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A review by nicolem_young
The Couple at the Lake House by James Caine
3.0
Book/Story: ⭐⭐⭐
Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
TRIGGER(S): MURDER, MENTAL HEALTH (ANXIETY DISORDER)
POV: Singular, First Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Part of a series: No
Safe or Dark: Darkish (see trigger warnings above)
I know you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, I did just that. As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I was interested in checking it out. I loved the lake house, and the overall picture is just gorgeous.
Caine’s writing was easy to follow and engaging enough to make me want to finish the book, despite my strong dislike of the main character (explanation below). The story was fast-paced and moved along nicely, which I loved. I have to hand it to James Caine; the man writes an enthralling thriller. He kept you guessing at every turn. You never knew who was the villain and who was the victim. Caine had a way of making you suspect everyone. One minute you were on one character’s side, and the next minute you weren’t.
That being said, I did find both of the plot twists to be fairly predictable. It was not at all shocking when they were revealed. Once the reader is finally able to piece it all together, it's easy to figure out. I also didn’t care for the ending of the story. It lacked something for me. I was looking for a more solid conclusion.
I did have a few issues with his writing style. The term “my fiancée” was constantly used in lieu of saying the character’s name (Matt/Sidney). I don’t know about other people, but once I have established my husband’s name with someone, I don’t constantly refer to him as “my husband.” I use his name. That got old very fast.
Sidney’s doctor fantasies about Cole also got quite repetitive. They never changed. They always involved Sidney in a waiting area and Cole in his doctor’s coat with no shirt on underneath, calling her into the exam room. We heard it over and over. The girl really thought that it was spicy too. I think she even said she wondered what Cole would think about her crazy fantasies. I’m sorry, but are the crazy fantasies in the room with us?
In one scene, Sidney and Matt are shown their room at Cole and Tess’s lake house. Sidney says that most of the room is taken up by the twin bed in the middle of it. A page later, it is mentioned that Sidney and Matt are sleeping in a double bed. Which one is it? I just assumed that Caine meant to use the word “double” from the jump. Because there is no way that an adult couple would fit in a twin bed. Well, it might be possible, but highly uncomfortable.
Sidney – I tried hard to like the FMC, Sidney, but she just didn’t work for me. Like Sidney, I too have generalized anxiety disorder (I’ve had it my whole life), so I can understand her wishing that her fiancée, Matt, understood her situation a bit better. I can wholeheartedly understand getting frustrated with someone who doesn’t understand what you’re going through, but I also understand that most of the time that’s not the person's fault. It’s hard to understand something you don’t live with. What I don’t understand is why Sidney wanted Matt to change his entire life to cater to her anxiety. She often dogged him for not being there when she needed him or for not asking her how she felt about certain things. But she also didn’t tell him how she was feeling or explain what she needed from him; she just expected him to know. Girl, the man isn’t a mind-reader.
She also put Matt down in general. When she runs into her ex-boyfriend Cole and his girlfriend while eating dinner with Matt, she instantly compares the two’s physical appearance, and she was judgy while doing so. Sidney explains that Cole was overweight in high school when they briefly dated and had bad acne (as if that mattered), but as an adult, he is dangerously handsome and has a great body. In fact, she was almost certain he had abs hiding under his shirt.
After talking about how good-looking Cole is, she deems it important to point out how Matt has let himself go over the years. He gained twenty pounds and moved much slower because of it, especially in bed. Because apparently that was super important to point out. People change Sidney; it’s called life and aging. If she truly loved Matt, it wouldn’t matter how his physical appearance had changed.
Sidney was also so full of herself. She was on a high horse and acted like her doo-doo didn’t stink. She wrote one bestseller and thinks it is just amazing. She gushes about how in her book, the serial killer is the main character, and the whole story is told from their point of view. Oh, and the serial killer gets away with it at the end. *Gasp*. Well, Sidney just thinks she invented the most amazing thing since sliced bread, since no other author had ended a book like that before. That’s a lie. Sidney does not fulfill the deal she made with her publishing company when they initially picked up her book. She thinks it’s ok that she has flaked out on them thus far because of what happened to her in her personal life.
