DNF. Not a fan of the isolation trope. The characters were unlikable, and the author was dancing around "anxiety" for Claire, which I thought was weird. Say it's anxiety! The storytelling was loose and relied too much on "I'm not giving you enough info so you keep going"... only bad storytelling uses that tactic because it's manipulative. If it comes from the heart, it'll just flow. There won't be any deliberate withholding of information. I don't recommend. Frustrating.

This reminded me of Hatchet, which I’ve never liked, until it didn’t. There was a weird paranormal plot dropped in at about 70% and I love paranormal plotlines, but really? That late? I think this book suffered from trying to do two different things. It could have been a survival book or it could have been a paranormal book. It didn’t work as both because of how it was structured. That said, I enjoyed the writing and found the girls interesting. It just didn’t work for me.

The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst

Reyva, Mariana and paranoid Claire go to a secluded Lake House camp on an eerie island. When they get there, they find a burned down house and a dead body. They have been stranded with no way home. Creepy things start going on and they have to fight for survival.

This book had so much promise it started off strong with the opening with the boat ride to the island and the girls arriving on the island to find things are not what they seem with the camp building burned down and finding a dead body. I was pulled in instantly then it kind of lulled out for me it moved slowly where the girls couldn't figure out really what they are going to do to get off the island.
Also, the characters began to annoy me a bit. Then when things begin to happen you need to suspend disbelief to go with the story going forward. Which in this case it was a bridge to far for me and just too much for me. I still think some people will enjoy this book it has a bit horror vibe with young adult characters if this is your jam then you may enjoy this book. I would still like to read something else from this author she does know how to pull people into a story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Children Books for a free copy of The Lake House for an honest review. All Thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Claire is off to summer camp. Actually, she's off to a "summer enrichment program" because her parents, who are constantly working to "fix" her anxiety issues, feel that this would look good on a resume and be a good experience for her. Located in the remote woods of Maine, Claire boards a small boat with two other girls and heads toward the camp, where they assume many other campers and adventures await them there. However, when the girls leave the boat and hike the path to the facility, all they find is a completely burnt down facility and a dead body. The girls must rely on each other and survive in more ways than one, especially as they soon come to find that something about these woods aren't quite natural.

This was a really fun summer read! The survival element was more of what I wanted from The Woods are Always Watching and the relationship between the three friends was more of what I wanted from Sawkill Girls. There was a bit of a lag in the middle, as the beginning of the book started with such a bang of excitement, but the novel did pick up in the end. Overall, this is a book I would readily recommend to any fan of summer thrillers.

SO MANY TWISTS! I am a sucker for a summer camp thriller, and the cover of this one has major 80s summer camp thriller vibes. The story 1000% delivers on the hype of the cover and the description. I suggest going into this one as blind as possible and enjoying the ride until the end. The characters are really well written, and the mix of survival meets supernatural will have horror fans hooked.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Three girls arrive at a summer camp to find a burned lodge and no survivors. The are now stranded and realize someone or something is hunting them.

This book is outwardly a survival story. While I can't say anything about the setting being true to Maine, I felt isolated and lost throughout the story. The survival plot is engaging and kept me reading. However, at its heart it's a story of friendship and learning to love yourself. The three girls are the heart of the story. They are distinct, real people. People dealing with anxiety, trauma, and acceptance. It is great to see them come together throughout the story, learn to use each other's strengths, and trust their own. Often times in YA I have read female friendships that seem catty or have a love interest getting in their way to add drama to the story. It was a great change of pace to read a story without that. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst is a creepy and thrilling young adult horror novel. The story in The Lake House is one that was told by changing the point of view between the characters in the novel.

Teenagers Claire, Reyva and Mariana all thought they were heading to a remote summer camp in the wilderness. After being dropped off by the boat however they find things are not the happy camp they expected, a fire has occurred and they stumble upon a dead body. The girls will have to ban together to survive what else is waiting for them.

The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst was a quick and creepy read, definitely more on the horror side than thriller, or more chills than thrills for the most part. The girls in the book all had their own personalities and quirks to get to know which made them stand out while reading. The story quickly takes a dark turn and the pages kept turning waiting to see how it would all resolved. Not the first book I’ve read from this author and will certainly not be the last either.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Off-grid survival stories and female empowerment are two things I love! Add in the socially awkward making it work and I'm all in! This story had all the thrill's I could've hoped for and I enjoyed this story of three unlikely girls, caught in a bad situation and surviving!

The cover of this one caught my attention immediately. The setting also grabbed me - I love stories set in the woods or at camp. The character were well done, diverse and not stereotypical "dumb girls". The actual story, however, was not what I was expecting. I felt like it started in one genre and flipped to another mid way through and it didn't work for me. I became less and less invested as the story went on. The ending explained some stuff, but overall a decent read.

Definitely gives creepy and suspenseful vibes. I enjoyed reading through this creepy forest setting. Perfect for someone who wants something quick, easy and spooky.

The Lake House follows three girls who have just embarked on a summer adventure they'll never forget.

