Marguerite by the Lake by @marydixiecarter ⭐️⭐️

Home + gardening guru Marguerite Gray is an icon; think Martha Stewart, without the insider trading and brief prison stay.🙃 For the last few years, Phoenix has been the gardener at Marguerite and her husband, Geoffrey’s massive estate. When a terrible storm crashes the launch party for Marguerite’s latest book, Phoenix saves Geoffrey’s life by shoving him out of the path of a falling tree. Geoffrey is grateful. Marguerite is jealous. Phoenix can’t resist the attention, and ends up having an affair with Geoffrey. But soon thereafter, Marguerite falls off a cliff to her death, and Phoenix has another secret, one that haunts her even as Geoffrey invites her to move into the manor with him. She tries to move past what happened, but there are several layers to this story…

I have to be honest- I couldn’t stand Phoenix. She was so needy at times, entitled at others. Her relationship with Geoffrey, IMO, went from 0-100 so quickly and it felt weird. Like, this dude’s wife tragically dies, and next thing we know he’s inviting his recent side piece to move in? Phoenix even wonders at one point if there’s “something rotten” about their relationship, like hellloooo. Yeah. It’s weird! She gives Geoffrey an ultimatum to pick between her, or his and Marguerite’s daughter, Taylor?! Tells Taylor, after she hangs a drawing in the house, that “they need to discuss that” bc she and Geoffrey are “building a home together”… after TWO months? When Taylor GREW UP there? “If you can’t manage your daughter, then I’m out of here.” “Geoffrey, tell her. This is MY house.” THENNN gets mad and doesn’t know if she can forgive Geoffrey when he invites her to attend his dead wife’s memorial, and after he gets called out on it that it’s not a good look, disinvites her? Girl, bye. I just couldn’t sympathize/thought she was delulu.

This said, I kept with it because I had to know what happened. TLDR: the beginning grabbed my attention; the ending was abrupt & fell flat for me.

Pub Date - 5.20☀️

Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio @minotaur_books for this advanced audio copy! 🎧💕

WOW WITH THE OPENING! This one instantly caught my attention, and held it pretty firmly for the first third or so of the book. Beyond that, it got too absurd for me to really enjoy. It felt like a way too long, overly acted, want-to-be thriller version of that scene in Saved By The Bell with Jessie and the caffeine pills. Girl is just spiraling without outside input, and put it all on herself.

I wish that it would have kept pace with the start, because that would have been a really compelling book. I don’t care for thrillers where the action happens all in the first few chapters, and from there it’s just finger pointing and drama. If you do, this one is for you.

Premise was great, but the execution wasn't. The story never really flowed and just felt like the sentences plodded on without any style. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, but it sadly fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

For me, this was an uneven attempt at redoing Rebecca. I loved the beginning but feel this one lost steam as it went along. Not for me, but maybe for others!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audiobook.

Helen Laser is my favorite audibook narrator of all time and I was so excited to see she was the narrator for this book. Unfortunately, this book did not end up being one that I enjoyed. I didn't like the plot, the characters, any of it. :(

Eerie, elegant, and quietly haunting. Listening to Marguerite by the Lake felt like wading into dark, still water—you’re not quite sure what’s beneath the surface, but you know it’s going to pull you under.

Mary Dixie Carter gives us a story dripping with tension and psychological suspense, where every smile hides something sinister and every word feels carefully, almost creepily, chosen. The narration brought an extra layer of chill—the kind that made me lean in, earbuds glued in place, needing to know what was going to happen next.

Marguerite herself? Unsettlingly compelling. A character who tiptoes that line between fascinating and frightening. I couldn’t look away—and honestly, I didn’t want to.

A deliciously disquieting listen that lingers like a whisper in the dark.

This novel tells the story of Marguerite Gray, a wealthy garden designer, her widower husband Geoffrey, and Phoenix, the young gardener who enters their lives. Phoenix saves Geoffrey during a storm, leading to an affair with him that ultimately results in Marguerite’s death. As Phoenix is drawn deeper into their world, she must grapple with secrets that could destroy her career. Detective Hanna and Marguerite’s daughter close in on the truth, forcing Phoenix to confront her past and find her place at Rosecliff.

I recently received an ebook, but after struggling to get into the story, I decided to switch to an audiobook. Let me tell you, audiobooks can really bring a low-key read to life! The narrator did an excellent job of keeping me interested and entertained while I followed along with the text.

