This book was a wild ride. Three girls get trapped on a remote island with a killer, and they have to figure out what is hunting them and survive. This is a great book for those who like mysteries and thrillers.

An off-the-grid summer trip.

A burnt cabin.

A body in the woods.

HOLY MOLEY!

What a freaking read!

This was my first book by the author and I must say this woman really knows how to put her readers on the edge of their seats. The characters, the horror, and the anxiety levels this book gave me. I could not put it down. I wanted to see the story through to the very end.

Claire - I love her.

She has anxiety much like me. She is one of those that has to do so many checks on locked doors, windows, and everything in between. She may be prepared for the off-the-grid summer camp but nothing prepares her for what she and the other two girls find. A burnt-out cabin and a body in the woods show that she really is prepared as she thinks she is. There is a killer out in those woods and he is stalking them.

This book will give you everything - horror, anxiety, and keep you on the edge of your seat. You won't want to put this book down until the very end. You will love the characters. They are well-written and the storyline will give you creepy, horror-like vibes.

I want to thank Netgalley, the author, and Harperteen for giving me a chance to read this book for an honest review.

First, of I just have to say I loved the cover art.
This book is about Reyva, Mariana and Claire they are sent to a camp by there parents. When they get there they find a burned down house and a dead body. They have been stranded with no way home.

This book took a huge twist that I was not expecting. It's definitely very unique. If you like books that are survival books, camping, and horror you'll love this book.

The only thing I disliked about the book is the language (it wasn't much but still didn't feel necessary) and that Marianna was bisexual. I felt like the author just made her bisexual just so she could say I have a LGBTQIA character in my book.

…..I liked the cover art. But…. Honestly… that’s about it. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I probably wouldn’t recommend this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

"The Lake House" is a fun, fast-paced thriller that pits three teenage girls against a murderous and violent mystery. They thought they were going to camp, and instead what greets them is a burned down house and the dead body of the counselor that was going to be welcoming them to their summer fun. The three girls have to band together to figure out what's going on and how to survive it.

I love survival horror, and this was YA survival horror done really well. All three girls were distinct and interesting, and I particularly enjoyed how they became friends despite their differences. No one made stupid decisions, everyone was doing their best - there was no cheap tension about silly things. These girls were smart and made good choices!

There was a twist early on that I figured out pretty fast, so it didn't pay off for me. After a strong start, things devolved about halfway through as what was going on became more apparent. Still, I recommend this one for anyone who wants a fun, thrilling YA about friendship, bravery, and survival.

Thank you NETGALLEY, author, and Harpercollins for this ARC! I support the Harpercollins strike, but I believe the author shouldn't take any hits for being with Harpercollins.

I never read horror/thriller books, but this book had me pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the characters, and their sense of humor, especially Mariana. She tried to see the greater side of things and was always questions such as "What is your favorite color?" even though they were stuck on the island which I enjoyed. The main character is great at solving things and always being 10 steps ahead. It is fortunate that the three of them were together on the island with their own special expertise which helps them survived. The only problem with the book was the plot twist, which wasn't that shocking in my opinion. I felt like the author could have gone with something else for the plot twist, but she went with an obvious approach in my opinion. The reason why I gave it a 3 star rating was the ending with Jack. I was sitting there reading thinking, "Did the author forget she has a character named Jack?" which it is explained why it was written like that. Though I didn't like that, nor the realization about Jack at the end of the book.

I really enjoyed this book. When a author can write a story that actually gives me anxiety means it's a good book in my mind. :) The other thing I loved is, the main character is me, very anxious and consumed with thoughts of death, being able to have a character that I see myself in really helped me look at how I let those thoughts consume me and how I really need to work on not letting it bother me so much.
Highly recommend this if you are looking for a fun read.

Going into this I was expecting something that felt a little more serious in tone and a bit dark based off of the cover. However, I really loved the characters and watching how they became friends. I also really felt for Claire. I've never read a protagonist with such a unique personality and I really understood her fears. I loved watching her growth throughout the book.

I did love this book despite the odd plot twist and it not being as fast-paced as I'd hoped.

Thank you for my ARC.

Okay, so I will start with saying I liked this book. If you're interested in wilderness/survival-type books and are okay with the author not pushing things too much, I'd give this one a shot. I haven't read many lost-in-the-woods-how-do-we-survive type books, but I definitely enjoy that type of scenario in entertainment, and I think this book does that aspect of it very well, for a YA at least. Where it lost me a bit was the explanation behind what was actually happening. I don't want to give anything away but it's just not my kind of thing and I feel it's a bit of a cop out in books. Would recommend if it sounds interesting, but I would say to not expect anything life-altering and just enjoy the ride! It's a fun one.

I really enjoyed this book, up to a point. I liked the main characters and how they were able to open up to each other about their quirks and share their secrets. I also enjoyed how the girls pooled their skills to survive in the wilderness.

The mystery was really engaging, until the end. There were a few theories regarding why the house burned down, the murder, and how the girls ended up at “camp,” but the end result was a little too out there.

Overall, a really appealing story.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen, and Sarah Beth Durst for the ARC.

3.75 ⭐️
Lately my vibe has been reading survival horror books and I was so excited to get sent a copy of this book. When it mentioned Yellowjackets in the title I immediately knew I had to read it.

Claire’s paranoia and anxiety is something that I really related to in terms of how she always thinks about the worst possible outcomes. I loved how her character developed and, in turn, it made me feel very seen and much better about my own anxieties.

