Review of The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnett, Narrated by Elise Roth

This was excellent, it was brilliantly written, keeping you on the tips of your toes throughout the whole story, the narration was done wonderfully too Elise Roth has a wonderful smooth voice and she told the story like no one else would be able to.

As someone who believes that reincarnation might not be so much of a myth as we are taught to think, this book intrigued me from the second I read the blurb, at first I was skeptical because sometimes a blurb can sound fantastic but then the story disappoints, this one did not, it lived up to every expectation, you never know where the twists might take you, but they always surprise you in the greatest ways. There were times when the goosebumps were so fierce that my eyes started to water.
this was great. Kate is interviewed by the FBI on events that happened in the past so some of it is in the present and some is in the past when she recalls the story to the agents, just keep that in mind so you don't get tripped up.
I would definitely recommend you grab this one quick!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnett

What do you do when your young son tells you he used to be someone else… Someone who was drowned… Just like his cousin before he was born?

This was the more exciting part of the book for me. The past life part. It was really well researched, I should know, I love stuff like that. I’m always going down rabbit holes.

I wasn’t a massive fan of the police interview parts and I’m not 100% sure why she didn’t just say who started the fire. It seemed unnecessary not to talk. Other than that I really enjoyed the tone and pace of the book and I was well and truly hooked.

4.5 stars

First let me say Thank You to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for the ALC of this book. This book is very well written and was easy to follow once you understood the time hoping premise. There is a lot of turmoil in the family once the Father makes a decision that changes everything. There are three siblings that share the Lake House, the rich, the modest and the devastated, The was a drowning that comes out later in the book that proves the one couples son is actually the spirit of the boy that drowned by the hands of his cousin. I was on the edge of my seat with each new revelation the young boy made and how the mother was trying hard not to question him or force him to be someone he wasn't. The book ends with everyone finding out the truth and when I tell you it was a intense ending. The narrator did an amazing job keeping you engaged in the story.

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC The Lake House Children by Greg Dunnett!

After a tragic fire at the family lake house that claimed the lives of several family members, Kate is questioned by the FBI as to what happened the night of the fire. However, the fire was just one of several tragedies to happen at the lake house.

Kate begins by telling of the night her father gathered the family at the lake house two years earlier. After being at the lake house, Kate’s son starts telling her of his past memories of drowning in the lake. However, it was Bea’s son, Zack, who drowned and that was before Jack was born!

The events surrounds Zack’s death have never been questioned until 4 year old Jack starts giving a different perspective of what happened. The true story of what happened that day could tear the family apart and is the reason for the fire at the lake house.

Loved this book!!!! It was a mystery but also had an aspect that is something I have never read about before and I found it very interesting and made it better. It went back and forth between past and present so there was a time where you didn’t really know what the “crime” was and how it happened.

The title and the cover had me, unfortunately, the story didn't. The sisters were so hard to connect to and I found the beginning to be so slow that the time the twists and turns came about, I had already bought out a bit. The premise was great, but it reads as more paranormal than thriller.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the book.

This was a good mystery audiobook. This was a new trope for thriller/ mystery for me. Reincarnation! I enjoyed the open- minded main character, Kate. It was easy to side with her story and feel the same way about her family as she did. I was constantly trying to guess who had perished and who caused the fire. Dealing with a kid who thinks they are a reincarnation would cause a lot of stress. I liked how the author did a lot of research to make it sound more plausible.

Quick plot: A house fire has killed 4 family members. The detectives think Kate did it. Her explanation of the past several years will shock them. What really happened?

I enjoyed the narrator. A good range of accents and gender and age.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in return for this review.

Absolutely loved this book! I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the supernatural element, but it was woven in perfectly. The story follows three sisters, their partners, and children, all wrapped in mystery, unexpected deaths, and suspicious circumstances. So many twists kept me hooked from start to finish! The narration was spot on,too. Highly recommend!.

I was so sold on the idea of the main character's son remembering who he used to be in his past life in this thriller. It automatically put me in a spooky frame of mind, and I was READY. But, unfortunately, the pacing often felt off to me. I would have preferred to be told this story as it was happening instead of in dialogue to the FBI agents. I also thought some of the supernatural elements (especially towards the second half of the book) felt a little out of place with the rest of the novel.

That being said, I listened to the whole audiobook in 2 days, so it definitely went fast! I did definitely like plot, just some of the pacing and mystery elements weren't my cup of tea. I think the narrator did a good job giving everyone voices, but the spookiness of Jack's speeches was probably lost a little bit in having an adult try to imitate a small child's speech.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gregg Dunnett, and Dreamscape Select for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own! (I'm in the minority here, so please pick this one up if it sounds good to you!)

Never read anything quite like this chilling take of Jack, a child who has memories of his prior life as a cousin. Excellent storytelling, narration was great, easy to follow, listened at my normal speed with no problems.

Great character development. Story kept me engaged and wanting to know more. Did figure out two of the twists but not until right before. Authors note was lengthy but gave description of what lead to the writing and creation of this very imaginative plot.

Triggers: profanity, child drowning, reincarnation, cheating.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for my advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Good read, but the supernatural aspect didn't work for me in this one. I was still super intrigued to know what was going on and how it would all pan out. There are many twists and turns that I didn't see coming, but it was just missing a little more suspense and thrills for me.

This was a pure cover pick so I was more than pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book.

The way the story’s presented and how the plot unfolds was so captivating and managed to totally pull me into the story and didn’t let me go until it was done.
I felt connected with the characters and kept wondering what I’d do in their situation.

