Thank you NetGalley and Lisa Jackson for this ARC!
Wow, just wow! What a roller coaster of a book. Every time I thought I had the mystery figured out another twist was added. Harper was a great FMC and her journey thru her past and present was well paced. So many lies and backstabbing, I felt like I was reading a well written soap opera.

Wow! This book is a roller coaster ride. It was suspenseful and I just wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. And the ending, I did not see that coming. Highly recommend. 4.5⭐️

Wow, this was such a twisty thriller. One secret after the other and brilliantly written. I loved the duel timelines, while a little confusing sometimes. My only complaint with the book is that it ran a bit long, but the last 25% of the book was wild and made that fact somewhat worth it. This was my second Lisa Jackson book, and another hit for me!


Thank you Kensington & Netgally for this review copy!

Harper Reed Prescott has returned to the small private island on Lake Twilight where she grew up and her family owns. Harper has come back after her father has a heart attack and she is now divorced and has a daughter in college. She is debating whether to stay in the house, which is need of major repairs, as it hasn’t been lived in for quite a number of years. The house and lake hold many sad memories for Harper. Twenty years ago, her boyfriend went missing on the lake and her grandmother died on the same night. Her mother also died earlier in the lake and her brother shot himself and died there as well. Once she returns to the lake, she senses someone is entering the house and moving things around and taking her cat - all in an effort to scare her away. The book goes back and forth between present day and chapters from the past, so we gather more information about what actually happened. All the tragedies linked to Harper and her family have always surrounded Harper with suspicion of her involvement in the tragedies. Harper tries to deal with memories and secrets from the past and also with people she grew up with that still live on the lake. I have read a lot of Lisa Jackson books and usually love them. This one was still good, but not one of my favorites. I felt like it got bogged down with Harper drinking to calm her nerves and checking the entire house, etc. For being a smart woman, did we really need her to rely on alcohol constantly? I give the book 3.5 stars overall.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on June 24, 2025.

This is a slow burn story, with a riveting conclusion. Although, I enjoy the authors writing style, it wasn't my favorite.

2.5⭐️ rounded down for goodreads.

This story is about Harper Reed Prescott, who grew up on Lake Twilight around a lot of tragedy. Her mother and brother both died when she was younger, and then her grandmother died while Harper was taking care of her. Harper had snuck out to meet her secret boyfriend from across the lake, only he did not show up and was never seen or heard from again. When she arrived back home, her grandmother was dead. After moving away from all that, Harper now is set to receive her inheritance… the mansion on Lake Twilight and the island it stands on. Coming home, it seems most people have stayed in their small town. The houses across the lake are all inhabited by the same families Harper grew up with. The first night she is back, tragedy strikes again. Is it connected to all those deaths along ago? Someone believes it’s worth a second look….

The plot was interested but this book, at 592 pages, was entirely too long. It caused things to majorly drag and honestly seemed a bit boring. It repeated itself SO much. You just read the same things over and over and it got a bit annoying. Also, my biggest pet peeve in books is when the person word vomits their reason for doing whatever they did to another character as an explanation for the reader. The book dragged for 575 pages and then the ending just felt rushed. A chapter narrated from the person behind everything is always preferred in my opinion then over-explaining things in a rant.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Are you a thriller fan? Check out It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson. This was a good read and it's available soon.

I was so excited to be able to read and advanced readers copy of Lisa Jackson's It Happened on the Lake. I am a fan of her books and this one about a gothic mansion on an island really peaked my interest. The story follows Harper who inherits the house and island in which tragedy and mysterious deaths have occurred. Is the house haunted or does someone not want Harper to return.
A huge thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Lisa Jackson read and I get the hype. It kept me entertained in the mystery the entire book I will definitely be picking up many more of her books

Lisa Jackson delivers another masterclass in atmospheric suspense with It Happened on the Lake, a haunting tale that blends mystery, family secrets, and long-buried trauma into a gripping, emotionally charged read.
Lake Twilight is the kind of place that seems cursed by tragedy. For Harper, it's the site of nearly every heartbreak in her life: her brother’s suicide, her mother’s drowning, her grandmother’s overdose, and the disappearance of her first love, Chase—all shrouded in mystery, all happening in eerie proximity to one another. The lake, once a backdrop for teenage memories and friendships, has become a symbol of unresolved grief and dark secrets.
Now in her 30s and newly divorced, Harper returns to her childhood home after inheriting the family estate. But her homecoming is far from peaceful. On her very first night back, another suspicious death shakes the already-fragile peace of the lake community. It's a chilling reminder that the past is not done with her yet.
Jackson’s narrative unravels slowly, layer by layer, with just enough twists to keep you guessing. Rand, now a police officer and once a close friend of Harper’s lost brother and boyfriend, finds himself pulled back into a decades-old promise to protect Harper—one he failed to keep after going off to Vietnam. Levi, Chase’s surviving brother, adds even more tension with his brooding presence and mysterious PI work.
The pacing is deliberate, letting the reader sink into the haunting atmosphere of the lake and its residents. The dynamic between Harper, Rand, and Levi is rich with history, regret, and unspoken truths. As the plot twists tighten like a noose, the questions mount: What really happened to Chase? What secret was Rand protecting Harper from? And why do the deaths always lead back to the lake?
It Happened on the Lake is a moody, compelling read that sinks its hooks in early and doesn’t let go. If you love mysteries with complex characters and long-buried secrets, you’ll want to spend some time on Lake Twilight—just don’t expect to come away unscathed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC.
I absolutely LOVE Lisa Jackson and will read anything she writes, even if she re-wrote the yellow pages.
It happened on the lake follows Harper Reed Prescott as she comes of age in her thirties and inherits her families estate, which is a home on an island. Her being back home stirs up a lot of memories for the locals who have lived on the lake since Harper was a child, most of whom are Harper's age and schoolmates. These memories bring back all of the mysterious deaths that have occurred on the lake, mostly to Harper's family members. Some see too many coincidences in these deaths. Some don't.
If your looking for a slow burn that ends with a bang, this is it.
There are a lot of characters to learn, in the present and past, but it all comes together in the end.
I didn't get it right, will you?

