Unfortunately this wasn’t for me and I was tempted to DNF but I did finish it . I found there were too many characters to keep track of and too much going on that was getting confusing . Found the pace too slow and rhe ending for me was quite silly .

Book Review: The Lake Escape by Jamie Day
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5 stars)

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day is a twisty, fast-paced thriller set against the backdrop of a seemingly peaceful lake town. It starts strong, with a solid premise—a getaway gone wrong, secrets unraveling, and tensions rising—but doesn’t quite maintain that momentum throughout.

Day does a great job setting the scene. The lake setting is atmospheric and lends itself well to the sense of isolation and unease. The characters are distinct, and while not all of them are fully developed, there are enough intriguing dynamics to keep the story moving.

The mystery itself is entertaining, though some of the twists felt either predictable or overly dramatic. There were moments of genuine suspense, but they sometimes got lost in uneven pacing and dialogue that could have been tighter.

Overall, The Lake Escape is a decent beach read—entertaining enough to keep you turning the pages, but not quite as gripping or emotionally resonant as it could have been. If you enjoy light thrillers with a vacation vibe and a few surprises along the way, it’s worth a try.

Jamie Day has the best summer suspense books! The lake setting of this one is the ideal summer getaway location. I was intrigued by the mystery and couldn't figure out who was to blame. Jamie always has a great web of characters. It unfolded really well! Audio was excellent!

I rarely give a 5 star rating to a book, but this gets one! This was my first novel by Jamie Day and I’m now a huge fan. Engaging story with twists and turns. Usually these types of books are predictable but the twist at the end really got me.

Interesting plot and several mysteries to explore, but sometimes I found it hard to keep track of what was going on. A lot of characters and timelines, but overall I enjoyed it.

The lake escape, is a mystery of three women missing. Each one has missed every thirty years. Has the lake took them or is there a killer

There’s a lot going on at the lake this summer — maybe too much.

Julia, David, and Erika have been visiting their summer lake houses ever since they were kids. This year, though, David has significantly added on to his house, and Julia is understandably angry. Now, instead of her lake view, she’s stuck looking at David’s obnoxious mansion.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrators were a great match. We hear from Julia, and also Izzy, the 19-year-old nanny David hires to watch his kids for the two-week stay. Their alternating perspectives worked well, especially with the distinct voices.

When Erika arrives, Julia expects her to care about the massive, view-blocking house even more than she does. But Erika just brushes it off, which feels odd. Eventually Julia tries to let it go and enjoy the vacation.

Right from the start, I was feeling for Julia. It’s clear that she and her husband are having money problems, and David rubbing his wealth in their faces doesn’t help. Honestly, I was here for the house drama.

Then David’s girlfriend goes missing, and it’s all a little shady. Every thirty years, apparently, women have gone missing around this lake, so we’re wondering if it’s a serial killer… or was it David?!

From there, things start to pile on. The nanny, Izzy, is really invested in the missing women and we don’t really know why. Julia’s daughter has some weird drama. Each character clearly has their own secrets.

By the end, the story takes a weird turn, and I didn’t see most of it coming, but it felt like too much had been crammed in. There were so many different storylines happening, I thought the book was going to end at least three times before it actually did.

Overall, this was an okay mystery. It just had a little too much extra drama sprinkled in.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

A great fiction/thriller mixed with drama, family ties and life long friendships filled of secrets and a touch of scandal. Definitely recommend for a fast paced, fun summer mystery to keep you investigating until the very end.

I was given a free copy of this book from NetGalley to give my honest review. I love to read any books that have a lake setting. I was expecting an exciting thriller with beautiful descriptions of the lake. The fine balance of excitement and relaxation. But instead these are my thoughts. Julia was so annoying when she would talk about her instagram posts and all the hashtags named one after the other. Did anyone else get annoyed by this? Also I did not expect to have these topics in the book- porn, the Mob, rape and teen pregnancy. I was also surprised by the bad language used. In addition I also felt Izzy’s character especially was hard to believe. It seemed her thoughts were way too deep for someone so young. When I looked at the cover of this book I guess I just pictured a completely different story.

Thank you so much for allowing me to have an ARC of this book!! This was such a fun summer read!! Definitely out this on your TBR this summer!!

This well narrated audiobook is a really fun ride. We follow three childhood friends whose families all had lake houses. Now all adults, the three of them are all meeting up at the lake for two weeks this summer. Everyone is bringing secrets with them this time, along with girlfriends, kids, and nannies. As the chapters alternate from David to Julia to Erika, secrets are revealed, and the intrigue grows. Fans of suspense/thrillers and Jamie Day will enjoy this lake escape. July 2025

⭐️⭐️ – Not Quite the Escape I Hoped For

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day definitely had potential. The storyline was unique, and the narration was solid—those were the highlights for me and kept me hanging on in parts.

