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lezreadalot's review
4.0
“Believe me when I tell you, I have always intended for you to be the hero of my story.”
3.5 stars. Childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance, with a paranormal twist. Willa and Lee are best friends whose families spend the summers at a peaceful lakeside community, and there's a little romance brewing between them. After tragedy falls, they don't see each other for 25 years, but then they reunite, reconnect, and hopefully solve a mystery. Second chance romance is one of those hit or miss tropes for me, and I luckily found myself really liking these two and their rekindled flame. There's a tertiary POV, and for once, I do think it was absolutely needed, and it really did add a lot to the story. It's hard not to feel for Nicole, as bratty and temperamental as she was. It was completely understandable. I really liked all the side relationships, and the mysteries were actually pretty good. I wasn't as obsessed with the main romance as I was with my first book by this author, but, on a whole, it was so well plotted and executed, I still really enjoyed it. And I do really enjoy reading about women in their 40s.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Amy Deuchler; not my favourite, but still really good. This was a nice palette cleanser, and it's always cool to discover an author who dabbles in different genres.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
death of a sibling, drowning, mentioned child abuse and incestnadya's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
angieinbooks's review
4.0
I'm a big fan of Carolyn Elizabeth's writing, so I look forward to anything the author writes. It took me a long time to getting around to this novel because I'm not drawn to the paranormal, but tis the season and all that. I was very invested in this story from the beginning and was mad when I had to set it down to work, so overall this was a win. It was creepy and while it was never really scary, there was one moment when I was deciding between reading another chapter and falling asleep that, for the sake of my sleep, I decided to put the book down in case it got too creepy for me to want to sleep. (I know I'm a wuss, which is why I don't read or watch horror). And the mystery is the strength of this novel, no question.
Where the novel loses stars for me is in the romance, which is hard for me to admit because that's honestly why I'm here. The protagonists are childhood friends who are on the verge of evolving their friendship into a romantic relationship when life and tragedy strikes. Fast-forward 25 years and they meet again for the first time since that tragic night and it's like no time has passed. And therein lies my issue. They literally pick up as if those 25 years haven't happened. And I struggle with that. A lot of growth happens between the ages of 15 and 40, even though they're bonded by memories and unspeakable tragedy. I just think the speed with which they come together doesn't make a lot of sense, and it really took away from the romance itself. I didn't get to see the longing glances and the subtle flirting or even all that Lesbian Processing™ that I really enjoy watching play out. And I should note that we do get this from them as teenagers, but I wanted it again when they were adults.
One other complaint (albeit minor) is that Elizabeth's "bad guys" tend to be obviously bad (and this isn't unique to this novel). The villains aren't twirling moustaches or anything, but they might as well be. I would like to see less obvious baddies from the author. Because the truth is evil people often live normal, unsuspecting lives.
But, overall, I really liked this. If you want something that will get you into the spirit of Halloween (even though this is set in the summer) without having to read something really scary*, then this is a great choice. And while the romance didn't fully work for me, I admit it was nice not having to stress about a will they-won't they dynamic when there's other tension at play. I can't wait to see what else Elizabeth has in store for us!
* While the story itself isn't scary, the novel is dealing with some dark themes. Thankfully these things happen away from the narrative, but they are discussed and implied.
Where the novel loses stars for me is in the romance, which is hard for me to admit because that's honestly why I'm here. The protagonists are childhood friends who are on the verge of evolving their friendship into a romantic relationship when life and tragedy strikes. Fast-forward 25 years and they meet again for the first time since that tragic night and it's like no time has passed. And therein lies my issue. They literally pick up as if those 25 years haven't happened. And I struggle with that. A lot of growth happens between the ages of 15 and 40, even though they're bonded by memories and unspeakable tragedy. I just think the speed with which they come together doesn't make a lot of sense, and it really took away from the romance itself. I didn't get to see the longing glances and the subtle flirting or even all that Lesbian Processing™ that I really enjoy watching play out. And I should note that we do get this from them as teenagers, but I wanted it again when they were adults.
One other complaint (albeit minor) is that Elizabeth's "bad guys" tend to be obviously bad (and this isn't unique to this novel). The villains aren't twirling moustaches or anything, but they might as well be. I would like to see less obvious baddies from the author. Because the truth is evil people often live normal, unsuspecting lives.
But, overall, I really liked this. If you want something that will get you into the spirit of Halloween (even though this is set in the summer) without having to read something really scary*, then this is a great choice. And while the romance didn't fully work for me, I admit it was nice not having to stress about a will they-won't they dynamic when there's other tension at play. I can't wait to see what else Elizabeth has in store for us!