The publishers tried to be understanding and offered her trauma counseling, which she turned down. She flat-out told Vanessa, her editor, that she didn’t owe the publishing company anything because they didn’t help her out in her time of need. In response to that, Vanessa once again offered to get Sidney trauma counseling, which she again turned down because it “wasn’t what she needed." Instead, she expected the company to wait over a year for her next book because of what happened to her. We all have things that happen to us in our personal lives and still have to go into work and get our job done. Sidney is no different.
So, even though her publishers tried to be accommodating, she still found that it was alright for her to go back on a business deal. It’s fine that she hasn’t written another book in over a year, even though she promised her publishers a follow-up to her best seller, right?
Although she was full of herself, Sidney was a pushover at the same time. It was weird. She was weird. Despite Sidney’s character development and personal growth, I couldn’t change my initial opinion about her. I just flat-out didn’t like her.
Based on other reviews I’ve read, I know a lot of people liked Sidney. So, I’m the minority. It could just be one of those it’s not her, it’s me situations.
Matt – Although Matt wasn’t the perfect fiancée or man, he didn’t deserve to deal with Sidney’s annoying butt. She would get upset with him over the most trivial things. I kind of felt bad for the guy. Sometimes she didn’t even tell Matt what he did to upset her, so he was just doomed to repeat himself. If he didn’t know what he did wrong (according to Sidney), how was he supposed to fix it? It seems as though his relationship with Sidney has grown comfortable and stale, which happens, and she always found a way to blame it on poor Matt. At least she admits that her crippling anxiety probably has something to do with the growing rift between them. I believe Matt tried to help Sidney and be understanding of her situation to the best of his ability. Again, she didn’t communicate certain things to him very well. He did what he could with what he knew.
I know that once they got to the lake house, Sidney told him she wanted to leave, and he kept putting it off because he wanted the two of them to stay and have a good time. But hey, who hasn’t made someone stay somewhere (a party, a trip, etc.) because they were having fun and didn’t want to leave? I’m sure we’re all guilty of that. When Sidney wanted to leave somewhere, she wanted to leave right that instant.
At times, Sidney did things that didn’t make sense.
Sidney often said that Matt only cared about himself and what he wanted to do, but I didn’t see her asking Matt how he was dealing with certain situations or how he felt about things. She was also only concerned with herself and what she wanted to do. Pot meet kettle.
Tess - Tess was quiet and sweet. It felt like she lived in Cole’s shadow and went along with whatever he did.
Cole - Cole seemed like a mean guy in disguise. He acted kind and all happy-go-lucky but constantly made digs at Tess. Digs that were often putting her down. They might have been jokes that just came out wrong, but you know what they say. Behind every joke is a bit of truth, and Cole sure did love his jokes. It always seemed like he was overcompensating for something.
I have a few more of James Caine’s books on my shelf, and I can’t wait to check them out! While this one wasn’t a phenomenal read for me, it was an entertaining one.
TLDR: A FUN, FAST-PACED READ! ENTERTAINING FROM START TO FINISH!
I would like to thank James Caine and Booksirens for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.
This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.
Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
TRIGGER(S): MURDER, MENTAL HEALTH (ANXIETY DISORDER)
POV: Singular, First Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Part of a series: No
Safe or Dark: Darkish (see trigger warnings above)
I know you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, I did just that. As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I was interested in checking it out. I loved the lake house, and the overall picture is just gorgeous.
Caine’s writing was easy to follow and engaging enough to make me want to finish the book, despite my strong dislike of the main character (explanation below). The story was fast-paced and moved along nicely, which I loved. I have to hand it to James Caine; the man writes an enthralling thriller. He kept you guessing at every turn. You never knew who was the villain and who was the victim. Caine had a way of making you suspect everyone. One minute you were on one character’s side, and the next minute you weren’t.
