Great start to a book - but it lost momentum quickly. It seemed to have too many stories that did not add up. I wanted to like it, but really didn’t love it.

Just like Day's first "One Big Happy Family" and "The Block Party" - this book delivers a twisty summer mystery/thriller packed with family and neighborhood drama. My attention and interest were grabbed right out of the gate and I couldn't stop listening (audiobook).

I will say that you need to be ready to pay attention - their are quite a few characters and so many different dynamics at play, but that being said, it's not hard to stay engaged!

The audio narration was great and this would make a fabulous beach read!

Who doesn’t love a good annual friends’ trip? Julia, David, and Erika have been spending their summers at their family lake houses ever since they were young and they have carried on the tradition into adulthood. What is normally a fun-filled relaxing weekend for the crew, becomes a bit more chaotic this year … even deadly.

When David’s girlfriend goes missing, and it aligns with the spooky lake lore (two other women disappearing exactly 30 years apart), things start to get tesnse and the friendships start to crack.

The story swaps back and forth between the POVs of Julia and Izzy (David’s nanny). As it progresses, we learn that Izzy has ulterior motives for nannying David’s adorable twins. We also learn that David may have some ulterior motives himself … in fact, does the entire group have deep dark secrets that they’re keeping from one another?!

I definitely enjoyed this story! While I wasn’t a huge fan of the asshole misogynistic characters, I also realize that they exist IRL, so it makes sense. Thankfully, to balance that out, I absolutely LOVED the female empowerment/girl power that develops as the story goes on. I’m always on board for a badass woman (pr a few). If you like any of Day’s other books, or even if you haven’t read any of them, I suggest you give this one a read!

Day writes a fantastic summer thriller. I've read their previous two releases and enjoyed them as well. Perfect setting with tons of drama. Definitely recommend! Audiobook was done really well!

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day
Narrated by Lisa Larsen, Phoebe Strole

Julia, David, and Erika spent their summers together at the Vermont lake homes of their families thirty and more years ago. Since their teen years they've been through so much, together and apart, and things have not always been smooth sailing. Still, each of them look forward to their summer vacations at their summer homes although their friendships are going to sink to the bottom of the lake once all kinds of things come to the surface.

For one, David has rebuilt his home so it blocks the lake views of Julia and Erika. Julia is furious, why doesn't Erika care? Plus David has brought another of his endless parade of younger and younger girlfriends to the lake and this one is WAY too young and immature for David. There there is the brand new nanny because David has run through his supply of former nannies somehow. Plus there are the fears about two women going missing after a certain number of years. Is it time for that to happen again?

We get two POVs, that of Julia and that of the nanny, nineteen year old Izzy. I liked them both, Julia seemed to be the most reasonable and down to earth of the older trio. Izzy is a smart, conscientious teen, and her parts were the parts I liked best. She was funny, a bit snarky, but really trying to do the best she could as a nanny with no nanny skills other than watching Mary Poppins every year. She has never even babysat before and now she's got two rambunctious and more than a little spoiled twins on her hands. And she's really there for another reason but can't let anyone know the real reason she is there.

Pretty quickly bad things happen and also bad things are found out, and also bad things are confessed. Lots of bad things. I just sat back and watched (and listened to) the great big Titanic size mess run into the iceberg that had been growing for a very long time. Who, if any one, will come out with their heads above water by the time this story is over? I was fortunate enough to have both the ebook and the audiobook and both are good ways to go with this story. I did really enjoy listening to the narrator of Izzy, she really put life in the part and sounded like the smart and curious teenager she's portraying.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC

A great summer beach read! The characters were all flawed and so secretive and there was a lot of drama. I loved the setting on the lake and history there. This was a fast read or listen because you wanted to find out what happened. There were some good twists I did not see coming. The narration was very well done. I recommend this book and all Jamie Day books!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC!