* While the story itself isn't scary, the novel is dealing with some dark themes. Thankfully these things happen away from the narrative, but they are discussed and implied.
00leah00's review
5.0
“The Other Side of Forestlands Lake” is a paranormal mystery with a dash of romance. There was also a bit of humor thrown in that helped balance some of the spooky.
Willa Dunn and Lee Chandler are childhood best friends that spend their summers together at a lake house community. The community happens to be across the lake from a summer camp where a girl has gone missing. A year later, when they’re 15, their relationship is just starting to move into a romantic one when a tragedy occurs and they are forced to go their separate ways.
25 years later, Willa, a YA author of paranormal books, is looking for a writer’s retreat with her angsty teenage sister, Nicole. She heads back to the lake house thinking it would be a good place to bond with her sister and to finish her fifth novel.
Lee now lives on the campgrounds year-round with her 17-year-old daughter, Maggie. She’s never forgotten Willa, or the tragedy that forced them to never see each other again.
However, almost as soon as Willa and Nicole arrive in town weird things start happening. This is when the paranormal/mystery part of the book starts happening. There is a ghost on the lake that’s been around for 25 years. And while Willa writes about paranormal activity, she’s not prepared to see and deal with it on her own. Willa and Lee are reunited and along with Nicole and Maggie they must figure out what is happening with the ghost. Willa and Lee are also dealing with their feelings from long ago that have never gone away.
I am a bona fide scaredy cat and as someone who is not into paranormal stories, I have to say this was well done. It was just spooky enough that I kept the lights on while reading but not scary enough that I couldn’t get through it or had to stop. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t put my kindle down while reading. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end.
I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters Elizabeth uses. There is a whole town of colorful individuals and everyone has an important part to the story.
This is my first book by Carolyn Elizabeth but it definitely won’t be my last. This is also the second book I’ve read that has a paranormal twist to it. I’m usually more into the contemporary romance but this in no way disappointed me. There was enough of the romance that I was satisfied as a romance reader.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of well written paranormal mysteries.
Willa Dunn and Lee Chandler are childhood best friends that spend their summers together at a lake house community. The community happens to be across the lake from a summer camp where a girl has gone missing. A year later, when they’re 15, their relationship is just starting to move into a romantic one when a tragedy occurs and they are forced to go their separate ways.
25 years later, Willa, a YA author of paranormal books, is looking for a writer’s retreat with her angsty teenage sister, Nicole. She heads back to the lake house thinking it would be a good place to bond with her sister and to finish her fifth novel.
Lee now lives on the campgrounds year-round with her 17-year-old daughter, Maggie. She’s never forgotten Willa, or the tragedy that forced them to never see each other again.
However, almost as soon as Willa and Nicole arrive in town weird things start happening. This is when the paranormal/mystery part of the book starts happening. There is a ghost on the lake that’s been around for 25 years. And while Willa writes about paranormal activity, she’s not prepared to see and deal with it on her own. Willa and Lee are reunited and along with Nicole and Maggie they must figure out what is happening with the ghost. Willa and Lee are also dealing with their feelings from long ago that have never gone away.
I am a bona fide scaredy cat and as someone who is not into paranormal stories, I have to say this was well done. It was just spooky enough that I kept the lights on while reading but not scary enough that I couldn’t get through it or had to stop. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t put my kindle down while reading. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end.
I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters Elizabeth uses. There is a whole town of colorful individuals and everyone has an important part to the story.
This is my first book by Carolyn Elizabeth but it definitely won’t be my last. This is also the second book I’ve read that has a paranormal twist to it. I’m usually more into the contemporary romance but this in no way disappointed me. There was enough of the romance that I was satisfied as a romance reader.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of well written paranormal mysteries.
mopherad's review
3.0
This started out really strong. The set up was fantastic. But then it gets going and it feels like it starts to lose the spooky paranormal stuff a bit. Some character stuff seems to happen to fast and then bam it just hits the third act and everything is solved. So much that was set up never really mattered and everything just got so happy. Your kidding me with the “was it paranormal or not” bit too. Was 4 stars till near the end a then really dropped down.
Writing wise, real smooth, easy to just keep going. Story wise was a bit trope-y but I think that’s fine for this genre. I would say most books I give 3 stars I would want them to trim down, this one I think needed to expand, let it get spooky more. Take some time with it.
