Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟💫

The Lake Escape is a domestic drama full of mystery and secrets. This is a great beach (or lake) read. Great narration and an entertaining story with plenty of twists.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5⭐️
Pub Date: July 15, 2025
How I Read It: 📱🎧

Synopsis
Julia, David, and Erika are three friends who spent their summers together at a Vermont lake. As adults, they still visit their family homes every summer. Julia returns to her lake house only to find that David has built a hideous monstrosity of a home blocking her lake view, at least partially, the house is made of glass. David arrives to his home with a new younger girlfriend in tow, as well as a nanny who has her own reason for wanting to be at the lake. When David’s younger girlfriend mysteriously vanishes after a fight the night before, that the whole lake overheard, Julia and Erika wonder just how well they know their lifelong friend. She’s not the first girl to go missing from the lake though; two young women, with no known connection, vanished without a trace thirty years ago. The search is on for Fiona, David’s girlfriend, and lies, secrets, and betrayals start surfacing with the situation taking an unexpected turn. Are the women putting themselves in danger digging into Fiona’s disappearance?

My Thoughts
This book is the perfect summer read if you’re by the lake or pool. It has all those summer vibes with mystery and suspense thrown in. And who knew there could be so much drama at the lake! The story is a dual narration with Julia and Izzy, David’s nanny. I liked how we had both perspectives because it kept the story flowing nicely. I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, and I liked both formats.
The audiobook had two narrators, and they did such a great job portraying Julia and Issy.

This book kept me guessing. At one point, I thought Izzy was a goner, and that was really where the book got suspenseful for me, and I started becoming worried that there may be another victim because I had a hard time trusting characters. Then things started getting weird when Izzy was doing her own detective work, and I didn’t anticipate what happened next. If you’re looking for a summer thriller with some twists and suspense, pick this one up!

Themes
🫣 Suspense
🤫 Secrets
🌪️ Twists
👧🏻👱🏻‍♀️Multiple POVs

Ratings
Characters: 4 ⭐️
Pace: 3.5 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

2.5 stars - This seemed like it would be a fun, summer thriller, and it was okay at achieving that, but the characters weren’t built out enough and the ending had so many twists that it was just unbelievable.

Also, Julia’s constant thinking in Instagram captions was cause for a start downgrade in and of itself.

Jamie Day's The Lake Escape plunges readers into a suspenseful summer where idyllic childhood memories collide with decades of hidden truths. Julia, David, and Erika, lifelong friends who grew up sharing Vermont lake summers, now face adulthood burdened by sullen teenagers, mortgages, and lackluster love lives.

This summer, David is particularly eager to flaunt his newly renovated lake home—which now obstructs his friends' cherished views—and his much-younger girlfriend. Unbeknownst to him, he's also brought a nanny with a dangerous hidden agenda into their midst. What could possibly go wrong?

The serene façade shatters when David's girlfriend mysteriously vanishes after a heated argument. Julia and Erika are forced to question how well they truly know their lifelong friend. The lake itself holds a harrowing past: thirty years prior, two young women with no known connection disappeared without a trace. Has the lake claimed another victim?

As a frantic search gets underway, an intricate web of lies, deceits, and betrayals spanning generations begins to surface. Everyone finds themselves in peril, vulnerable to the lake's dark history or, perhaps, something even more sinister. The Lake Escape is a gripping novel that expertly weaves together past and present, revealing how secrets can shatter even the strongest bonds and put lives at deadly risk.

I’ve read two of Jamie Day’s books and enjoyed them, so I was excited to receive both an ALC and an ARC of his new one. The Lake Escape did not disappoint. There were several intertwined storylines that came together to form a larger, cohesive story.

The audiobook had two narrators, Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole. The story alternates between Julia, one of the lake homeowners, and Issy, the nanny. They perfectly captured the voices of Julia and Issy, making it easy to stay engaged. Julia’s voice came across as more mature, while Issy’s had a younger, more youthful tone.

Publication date- July 15, 2025
#TheLakeEscape #NetGalley

This audiobook is fabulous! I literally listened to it in two days. It was shocking and the atmosphere was fantastic. It is such such a great read to enjoy by the pool or on a nice summer evening walk. I did not see the twist coming, and my jaw was on the floor! Five out of five stars.

