Overly complicated mystery thriller centered on three lifelong friends who have a tradition of spending summer vacation at their generational family lakeside homes in Vermont.

When the 3 friends, their significant others, and their kids converge on the lake this time, old conflicts and dark secrets are exposed. All are having some issues in their personal lives — between marital problems, alcoholism, debt, and many lies. David has brought along a new girlfriend, Fiona, as well as a young nanny to care for his 5-year old twins. It seems the nanny has a hidden agenda. Julia and Christian are facing some serious money problems along with a betrayal that might undo them. Erika and Rick have harbored deceit for many years. It all comes to a head when Fiona goes missing. And this isn’t the first time a young woman has disappeared from Lake Timmeny.

I really got into this at first, intrigued by all the possibilities. The further along I read, however, the more the book became a bit over the top. There was way too much that stretched my credulity and the plot became so complex with a ton of characters and relationships that it got to the point of ridiculous. I especially didn’t like the revelations or the conclusions. Bummer. I also never cared for any of the characters with all the coincidences and unlikely behavior they exhibited. So, although a quick read, I ended up unsatisfied and disappointed.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrators, Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole, did a great job of voicing the characters and did their best to provide dramatic flair to a story that just couldn’t match their talents despite their excellent performances.

The Lake Escape is a new summer thriller from Jamie Day.

"David, Erica, and Julia grew up spending time together at the family homes on a Vermont lake. They're back for a summer escape as adults. But when David's new girlfriend disappears, everyone wonders about a connection with the other women who disappeared - all thirty-years apart. The police are called and a search is started. Secrets and betrayals come to the surface and everyone finds themselves in danger. Will the Lake take another?"

Day gives us another great collection of jacked-up characters. It seems like there's a dark side to the secrets that all have. Day keeps you guessing - you will have no idea the direction she takes. There are little parts you will guess, especially if you read many crime fiction/thrillers. But the big picture will elude you 'til the end.
There's a wild ending with some surprising reveals. Day made me feel for some of the characters - "Don't do that to them, Jamie!" But the resolution works.
Good audio performance from Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole. They both do a great job with all the different characters and building suspense.

Another good story from Day.

2.5⭐️ I love a summer thriller, but unfortunately I didn’t love this one. The writing was a bit rough and the use of Instagram captions throughout the book took me out of the story. I found the storyline interesting for the most part, but the big plot twist reveal felt very unrealistic.

A lake setting summer mystery is the perfect summer read. We have David, Julia and Erika who have been childhood friends through coming to the lake every summer.

This summer David brings his new girlfriend, Fiona along with his kids and new sitter, Izzy with him. Fiona goes missing and the story follows along Izzy and Julia's POV to find Fiona.

The story is engaging and entertaining as the story unfolds with so many layers of secrets. I enjoyed Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole's narration and made it easy to follow along.

Thank you @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress for a copy of the book.

Excellent audiobook. Deep dives into all the characters with each one immensely interesting. Narrator did a terrific job and each voice was recognizable. Love the chapter perspectives. Definitely recommend this title.

Lake Timmeny holds some secrets. David, Julia and Erika grew up spending summer vacations at the beautiful lake in Vermont. The tradition continues in adulthood. When David's newest girlfriend goes missing, old secrets begin to emerge. Izzy is nanny for David's young children, a job she got with ulterior motives. Told thru dual POVs, Julia and Izzy, both very interesting, one younger the other older. The cast of characters is quite large and can be a bit overwhelming at times, but each character adds to the intensity of the story. This is a great summer beach read.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

“The Lake Escape” sets you up with this dreamy little Vermont lake community full of summer nostalgia and long-held secrets, and then says, “What if we added generational trauma, a missing girlfriend, and the mob?” Which sounds like my kind of bonkers, but somehow the whole thing reads like someone tried to mix every thriller trope into one piña colada and forgot the rum.

We’ve got three lifelong friends: Julia, Erika, and David, returning to their family lake houses for what should be another summer of passive-aggressive drinks on the dock and pretending they still like each other. But this time, David rolls up with a newly renovated McMansion that blocks everyone’s lake view, his much younger girlfriend Fiona, and a brand-new nanny, Izzy, who may or may not be moonlighting as a secret agent. Then Fiona vanishes. Cue the secrets, suspicion, and a boatload of lakeside drama.

The big hook here is that women have gone missing at this lake before. Thirty years ago. Sixty years ago. The locals are side-eyeing the water like it’s cursed. Izzy is here with her own buried reason for nannying David’s kids, and Julia is increasingly convinced everyone around her is lying. Her husband, her daughter, her best friends, possibly the ducks. Nothing feels safe. Except Izzy, who is honestly the only one acting like she read the genre of this story before stepping into it.