Writing wise, real smooth, easy to just keep going. Story wise was a bit trope-y but I think that’s fine for this genre. I would say most books I give 3 stars I would want them to trim down, this one I think needed to expand, let it get spooky more. Take some time with it.
qraveline's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Murder, Infidelity, Homophobia, and Incest
shirtypantser's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book is fine. The writing is fine, the plot is fine, the characters are fine. It started out well, but the plot twists are more like gentle meanders and the characters are pretty dull and not incredibly well developed. This reads like a decent fairly clean story from Literotica got stretched way out into a novel. I'm certain I will not rember this story in a month. It's not bad, but it's not good and it's certainly not memorible. If you want an easy summer read there are better options but this will get the job done.
judeinthestars's review
5.0
It took only one book by Carolyn Elizabeth for me to decide that she was a must-read author. This is her third (I also read a very short story) and it proves true again.
Twenty-six years ago, stuff happened and a child disappeared. Twenty-five years ago, more stuff happened, Willa and Lee had their first kiss and a child died. When Willa comes back for the first time in twenty-five years, a pretty successful YA paranormal writer, with her half-sister Nicole, a sullen seventeen-year-old, all that stuff and more still hovers over Forestlands Lake and its community. I’m aware this sounds vague but there are so many layers that going deeper would get spoilery really fast.
Willa and Lee have huge chemistry at fifteen, when they don’t really yet know what to do with it. It only gets huger when they meet again as adults, and the way the author wrote them as teenagers makes their reunion feel organic. They don’t know who the other has become but what they had as teens was so deep that it’s the perfect foundation for their relationship to build on.
This book made me feel so many things… One of them was sad, not only because of all the untimely deaths, but for lost opportunities, lost time, all Willa and Lee were robbed of, and Nicole too in a different way. And you know, I don’t do regrets. Regrets hold you back. They don’t help with anything. I’m a carpe diem and look ahead kind of person. Yet halfway through this book, my heart was full of regrets and unshed tears. Huge and cold. Ugh. I blame Elizabeth for how lovable she writes her characters. Lee’s longing and regret seeped into me. I felt Nicole’s anger and sorrow too, a lot.
None of what I just wrote is bad. It’s painful but it’s not bad. That’s what I read books for, why I read books. To feel. To root for characters. To want them to be happy or, at least, safe. To believe things get better. Because, you know, they do.
So yeah, I love the stories Elizabeth comes up with, but it’s the characters who make me look forward to each new book. So how lucky am I that this one counts four MCs? Or rather, two main and two almost main. And a whole slew of secondary characters, all substantial. And even more layers. Nothing stays only on the surface. Like for example, there’s not one but two mysteries in this novel. Well-thought, complex and thrilling mysteries. Everything came as a surprise yet still made complete sense (in a paranormal way). The atmosphere is wonderful too, both spooky and real, dark and warm.
And though there are elements of sadness or melancholy, The Other Side of Forestlands Lake is not the kind of book that will bring you down, however. The stories it tells are of closure on one side and of a brighter future on the other. What remains after reading isn’t the sensation of lost time. Watching relatable characters open themselves to love and forgiveness, take responsibility while shedding unfounded guilt, allow themselves to have a life, any life, after tragedy or a bad start, is energizing, it’s powerful and it brings hope and the possibility of growth.
With each new story, Carolyn Elizabeth shows that she could write any genre and I’d want to read it.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Twenty-six years ago, stuff happened and a child disappeared. Twenty-five years ago, more stuff happened, Willa and Lee had their first kiss and a child died. When Willa comes back for the first time in twenty-five years, a pretty successful YA paranormal writer, with her half-sister Nicole, a sullen seventeen-year-old, all that stuff and more still hovers over Forestlands Lake and its community. I’m aware this sounds vague but there are so many layers that going deeper would get spoilery really fast.
Willa and Lee have huge chemistry at fifteen, when they don’t really yet know what to do with it. It only gets huger when they meet again as adults, and the way the author wrote them as teenagers makes their reunion feel organic. They don’t know who the other has become but what they had as teens was so deep that it’s the perfect foundation for their relationship to build on.
This book made me feel so many things… One of them was sad, not only because of all the untimely deaths, but for lost opportunities, lost time, all Willa and Lee were robbed of, and Nicole too in a different way. And you know, I don’t do regrets. Regrets hold you back. They don’t help with anything. I’m a carpe diem and look ahead kind of person. Yet halfway through this book, my heart was full of regrets and unshed tears. Huge and cold. Ugh. I blame Elizabeth for how lovable she writes her characters. Lee’s longing and regret seeped into me. I felt Nicole’s anger and sorrow too, a lot.
