Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three friends return to the lake that they've all grown up together on for their yearly summer retreat. But, after the first night, there's a disappearance and it seems like the lake has taken another woman just like thirty years ago and thirty years before that. Is the lake taking what it wants, or is there something more sinister happening?

This was a good mystery, but it fell a little short for me in that it was really wordy and overly descriptive in a lot of places. But, I liked the mystery and the character dynamics. I definitely never would have guessed the ending!

THE LAKE ESCAPE did a good job ratcheting up the story, starting slow by introducing some background and the relevant relationships. The transition into the core mystery was well done and sufficiently intriguing; however, it took way too long and too many twists and turns to get to the climax.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review THE LAKE ESCAPE.

The lake escape was an average thriller. I didn't like most of the characters, except for Julia, Izzy, Taylor, Lucas and, of course, nutmeg. I thought the book should have ended sooner than it did, as the last 15% was not necessary. still, I enjoyed the book

This book kicks off with a body in the lake and doesn’t stop!

This is a perfect read for summer. This story is full of lies and betrayal and secrets and oh so much drama. Three friends who return to Lake Timmery for a summer trip…and the first night someone disappears….

I really liked the use of dual POVs in this story - yes there are a lot of characters but I found it very easy to follow.

No spoilers here - is the ending a little wild and dramatic? Yeah it is - and that’s why I think this would make a great #beachread

I had high hopes for this one since I loved The Block Party, but this fell a bit flat for me. I wanted to feel more on edge and more in suspense. I wanted to feel tense and invested in the outcome, but unfortunately, this ending is forgettable.

Jamie Day's newest novel, "The Lake Escape," is another solid summer thriller that tells a story about old friends, deep-rooted secrets, and a vacation that takes a dark turn.

The story follows Julia, David, and Erika, who have spent summers together at the same Vermont lake since they were kids. Now they are adults dealing with stressed marriages, grumpy teenagers, and personal baggage. They reunite for what’s supposed to be a relaxing week at the lake, but when David shows up with a much-younger girlfriend, a mysterious nanny, and a house renovation that blocks his friends’ lake view, the tension quickly escalates. When David's girlfriend goes missing, the group begins to question everything they thought they knew about each other. That's when the past creeps in because two other women disappeared from the same lake area years earlier.

This book is full of suspense and drama, and it’s fast-paced without feeling rushed. The characters all feel believable and the mystery keeps readers guessing all the way through. Readers who enjoy stories involving friendships, family drama, and old secrets, should definitely add this one to their summer reading list.

Summer is in full swing, and no summer day is complete without spending some time by your favorite body of water and reading a good book. Oceans, rivers, lakes, pools—whatever you choose, there's nothing better than a peaceful setting where the only thing you have to do is turn the next page. Jaime Day has built a career writing domestic thrillers that blend humor and relatability with darker twists and turns. It's a formula that has already supported two books and is also the foundation of his newest novel, The Lake Escape. After having enjoyed the over-the-top approach to their last book, One Big Happy Family, I happily accepted a copy of this latest from the publisher.

Every summer, Julia, David, and Erika return to their Vermont lake homes. It was once the backdrop of sun-soaked childhood memories, but now it’s a place of aging bodies, restless teenagers, and marriages stuck on autopilot. This year, things feel different. David shows up with a much-younger girlfriend, a perfectly polished nanny, and a smug attitude about his newly renovated lake house—a house that now blocks the lake view his friends once cherished. And then the girlfriend vanishes. At first, there are only whispers of suspicion, but it’s not long before paranoia sets in. The lake already has a shadowed past—two young women went missing there three decades ago—and the weight of those unresolved tragedies lingers just below the surface. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, Julia and Erika are forced to question how well they ever knew David... or each other.

The Lake Escape is another twisty, sun-drenched thriller from Jaime Day, filled with juicy drama, tangled secrets, and a rotating cast of unreliable characters. Like their previous book, it doesn't aim for subtlety or deep character exploration. Instead, it leans hard into thriller tropes and soapy reveals. And honestly? That’s part of the fun. It’s the kind of book you fly through in a couple of sittings, pulled along by the suspense, the messiness, and the summer setting. It may not linger long after you’ve finished, but while you’re in it, it delivers exactly what you came for. It's a fast, fun escape.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for the exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love Jamie Day's writing. I eat up all of her books and this book was no different.

The book follows Izzy, a young nanny for single father David, as she takes care of twins at a lakefront house. But is Izzy really a nanny or is she their for another reason? The book also weaves in Julia, the neighbor to David on the lake who is dealing with her own mid-life struggles.

David's girlfriend goes missing and you quickly realize that this isn't the first woman to go missing at the lake. As pasts collide, the lifelong lake friends are left with secrets exposed and friendships tested.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Day, and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. I absolutely loved this one! Jamie Day masterfully crafts a gripping whodunit that keeps you second-guessing every character. The story was compelling, filled with twists and turns that kept me hooked from start to finish. A truly captivating read!

