Julia, David, and Erika grew up spending summers at their families' lake houses at a lake in Vermont. Now adults with families of their own, the three friends still keep up the summer tradition of spending two weeks together every summer. When Julia arrives at the lake for the latest adventure, she is dismayed to see that David has upgraded his house. Rather than the same small houses that have always been there, David has renovated his house into a multi-story, glass monstrosity. Not only does it stand out painfully and not fit in with the rest of the houses, it blocks the lake views from the other houses. Since David's new house is made mostly of glass, everyone else can look in and see what's going on at his place. When he arrives, Julia lets her feelings of anger and dismay be known, but she's surprised that Erika is calmly accepting of the situation. Erika's teenage son and Julia's teen daughter have an odd relationship going on, while David has brought a new nanny, Izzy, to look after his 5-year-old twins while he lavishes attention on his new girlfriend Fiona. That is the setup for the story that then goes off into many tangents. Thirty years apart, two girls have gone missing from the area. Soon another woman is missing. Is it the same killer back again? Everyone has secrets that will be exposed as the hunt for the elusive killer or killers gets underway.

I thought the book was trying to do too much and going off in strange directions. It was as if everything was thrown in there: grooming, revenge porn, "the mob," the FBI, improbable coincidences, teen pregnancy, mysterious disappearances, podcasting, financial crimes, etc. One of the explanations for a death was ridiculous and another not well explained. I kept expecting aliens to put in an appearance! I suppose the loose ends were mostly tied up by the end of the book, but there were just too many outlandish things happening at every turn.

A summertime gathering of girlfriends at a lake house goes tragically awry, when one of the women goes missing. Secrets from the past surface, old resentments rear, their ugly heads and readers are left wondering whether this woman’s disappearance is linked to the disappearance of other women in the area. A fun and suspenseful read.

Definitely a book that is so intriguing all the way through. So much going on abd it's outlined perfectly in the story was a perfect read for a rainy weekend day.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

This was an overall enjoyable read by Jamie Day. The basic premise is that a group of longtime friends gather at their lake houses for a vacation. While on vacation, one of the women vanishes and more and more secrets start coming to light and everyone starts to question whether the missing woman is linked to two other women that had gone missing in the past.

This is the second novel I've read by Jamie Day and once again, it was a winner! I like the two narrator perspective and seeing the way the story unfolded. (I also loved the relationship that blossomed between Izzy and the kiddos!) I think it was enough to keep you guessing for sure but I will say, the end was a biiiiiiiiit of a stretch for me.

My main criticism is that there was a large cast of characters. It was a bit difficult to keep things straight in the beginning and having so many people involved in the main storyline makes it harder to get attached to the characters, in my opinion. Overall though, while it may not be the "twisty-est" thriller that I've ever read, it was good enough that I finished it in one day!

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy!
I enjoyed Jamie Days first book , so I was looking forward to this one.
But this one was just ok for me - each person had a secret, even though they all were life long friends. Too many entanglements for me .
And I didn’t really enjoy the wa6 th8ngs wrapped up.
2.5 - 3 stars

I literally stayed up until 3am to finish reading this, I absolutely loved it!! Jamie Day really knows how to write suspense and I love how in depth the characters were, I truly connected to all of them. 5 stars, I can't wait until whatever Day comes out with next!!

A great summer beach read. I loved this book! The characters were all flawed and so secretive and there was a lot of drama. I loved the setting on the lake and history there. This was a fast read because you wanted to find out what happened. This is a great mystery/drama book I recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this ebook in advance!
The Lake Escape by Jamie Day will be released on Jul 15th and it's your perfect popcorn mystery to bring with you on holiday! Every summer, Julia, David, and Erika return to Lake Timmeny, a beautiful Vermont getaway haunted by a chilling legend of women vanishing without a trace.
When David's girlfriend disappears during their trip, the lake's dark past resurfaces, unraveling buried secrets and lies among the friends. It was super fun and fast paced, I enjoyed it!

First, thank you to NetGalley, author Jamie Day and St Martin’s press for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

Sadly, I don’t have much to say about it. I felt it just lacked in everything. Characters were boring, the storyline seemed to drag on and on and the ending just fell short.

I gave it 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ but really even that is being generous as it just didn’t hold my attention or have any real ‘thrill’ to it.

Jamie Day is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The latest work, The Lake Escape was a page turner.

The Lake Escape is a gripping thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. It’s a well-crafted mix of psychological suspense and mystery, with strong character development. Fans of atmospheric thrillers and slow-burn mysteries will enjoy this book. I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a tense, high-stakes story about friendship, secrets, and the lingering effects of the past.