Our main character is Claire. She's excited to be going to the Lake House, an off-grid summer camp, but it's definitely outside of her comfort zone. On the boat ride to the remote location in Maine, Claire meets two other girls attending the camp, Reyva and Mariana. In fact, they're the only campers on the boat. Although they're quite different, they hit it off right away.

They get dropped at the dock and their escort, Jack, says his goodbyes. As he takes off, the girls realize this is it. He was their only connection with the outside world and he won't be back for a long time. This is it. It's really happening. Their off-grid, roughing it, summer vacation has officially begun.

At this point, you may be wondering why these girls would sign themselves up for this? As it turns out, all of their parents were once campers at the Lake House and all highly recommended the experience.

Even though their motivations differ, each one of the girls has their own reasons for wanting to participate in the challenging summer excursion. You'll hear a lot about those things over the course of the story. Be prepared.

As they make their way down the trail to the Lake House, all they discover is a burned out shell where the building once stood. Ashes all around, they find no one and worse, have none of the expected supplies that would aide in their outdoor survival.

After they find a dead body in the woods, they realize this was no accident. With no means of communicating with the outside world, and danger lurking around every corner, the girls will now learn the true meaning of survival.

Before I get into my thoughts on this story, can we all just take a moment and bow down at the alter that is this cover. She is such a beauty; my favorite aesthetic. It's giving me strong, dark 70s-Horror vibes and I am eating it up. I love the muted colors and haunting imagery. Honestly, I would hang this is as an art print above my bed, where I could behold its stunning glory daily. Moving on though, we probably should get into my final thoughts.

I liked this. It's good, but sadly, I was expecting more. I know a lot of people will love this. I wish I was one of them, but from the start, the set-up seemed off to me. It didn't quite make sense. I had questions. Around the 30%-point was my peak interest moment. There was some intrigue, after the girls find out their shelter has burned to the ground and they begin to really investigate their surroundings for the first time.

For a moment, it was channeling the same vibes I got in the early episodes of LOST. There was a lot of mystery and I was desperate to find out what was going on.

Unfortunately, for me though, while I wanted to dig more into that feeling, I kept getting distracted by the dialogue between the girls and the inner musings of Claire. I felt like I was a fly on the wall of a therapy session versus in the midst of a survival story.

There were a couple of interesting twists and I did appreciate the idea behind the Horror element, but for me there were holes that never got fully explored and as mentioned above, I kept getting kicked out of the story by the eye-roll inducing dialogue amongst the girls. I know the above makes me sound bitter and maybe I am a little, because I was looking forward to this so much. I do want to be clear though, this is a good book. It's a quick read and engaging overall.

I was just expecting a different, darker tone and wasn't really psyched about what I ultimately got from this. Additionally, I may have enjoyed it more if I knew less about Maine, camping, or camping in Maine...

With this being said, just because it wasn't a great fit for me, doesn't mean it won't be for you. If you are intrigued by the synopsis, you should absolutely give it a shot. There's a Reader for every book and book for every Reader. Please don't let my slightly sour opinion sway you either way. I would love for you to come back and tell me why I'm wrong. I really want this to work for everyone else!

Thank you to the publisher, HarperTeen, for providing me with a copy to read and review. While this wasn't a perfect match for my tastes, I really appreciate the opportunity to pro

Sarah Beth Durst has a way with making every story unique with some realistic characters. This one just happens to also be extremely suspenseful in that survival horror kinda way.

When I started this book, I was worried it was going to be another book in which a bunch of teenage girls make really silly decisions in the face of a serial killer. Luckily it wasn't. Instead, what I found was a book that felt like a thriller. It did have some supernatural/horror elements but they felt kind of retrofitted in. Overall, I loved how the girls worked together and didn't end up relying on yet another man to save them.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 7 | Atmosphere: 8 | Writing: 7 | Plot: 8 | Intrigue: 9 | Logic: 4 | Enjoyment: 7
Total: 7.14 / 4 Stars

Scary cabin? Check. Weird camp on a weird lake? Check. Overly friendly boy and scary guy in the woods? Check and check. This book marks off some of the basics of horror and yet it promoted more character growth than most of the contemporary novels I've read lately. However, it also hinders itself with this focus, making some of the logic and the plot fall through with quick solutions and unlikely outcomes.
There was room for more to be explored, but it wasn't done. I still enjoyed the book and found it incredibly fast paced, which gives it that extra star boost. But it missed the mark on logic when it comes to giving it five stars- and unfortunately for a book like this, I have to understand the basics of a curse for me to feel invested in the outcome.

YA Thriller is a genre I haven’t tried before and this was a good book to get started with. It had strong female friendships, murder, mystery and survival.

*Vague sort of spoilers below*
…..

……

……

It is another one of those books that starts out as one kind of story then turns into another at the end. Kind of like the show Yellow Jackets with the survival story beginning and then supernatural turn. I’m not sure it was necessary - I would have very much liked a story without it. It did make sense with this story, but I would have liked more hints or glimpses of that story line earlier throughout the book.

