An enjoyable summer thriller set on a lake in Vermont. Many layers of lies and unsolved murders; a few twists with a layered ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an Audio ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Loved this audiobook. The narrators were great. Loved the dual POV. I was so into this book. The twist really got me, did not see it coming.

✨Book Review✨
The Lake Escape by Jamie Day
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

☀️ Do you savor a novel based in a lake community in Vermont that emanates vibes of nostalgia, suspense, unreliable characters, strained relationships, and layered mystery? It is a YES PLEASE from me, as this is the perfect summer read!

🍹 Since they were children, Julia, David, and Erika enjoyed summers together on Lake Timmeny, Vermont in their family’s lake cottages. As adults, they have now taken over ownership and continue creating memories, kicking off the vacation with the same strong blue “adult” concocted beverage since they were teens. Julia, Christian, and Taylor meet up with Erika, Rick, and Lucas, along with David and his twins. David arrives this year with his new younger girlfriend and a new nanny, Izzy.

🌅 Lake Timmeny, beautifully picturesque, has secrets of its own. Disappearances over the last thirty years have rocked this lake community. Julia, David, and Erika were affected by the lake’s mysteries years ago. Together they find themselves intertwined in another dark conundrum that has life changing consequences for them all.

💛 I love any story which takes place in an atmospheric location for the summer, like a lake in Vermont, and the setting of this novel did not disappoint. The story is told from the dual perspectives of Julia and Izzy. The alternating POV’s certainly kept the story moving. Jamie Day wove in other quiet happenings that kept me wondering all throughout how they were going to tie up in the end. Well, believe me, it definitely came together and I did not see some of it coming!

🌿 Find a nice quiet place outside, grab a chair, blend up a blue mocktail/cocktail, sit back and let this story take you away to the lapping sounds of Lake Timmeny in Vermont!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this story in exchange for my honest opinion.

#jamieday #domesticsuspense #thelakeescape #summerreading #takemetothelake #suspense

The Lake Escape was a novel filled with mystery, twists and turns that all centered around a place of childhood nostalgia and secrets. The story drew me in from the beginning but, the ending was not exactly what I expected. It seemed like there was a lot added that made it hard to believe.

The narration was well done with a variety of voices and the pacing was also good.

Thank you Net Galley, Jamie Day and MacMillian Audio for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.

The Lake Escape is the story of a group of neighbors with vacation homes on a lake in Vermont. They grew up together and continue to return to the lake as adults regularly until a girlfriend disappears and secrets of prior mysteries of the lake emerge. Lots of secrets and deceptions as they dig in to uncover past crimes and how they tie to the present. This was an edge of your seat kind of thriller but with a vacation, neighbor kind of vibe, to make it a perfect summer read. One of those books where you know you can’t trust people but you know someone in the bunch has to be the good one so you just keep guessing. So many twists and turns.

A lake vacation turns mystery when one of them goes missing. I really like the storyline that followed Izzy and the relationships between the old friends. It really came to a boiling point that I couldn’t wait to see how it ended. The mob bits were a bit far fetched but I like to just go with these things. Jamie’s books seem to have this common “you never know what happens behind closed doors” themes that I go gaga for. The narration was pretty good.

If you enjoy every random trope known to man, this book is for you!
*revenge porn? You got it
*references to a much better classic story? Yup!
*podcast? Of course!
*shitty "friends"? 3!
*random old lady recluse? Duh!
*teen pregnancy? You betcha!
* The mob?????? What would this book be without it!

I finished this and I have no idea why.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC

I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Lake Escape by Jamie Day, and it was a compelling and twist-filled read. The story centers around two murders that are 30 years apart, with the anniversary of the original crime approaching just as a new disappearance rocks the community. After a heated argument, a girlfriend goes missing—and what unfolds from there is a brilliant unraveling of secrets and lies.

