Reviews - The Orphanage By The Lake

681 reviews for:

The Orphanage By The Lake

Daniel G. Miller

3.6 AVERAGE

sevenofseven's review

2.5

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don’t read a lot of books written by men. The whole time I was reading this one, there was something a bit off and I didn’t put it together until I finished and saw that the author was male - the main character is female and the way he depicted her just didn’t click for me. I’m not saying men can’t write women but in this case, it really came across as a man writing about being a woman - and that just didn’t work. I will stick to women writers I think.

Content Warnings

heathermoodreads's review

1.5

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This had a lot of potential, but Hazel was written horribly. Hazel is a PI, and I felt like she got done dirty in this one. She's supposed to be 30, but she reads like she's a teenager. She falls head over heels for a rich dude who's creepy. She lives with a creeper who is obsessed with her, but she seems to love the attention. I don't know. I was just really disappointed by the end of this one. The overall twist at the end was well-executed, but the characterization and dialogue in this book were blehhh.

hanisnotonline444's review

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

coffee2293's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

aedoran08's review

2.5

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

mandikaye's review

4.0

I should have seen it coming. Really, I should have. But somehow Daniel G. Miller managed to keep me guessing, and I found myself right there with Hazel, trying to untangle what happened to Mia.

This is one of those slow-burn thrillers that doesn't rely on shock value or jump scares—it’s all about tension, grief, and the gut-punch of discovering truths you didn’t want to be true. Even once I had a sense of who might be involved, I wasn’t ready for the what. The reality of what happened? It hit hard.

Hazel's perspective is sharp and relatable, and the mystery unfolds with just enough complexity to keep you flipping pages but not so much that you feel lost in the weeds. It’s not flashy, but it’s effective—and emotionally grounded in a way that gives it staying power.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This one snuck up on me in the best (and worst) way.