What an intricate sh*t show! And I mean that earnestly. This was so deliciously messy, and I could not get enough. Missing persons? Yes. Plural! Money problems? The MOB?? It’s all here. And it seems like it would be too much or outlandish, but it was the reality TV-like escape that I needed. It was juicy, and I was honestly surprised at how diabolical this group of friends has been for forever.

I was waffling between 3 and 4 for this one, as I'd put it right around 3.5, but decided to round up for the fun of the premise and the delivery of the drama.

Premise- Julia, David, and Erika have spent every summer at their Vermont lake homes since childhood. The tradition continues into adulthood, but charming David has aged into a nouveau rich prick, complete with a hot, young post-divorce girlfriend, Fiona. and a home upgrade that annihilates his friends’ views. Also along for the summer is David’s twins’ new nanny, Izzy, who has exactly zero childcare experience and a secret agenda.

After a shouting match Fiona goes missing, forcing Julia and Erika to ask themselves how well they really know David. Two young women disappeared from the lake thirty years earlier, never to be seen again - does something connect the three disappearances?

This was such a fun premise and the plotting did a solid job of letting the 'what ifs' and the 'and thens' spiral with (mostly) increasing stakes. The box thing and the Lucas plot lines didn't work for me at all (felt too YA) but there were enough other plot points that they were a little blip.

The three main friends, David, Julia, and Erika, were well crafted as not-quite-likable characters that were interesting to follow all the same (especially David and Julia). That said, Izzy was the most intriguing character to me from the start, followed by Fiona. Maybe I do go for empathetic/likable characters after all, even though I loudly and proudly stan unlikable protagonists?

Fiona disappears before she can be developed enough to get *really* interesting, so my allegiances shifted entirely to Izzy by pretty early on. Why was she there? What could possibly make the lie worth it?? When the big reveal finally happened, I was entirely unimpressed. I just don't buy Izzy's motivation at all, there are too many degrees of separation to believe it would be urgent/important enough to make her fake a resume, lie to her family, and put herself in the hands of a possible murderer for months on end in his territory.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole. They did a great job! It was a delightful read and I definitely would recommend this format for this book, especially as it helps gloss over some of the cheesier writing. Melodrama works when you experience it as a radio soap opera.

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Block Party so I jumped at the chance for this one. It was not better than it's predecessor to me but it was enjoyable. The audio was good, a little confusing at times with the narration but that is NOT on the narrators - more on how the story lays out. The family drama was good but a little dragged out. Other than that, the twists were twisty!

In The Lake House, a summer mystery unfolds on the shores of a Vermont lake. The story centers around childhood friends Julia, David, and Erika, who reunite at the lake house with their families. Things a dark turn when David's new younger girlfriend vanishes without a trace. As suspicions rise, secrets are revealed, and we learn the nanny has a hidden agenda. Does she know something?

This is a captivating summer read that's perfect for fans of suspense and mystery. We have lifelong friends who all carry their own secrets, the tension is real, the suspicions are high, and no one really trusts anyone.

Although the numerous characters can be challenging to keep track of initially, the author's writing style and pacing make it worthwhile. I was able to hybrid reading and listening to the book. The narrators bring the characters to life, making it easy to distinguish between them.

Overall, 'The Lake House' is a captivating summer read that's perfect for fans of suspense and mystery. It’s a slow burn start but a satisfying conclusion. With engaging writing and interesting plots, Jamie Day has become an author I'm eager to follow and read more from!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and Jamie Day for the opportunity of the ALC of The Lake Escape!
I enjoyed the Narration of the book! Nicely Done. I enjoyed the dual POV throughout the book. It was an enjoyable & entertaining read. I do however think it would have been better if it wasn’t so filled with the extra family drama. I was also able to figure out who done it easier than I had hoped for. Overall a decent listen/read!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook.

