This was a great read for the summertime. Surrounding three old friends, secrets, and lies, this one is full of all the necessary drama to make a book bingeworthy. This took the old question, "How well do you really know someone?" and made it its own. Full of family dynamics and layered secrets, the tension was high throughout. The twists were shocking, and the delivery was perfect. This was an entertaining, page-turning read, and I give it four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

A slow-boiling mystery of tantalizing intrigue and juicy scandals, The Lake Escape took me into a deliciously dark world of secrets and lies. From the camouflaged motives to the complex group dynamics within this small band of friends, Day certainly got my attention from the very beginning. After all, the dual POVs kept me puzzled about what could really be going on. And let me tell you, almost right away, my spidey-senses started tingling thanks to a sinister vibe that ran just below the idyllic surface of this lakeside setting. I mean, I was suspicious of everyone and everything throughout this summer read.

This was where my issues took over, however. You see, the middle of the book felt far too drawn out and slow for my liking. Alongside of that was the huge cast of characters, which made the whole story just a little bit overwhelming at times. Were they all really needed? Or could they, as well as the plot, have been edited down? I’ll leave it to you to find out when you pick up this novel. After all, while I did have to overlook some flaws, this book’s nostalgic feel, twist-filled last third, and gradually building tension means that I still recommend it as long as you love domestic suspense as much as yours truly.

All said and done, thanks in part to the layers of eerie vibes and the atmospheric feel, I fell head over heels for the storyline—as well as the drama. Besides, by the time I got to the wild rollercoaster ride at the end, it was all I could do to hold on for dear life. Twist after twist delivered in spades as my jaw hung open in complete and utter shock and surprise. Did it require me to suspend disbelief just a tad? Well…yes. But I didn’t mind it in the least. After all, the mystery wrapped up in a way that, despite looking obvious in hindsight, totally evaded my sleuthing until all was eventually revealed. Rating of 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Jamie Day, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Jaime Day does such a good job of creating adult characters that are a hot mess and that do not have their shhh together. The Lake Escape has those kind of characters.

The story is told from multiple POVs and the plot is twisty. The only reason that I dropped this one down on stars for my rating is that while I liked the character of the nanny, Izzy, and her storyline, I did not like the way her dialogue was written. She is supposed to be a graduating senior on her way to college, but she comes off as incredibly young. Her character reads more like a middle school babysitter, than an 18 year old. If you can overlook this flaw and really want to read a murder mystery with extremely flawed characters, then I would recommend giving this book a shot.

I read both of Jamie Day’s previous novels, The Block Party and One Big Happy Family.

Both novels were gripping, suspenseful character-driven domestic thrillers. They dealt with complicated relationships, family, dynamics, long hidden secrets, betrayal, and all the messy sometimes heartbreaking parts of being human.

After enjoying both of the authors previous novels, I had high hopes for The Lake Escape, and it didn’t disappoint.

Julia, Erika, and David were childhood friends who spent their summers together in Vermont. Now adults with teenagers of their own, they return to the lake. All are carrying the weight of bills, strained marriages, and long-buried secrets.

But then someone goes missing and their seemingly peaceful getaway turns into something more unsettling. As old tensions, resentments and buried secrets resurface they start to question just how well they really know each other.
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I found The Lake Escape to be another slow-burning suspenseful story with well-developed characters and a moody, atmospheric setting. It took its time in parts and occasionally felt a bit over-the-top, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

I’m really looking forward to reading more from Jamie Day.

#SueShelfSuspense | #RedReviews4You | #SummerThriller

This book surprised me in the best way. From the moment I saw the cover—a lone life ring floating on a still lake, distant homes glowing on the shore—I felt the tension. And Jamie Day delivers on that promise. The atmosphere is thick with unease, and the characters are so well drawn that their shared history feels like a living, breathing thing.

The story unfolds slowly, carefully, with layers of secrets and betrayals that span generations. I loved the way the emotional tension mirrored the physical setting: a lake that holds memories, mysteries, and maybe something darker. It’s hard to say more without giving away key twists, but I found the narrative so tightly interwoven that even a stray comment might be a spoiler.

If you’re looking for the perfect end-of-summer read—something to keep vacation time in your mind while being thankful sweater season is coming—this is the book that will have you close and lock the summer door with a smile.

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day is a summer suspense novel set in an idyllic Vermont lakeside community where lifelong friendships unravel under the weight of secrets, betrayals, and a chilling disappearance. With emotionally complex characters, slow-burn tension, and a setting that pulses with mystery, this book is perfect for fans of domestic thrillers, atmospheric fiction, and stories that explore the dark undercurrents beneath picture-perfect facades. A perfect transition read for those ready to trade beach towels for blankets and mystery for memory. #SueShelfSuspense #RedReviews4You #SummerThriller #LakeMystery #JamieDay #DomesticSuspense #AtmosphericReads #Bookstagram #QuietThriller #BooksWithSecrets #EndOfSummerReads #SummerReads #BeachReads

I really enjoyed this one overall. I was around 3.5 star, so this rating is rounded up.

