Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advance copy of this book.

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.

The premise of this book got me interested. However, I found a fair bit of the book to be a little far-fetched, to be honest. I was a bit disappointed overall. 2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

This was phenomenal I was genuinely confused throughout the entire book. It kept me guessing who was being honest and I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. I've read Jamie Day's previous novels and enjoyed them. The Lake Escape felt a little different from her other books that I've read. The story follows Julia, David and Erika, three friends whose families have houses on a lake and spend time each summer in their lake retreats. All three have marriages or families. At first I thought the book would be a drama of the three friends and their kids such as marital issues or children issues. The book turned about halfway through into a suspense/mystery/thriller story, which I was not expecting. I was a little disappointed because I felt the explanation of everything that happened - the disappearance of three different young women every thirty years and what led to it was a bit over the top and a bit of a let-down.

Jamie Day’s, The Lake Escape, is a summer thriller set primarily at "a serene Lake Timmeny". Three friends who grew up with every summer at the lake reunite there as adults with their own families in tow. Julia, Erika, and David, longtime friends, who have stayed somewhat in each other's lives, return to their lakeside homes. This summer the frivolity, fun and easy interactions have changed. There is a tension, underlying secrets, and of course, the lakes' curse of taking a victim every 30 years. When another young girl goes missing, secrets long kept begin to emerge. The story slowly unwinds as each character brings their problems and secrets to the table. A novel with a lot of angst, tension and mounting dread as secrets are slowly uncovered. The author keeps you interested. The only drawback is that sometimes the interactions between character's seem a bit unrealistic. Overall, it is an enjoyable novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me with the chance to read and review this novel! All thoughts are my own.

Reading a book about Lake Timmeny in the summer has me dreaming of vacation BUT not of the things that happened there!

The story’s multiple points of view kept me hooked, always eager to see what would happen next. I did NOT see the ending coming!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Jamie Day for the gifted ARC in return for my honest review.

They've been coming to Lake Timmeny in Vermont since they were babies. Now, Julia Crawford, David Dunne, and Erika Miller are returning for their annual summer getaway, a family tradition they've continued into adulthood. But for all its beauty, Lake Timmeny harbors a dark past. Two young women with no known connection to each other, aside from their shared vacation spot, vanished without a trace exactly thirty years apart.

The premise of this book was solid, I love a creepy lake book and found myself wishing for warmer days while reading this one. The twist in this book was not one I expected, but it wasn't a twist that I felt fit the book. There were a lot of wacky timelines and many missing people to follow, the characters were great, but just seemed like they hid so much about themselves that they don't even know each other any more. The lack of trust made me uncomfortable, but that is how thrillers are supposed to make you feel. This was my first read by Jamie Day, I think I would read more by them. this book was good enough to keep reading but not enough to speed through.

When Julia, David, and Erika return to Lake Timmeny for the summer, many secrets are dug up and revealed for all. The time is now to uncover the secrets of Lake Timmeny once and for all.

While reading this book in February in the Midwest, I felt transported to a summer on the lake. The multiple POVs kept me engaged and interested in what was going to happen next. I couldn't have predicted the ending! Thank you for the opportunity to read this prior to the pub date. What a fun ride!

I hate to say it, but I really didn’t enjoy this tbh. It was a far flung, bizarrely plotted story about a bunch of people with random pasts that didn’t align or make much sense. The twists in the last few paragraphs were laughably far fetched and made me actually eye roll. The only saving graces were the beautiful setting that was very well described, the length at a reasonable 350 pages, and Izzy, the likeable protagonist who has the only salvageable plot line. Otherwise, I wouldn’t re-read this.

Jamie Day never fails to deliver a psychological thriller with a ton of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Three friends that grew up at the lake together come back each year as adults with their families. It's a time for them to reconnect and just relax for a few weeks. This year starts off different when tensions start high right from the start. David brings his high maintenance girlfriend, Fiona, long with a new nanny to take care of his twin children. Jessica and her family are running tight with emotions of a failing business, a recovery alcoholic husband and a teenage daughter that is retreating more into herself every day. Then you have the final friend, Erica, that seems to have the prefect life with her husband Rick and son Lucas. Then Fiona disappears after the first night and everyone thinks David did something to her......

The nanny isn't who she seems to be and has a much more invested interest in the lake than it would seem as well.

The story then just spirals into one thing after another and you will keep turning the page to find out where it is all going.

Definitely add this one to your TBR list!

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was an ARC read. Thank you so much to St Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this. Wow! I could not put this down. This book had so many twists and turns, I had no idea where we were going to end up.
“There was the beauty of the breath. Each one gently reminded her that she was still here, that she had another chance to make her inner world calmer, more centered.”
And trust me, when you finish this book, you will be taking those calming breaths just as the character in this book did.