I absolutely loved Block Party by this author, so was so excited for her new release. This one took me a while to get into--I'm not sure if it was slow at the beginning or if it was just because I could only read a few minutes at a time. But the last 30% of it FLEW. So much happened in that part and so many twists and turns.

Thanks so much for the copy of this book!

I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Lake Escape by Jamie Day, and it was a compelling and twist-filled read. The story centers around two murders that are 30 years apart, with the anniversary of the original crime approaching just as a new disappearance rocks the community. After a heated argument, a girlfriend goes missing—and what unfolds from there is a brilliant unraveling of secrets and lies.

Jamie Day delivers once again with a cast of complex, layered characters, each hiding something beneath the surface. Some you’ll root for, others you’ll love to hate, but all are essential to the slow-burn tension that builds throughout the book. I especially enjoyed the dual narration, which added depth and perspective as the story shifted between characters.

This was a quick, immersive read with excellent pacing and sharp writing. If you enjoy mysteries packed with secrets, emotional twists, and compelling character dynamics, The Lake Escape should be on your list.

Overall I enjoyed the storyline but really disliked the characters, they were very unlikable. Also the ending wasn’t my cup of tea, to much thrown in, in the last 15%.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review!

I love Jamie Day books and I think The Lake Escape is her best one yet! This is the perfect summer read set at a Vermont lake with a questionable past. The summer residents are in for more than just a relaxing lake vacation, this twisty thriller kept me guessing the entire book. Jamie Day does an excellent job of weaving all her characters together for an outcome you just cant predict. This book is told thru multiple points of view which truly adds to the dimension of the story. Her characters are relatable and I could truly picture all three families sitting around the campfire. The lake has not always been the relaxing vacation spot it seems two women have gone missing from this lake 30 years apart. The mystery remains all these years later and the lore is the lake takes them, but is it the lake... or something else.

This story is told from dual perspectives - Julia, who’s family has owned their lakefront property for years, and Izzy, who has an ulterior motive for taking a last minute nanny job to be able to spend time at the lake. Tensions rise between three lifelong friends (Julia, David and Erika) when they arrive at the lake only to find that David has built a monstrosity of a house on his family’s property that now obstructed the lake view of Julia’s and Erika’s homes. Things have barely begun to settle down when David’s young girlfriend suddenly goes missing after they’ve had a loud argument. The disappearance brings up old memories and stories of two other young women who went missing years apart. Suspicion, secrets and accusations began to erode friendships amid the search for the truth of what happened in all three of the disappearances. Everyone in this small group has secrets. Each new twist uncovers more of the story capturing your interest and keeping you engaged until the end.

Rich people are vacationing at their respective lake houses: three family units, the nanny, the dog, the girlfriend, going to houses that have been in their families since they were young. To the lake where, sixty years ago, a young woman disappeared. To the lake where, thirty years ago, another young woman disappeared. Fast forward thirty years...are we in for another disappearance? Everybody, I mean EVERYBODY, is hiding something. Well, maybe not the dog.

Twists and turns galore in Jamie Day's The Lake Escape. This one will keep you guessing til the end, and then some.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 7/15/2025)

I really enjoyed this book! I haven’t had a chance to read The Block Party or One Big Happy Family yet but I’m excited to now! This book has me theorizing early on, and I definitely yelled WHAT a few times, I fell into all the tricks of the twists and did not guess any of them really. I really enjoyed Izzy’s determination to her mission, I don’t want to spoil anything so I want say anything else but, it was satisfying! Julia was also really inspiring with her compassion and rationality! I thought the characters were very relatable and realistic in their actions. Some of the twists were a little out of left field which is why I didn’t guess them! You definitely have to suspend reality just a little bit for the end of this one but not too bad! If you’re looking for a medium then fast paced thriller this is definitely one I would recommend!

One week at the lake with three friends should be relaxing, right? Except three women have gone missing each 30 years apart, and everybody’s pointing fingers at each other. Is it the lake that takes them or is there something worse going on? I will say this book was a great little summer thriller. There were times when it felt a little jumbled to me and that’s I think why I gave it three stars. It’s more like 3 1/2 stars. It’s still a great read. It’s just at times there were so many characters coming into play that it took a second For my brain to catch up.

I know it’s labeled as a thriller, but honestly I was less than thrilled with The Lake Escape. Jamie Day’s newest novel is set at a small lake in Vermont that 3 families have been coming to for generations. Over the years, women have gone missing, never to be found. Now another women has gone missing and everyone is on edge and hiding something.

I enjoyed the setting but unfortunately, none of the characters grabbed me. The story was slow to develop and just didn’t hold my interest. By the time the story started to come together, I had lost interest. There were twists at the end but I was kind of over it by then.

This is a fast-paced story about intertwining disappearances, each taking place thirty years apart. I like how this book shifts perspectives between two characters, allowing you to get a better picture of the whole story. While I did not find any of the twists in this story to be very shocking, they still kept the story entertaining. This is the perfect fast-paced summer thriller that you can read very quickly.

What a ride! This book was full of twists and turns. It was a great pace and I didn't see the end coming. Thank you for opportunity to read this arc.