The book centers around three adult friends who all grew spending summers on the lake together, and now they are back with their own families. Each has their own dark secrets. In the background is the lore of the lake where a woman has gone missing every 30 years, and suddenly it is happening again.

There were a lot of characters in this book, but only two POVs, which made it incredibly easy to follow and get a grip on who everyone was. The POVs are Julia, who was one of the original friends, and Izzy, the teenage nanny who comes along with one of the families and has secrets of her own.

One of my particular pet peeves is when a ton of the chapters ends with something along the lines of, "and no one knew the secret I was hiding," or some variation of that, which happened more times than I could count with Izzy's chapters. If a narrator wants to keep secrets, fine, but it just irks me and feels juvenile when they tell the reader they have a secret they aren't sharing. This might not be an issue for others.

The book had some pretty good twists; some I saw coming and some I did not.

I enjoyed it, I would recommend it, but it isn't one that will stick with me for a long time.

This was a little slow for me at first but picked up around the 75-100 page mark. I love novels where there are mysteries set within cottages/lake houses and that type of thing. Plus I found Jamie Day on Netgalley and they were one of my first approved ARCs so they have a special place in my reading heart!

Childhood friends return to the lake houses they spent their summers in while growing up. Two women have disappeared, and one of their own disappears on this trip. A person connected to one of the missing women comes along as a nanny to the children and she is determined to find out what happened. Many twists and an ending you don't see coming make this a great read. Thank you to Net Galley and St, martin's press for the advance copy.

Put a lifejacket on before diving into Jamie Day's new thriller, The Lake Escape! It's a haunting story of loss, mystery and murder which spans decades. Follow a trio of best friends from childhood now adults with their own children who take their annual vacation together at their lake houses which have been passed on to them from their parents. But when something unexpectedly happens which will reek havoc on all their lives forever, what can they do to save themselves? The lake knows...

Julia, David and Erica grew up coming to their family's vacation houses on a lake in Vermont since childhood. They have kept that tradition alive with their own families. Over the years their lives have changed both for the good and bad. They have also all grown up with secrets not shared with each other. That is about to change.

This vacation is different right from the start because David who has come into money has decided to expand his lake house and unfortunately Julia and her husband's view of the lake is impeded. Erica, a lawyer decides to stay out of this fight.

Joining the friends are their children and David's new nanny, Izzy who was extremely eager to get the position and come to the lake. Also, there is David's new girlfriend, Fiona a young spitfire no one can figure out.

But after a night of heavy drinking (and other things) they awake to find Fiona missing. David is not too concerned but the others know the secrets of the lake. For the past thirty years every ten years someone has disappeared with no trace. Folklore is that the lake who hungers satisfies itself by taking someone. Is it a coincidence it is exactly 10 years since the last victim?

As the search begins for Fiona, we see the real personalities of the friends who all have secrets, some dark. Their facades and relationships begin to explode in front of our very eyes.

Once the pieces of the puzzles begin to surface like sludge from the deep lake they have always enjoyed, they begin to discover no one really knew the other and the one thing they all seem to have in common is death.

The Lake Escape is as exhausting as swimming in the water for a long period of time, but as exhilarating as well as the shocking outcome will roll over the reader like a wave!

Thank you #Netgalley #St.Martin'sPress # JamieDay #TheLakeEscape for the advanced copy.

A moody, suspenseful read perfect for summer! Set at a picturesque Vermont lake, this thriller explores fractured friendships, buried secrets, and the consequences of the past catching up. The tension builds steadily, with a satisfying mix of emotional drama and mystery. Some twists leave lots to be desired. Though the amount of characters doesn't seem to be large in the beginning, it can be hard to keep certain characters straight. Overall, this is a gripping, atmospheric thriller with strong narration and a satisfying payoff.

The audiobook narration by Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole is excellent! Each narrator is clear, well-paced, and distinct enough to keep characters and timelines easy to follow. It was a fantastic experience.

Thank you NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for an eARC and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book.

Secrets, lies, and drama is what drives this story. Three friends looking forward to a couple of weeks at the lake to unwind, but this is not a relaxing vacation. From the beginning there is drama between everyone and with bones being unearthed nearby only adds to the experience. Two POV’s, I liked Izzy’s the best, we watch as things unravel. There was a lot that goes on, things I wasn’t expecting. The story was written well but kinda slow at times.

