Cover Image: One Night at the Lake

One Night at the Lake

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Member Reviews

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have heard many people mention Bethany Chase, but I never read any of her books. For whatever reason, I thought this book was a thriller and have to admit I was a tad disappointed when I realized it wasn't. I almost stopped reading but for whatever reason, the story kept calling to me. I'm so glad I gave it a chance because this book was fanastic (and thought provoking)

Its told by two POVs, one 7 years ago before the tragic accident and then one in the present. Chase has created relatable and realistic characters that were easy to fall for and route for and be upset for. While, yes I will admit there was some mystery to is (honestly not much..DO NOT READ IT THINKING IT"S A THRILLER) but rather a story about love, friendship, relationships, loyality and family.

I will be looking at more of Bethany Chase's books!

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I hadn’t read anything by this author before and I really enjoyed her book. I will absolutely be looking into more of her books! The way the book was written being gave such insight in the characters and had you trying to choose between which best friend you liked more and tragedy strikes and this story leaves you breathless with friendship, love, and loss...
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Bethany Chase is a great author to read for character development, setting description, and realistic dialogue. This book was no different. She has a great style that is readable and fun. This book unfortunately was not a great book of hers. The plot and story was not one that I felt comfortable reading and made me feel uncomfortable and weird throughout. I'm disappointed because I love her writing and her other two books were 5 star reads for me. Without giving too much away, two best friends are in love with the same guy, 7 years apart. The truth and realness behind that story is emotional, ugly, and hard to read about. This book missed the mark for me in many ways because of the topic. Thank you to the publishers for the advanced copy of this book. I will continue to be a fan of Chase, even though this book wasn't my favorite.

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Love this romantic suspense. Does have a love triangle, but on two seperate time planes, giving a bit of a tug of war on how things play out.

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Plenty of sorrow, guilt, angst, and loss. Lather, rinse, and repeat ... until comes redemption, love, and happy ending. That's about it, folks. You have just experienced this book without having to read it.

Okay, I'm being overly glib and perhaps a bit mean. No, it wasn't an awful book. It’s well written in terms of descriptive characters and scenes. I just felt that the plot was stretched awfully thin.

Thanks to NetGalley for opportunity to read and review.

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A beautifully written story from the alternating perspective of two best friends, June and Leah. While it's not a thriller, it is a book that you dive into to find out how and why Leah has passed, and how it is that June is with now with Ollie, Leah's former boyfriend. It's a story of love, friendship, and overcoming tragedy. The author does and excellent job describing the scenery of beautiful Lake Seneca and all the other characters in the story. While I found the ending to be a bit anticlimactic, overall it was a thought provoking and moving story.

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This is the first book I’ve read by Bethany Chase, and I am an instant fan! Her writing flows so flawlessly and is so well paced, I couldn’t put it down. The way the book went back and forth from Leah’s POV in the past to June’s POV in the present worked so well, and made peeling back the layers of the story that much more enjoyable. I also really appreciated the buildup to the inevitable tragedy. Much like a relationship, it felt like a slow burn, but it ultimately became an inferno as everything came crumbling down.

But what I loved most was how relatable and realistic the characters and situations were, from the friendships to the romance to the heartache and family drama. Even the references to Western New York made me love this book a little more. I grew up in Buffalo, NY and so I appreciated those little details throughout the book and how accurate they were.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend this book. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

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This book is told from 2 points of view at 2 different times. It starts with Leah. Seven years ago, going on vacation to Ollie's (her boyfriend) parents lake house for vacation with her best friend, June. Meet June, present day. Leah is no longer around. June is going to her fiance's parents lake house. Her fiance? You got it - Ollie. Enjoyed reading the book. It kept me guessing and turning pages to find out what happens. When I finally found out what happened it was a bit disappointing. The book builds to a climax then it kind of fizzles out. I've read other Bethany Chase books and enjoyed them so I will not hesitate to read another one. This one just didn't do it for me.

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This was my first read by Bethany Chase and can see why she has so many fans!

What happens when two best friends fall in love with the same man after one tragically dies? For some reason, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the subject of this story. The ending and overall confusion of the story just rubbed me the wrong way especially with one of the best friends dying who loved the same man.

Please don't go into this story thinking that it's a thriller because it's NOT. It's women's fiction with a character that dies in this story. Of course, it leads you to believe that there is something sinister behind the death of the character. This is where my mind was leading...maybe due to all of the thrillers I've read haha?

This story solely focuses on the complexity of relationships, friendship, loyalty, love, death, and family.

This first half of the story was very slow and took me awhile to get invested. I did love the alternate storylines of Leah and June. Once the story took off.. it really took off!

But, I was left feeling a little disappointed in the end and just couldn't wrap my head around the entire story as a whole. It left me annoyed a bit and sad ... I don't want to give any spoilers but come talk to me if/when you read it!

