Member Reviews

Jack thinks he's the reincarnation of his cousin who tragically drowned at the family lake house. It's a super interesting premise and unlike anything I've ever read before.

It kept my attention and kept me reading, but every part of the mystery was really predictable for me. I guessed all of it really quickly, so I didn't have much of a reaction to all of the twists. The only thing I didn't figure out was super unrealistic and left me annoyed.

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3.5* rounded... This story definitely took some turns I wasn't expecting. It was an interesting perspective...a fire has killed four people in a lake house, and then it hits rewind and takes the reader on a journey back to other tragic and mysterious happenings at the same house. I could not have predicted where it would all lead! Dunnett did a stellar job laying out the storyline with details and timelines in great detail. I was wondering where we were going for a little while...definitely a supernatural twist in there...but it wasn't sensationalized. It just left you wondering...hmmmm.
Definitely recommend for those up for a thrill and untangling some deceitful webs and mysteries. The narrator was adequate for the characters without taking away from the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

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READ THIS BOOK!
It's so good! Throughout the whole thing I was gasping & getting chill bumps!

Publisher's summary
Kate’s son Jack insists he used to be someone else. Someone who died, tragically.
At first, Kate’s confused about what he’s telling her. Don’t little kids say the weirdest things? But soon she can’t pretend it isn’t something more. No four-year-old should know what Jack does – have memories from before he was born.
Then Jack reveals something he saw, years ago at the family lake house. Something that, if true, could tear their family apart… could never be forgiven. What really happened all those years ago? And how far will Kate go to find out?

Thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for the ALC of this book!

The Lake House Children
By: Gregg Dunnett
Narrated by: Elise Roth
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Release date: 09-18-24

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Loved this audiobook. A little slow moving or slow burn but well worth it. I would classify it as a family drama that has some interesting surprises. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the summary but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I had expected. There was so much more behind this book than just a little boy with unusual memories of another life. The narration was great as well.
Really good book that was also well researched by the author on the subject too.

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Hannah, Jasper and daughter Pia have moved into a lovely new home in an exclusive community. Everything’s rosey until Hannah meets her new next door neighbor, a police officer, and possibly the one person who knows about the past she’s kept hidden from her family. A solid domestic thriller

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The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnett
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a fantastic and exciting mystery/thriller book! I was completely sucked in from the beginning! It’s such a unique premise with the idea of possible reincarnation, and it follows with a great storyline. There is suspense, lots of family drama and twists that kept me immersed in the story! The story has strong character development and I love how the family all twists together in the story.
I wasn’t thrilled with the how things played out towards the end of the story, but it came back around to a good final ending! It is still such a great read, that I gave it 5🌟!

This is my first book from this author, but I’m definitely looking to read more! I listened the audio version and enjoyed the narrator!

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio copy of this excellent book!
It comes out September 18th. Grab your copy!!

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Gripping, unique, unsettling, and well written, The Lake House Children proved to be a thought provoking and mysterious read. Kate is being interrogated by FBI agent Jim McGee and his partner Billy Robbins about a fatal fire that claimed the lives of four of her family members...

Kate's four-year-old son, Jack, has been saying things that he should have no knowledge of. He is mentioning events that occurred before he was born. What he is saying has piqued her interest and is the cause for concern.

The Lake House Children is told the past and present timelines as Kate shares major events from her life, her family's life, and the events from the past. Through her POV we get to meet each family member and how they play a part in the central mystery in this book.

I enjoyed how Gregg Dunnett has readers questioning a key part of the plot. I found this to be very well done. I also enjoyed the family dynamics, the relationships between the characters, and the investigation.

I enjoyed trying to figure out how everything would come together and where the investigation would lead. I enjoyed the twists, turns, revelations, and 'aha' moments in this book.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was fantastic.

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The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnett
Narrated by Elise Roth

Kate's family has had some major trauma over the last several years. When we meet Kate, she's being interrogated by FBI Agent Jim McGee and his partner due to the death of four family members. Considering four people died, Kate seems very calm as she tells what she knows of the events leading up to the deaths. But then, death seems to be a common occurrence in this family that may be hiding more than one secret.