Jamie Day’s The Lake Escape is an exciting mix of mystery, family drama, and a beautiful lakeside setting that pulls you in right away. The peaceful but slightly creepy vibe of the lake is the perfect backdrop for the story’s secrets and surprises. Day does a great job of making the setting feel alive and important to the plot.

One of the best parts of the book is how it tells the story from the perspective of two generations. Seeing how the past and present connect adds depth to the story and makes it even more interesting. It’s fascinating to watch how the choices and secrets of one generation affect the next, which kept me hooked until the end.

Even though I figured out who the suspects were early on, the way the story unfolded still made it really enjoyable. The pacing is just right, and the journey to the ending is as fun as the conclusion itself. The plot is simple enough to follow but gripping enough to keep you turning the pages.

This book does a great job of mixing suspense, emotional moments, and easy-to-read writing.

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day is everything you’d want in a summer suspense! It’s mysterious, twisty, and impossible to put down. I anticipate her books every summer and this one might just be my favorite yet! Julia, David, and Erika are all messy, flawed, and hiding secrets that kept me constantly guessing. And when David’s girlfriend vanishes, the tension skyrockets. I loved how the mystery slowly unraveled, revealing a tangled web of lies and betrayals that stretched across generations. The eerie atmosphere, the drama between the friends, and the feeling that danger was always just around the corner kept me glued to the pages. If you’re into suspenseful reads with a side of juicy secrets this book is for you!

Julie and Christen look forward to their annual getaway with best friends David and Erika—until they arrive to find David’s new lake house blocking their beloved view. Tensions rise further with the introduction of David’s new nanny, Izzy, and his recent girlfriend, Fiona. When Fiona suddenly disappears, dark secrets unravel. One secret is that Izzy took the nanny job to investigate the discovery of her aunt’s bones nearby. As the mystery deepens, the two women’s fates intertwine. Is Fiona dead, and what really happened to Izzy’s aunt?

Throughly enjoyed it even though I caught on to who did it half way. Pleased with the ending. Thank you netgalley for letting me read this ARC

A good thriller. I would say that the last 20% felt a little over the top and unbelievable, but I did enjoy it nonetheless.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

i read this in one day without even realizing it. Jamie Day has been on my TBR for a while now and im so glad i was able to read the newest book.
i love the lake atmosphere, and the relationship of the characters.
Maybe a little predictable but still worth the read if you want something quick and fun!.

The Lake Escape is a killer thriller and mystery novel, but unfortunately falls short due to uninteresting characters, an obvious motive and killer that’s far too easy to figure out.

Childhood friends return to Lake Timmeny for their annual retreat, but when Fiona, David’s new girlfriend goes missing, their hopes at a easy going escape disappear and instead turn into chaos.

The set up was for the first ~100 or so pages, or roughly ~30% of the book. I wasn’t attached to any of the characters. Nothing grabbed my attention, or truly made me want to keep reading. Julie, who feels entitled to a lake view, and is suspicious of her husband’s financials. Izzy, the sophomore college student who lied about her nanny credentials. David, who came into new money and has his girlfriend, Fiona mysteriously disappear the night after an argument. Erika and her husband were forgettable. Even more suspiciously so, the night before – Fiona and Lucas (Erika’s 18 year old son) were found kissing. Fiona is also in her 30’s! Ew. It felt unnecessary to include that, especially as it did nothing to push the plot forward.

Christian especially irked me from the beginning. While Julie herself was no saint either, he had an affair previously, blew all of their money, and she can somehow STILL forgive him? Girl, please. I’m big on the “if he wanted to, he would.” He’s definitely not giving that vibe. Case in point:

“I changed all the passwords as a precaution. It’s not big deal. Please, just get some sleep, or at least let me sleep. You’re worrying too much.”

Honestly, Izzy’s involvement was predictable. Julie mostly served as a narrator for her growing suspicions of those around her. There were some minor “plot points” that were quickly forgotten and shoved to the side as well.

I’m typically a sucker for thrillers, but I don’t care for stilted, awkward conversations. Plus, to make it worse – Day kept trying to stack up the “oohs” and “ahhs” with incredulous reveal after reveal that made NO sense, nor was it even briefly mentioned previously, but was instead brought up out of nowhere.

When the big mystery of who the killer was is revealed, I wasn’t surprised. They weren’t given much dialogue or any actions until the way end of the book. My suggestion for future books would be to include the suspicious characters more often. The less you talk about them, the more (I, as a reader!) am thinking that they’re the killer.

Then, the last ~10% or so was absolutely ridiculous. The MOB?? Come on. That’s just an easy out at that point, a last-ditch effort to make things more “thrilling.” I didn’t care for this at all and I’m quite surprised at all the positive reviews surrounding it.

Overall, not something that I’d be happy to recommend to anyone.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. *