I will be checking out more from Bethany Chase... enjoyed her writing style for sure!


Overall, 3.25 stars for me on One Night at the Lake.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 6/18/19
Published to Goodreads: 3/3/19

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3.5 stars! I adore Bethany Chase and was counting down until I could read her next book. Bethany's writing is yet again charming and well done. The reason I chose to round down to 3 stars is due to personal preference. I like stories with a more things happening in the plot and the first halfish of the book was a little slow for my taste. While I get it was letting you get to know the characters, whom I really liked, I needed something more to happen. And the alluding to "what happened" was a little tedious. I get that it led to a big emotional reveal but maybe half of it could have been revealed earlier on in the book. Now towards the end the book got really strong and left me with tears in my eyes. I'm just wishing I had felt that strongly about the book for it's entirety. So this is a well written book that many will love, just a touch slow for my personal taste.

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Deep characters on a roller coaster of events. I highly recommend reading this. Thanks to NetGalley for the approval!

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One Night at the Lake is a very compelling story about two best friends recounting the same night at different points in time - one in the timeframe the night happened, and the other reflecting back five years later. I really enjoyed this book. It was thought provoking, interesting and entertaining. The characters and story are well developed, and they lend to ample discussion for your book club. I highly recommend this book.

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WOWWWW! I cannot say enough good things about this book! I mean... the suspense and intrigue was unreal. It will definitely be one of those books that will keep you wanting to read more. I cannot wait for more novels from this author!

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Having grown up on a lake, this book triggered some serious nostalgia for me! I loved the characters- all realistic and flawed, but you rooted for them nonetheless. I didn’t expect that ending, but somehow it fit perfectly. All in all, an enjoyable read!

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I wouldn't classify this book as a thriller. It is an emotional roller coaster. The characters are deep and intriguing. The differing points of view and timeliness are gripping. As you unravel the mystery of what happened to Leah you can't help but be sucked into these characters' lives.

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I'm' a fan of Bethany Chase so I was thrilled to read this arc about Leah, Ollie and June. Set in the past (7 years ago) from Leah's perspective and in the present in June's point of view, this is a story about relationships, love and death. It isn't as much of a thriller as it is a discussion in the relationships we have with those around us and the powerful bonds of friendship. As someone who grew up in Rochester, I loved the little references to Wegmans, garbage plates, the newspaper, and of course the true descriptions of beautiful Seneca Lake. Ollie's family has a cottage there and the story is told in the past when he and his girlfriend Leah visited for the summer, and in the present when he and his fiance June are visiting after the death of her best friend, Leah. The author does a great a job of slowly revealing different layers to the relationships between these characters. She weaves an intricate story of love and loss set on a beautiful backdrop. I really enjoyed this story, my only reason for not giving it five stars is that I really was expecting it to be more of a thriller, and there are elements of that within the story, but again, I truly felt the focus on relationships was stronger than the mystery for the reader of Leah's death. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Thanks for the opportunity to review this book, but unfortunately it didn't hold my interest. I really like the premise and was looking forward to reading it, but the way it explained things as it switched back and forth through time were a bit confusing for me.

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I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is primarily being billed as a thriller, but it’s important to understand it is a women’s fiction novel in which somebody dies. I don’t want to spoil, but there is no murder, no twist, just a lot of emotions and complicated relationships. So it’s hard for me to rate because I don’t particularly enjoy that genre, but if you are a women’s fiction fan and you enjoyed the authors previous books you should like it

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A thoroughly gripping novel from start to finish. Best friends Leah and June share many things, but when Leah suspects her boyfriend, Ollie, might be interested in more than friendship with June, their lives begin to spin out of control during a mid-summer vacation in the Finger Lakes region. Leah pays the ultimate price when an unforeseen boating accident occurs. It is not until years later, as Ollie and June prepare to wed and attempt to make peace with the death of Leah during that awful summer, that the truth behind the accident surfaces and threatens to again tear apart Ollie, June and their family and friends. The writing is top notch, the characters solid, and the story resonates with many layers that challenge the reader to pause and reflect on their own lives and loves.

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Leah is so excited that her boyfriend Ollie appears to be about to ask her to marry him. She’s been invited to his family’s lakeside home for a week-long vacation, the perfect place for a proposal. Joining them is Leah’s best friend, June. Seven years later, June is engaged to Ollie and he’s taking her back to his family’s place on the lake. All June can feel is dread, the house and the lake are too connected to her friend Leah and all the terrible things that happened seven years earlier. She loves Ollie more than anything, but she’s disturbed by feelings he still seems to have for Leah. And if she’s honest, she’s beginning to wonder if she might be just a little afraid of what Ollie is capable of. When I read the description of this book, I just knew I had to read it. How creepy, how bizarre! Chase doesn’t disappoint in this story of obsession and betrayal

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