Reviews - The Lake Escape | The StoryGraph

172 reviews for:

The Lake Escape

Jamie Day

3.51 AVERAGE

mister_dad's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It took way too long for this book to get to the point. It’s more than halfway through before anything substantial and exciting happened. The ending was a bit frustrating but the meatier parts of the story stopped it from being a total letdown. The narrators were good though some of the character accents came and went.

lediamond4's review against another edition

3.0

mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The first 80% or so of this book was pretty solid. The writing was engaging, the characters and their apparent motivations were intriguing, and I liked how it switched between two narratives. The pacing was a little slow but it was all in all interesting enough for me to keep going.

Then it ended.

It was. . . too much? I can’t even keep track of the tangled web that was the last 20%. Everyone was guilty of something and it all more or less connected, but it was too much. The mob/mafia was part of it which was disappointing because I was just hoping for a traditional stupid man story. It was like everyone had to have a part in the mystery but if that was the case then why just choose the two narratives? It made everything else come out of nowhere.

Less is more.

princesssparklecatsbookshelf's review against another edition

4.25

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

abercrombie1986's review against another edition

4.0

mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is what I want in a summer read. A lake house getaway. Check. Family drama. Check. Someone disappears. Check. A curse that someone disappears every 30 years.

Pure entertainment that drug me away from my life. It’s a mix of the characters and the mystery. There’s a great mix of characters and multiple ages telling their side of the story. Everyone has a secret or two and all isn’t as it appears. Does being friends since childhood equate to knowing a person?

I liked the pace and the mystery and while I didn’t love the characters, they weren’t so unlikable that I had trouble relating to them.

Lisa Larsen and Phoebe Strole narrate the vast cast of characters. They did a good job of keeping my interest and bringing the right intensity and drama into the mix. They made it such an easy listen. And I liked the water sounds at the start and end of the book tying in the lake setting.

tinkg6's review against another edition

3.5

emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Audiobook

Julia and her family arrive at their lakeside cabin in Vermont. Each year since her youth, Julia has spent summers there with her best friends Erika and David, now grown with their own families. However, long-kept secrets are discovered that threaten the idyllic life Julia has come to enjoy!

The Lake Escape is a slow-burn thriller with many twists - maybe too many. Except for those under ten years old, every person has a secret, past, and present. How can everyone keep all of it straight and hidden from one another? It is hard to keep straight, but it does keep you on your toes, and the ending does provide resolution.

Advanced copy provided by St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

midnightrains's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

stephisbooked's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Missing women in a lake town = perfect summer read. This was twisty and tense. The characters are layered and flawed, with each hiding their own secrets. I did the audiobook for parts and though the narration was strong. There were a few mysteries to be solved which kept the plot moving.