The Lake Escape hosts a cast of complex characters struggling with unresolved murders, money issues, and other problems in their personal lives. There is a lot to keep track of in this thriller! My least favorite thing about the book was how long and pedantic it was in certain places. It should be a bit shorter, even though a slow burn can have its merits.

My favorite thing was how complicated the ending was! I genuinely was not expecting that, and Jamie Day did their due diligence to tie up all the loose threads and have many different intersecting problems come to a head at once. That was very skillful and rewarding! The ending is much more complex than you think it will be, and I loved how the author wove so many narratives together into a satisfying close.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my e-ARC!

Three lifelong friends come back to their family lake homes for their annual vacation. Shocked when David has built a glass and metal monstrosity in between both Erika and Julias homes. He also brought along his new young girlfriend, his young twins and the quick hire nanny. unbeknownst to all, the nanny and the girlfriend have deep connections to Lake Timmeny. When the girlfriend, Fiona, disappears in the middle of the night- secrets start pouring out that no one would have guessed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC 📕
Expected publication
July 15, 2025 by St. Martin's Press

They've been coming to Lake Timmeny in Vermont since they were babies. Now, Julia Crawford, David Dunne, and Erika Miller are returning for their annual summer getaway, a family tradition they've continued into adulthood. But for all its beauty, Lake Timmeny harbors a dark past. Two young women with no known connection to each other, aside from their shared vacation spot, vanished without a trace exactly thirty years apart.

This is my third book by Day and my least favorite. For people who grew up together as kids they all seemed very awkward around one another. They didn't seem to know anything about each other and overall, they just didn't feel like friends. Julia and Izzy were probably discussed the most but I didn't care about them. David just seemed old guy creepy and even the "friends" didn't seem to like him and the rest of the characters were just annoying. It's hard to say much more without giving away the few decent parts. I was really looking forward to this as I feel like Day's books are almost there but seem to miss the mark each time. I'm giving it 3 because I did read the whole book without skimming and I wanted to confirm my prediction. 🧐

I've never read anything by this author, but the premise sounded interesting. However, the storyline was all over the place. I found this book to be way too far-fetched, even for fiction. Character development was lacking, and the pace was too slow. I never connected with the characters, and thus I didn't care about what happened to them. The book had potential, but it fell short.

3.75⭐️ {ARC}
(ARC review) — Thank you to author Jamie Day and her publisher St Martins Press. I received an Advanced Reader Copy for the July 2025 release of The Lake Escape. It’s gonna make a fun Summer Killer Thriller {especially if you’re reading with some lake views}. I loved that it starts out with that feeling of getting back to your happy place. Ours just happens to be the lake too. Don’t let that fool you though. These friends and family got some serious deception and secrets happening. Felt a bit predictable in parts but still enjoyed how it all unfolded (or should I say unraveled) and all came together. 3.75⭐️ Rounding up to a 4! You’ll want to keep turning those pages…. fun mystery thriller to add to your summer TBR stack.

This was a wild ride, I honestly did not see most of it coming. There were a few too many characters for my liking, I often found myself forgetting details about certain people. But I felt the story flowed well and kept me hooked.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book. This did not affect my review of the book.

To be honest for some reason I had a hard time getting into this book. Maybe because I had a hard time trying to figure out where the story was going. However, once the action started my interest definitely increased. Had to get back up last night to finish the last few chapters. I did like
how the book ended, for the most part not a lot of loose ends.

I would recommend this book to any of my friends.

I had a hard time putting this one down. I stayed up late to finish the last 60% of the book. The pacing was good and I found myself pulled into each character's story. I found Izzy to be the most interesting. I liked the younger characters a bit more. Not only is there a mystery of multiple disappearances, but there is a lot with family and life long friendships. This year's trip to the lake house doesn't turn out like anyone thought. There was possibly be a killer and it's just the three houses/families there. There are some heavier topics, so please check for trigger warnings if you need them.

This is my second book by the author and I'll definitely read more.

I gave this book 4 1/2 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for my earc.

After enjoying Jamie Day’s, “One Big Happy Family,” I had high hopes for “The Lake Escape.” Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. While the premise had potential—a seemingly idyllic lakeside retreat unraveling with secrets—it lacked the gripping suspense and unpredictability that made One Big Happy Family so compelling.

The plot unfolds in a fairly predictable manner, with twists that are easy to see coming. Instead of the tension steadily building, the story moves along at a more sluggish pace, never fully delivering the edge-of-your-seat moments that the genre demands. The characters, while interesting, don’t feel as deeply developed or engaging, making it harder to become fully invested in their fates.

That’s not to say it’s a bad read—Jamie Day’s writing is still immersive, and the setting is atmospheric. However, for those looking for the same level of intrigue and suspense found in One Big Happy Family, The Lake Escape may feel like a bit of a letdown.

Thank You NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was predictable and very boring. I have not read anything by this author before but had high expectations. The cover looked so good. I don’t recommend this book to family and friends.