Wow! Fans of Liane Moriarty, this is for you.

Initially, I thought the book would be more focused on women's fiction rather than in the mystery aspect, but I was pleasantly surprised.
We see the story from both Rose's perspective, a mother desperate to find her missing daughter, and Jule's perspective, a young adult struggling to find her place in the world and fulfil her dream of becoming a writer.
The writing was beautiful and even when I thought the mystery would become stale, the smooth and captivating writing of Romano-Lax kept me hooked and I ended up getting more than I expected.
The Deepest Lake was a delightful surprise, as it perfectly captured the personalities of each character. Despite my own complicated relationship with my mother, I could feel the genuine love between Rose and Jules and their strong bond. I am eagerly anticipating the release of this book.

I actually really enjoyed this ALC. The story was good, a few mild twist and turns here and there. Its one that I could add to my trophy book shelf. The narrators were good, clear voices, third person view. Good palate cleanser for me. The ending brought tears to my eyes but I am a bog ol sap for happy endings.

This book was… interesting. I didn’t feel like I truly understood the psychology of characters. Relationships felt superficial. The location felt irrelevant. The plot seemed disjointed. There were moments where the author just skipped scenes that may have just been difficult to write (like a fight scene, a trek, etc.). The premise is a good one, but I dragged on. And that ending… let’s just say, many people will be upset by it.

I listened to the audiobook, and I have minor qualms. Narrator Susan Bennett has too long of pauses in between sentences. How is 1.75x speed simultaneously too slow and too fast? It’s the pauses. Please, Suz. And Rebecca Quinn Robertson makes uncomfortable mouth sounds (clearing throat) that should have been cut out. I liked her cadence though.

I was drawn to this book because of the beautiful cover and the interesting storyline. Unfortunately I found the first half of the book to be boring and hard to get through. The second half got more interesting and had a couple of twists but still lacked suspense. The ending had such promise but also fell flat. This book could have been so much better.

Rose’s daughter Jules is missing and presumed dead in Guatemala. Her ex-husband is content with the local police’s answers and ready to turn his attention back to his new wife and young family, but Rose needs answers. She returns to Jules’ last known location - Casa Eva, a writer’s getaway on the shores of Lake Atitlan - under a presumed name, hoping to find answers about her daughter’s final days.

With a large cast of characters and more than one mystery to uncover, The Deepest Lake moves quickly and surely through Rose’s days in Guatemala. Two excellent narrators voice Rose & Jules, who pops up every few chapters to shed light on her time at Casa Eva. I found the local culture carefully captured and the opposing ‘culture’ of the rich white ladies come to navel-gaze and make nominal donations to the local orphanage equally honest. Rose is a smart and brave heroine and I liked spending time with her.

I look forward to more stories by the author, who was new to me!

Thank you for the ARC, but this was not for me. It was far too much of a slowburn and there were no thrills at all. I would strongly suggest the publisher shift their marketing tactic because this will disappoint thriller readers.

My rating guide:
1- Hated it
2- Not for me
3- Very good!
4- Loved it
5- NEW FAVORITE

3.8 ⭐️ This mystery leans more toward women’s fiction - not a bad thing but something to be considered

There’s a lot of mystery and unnerving happenings, but it’s predominantly an emotional deep dive

I enjoyed the alternating dual POV between mother and daughter, past and present. But I especially loved the wackado Eva, the author hosting the retreat. She’s clearly eccentric but mother Rose needs to know if she had anything to do with daughter Jules disappearance

The writing workshops seem abusive but in a culty way that people enjoy and was fun to read…. The conclusion, although complete felt a little anticlimactic and I’d have liked to hear from Rose and if the experience had changed her

I enjoyed both audiobook narrators, and felt they did an excellent job. There’s no unique production value, so book or audio would make for an equally enjoyable experience

Thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

The description of this book really drew me in and the fact that it took place in Guatemala really appealed to me. I don't think that I've ever read a book that took place there and I was all for it. I will say that the descriptions of the scenery sounded lovely. The mystery itself was suitably atmospheric and creepy but I lost interest about 15% in. I may try this book again when work isn't so hectic and I have the brain space to dedicate to this book. It sounds like a lot of others are enjoying it.

Thank you to RB Media, Recorded Books and Netgalley for the audio arc of this book!

The Deepest Lake is a character driven mystery told by a mother and daughter. I listened to the audio book and it was well narrated. It's an engaging story but the ending felt a little flat but I think that's just me.
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

One of the best thrillers you'll read this year! Romano-Lax has written a compelling narrative about the bond between a mother and daughter centered around a chilling reminder to never meet your heroes. Excellent storyline and convincing narration.