That said, I was expecting more of a thriller, and this ended up feeling more like a slow-burn mystery. I wanted that fast-paced, edge-of-my-seat vibe, but the pacing just didn’t deliver. The book dragged in quite a few spots, and when the big plot twist hit, it kind of took over the whole story—but not in a good way. It felt more jarring than clever and pulled me out of the experience.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Jamie Day for the ARC! While this one wasn’t quite for me, I can see how fans of slower, twisty mysteries might enjoy it more.

I really enjoyed this mystery! The setting at Lake Timmeny had just the right amount of tense atmosphere, and the story kept me engaged from the start. The twist at the end completely caught me off guard. I didn’t see it coming at all, which made the payoff satisfying.

While there were a few sections that felt a little lengthy and could’ve been tightened up, overall this was a solid and enjoyable read. The characters were layered, and I appreciated how the story gradually revealed the secrets each one was hiding. If you’re in the mood for a slow-burn mystery with a great final twist, this one’s worth picking up!

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

I always enjoy Jamie Day's books. This was no exception. The plot twists through this were numerous. The author sets the scene for lifelong friends vacationing together at their homes every year. There is mystery twisted into this which will keep you turning the pages.

Julia, David, and Erica grew up spending summers together at their idyllic Vermont lake homes. Now adults with children of their own they still meet every summer. David is divorced with young twins and brings Izzy the new nanny along for a few weeks. Izzy is under false pretense and wants to find out about the mysterious disappearances of two women that happened thirty years apart. When David's new girlfriend goes missing after they had an argument David is the prime suspect. Both Julia and Erica have their own secrets and lies that they don't want anyone else to find out. This was a great audiobook and the storyline will have you hooked. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook.

I love Jamie Day's books and this is no exception. The book was filled with suspense and twists. Some of them you could see coming quite easily but they were still written in a way that it kept me engaged as a reader.

Grab your beach bag and toss in a great summer read, The Lake Escape. This one was a very quick read (listen for me with very good narration) and is the perfect escape.

Lifelong friends who grew up vacationing together continue the tradition yearly. Several POVs, an ages long mystery which appears to repeat itself, a nanny (Hello! I love a good nanny character) and Jamie Day gives us a good mix. Go in cold and enjoy the journey.

Reading Journal Details
Book: The Lake Escape by Jamie Day
Format Read: Audiobook (~12 hours, 42 minutes long)
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

My Quick Take Review
A twisty, time-hopping mystery with strong atmosphere and layered reveals. The Lake Escape has a few too many characters, and one especially grating lead, but its clever structure and intrigue make it worth the ride.

Some Key Features
💬 Multiple perspectives
🌊 Lake setting
☀️ Summertime vibes
☂️ Mary Poppins
🏠 Glass house
👣Large, diverse cast

My Full Review
The Lake Escape combines a neat, almost sparse prose style with intersecting timelines and alternating perspectives to peel back the mysteries surrounding the lake layer by layer. The present-day investigation is intercut with flashbacks to the summer when David, Erika, and Julia were teens on the very same lake, effectively turning the setting into a character of its own.

For me, a true standout is Izzy, David's newly hired nanny. Her fierce dedication and frequent Mary Poppins references provide a welcome comic relief, and her outsider's lens freshens the lake's old secrets. I found myself looking forward to scenes she was in.

The large and diverse cast occasionally muddies the narrative, and a few personalities are rather grating. Julia, in particular, comes off as self-righteous and impulsive. I feel more humility, or a different character arc, would have made her sections easier to tolerate.

Even so, several twists land with genuine surprise, keeping the tension alive to the final pages. Overall, this is a solid summer read with several mysteries being unraveled simultaneously. It's also noteworthy that Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole did a great job at bringing the cast of characters life, both good and bad.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced listener's copy (ALC) of this summer lake mystery thriller in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are solely my own.

What could go wrong at a lake where women have disappeared before?
I loved this story and I thought the narrator did a great job with the voices.

It could be best described as a summer vacation reunion with so many secrets. It's a good way to while away an afternoon or two, but it does do that let's wrap it up as fast as possible at the end.

Thank you #MacAudio2025, Jamie Day, and narrators Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole. This audiobook was so well-done and engaging. The narrators were phenomenal and really brought the whole story to life. The story itself was a little slow to start for me, but once it got going, I was hooked and couldn't bring myself to press pause. I don't read a ton of thrillers because they are a little mentally draining for me - I'm constantly trying to solve the mystery before the book tells me what happens. This one was no different, but what was different was that I really had no idea what was going to happen, even though i thought I did! I definitely enjoyed this one and all the twists and interconnections and plot reveals.