Going back into the past few years we learn Kate's story as she relates some very unbelievable events. Kate's four year old son, Jack, who has only recently been able to communicate in a more understandable manner, knows everything, more than Kate even knew, about an event that happened years before he was born. How can this be? Kate's husband is not open to exploring what is going on with Jack other than wanting to tell Jack that he's wrong about the things he is saying. Kate can't discuss what Jack is saying to her two sisters or other relatives for a variety of reasons. The family is walking on eggshells around one sister because she's an overbearing, smug, clod and because the other sister is grieving a tragic loss.

Of the three stories I've listened to by Dunnett, two of them have revolved around young children and I enjoy the way he writes those children. Elise Roth narrates this audiobook and it's the child's voice that is so important here...Roth does a great job with all the voices. As Kate tells her story and as the agents question her, we wonder just who has died, who has lived, and what happened to cause the deaths of the four family members. At the end of the book is an informative author's note, which I always appreciate. We get to know what motivated Dunnett to write this story, the research he did, and why he is willing to let us decide some things for ourselves.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select | Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

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Brilliant! I loved this book so much. It is a page turner! I could not put it down! Its pretty intense.

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Alright, this book was sooo good. I went into it blindly and suggest you do the same.

However, if you don’t…expect a domestic suspense/psychological suspense with a splash of paranormal.

I absolutely loved the characters, the storyline, the mystery, the tone, the pacing, all of it.

Gregg Dunnett wrote one of my other favorite books, The Cove, so I had high hopes for this one and boy did it deliver!

Audiobook narrator- fantastic! I listened to the whole thing in one day!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Select for the opportunity to listen to this early, in exchange for an honest review.

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I've said it before, and I'll say it again—Gregg Dunnett knows how to bring the most clever, thrilling "child with an issue" story to life. His storytelling style isn’t about making you feel bad for the child, but rather keeping you on the edge of your seat. The characters are so well-built, and the twist at the end was fantastic. But honestly, the way he tells the story is what hooked me.

There's this huge moment when the whole family comes together, and we get two timelines. One is where Kate explains everything that happened, going back to years ago when it all started, and the other is in the present, where she’s being questioned. Sound complicated? It’s actually super easy to follow and crystal clear.

My new "favorite authors" list just keeps growing! Oh, and the audiobook narration? Absolutely spot-on. Big thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for the awesome ARC!

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4.25 ⭐️! Complete review of Gregg Dunnett’s The Lake House Children coming soon! Thank you to NetGalley, Gregg Dunnett & Storm publishing for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.


Potential Triggers :

~ death of child
~assisted suicide

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🎧4.25-4.5⭐️

I had the audiobook read by Elise Roth who is excellent and managed a convincing young voice for Jack.

Kate’s son Jack from as soon as he was able to talk always said that he used to be someone else who died tragically.
I loved the different premise of the story with its gradual reveal, although at its heart is a crime investigation. It’s slower paced and very character driven, I just loved Jack, and his mom Kate too. It’s got twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes.

There’s just one element at the end where I feel that the author overcooked it for me, but overall I loved it, and felt the narrator really added to the atmosphere of the story.

This is the second book I’ve enjoyed by this author, the first being Little Ghosts.

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Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this advanced reader's copy of The Lake House Children by Gregg Dunnette

This is the first time I’ve read anything by this author and I was hooked!

There was a lot of switching back and forth from past to present but it was done in a way that made the transitions seamless and easy to follow. I haven’t read many supernatural books but this one was just enough supernatural where it didn’t make it seem unbelievable.

One thing that keeps confusing me is they are alluding to Jack being around 2, but say things like he’s walking already well actually running which makes me think younger, or things he likes to eat which makes him sound older so I’m trying figure out just how old Jack it. In Epilog it was said that he was 7 which would have made him older than 2 and big enough that I wouldn’t expect him to be carried in and out while sleeping bucked into a car seat. So that part had me all kids of confused.

As for the book itself I enjoyed it, it was a unique story that I had not read before on childhood reincarnation.

Anyone with an aunt like Amber and a cousin like Aaron need to watch their always and forever.

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Why would you name your son Jack, when your nephew Zack died not two years prior?
The book is kinda slow. I would of preferred more Maine cabin thriller than police procedural

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