*I received an advanced copy from Net Galley

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I am a fan of Sarah Beth Durst and while this is not a favorite of mine, it still packs a powerful punch. First let me say, the cover is gorgeous! This book has a lot going on in the story. It is a survival story, a "who dunnit" mystery, a horror suspense with a supernatural element, a story of "girl power" and friendship...

I enjoyed our main characters, Claire, Reyva and Mariana. I loved getting to know them beyond the first impression. The character growth was good as well as the friendship and trust between them that was built throughout the story.

Looking forward to what Sarah Beth Durst has to offer next!

3.5 stars

Are you Getting ready to compile your summer reading TBR? One to add is:
Summer Camp - Claire, Reyva, and Mariana are on the boat to a remote island for summer camp
New Experiences - Their parents who previously went to the camp promised new experiences and learning new skills
Fire - but when they arrive at the island, all the buildings have been burned
Can’t leave - and no matter how hard they try, they can’t leave

This book is extremely fast paced and perfect if you are looking for a beach read for summer and like horror. The complexities of the characters with their phobias and struggles really made what could have been a boring story much more interesting. Being the analyst I am, I did have an idea on how it was going to end. But the result ends up being so much more complicated!

4 star rating because I know my students will enjoy it.

I know my students will love the survival aspect, the mystery, and even the somewhat out of nowhere paranormal twist. I personally found the story predictable but entertaining. I know the intended audience will be immersed in the setting, and totally thrown for a loop at every twist and turn.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperTeen, HCC Frenzy, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Claire’s parents have sent her off to a remote summer camp in Maine and she’s less than happy about it since it sends her anxiety into overdrive, causing her to imagine all the ways this situation could go wrong, but never actually do. Except this time, it really does go sideways, when she and two other girls, Reyva and Mariana, arrive at the camp to find it burned to the ground with no survivors in sight. Left on the dock with few supplies and the boat not due to return for several weeks, they quickly realize the fire was no accident when they stumble upon a dead body in the woods. There is someone else out there, hunting them, and the three girls must figure out a way to survive and escape.

This was a very last minute addition to my TBR, and I usually don’t request ARCs for books so close to the release date, but this sounded too good to pass up and worth shifting around my planned blogging schedule. Survival stories are always fun to read, but tossing in a mystery with it makes for a great combination – that and the intriguing cover.

The book started off really strong, jumping straight into the plot without wasting any time and allowing the reader to get to know the characters as the story unfolded. It set the scene and atmosphere immediately and I loved the mysterious, tense and occasionally creepy mood throughout.

The main reason I dropped my rating was the paranormal twist that randomly showed up quite late into the book, about the 65-70% mark and it went from a survival plot with the characters trying to hide from a murderer to something completely different. I’m not a fan of paranormal plot lines at all, and the synopsis gave no clear hint that this book involved anything of the sort so I’m more than a little annoyed about it.

The pacing wasn’t the most consistent. Some parts of the book dragged a lot, mostly the scenes with the girls trying to figure out survival tactics. Sure, it was necessary for the story to be more realistic, but it did break the mood, making it feel like the main plot just showed up when it was convenient and not when these girls are trying to figure out how to make a fire or catch fish. These sequences were just a little longer than necessary and I ended up skimming through a lot of it.

On the other hand, I did like the author’s writing style and when the focus actually turned to the main plot, it was written in a manner that held the reader’s attention, becoming a complete page turner.

I really enjoyed how Claire, Reyva and Mariana, three very different girls, learnt to trust each other and became friends. The way they helped each other in overcoming their personal issues and used their various skills to survive in the wilderness was very well depicted.

Some of the twists were quite predictable, but once the paranormal plot came in, it turned everything upside down. The way the girls decided to handle the situation and got away itself was satisfactory, but it left so many unanswered questions. It also felt a little clumsy with the girls completely forgetting the existence of another character and then suddenly remembering him again at the end. Considering that this character turned out to be quite important to the plot, I spent most of the last ten chapters trying to figure out where he was. There was also the big question of how exactly the parents were convinced to send their kids off to this camp in the middle of nowhere without even checking on things. There’s only so much that can be blamed on the paranormal plot after all, and accepting this ending requires a significant suspension of disbelief.

Overall, while the plot itself was interesting, the execution left something to be desired. I have a feeling younger YA readers would enjoy this a lot more as several parts of the book did seem quite juvenile to me. It’s probably not a book I will re-read or remember for very long, but still an entertaining one. This was a quick and easy read and it would be a great choice if you’re looking for a fast paced mystery and don’t mind a bit of paranormal plot.

✨Book Review✨
The Lake House
By Sarah Beth Durst

Summer camp with Alone/ Survivor vibes in this YA thriller! I enjoyed this one, and was thrown by a few twists and turns along the way. I found this to be a quick read as well! It kept me flipping through the pages.
This one is out now so pick it up and read by your next campfire 🔥
Thanks so much to @harpercollinsca and @hccfrenzy for sending me an e arc of this book in exchange for my opinion.