That being said, I did find both of the plot twists to be fairly predictable. It was not at all shocking when they were revealed. Once the reader is finally able to piece it all together, it's easy to figure out. I also didn’t care for the ending of the story. It lacked something for me. I was looking for a more solid conclusion.
I did have a few issues with his writing style. The term “my fiancée” was constantly used in lieu of saying the character’s name (Matt/Sidney). I don’t know about other people, but once I have established my husband’s name with someone, I don’t constantly refer to him as “my husband.” I use his name. That got old very fast.
Sidney’s doctor fantasies about Cole also got quite repetitive. They never changed. They always involved Sidney in a waiting area and Cole in his doctor’s coat with no shirt on underneath, calling her into the exam room. We heard it over and over. The girl really thought that it was spicy too. I think she even said she wondered what Cole would think about her crazy fantasies. I’m sorry, but are the crazy fantasies in the room with us?
In one scene, Sidney and Matt are shown their room at Cole and Tess’s lake house. Sidney says that most of the room is taken up by the twin bed in the middle of it. A page later, it is mentioned that Sidney and Matt are sleeping in a double bed. Which one is it? I just assumed that Caine meant to use the word “double” from the jump. Because there is no way that an adult couple would fit in a twin bed. Well, it might be possible, but highly uncomfortable.
Sidney – I tried hard to like the FMC, Sidney, but she just didn’t work for me. Like Sidney, I too have generalized anxiety disorder (I’ve had it my whole life), so I can understand her wishing that her fiancée, Matt, understood her situation a bit better. I can wholeheartedly understand getting frustrated with someone who doesn’t understand what you’re going through, but I also understand that most of the time that’s not the person's fault. It’s hard to understand something you don’t live with. What I don’t understand is why Sidney wanted Matt to change his entire life to cater to her anxiety. She often dogged him for not being there when she needed him or for not asking her how she felt about certain things. But she also didn’t tell him how she was feeling or explain what she needed from him; she just expected him to know. Girl, the man isn’t a mind-reader.
She also put Matt down in general. When she runs into her ex-boyfriend Cole and his girlfriend while eating dinner with Matt, she instantly compares the two’s physical appearance, and she was judgy while doing so. Sidney explains that Cole was overweight in high school when they briefly dated and had bad acne (as if that mattered), but as an adult, he is dangerously handsome and has a great body. In fact, she was almost certain he had abs hiding under his shirt.
After talking about how good-looking Cole is, she deems it important to point out how Matt has let himself go over the years. He gained twenty pounds and moved much slower because of it, especially in bed. Because apparently that was super important to point out. People change Sidney; it’s called life and aging. If she truly loved Matt, it wouldn’t matter how his physical appearance had changed.
Sidney was also so full of herself. She was on a high horse and acted like her doo-doo didn’t stink. She wrote one bestseller and thinks it is just amazing. She gushes about how in her book, the serial killer is the main character, and the whole story is told from their point of view. Oh, and the serial killer gets away with it at the end. *Gasp*. Well, Sidney just thinks she invented the most amazing thing since sliced bread, since no other author had ended a book like that before. That’s a lie. Sidney does not fulfill the deal she made with her publishing company when they initially picked up her book. She thinks it’s ok that she has flaked out on them thus far because of what happened to her in her personal life.
The publishers tried to be understanding and offered her trauma counseling, which she turned down. She flat-out told Vanessa, her editor, that she didn’t owe the publishing company anything because they didn’t help her out in her time of need. In response to that, Vanessa once again offered to get Sidney trauma counseling, which she again turned down because it “wasn’t what she needed." Instead, she expected the company to wait over a year for her next book because of what happened to her. We all have things that happen to us in our personal lives and still have to go into work and get our job done. Sidney is no different.
So, even though her publishers tried to be accommodating, she still found that it was alright for her to go back on a business deal. It’s fine that she hasn’t written another book in over a year, even though she promised her publishers a follow-up to her best seller, right?
Although she was full of herself, Sidney was a pushover at the same time. It was weird. She was weird. Despite Sidney’s character development and personal growth, I couldn’t change my initial opinion about her. I just flat-out didn’t like her.
