„The Lake House“ is a –mostly- fast-paced thriller which captured my interest immediately.

Five women are going on a weekend trip to celebrate that they all turn forty. They met twenty years ago at University and stayed friends. But marriage and children and carriers took their toll and they are not as close any more than they used to be. They choose a cabin in a remote area so that they can concentrate on their friendship. But when they arrive they learn that there is no signal for their phones and no WiFi and the cabin is not as charming as the pictures online promised. To make things worse the owner is a creepy guy who carries a gun all the time, has a problem with Sam who is a woman of color, and has suspicious tattoos. Then on the second day someone is dead.

I was drawn into the story from page one. Sometimes a have trouble to keep characters apart when the story centers on a group of people. Here I had immediately a clear picture of everybody in my mind. I also liked the eerie and creepy atmosphere. Suddenly they feel isolated and in danger and the vacation turns into a real survival trip. There are some unexpected twists and turns and the story kept me guessing. The reason I did not give five stars is because sometimes there are flashbacks to the time at University. Although it is interesting and essential to learn about what happened then, it took the pace out of the story sometimes. The story is told from Megan’s POV and I felt her circling thoughts a bit too much. But overall I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When 5 old college friends turn 40, they plan a weekend away. They go to a remote cabin by a lake and soon realize they are completely "off the grid" with no cell service. The property is in the middle of a nature reserve and the closest person to them is the owner of the cabin, who quickly gives the women the creeps. They set out exploring on the first day and one of them gets injured and from there, the weekend goes downhill. What should be 4 days of fun, adventure, catching up and celebrating turns into a deadly a terrifying time. I was not disappointed with this story. This is exactly what I imagine when I think of what a weekend away turning dangerous type of book should be. Each book by Laura Wolfe gets better and better! Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Laura Wolfe!

A long weekend away with your best friends, plenty of wine, food, a beautiful lake what could be better...
Laura Wolfe takes that weekend and flips it completely on its head! A fantastic thriller full of suspense, dark secrets and a terrifying reality that we may not know our friends as well as we think we do!
I could not put this book down as I was so curious and anxious to find out what was going on at that cabin. I thought I had guessed who the culprit was but I was completely wrong.
This is the first book I've read by Laura Wolfe and I am so impressed with her style of writing and ability to mess with my mind! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery and full body chills!
Thank you to Laura Wolfe, Net Galley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc of The Lake House by Laura Wolfe.

4 stars- This follows Charlotte, Sam, Kaitlyn, Megan the narrator and Jenna whom are university students who met 2 decades ago.. They decide to plan a secluded break in a cabin in a place called Crooked Lake. Setting is brilliant, Isolated, no signal on their phones, The owner of the cabin is seriously freaky and creepy by far!

This was a great, thrilling and gripping book full of twists and turns and had me on edge friends isolated in a lake house.. theres secrets etc it is amazing! !

Definitely recommend
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Friends since college, but separated by life and its responsibilities, five women - Megan, Kaitlyn, Sam, Charlotte and Jenna - take off for a vacation together. They rent a secluded cabin and hope to spend time reminiscing about their college years and talk about their marriages and families. However, the weekend is anything but what they were expecting.

The entire story is told in Megan's first person perspective, and as the story develops, things get ugly at a rapid pace. For starters, the cabin is too secluded. No cell service. No WiFi. No other guests and a creepy owner.

Very specific things are at play. Some of the women are happy in their lives. Others are not. Some are lying and some have secrets. Will any of these things lead to the reason behind what eventually happens in this creepy story? Having read several books like this, two especially come to mind - Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Ruth Ware's One by One - I was hoping that we would not be reading something that followed those formulas.

In this book, we are - and we aren't. Yes, you have a small group of people in an isolated location with no doubt at all as to what is going to happen. But, this book takes things to its own level. The past plays a huge role in the events of this story. Of course, you do get a slasher film sort of vibe when you want to tell the women to BE CAREFUL, GET AWAY, DON'T GO THERE, etc. No doubt. A bit aggravating, but then to me that is kudos to the author! She really pulled me into this story!

It seemed evident who the perpetrator was in this book, but there were twists and turns, rabbit trails and unexpected events popping up that kept me guessing. I loved the tension that this story created in me and I especially loved the ending and how it pulled everything together. And I just have to add, read this book to the very LAST word. Just going to leave it at that.

Having previously read She Lies Alone by Laura Wolfe, I knew that I would be in for a good story with this book, The Lake House. I certainly was not disappointed.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A holiday weekend gone wrong. True to this storyline, the author has written a suspenseful thriller with a fast pace and practical characters. The positives and negatives of the characters are relatable. The author manages to maintain the suspicion on everyone equally. A quick read that would keep the reader engrossed.

I'm so happy I read this book during daytime when the sun was shining. I wouldn't recommend that you read it in a remote location in the darkness. I do however recommend this book, but I wouldn't be able to sleep if I would be somewhere far away from people and light. This story shook me in a way I didn't expect. Mental health issues, deep hatred, and delusions are never a good combination.

It is a well-written book, and the story flows really well. I read it in one sitting. Even though I knew in which direction this book would go, it took me by surprise, and I started second guessing everything. After reading books like these, I ponder could this happen to me... Do I have friends like this? Luckily, it does not last that long.

I think Laura Wolfe has described the five women in the book in a believable way, even though you never want to believe the worst of people like this. I am happy to see an author write about women in their forties. Sadly, it seems like when a woman turns 40 she disappears from the planet. Her only job is to raise her kids, be a happy wife, and stay away from being presented in books, films, society, and pretty much every other place. Everyone has problems and bad memories from the past. We all have things on our minds we are not proud or happy about. I think grown-up women deserve to be noticed in literature, and this book proves it works! You can write interesting fiction about women in their forties.

“ It was supposed to be the perfect vacation: five old friends together for the first time in years; a secluded cabin by a private lake; late nights, wine and laughter. No one, least of all Megan, looking forward to a break from her suburban routine, thought anything bad would happen.

But who has been keeping a secret?

Who has been hiding a lie for over twenty years?

And whose life is in danger? “


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow. This book had me gripped from the get go! So much suspense and so unpredictable. One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read recently. I thought I had it all figured out, but nope!

Perfect Vacation Goes Awry....
Perfect vacation goes awry when five friends rent a lakeside cabin hideaway. An anticipated delight for all concerned, it would seem. However, not everything is, in fact, as it seems and once there things begin to take an ominous turn. Suspense, which is in the vein of many others at this present time in terms of theme and plot and, hence, found sadly rather predicable. However, still an escapist read with a theme that will appeal to many.

This was a fast-paced read, reminiscent of a sleepover camp slasher movie. Lots of books these days are about college friends getting together to take a trip down memory lane, but this one added a lot more than just soul searching and gave us some good old murders! The story is narrated by Megan, one of the group of 5 friends wo rent a lake house in a remote area with no cell phone or wifi signals. When bad things start happening, she has to figure out who she can trust, if anyone!

The book was atmospheric and I could feel the fear of being out in the woods with no way to reach anyone; and I could clearly picture the house, the lake, and the abandoned camp. The author also did a good job interlaying current and past events in a way that is clear and easy-to-follow, while providing good characterization of the 5 women. The end should have been obvious but I didn't see it coming and then couldn't believe that I hadn't. There was a little extra twist at the very end that I thought was great.

My only issue with the book is that these characters seemed awfully stupid at some points during this trip, especially for well educated women with good jobs and families that they have raised. I had to suspend my disbelief a bit at some of the decisions that they made, and conclusions that they jumped to. That being said, it didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the book, which was fast-paced and twisty.

All in all, I think this was a fun read and would recommend it to those who like mysteries, and those who love those 1980s horror movies. I am going to check out what else this author has written. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Lake House by Laura Wolfe was a twisting, turning, roller coaster ride. The characters were well developed, and the plot was fun. Girls getaway is totally relatable; however, I am happy none of mine goes down this way! I could not put this book down and read it in one day. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Five college friend reunite for a long weekend at an isolated cabin in the woods . Things start out on the wrong foot when the cabin they rented is not what was represented online and the owner turns out to be a sketchy character. The women try to make the best of the situation but soon things go very wrong. The women fear for their lives as they try to make contact with the outside world and get out of the woods alive.

The Lake House had such awesome, old school, slasher movie vibes. It was eerie and creepy and keeps the reader anxious throughout. In your head you'll constantly be saying to the characters "no, why would you do that?' as they continue to make some very questionable personal safety choices.

With chapters that are the exact right length to keep telling yourself "just one more" and a great story flow you may finish this one rather quickly! The Lake House has some pretty great wow moments all the way up to and including the very last page. If you're movie night choice is often Friday the 13th or the like this book may be the book for you!

This is my second book by Laura and it won't be my last!
The Last House is told by Megan!
When a group of friends haven't seen each other since college they decided it was time for a weekend getaway
Soon after arriving things turn for the worse when a friend ends up dead!!!!!
So their nice time away the friends end up fighting for their lives!

This book was good! For some reason it took me over a week to finish!
I felt like it was dragging! Kept going in circles if that makes sense.
The story was good. But the writing was a bit ugh.....

“The worst part was we could have avoided the whole thing. Instead, every choice had led to this terrifying place.”

We’ve all been there. Hindsight is 20/20, right?

Laura Wolfe invites you to “The Lake House,” a vacation to die for. It’s dark and it’s compelling and it’ll have you double-checking the locks and sleeping with the lights on.

Five college friends, looking for a break from their suburban routine, search the internet and find the perfect retreat for their late-night gossip sessions and bonding over wine and laughter. After living together for years in their late teens - early twenties, they thought they knew each other, but as they soon discover, everything changes in the woods. In isolation, secrets are revealed, lies resurface and the bonds of friendship start to fray. As if that wasn’t enough, they are convinced someone is watching them.

First of all, no wifi? No cell signal? I’d be outta there! Wolfe sure knows how to create an atmospheric setting. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I mean what could go wrong - a rundown cabin on 30 wooded acres surrounded by a 1000 acres of forest on one side and an abandoned 200-acre summer camp (the site of a recent murder) on the other? Wolfe deftly explores the sinister concept of false friendship as she writes about a reunion weekend gone wrong. It’ll make you take inventory of those close to you and cause you to ponder how deep your friendships really are and if there are any hidden secrets or lies of omission.

