Fabulously twisty plot and every twist turns the story on its head! What should be a relaxing two week vacation at the lake quickly becomes anything but. Brilliantly written and highly recommended! I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to many more from this author. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

The Lake Escape was a story of how some of the longest friends you’ve had could still be strangers. Told of two different POVs: Julia a mother struggling with her teenage daughter and her crumbling, marriage and business who has grown up going to the lake every summer and Izzy, a young woman who goes to the lake under mysterious circumstances. There is tension and drama among the old friends who grew up going to the lake. The nostalgia of their childhood summers is not present in the current day. What really sets off the drama and starts the friends questioning each other is when one of the friends new girlfriend goes missing.
This is a hard book to rate. Well, I did enjoy trying to peace together the mystery I didn’t care for any of the characters. I also felt that most of the relationships were very superficial and didn’t feel like these people knew each other since childhood. Slightly predictable with a questionable ending making you wonder if justice was served.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for review purposes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, the characters were just the right mix of despicable and sympathetic, the story was captivating and the ending did not disappoint.

This was not my first Jamie Day novel and it will not be my last.

Not everyone has a perfect life…. But it seems the Lake Houses help keep everyone’s secrets until David builds his glass house and everyone can finally start to see the truths they have kept buried. The three families lives unravel as one teenager’s deception is uncovered as being someone she isn’t. But who can blame her when all the adults at the lake are withholding truths that will destroy everything

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with this one! The lake house setting really gave it a perfect summer thriller atmosphere. I also was surprised by quite a few of the twists. I didn't think that they were super far fetched like how some twists can be. I was also surprised by how everyone was connected in the book. I thought that the multiple point of views helped with the pacing of the storyline. This was well done, and a refreshing read for me after being disappointed by some other thrillers this year! I'm excited to read more from this author.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my free digital copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own
3
Two narrators, 3 crimes 30 years apart, and 3 families with ties to the scene of the crimes. Annual vacations spent at Lake Timmeny from childhood to adulthood; now with families of their own, Julia, David, and Erika continue the tradition with children, spouses, and others when the next woman goes missing.
Lizzie is the outsider to the group as the nanny brought along to watch David's twins. David also brings a hot new and young girlfriend. Lizzie isn't who she says she is and it's the reader's job to figure out what she's really up to.
Julia is having problems in her marriage and it's about to blow up during vacation.
Erika is acting all indifferent to the happenings but could that be a false impression.

One never really knows what's happening in someone else's home. That and how it all ties in with the mystery of Lake Timmeny is explored in this beach or lakeside thriller.

There are so many secrets and sub-secrets, I would have liked a little less to keep the focus on the history of the crime(s). I found that as every character (minus the young twins) had something they were hiding, it was distracting. Overall, though, entertaining for a summer read.

A solid suspenseful novel that kept my interest. Occasionally the characters weren’t quite believable but overall I enjoyed it. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

• The summer escape to their family homes on a Vermont lake should have been a relaxing vacation for Julia, Erica, and David, three old friends and their respective families. But, when bones are found buried nearby it brings back memories of the two young girls who went missing 60, and 30 years ago. When the girlfriend of David disappears everything changes. Told from multiple viewpoints you start learning a lot about the many characters involved and what happened 60 years ago, 30, years ago and at the present time. There are lots of secrets and lots of surprises and when childhood memories return and and bits and pieces from the past are told or remembered decisions are made that will change the lake escape forever.

Summer's Dark Waters: A Jamie Day Thriller

Jamie Day knows how to turn a peaceful lakeside retreat into your worst nightmare. Her new thriller proves she hasn't lost her touch.

Three friends—Julia, David, and Erika—have spent every summer at their Vermont lake houses since they were kids. Now they're dealing with teenage drama, mortgage payments, and marriages that have lost their spark. But this year's reunion takes a sinister turn when they uncover a pattern: two women vanished from these same shores, thirty years apart, without leaving a trace.

The lake itself becomes Day's secret weapon. Its glassy surface reflects perfect summer days and children's laughter, while something much darker lurks beneath. Like the lake, these three friends maintain a calm exterior while their own secrets threaten to pull them under.

Day excels at the slow build, letting tension seep in like water through cracks. She understands how time can both strengthen and strain friendships, especially when childhood memories clash with adult realities. The mystery unfolds at a deliberate pace, each revelation forcing these lifelong friends to question how well they really know each other.

Following The Block Party and One Big Happy Family, The Lake Escape delivers what Day does best: psychological suspense wrapped in a deep exploration of friendship. It's a summer thriller that will make you think twice about that lakeside vacation—and maybe about the secrets your oldest friends are keeping.

3.5/5 stars

This book was a little disappointing for me. There was so much drama and characters. It made it difficult for me to keep track. The big reveal at the end lacked any thrills and just seemed over the top.

