Jamie Day's thrillers are always enjoyable. They aren't anything groundbreaking if you read a lot of thrillers, but they are still good beach reads, or even better cabin reads. I like these as a quick read between heavier fantasies.

The Lake Escape was definitely slow in the beginning. I did not for the most part find the characters that likeable. Julia was whiney, Erika was awfully aloof for a lawyer whose view had been eclipsed by David's house. David was arrogant and obnoxious. Christian just made one bad decision after another. The pace picked up when a third woman went missing. Then there were lots of plot twists, deceit and new revelations. I liked the way it all wrapped up in the end.

Another great novel by Jamie Day. Julia, Erika, and David have been vacationing at Lake Timmeny in Vermont their whole lives. The childhood friends have maintained this summer meetup into adulthood with each of their loved ones in tow. But the lake resort holds some dark secrets from the past with two women disappearing 30 years apart, never to be seen again. Now, 30 years since the last woman vanished, David’s girlfriend Fiona is suddenly missing. Tensions are high, and the three friends find themselves doubting and suspicious of one other. Is her disappearance somehow connected to the two others? As the search for Fiona gets underway, the friends and even some of their family members seem to be harboring secrets. Is this lore of the lake coming true again? This was an entertaining and fast read for me. I gave this novel 4 stars!

The Lake Escape contains an ambitious effort to weave a narrative with multiple storylines. The story sometimes suggests the author is attempting to throw off the reader with red herrings more than compose a unified narrative that keeps the reader hooked. Her previous work was engaging and enjoyable to read, but this piece tries too hard to thrill and surprise. This also creates some plot holes where narrative threads are not pursued until the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars for this book. It was a quick read and had me guessing along the way. Where it fell short was in the character aspect. I didn’t get that connection with any of the main characters that would have made me up my rating. I couldn’t get enough of her book The Block party and find myself comparing the books. Overall The Lake Escape was a good quick thriller read and I look forward to more books by Jaime Day. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Jamie Day’s The Lake Escape is a captivating summer thriller that masterfully blends nostalgia, suspense, and a touch of the sinister. Set against the backdrop of a serene Vermont lake with a haunting past, the story follows Julia, Erika, and David—longtime friends who return to their lakeside homes each summer. But this year, their idyllic retreat takes a dark turn when David’s much-younger girlfriend vanishes without a trace. As suspicions mount and buried secrets begin to surface, the tranquil setting transforms into a breeding ground for danger, leaving no one safe from the shadows of the past.

What makes this novel truly stand out is Day’s skillful use of multiple perspectives. By shifting between characters, the story unfolds like a puzzle, with each piece adding depth to the suspense and shedding light on the complex relationships and hidden motives at play. The gradual buildup of tension is incredibly rewarding, culminating in a second half packed with jaw-dropping twists that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.

That said, the large cast of characters can feel a bit overwhelming at times, making it harder to connect deeply with some of them. A few relationships and backstories could have been fleshed out more to amplify the emotional stakes. Still, these minor flaws don’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the book. The Lake Escape is a slow-burning mystery that delivers plenty of intrigue, deception, and eerie atmosphere, making it a perfect pick for fans of the genre.

While I initially leaned toward a 3.5-star rating, I’m rounding up to 4 stars for the book’s expertly crafted suspense and immersive setting. If you’re searching for a summer read that’s equal parts thrilling and atmospheric, The Lake Escape should definitely be on your list.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with the chance to read and review this gripping novel!

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*The Lake Escape* by Jamie Day is a captivating thriller that explores the consequences of bad behavior and the secrets that can haunt us. The story centers on three friends, each hiding a deeply buried secret, and reveals how these secrets come to light, changing their lives forever—some in ways that may be beyond repair.

What I loved most about this book was how Day skillfully unveiled the answers piece by piece, keeping the suspense high until the very last page. The complexity of each character’s secret added layers of depth, and I found myself having "ah-ha" moments alongside the characters as their pasts unraveled.

This fast-paced thriller not only kept me on the edge of my seat, but it also had me reflecting on how I would react if I were in their shoes. *The Lake Escape* is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a tightly woven mystery with complex characters and unexpected twists.

This book started out a bit slow but then rapidly picked up. The multiple characters were easy to follow and the plot was intriguing. I appreciated all of the twists and turns and the ending wrapped up nicely for me. Another easy read from Jamie Day!

Jamie Day is back with another outstanding story. Julia, David and Erika grew up spending summers at a lake since they were children. They remain friends as adults, first bringing spouses, then children to the lake. However, this years trip is marred by the disappearance of David’s new girlfriend. Is she another victim of the lake, which has taken 2 other women, one every thirty years or did David do something unforgiveable? Tensions are running high, Julia is upset with her husband over their finances, David has built a brand-new enormous glass house, Erika is trying to keep the peace between her husband and son and watching it all is the new nanny for David’s kids. What does she know and what is she hiding? Is she the only one hiding secrets?