Now, let's talk about the main character, Phoenix. She's a complex one, that's for sure. At first, she's portrayed as a plain Jane nice girl, but as I delved deeper into the story, she became unbearable and hard to relate to. I found it difficult to actually like her character, as she was inconsistent and just plain strange. The development of the other characters felt incomplete, leaving me with more questions than answers.

The book had a mysterious vibe to it, which I usually enjoy, but this one was a slow burn for my taste. It started off promising, but the execution fell short of my expectations. However, don't let my opinion sway you - give it a shot and form your own thoughts! Just because it didn't resonate with me doesn't mean it won't with you.

If you're into mysteries surrounding the main character's fate, relationships with bad timing, and complicated family dynamics, this book might pique your interest. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Minotaur Books, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Marguerite by the Lake is a slow-burn psychological thriller steeped in atmosphere and tension. Mary Dixie Carter crafts an elegant, moody world where beauty masks danger and every character harbors secrets. Phoenix, the young gardener at the center of it all, is both sympathetic and flawed—making her descent into the Gray family’s twisted world all the more gripping.

Carter’s prose is evocative, and the setting of Rosecliff feels like a character in itself—lush, mysterious, and full of shadows. While the pacing lags slightly in the middle, the unraveling of Marguerite’s fate and Phoenix’s increasingly precarious position make for a compelling read. Perfect for fans of character-driven suspense with a touch of noir glamour.

Thank you Mary Dixie Carter, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

3.5 ⭐️
The setting for this book was visually beautiful.
I loved the tension throughout, however, something (I have no idea what it is) was missing for me.
Phoenix is a gardner for a wealthy and basically famous woman named Marguerite. When Geoffrey, her clients husband, begins to pursue Phoenix, things get a bit complicated on their gorgeous estate.
I really did enjoy reading this one, I just also struggled with some of the ideas as I read along.
Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Phoenix has been the gardener for Geoffrey and Marguerite Grey for a number of years. Marguerite is a legendary figure and she has been memorialized in a famous painting that hangs in the Grey home. When a huge storm threatens the grounds, Phoenix saves Geoffrey, and Marguerite is none too happy. Phoenix begins an affair with the man of the house at the same time that Marguerite falls to her death. Now the Grey's daughter and a detective are determined to find out what happened when the lady of the house fell off the cliffs, putting Phoenix's whole world in jeopardy.

I liked the narrator's inflection and use of distinct voices and accents to differentiate between characters, though I didn't think the characters popped off of the page they ways they do in other books.

I also found the action to be a bit too meandering and plodding. Once the main action has happened, it takes a while until the next movement in the plot revs up. This book was a bit too slow for me overall, so I am rating it 3 stars.

I received this advance audio copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

Not gonna lie. I requested this on NetGalley because it was a thriller narrated by Helen Laser. I'm at a point where I have to listen to everything she narrates because she's wonderful. Anyway, that said, while I was listening to this, I was like, oh I must be mistaken. This must have been advertised as a horror and not a thriller. Which would also keep me maintaining my track record of highly rating somewhat lowly rated horror novels. I guess people might be rating this based on their mistaken expectations that this is a thriller?

Regardless, I absolutely loved this. This had some Tell-Tale Heart meets Rebecca vibes. I was legit fascinated with the psychology of Phoenix. And the author pulled off that kind of analysis of a character who was absolutely deluding herself the entire time. All while doing 1st person pov! And there were some strong unreliable narrator, unhinged character, unlikeable FMC, and woman-spiraling tropes, which are all favorites of mine. I also weirdly found the random gardening tidbits to be interesting.

So yeah, I thought this was great. And obviously Helen Laser was great as well. Really glad I got to check out this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Friends! I have such a hard time with the cheating trope. So it made it hard for me to enjoy the book.
I also had a really hard time connecting with the FMC - she was just unlikeable. Even beyond the cheating, she was just such a weak female character, and her actions just drove me crazy (trying not to give anything away here!).
However, as far as the writing goes. The characters are well-developed, even if they are crazy!
The pace of the plot was great and the plot was well structured.
If you don't mind the cheating trope, this is a great short thriller.
It certainly creeped me out - gave me creepy vibes a few times.
Give this one a shot!
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I loved the premise of this book, as well as the cover, so I was very intrigued to see what it was about.
Sadly, this book did not work for me. I cannot pinpoint anything essentially wrong with it. I just didn't connect with the main character and even though I was interested in Marguerite herself at first, that ceased to exist after the first 6 chapters.
I do think this book has a good pacing and the writing is decent enough. I just didn't relate to it all.
Also, I might say I was not a fan of the audiobook narrator. And that's really a bummer, because I know thar narrator's works and I liked it in the past. Don't know why this narration didn't work for me.
If you are interested in the plot or if you already know the narrator, consider giving this book a try.
Again, I have nothing bad or wrong to say about this book. It just didn't work for me. That's all.

