Bethany Chase has an incredible talent for description, actually making me feel like I was present at the locations being described. In my opinion, that right there completely makes this book.

This is definitely a very good read for women's fiction lovers. There is some romance, but the focus is on the story of the friends and their circle of friends as well as deep sorrow, heartbreak, lies and truths. I really didn't want to put this book down because I just wanted to know what would happen next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for approving my request for an ARC. My thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.

An interesting mystery and romance that takes place on the finger lakes in western New York State. This is an area I have always had an interest in, and Bethany Chase makes it come alive.

Leah and June have been besties since sixth grade in the small NY village of Briarcliff. They roomed together at college and shared an apartment in Brooklyn after they graduated.

We approach this mystery from the first person perspective of Leah Tessaro, seven years ago when she was celebrating her boyfriend Ollie Bierman's mother Rachel's birthday at their family holiday home on Lake Seneca on Independence Day weekend. June accompanied them, recently being dumped and blue. Also, there for the holiday weekend were Ollie's father, Howard and half brother Caleb. Leah was sure Ollie was going to pop the question over the holiday. And then tragedy struck.

The story of June Kang, first-person perspective in the present time, is interspersed with that of Leah but is not as confusing as that sounds. June goes to Lake Seneca with her fiance Ollie to celebrate with his family Ollie's mother Rachel's birthday on the fourth of July weekend. This is June's first trip back to the lakes since Leah was lost, though Ollie has had to return several times.

The family is all there, together with the addition of Caleb's wife Leslie and toddler son Eli. A full immersion into the family dynamic is especially hard for June but necessary. She has a wedding to plan, and Rachel wants to help. But facts keep churning up from the past, confusing June. Perhaps she didn't know what really happened seven years ago. Survivor's guilt may not be all she will suffer before this long weekend is over.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Bethany Chase, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

One Night at the Lake by Bethany Chase is a mystery that involves the death of a girl while on vacation at their lake house seven years before. The story alternates between the voice of Leah from the past leading to her death and June, Leah’s best friend, living with the memory of losing her friend.

Seven years earlier Leah, June and Leah’s boyfriend Ollie had all been good friends so when June needs some cheering up Leah invites her along to Seneca Lake. Leah is expecting Ollie to finally propose while away at his family’s lake house so not only does she want to cheer up June she also wants her best friend around to celebrate.

However, things did not go as planned seven years ago and June and Ollie returned from that lake without Leah who had been the glue that held the friendship together. The years went by without any contact as both dealt with their grief then one day June and Ollie met up again. Before long they were a couple and as hard as it may be they needed to return to the lake house.

Despite the tragedy happening years earlier in One Night at the Lake it was still a rather compelling read. Readers are unsure what had happened back then and how the current relationship had formed with both loving Leah so the pages flew by as the story slowing unfolded. I have to say though as much as I was enjoying the read I did kind of feel a bit let down at the end and felt it should have had more to it leaving this one at 3 1/2 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Leah and her boyfriend of four years, Oli, invite Leah’s best friend, June, to July 4th holiday at Oli’s parents lake house. Seems like a fun vacation until something goes wrong and Leah dies. Several years later June and Oli start dating and quickly get engaged. June cannot truly be happy knowing if her best friend was still alive, Oli would be with her. Oli asks June to go back to the lake with him for his mother’s special birthday. It is the first time June would go back to where her best friend died. June and Oli struggle to accept the past and move on and June wonders what really happened to Leah.

The story alternates each chapter changing from Leah’s point of view several years ago to June’s point of view now. I really loved this book and devoured it in two days! I love this style of writing and the characters were amazing. I was pulled in more by each chapter and could not wait to get to the next one to find out what happened next. I highly recommend this book!

This one surprised me as I thought it was a thriller, but was actually more of a tragic love, women's fiction type novel. After having a hard time reminding myself that it was not actually a thriller...I was able to get into the story due to the authors amazingly descriptive writing! I could totally feel all the feels, and find myself at the lake in this one! I did have a bit of a hard time connecting with the characters themselves, but this was mostly due to the confusion I felt from the alternating view points. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will likely read more from this author.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Two friends love the same man, but the one of them dies. Not only that, she dies the weekend that she thought she would get engaged.

Leah and Ollie have been together a long time, and she thinks this is The Moment. Feisty and not likely to suffer fools, she knows what she wants, and she expects that she will get it. She looks at Ollie as part of her, and she recognizes how lucky she is to have found a man to love and be loved back.

Seven years later, June prepares to go to the very lake where Leah died, and she’s with her fiancé Ollie. You might just gasp when you read this part, even though the blurb tells you it will happen. Bethany Chase introduces June and Ollie as a couple after she established Leah and Ollie as a couple AND Leah and June as BFFs. June loves Ollie deeply, but the guilt over what Leah would think runs deep in her.

Yes, there is a bit of a mystery as to what happened to Leah, but this is not a white knuckle thriller by any interpretation. Rather, Bethany Chase looks at friendship, including the friendships we have with our family members. She also examines betrayal. What is worse: betraying a friend or betraying your own heart?