Jamie Day's "The Lake Escape" is a book I'm torn on how to rate. Having now read three of the author's books, I've come to the conclusion that their style and I are not a match. This, however, was the best of the bunch. It's a solid, if somewhat predictable, thriller that kept me engaged enough to see it through to the end.
The premise is intriguing: a group of lifelong friends, now adults with their own families and baggage, gather at their summer lake houses. The idyllic setting is quickly disrupted by old resentments and new secrets, particularly when one friend shows up with a new, younger girlfriend who promptly disappears. The plot thickens with the re-emergence of a thirty-year-old mystery of two other vanished women.
Day does a good job of building the tension and creating a sense of unease. The characters, while not particularly likable, are complex and their various lies and betrayals create a tangled web of suspicion. The pacing is steady, and the short chapters make for a quick and easy read.
My main criticism is that the plot, while twisty, felt a bit too familiar. Many of the "surprises" I saw coming, and the resolution, while tying up all the loose ends, felt a little underwhelming. It's a well-constructed mystery, but it doesn't break any new ground.
In the end, "The Lake Escape" is a perfectly fine thriller. It's not a book that will stay with me for long, but it was a decent way to pass the time. If you're a fan of domestic thrillers with a touch of nostalgia and a lot of secrets, you'll probably enjoy this more than I did. For me, it's a 3-star read that, while being the best I've read by this author, confirms that their books just aren't my cup of tea.

I am a Jamie Day fan, and this book was no different. It kept pace and I was fully entertained. A perfect escape for a summer read.

I really enjoyed Jamie Day’s first two books - The Block Party and One Big Happy Family.

Unfortunately this book didn’t hold my attention or grab me the way the first two did.

The setting was interesting with cabins on a lake in Vermont. The kind of place where families pass down their cabins from generation to generation and their children grown up together developing life long friendships.
That’s the case with Julia, David, and Erika. However this year, something is different, David has replaced his classic cabin with a large, window filled, modern home that blocks his friend’s lake view. He also brings a new young girlfriend. Everything is different.

When someone ends up missing, all sorts of secrets are revealed.

Too many unlikable characters, too much tossed in to keep this from having a higher rating from me.

I loved this can't put downable book! It had believable characters, great pacing, a solid plot, and skilled writing. I was delighted to have been guessing right up to the very end. I will definitely be reading more by Jamie Day in the future!

Three friends reunite at the lakehouses their parents built when they were kids. Their friendship has lasted their whole lives, but they each harbor secrets. The lake is a source of mystery as every thirty years a young woman disappears. This is the 60th summer since the first disappearance and everyone is on edge due to some bones recovered at a nearby property.

This book kept me so engaged. I loved the discoveries made by the characters throughout the book. Everyone had a secret or mystery in their life and the unusual behaviors this summer helped solve all the disappearances. I love when a book closes all storylines. This book did such a good job of including satisfying resolutions.

Three friends gather at their lake houses every year as they have since they were kids. This year, Julia is annoyed to see that David has rebuilt his house and added a three story glass monstrosity that now impedes her view and the view of their other friend, Erika.

David arrives with his new girlfriend, Fiona, and new nanny, Izzy. Izzy has her own agenda for being the nanny - the chance to look into the disappearance of two women 30 years apart that happened at the lake. Then, Fiona disappears and everyone searches for her while wondering if the 30 year curse has happened again.

Great mystery that has a lot of twists and turns! Izzy makes a perfect main character because you do root for her as she deals with three friends that all have secrets and lies they tell each other.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(I received this ARC from NetGalley. This is my unbiased review)

The Lake Escape focuses on a trio of friends that grew up together spending time on the lake every summer with their families. Despite the ups and downs of life Julia, David, and Erika keep in contact and always manage to make it to the lake house in Vermont. This year though poses a change when Julia discovers that David has torn down his family's old lake house and resurrected a concrete and glass monster of a residence. Julia is furious with the changes and is shocked when Erika and her own husband seem indifferent to this change.

However, a fancy renovation is the least of Julia's problems as the summer goes on. Especially when the lake claims another victim and one of their own, David's new girlfriend to be exact, ends up missing. All three families and visitors to the lake escape have secrets even the new nanny. As the story continues it isn't just a murder to be solved but betrayal and secret connections that leave the entire group shocked.

Betrayal and secrets are the fabric of the Lake Escape as almost every single character in this story seems to have some secret they are hiding. The vicious lore around the lake begins to build and keep a tight noose around the families as they search to find out what happened to Fiona and more so what happened in the past. While the story didn't go in the direction I had expected it did hold my interest. It was not by any means a clean resolution but the story helped more plot twists then expected and I can appreciate that. If anything it was an enjoyable summer read. Until next time, happy reading!

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day follows three childhood friends, David, Erika, and Julia, who vacationed together at a lake growing up. They still continue to return to the lake each summer as adults. In the past there have been 2 young women who went missing from the lake exactly 30 years apart. Now David has brought a woman to his new lake house and she has gone missing, again 30 years after the last girl.
I didn’t find any of the characters particularly interesting. There is too much drama amongst them all and too many issues; alcoholism, infidelity, and teen pregnancy. The nanny has her own issues and reasons for being there so the story really goes back in forth between the 4 of them. It’s somewhat difficult to tell who is where and what is happening especially with the chapters alternating between them all.

Mysterious, exciting and suspenseful. Izzykeeps you on your toes and turning pages to see what the next plot twist is.