I’m not sure why I keep coming back and reading this author. My thoughts are always these are so drawn out. This book was a few hundred pages too long.

THE LAKE ESCAPE • pub day 07.15.25

ALC review
Natrators: Lisa Larsen & Phoebe Strole
Length: 12h 41 min
ARC pages: 384

David, Julia, and Erika have been friends since childhood - and now as adults they return to the Lake they spent time together when they were kids. Told in the POV of Julia, and David’s new nanny Izzy - secrets start to come out one morning when David’s new girlfriend vanishes. The lake has a history of missing girls in the past and everyone is haunted by the fact that it could have happened again.

I didn’t really connect to any characters in this story but I liked the setting of summertime at the lake with the eery feeling of suspense near the lake. I did the audio and the ebook for this one and think either way is a good option. I liked Izzy’s POV as it was told in first person and you could get more of a feel of her personality and intentions. If the book focused more on the mystery of the people that went missing I think I would have liked it a bit better but it was mostly focused on the family drama and suspense of the ones at the lake house. The narrators for the audiobook were great.

3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to MacMillan Audio for my ALC + NetGalley & St Martin’s Press for my ARC

3 childhood friends vacation at their respective vacation homes, left to them by their families. Each one keeping various secrets. Women have disappeared by this lake. Each one 30 years apart. Twists and turns galore. Enjoyed this one very much.

3.5 stars
This was an enjoyable read, and I was entertained. I did feel that the first half was a bit meandering at times with all of the action packed into the last part of the book. I would have liked to have seen more mystery and suspense throughout the story instead of only at the end. Some of the final scenes strained credibility. Still, this was a fun read – and I think it would be a nice read for summer vacation.

I will say I did really enjoy the narration for the audiobook.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

An summer thriller set in Vermont cottage country. The setting reminds me of cottage country in Eastern Ontario, and I was excited to get an ARC copy!

Izzy is a journalism student moonlighting as a nanny for a wealthy man who owns a house on a lake. She knows nothing about nannying, but that's not why she is there. The story unfolds with plot twist after plot twist... some of them are predictable, and some are just outright ridiculous.

This book took me a while to get into. A lot of characters are introduced quickly, and not a single one of them is likeable. Every single person is hiding something, or lying about something, or is just a terrible person in general. It makes it hard to care much about the plot line, when you don't really care about the characters.

I love a good summer mystery, but I'm not sure this one hits the mark for me.

I really struggled to get into this story. I didn’t really feel pulled in and it seemed really slow to start. Not much happening. I think there was just too many characters and storylines and unnecessary things that kept me from enjoying it. I previously loved the authors first two books but this was sadly a miss. The narrations were good tho. They were easily distinguishable and help track the different characters.

Izzy, a 19 year old girl takes a nanny position with a family vacationing at the lake. She has a motive for taking this nanny position. She wants to investigate the disappearance of her aunt decades ago.

There are secrets, envy, and unsolved disappearances.

This captivating book is not to be missed.

4 stars

Publishing July 15, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook for an honest review.

Julia, David, and Erika grew up spending summers as neighbors at Lake Timinee in Vermont. As adults, they've raised their children there, too. But things are off this summer. David has built a massive house of glass blocking the others' views of the lake; his new nanny, Izzy, and his girlfriend, Fiona, seem to be at odds; and Julia and Erika have secrets of their own. Then Fiona goes missing...just like a woman has every thirty years.

I love books with lots of juicy secrets, and Jamie Day has created a fun one with a perfect summer setting in this story.

Loved the narrator. I was very intrigued by the young character in the story. Couldn't figure out her true angle at first.
There was a lot going on in this book. I definitely think that that this book was a great audiobook. I really loked the water sound effects. Made me feel as if I was at the lake with the characters in the book.
Would definitely recommend this audiobook.

I received a gifted audiobook copy of THE LAKE ESCAPE by Jamie Day from Macmillan Audio!

Rating: 3.5 / 5
Publication Date: 7/15/2025

THE LAKE ESCAPE follows a group of friends with neighboring vacation homes on the lake. These are homes that have been in their families so they grew up beside each other, seeing their successes and fails in work and relationships over the years. This year they’re back with their children for another summer vacation, but things are a bit different.

David has recently renovated his home, now blocking the lake view of his friends with a huge house that doesn’t quite fit in. He’s also brought his much younger wife and a nanny for the kids, a nanny he spends a bit too much time focusing on. There also seems to be a bit of tension between the teens of Julia’s and Erika’s families, plus a lot of marital woes as well. When David’s girlfriend goes MIA, he doesn’t seem overly concerned. STill, there are rumors that the lake takes someone every thirty years and this is thirty years since the last disappearance.

This was one of those books where it was just easy to fall into it and follow the drama. I think I wound up binging the full audiobook in less than a day as I was crocheting. It was one that I kept wanting to get back to, so I appreciated how well it held my attention.

The author does fairly well at helping the reader see how these three were friends through history and loyalty even as they maybe wouldn’t be friends if they just met in the modern day. That said, I did wish that people would have called David out for his behavior more than they did. There is a lot of messy drama at foot in this book and at times I thought the book was maybe trying to tackle too many relationships and character dramas along the way. I think it did a decent job at wrapping things up, but I do wish that I had a character or two that I really liked that I wanted to root for.

In the end this was an entertaining read and I did have fun with it. THE LAKE ESCAPE is out today!

