Amber Cowie was a new name to me...but a name I'd keep a lookout out for from now on! Not a read to be missed as it takes you on a great ride! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this opportunity to read this cracker!

At times this book felt slow, particularly in the beginning when we were being introduced to the main characters. However, things did pick up as the story progressed and turned out to be a fun thriller to read! This was my first book by this author ended up being enjoyable! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book for my honest review.

This book was really good. I have read 3 other books by this author, and she does not disappoint. I love her writing style, The storylines are always unique and she always has great characters.

With Loss Lake, Amber Cowie spins a web of unraveling family secrets, taut danger, and tragic love. Perfect for readers who like their suspense both eerie and atmospheric.

Loss Lake follows Mallory Dent, a widow who has just moved to a remote town in the northern mountains as a fresh start. Soon after, a woman's body is found in Loss Lake. Mallory's life takes a turn when she learns Sergeant Joel Benson's brother died in her very own house.

This novel will not leave you unmoved -you will either love or hate the ending! For me, this book had everything: romance, suspense, spookiness, and lots of characters. It was an interesting read from start to finish and the imagery was very vivid, which is something that I appreciate in novels.

Disclaimer: I'd like to thank the publisher for my advanced reader's copy. This is my honest review.

https://jemimareads.wordpress.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jemimareadsofficial/

This book started off well for me. A widow starting a new life in a small town, fresh start. Dead body in the lake behind her house. Got it. Lots of history in the small town - everyone knows everyone - neat characters, lots related. Got it. Love starts between the widow and a cop. Got it. Then it goes south.
It seemed to pick up pace to the point of rushing, a lake monster, characters "turning" but not clearly turning, and an ending that was not acceptable. I was bought into the first half, then lost me the second half especially at the end.

Mallory Dent is a new widow running from the life she knows to a little town where no one will know her and she can start fresh. She gets more than she bargained for when trying to learn about her new home, and finds that some of the things she's running from will follow her everywhere. Loss Lake is a pensive look into small town life- the intricacies of relationships, the feeling of belonging, and the secrets people don't want to come to light. The author did her research well on small towns, and includes some definite twists which kept me interested. However the grand reveal at the end was a little confusing, and the pace was a bit slow. This book delved into recovering from a loved one's death, so be prepared for introspection throughout the book.

Goodness me - this wasn’t what I was expecting. This story starts as a seemingly blandish love story but then builds into a brilliant psychological thriller with a touch of ‘other worldliness’ thrown in. I really enjoyed the writing and the characters.

Loss Lake draws you in to its intriguing mystery from the very beginning and keeps you hooked to the end. I'd definitely qualify it as a slow burn thriller; while the pacing was more moderate and the thrills subtler, it still raised my heart rate, and I appreciated the thoughtful, well-developed scene-setting.

You felt everything from the underlying terror of some moments, to the grief-filled confusion of others; the desire of the main character to hold onto her own secrets while working to understand the secrets of the small town she just moved to.

It was a little tricky sometimes to keep all the characters and their relationships straight, but it's also the complicated web of connections that contributes to a lot of the book's drama. Overall it was a compelling and satisfying read.

Loved it. This is a perfect mystery. Widow who needs to find peace and be allowed to grief. Perfect place to find some solitude and direction while so emotionally lost.
But this beautiful place has some secrets and it may not be the safe retreat Mallory was looking for.
Engaging and well written. Amber Cowie knows how to keep the pages turning and the reader wondering. Nicely done !

This book has intriguing mysteries woven throughout that keep you wondering, "What is going on?", until the very end.

Mallory is recently widowed and looking for a change in her grief filled life. She decides to buy a home in the small town of McNamara on Loss Lake. She is ready for a fresh start, but she is certainly not ready for a woman to drown in Loss Lake on the day she arrives to her new home. This drowning, along with learning about other mysterious deaths on the Lake, leads Mallory on a quest to find answers. Were the drownings really the workings of some monster residing in Loss Lake? Or is something more sinister going on in this small town?

