Scan barcode
ks0113's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
booklovinalicia's review
3.0
The ending was unexpected and was the saving grace of this novel. A horrific past experience simply caused someone to snap, and the last paragraph in the book made my jaw drop!
I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars on this book, and decided to settle with 3.5. It was a quick read with a good ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me an advanced digital copy to read and give my honest review.
Read my complete review of this and other books on my blog at www.booklovinalicia.blogspot.com
Happy Reading!
I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars on this book, and decided to settle with 3.5. It was a quick read with a good ending.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me an advanced digital copy to read and give my honest review.
Read my complete review of this and other books on my blog at www.booklovinalicia.blogspot.com
Happy Reading!
katiekoppin's review
5.0
My first book by this author and I read it in 5 hours. Hooked me from the beginning and I obviously couldn’t put it down. A great thriller.
adenise47's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really good book. It captivated my attention from page 1! I did sorta figure out the end. I would definitely recommend this book!
hstorkel's review
3.0
This was interesting at first but the got weird and unbelievable in the last third or so.
nixbix_reads's review
3.0
This was an entertaining read. It started out like a B grade horror movie - a group of friends going to a rundown cabin in the woods - and the tension built from there. However, I felt it lost something about halfway through, and the ending was a bit of a letdown. However, I didn't see that last paragraph coming!
Thanks to Bookouture & NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Bookouture & NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.
maeclair's review
5.0
I have a weakness for and-then-there-where-none type mysteries. Take a group of people, put them in an isolated location, and start picking them off one by one. Even better when that group is reuniting after years apart.
In this case, we have five college roommates vacationing together almost twenty years later—after marriages, children, and careers have taken them in different directions. The girls decide to stay at a secluded cabin by a lake—off the grid but with enough comfort to appeal. Or so advertisements promise.
Unfortunately, when they arrive, the cabin looks like it’s held together by spit and the landlord seems like a fugitive from America’s Most Wanted. To add to the creepy atmosphere, a counselor died at a summer camp across the lake—now shut down¬—under suspicious circumstances.
Within a matter of time, one of the ladies meets with a foul end and another suffers an injury that affects her mobility. Shortly after, another is killed. The tone quickly moves to hair-raising as the danger ramps up, and the isolation turns ominous. There is no cell phone service, the girls’ van is damaged, it’s a hike of twelve miles or more to reach a road, and the landlord and his equally frightening girlfriend become menacing. Did I mention a storm crops up at the most inopportune time?
As in most novels like this, there are plenty of underlying secrets among the main players—insecurities, buried grudges, and a surprise or two for the reader. Although I did decipher the killer before the end, the author made me doubt myself more than once and had me waffling among three characters as suspects.
Some of the characters appealed more than others. One who really stood out was Kaitlyn—I liked her more than the MC—but all had their moments in the spotlight. The last line in the novel was a jaw-dropper, something I never saw coming. Recommended for readers who enjoy mysteries and reunion stories.
In this case, we have five college roommates vacationing together almost twenty years later—after marriages, children, and careers have taken them in different directions. The girls decide to stay at a secluded cabin by a lake—off the grid but with enough comfort to appeal. Or so advertisements promise.
Unfortunately, when they arrive, the cabin looks like it’s held together by spit and the landlord seems like a fugitive from America’s Most Wanted. To add to the creepy atmosphere, a counselor died at a summer camp across the lake—now shut down¬—under suspicious circumstances.
Within a matter of time, one of the ladies meets with a foul end and another suffers an injury that affects her mobility. Shortly after, another is killed. The tone quickly moves to hair-raising as the danger ramps up, and the isolation turns ominous. There is no cell phone service, the girls’ van is damaged, it’s a hike of twelve miles or more to reach a road, and the landlord and his equally frightening girlfriend become menacing. Did I mention a storm crops up at the most inopportune time?
As in most novels like this, there are plenty of underlying secrets among the main players—insecurities, buried grudges, and a surprise or two for the reader. Although I did decipher the killer before the end, the author made me doubt myself more than once and had me waffling among three characters as suspects.
Some of the characters appealed more than others. One who really stood out was Kaitlyn—I liked her more than the MC—but all had their moments in the spotlight. The last line in the novel was a jaw-dropper, something I never saw coming. Recommended for readers who enjoy mysteries and reunion stories.
kba76's review
3.0
A group of old college friends head off on a vacation together. They haven’t seen one another for a few years (life/kids/work etc get in the way) and see this as the perfect chance to reconnect.
Things start badly when their luxurious lakeside retreat turns out to be a rundown cabin near a deserted camp where someone was murdered. Their closest neighbour is the gun-wielding tattooed guy who owns their cabin. Determined to make the best of things, they get drunk and settle down for the night.
What follows quickly launches into crazy territory. One of their party is found murdered. Their only way out is removed as their transport gets two flat tyres. They are convinced the landlord carried out the murder, so when he pays them a visit they kill him. Unfortunately another of their party gets drowned…and they start to realise that perhaps one of them could be responsible.
