of her mother.

Caitlin is seeking a sanctuary and after weeks roaming New York alone believes she has found it in the person of Jake. He seems to understand her and it appears Caitlin has at last found someone with whom she can share the thoughts and fears she’s kept hidden. When Jake invites her to travel upstate to meet the loving family he’s told her about, Caitlin readily accepts. What follows will test Caitlin’s resilience, her sense of her own identity, her strength of will and her very sanity.

The author creates a convincing picture of a damaged, traumatised individual making subsequent events believable. This is definitely a slow burner that builds in tension as, with a growing sense of unease, like Caitlin, you are forced to question whether what appears benign is really masking something more insidious and much, much darker.

Lots of young girls head out to a new city, new country even for an adventure, you grab at any new opportunity you can, you talk to strangers in bars to make friends, you wander the streets and you are open to new things and new experiences. That’s the fun part of travel and that’s how this story starts but it soon escalates into something all the more horrendous.

Caitlin is vulnerable and not very street wise it seems. A few bad decisions early on catapults her into ‘Ooh I wouldn’t go there territory” but her vulnerability and wish to stand on her own two feet take her places she might not otherwise have gone.

A cabin in the woods with a new boyfriend - or a dangerous remote lake house where you really are in the wilds of nowhere. Somewhere in Upstate New York but far away from civilization and the few buses which run back to the reassuring chaos of the city.

There are some far fetched moments as you might expect but then this is a story of extremes. Why a girl would fall for such a man, do what she does next and explain the unfolding events in her own head make for a shocking story of how your mind can trick you and how a person can fall into a trap of their own making

Upstate New York has never felt so dark and creepy, a million miles away from the chaos of NYC but here, the forest is suffocating, the silence deafening and the chance to escape impossible. A thrilling read that keeps you gulping for air.

Brilliant book - could not put this one down.

Thanks for the chance to read this

I did enjoy this book and will recommend. I'd read the author again.

I enjoyed this book about Caitlin, a young vulnerable English woman who tries to escape her problems by going to New York, where she meets the young, good-looking Jake in a bar. She recognises him as a bit of a kindred spirit, but when he takes her to his parents’ place, she discovers he’s lied to her.

Although she is soon sucked into the place and the people there, she quickly realises that all is not at all as it seems and she is unsure who to trust.

I read this book very quickly as it grabbed my attention and held onto it with its intriguing characters and suspenseful story. I will certainly be looking out for Emma Dibdin’s next book.