Let me start by saying i am a big fan of Jamie Day! The Lake Escape did not disappoint, though it did get a little wild at the end. Irish mobsters, 3 missing women, discovered bones, and a nanny who frequently quotes Mary poppins - oh my!

This was tense and atmospheric and all the things I love about a book. There were a ton of players in the game. But our POVs kept things easy to understand/follow. I did this one on audio, and really enjoyed David’s chapters with his accent and cocky bravado. You love to hate him!

Highly recommend you add The Lake Escape to your summer reading list — especially if you’re in a cabin (or giant, glass mansion) on a lake! 😉

Three childhood friends gather at a lake with their families but when one person disappears, everyone panics. The lake has had an obsession with women vanishing though - is this one another that will go unsolved?

Thrillers where juicy secrets are revealed are always my favourite so I knew this one was going to be good when the reveals started! Though it was a little over the top in some cases, I found the writing to be solid and engaging. With multiple POVs, this thriller will be one you should definitely add to your summer reading list.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this audio book.

I read along to the audiobook and I thought it enhanced the story. I would definitely recommend the audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Jamie Day for the advanced read/ listen to The Lake Escape.

The Lake Escape is the perfect beach read. The audio has 2 duel narrators. Three longtime friends have Vermont lake homes and are spending 2 weeks together. David is excited to show off his recently renovated lake home when there's only one problem. It's now blocking Julia's view to the lake. Julia is one of the narrator's and this introduces tension amongst the group. We are introduced to the other narrator who is David's new nanny, he had an affair with the last one. This makes David look quite suspicious when his latest girlfriend disappears after they were last seen arguing because his girlfriend had a make-out session with his other friend Erica's son. With the stress and tension with one of them missing the vacation starts to take a turn and a mix of truths and lies starts to become unraveled.

The first 2./3 of the book I felt were fantastic like setting up a perfect clue mystery/ psychological thriller then becomes more of a crime drama towards the end disrupting the flow.

I enjoyed this book. It was very entertaining and I liked the narrators. I have the other books by this author and now I’m looking forward to reading them.

This was my first Jamie Day book, but it won’t be my last. I listened to the audiobook, it had two narrators Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole. The story alternating from Julia, one of the lake home owners and Issy, the nanny.

Every summer the Vermont lake friends reunite. Julia, Erika and David have been together at the lake since they were kids; now as adults they return to their family summer homes. Each masking their dramas of working adults with kids and mortgages; struggles of failing mortgages, failing businesses; new found successes and divorces; teen age children drama.

Is David dating his nanny or his hot young girlfriend ? Is Julia and Christian on the brink of disaster, what are Erika and Rick hiding? Are the next generation an item?

Well those will take a back seat to the lake lore of the missing women separated by 30 years when the next young woman disappears at the lake, and there are unexpected connections to everyone!

This book pulls you along, just as you start to think you have it figured, a twist will come along! I enjoyed the characters, even the sinister ones!

The only reason why I didn’t rate this higher was because I guessed most of the plot twists in this except a few. Part of the reason why I love thrillers is being surprised when I don’t see a twist coming. actually thought it was a really well written book and hooked the reader from the get go. The book had a lot of twists and it was a very plot driven book.
3.25/5

Note: I received an audiobook ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Lake Escape is an interesting mystery/crime thriller about long-buried secrets (or maybe not that much buried...) involving old friends and families who used to vacation at their lake house every summer, for decades. Three women have vanished by that lake in the past 30 years and now, in recent days, another one disappears. We follow intruiguing and some not so likable characters throughout this mysterious story full of gossip and drama.

I'd say readers who are more into reading crime fiction, this book might work better for them. Readers who are into traditional thrillers, this book might disappoint a little. I personally wouldn't call this a slow-paced book, but there is a lot of character development and dialogues. That's why I choose to call this book a mystery crime fiction book.

This was the second book I've read by this author and I really like her writing and how she chooses to portraits certain flawed characters.
I believe that anyone who has read a book by this author before and enjoyed it might as well enjoy this new one, too. For those who haven't read anything: if you are into friends and family drama and gossip + a slow-burn narrative + a mystery plot about crimes against women, consider giving this book a go. It's a nice book for the summer.