None of what I just wrote is bad. It’s painful but it’s not bad. That’s what I read books for, why I read books. To feel. To root for characters. To want them to be happy or, at least, safe. To believe things get better. Because, you know, they do.
So yeah, I love the stories Elizabeth comes up with, but it’s the characters who make me look forward to each new book. So how lucky am I that this one counts four MCs? Or rather, two main and two almost main. And a whole slew of secondary characters, all substantial. And even more layers. Nothing stays only on the surface. Like for example, there’s not one but two mysteries in this novel. Well-thought, complex and thrilling mysteries. Everything came as a surprise yet still made complete sense (in a paranormal way). The atmosphere is wonderful too, both spooky and real, dark and warm.
And though there are elements of sadness or melancholy, The Other Side of Forestlands Lake is not the kind of book that will bring you down, however. The stories it tells are of closure on one side and of a brighter future on the other. What remains after reading isn’t the sensation of lost time. Watching relatable characters open themselves to love and forgiveness, take responsibility while shedding unfounded guilt, allow themselves to have a life, any life, after tragedy or a bad start, is energizing, it’s powerful and it brings hope and the possibility of growth.
With each new story, Carolyn Elizabeth shows that she could write any genre and I’d want to read it.
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
anna_lee's review
4.0
Okay maybe I’m a bit biased because I had the pleasure of tattooing the author! This book was fantastic though I absolutely loved it!
It has so many themes that all come together beautifully; friendship, romance, family dynamics and lots of spooky parts.
There’s also one character in particular that I love to hate, every town has that one pretentious snob that you cannot stand and that was so well captured in this story!
The romance also had such a solid friendship to back it up that really made you root for them to be together. And that ending...of course I won’t write any spoilers but dang that was a great way to leave it off!
Amazing work Carolyn you killed it!
It has so many themes that all come together beautifully; friendship, romance, family dynamics and lots of spooky parts.
There’s also one character in particular that I love to hate, every town has that one pretentious snob that you cannot stand and that was so well captured in this story!
The romance also had such a solid friendship to back it up that really made you root for them to be together. And that ending...of course I won’t write any spoilers but dang that was a great way to leave it off!
Amazing work Carolyn you killed it!
rogue_lurker's review
4.0
This was a refreshing light paranormal (that's not a bad thing) that had just enough of a ghost story to keep a reader hooked whether they are a fan of paranormal or not. The story revolves around Willa and Lee - former childhood sweethearts who are separated by a tragedy and reconnect when Willa returns to the lake community with her troubled (trouble-making?) half sister. Twenty odd years before, the deaths of two little girls cast a pall over the community and with Willa's return, things begin to happen. Willa and Lee's meeting leads to a second chance romance - but is probably the most angst free reunion I've read which was nice. There's so much else going on in the book that handwringing and recriminations would have bogged things down and it was nice to see the two likable characters fit back together.
The manifestations of the ghosts was well done - with ghostly sound of someone walking through the water's edge on the camp side and only being heard by some people and the subtle possession of Nicole on the other side. It was nice to see that the ghosts weren't evil or malicious - just lost little girls. I particularly appreciated how it wasn't obvious what was happening with Nicole at first, but thinking back you can see where it was happening.
From a mystery standpoint - there may have too many red herrings going on that distracted from the ghost and romance portion. I did want to know what happened to the two girls - but I don't know that the mystery portion was tight enough and I think I would have liked to have spent more time with the ghosts themselves (who doesn't like ghost stories at camp).
There was a lot going on in the book and I think this would have benefitted from being a longer book to give the paranormal, mystery and romance elements even more attention and depth. Overall, this was a good read and if you're looking for a book to read while lounging by the lake this summer, this would keep you entertained - and maybe make you listen for anything that may go bump in the night.
The manifestations of the ghosts was well done - with ghostly sound of someone walking through the water's edge on the camp side and only being heard by some people and the subtle possession of Nicole on the other side. It was nice to see that the ghosts weren't evil or malicious - just lost little girls. I particularly appreciated how it wasn't obvious what was happening with Nicole at first, but thinking back you can see where it was happening.
From a mystery standpoint - there may have too many red herrings going on that distracted from the ghost and romance portion. I did want to know what happened to the two girls - but I don't know that the mystery portion was tight enough and I think I would have liked to have spent more time with the ghosts themselves (who doesn't like ghost stories at camp).
There was a lot going on in the book and I think this would have benefitted from being a longer book to give the paranormal, mystery and romance elements even more attention and depth. Overall, this was a good read and if you're looking for a book to read while lounging by the lake this summer, this would keep you entertained - and maybe make you listen for anything that may go bump in the night.