The Deepest Lake is a compelling mystery with a unique setting and premise. In Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, there is an elite writer’s workshop hosted by a famous author. Rose arrives at the workshop with ulterior motives to find out what happened to her daughter Jules. Jules’s disappearance has left Rose with grief and unanswered questions. She hopes the retreat, the city, and the workshop leader hold the answers.

Told between Rose and Jules, on altering timelines, the reader gets drawn into the space, the other attendees, and the spell of writer and teacher Eva Marshall.

This novel has so much promise, but it left me wanting more. The setting is compelling, but it is approached with a tourist’s lens. I didn’t get a sense of the people of Guatemala in any deep ways. Eva is a compelling character, and the elusive writer’s workshop holds a lot of potential, but the reveals didn’t satisfy. I wanted it to be darker or more flushed out.

The book is a compelling read and the audiobook is really well done.

Slow burner, but good. Different premise than what I am used to! Great audiobook by two narrators.

Kept me guessing what route this novel was going to go - cult? Conspiracy? Accident? Intentional? Trafficking?

At one point, the narration was so casual that I had audibly gasped when I realized and connected all the dots. It was good delivery!

3.5 stars!

Book: The Deepest Lake
Author: Andromeda Romano-Lax
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fiction, Crime/Mystery, Thriller
Places Featured: Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded down)
Review: After setting off to travel the world, Jules, a 20-year-old aspiring writer, disappears while working at a memoir-writing workshop on the beautiful Lake Atitlán, Guatemala and is declared dead. Her mother, Rose, is committed to finding out what happened, so Rose travels to Guatemala to attend the workshop incognito in hopes of finding more information. Told from both Rose’s and Jules’s perspectives, the truth of what happened slowly reveals itself. There is more to this story than just the disappearance of a young girl, but it just dragged a bit too much for me–the ending was lackluster and the story just tried a touch too hard. (While the story doesn’t focus too much on Guatemala, there is still a great sense of place and the author does a great job of bringing the atmosphere to life.) It was an enjoyable audiobook.

*I was given a version of this book for free in exchange for an honest book review. Thanks to @netgalley and RBMedia. The book will be published on 7 May 2024.

The audiobook has long pauses between chapters, I got it an an ARC so I’m not sure if that’s just because of NetGalley. The ending was kind of unsatisfying, a lot happened throughout the book and then the ending didn’t really resolve anything. But I wanted to keep reading to know what would happen.

I received a copy of the audiobook to provide an honest review.
The narrators, Susan Bennett and Rebecca Quinn Robertson, did a great job with keeping the story engaging and interesting. My only complaint is that the narrator for Jules often made swallowing sounds and had a few awkward pauses.
A gripping story of a mother, Rose, searching for answers about her daughter’s (Jules) death. Not willing to let go and move on, Rose decides to visit Central America’s deepest lake (hence, the title) where her daughter “allegedly” drowned to search for answers. A twisted tale with dual POV from mother and daughter kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the arc of this book.

Engrossing story about a mother looking for the reasons behind her daughter's disappearance. Why is it reported that Juliet was seen swimming in the lake, when she hated to water? What is Juliet's boss hiding? The story of a mother who refuses to let go until she has answers that make sense.

This book was such an exciting read—from the fraudulent charity to the rich women writing their memoirs to a mother searching for her daughter to that daughter realizing her idol might not be all she thought, there is so much packed into this story. It flows (no pun intended) well and is evenly split between the two narrators.

Read this if you liked: This Might Hurt

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where dark family dramas and thrillers are popular.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of The Deepest Lake by Andromeda Romano-Lax in exchange for my honest review.

Rose's daughter Jules goes missing and is presumed dead, likely swallowed up by the deepest lake in Central America, Lake Atitlan. Rose wants to retrace Jules steps of her last few days and figure out how she died. Rose joins a workshop where Jules worked in the weeks leading to her disappearance.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel. The narrators are excellent and really did a great job. Their ability to keep different voices for each character even though it's mostly female is quite a feat. If this story is your type of book then I highly recommend the audiobook.

This book started off as a solid mystery but it did drag quite a bit in the middle. This book is more of a mystery drama while I was expecting more of a suspense/thriller. It was kind of slow in the middle. The ending was very abrupt and not satisfying. I would recommend this if you're into a slow-burn literary fiction with a subplot of mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

This one was not for me. I am a huge thriller fan but this one was more like a drama. It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t for me.