I have loved every novel by Jamie Day and this latest book did not disappoint. A novel that takes place at a lakefront cottage with three friends who have been going there since birth is a great way to kick off one’s summer reading list. Add in the disappearance of a new guest that is eerily similar to disappearances that have occurred at the lake before, plus a nanny with a secretive background and you have the recipe for a great mystery/thriller!

The plot keeps the reader engaged throughout the story. A great job is done introducing the various characters and explaining their back stories. I found this added to the storyline, rather than making it drag. It also helped that there were little twists and turns all throughout the story that keeps the readers engaged.

The story is told through dual narrators - one being Julia, one of the original lake habitants. Julia’s POV is told via third person. The other narrator is Izzy, the young college-aged nanny, which is told via first person. Both POVs offer great insight into the story. As I listened to the audiobook, I liked that there were two separate narrators for Julia and Izzy.

I highly recommend this book along with the two previous novels that Jamie Day has written. I feel that readers will be happy with this selection!

The Lake Escape is one of the best domestic thrillers that I’ve read/listened to in recent years, Jaimie Day has put together a soapy, twisty and incredibly well-connected mystery that kept me guessing throughout and expertly tied all of its pieces together.

The Lake Escape features a balanced mix of genuinely likeable and throughly detestable characters in an intriguing web of old friends and “friendly” families.


With both a present and past mystery at the core of its plot and two distinct narrators and protagonists whose stories eventually merge leading to a satisfying and enjoyable ending.

The only real flaw in this book is that the plot takes a little while for the plot to to get going. However, once the 2nd act begins, it really takes off and twists and in turns so much that the 2nd half of the story is way different than what it would be when I was a third of the way in

Narrated by Lisa Larsen and Pheobe Strole, the audiobook edition is well produced with a strong performance that does a terrific job of conveying the tone, atmosphere and emotions throughout the novel.

If you like enjoy summer thrillers, I highly recommend you pick up and read the Lake Escape.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the Lake Escape in exchange for an honest review.

4.75/5 ⭐️

This book is going to be a summer hit! We have lake vacation vibes, true crime, podcasting, missing people, deception, and murder! What else could you possibly ask for on your summer tbr? I tandem read the book and audiobook and I’ve got to say, I really loved the narration, especially since the story is told from multiple POV. Author @jamiedaybooks does an excellent job with themes of family drama so if you’re into that you’ll want to pick this book up!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Lake Escape" and all opinions expressed are my own. I have both the audiobook and kindle book. I listened to the audiobook. I just didn't like the characters or the story. It was a jumbled mess. The idea was good but it wasn't for me. I did like Izzy though.

I loved the idea of this but it felt too long, and the mysteries felt too far removed from what happened. There weren't many likeable people in the story, which isn't really a problem with a thriller, but when nothing is happening it's nice to have a reason to keep reading. Still, people may enjoy this for a summer read, because it's a thriller with an interesting mystery. Thanks to NetGalley, I listened to the audiobook, and the performance itself was great.

Middle of the road thriller. Not much sense of urgency. Only likable characters are, bizarrely, the teens.

this was a great premise. l,but didn't hit the mark fully. there were a lot of repetitive parts each time the narrator changed. I really liked the actual twists but the characters are all pretty loathsome. hard to feel any real attachment to any of them.the audioversion was performed really well, with a reliable voice for Izzie and Julia.
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you for the advice audiobook copy.

This book is filled with mystery, family drama. Secrets and lies. All the things I love. It was an average read. I did finish it in one day.

Ah, summer at the lake—where the wine is chilled, the vibes are tense, and the drama is as deep as the water. Jamie Day serves up a juicy cocktail of passive-aggressive lakefront neighbors, generational secrets, and one seriously inconvenient missing girlfriend. Add a shady nanny, blocked lake views, and the ghosts of summers past, and you've got the messiest reunion since your last group chat imploded. The Lake Escape is like Big Little Lies in boat shoes—sharp, twisty, and soaked in scandal. Pack this one in your beach bag… but maybe keep an eye on the water.

Thank you Jamie Day, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

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