I enjoyed Amber Cowie's uniquely descriptive writing style. While this book has a slow pace, it was still interesting and held my attention. I did find the connections between everyone in the town to be confusing to keep track of, and would have preferred there to be more to the ending. I look forward to reading more from Amber Cowie in the future!

I did not care for this one.

I liked the cover and the description, but right from the start there were some weird phrases that were so awkward or strange that they were distracting. For example, the very first sentence- “The Lake seemed like an impossible ocean” Huh? What the heck is an impossible ocean? Was it it supposed to say “impossibly _____” Vast? Still? Ominous? Just a strange way to start a book. At the bottom of the same page she says, “The late afternoon sun winked in the plate-glass windows like a jocular uncle”. Jocular? What an archaic word. Just awkward.

Once I got past that kind of thing there was a portion of the book (maybe the middle 1/3) that was eerie and interesting in a way that would maybe make a good a Netflix miniseries...... but then the back 1/3 devolved into a convoluted mess.

Just not a fan.

Recently widowed Mallory, recently moves to a new town. A body turns up on her property, it seems like everybody have some secrets. Locals even believe a monster living in the depths of the lake is to blame. Mallory has some secrets too and her life is full of fear.

I had a very difficult time getting through this one.

Layers of delicate mystery enhanced by loss and grief plunge you into a must read ending you won’t soon forget!

Lake Union books never go wrong for me, until this one did. Because of my love of their books (I don't know who chooses them, but they are usually spot on!) I kept going, hoping this one would catch my interest. Mallory, recently widowed, leaves Vancouver for a place it seems she's chosen from a map. It's a small town, and she begins to get to know the residents. She learns "her" lake has a history, as does the town, of tragedy. But, it then went oddly into a horror sort of genre. It might have been my mood, but I had a very difficult time getting through this one. I do thank Lake Union and Net Galley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book started out interestingly enough. Mallory leaves Vancouver trying to flee her past and sorrow for "up north' Loss lake. She buys an old house on the lake and begins to get involved with small town business and friendships. The day she moves in a drowned body is found near her new home that happens to be her dead husband's cousin. As local police sergeant Joel investigates they become friends and then lovers. As Mallory tries to delve into the town's sad history and investigate the unsolved death of Joe's brother Sean someone seems to be threatening her with notes they leave in her house and on her door. As the tension builds the story gets more interesting until about 80% into the novel then all falls apart with bizarre ramblings of Joel and creepy tales of the lake killing despicable people. The ending was down right horrible and made me wish I had never taken time to read this book.

The book started off hopefully - a new start for a new widow; then a body turns up as does the local policeman and I thought we were onto good detective potential. Sadly not. There is mystery galore in a small, tightly knit community at the start of winter and everyone is hiding things from everyone else. Our widow starts a new romance which proceeds far too quickly for me - a widow of 2 months after 10 years of marriage? Hm. Rats start smelling. And then it was the end - everything still up for grabs as far as I can see and completely unsatisfactory. For once, though, I can't complain about lack of context - there's an awful lot of it. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A widow trying to start a new life in a new town only to have a body show up in the lake behind her house within a few hours of arriving, This book was interesting and there were moments that I had trouble putting it down. I do appreciate how much thought the author put into descriptions and characters in the book.
While it was entertaining, I feel like there was a lot of extra, unnecessary information/events that occurred that ended up leading nowhere or gave no explanation. For me, it ended unexpectedly, I actually flipped back and forth a few times thinking I missed something. Unfortunately, I felt even more confused after finishing it with many questions left unanswered.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book for my honest review. I really enjoyed reading this book it was perfect for a stay at home rainy Sunday afternoon curled up on my couch.

Mallory Dent, recently widowed, moves to a new town far away from Vancouver. She hides a secret and when a body turns up on her newly bought property, it seems like the town she moved into has secrets of its own. A tight knit community, with a past that links them all, comes unravelling as Mallory connects the dots.

The ending was very abrupt and certain aspects need a little more detail or a small back story

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC