This book is dark and rough to read. It follows two abused women over two different timelines. they both have links to a house on the lake (as is the title), which has no electricity or modern convinces.
The book was alright, I found it interesting and I was semi-engaged... but too much stuff happened that was just way unbelievable. I just couldn't follow it without taking away my grounded brain....

A dark, troubling tale about control and the long-reaching effects of abuse. The remote house is a perfect setting - both a sanctuary and a prison - and it soon becomes clear it has a chilling history. I loved the small cast of characters and thought three year-old Joe was particularly well-drawn - a disturbed, damaged, scary child, the product of what he has witnessed.

This is a dark tale of two psychologically abused females, Lisa and Grace and is told over two different time periods. They both have links to the house on the lake, a dark foreboding place with no electricity or mod cons.
Whilst I found the book engaging, there were far too many happenings which were too far fetched. Especially Grace's story near the end and this ruined it for me.

The story of two women who lived in the same house but at different times. I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author but this one wasn’t for me - sorry!

Enjoyed this book and its surprises but a bit disappointed in the ending. Good characters and setting

I couldn't make my mind up about this book. I absolutely loved Day Of The Accident but I found House On The Lake to be a bit like a Snakes and Ladders game - one minute if was fantastic but the next it was lacking something and down you went as the reader.
I think the ending needed a bit more of a punch as it just seemed to sort of end
A good read but not quite as good as had hoped

My heart was racing through out this story. Creepy and suspenseful. A great story. Loved the alternating time line

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Sadly this one wasnt for me. The book focuses on a lake house and 2 women who have lived there at different times. I just couldn't get into the story . Normally a big fan of Nuala Ellwood I will continue to read her books. Thanks again for the chance to read

I am a huge fan of this author and couldnt wait to read this! It didnt disappoint I literally couldnt put it down and read it in 2 days!!

Lisa is on the run from her controlling husband Mark along with her 3 year old son Joe who doesn't seem to be very happy about it. She is set to stay at Rowan Isle House, an old abandoned house given to her by her in case she needed a safe place. But the house is nothing like she thought. For instance, there is no electricity nor any other basic facilities for that matter. It seems impossible to live in such a house in the modern day without any amenities present. But Lisa can't afford to go anywhere else, can she?

On the other hand, we get to meet Grace whose story dates back to 2002 when she was 11 years old living in Rowan Isle with her soldier father. Isolated from the public eye without any human intervention, Grace's childhood is devoid of any emotions except fear and curiosity.

These two timelines run side-by-side and I just cannot stop myself from turning the pages faster and faster. The curiosity and suspense keeps building and its impossible to put the book down! I personally loved the character of Grace, especially her childhood descriptions brought me fresh tears. There wasn't much time to know Lisa better, as her past isn't as furnished as Grace's and I couldn't give her the expected level of sympathy.

I've been reading a lot of domestic thrillers lately where a wife runs away from her abusive husband and tries to live a new life stealthily. Although, the plot is very similar here, it's more of Grace's story than Lisa's. When the two plots collide, that's when the magic happens. 'The House on the Lake' is a total package with it's pacy, short n crips chapters gripping the reader till the very last page. I can't recommend the book enough to all my fellow thriller fans who'd love a pacy mystery to binge read! Many, many thanks to Ellie Hudson from Viking Books, Penguin Books UK for having me on the official blog tour. Do follow these amazing bloggers to know more about the book!

A rather dark tale of two different women abused at different times, rather than a thriller. Hard to relate to any of the characters either. Sadly not really for me.

An interesting but slow paced book. The story unfortunately did not go the way which could have made it mind blowing , a pleasant read nevertheless.

Author Nuala Ellwood is one of those authors who regularly appears on those lists of other authors that I may like, so I was really excited to have this opportunity to read her latest book prior to publication. Unfortunately, however, this one just wasn’t for me.

A remote lakeside house provides the setting for this story, whose chapters alternate between the present day and fifteen years previously. In the present day, Lisa is hiding out in the house with her young son, Joe, having fled from her controlling husband. Similarly, fifteen years earlier the house was home to a teenage Grace and her controlling father, who lived solitary lives fearful of civilisation and the modern world.

The book’s description promised a nail-biting thriller in which main character Lisa needs to disappear and her friend's rambling old home seems like the perfect place. But, Lisa soon realises that the house - and her friend - have hidden secrets. And, so I wasn’t really expecting the underlying theme which was two women abused and controlled in various different ways by the men in their lives. As such this was darker, rawer and more melancholy than I was expecting.

The other problem was that there was a very small pool of characters and I just didn’t warm to any of them. Even four-year old Joe was a very mardy child. Through the author’s clever descriptive writing I was able to understand and muster a certain amount of sympathy for the characters but I still found them very difficult to like or agree with their choices.

