I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

People Of The Lake was set in a small town and would be best considered a Young Adult Mystery. It was truly a fast-paced read for me.

Everyone in the small town seems to hate outsiders.. but no one will tell you why. The story features a "local legend" about a drowning... but there seems to be part of the story missing. Clara is determined to find out the truth about what realyl happened.

I really enjoyed this!
This was set in such a creepy little town where everyone had secrets and it kept you guessing up until the very end.

I was dying the entire time with needing to know what was up with this little town. And let me tell you, this book delivered and it delivered on one hell of a spooky platter.

This book focuses on a local legend and how no one will tell you why everyone is so secretive and pretty much hates outsiders.

There was also a twist in the end that I didn’t see coming and because of it, it had me shedding a few tears in the end.

Overall, if you’re looking for a story that’s set in a small creepy town, with a mystery to it, then I highly recommend this one :) I will be on the lookout for future books from this author!

**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

People of the Lake is a YA mystery which borders a bit into suspense and thriller. Redmarch Lake was once a thriving tourist town, but now it is weighed down by secrets and unfriendly to outsiders. Clara, whose family is one of three founding families, goes to the lake for the summer to visit her father after her parents' divorce. When Neil, the only local who will speak to Clara, shows up drowned in the lake, it is written off as a drunken teenage misadventure. But Clara and fellow outsider Hector realize there is more to the people of the lake than they would have the public believe.

In general, I found that I enjoyed this novel. The pacing for the majority of the book was well done. There was a decent balance struck that made the reader doubt what was happening and whether or not the cause of the trouble is paranormal or otherwise.

The ending, to me, was very rushed and resolved itself far too neatly. This was especially stark when compared to the rest of the book, where the pacing was so nicely done. The twists were not particularly original and added a bit to the hastiness of the ending.

Overall, I found People of the Lake to be an easy, fun read and would not hesitate to pick up other works by Nick Scorza.

"'Names don’t really get at what they are, but even so, they don’t like to be talked about.'"

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Skyhorse Publishing. Trigger warnings: death, death of a twin, violence, gore, body horror, severe injury, hospitals, guns, drowning, trauma, grief, depression.

When her mother’s loathsome boyfriend moves in with them, Clara exiles herself to her dad’s small, lakeside hometown for the summer. Redmarch is weirder than she ever imagined, and the oddly superstitious townspeople keep outsiders at a cool distance. Things haven’t been the same for Clara since her twin sister, Zoe, drowned when they were eight. When a body is found in the lake shortly after Clara arrives, she’s suspicious about the circumstances. Then she discovers a note written in the language she invented with Zoe when they were young. Who’s murdering townspeople and covering it up, and what does her sister have to do with it?

People of the Lake has a spooky premise that pays off completely in atmosphere. Redmarch is one of those quiet, Wicker Man towns where you wouldn’t be surprised to learn all the townspeople were in on ritualistic murder. Scorza excels at descriptions of an unsettling lake and the eerie woods at night, where every crack of a twig makes you wonder if you’re being followed–nay, stalked. It’s amplified by the wall of silence put up by the unfriendly townspeople and their willful ignorance toward anything strange that happens.

It’s not quite as strong in other areas. Clara is a pretty average heroine and Hector a pretty average sidekick, though I enjoyed Clara’s gradual friendship with a girl she was initially at odds with. Girls hating each other for no apparent reason is one of my least favorite tropes, and Scorza does a lot to counter that over the course of the novel. Plotwise, it’s very slow and then very fast, a little bit of horror and then suddenly ALL the horror, and it made the pacing a little odd. Clara doesn’t have any answers for so much of the book, and when they come, it’s a lot at once with no room to take a breath.

Her relationship with Zoe is fascinating though, not least of which because Zoe isn’t there. It leans hard on a lot of stereotypical twin things, but it seems like the most genuine relationship in the book. I love the direction Scorza takes it in, and that particular plot thread–what happened to Zoe? what does she have to do with Redmarch?–is well-paced with hints that canny readers will be able to pick up on. The novel didn’t make a lasting impression on me, but I enjoyed it while I was reading, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to YA horror fans.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it a good story. I enjoyed the characters and the setting especially the historical aspect of it. The mystery was interesting and the plot easy to follow I recommend to all mystery lovers.