This audiobook definitely caught my interest. We follow the story of Phoenix who starts as a gardener and ends up emersed and obsessed with one particular home and family she works for.
This was kind of a mixed bag of themes, some romance, some mystery, maybe a bit of historical thrown in.
I liked the narration. I didn’t really love any of the characters or find myself able to connect with any of them.
Loved the setting.

This was an easy, fast read with a premise and cover that instantly grabbed my attention. The setup had so much potential—an affair, a suspicious death, and a lifestyle icon with secrets—but the execution fell a bit flat. The main character, Phoenix, felt inconsistent and hard to pin down, which made it difficult to stay invested in her choices. The ending left me confused and didn’t quite tie everything together in a satisfying way. Overall, I was hoping for more depth and emotional complexity from the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The narrative, although intriguing at first, failed to build the necessary tension and the protagonist, Phoenix was such a wretched character, I found it challenging to connect with this story.
What could have been a great plot instead felt like spending hours listening to the rambling internal monologue of a mentally disturbed person. The story lacked depth and suspense adding to my overall disappointment. Then concluded abruptly without closure, explanation or resolution.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to listen to this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Writing feels a little disjointed, will be in one place than all of a sudden we’re somewhere completely different with no transition for getting to that place.

She’s fucking mental and pretty unlikable.
She gets so unhinged.

What even was that ending, felt like a fever dream.

The story revolves around Pheonix, a talented gardener working for Marguerite who is a successful novelist and gardening influencer, and her husband Geoffrey. Marguerite suspects something is going on between Pheonix and Geoffrey, but before anything can come to light, she falls to her death. Pheonix flees the scene, fearing blame.

I was initially hooked by this book's premise, but I started to lose interest after the main character's death. Within months of Marguerite's death. Pheonix moves in with Geoffrey despite an ongoing police investigation. The fact they thought this was okay was not okay with me lol

Pheonix's character was unlikeable, odd, and inconsistent. There was zero chemistry between her and Geoffrey and her attempts to assert herself as the lady of the house felt forced and awkward. Things like never having read any of Marguerite's books before because "they are too expensive" is just odd. Surely there is a library, the internet or other apps she could have explored. I would imagine most people who work for an author would look up the author they work for.

Subplots involving Pheonix's family and Geoffrey's daughter lacked depth and substance. The ending had some thrilling moments but left questions unanswered and didn't provide enough closure.

The narration was good , with the narrator effectively differentiating characters. Overall, the book had potential, but execution fell short.

Reading Marguerite by the Lake in tandem with its audiobook, narrated by Helen Laser, provided an immersive experience. Laser's narration enhanced character differentiation through distinct voices, aiding in tracking the complex narrative.
The novel centers on Phoenix, a gardener at the Rosecliff estate, who becomes entangled in an affair with Geoffrey, the husband of the estate's owner, Marguerite Gray. Following a tragic incident, Marguerite falls from the cliff, leading to a suspenseful unraveling of events. Carter's prose is both hypnotic and lyrical, painting vivid scenes that linger in the reader's mind.
Phoenix's character is particularly compelling; her descent into uncertainty blurs the lines between reality and delusion, prompting readers to question her reliability as a narrator. From the outset, there was an unsettling aura about her, suggesting a concealed past and casting doubt on the authenticity of her account. As the plot progressed, Phoenix's descent into potential madness made it increasingly challenging to discern reality from her perceptions. While the narrative builds tension effectively, some aspects of Phoenix's backstory remain underexplored, leaving a desire for deeper insight.
I found myself harboring a profound dislike for Phoenix—a testament to the author's skill in character development. Creating a protagonist who evokes such strong negative emotions is no small feat, and it speaks to the depth and complexity infused into her characterization.
Overall, Marguerite by the Lake is a quick and engaging read, offering a solid addition to the mystery/thriller genre. Carter's storytelling prowess ensures that readers remain captivated until the final page.
Thank You to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio ALC. This is my honest review.

I tried reading the book and I found it to be a little slow for me, so I thought I would give the audiobook a try. It was the right decision! I appreciated the story so much more with this fantastic narrator! The parts that I found slow were now intriguing and suspenseful. I was pulled into the story and actually glued to it. The right narrator can make or break a book, and this book 100% has the right narrator!

Thanks so much for letting me listen!