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!

#thelakeescape #netgalleyarc #netgalleyreview #netgalley #arcreview #arc #arcreader #review #somanybookssolittletime

*ARC Review*

A fabulous read for thriller lovers! I love this author and this book was no exception. The writing was interesting and fast paced. I loved the setting at a lake house which was perfect for the mystery. Perfect summer read!

I just finished a great book that is perfect for the summer.The Lake Escape by Jamie Day will be just what you need .

I finished this is two days. I couldn’t stop listening. So many characters and so many secrets and surprises each of them hold. Interesting characters, some likable and others not at all (like David). This is told from multiple points of view and by the end everything merges together. I really enjoyed this book and I thought it was well written. Narration was also great.

A middling mystery/thriller with a few twists that didn't feel as satisfying as they should. It was slow going despite there being so many balls being juggled at once. Then the end was rapid-fire explanations. The one thing I really didn't like was a spoiler so I can't say, but it was disappointing. There were so many sketchy men in this circle, it felt icky.

I was excited to read this because of many plot points, including a lakehouse getaway, childhood friends, historically missing women, and a young investigator who wants to start a podcast. So many good ingredients, but the result fell flat.

3.75⭐️
Hmm… this was an interesting one. I think this is a case where consuming the audiobook was the right choice as I don’t think I would have liked the book as much had I read the ebook.

On one hand I don’t think this author is for me. Her writing style just doesn’t jive well with me. I had read a previous work of hers and had the same reaction where it just wasn’t pulling me in despite being interested in the concept.

In this case however the narrators Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole did a great job with their recitation. They brought the story to life and it made me want to keep listening. I also enjoyed the production of it as it started off with sounds of a lake and the water moving. It was just an added element that set the scene.

Now for the book itself, I think the issue is there is too many subplots that have little bearing on the whole. It’s also fairly predictable but again, listening gave it a quality that made me want to keep with it.

So if the description interests you, give the audio a try when it comes out on July 15th 2025. It would make for a great weekend listen, particular if on vacation. It’s “thriller light.” It scratches the itch of wanting a thriller but doesn’t freak you out too much.


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

3.5 stars

This is my third Jamie Day book, and I have had similar experiences with each one so far. I love thrillers/mysteries, so I'm always keen to read these. The books keep me engaged and I find them enjoyable overall, but they just don't take me into that WOW place of intense thrills, mysteries, or surprises for a variety of reasons. This recent read has kept up with the aforementioned trend, but now that I've read both an e-book and audiobook version, I can say confidently that the audio version kept me more engaged. I recommend this option when and where accesssible.

One characteristic of this book is that there are a lot of characters. While they come together, at times, there are just too many directions and too much suspension of disbelief required. Day maintains an ongoing, creepy tone, but then some new detail comes up, and it feels a little too easy to get sidetracked in these moments. Additionally, this makes it tough to get too connected to any of the characters, and that, of course, is a detail that really supports a more compelling thriller.

I think this will be a solid beach read for many, and as noted, the audio version heightens the engagement AND resolves some of the challenges with so many characters.

David is excited to show off his new like front home to his friends. Unfortunately, his new home, blocks. access to the lake they have all enjoyed. Since childhood. But his new companion, years younger than David, and his lack of regard for others living on the lake, sets off a chilling mystery.