Jamie Day delivers once again with a cast of complex, layered characters, each hiding something beneath the surface. Some you’ll root for, others you’ll love to hate, but all are essential to the slow-burn tension that builds throughout the book. I especially enjoyed the dual narration, which added depth and perspective as the story shifted between characters.

This was a quick, immersive read with excellent pacing and sharp writing. If you enjoy mysteries packed with secrets, emotional twists, and compelling character dynamics, The Lake Escape should be on your list.

Macmillan Audio ALC
I always look forward to Jamie Day's books in the summer because I know I am going to get a juicy domestic drama. The plot in this one was a bit bonkers—in the best way—and that's what I want in a summer thriller. I liked the friends coming back to their summer lake house well into their adulthoods to set up the plot. Things seem good, but that wouldn't make for a juicy book. What made this book so addicting was the slow reveal of so many secrets. Each character has them, and I wasn't sure who to trust. The dual narration between Julia and Izzy was so well done because of how they came to the different troubles in the book. Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole did such fabulous narrations. They captured the age difference between their characters and really captured their nuanced emotions. Highly recommend the audio.

January LaVoy is such a good narrator for thrillers and Jamie Day can write such a good thriller! I I have read multiple books by her and have enjoyed each one. I like the detail and suspense that is added into the story with storylines for each character.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the review copy!
AUDIOBOOK Specific: Great production that elevated a fairly standard plot, one that didn't quite grab me, with strong narration, good pacing, and stylish approaches to defining the characters' voices.
The Lake Escape was an entertaining summer mystery that worked best for me in audio format. The multiple narrators were fantastic at differentiating a large cast of characters—three couples, four kids, and a nanny—making it easier to follow. The story started strong with a chilling premise (“Every 30 years, the lake takes another victim”) and plenty of suspenseful vibes, but by the final stretch, it became a little tangled and overly busy for my taste. None of the characters stood out as particularly likable, though in this genre, that’s not unusual. Overall, it’s a solid, atmospheric read that will keep you engaged if you’re in the mood for a twisty, summer-set thriller—just be prepared to track a lot of names!

The Lake Escape was an enjoyable book to listen to. The twists and turns within the book were unexpected making it even more enjoyable. I admit that I struggled with some of the characters as they were difficult to like or even relate to. The setting of the book was picturesque, and the flashbacks to the lake house owner's youth were intriguing, further adding to the complexity of the story. Although it doesn't rank among my most favorite mysteries, it was a good read, well-worth the time I invested in it.

This book had a promising setup —a group of lifelong friends vacationing at a mysterious lake where women have gone missing—but the story fell flat for me. The pacing was slow, and the large cast of characters made it hard to stay engaged. The plot dragged in places, and I found it difficult to stay invested in the characters or their motivations. The twists didn’t pack a punch.

That said, the narration was a definite highlight. I could easily distinguish between characters and their tones remained consistent. Unfortunately, strong narration couldn’t save a lackluster plot.

If you enjoy slow-burn thrillers with family drama, that seems to include a plethora of events and situations, this might still work for you—but it wasn’t a hit for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and McMillan audio for this ARC. 🙄🥴

Is there a better #SummerCover than 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑳𝑨𝑲𝑬 𝑬𝑺𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒚, publishing July 15th & #gifted by @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio via @netgalley!?!

I entered this story fully ready to engage with all the drama as 3 friends: Julia, David, & Erika converged with their respective families at the lake where they grew up. The tension was clear quickly with David having built a monstrosity of a glass home, blocking his friends' view of the lake (except through the house). When his extra young girlfriend disappears, the lake lore of disappearing women every 30 years becomes more concerning as does David's behavior. How well do they know him?

This story started well for me, but got a bit tangled with the 3 adult couples, 4 kids, & a nanny. That was a lot of names to keep in line. It also got a bit convoluted toward the end with too much happening for me to keep up. I felt like it may have been that I had lost enough steam to not care to work that hard.

The audio had multiple narrators which helped as the large cast needed differentiation.