Rated 3.5 really.

First off...DISCLAIMER: this title was up for grabs on NetGalley (in the Read Now section). Thanks to Skyhorse Publishing/Sky Pony for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

TWISTING THE (T)ROPES

If you're looking for books that employ a minimal dose of tropes, here's your caveat: People of the Lake is not one of those books. The good piece of news is, it uses them to its best advantage, and throws in a couple of twists that - combined with the sisterly bond/grief theme, and a relatable heroine who doesn't try too hard and isn't your usual special snowflake - alone would be enough to make POTL worth reading. There's a lot in this book that feels familiar: a mysterious and creepy place (albeit a lake and not your usual forest), a virtually gated community, a string of gruesome murders swept under the rug, a headstrong teen with a strained relationship with her parents, a couple of reluctant sidekicks, a love interest, and other minor things. But the way Scorza weaves it all together and incorporates the deceased-twin theme into the story makes all the difference - along with the fresh mythology he builds his story on.

TWIN PEAK

I can't talk too much about this aspect of the story because I would enter spoiler territory, but I loved the bond between Clara and Zoe, and the way the author depicted the peculiar brand of grief that is losing a twin. Also, the mystery behind Zoe's demise and her alleged messages to Clara was the most interesting aspect of this book for me, because it went nowhere I expected it to. Clara herself is a character in whose head I enjoyed being. She's loyal and brave, strives to be a good friend and daughter (even if that doesn't always turn out right, but I could understand her frustration - with both her parents, if for different reasons), but will go the extra mile for answers. The side characters were a little blander, and there was the mandatory fast romance ("I love you" [...] "I love you, too" - seriously? after what, a few days?), but surprisingly, it didn't bug me that much. At least there was no love triangle in sight LOL.

WALK THE LINE

To be honest, I'm sort of ambivalent about the final denouement. The supernatural aspect of the story was quite fresh and interesting, especially the way it tied in with Zoe, yet I couldn't help but feeling that it was a bit over the top - especially if compared to its slow building and all the creepy tension. Also, even if under a spell (or a curse) of sorts, I couldn't totally buy that all the townsfolk would passively accept whatever happened as inevitable, and even more, wouldn't be able to shake free from that evil influence and actually leave the place (though Mr Morris' attempt shows that leaving is ultimately useless). But I'm probably too jaded by now 😉. I'm sure most supernatural fans will eat it up.

(Note: I was able to spot a couple of typos, but I don't know if this was the definitive version or it still had to undergo a round of copy editing. Also, "letting out a breath I didn't even know I was holding" is a phrase I always hope not to stumble upon ever again...but apparently, it's a hard kill 😫).

A ya thriller. Clara, the main character, is 16 and has just moved in with her dad. There’s something wrong with the town and the author gives the perfect creepy town atmosphere. This atmosphere allows for the slight horror undertone throughout also. The first half of the novel was engaging and rather interesting. The second half though felt rushed. Overall a well written novel with some surprising twists I didn’t see coming. You definitely recommend for ya thriller readers. Thank you for the ARC Netgalley

The People of the Lake is a YA thriller, mixed with a bit of horror, about Clara, a 16 year old spending her summer vacation with her father in his creepy and unfriendly town, Redmarch Lake. The town doesn't take friendly to newcomers, but one boy, Neil, takes it upon himself to make Clara feel welcome by inviting her to a party out in the woods. Unfortunately, Clara loses track of him during the party, and the next day his body turns up.
Ok, ok, ok. This was good. As far as my research tells me, this is Nick Scorza's first novel, please let me know if I'm wrong here. Thereby making this a worthwhile debut.
The atmosphere of Redmarch Lake is creepy and magical. From the start we know something is wrong with this town.
Our characters are loveable and diverse, and from the get go they act like actual teenagers.
Throughout the novel I was expecting some sort of plot twist, but I have to admit I didn't see the particular twist coming.
I wasn't left too satisfied by the resolution and the pacing of the entire novel could have been revised a bit. But overall I would still suggest the People of the Lake
This novel would be perfect for fans of paranormal CW shows.