This was my first book by the author but I’ll make sure to check out more of his work.

Also Elise Roth was the perfect narrator for this book. She added to the atmosphere and gave each of the characters a voice that made it easy to follow the story.

The Lake House Children is a suspenseful, murder mystery, slightly paranormal story of a family dealing with a tragic accident and its aftermath. Three sisters have inherited their fathers lake house where one of the sisters (Bea) son Zach tragically drowned several years ago. Kates young son Jack has just begun to talk but his insistence that he was already born as someone else has Kate and her husband perplexed. When they discover that Jack thinks he is the reincarnation of Zach, their drowned nephew they don't know what to do but hide the knowledge from family members as long as possible. This was really an interesting premise and I enjoyed the guessing back and forth of is Jack telling the truth or being coached by someone. The author did a great job of making us question of whether reincarnation is a real thing and working it in to the mystery aspect of the story. I really enjoyed this novel. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was excellent 4.5 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Select | Storm Publishing for a chance to listen/read to an ARC audio version of this book.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"But that's just how it goes sometimes. Not everything in life makes sense."

What does make sense is that mystery author Gregg Dunnett knows how to write contemplative stories surrounding children, their innocence in believing what we as adults become too serious, and perhaps too scared, to acknowledge might be truths we can't explain away with science. In his latest mystery novel, The Lake House Children, we see his talent create a surprisingly highly entertaining page turner.

We meet Kate being interviewed by FBI Agent McGee and his partner Agent Robbins. McGee is feeling something is off with this case; his last before retirement. An intentional fire at a family lake house. Four family members died, quite a few suspects, including Kate. She seems almost calm when she starts telling her story. But he never expected it to start 3 years ago with the death of her father and end with the claims of her 4 year son Jack and the death of a cousin he never knew.

Fortunately, I got to read and listen to the audiobook performed by the astonishingly skillful voice actress Elise Roth. Each character was easily distinguishable, acted flawlessly and her ability to make young Jack so innocently believable is a testament to not only her acting ability but to this writer's accomplished creative storytelling.

I think going in mostly blind is the way to go. Just remember where it starts is so far from where it ends. The Lake House Children will grow on you. Some of them you will love, others not so much, but either way you will be left contemplating Jack and his truth.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Kate’s young son Jack insists he is someone else. As Kate begins to investigate exactly what Jack means, she realizes that Jack thinks he is her deceased nephew. Her nephew, Zack, tragically drowned at their family lake house. And the more she listens to Jack the more she understands that something is wrong with how Zack died.

The story itself is pretty good but the way the author portrayed the young child just didn’t work for me. I have been a teacher of young children for most of my life. And there is no way that some of these questions were answered the way it was written. This just didn’t seem real to me.

I did enjoy the possibility of Jack being reincarnated. This added a dimension to this tale that I did not expect. (Y’all know I very seldom read the blurb!) When this started to unfold, I was expecting not to like it, but the mystery surrounding the death had me guessing.

The narrator, Elise Roth, did a very good job. I am a stickler about a child’s voice and she did pretty well with this aspect.

Need a family drama…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This book had me hooked from minute one! I would've listened to it in a single sitting if I could. I've never read a book from this point of view and it was amazing!

The Lake House Children is a suspenseful thriller/family drama with a unique, supernatural premise.

The thriller itself was slow burn with a few twists and turns. What really kept me gripped was the growing family tension, the simmering of secrets and the volatile relationships. The authors writing style was engaging and immersive, and I enjoyed the gentle cadence of the narrative. The author’s note at the end really added an extra layer to my reflection after the story, and it was wonderful to hear their passion for their premise.

I enjoyed this both as a audiobook and ebook. The audio narration elevated the personalities and emotions of the various characters, adding to the sense of tension and conflict. The narrator did an exceptional job of expressing each character, making it easy to follow the various complicated dynamics at play.

Thank you Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

I want to start by saying I am surprised I liked this as much as I did. I am not usually a big fan of reincarnation type stuff and all that goes along with it. For some reason this book hooked me and I was taken! I absolutely loved it. I could not stop listening and wanted to know what was going on and what was going to happen. It wasn't fast paced at all but it went so smoothly that I didn't care. It had some twists and even one at the end that I did not see coming! Highly recommend this book and I am now going to dive into more from this author.

I loved this audiobook!

A couple of times, I actually got chills by what I was hearing. The story itself was fantastic and so was the narrator! This unique premise kept me engaged throughout the whole story. I couldn’t get enough. I needed to know, was Jack, Zack? Who set the fire? Who died in the fire? The ending was extremely satisfying and tied everything up nicely. I liked how there were time jumps but it was very easy to follow.

The only thing that made this a 4 star instead of a 5 star, was the odd random descriptions of the young girl and her “taught” body and her rubbing sunscreen on her thighs, just seemed random and not relevant to the story.

Finally, I enjoyed the ending explanation from the author. It was informational and made you think!

A great story!

Thank you, Netgalley & Dreamscape Select for the copy of The Lakehouse Children in exchange for an honest review

I listened to the audibook version of this book. The narrator did an excellent job.

I'm not usually someone who goes for the supernatural type of book, but this one was hard to pass up! The story was well written and executed.

The story follows Kate Marshall, whose son claims to have a had life before his own. The drama and the twists throughout the book kept you wanting more! My only issue is that I wish we got a little more at the end. But great read overall, definitely recommend