I have always like the Lisa Jackson books I have read in the past and was excited to receive the advanced copy of this one.
Then I started reading it and was confused. The past is in the 60's and the present is 1988? that made no sense to me. It was kinda funny to read and remember that yeah, we didn't have cells phones and people did use land lines and answering machines. But still, sorta weird.
As for the story itself, Man that was a true head scratcher! Harper is in love with one boy, he disappears, but has a baby by his brother? Then the death of her grandmother the same night Chase vanishes. but before that, she is 9 when her mother dies, and a teenager when her brother dies> Death seems to be all around this poor girl.
Like some of the other reviewers I felt like it was too long and sometimes went into too much detail.
not a bad book, and I will admit I was wrong about the killer.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the advance copy

Thank you too Kensington publishing and NetGalley for this arc!

I’ve read so many Lisa Jackson books over the years and have yet to be disappointed. And that time has yet still to come because this book was no different.

It’s perfect for a summer night time kind of thriller read.

I DNF this book because it wasn't going anywhere. It is long and drawn out I stopped at chapter 38 because nothing was happening still. It just kept saying the same thing over and over again.

The present is 1988 and Harper Reed Prescott is returning to the island on Lake Twilight where she grew up that is now hers per the terms of her grandmother's trust. As she returns so does all of the memories and tragedies from twenty years ago. Guess it's true you cannot outrun the past. The past where Harper's boyfriend Chase disappeared on the same night her grandmother died. And now on the night Harper returns Chase's mother dies on the very lake his boat was found abandoned the last night he was seen. And as Harper tried to save his mother from the fiery boat she still hurled insults at Harper accusing her of killing Chase. Chase's best friend Rand is now a police detective like his father and Chase's father had been and his partner is digging into all the old, mysterious deaths that involved Harper and the lake. But what Rand and his partner find out shocks everyone and are the endings that no one would have believed if they hadn't been there, once every thing was pieced together. I must say this is one of the best books I have read in a very long time.

This is one of those brain candy thrillers.

There are zero surprises. You know that character you think did that thing? They absolutely did that thing. And you think you know why this one did that other thing? You're right!

However, despite the lack of surprises, it's an enjoyable read.

I found myself really looking forward to the downfall of some characters, worried about a certain cat, and I found that I genuinely liked our main character.

All in all an entertaining read.

* ARC via Publisher

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out this month. I think there are people who will like it, but this just wasn't it for me. I didn't click with the writing style and choices the author made, and I couldn't really into it because of it. If you are into thrillers it might be for you though, taste can be personal.

4 ⭐️
Expected publication date - June 24, 2025

WHAT I LOVED - The dual timelines. And the fact that those timelines were in the 60s and 80s, not current.

WHAT I LIKED - The unexpected twists. A couple of them came as a surprise.

WHAT I DISLIKED - I was left wondering if Joel followed Harper to California or just happened to run into her and took advantage of the opportunity.

WOULD I RECOMMEND? Yes, it was a good summer night type of thriller.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing, for this eArc for review. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to love this book, but it was way too long, 100 pages could have been cut and it would have made no difference to the story.
It was also very repetitive and I could tell where it was going so the ending wasn't really a shock.
Would try this author again but this one wasn't for me.

Harper inherited the Victorian house on Lake Twilight that had once been her grandmother’s home. Being here brings many memories rushing back, most of them painful. It was here at the lake where she lost her mother, her brother, her grandmother, and her boyfriend. Many lake residents felt she was involved in each one, somehow. Now that she’s back, she feels she’s being watched and finds things in the old house are being moved around, and her daughter’s cat is missing. Who would want to scare her and why?

Told in dual timelines, the story flashes back to events that happened 20 years ago and Harper’s life in the ‘80s. A story with lies, secrets, cover-ups, cheating, greed, major family drama, and more!

I was pleased with who Harper ended up with in the end but have a couple of questions I can’t mention because of spoilers. My only complaint is that the story is extremely long. It took a while to get into it, but then there were plenty of twists and turns that kept it interesting and kept me wanting to finish. The ending was a surprise to me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.