I listened to the audiobook format and I thought it was very well done. There are only two narrators, but they both voice different characters with precision and distinguishable voices. It was very easy to follow all the characters' POV and be entertained by the narrators. I can easily recommend the audio version for audiobook lovers/addicts.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to an advanced audio copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I loved this! There were kind of several storylines mixed into a bigger story that all tied together. So much I hadn’t expected. Just enough to keep things interesting and keep me going and going to find out more. Very entertaining!! The ending was great too!! It tied up everything nicely and didn’t leave parts open and hanging like some books seem to. Overall, this was very well written and a great read!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved all the twists and turns that came from this book. I was so shocked by all the different aspects of this book. The entire time you think that the book is going to go one way and then it went a completely different way. I loved the ending and how it all happened. It was exactly what I was hoping the outcome would be. All the questions I had for this book were answered.

I wanted to like this lake murder mystery, I really did. The premise - three lifelong friends meet with their families at the lake they've been going to since they were kids and someone goes missing exactly 30 years after the last person went missing which was 30 years before the first person went missing - but I can't say that I did. The three supposed friends literally hated each other and had so many unredeeming qualities that you end up hating them too. The mystery is ok, but there are so many moving parts and people with secrets and the main narrator, Julia, is the most wishy-washy twit who is willfully blind to the hole her husband is digging for them. I did like Izzy, the nanny and secondary narrator and her interactions with Grace. I will probably still recommend this book as a beach read, but wish I'd liked it more. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion. 2.5 stars

The Lake Escape is a thriller and a family drama wrapped up into one! As adults, David, Julia, and Erika are keeping their childhood tradition alive by spending two weeks at their shared lake community, Lake Timmeny, in Vermont. After what feels like a forced start to their stay, David's newest girlfriend goes missing mere hours after they are heard fighting. In the wake of the disappearance, accusations fly, secrets come out and motives are twisted as multiple POVS jumble the narrative and leave readers guessing. On top of the missing woman, Izzy, a hired nanny for David's young twins, is harboring her own secret motive for being at the lake beside childcare: she is desperately trying to crack the cold case of 2 missing women from the exact same lake 30 years prior.

I really enjoyed the first portion of the book. I felt like the build up was engaging and interesting, but the plot seemed to spiral a bit at the end, becoming a distorted from the original storyline. To me, this book tried to be so many things, including shocking, but it came off as a bit unbelievable. I did like the changing narratives and Izzy's storyline as she navigated her personal connection to the lake mysteries. .

This could be the perfect lake-side or pool-side read. Day writes a compelling story with twisty family drama that will leave you wondering what (and who) to really believe.

Holy moly! I was beyond grateful to get an ALC of The Lake Escape by Jamie Day from NetGalley. And let me tell you, this audiobook was pure, unadulterated perfection. My brain is still doing gymnastics trying to untangle all the twists and turns – I swear, my jaw spent most of the time on the floor. And the two narrators? Absolutely crushed it. They deserve all the awards, plus a lifetime supply of their favorite snacks.

Now, I'll admit, it started as more of a gentle simmer, like waiting for water to boil for pasta. But once it truly got cooking, you weren't just barbecuing with propane, you were practically a well-done brisket on the grill! This book is an absolute must for your summer vacation, whether you're chilling by the pool or bravely dipping your toes in the lake. Just remember, folks: always, ALWAYS beware the lake lore. You've been warned!

4.5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Jamie Day for this advanced listeners copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Lake Escape
by Jamie Day
4/5 ⭐

The Lake Escape is an entertaining summer thriller that packs in all the right elements: nostalgia, suspense, and corruption. In true Day fashion, the story presents a full cast of characters—each one well-developed, layered, and just suspicious enough to keep readers on edge. The dual timelines weave together childhood memories with present-day tensions in a gripping way. The mystery builds steadily, constantly leaving you guessing about who can be trusted and what really happened.

The graphic audio version of the book adds an immersive quality, enhancing the plot, and the narrators make the characters come to life. Although I did feel like there were some holes in the present story, and some far-fetched details in the past. The Lake Escape is a perfect read for those who love thrillers that keep you turning pages on a summer night.

Thank you to @Macmillan.Audio and @netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. All my opinions are my own.
Publication Date: July 15, 2025