Overall, this was an OK read. I did enjoy the suspense of trying to figure out and solve the mystery however I wasn’t a fan of the characters. I had a hard time connecting with them or even liking them so it felt hard to root for them or want a happy ending for them. They come across very entitled characters, but they were parts of the story that I did enjoy so overall it was an OK read, but I was hoping and wanting a little bit more.

Jamie Day has become one of my favorite authors, ever since I read his debut “The Block Party.” Having read an ARC of last year’s “One Big Happy Family” I was pleased to again be approved to read this year’s offering, entitled “The Lake Escape.”

Set in Vermont, the novel follows Julia, David, and Erika. They have been friends since childhood, who spent summers at their families’ side-by-side lake homes. They arrive this summer to spend two weeks at the lake. Julia is the first to arrive with her husband and daughter. She becomes upset immediately by renovations David made to his lake house over the winter. Among other things, his house now blocks the views she and Erika’s homes had of the lake. David arrives shortly after Julia with his twins and a newly hired nanny. David’s younger girlfriend arrives separately. Erika, her husband, and son are the last to arrive.

The first evening finds everyone sharing a meal, making snacks over the fire, and the adults drink a concoction that Erika invented years before. During the late hours, David and his girlfriend get into a fight. In hindsight the fight looks suspicious when the girlfriend has disappeared by the following morning, but her vehicle is still there.

The reader learns early on every character in this novel, except for David’s twins, has secrets. Some are larger than others, but they’re there and they get revealed. I also enjoyed the lake being a character of its own. Part of the storyline involves two women having disappeared from the lake over the past sixty years, but thirty years apart. David’s girlfriend being missing marks the third disappearance and is almost thirty years to the day since the second one.

Overall, I recommend this book. By the end, I only liked a few of the characters in this novel, but it was by design by the author. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC. This was ok, but it missed the mark. I loved Jamie Day’s first book so I was super excited about this, but was a bit disappointed. I enjoyed the premise and the alternating character POV chapters. I actually really liked the end- it surprised me more than once- but there were like 6 pieces to the epilogue which was about 5 too many.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

This is my third Jamie Day ARC. I’ve loved them all. This one made me nervous. The slow burn was SLOW. The first bit felt so predictable. Every reveal had me rolling my eyes… then I ate crow. The ending was so action packed, a winding adventure through anticipation and reveal.

If the setting is a lake, I’m immediately in. Throw in some found-family style drama, tangled webs of lies, secrets, and deceit? I’ll eat that shit up every. single. time.

This is a ride with some good twists. The characters were a bit uninteresting to me but overall I did really enjoy this. Big fan of Day’s writing style.

Title: The Lake Escape
Author: Jamie Day
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: July 15, 2025
My Rating: 3.8 Stars
Pages: 368

Lake Timmeny in Vermont has been an annual summer vacation place for Julia Crawford, David Dunne, and Erika Sullivan’s parents since they were very young. Now the neighbors’ tradition of returning to the lakeside vacation is being passing down to the children.

This summer, David is eager to show off his newly renovated three story home which is almost entirely of glass additionally wants everyone to meet Fiona his new (much-younger girlfriend) Also, their new nanny Izzy to tend to David’s five year old twins-Becca and Brody.
(We are not sure of the nanny’s intentions (although I don’t have any details, I have my suspicious). Izzy got an actress friend to give her a stellar recommendation as she has never been a nanny. She is a nineteen year college student and although she doesn’t like kids she needs a job and has viewed Mary Poppins many times.)
However, the next thing David’s mysteriously girlfriend vanishes after there was a shouting exchange with David.
Julia and Erika wonder just how well they know their lifelong friend as they have never seen or heard this side of him. .
Story is told from the POV of Izzy Greene, the nanny, and Julia.

There is a mystery connected to Lake Timmeny. Thirty years ago two young women, with no known connection, vanished without a trace. Now has the lake take David’s girlfriend?

Story was somewhat slow but it did keep me curious. Then ¾ in it got VERY intertisting.
I was sure I knew what was going on - but I was wrong!
Story was Great ~ better than I expected!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 15, 2025.

At first I didn't understand who was talking but once I figured out who was who it got real good. Alot of twists. I definitely really enjoyed reading this and would want to listen to the Audiobook. I must read for sure.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy! I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was full of delicious twists and turns- some of which are crazy and some are predictable. Nonetheless they are all fun. As a New Englander myself I always appreciate seeing my local geography in a story. This is a wonderful vacation thriller- perfect for the summer or your own getaway.

The Lake Escape was the perfect entry thriller. It had so many twists and turns you never fully knew what was right around the corner! It keeps you very engaged. At the same time, sometimes there was too much going on at once. Overall an easy read! I really enjoyed it.