The reasoning (such as it is) behind the crimes is faulty. Clearly these women don’t like each other very much and it’s hard to believe they’d have a phone call, never mind choose to spend four days together! The closing stages of the book felt rushed, and the ‘big reveal’ of Megan’s secret was rather deflated in impact as too many clues were dropped earlier for this not to have been guessed at.
Escapist fun, and thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this.
Things start badly when their luxurious lakeside retreat turns out to be a rundown cabin near a deserted camp where someone was murdered. Their closest neighbour is the gun-wielding tattooed guy who owns their cabin. Determined to make the best of things, they get drunk and settle down for the night.
What follows quickly launches into crazy territory. One of their party is found murdered. Their only way out is removed as their transport gets two flat tyres. They are convinced the landlord carried out the murder, so when he pays them a visit they kill him. Unfortunately another of their party gets drowned…and they start to realise that perhaps one of them could be responsible.
The reasoning (such as it is) behind the crimes is faulty. Clearly these women don’t like each other very much and it’s hard to believe they’d have a phone call, never mind choose to spend four days together! The closing stages of the book felt rushed, and the ‘big reveal’ of Megan’s secret was rather deflated in impact as too many clues were dropped earlier for this not to have been guessed at.
Escapist fun, and thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this.
robinlovesreading's review
4.0
Friends since college, but separated by life and its responsibilities, five women - Megan, Kaitlyn, Sam, Charlotte and Jenna - take off for a vacation together. They rent a secluded cabin and hope to spend time reminiscing about their college years and talk about their marriages and families. However, the weekend is anything but what they were expecting.
The entire story is told in Megan's first person perspective, and as the story develops, things get ugly at a rapid pace. For starters, the cabin is too secluded. No cell service. No WiFi. No other guests and a creepy owner.
Very specific things are at play. Some of the women are happy in their lives. Others are not. Some are lying and some have secrets. Will any of these things lead to the reason behind what eventually happens in this creepy story? Having read several books like this, two especially come to mind - Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Ruth Ware's One by One - I was hoping that we would not be reading something that followed those formulas.
In this book, we are - and we aren't. Yes, you have a small group of people in an isolated location with no doubt at all as to what is going to happen. But, this book takes things to its own level. The past plays a huge role in the events of this story. Of course, you do get a slasher film sort of vibe when you want to tell the women to BE CAREFUL, GET AWAY, DON'T GO THERE, etc. No doubt. A bit aggravating, but then to me that is kudos to the author! She really pulled me into this story!
It seemed evident who the perpetrator was in this book, but there were twists and turns, rabbit trails and unexpected events popping up that kept me guessing. I loved the tension that this story created in me and I especially loved the ending and how it pulled everything together. And I just have to add, read this book to the very LAST word. Just going to leave it at that.
Having previously read She Lies Alone by Laura Wolfe, I knew that I would be in for a good story with this book, The Lake House. I certainly was not disappointed.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
The entire story is told in Megan's first person perspective, and as the story develops, things get ugly at a rapid pace. For starters, the cabin is too secluded. No cell service. No WiFi. No other guests and a creepy owner.
Very specific things are at play. Some of the women are happy in their lives. Others are not. Some are lying and some have secrets. Will any of these things lead to the reason behind what eventually happens in this creepy story? Having read several books like this, two especially come to mind - Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Ruth Ware's One by One - I was hoping that we would not be reading something that followed those formulas.
In this book, we are - and we aren't. Yes, you have a small group of people in an isolated location with no doubt at all as to what is going to happen. But, this book takes things to its own level. The past plays a huge role in the events of this story. Of course, you do get a slasher film sort of vibe when you want to tell the women to BE CAREFUL, GET AWAY, DON'T GO THERE, etc. No doubt. A bit aggravating, but then to me that is kudos to the author! She really pulled me into this story!
It seemed evident who the perpetrator was in this book, but there were twists and turns, rabbit trails and unexpected events popping up that kept me guessing. I loved the tension that this story created in me and I especially loved the ending and how it pulled everything together. And I just have to add, read this book to the very LAST word. Just going to leave it at that.
Having previously read She Lies Alone by Laura Wolfe, I knew that I would be in for a good story with this book, The Lake House. I certainly was not disappointed.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
nerdontheloose's review
5.0
4.5 stars rounded off! Taking away a star because of the suspension of belief it took, but adding a 0.5 because it got me out of the slump :)
Years after graduating, now thriving in their professional lives, five friends meet up at a secluded cabin near the lake to catch up with each other. This was supposed to be a perfect vacation at a scenic place, but things rarely turn out the way they are supposed to, especially amid secrets, lies, hurt, and betrayals.
I was in a terrible reading slump, and after two dnfs back to back, this book got me out of that slump, and if this isn’t the biggest compliment you can give to a book I don’t know what is
Years after graduating, now thriving in their professional lives, five friends meet up at a secluded cabin near the lake to catch up with each other. This was supposed to be a perfect vacation at a scenic place, but things rarely turn out the way they are supposed to, especially amid secrets, lies, hurt, and betrayals.
I was in a terrible reading slump, and after two dnfs back to back, this book got me out of that slump, and if this isn’t the biggest compliment you can give to a book I don’t know what is