The other girls, Mariana and Reyva, were also really well developed and I loved how they were all so different but very similar at the same time. They were all really fun to read and learn about.

The plot twist was predictable for me because of Yellowjackets being mentioned and I had hoped it would go the direction that it had. So even though it was predictable for me, I still enjoyed reading it. However the last few chapters of the book felt a little rushed but also there was slightly more story than necessary and I think it could have been summed up with a couple chapters less.

Even still I would 100% recommend this book to any friend looking for a good survival thriller book.

There’s something about YA thrillers that just hit the spot. I don’t know why it’s so entertaining reading about a group of teenagers fighting for survival from a potential killer in a remote off the grid summer camp but it just is. Something about YA thrillers just hit different sometimes, ya know?

I was racing through this book because I was dying to know how it ended! This book drops zero hints, so there is no way you can even begin to theorize who is behind all of this and why, because it gives you hardly any information until about halfway through. This makes the mystery factor even stronger and makes you even more desperate to get to that promised twist ending. You don’t really get to know these three characters, their backstories, or motivations, and they feel like strangers for most of this book. Yet, this worked in the book’s favor because it leaves no room for guesswork or anyone guessing who or why could be behind it because you’re given essentially no information until you’re at around the halfway point. This ends up making the mystery even more anticipatory.

As far as the big reveal goes, I can honestly say I didn’t see it coming at all haha. It’s not a new concept that I haven’t read before, but I wasn’t expecting the book go to in this direction! Almost always, the tags at the bottom of the goodreads page for the books will at least give some hint of what direction this book will go in (like for example, if you see “ghost” or “vampires” or whatever in the tags, you know it’s a vampire story even if the book blurb doesn’t mention it) and the tags for this one do not reveal a thing. And no one better change it because it’s so much more fun that way! Once the mystery is unveiled I legitimately had no clue how they were going to get out of this. This book was gripping, claustrophobic, and so much fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harperteen for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

This book was not what I was expecting and lost me towards the end. The characters are great and love that they come together to survive.

Spoiler next....

The part where the author lost me was where an acient spirit possesses people to kill those in it's agenda. That would have been okay, but it came out of nowhere towards the end that it was almost like it was a random last minute decision. But, that's just my opinion.

3.25/5 stars! This cover was so creepy and I loved it. Heading into this, I was hoping to get some "The Last Time I Lied" vibes...summer camp, mayhem commences, etc. It was a good YA mystery read, but I feel like I've read this idea several times before and I'm not sure what this story provided that was new to the genre. I did feel like there was good representation for how anxiety can really affect us and impact our natural inclinations.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

As a Mainer, I was really excited to read this story set in the woods of Maine at a Lake House retreat. YA, horror, set in Maine...it checks all the boxes for me.
Claire is a professional worrier so this trip was already a stretch and when she arrives with two other campers to find the burned out shell of the camp, a dead body, and no way home (or cell signal) her worst fears have come true. This is not just a horror (although the creep level is high) it is also an amazing survival tale, and a story about friendship and overcoming your fears.

The Lake House is a unique YA survival thriller (with some horror elements) releasing April 2023. The survival genre is my absolute favorite, and I loved how the author mentioned the television show Alone was part of the inspiration behind this book. That is one of my top survival shows too!

Our three main characters Claire, Reyva, and Mariana have all been forced by their parents to attend a Summer Camp. This camp is very secluded, and it is only accessible by boat or prop plane. Because of weather issues the three girls arrive a day later than other camp goers. Upon arrival the girls realize something horrible has occurred. The Lake House is burned to the ground, there's a dead body, and they don't think there are any survivors. Now they are stranded with no phone, and no way of escaping the island. That isn't the worst part though.. There is someone on the island hunting them, and with no escape, the girls have to use all their brains and brawn to go from hunted to hunter.

The plot was great. I loved the direction it took, and I think there was adequate time spent on the girls trying to survive. The characters are all SO likable. I saw Mariana as my sassy Latina sister. I did find it moved at a slower pace than I like. It is very character driven and focuses on their budding friendship. I think too much time was spent on Claire's internal struggle. It did not take me too long to pick up on how she views herself and how that has hindered her life in all areas, especially socially, yet this was brought up every chapter until the end. I would suggest this book to younger YA readers because I feel like they would get the most out of the writing and story.

This definitely had the Yellowjackets and Alone vibes I was craving. I loved our three main characters and the atmospheric and spooky setting and description of the island. I would have loved a little more background on the Lake House itself, along with some of the supernatural elements, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the story. I just wanted a teeny bit more immersion and detail on the history of the island, and/or a better divide between the realistic survival elements of the story and the spooky curse bits. But I'd recommend this for sure!

3.5 stars rounded up

This book hooked me from the very beginning, and while it did feel like it was sort of dragging a bit towards the end (and I needed to suspend my disbelief), I really enjoyed how it came together. I loved the characterization of the 3 girls and how they used their strengths to help one another, which was reiterated by the authors note talking about how often women lean on each other for help and love/support. Overall a super quick and fun read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

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. Someone or something is watching them, waiting and refuses to let them leave.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy, ya spooky read this one’s for you!

I absolutely love Sarah Beth Durst and I am always blown away by her range of writing. This book was not my favorite. I love a good YA horror, but this one never fully committed for me. I love the the three young girls and how different and complicated they are. They felt like real teen girls to me. I think there are moments where you are anxious, but with the setting and plot elements you could have had more of that isolating, anxiety. It was pretty obvious from the start what is happening, and the twist was kind of a let down. I think this is perfect for a younger YA reader.