On the plus side I had no idea where the two story lines were going to lead. It was very well written, nothing is what it seems with both Lisa and Grace’s stories far from straightforward. Each time I thought I knew what was happening, the story veered off in a different direction. However, whilst I couldn’t predict the ending I also didn’t really like it as it failed to shake of the overwhelming feeling of sadness, offering only a small smidgen of hope for the future of these women.

Nuala Ellwood is a best-selling autor and this has received some great comments, but for me it was a difficult read and not really my cup of tea unfortunately.

It was a very insightful novel, with a strong cast of characters. I enjoyed the story line very much and would definitely recommend this book.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found it hard to hold my attention and was not rushing to pick it up after I put it down. There were certain points in it that were quite unbelieveable and I'm afraid I tried to but did not finish it.

The house on the lake by Nuala Elwood
This was a great twin storyline about Grace and Lisa’s struggles to break away from powerful controlling men in very different circumstances. Their stories take place years apart but they are connected by the location of the house they live in (which at times seems to have a bit of a life of its own) and by one supportive friend, Isobel. The theme of coercive control and how it echos in Joe’s behaviour towards Lisa is significantly underdeveloped and I feel it’s such a pity Nuala missed the opportunity to highlight this insidious behaviour and its potential perpetuation through children adopting the parental behaviours they observe as normal. She seems to concentrate instead on the power of confession and acceptance of what you’ve done in order to change. Although I rooted for the two women as they struggled to build their confidence and break away, I was disappointed that the kind characters (Isobel and Jimmy) who brought help and comfort to both, were written off as a liar and a gossip respectively, without any balance about their intrinsic kindness and generosity. I really did enjoy the book but strangely I can’t say that I particularly liked any of the characters by th

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I found this novel very gripping and did not expect it to be a psychological thriller from the book's description. Nevertheless, I was hooked from the very first chapter, I really felt for the main character, Lisa and I thought the author did a brilliant job portraying her story, being on the run from a controlling relationship.
I was able to get a clear view of how isolated Lisa's new surrounding and this quickly drew me into the book, I really enjoyed reading this one.

I love Nuala Ellwood writing
you get wrapped up in the story
and have no acknowledgement of what is happening around
You know that there will be twists and turns
and when they start unravelling then WHAM

Thank you netgalley, Nuala Elmwood and Penguin for allowing me to read and review this book.

4.5 stars
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed this author's previous two books, My Sister's Bones and Day of the Accident. Whilst this book didn't quite reach the heady heights that these did, it was a good solid read in itself nonetheless.
Written in two time zones set in the same house we go back in time to the early 2000s where a young girl is growing up with her ex-soldier father. They are a bit reclusive and don't warm to strangers. The father home-schools the girl, mostly teaching her the ways of a soldier. Meanwhile, in the present, we follow Lisa as she leaves her controlling husband Mark and flees to a house recommended by a friend, her young son Joe in tow with her. Problem is, the house is a dilapidated mess; no running water or power and full of damp. But she feels she has no choice and thanks her luck when a lady from the village offers to help her.
But what links the two timelines? Where is the story going? Spoilers prevent me from saying much more about what is happening apart from you have to maybe hold a few things close, maybe a bit in confusion, until the time is right for the truth to come out. Having a good track record with this author helped me do just that along the way as she has come good before and so I trusted her to do so again. And my trust was rewarded!
I say that I did spend a while in a state of confusion. A consequence of this is that I found this to be quite a slow burn of a read; at least initially. But this pace is wholly necessary as it allows the story to build up layer by layer and also allows the author to set the overall feeling as claustrophobic and controlling. Both main characters are in some kind of turmoil, and the pacing and execution of the way their stories are told adds emotion to the words.
And when the stories started to come together I really wasn't prepared for what then happened. Actually, I am not quite sure what I was prepared for, probably nothing as I had no idea where we were going. I just had to follow the characters wherever they led me. And boy was it emotional...
All in all, a good solid read. Looking forward to the next one. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Not a fan of the book. I would probably give it 1.5 stars. Lisa was still a mystery to me. I felt like there could have been more about her husband. The ending seemed unrealistic, because I'm pretty sure she would have ended up in jail. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters. Joe was a horrible little three year old. How was he able to hate his mother so much at such a young age? All the hitting??? Lisa never lost her patience with him, I would have been tempted to dunk him in the cold lake a few times or just dropped him back off with his father. Lisa went to the house completely unprepared. How did she expect to survive a winter without any heat??? I hated Grace and Sarge's story. The abuse was crazy. It was 2002, why wasn't there any wellness checkups? The house had no running water or electricity. Sarge was one of the worst fathers. I felt like there could have been a bit more about Grace's mom. Honestly, I was glad when the book was over. There just seems like there could have been more to the story. Isobel, Lisa and Grace were just not my cup of tea. The book didn't feel like much of a mystery or thriller.

I look forward to reading more books by the author because I loved "Day of the Accident."

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Penguin Books (UK) through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.