Based on other reviews I’ve read, I know a lot of people liked Sidney. So, I’m the minority. It could just be one of those it’s not her, it’s me situations.
Matt – Although Matt wasn’t the perfect fiancée or man, he didn’t deserve to deal with Sidney’s annoying butt. She would get upset with him over the most trivial things. I kind of felt bad for the guy. Sometimes she didn’t even tell Matt what he did to upset her, so he was just doomed to repeat himself. If he didn’t know what he did wrong (according to Sidney), how was he supposed to fix it? It seems as though his relationship with Sidney has grown comfortable and stale, which happens, and she always found a way to blame it on poor Matt. At least she admits that her crippling anxiety probably has something to do with the growing rift between them. I believe Matt tried to help Sidney and be understanding of her situation to the best of his ability. Again, she didn’t communicate certain things to him very well. He did what he could with what he knew.
I know that once they got to the lake house, Sidney told him she wanted to leave, and he kept putting it off because he wanted the two of them to stay and have a good time. But hey, who hasn’t made someone stay somewhere (a party, a trip, etc.) because they were having fun and didn’t want to leave? I’m sure we’re all guilty of that. When Sidney wanted to leave somewhere, she wanted to leave right that instant.
Spoiler
After their hotel room is broken into and Sidney’s belongings get destroyed, she tells Matt that she wants to go home. Which he feels is fair. However, he explains to her that there are no flights from Toronto to Alberta until the next day and that they also had no other place to stay (which is how they ended up at the lake house). Sidney acted like she didn’t care. She expected Matt to come up with a solution right that minute because she just absolutely had to go home. She had to have known the flight situation was out of the poor man's control.At times, Sidney did things that didn’t make sense.
Spoiler
She was scared when she found a stack of her books on Cole’s nightstand, despite him claiming he had no idea that he was an author when they ran into each other, and when she found out someone had googled her name and her stalker on the lake house computer. Despite being scared, she confronts Cole about everything while he is making lunch for everyone. She tells him she knows that he is her stalker, that he lies, and that she thinks he was the one who destroyed her hotel room. Why would you confront someone you are supposedly scared of when you have no way of leaving the situation? She also had no regard for the fact that Matt was embarrassed about the whole thing. She tried to rationalize everything in her head when she found the books on the nightstand and searched on the computer, even realizing that maybe she should have taken the trauma counseling Vanessa offered. Sidney said she knew how she reacted to things was illogical and she needed to get a grip, but she turned around and got illogical all over again. I know that with anxiety, the logical half of your brain hardly wins. So, in a weird way, I can understand why she wasn’t able to calm herself down, but still. In the midst of all this, she also asks Cole and Tess why they got into a fight the night before. As if it’s any of her damn business. I was more than happy when Cole reminded her of that.Sidney often said that Matt only cared about himself and what he wanted to do, but I didn’t see her asking Matt how he was dealing with certain situations or how he felt about things. She was also only concerned with herself and what she wanted to do. Pot meet kettle.
Spoiler
I wish Matt had survived. I wish we could have seen in the epilogue what happened between Matt and Sidney after the events at the lake house. His death was not a satisfying one.Tess - Tess was quiet and sweet. It felt like she lived in Cole’s shadow and went along with whatever he did.
Spoiler
You know what they say about the quiet ones.Cole - Cole seemed like a mean guy in disguise. He acted kind and all happy-go-lucky but constantly made digs at Tess. Digs that were often putting her down. They might have been jokes that just came out wrong, but you know what they say. Behind every joke is a bit of truth, and Cole sure did love his jokes. It always seemed like he was overcompensating for something.
Spoiler
His death was another unnecessary and unsatisfying one.I have a few more of James Caine’s books on my shelf, and I can’t wait to check them out! While this one wasn’t a phenomenal read for me, it was an entertaining one.
TLDR: A FUN, FAST-PACED READ! ENTERTAINING FROM START TO FINISH!
I would like to thank James Caine and Booksirens for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.
This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.