The above quote gave me food for thought. I realized we could quite possibly be one decision away from a completely different life. All it takes is for one careless decision made in haste to haunt us for the rest of our life. With so much upheaval in our lives due to the pandemic, let's pause and make sure we are making decisions with the future in mind, not only our present circumstances. If we could gather all the facts first and consider all involved, perhaps we'd make different choices.

The unsuspected twists and turns were spectacular and made this book stand out from the countless others with similar plots. The characterization was superb and highlighted the theme of appearances can be deceiving. Although this is my first Wolfe novel, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from this author.

Thank you to Laura Wolfe, Bookouture and NetGalley for this fantastic advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Published March 17, 2021.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This was the first book I've read by Laura Wolfe and I absolutely loved her writing style. I will for sure be adding her to my list of must read authors going forward. This book is all you can ask for in a psychological thriller and I found this book impossible to put down. It’s full of many secrets, lies, twists and turns through out the entire book. I found this so compelling and was hooked from the first page, When this book releases in March make sure you read it right away as it's truly that good!

I love that the setting of the book is in Wisconsin where I live. I could picture the environment vividly. A group of college friends get together after not seeing each other for five years. They decide they wanted to go off grid and destress from their everyday lives so they rented a cottage deep in the beautiful Wisconsin woods. They arrived and the cottage was nothing like it was described. It was creepy and decrepit. The area was very isolated except for the caretaker living close by and it was near an abandoned childrens camp. The women decided to make the best of it until they met the owner and he was not what anyone was expecting. Then horrible things started happening. Can the friendships survive? I enjoyed the twists in the book and especially the very last one!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Lake House' by Laura Wolfe.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 17th March 2021.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It most definitely won't be my last.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. The synopsis stated this book is perfect for fans of Shari Lapena and others. I am a huge fan of Shari's books so am interested to see if it will live up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue and 31 chapters. The chapters are medium to long in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Wisconsin, USA 🇺🇸 .

This book is written in first person perspective with the protagonist being Megan. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.

This book is very well written with vivid descriptions capturing the imagination. The synopsis and cover suited the storyline perfectly.

The storyline was filled with suspense and completely gripping. It was also realistic which makes it even easier to picture. An absolutely sensational read which had me hooked from page one. It had me guessing throughout and I would have never worked the out, especially the shocker at the end!!! I love it when books shock me as it gets harder and harder with all the crime books I read. Every chapter seemed to end on a cliffer and it was definitely unputdownable and addictive! I completely devoured it. Laura has filled this book with suspense and you can feel the tension bubbling throughout.

The characters were solid and completely realistic. They all had their own strong personalities and it was intriguing reading the memories of what happened in their past which was woven into the storyline perfectly.

I am looking forward to reading more books from this very talented author and I would also love to see this one turned into a movie!!

Overall a completely addictive psychological thriller that will have you hooked until the explosive ending.

Genres covered in this novel include Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction and Psychological Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Shari Lapona, Jess Ryder and Shalini Boland.

302 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

#TheLakeHouse #Bookouture #LauraWolfe #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@LauraWolfe @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86

https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86

https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarks

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an advance copy of Laura Wolfe’s latest mystery novel, The Lake House, in exchange for an honest review.

#TheLakeHouse is yet another story premised on the hackneyed idea of a college reunion gone awry. Five women nearing their 40th birthday decide to plan a four-day trip away from the stress of family life to reenact their glory days from college. What was supposed to be a relaxing weekend in a remote cabin set off-the-grid turns into a poorly constructed reboot of Agatha Christie’s novel, And Then There Were None.

Between the unimaginative plot, the tedious writing, and the stupidity of the characters, I started to wonder if this novel was a satirization of the entire horror genre. As nitpicky as I am about grammar and word choice, for once this was not the issue with the writing which is unfortunate because those types of problems can be easily corrected. I slogged through character descriptions that I have not seen on paper since the third grade (my own) like “light streamed…gleamed in emerald irises.” I kept wondering whether I had selected a YA novel by mistake.

The only redeeming point that I could find in this novel was the fact that it condemns hate crimes and pushes the idea that white supremacy is wrong. Other than that, I found it was a giant waste of time. Then again, it appears I am in the minority since the average reviewer rated it four stars. I suggest you form your own opinions about this one; especially, if you are a fan of the author.

This seems to be a whole genre of books now, I’ve recently read several of this theme but this was definitely one of the better ones. A group of female friends from school / college days decide to have a reunion and choose an out of the way remote location to have a few days away together and rekindle and celebrate their friendship, plus throw in a significant birthday to add a bit of life reflection to the mix. Handily enough the area is so remote that there isn’t even any mobile phone coverage and the landscape is unforgiving and rugged. Slowly secrets from the past start to be uncovered and the body count starts to mount, but who is doing the killing? I enjoyed the pace of this book and the fact that I didn’t guess the ending.