I liked getting to know Leah and June. They are opposites in every way, yet I liked them both so much. When their hearts get broken, I feel for them. They both love Ollie, only one of them has to be secretive about it. Can you imagine how that must feel? Leah wants June right there with her, and June goes because, as she later says, she will take the crumbs offered her.

The ending feels a little out of sorts. I couldn’t figure out if I was supposed to be contented with how it ends or feel unsettled. I guess I’m happy? And yet I’m also a little sad for one of the characters.

“One Night at the Lake” is a novel about a tragic accident at Seneca Lake resulting in the death of Leah, and forever affecting the lives of her best friend, June, and Leah’s boyfriend, Ollie. Seven years later, June and Ollie, now engaged to one another, return to the lake, uncovering more truths and reconnecting with Leah’s death.

The story is told in alternating points of view, from Leah in the past and June in the present, at Seneca Lake. This complex novel delves into love triangles, friendship, loss, and forgiveness. When first reading the synopsis of the novel, I think I expected it to be more of a mystery novel, but it was definitely more contemporary women’s fiction, with a “light” mysterious undertone. It is a great beach book, and an enjoyable read for the summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars women's fiction
Although the description reads as if this is a thriller, it's not. It's the story of two women and coping with loss, dealing with guilt and moving on. That's not to say that there's not an air of a bit of mystery, but it is compelling and works well with the story.
This is told from two perspectives: Leah's and her best friend June's. Both perspectives are set at a lake house over the 4th of July holidays. Leah's time ends in tragedy, June's is seven years later as she is now engaged to Ollie, Leah's ex.
Often, when all of the characters know something that the reader doesn't, the point is beleaguered and frustrating to me. In this story, it works really well. We know from the outset that Leah is dead and we know that it was an accident. The details aren't really important until they are revealed, and the author does this at the perfect moment. There are some twists in the relationships that are both surprising and interesting.
I didn't love Leah's character, I thought she was very full of herself and immature. The author does a great job of giving Leah and June separate voices and making them distinct.
This is an emotional read, and also gives a lot of food for thought about relationships.

This is a great book, I simply could not put it down until the very last page. Although the ending was not what I expected it was very satisfying and very believable. It is a story about friendship, tragedy, and forgiveness. I believe it will be one of the very best books of the summer. You will see many people reading it on various beaches . The plot was great, the characters we’re very believable and I cared about what happened to each and everyone of them. I highly recommend this book for all readers. I will certainly be sending some copies to friends and family. Thank you so much for my advance copy .

This book didn't download for me for some reason. What a bummer- it looked good! I will pick it up at the library.

While I expected a mystery, I was pleasantly surprised that this book, while having some mysterious undertones, was much more an interesting exploration into friendships, loyalty and complex relationships. I enjoyed the authors atmospheric writing, making me feel like I was right there along the water with the characters and I also really liked the chapters alternating both narrator and timeline, as I felt it propelled the story forward. I think this would be a great summer beach read or perfect when stuck inside on a rainy day - can’t wait to read more from Bethany Chase!

One Night at the Lake by Bethany Chase, is a thriller which I enjoyed. Once I started this book I could not stop reading it. It was a quick read that kept me guessing. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I recommend this book for all people who enjoy a good mystery, you will not be disappointed.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group. Thank you.

3.5 stars
Bethany Chase is back with a thought provoking book about friendship, forgiveness and love. This one tells the story of two best friends, and the man they both dated, just seven years apart. Her stories always give you a lot think about. This is not a black/white situation; there’s a whole lot of grey area. There’s also a bit of a mystery about what happened to one of the girls seven years ago. When this mystery is finally revealed, it’s not what you expect, and it personally fell a little flat for me. I found the story slow moving in the beginning, but then it picked up, although the ending didn’t quite give me the closure I so desperately wanted. The characters were just okay to me. They were in a sticky situation, and didn’t make the best decisions. I can’t say that I hated them, but I didn’t exactly like them either. It is a creative storyline and per usual, Chase’s details and descriptions, especially the setting, are done extremely well. If you’re looking for something just a little different giving you lots to think about, you’ll enjoy this one.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

June and Leah have been best friends since they were twelve. Leah’s boyfriend, Ollie invites Leah to his family’s summer home on Lake Seneca in upstate New York to celebrate the 4th of July. Not wanting to leave her bff June behind who was freshly in the midst of a breakup; she pushes Ollie to invite June too. The trio travels to the home, and our story unfolds. This book is told in alternating past and current tense viewpoints between June and Leah.
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We find out very early on, that Leah’s viewpoint is being told before she died. We don’t know how she died, only that it happened at the lake. June’s perspective is seven years after Leah’s death, and she is now engaged to Ollie; who Leah thought she would marry before her death.
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This book has a lot to do with friendship and strong feelings on both a platonic and romantic level. It touches on PTSD and a lot of grief which I appreciated. While the writing was very good, this was a book that I feel like didn’t pick up until I was about 65% of the way through. Although this was still a quick read for me, this was a bit of a slow burn but I did enjoy how it turned out. This would be a great beach or pool book- perfect for the upcoming 4th of July Holiday!
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This book OWNED me, a week after reading and I’m still thinking about it. First, I’ve been anticipating this book for a long while. I'm no stranger to Bethany Chase’s writing and I know I'm going to be torn up and put back together. I knew that once I start it, I will be captivated until the story ends and for long after. One Night At The Lake is a nuanced and compelling read and I felt everything about these relationships.