For more thoughts on this book and other recent releases, check out this ARC Attack Vlog:

This was a good read, but honestly, it felt a bit all over the place at times. While the story had some great moments, the pacing and plot twists kept me on my toes (sometimes a little too much). Still, it had a fun, engaging vibe that kept me hooked. If you’re into a little chaos with your beach reads, this one might be for you!

This was a hybrid read for me as I alternated between the audio and digital version.

The Lake Escape is entertaining and full of family drama and secrets. I loved the lake getaway setting. I felt whisked away on a summer vacation. I enjoyed the characters and the years of history they shared together. The mystery of the missing women was intriguing. The bond that the nanny ended up forming with David's children was heartwarming. The majority of the book I listened to the audio version and I feel like that increased my rating from 4 to 5 stars. It had me hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for an advanced audio and digital version in exchange for my honest review.

Perfect read for upcoming summer with a getaway to the lake filled with memories, some not so great ones.

Every 30 years, there are women that go missing and this happens this time around. With multiple perspectives and individual story, this was an engaging read that really made me dive deep into women’s history and how it gets impacted through generations.

Really enjoyed the authors writing and would love to read this in another format aside from an audiobook - definitely a good book for upcoming lake getaways!

Julia, David, and Erika have spent every summer at Lake Timmeny for as long as they can remember. Their vacation homes are a break away from their everyday lives. But when David's new girlfriend, Fiona, goes missing without a trace, their vacation turns into an investigation with David as a suspect. As the search for Fiona continues, Julia and Erika wonder if Fiona's disappearance could be related to the other two women who have gone missing at the lake 30 years ago. The campfire story says that the "lake took them". Could the lake have taken Fioana?

The Lake Escape focuses on two POVs: Julia, who has been David's best friend since childhood, but starts to investigate David's involvement in Fiona's disappearance, and Izzy, an inspiring journalist determined to investigate the missing women of Lake Timmeny, and David's new nanny. I enjoyed Izzy's POV. The secrets she discovered in Fiona's disappearance, and the women who went missing 30 years ago had me guessing how they were all connected. The story seemed to line up with an obvious conclusion, but I was completely surprised by how this book ended.

Overall, this is an intriguing mystery that is the perfect read for summer.

The Lake Escape comes out on July 15th.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review The Lake Escape. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Lake Escape was a fantastic mystery/ thriller that technically spans almost 90 years. I loved the setting and history between the three friends. Julia, David, and Erika vacation at their lake homes together every year. However, this year starts of differently when Julia, her husband Christian, and daughter Taylor pull up and see the new renovations David has made. His new glass house blocks their view! Strangely, Erika has no problem with the new look which makes Julia suspicious on day one. As the story unfolds and the nanny Izzy starts to snoop around and notices lots of strains on the relationships of the lake residents, one of them goes missing! The Lake Got her- which is what happened to Izzy's aunt thirty years ago, as well as another woman almost 60 years ago. How are these all connected if at all?
My favorite part of this mystery is how when you think it is solved and everything is explained, the story keeps going. When you expect a character to handle the solution of the mystery one way and they don't- you know there is more to come.
A great read with lots and lot and lots of back stories.
Topics: lake life, friendship, secrets, murder, nanny, mob, young love, relationships
Recommended: adult or high school due to violence

#netgallery #thelakeescape

Izzy started her summer off with lies. Her mother believes she is working at a newspaper instead of heading off to nanny for a wealthy man, David, and his young twins as they head to the lake. Izzy has a secret purpose for her fibs, she is determined to get to the bottom of The Lake Curse--two women who disappeared 30 years apart, and now it's been an additional 30 years.

For David, Erika and Julia, the idyllic Vermont lake is a second home, the place they grew up spending their summers. Adults now, the three are bringing their own spouses and children up to the lake, though behind the serene landscape lies a web of lies and deceit. When David's young girlfriend goes missing, it seems that the lake curse has struck again. Will they make it out alive?

The Lake Escape is filled with so many twists and turns you may get dizzy trying to keep them straight. I jest, but author Jamie Day sure does serve up lots of surprises--and the last 20%, wow!

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole, and I greatly enjoyed both women's performances, each adding great depth to the characters.

For an interesting, mysterious story and a great set of narrators, I am rating The Lake Escape 4 stars.

I received this advance audio copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Lake Escape was a great mystery with complicated characters. I loved all of the Mary Poppins references. Narrator was great.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of The Lake Escape by Jamie Day in exchange for an honest review. I thought this murder mystery had some wonderful Agatha Christie like twists and turns. When Izzy uses a nanny position for two weeks on the lake as a means to investigate a cold case, danger, intrigue and history follow. I enjoyed how complicated things get with each hour and many layers there were in this story. I was trying to figure out who was the lake killer or if there were more than one until the end of the book. This was a very well thought out book and entertaining too, I recommend it.

This book took a little time to settle in, but once it did, the pacing felt spot-on—slow enough to build tension, yet steady enough to keep me fully engaged. The audiobook narration added another layer of immersion, with standout performances that brought the characters to life. The characters of Julia and Izzy were especially compelling as narrators, offering distinct and emotionally rich perspectives that carried the story well. What I appreciated most was how the novel gradually revealed the complicated ties between families, memory, and long-buried truths. It’s a story that rewards patient readers with depth, atmosphere, and a quietly powerful ending. A great pick for fans of psychological suspense that leans into character and setting as much as plot.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC. This is my honest review.

This audio book was wonderfully done. I loved the lake lapping sounds it added such whimsy and character to the book. The narrator was great too. Voice was not annoying and the speed was great. As for the story itself I enjoyed it quite thoroughly and was surprised by a lot of the twists.