Reading in Between the Wines book review #71/125 for 2025:
Rating: 4🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Lake Escape
Author: Jamie Day
Available now!!

Sipping thoughts: Jamie is good for creating a great summer book that revolves around family, friendships, and lies. This one fits the mold, but it gave an extra element that I was not expecting. I enjoyed the mystery of the missing women and the additional vanished woman. I thought I had it figured out, but I was so off base and was pleasantly surprised.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @StMartinsPress for an advanced copy of @TheLakeEscape.

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Julia looks forward to her two weeks at her family's lakeside house in rural Vermont with her husband and their teen-aged daughter every summer, but this year when she arrives she discovers that her neighbor and longtime friend, David, has renovated his cabin into a glass monstrosity that sits between Julia's cottage and the lake. David's claim that she can still see the lake, through his house, doesn't sit well with Julia, and she is surprised when their other long-time friend and neighbor, Erika, dosen't seem to mind, settling in to the usual routine with her husband and their teen-aged son. David is at the lake with his 5-year-old twins, his much-younger girlfriend, and a new nanny. Izzie, the nanny is a wanna-be podcaster looking to do a story on the disappearance of two young women from the neighborhood exactly thirty years apart. Not only that, it is now the 30th anniversary of the most recent disappearance and, "right on schedule", another young woman goes missing. Everyone at the lake seems to be keeping a secret, but is any of them a killer? The story is mostly told from Julia and Izzy's perspectives, one providing insight into the history and long-standing relationships between the families, the other providing an interested outsider's perspective. For me some of the plot seemed a bit "disconnected", but overall I enjoyed the story and the twists.

The Lake Escape was a novel filled with mystery, twists and turns that all centered around a place of childhood nostalgia and secrets. The story drew me in from the beginning but, the ending was not exactly what I expected. It seemed like there was a lot added that made it hard to believe.

Thank you Net Galley, Jamie Day and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Love the premise of missing people, of course and maybe murder? I always love multiple POVs, you get more information that way. This is a decent mystery. It became slow in parts, and I didn't feel the characters developed too good.

The Lake Escape is a thriller/mystery that is packed with secrets, lies, and betrayals. It opens with 3 adults returning to their family lake homes like they have done since they were children. Except David has torn down his old home and built a new monstrosity of a home that completely blocks Julia and Erika’s views. This is really odd to Julia that David would not have mentioned that to her. Then there is David’s new nanny who actually has no experience being a nanny and had her friend lie so she could get this position. There is also David’s new young girlfriend who shows up until she vanishes after a fight with David. Not to mention the issues going on in Julia and Erika’s lives. So all of this drama kept me reading wanting to know what happens and how this relates to two previous disappearances at the lake. This book skillfully shifts between points of view, which helped build up the suspense of the book. Like Jamie’s other books, it has a lot of depth and detail that in turn made a really great summer read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Jamie Day, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Lake Escape was a stellar suspense novel. A group of friends goes to the same lake every summer for decades, the same lake that has a history of women going missing. This book shares the POV of two characters Julia and Izzy, the novel is very easy to follow even with the multiple point of views and extensive cast list. The twist of the ending is unexpected, even though an obvious conclusion is expected from previous chapters. Overall, it was a nice summer read.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of The Lake Escape—a new release that pulled me in when I finally had time to sit down with it.

I’m not fully out of my reading slump, but once I hit the halfway mark, I flew through the rest. The slow start was less about the book and more about life getting in the way. When I could focus, I remembered why I enjoyed Jamie Day’s writing so much.

I loved One Big Happy Family and had high hopes for this one. While I didn’t love it quite as much, it still delivered on what Jamie Day does best—twisty plots, messy friendships, and a whole lot of secrets. At one point it felt like a lot was happening all at once and I did lose track of things a bit, but it came back together in a way that worked for me.

Julia was just as fiery as I expected, and I knew Izzy had more going on than just an interest in lake lore. The ending and epilogue were super satisfying, with the epilogue itself being so uniquely done.

All in all, a solid summer thriller with layered characters and drama that kept me turning the pages once I found my groove.

A perfect mash-up for summer reading! David, Julia and Erika met as children while staying at the summer lake houses of their parents. As adults, they continued to gather for two weeks each summer for fun times and relaxing by the lake.

Sounds great, except for the problems that seem to sometimes come up in adulthood. Money, alcoholism, divorce and a slew of other problems can certainly interfere with healthy relationships.

This summer is one of those times that all these pesky problems really get in the way of their good time. The lake has a history of women disappearing and two of those cases were similar, yet 30 years apart. Recently a developer discovered the bones of a woman near their lake houses.

Almost as soon as they arrive, one of the guests disappears. From that moment on, the vibe of the vacation becomes tense and suspicions run rampant. I loved trying to figure out all the mysteries of the lake and the guests. This was a very satisfying summer read.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press or allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review. I’m pleased to recommend this to other readers who enjoy summer mysteries.

Thank you to Netgalley for this E-ARC.

I wish I DNF:ed this book.
This book took me so long to finish. Everything was a little all over the place. The constant instagram quotes and pictures thing was very confusing. I feel like there was just so much going on that did not need to happen. There’s so many unnecessary things going on that really have absolutely no need to be in the book.

4 stars

Three lifelong friends return to the lake where they spent many happy summers together in their neighbouring lake houses in idyllic Vermont. This year they've come back again with families in tow, but something is amiss. There's layers of unspoken awkwardness at play and it all gets progressively more uncomfortable until one of their group disappears in the early hours of the morning. Is it foul play? Or is the local legend about girls being "taken" by the lake actually a terrifying reality?