But here’s the thing, nobody is truly likable. And not in a fun, morally gray “I hope you all turn on each other in act three” way. It’s more like, “Why are any of you still friends?” Julia is stuck in a marriage that radiates beige. Erika is a control freak with a Fitbit. David is one bad decision away from a “Dateline” episode. Even their kids are caught in the spiral. Julia’s daughter, Taylor, is heading into her senior year and clearly carrying something heavy behind that quiet, observant glare, but none of the adults are paying attention. Erika’s son, Lucas, is out here making questionable moves, like kissing Fiona, David’s very adult girlfriend, because this story has no time for boundaries. And then there’s Izzy, the nineteen-year-old nanny trying to balance twin-wrangling, teen drama, and her own secret investigation into the lake’s twisted history. She’s basically one podcast theme song away from becoming a cautionary tale. The teen tension has real stakes, but like a lot of things in this book, it’s more hinted at than fully explored.

Plot-wise, we’re moving in slow, looping circles. The first half is basically one long setup of rich people being shady. Then the second half bursts in with surprise confessions, sudden action, and a mob twist that made me question if I’d accidentally switched over to “Riverdale.” You think you’re reading a classic domestic suspense, and then suddenly it’s “The Sopranos." I respect the audacity, but also, ma’am. What?

That said, the audiobook does a lot of heavy lifting. Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole split narration duties, and Izzy’s sections, in particular, had real energy. Julia’s voice felt flatter, but it matched her character’s deeply repressed spiral. Listening kept me more engaged than I would’ve been on the page. If you're gonna read it, audio is the move.

The setting is the star of this book. The lake community is vividly drawn, full of cedar docks, multigenerational secrets, and enough tension to fog up your margarita glass. Jamie Day does atmosphere well. You can feel the oppressive politeness of these friendships, the way history hangs in the trees. If this had been a character-driven drama in the vein of “Little Fires Everywhere” with a side of “Big Little Lies”, I might have been obsessed.

Instead, “The Lake Escape” tried to be a little bit of everything. A slow-burn thriller. A missing persons mystery. A generational drama. A commentary on forgiveness. A mob subplot? It’s the literary version of someone packing for a weekend trip and bringing six suitcases. Some of it works. Some of it makes you go, “Wait, why is this here?”

Three stars. This lake had potential, but too many narrative currents pulled it off course.

Award: The Mob-Adjacent Paddleboat Prize, For Completely Losing Its Mind at the 75 Percent Mark and Just Deciding to Roll With It

Huge thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the early access to the audiobook. I came for lake vibes and light murder, and y’all delivered chaos with a side of nanny espionage.

3.5 stars
It’s that time of year again where we have summer at the lake people bringing all the drama vibes! We’ve got rich (and not so rich) people behaving badly from start to finish. And the mystery behind the nanny’s motives. The ultimate beach read!!

Jamie Day delivers another gripping tale with The Lake Escape, a suspenseful and engaging story that keeps readers thoroughly entertained from start to finish. The narrative unfolds with steady momentum, building tension and intrigue as layers of secrets begin to surface. Day masterfully weaves twists throughout the plot, creating a sense of unease and anticipation that intensifies with each chapter. As the story reaches its dramatic climax, everything comes crashing down in a satisfying and impactful way. With its well-paced buildup and compelling revelations, The Lake Escape is a captivating read that fans of psychological thrillers will thoroughly enjoy.

Day did an amazing job with the descriptions throughout the book. There was so much attention to the details that visualization of the settings and items was simple. I can picture the houses, the lake, the people so well. The story itself was good too, but it just seemed like there were too many tropes all mixed into one book. I don’t want to give it away but you’ll see what I mean. It was like every thriller came together and birthed The Lake Escape. However, even with that over abundance, it was still a fun read!

I received an advanced audio copy of this book, courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, in exchange for my honest review.

THE LAKE ESCAPE was enjoyable to listen to. It had a little bit of everything that I tend to like in a book…drama and mystery/suspense. The story is fast paced and left me contemplating the plot, until I picked it up again. It’s perfect for the summer if you want something fun to listen to at the beach or pool. Get ready for a wild ride!

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my gifted ALC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to the publication date.

