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weekatsie's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
trm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
paperback_duchess's review against another edition
5.0
This book was soooooo good it’s so sad what happened to Caroline it made me cry!! This book gave me so much emotion while reading I was consumed by it for 2 days straight! I loved it so much!
poppyseedromance's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, and Miscarriage
florenceandmary's review against another edition
I gave up reading this. I found the beginning with the scene setting and intrigue to repetitive and wanted to get into what the story was really about/what was happening quicker.
abbymillott's review
3.0
There were several things I liked about this story but also a few things that didn’t work for me so I’m sitting at a 3 star rating. We follow our main character Amy who goes to live in a creepy cottage in Blackwater with her previous employer Julia and her daughter Vivienne.
I really enjoyed the cottage and Blackwater lake as a setting. The story was very well written and the descriptions made the story so atmospheric. I liked how the chapters were short and I found the book to be a quick read. The mystery of what happened to Caroline was very intriguing. I liked the paranormal element and felt it really added to my overall enjoyment of the book.
One of the main reasons I didn’t rate this book higher was I didn’t care much for the romance. Luckily it wasn’t the biggest part of the story but I still found the relationship between Amy and Daniel quite irritating to read about. It felt a little forced and I didn’t really buy into their relationship seen as they just appeared to instantly fall in love. I also saw the main twist of the book coming from very early on and felt it was really obvious which direction this book was going to take which left me feeling a little disappointed. It’s also a twist that has been used many times before so wasn’t anything unique.
Overall I enjoyed my experience reading this book and it was chilling in parts but it just hasn’t left a lasting impression and there are a few things I would change.
I really enjoyed the cottage and Blackwater lake as a setting. The story was very well written and the descriptions made the story so atmospheric. I liked how the chapters were short and I found the book to be a quick read. The mystery of what happened to Caroline was very intriguing. I liked the paranormal element and felt it really added to my overall enjoyment of the book.
One of the main reasons I didn’t rate this book higher was I didn’t care much for the romance. Luckily it wasn’t the biggest part of the story but I still found the relationship between Amy and Daniel quite irritating to read about. It felt a little forced and I didn’t really buy into their relationship seen as they just appeared to instantly fall in love. I also saw the main twist of the book coming from very early on and felt it was really obvious which direction this book was going to take which left me feeling a little disappointed. It’s also a twist that has been used many times before so wasn’t anything unique.
Overall I enjoyed my experience reading this book and it was chilling in parts but it just hasn’t left a lasting impression and there are a few things I would change.
schlista's review against another edition
3.0
BORING. Until the explanation of what's going on occurrs which is the end of the book.
Plus there's a paranormal type experience in the book which I just don't buy. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
Plus there's a paranormal type experience in the book which I just don't buy. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
shelleyann01's review
4.0
4.5 Stars
Making someone keep a secret is the same as building a wall around them.
I’d seen some quite mixed reviews for this book and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Being a new Louise Douglas fan, I went with my gut and I’m glad I did. Although it starts out at a slow burn the more you read the better it gets.
Whilst The Secret by the Lake is pure Louise Douglas and the Gothic genre at its finest, it’s still a love story at heart, albeit with a twist that adds to the suspense. There were parts that kept me guessing and I wasn’t quite sure where it was going at times but this kept me racing through the pages.
Overall, I can see why some people didn’t like it, it was a little odd in parts and the female lead is hard to connect with but if you keep at it you will find that it is a gripping read that really amps up the pace with plenty of intrigue, so much so that I read it in a day.
Disclosure:
Thank you NetGalley, Louise Douglas and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#TheSecretbytheLake #NetGalley
bookdarling1987's review against another edition
4.0
A 4.5 star read for me. This is the first of Louise Douglas’s books that I have read and I was originally drawn to it by its beautiful cover as well as the description. I’m not a huge romantic fiction fan but I was intrigued by the plot synopsis and the mystery element.
This is an atmospheric and haunting read, with some really eerie parts that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Although I guessed the story as I was reading, it was still a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read. Set in the early 1960’s but harking back to the 1930’s it is well constructed and leads you through the intertwining stories of the lives of the characters both past and present in a way that flows beautifully. Intermixed with the eeriness, the bleakness of the circumstances in which Julia, Amy and Viviane find themselves, and the horrific events that unfold is the touching and gentle story of Amy’s developing relationship with Daniel which gives a pleasant relief from the tension building in the rest of the story. I loved the end I am a true sucker for a happy ending,
This is an atmospheric and haunting read, with some really eerie parts that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Although I guessed the story as I was reading, it was still a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read. Set in the early 1960’s but harking back to the 1930’s it is well constructed and leads you through the intertwining stories of the lives of the characters both past and present in a way that flows beautifully. Intermixed with the eeriness, the bleakness of the circumstances in which Julia, Amy and Viviane find themselves, and the horrific events that unfold is the touching and gentle story of Amy’s developing relationship with Daniel which gives a pleasant relief from the tension building in the rest of the story. I loved the end I am a true sucker for a happy ending,