I love the way the author builds on each chapter, each chapter has a different narrator and a different perspective of the ongoing dilemma. It folds in a delightful way, just enough per chapter that makes the reader want to continue to find the next clue. Awesome read, don’t miss this one!

This book made me want to take a lake house vacation and also avoid lake houses for the rest of my life!

If you loved A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, you’ll love this book. It had such amazing character development and I had a complicated relationship with every single one of them. The twist at the ending caught me so off guard and it had a close to every character’s individual stories. I cannot get enough of Jamie Day’s books. May need to reread this during the summertime when it comes out!

Everyone needs to read this on a vacation 🫣

This thriller was GOOD! Fast paced and kept me guessing!
Lifelong friends Julia, David and Erika along with their families visit the lake yearly. This year Julia is livid when they arrive to see David has added an addition to his lake house that is blocking her view.
Told from the perspectives of Julia and Izzy (David’s nanny). Izzy is forthcoming that she has ulterior motive for nannying and begins looking into 2 women that disappeared 30 years apart. And then David’s girlfriend Fiona goes missing……
The depth of the plot was enjoyable and the dark storyline kept my attention. Old secrets come to light with a good dose of drama.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Lake Escape” takes a while to get into. Many of the major characters are not particularly likable. The reader doesn’t necessarily wish them harm but if some misfortune was to befall them, it would not be amiss.

It is not until later in the book when secrets start to be uncovered and connections between certain characters and past events are revealed that the story really becomes good. The last half of the story is full of twists and turns; even when it seems like you know what happened, new twists are introduced. The book ends up being much better than expected.

This was an ARC from NetGalley. This book was a lot in all the worst ways. I was not invested in the characters or the story as a whole. None of the characters have any redeeming traits, and continue to ignore all the red flags. The story is based on duel timelines, but we didn't get any duel timelines. The author went above and beyond to make the "bad guy" known from the start and have zero redeeming qualities. The second half of the story was just a whirlwind of the most ridiculous "twists". It wasn't even enjoyable. A lot of things were just pulled out of thin air, and had nothing to do with the rest of the story. This one really missed the mark. #netgalley #thelakeescape #30yearsago #thelakealwaystakesthem #mystery

Julia, David and Erica return for their summer getaway on the lake at Lake Timmeny. They’ve grown up together and this is a family tradition that’s continued into adulthood. Two women have gone missing from the lake in years prior and David’s girlfriend now is nowhere to be found.

This was a great thriller! I remain impressed by Jamie Day’s writing. There are some twists for sure but the meat of the story is built on uncovering the lake Lore and finding out what happened to these missing women. Was definitely kept intrigued throughout!

I have read other books by this author, one I enjoyed and one not. I thought I would give another shot. I did not like this one. It was so slow to start nothing happens until 30%, where it somewhat starts to get interesting. There was little to no character building or development, I did not connect to any of them and didn't care what happened to them. The ending was a little ridiculous and just did not fit for me.. this was definitely not a hit.

Thank you so much st martins press and NetGalley for this gifted copy. I will be honest this thriller was just okay for me. It was predictable and easy to figure out

Day writes thrilling stories. The latest is no exception. The lake and waterfront setting is perfect for the action that unfolds as quickly as the secrets do! I enjoyed this one. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Lake Escape was a combination of murder mystery and summer beach read. A group of lifelong friends (now adults with their own families) who spend their summers at their lake houses meet up for another summer together, and on the first night, someone goes missing. This is not the first time a girl/woman has gone missing at this particular lake - Fiona is actually the third. All of the disappearances have happened on the same date exactly 30 years apart, so the story is told in three timelines. While I found this concept to be very intriguing, in execution, I think it may have been a bit far-fetched, particularly when it came to the details. I also found that despite the suspense and mystery to solve, the novel did not necessarily have me dying to read to find out what happened. In retrospect, I feel that there were perhaps too many characters that were not developed well enough for me to feel invested in them and the storyline.

Loved the character build up and the intertwined stories. It got a little confusing at the end with the mafia ties and multiple added characters all at once. The whodunnit was enticing while reading…definitely didn’t see the big twist. I enjoyed the true crime podcast additions to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for trusting me with an ARC of The Lake Escape by Jamie Day. This book is about three longtime friends, David, Julia and Erika, who have vacationed together at their lake houses each summer since childhood. The three families gather again for their two week vacation. David brings along his new nanny, Izzy, and his girlfriend, Fiona. Izzy has other motives for working for David. It does not take long for things to unravel with this group. Fiona mysteriously disappears on the anniversary of two other disappearances many years ago and David is a suspect. Julia has a lot of financial difficulties resulting in her husband falling off the "wagon". There is something going on between Julia and Erika two children. Each main character and their families have their share of current and past drama and begs the question of just how well do any of us know our closest friends. Overall, while the ending was a bit of a letdown, it was another solid book by Jamie Day and look forward to more.

In the meantime, keep turning those pages....