This one I wasn't to sure about. The cover really didn't tell me anything and I really grabbed this one based on the title. People of the Lake sounded really creepy. However, this one turned out to be a thriller and not a paranormal as I thought it was going to be. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. For us older people reading this it will give you all the feels of horror books from the 80's. For the most part this book was creepy and great. But around the last half of the title it started feeling rushed and well sort of fell a part just little. I think that down the road I might still revisit this one again. But I wished the last half would have been as good as the first half.

This isn't a bad book it's just confused.It has a thriller element,a horror element and a slice of life element unfortunately they don't work together.I like the first part but the story becomes to convoluted for me.

People will enjoy this especially if you enjoy suspense/thrillers with horror elements.

This is a great supernatural mystery for YA and adult readers, full of interesting twists and turns. Clara's spending the summer with her dad in the small town he grew up in, but the locals are unfriendly and there's a certain amount of local lore about ghosts and monsters. When Clara encounters the things that haunt the place and a local teen dies at a party, she, another outsider, and the dead boy's ex-girlfriend team up to figure out what's going unsaid about the town, its colonizing families, and the powers that lurk in the lake. The issues of colonization, racism, and forced/normate heterosexuality are handled very well, and the big finish is exciting and well-written. I do think the book would benefit by having a catchier title; "People of the Lake" is a bit meh.

Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing and Sky Pony for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

In my opinion, I have always found small, isolated towns a perfect place for creepy things. Everybody knows everyone else and none of them know you, the outsider. If something terrible happens to you will they help you or help cover up whatever horrible fate befalls you? From the start, it becomes clear that the community of the town doesn't like outsiders and that they are probably hiding something.
Normally I do not read thrillers or horror books, so this book was rather terrifying for me. However, if you do love a good thriller book then I highly recommend this book. It was creepy in a very good way.

not sure how to review this, it was well written, the characters were drawn out and the first part of the book was agood build up of mystery and creepiness, soon the creepiness took over and while that is not my preferred form of reading, it was effective

A creepy, exciting and well written book that kept me on the edge till the end.
I liked the descriptions of the environment, the well written cast of characters, and the gripping and entertaining plot.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I’ve always found small, isolated towns inherently creepy. Everybody knows everyone else and none of them know you, the outsider. If something terrible happens to you will they help you or help cover up whatever horrible fate befalls you? Redmarch Lake is on the high end of the weirdness scale. It’s clear from the start that this insular community doesn’t like insiders and is hiding something awful. Are they a nefarious cult? Do they kidnap travellers and eat them? I obviously watch too many horror movies. As the story unfolds it becomes clear that the strangeness in Redmarch is much deeper and darker than I had imagined. It’s a rather terrifying book, especially for those who fear the woods or deep lakes and the things that may lurk within them. I really enjoyed the historical episodes interspersed within the present day story. Many of them were incredibly chilling. I love a good horror story and this one was very entertaining. It kept me engaged from beginning to end and I don’t think there was a lull at any point. The conclusion was a bit over the top but it fit with the story and I thought it was a satisfying end.

Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing and Sky Pony for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

After a fallout with hey Mom, Sixteen year old Clara leaves NYC to stay with her dad in a lake side town in upstate New York. Clara quickly picks up on an unwelcoming vibe from the townspeople and is unnerved by the stillness of the lake. Her father continually warns her not to go into the woods but with little to no specifics. These cryptic warnings catch Clara's interest. Soon she finds herself investigating the town's terrifying past along with the mysterious death of a boy she had just met, and who IS sending those notes written in the secret language she once used with her deceased twin sister?
Scorza's novel has the makings of a good suspense novel. However, the story is slow to start and I found myself skipping ahead.

Horror is definitely not my genre and I've got to stop requesting it. People of the Lake couldn't decide it was a Fantasy. a Thriller, or Horror. It would have worked better as a Fantasy in my opinion but that is not really the direction it decided to take. 🤷🏼‍♀️

This is what I look for in a young adult paranormal book. The characters are unique and fun and I really enjoyed reading this.

I almost want to quote The Addams Family.. Creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky.. That's a good description of this book.

I was drawn in from the start. It was a little slow, but had enough continuing character development to keep me interested. Then it continued to build.

However, I knew early on what was going on.. One sentence in there foreshadows the rest of the book. Plus, once the intended scary stuff started, it actually was less scary. I was more creeped out by the town and the suspense in the beginning.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and net galley which did not affect my review.