All in all, not a complete win for me, but still a entertaining story if you can keep a list of characters like I did!

This is a very long, very slow story. I was interested but it was just too complicated and long. If it was shorter and less complicated it would be more interesting.

Whew, talk about many red herrings!! I honestly didn't know who to trust!
This one kept me on the edge of my seat while I listened trying to figure out if David is really behind everything or is it someone else. Between unsolved mysteries and a new missing girlfriend I was hooked. I really enjoyed Izzy's POV and I loved the multi audio experience with the podcasts excerpts at the end. The narrators, Lisa Larsen, and Phoebe Strole did a great job portraying Erica, Julie, David, Fiona, Izzy, and many others throughout the book. The tones and inflections were great. I felt like together the narrators brought these characters to life and weaved the story very well.

A very special thanks to Macmillan Audio + Netgalley for the ALC.

This was a good listen, but I found it a bit challenging to keep track of all of the people involved in the story when listening to it since there are so many.

This was a twisty lakehouse thriller that was great at grabbing my attention and not letting go. Secrets surface, relationships unravel, and the line between truth and deception blurs.

The main trio of characters is Julia, mother of Taylor, struggling in her marriage and the emotional anchor of the group. David who is wealthy and used to be their childhood protector who brought his twins, his young girlfriend Fiona and nanny Izzy to the lake. Erika is a defense attorney married to Rick, the group often seeks Erika out for guidance.

The book goes back and forth between Izzy and Julia's perspectives. When things start to unravel, you will be mindblown!

Once again Jamie Day crafts an excellent domestic thriller! This one is jam-packed with tension and highly suspicious characters. Julia, David, and Erika are supposed to be close friends but they all seem to be hiding things from each other. This year's joint lake vacation should be a great time but instead it turns into a nightmare. On its surface, Lake Timmeny appears tranquil but many secrets are hiding in the shadows. Thirty years apart two women went missing and now another is gone. Julia and Izzy, David's nanny are determined to uncover the mystery

The Lake Escape is filled with dramatic moments and an eerie allure. The setting is atmospheric and unsettling. Both POVS were intriguing as we learn about their lives and reasons for being there. Izzy is especially interesting as we learn about her mysterious agenda. This story kept me engrossed all the way through as I tried to sort out this sorted web of betrayal.

My review is for the audiobook version of this book. Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole both did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. This was a truly outstanding audiobook that I highly recommend.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for this complimentary copy!

If you were to ask me for a book recommendation with messy characters, family drama, and multiple POVs, I would recommend anything that's been written by Jamie Day in an instant. Jamie Day does an incredible job of capturing the chaos and antics of a big family/large group of friends, but done in a way that makes reading it feel so easy.

This book was SO good. It wasn't my favorite of this authors books, but it was still a really good read.

What I liked:
-I loved the setting of the lake houses. The glass house gave that eerie feeling to the book, and the whole time I was reading it, it felt like there was this eerie morning fog coating the surroundings. It had that perfect mysterious and creepy setting.
-Sometimes a group with so many characters can be hard to keep track of and read about, but like I said before, Jamie Day does such a good job at writing like this. It was really entertaining and hard to put down.

What I didn't like:
-It felt unrealistic at times. I know its a fiction book, but all of the mob stuff just didn't feel like it fit into the setting.
-I also felt like there were a few loose ties to still put together, like why was Izzy left on the woods? mor eexplanation on Danid being involved with the mob (how did it start, is he just creating "adult content" and tat got him involved? I know they have that connection to Cormac but I was just left a little confused).

This book is the perfect lake-side mystery read. If you liked this one, I would also recommend checking out the author's other books as well because Jamie Day has quickly become an auto-buy author for me.

This book hooked me from the beginning and I just had to know how it turned out. It's not a fast paced thriller - it's very character driven and unfolds slowly. The end packs a lot of punches! I loved the character growth and multiple POV's. Highly recommend!