I thought this was going to be a fairly straightforward mystery thriller, but I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I love it when a good story can still surprise me. The writing was easy to follow and pacing was excellent; as information became more available as the plot progressed I remember actually gasping out loud a couple times. This is definitely a great summer/beach read, but maybe steer yourself clear of vacation lake houses just to be safe? ;)

Thanks to NetGalley, author Jamie Day, and St. Martin's Press for giving me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

Summers at the lake are something we all look forward to. Lake Timmeny is the summer vacation that Julia, Erika, and David have enjoyed their entire lives. Now, with their family lake homes passed down, these three friends enjoy 2 weeks every year bringing their own families to enjoy traditions. Unfortunately, this year's trip includes more than the relaxation they all bargained for.
Tragedy has occurred at Lake Timmeny in the form of a missing girl twice in the past 60 years, 30 years apart. Once again, 30 years have passed and I appears the lake has taken another woman. Recently, bones were discovered on a lot during excavation and may be the first step in solving one of the missing person crimes.
All looks fine from the outside, however, each of the 3 friends are dealing with their own secrets and hardships.
Izzy is a college student looking into a past crime at Lake Timmeny. To get there, she lies to get a job as a nanny for David's 5 year old twins. When David's girlfriend goes missing after the forat night, the group is unsure who to trust and how to move forward. Their past a secrets are intertwined, and Izzy may get more than she anticipated on this Lake Escape.

Julia, David and Erika grew up spending summers at their summer homes. As adults, they continue the tradition. There was tension, missing women and lots of secrets. The story moved a bit slow but was still enjoyable.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lake where women keep disappearing????

Add to CART, immediately.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this summer blockbuster.

WILL THIS BE THE BEST WEEK OF THEIR LIVES... OR THE LAST?

JULIA, DAVID, AND ERIKA grew up together spending summers at their idyllic Vermont lake homes for as long as they can remember. Now adults— with their own sullen teens, endless mortgages, and low-voltage sex lives— the three friends have amassed secrets over the years.
This summer, David is eager to show off his newly renovated home—which now blocks his friends’ cherished lake views—and his much-younger girlfriend. He also, unwittingly, brings a nanny with a hidden agenda. What could possibly go wrong?
When David’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes after a shouting match, Julia and Erika wonder just how well they know their lifelong friend. The lake harbors a harrowing past: two young women, with no known connection, vanished without a trace thirty years ago. Did the lake take another?
As a search is mounted, an intricate web of lies, deceits, and betrayals spanning generations starts to surface, and everyone finds themselves in danger of becoming the next victim. Of the lake, or something darker.
Really interesting read, loved it.

Lifelong friends—Julia, David, and Erika—spend several weeks together every summer at their lake homes in Vermont. This year, David is showcasing his newly renovated house, a younger girlfriend, and a nanny with a hidden agenda. When his girlfriend disappears after a fight, Julia and Erika begin to question everything, including what happened to the two women who vanished from the lake years earlier.

This was my third book by Jamie Day. I enjoyed this one just as much as the other two. I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives in this one. Day weaves the story together well. The secrets and memories slowly emerge over time. I enjoyed the setting of the lake as well as the cast of characters. If you enjoy summer-themed thrillers, this one is for you! I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Julia, Erika and David have spent practically all their summers at the lake since they were children. This summer they plan to do the same, along with their families. Julia has an unpleasant surprise when she arrives. She knew David was doing some renovations, but not a three-story glass home that blocked her view of the lake. David arrives with his children, girlfriend and nanny (with a hidden agenda) and can’t imagine why Julia is upset. Things are off to a rocky start. David’s girlfriend takes off after an argument and never returns. As the search begins, the friends remember that the lake has a history of young women disappearing 30 years apart. This summer marks thirty years since the last one. Everyone is on edge, everyone has secrets. This is what Jamie Day does best and I can’t wait for the next book!

Also reviewed on B&N and Kobo (IrishEyes430)

2 1/2 stars, rounded up. I SO want to love this book! I thoroughly enjoyed other books by this author (Block Party, One Big Happy Family) but this one didn't quite cut it for me. The first half was leading up to a good story, the mysteries surrounding all of the people involved was going somewhere (Julia, Christian, Erika, David, etcl) But then......whiny, entitled people, and an ending reminiscent of the keystone cops. Police, FBI, all converging on a crime scene. Really? Was all that necessary??? I look forward to future work by this author, and hopefully it will be better.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

Three families have owned lake houses for generations. The three adults grew up together every summer. Erika a high powered attorney, Julia in business with her husband, and David, he recently invested his money and made it big. He remodeled his lake house to a Mcmansion. There are secrets on the lake.

This book started out strong and had me guessing what was going to come to plan. The middle had me scratching my head trying to keep it all straight. The end left me perplexed and I had to take a few days to figure out what I just read. A twisty thriller.

Three childhood friends return to the lake each year. This year is the 60th and 30th anniversary of two mysterious, unsolved disappearances.
The mood at the lake this year is anything but relaxing. When someone goes missing again the police mobilize searches. The friends become suspicious of each other and the nanny puts together clues from the original cases that solve the mysteries..
With much more family dramas woven into the story the author kept me turns pages to find the truth.

The Lake Escape is a widely entertaining slow burn mystery with lots of drama. The longtime friendships were fun to delve into but overall I found the twists were just too unbelievable. Was a fun summer read though. Thank you for the arc.!