I listened to The Lake Escape by Jamie Day. This book is about adult friends who get together at their lake houses and is told from the POVs of one of the women and then a brand new nanny to one of the men. The nanny is there under false pretenses, unbeknownst to everyone else. But why? And when a visitor goes missing, old stories are resurrected because there are secrets from the past. Other women have gone missing in the past. 60 years ago. Then 30 years ago. Is this a pattern?

There are lies and deception. Are they safe or is someone among them guilty of something?

This book certainly keeps you wanting to know what happens in the end. The character development is solid, and there is an intricate back story woven in that is tied up neatly. There are also plenty of surprises that are satisfying for the reader. It's a nice summer story that keeps you interested.

Narration by Izzy's character was captivating and kept me engrossed. Narration by Julia's character was more monotone to me. I had to speed it up to 1.2 to make it sound remotely life-like. It did keep me out of the story slightly.

Thanks to #NetGally and #MacmillanAudio for the advance listening copy of this book. This book will release on July 15. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Set around a vacation lake in Vermont, three friends have been summering together at their families' lake houses for their whole lives. Instead of a implausible-plot thriller, I might have liked this better as a character study/family story. The mystery centers on the 60 years ago and 30 years ago disappearance of two girls from the summer lake community. And now, exactly 30 years later, one of the three friends has a girlfriend go missing.

Ultimately, the plot got so implausible that I wished we could just spend more time talking about the families and less about the mystery, especially because the resolution of the mystery got more and more ridiculous. The effort to keep control of the plot also sacrificed fully fleshing out some of the characters. The two narrators are Jessica, one of the original three friends, and Izzy, the newly-hired nanny of another of the friends. There's a whole plotline involving Julia's daughter. The reader never really gets to know the daughter, though, and so the whole plotline felt jammed in.

The narrator for the audiobook does a nice job keeping the energy level up to make the book feel well paced. It's not the narrator's fault that the book became absurd at the end.

Thanks to netgalley for providing the audio for review.

“But then again, the lake lore was always about the missing, not those left behind.”

3.5 stars! This book starts off pretty slow. There are a lot of characters and decades of time covered so the scene needed to be set. But once you see how the characters all intertwine the story start to unwrap like a present.

The mystery is both believable and sad and once the story got going it held my interest to the very end.

I enjoyed the audiobook! There are a lot of characters in this one so having dual narrators for each of the pov, Izzy and Julia, in the story really helped to keep them all straight.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Lies, deception and betrayal. This book is full of it and then some. I was hooked on the plot and seeing what lies would be revealed or what lies would come next. I recommend this one. Many twists and turns in did not see coming.

This was a bit convoluted and yet predictable at the same time... I was expecting more given the blurb and the setting but I was a bit bored and disappointed. It wasn't really thrilling either despite so many places it could have been had it branched off into one of the threads hanging. Hope you have better luck!

The Lake Escape comes out next week on July 15, 2025, and you can purchase HERE.

The newly built house was a monstro-sity: three stories tall, made almost entirely of glass, and partially blocking what was once Julia's cherished view of the lake. She had spotted the towering eyesore halfway down the long driveway that many visitors mistook for a road.
For months, she'd been eagerly anticipating her annual summer vacation to the lake house where she'd spent her formative years-but now everything was ruined. Ten minutes ago, it was a different story. From the passenger seat of their brand-new Land Rover Defender-which they couldn't afford-Julia had been composing her vacation kickoff Instagram post.
Finally arrived, let the relaxing begin!
Or better: Be back never.
Maybe ... Collect moments, not things.
She could come up with a hundred of
these and never run out.
Julia kept her posts simple, engaging, and heartfelt, but how fun it would be to write the truth for once: My ass is saddlesore from the three-hour ride north, Christian and I are going broke, oh and our neighbor just royally screwed us over. #blessed
It wasn't until Julia exited the vehicle that the magnitude to which they'd been screwed fully registered.

Really liked this story and thought about it after reading. Can’t wait to read more by this author! Didn’t expect the twists!

Jamie Day, the master of suspense, returns following The Block Party and One Big Happy Family (both 5 stars) with her latest summer sizzler, THE LAKE ESCAPE. When three friends reunite at the lake, past dark secrets rise to the surface, turning their relaxing vacation into a nail-biting, page-turning mystery.

WILL THIS BE THE BEST WEEK OF THEIR LIVES... OR THE LAST?

About...

Julia, David, and Erika, each with their own unique and complex personalities, grew up together, spending fun summers at their idyllic Vermont lake homes. Even though they have not always stayed in touch and (possibly ex-friends), they are reuniting for a week at the lake. Now, older, they each have families and lots of drama.

