I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

The wound Kate suffered when her son drowned has never healed. Everyone told her it was an accident, but in her heart, she feels there is more to the story. When she finds her son's private diary, she may finally have proof that "something" caused his death....it was no accident.

Great debut from Louise Sharland!

An addictive read and had me from the first chapter. Quite a slow burn thriller, but I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a sad and may have some trigger warnings for some. I was surprised at some of the twists it had. I would definitely recommend this book.

I am very close to my son and as a mother who was looking for answers over her son's death, I appreciated that aspect but it seemed to fall short. Seemed to try to hard to get the point across which felt unreal and some of these characters I could not stand. I know it's the point that they are unlikable but it just was too the point that I didn't even want to hear from them in the story they grated on my nerves so badly. The ending didn't seem to connect well with the rest of the book. It was okay but not my favorite

Heart wrenching story, you’ve never really know what is going on in someone else’s head.
Kate’s son dies in a lake and she has always felt that the truth has never been found - until she finds his diary six years later. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry but you won’t be able to put this book down

I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I hoped. Firstly, I guessed some of the ending before I had reached the half-way point. Secondly, I thought the last quarter of the story really dragged and took too long for the final revelations.

Haunted by the death of her son six years previous, Kate discovers Michael’s diary, hidden at her mother’s house. Kate is revisiting the past as she sorts through her mother’s wardrobe, who is currently in hospital. Therefore, discovering that her son had a diary that she knew nothing about, Kate’s quest for the truth strongly resurfaces. She has always suspected that there was more to her son’s death, beyond drowning, particularly as he was such a competent swimmer. Yet, Kate seems to be on her own in her new investigations: her sister warns her to leave the past behind and Kate can’t even trust her husband with these new discoveries.

I thought there were a lot of elements in this plot that could have been expanded. For example, Sharland frequently alludes to Kate’s past and the strained upbringing she had with her mother. Kate’s family belonged to some sort of cult and the chilling portrayal that readers are actually provided with could have been developed. I would have been keen to see some developed flashbacks to see just how isolating Kate’s upbringing was, along with what lead her to the type of relationship she has with her mother in present day.

Furthermore, it is clear that Kate has suffered in the six years since Michael’s death. Again, I thought the plot would have been intensified if readers were given a glimpse of the aftermath of Kate’s loss. I think it would have helped me understand her character, particularly her frustration towards the lack of definite answers in the police investigation. It would have made the past even more relevant, rather it feeling more like a “before” and “after” event.

When the story moves to Scotland, I was hoping for some explosive action. However, the slow pace of the rest of the story continues and I grew bored by the poetry summer school. Although I could understand why Sharland takes such a long time to reach the conclusion, I thought some of the details lessened the overall impact of the story. It did not help that I thought the revelations were increasingly obvious, so the story finished with less impact than I was anticipating.

I liked the first half of the story and the beginnings of Kate’s investigations. The dead-ends that she reaches were palpably frustrating and I was spooked by her marriage to Adam. I sympathised with the anguish she continues to experience and could understand the high emotions as she returns to Michael’s school friends. Yet, I always thought that something was missing from this narrative, meaning it didn’t become the page-turner that I was hoping for with this mystery.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For me this was a book of 2 halves. The first half focus’ on Kate, the main character, as she tries to balance her awful husband, her mums stroke and the newly discovered diary of her son. Her son passed away in a drowning accident 6 years prior, Kate has always been suspicious of his as Michael was a strong swimmer. Reading the diary Kate discovers that he was seeing a woman only known as Diving Fish.

The second half is the much better half in my opinion. Once she has her suspicions who Diving Fish is Kate makes it her mission to try and prove it was her. This is where the story really picks up for me and I feel the majority of the book could have happened at this location, with only a few chapters giving a back story.

There were a few unlikable characters, namely Adam her husband, and even Kate herself at some points. But overall I was routing for Kate near the end, hoping that she gets her answers.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon books for a copy of the book in return for an honest review

This was quite a good thriller with an intriguing plot and a lot to keep you guessing, the end was also great and I didn’t guess it which is a bonus

A solid thriller full of tense suspense with a satisfying ending.
Kate is convinced there’s more to her sons death than the official story and tries everything to find out what happened.
Is Kate just paranoid or did something really happen to Michael?
A dark backdrop, medium pace and a few twists make this novel a thrilling adventure into the tortured mind of a mother full of tragedy.

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

The Lake by Louise Sharland was a great page turner that had me hooked from the first few pages. A gripping read that I just had to read in one sitting, I loved it. Great twists and turns throughout, it was a very good read.

My first book, that I have read by this author, absolutely brilliant! Highly recommended, and I will definitely read others written by this author!

I really struggled with this book . It just didn’t hold my attention as the storyline was so slow. I found the fact that the mother of the victim ended up doing detective work to find out what had happened a little bit unbelievable so just couldn’t relate to the storyline at all.

This book was amazing. I loved every single thing about it. A brilliant story line and great solid characters. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

When Kate’s son dies in a tragic accident…..she starts to question if it really was as simple as that. She finds his diary and begins to piece together a life she didn’t know existed. This is a good, solid read and I enjoyed it.

This book tugged at my heartstrings. I couldnt stop turning the pages. It covers many subjects such as abusive relationships, family issues and sadness. Such a great debut by this author.

Louise Sharland is a new author to me and I am so glad I had a chance to listen/read her latest audiobook The Lake. The Narrators are Hattie Ladbury; and Vinny Moli and they were brilliant. I found this was an interesting a book that kept me glued to my Iphone. This book, The Lake is the heartbreaking story of a mother called Kate whose son called Michael dies in a drowning accident, but is convinced that his death is no accident. Kate unearths Michael’s lost diary and realises she may finally be able uncover what really happened that night.
Kate, a former accident and emergency nurse, will not stop until she finds the truth.

I highly recommend this book and this new author.

Big Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and Avon Books UK for providing me with a copy of The Lake, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

An engaging read. This book has an absolutely stellar plot, and the emotions to go with it. You will love some of the characters and hate the rest.

Kate has never believed her son commited suicide, 6 years later she finds some evidence to suggest otherwise. Slow and strange characters that go on a bizarre journey but readable!