The execution of the story is remarkable as is the character development. The story is told from the perspective of two friends, Leah and June. Leah is unabashed and unfiltered. June is quiet and guarded. The story unfolds as they each recount their visit to the Bierman family’s lake house; as two points in time snapshots of the same week, seven years apart. Chase masterfully drops in pieces of the bigger part of the story, so that it unfolds like a mystery. We know that Leah was once at the lake as Ollie’s girlfriend, but seven years later, June is there as his fiancé. June is weighed down by guilt and self-loathing - and the week is sure to be a reminder as to why it's even possible she’s where she is at life.

We learn that the ties between Leah and June run very deep, best friends since childhood, so what happened to upend their places in Ollie's life? It might appear it’s a love triangle, but only in a most unusual way. Chase is a master at planting the seed of doubt, making the reader contemplate what’s to come, making the book unputdownable.

June, Leah, Ollie, and the cast of secondary characters (especially Caleb and Terrance) all have their places in this story. Chase delivers the right details about Leah and June. Their personalities are distinct and they balance each other, these two voices. Both filled with so much hope and so much heartache.

This is a story of deep heartbreak and sorrow, as June is mired in guilt and desperate to “get over” these feelings. Upfront, I’m an empath and some writers gave a way of touching that part of me so that I FELT EVERYTHING. Chase does this. She writes in a way that can't NOT feel. She gives that to us in June – with her I felt everything; her sorrow, her shame, the elation she felt falling in love – in knowing it was so right, but also feeling SO wrong about it. June got into my head and heart and I could not shake her. Leah would always be there a part of her, a part of Ollie – a part of them. My heart pounded through the entire time I read this. The complexity of these relationships and the imprint they have on each other is deep.

This is SUCH a wonderful story and I encourage readers of women’s fiction to snatch this up and give yourself over to this story, these characters. I'm already starting a re-read myself.

This book was good—the story moved at a nice pace and I had a hard time putting it down.

However, I did not like some of the characters, like Leah and Travis. I think they were written well, but they didn’t strike me as people I would like if I knew them.

I also think the climax happens really early in the book and then the resolution drags out a bit more than necessary.

Over all, though, I did enjoy the story and finished it in about a day.

I received an advance copy; all thoughts are my own.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While a solid read, this book wasn’t quite what I expected. I expected more mysterious elements to the story and it was actually more romance/family dynamics/relationships. The story was enjoyable though and worth a read.

I think what hurt my view of the book the most was that I went into it thinking this was going to be a thriller and it turned out to be more of a womens fiction read. Not what I anticipated so it caught me off guard. I was a bit confused by the ending. Not a bad read, but not my favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One thing you need to know before you read this book is that this is NOT a mystery/thriller. This is contemporary women's fiction. The description is a little bit misleading so please be aware of that before getting into this book.

I've read Bethany Chase's previous books and this my favorite one so far. I was definitely intrigued and invested in the story. I really like Chase's writing style and she's able to successfully balance the changes in perspective and time very well. The novel successfully explores love, friendship, and grief. I actually cried at the end by something Ollie said which was very unexpected. It just hit me in the heart.

The book isn't perfect as it was slow in parts and certain things were somewhat predictable, however I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you've read Chase's previous book and/or like women's fiction, then I recommend it.

Let's start by saying that I love the way Bethany Chase writes about settings, and how quickly she made me invested in this story and these characters. I loved the narrative device she chose - dual POVs set 7 years apart - one POV coming from Leah, the girl who was dating Ollie on that fateful night 7 years ago, and the other from Leah's best friend, June .... who's engaged to Ollie now.

Ok, now we can talk about other things. I found myself much more invested in the mystery and what happened on that fateful night than I was on the characters, and I think that hurt my overall opinion of the book - the payout, while good in it's own way, wasn't remotely what I was expecting and fell a bit flat. (That being said ... it's a GOOD payout for lots of reasons, none of which I can get into without venturing into spoiler territory.)

There were a few subplots that seemed unnecessary to me, and one of the biggest ones was left fairly open ended (making it seem even more unnecessary). I see what Chase was trying to do, but I'm not sure if it was necessary given the ultimate resolution to the major plot-line.

I've heard from others that they definitely recommend her others (Results May Vary, The One That Got Away) above this title, and I'm taking that under consideration. I was impressed enough with Chase's writing and how invested I was in the story to give both of those a try!