Julia had been eagerly anticipating her annual summer vacation to the lake house, but once she pulled into the driveway, everything was ruined.

David (newfound wealth) has remodeled and built a house (or a monstrosity), modern, sleek, three stories, made of glass, blocking her lake view. An eyesore! A stark contrast to the two charming rustic neighboring homes belong to Julia and Erika, the third musketeer in their lakeshore trio.

She had always enjoyed sunsets with her chilled wine and dinners, and now this had changed. She is beyond furious. She can only imagine how upset Erika would be (hotheaded defense attorney).

David is now dating a younger woman and has brought his nanny, Izzy, to take care of his twins. Izzy has her own agenda. When David’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes after a fight, Julia and Erika wonder how well they know their lifelong friend.

The lake and its residents also harbor secrets of the past. Could the missing woman be connected to the women who vanished thirty years ago?

Get ready for lies, scandal, suspense, and much more in this cozy lake neighborhood, which hides more than you can imagine.

Let the games begin...

My thoughts...

Who doesn't love summers at the lake?

THE LAKE ESCAPE is a fun, twisty, gripping, and unpredictable whodunnit! There are plenty of fireworks and chaos for your summer entertainment. Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy plot twists.

You can always count on Jamie Day to keep you hooked with summer scandals, complex relationships, dark secrets, and vanishings at Lake Timmeny! There are three missing women, both past and present, that build suspense leading up to the final explosive reveal.

Told from the POVs of Julia and Izzy (the nanny) with her hidden agenda. Shocking secrets can lurk beneath that will not stay buried. With a cast of supporting characters, we learn about what the three main characters have been up to in the first half, and then it heats up wth non-stop action in the second half.

A full investigation begins, and all the complex layers are unraveled in this twisty mystery. Expertly paced, this domestic suspense tale about the consequences of one’s choices will not only keep you guessing, but also explore how those actions are carried over into adulthood.

My third book by the author, and I always enjoy her fun and engaging style, set against atmospheric settings. The Lake Escape's plot is full of drama, and the well-developed characters have plenty of secrets (and the mob and family were unexpected twists).

The story concludes with an Epilogue/podcast episode, featuring Meredith, Erika, Izzy, Detective Baker, Julia, Rick, Debbie, and an excerpt from the newspaper, providing a satisfying conclusion.

Audiobook...

Highly entertaining! For an even more immersive experience, I had the honor of reading an e-book and listening to the audiobook, which Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole expertly performed. The characters come, adding to the intensity, mystery, and intrigue for a fun and engaging listening experience. I highly recommend the audio for your summer beach bag.

Recs...

THE LAKE ESCAPE is for fans of the author and those who enjoy scandal and drama. Also for fans of authors, Kaira Rouda, Emma Rosenblum, Riley Sager, Megan Goldin, Jenova Rose, Lisa Jewell, and Seraphina Nova Glass

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and Minatour Books for providing an advanced review copy, and to Macmillan Audio (#MacAudio2025) for an advanced listening copy.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub date: July 15, 2025
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The Lake Escape by Jaime Day
🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a fun and exciting domestic thriller. A great summer read that I enjoyed poolside!
Friends, Erika, David and Julia grew up going to a lake house every summer as kids. They kept this tradition as adults also.
However, this lake isn’t without its flaws. Two woman disappeared there 30 years apart and now David’s girlfriend is missing too!
Izzy, joins this group of friends on their summer trip as a nanny for David’s twins, and she gets to experience lots of twists and thrills too!
The book is full of secrets, lies and drama! I liked all of the suspense and mystery in the story!
The beginning was exciting, but I did think the middle dragged a little. It definitely picked back up at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio version of this exciting thriller!

*It comes out July 15th! Check it out for a thrilling summer read!*

This is my 3rd book from Jamie Day (The Block Party, One Big Happy Family) and honestly I think I liked this one the best! I believe her writing is improving with each book. The Lake Escape moves away from rich people behaving badly as the primary theme (though there are still rich people, and they are still behaving badly lol). Instead, we have a slow burn mystery unfolding in this dual-POV summer beach read. The information was teased out over the course of the story- some developments were hinted at with dramatic irony, others were a surprise. There was a big cast of characters, but limiting to only two POVs was the right call. I had no problem keeping the characters straight. the audiobook narrators did a great job capturing the voices of their respective POVs! Though many will find the final resolution to be a bit too far fetched, ultimately this is fiction and I am here to be entertained. SO, four stars from me! Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC of The Lake Escape, which will be available next week on July 15.