This was a fun ride with lots of family and friend secrets. I enjoy Jamie's descriptiveness and the development of characters. I also love how so many of her books center around close knit communities of families or friends. It makes the twists feel a bit more heightened.

Oh, much fun. Perfect white lady thriller for reading by the pool or, you know, beside a lake. Just enough breadcrumbs to follow through the twists. Julia’s internal Instagram captions made me laugh, and I was so mad at Christian, I gave my completely innocent husband a couple of dirty looks until he asked what he did wrong haha Day is now a go-to author for me, for sure.

This had potential but I think it fell short of my expectations for it. I think the two glaring issues I couldn't get past was both the pacing of this book (it's slow for a thriller) along with the web of characters and PoVs we received.

I enjoyed this book. I rated it a 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4). There is a very tangled web of families and characters, but the character development is very well done so that you are not confused. The book was an easy read that held my attention, with a twist at the end that I did not predict. I appreciated the family dynamic between all three families and the different POVs in each chapter. Izzy was a likeable character that floated between each family and offered some young adult innocence the story. "How do you shoot someone without ever pulling the trigger?". I would definitely check out this book if you would like to know the answer.

Thank you to NetGallery and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC

Izzy, a college student, lands a nannying gig in a secluded modern house. There, she discovers a group of lifelong friends hiding dark secrets.

Strange things happen around the nearby lake, including the suspected deaths of three women over 30 years. Was it a curse or something more sinister? Izzy, who lied to get the job, might be more involved than she seems.

The book starts slow but picks up dramatically with plenty of twists and turns. It is worth the effort of sticking with it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a great thriller! Some of the twists were predictable, but I was drawn into the story right away and couldn't put this down! The suspense was great, and I really enjoyed reading this book. Definitely recommend!

2.5/5 stars
Though I loved the setting, I found the characters in this book to be unlikable, and too many POVs. The pacing was quite slow and I wasn't really reaching for it until the 80% mark. I'd recommend Jamie's other two books over this one and look forward to her next release as I know she can write a good thriller.

this was one of the most far-fetched books I’ve read in a long time. It had so much potential—a story about a trio of childhood friends, their summers together over the decades, and the secrets they’ve kept. But unfortunately, it fell flat. The narrative was bogged down by an overwhelming number of plotlines, many of which felt absurd and completely unrealistic.

I also don’t think the author chose the right characters to narrate the story, which made the POV feel off. And fair warning—this book starts extremely slow. I saw other reviews mention this, so I tried to give it a fair shot, but in hindsight, I wish I hadn’t.

Vacation at the lake doesn't turn out as envisioned. I liked the characters in this story and the suspense and the twists.
Thank you to St.Martens press, Netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Izzy is a teenaged college student who gets a two-week position as a nanny. She’s whisked away to a modern house built in the woods, where several lifelong friends meet up. Everyone has secrets that could change all their lives.

The lake seems to have a curse on it. Did it really steal the lives of three separate women, every 30 years? Or is there is more duplicitous human reason? And is Izzy just trying to start a podcast, or is there something more to her decision to lie her way into the job?

Overall, this was a pretty good book. The first 1/3 was a bit boring, but it definitely made up for this later on. There are more surprises than you’d think, so be sure to stick with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars.

I wouldn’t call this novel an “on the edge of your seat” thriller, but it definitely had its moments. Although it started off slow, the story line definitely picked up and took quite an interesting turn around 75% the way through. There were times this novel seemed to ramble on with no purpose. I’m sure it was to “set the scene”, but there’s a point at which it’s too much and I find myself skimming, rather than reading. The only reason I am rounding up to 4 stars is because of the major end-of-the-novel plot twist. Some readers said they had it figured out from the beginning, but not me. I had no clue that twist was coming!

I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters; the “nanny”, Izzy, is whiny and flat. And our other main character, Julia, was just unlikable from the beginning! There were also way too many characters throughout the novel. I couldn’t keep them all straight.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel early, this review is my own opinion.

This book was a little bit of a letdown for me. The setting was great, the characters not so much. There were almost no likeable characters and I didn't find myself reaching for this book in my down time. There were a LOT of characters and story lines to follow and honestly, the ending was a little confusing with all the different people involved, the lies and coverups, and the mob tie-in. I liked the podcast connection at the end. It was a good attempt to tie things together. I really enjoyed Jamie Day's first book, The Block Party, and that's what I would recommend to friends over this one!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day is a big no for me. Terrible characters. I could not find a single thing to like about any of them and I could have cared less for anything they did. The storyline was ridiculous. None of it made sense to me. And what did make sense was more than predictable. It didn't keep my attention. Skip this one. As always I feel so fortunate to receive an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. 1 star for me.

Julia, Erika, and David have been vacationing at Lake Timmeny since they were kids. During their teen years a young woman disappeared, exactly 30 years after the disappearance of another young woman. When the three friends gather at the lake they hope to enjoy a carefree break but from the very beginning something is very wrong. The disappearance of yet another young woman has them all questioning everything.

The first 3/4 of this book were incredible, like Gone Girl good. I got sucked in and it was hours before I managed to pry myself out of the story. Everywhere I went I was sneaking in a chapter on my phone, 5 chapters on the elliptical, 2 chapters while waiting for dinner to cook... then I got to the last 1/4. This is just my personal opinion but I felt like the ending was kind of cheating. The surprise twist has become a bit ho-hum and authors are trying so hard to up the game. The result? Great books with weird and completely implausible endings. For me, this was a solid 5-star read until that last quarter when it slipped to a three, maybe a 2.5.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and I think the author did an incredible job of creating a really compelling world. I did not like the ending. I didn't like the way the crimes were explained or how even when we were given the explanation it was chiseled away until it became less and less plausible. With all this being said, there is the old saying "truth is stranger than fiction" and with the podcast angle it does strike me a bit as a story too crazy not to be real.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Lake Escape by Jamie Day due to be published July 15, 2025.
Also recommended by Jamie Day – One Big Happy Family!
Julia, David, and Erika have gone to Lake Timmeny since they were babies and are reuniting with their families for an annual vacation. Two women disappeared 30 years apart at the lake, and now another one is gone. Everyone says, “the lake takes them”. Does it, or is it one of them or someone they know?
This one really kept my attention – suspenseful and the plot went fast with a few twists. The ending came together nicely. I would highly recommend this one and any others from Jamie Day!
#NetGalley #JamieDay #StMartinsPress #TheLakeEscape

This lake has a history. Two girls disappear 30 years apart. Three families have come to vacation with each other for generations. Now, another girl is missing. A twist, a turn and then BAM. This book was so good. I love when a book can still surprise me! Don't miss this book. Make sure it is on your summer reading TBR!! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my opinion.

Wow. I was sent an invitation to read this book. And I am so glad I got the chance too. It was so thought provoking and kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't stop reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s press for this arc.

This book follows Julia, David and Erika -they are childhood friends who gathered together at the lake in upstate Ny every year since childhood.. they are now adults and are back at the lake when David’s girlfriend goes missing.

There were lots of twists and turns and we learned of the lore of the lake.

4 stars! I enjoyed reading this one.

I liked the story overall but I felt it had a few to many point of views making the story somewhat hard to follow overall
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

A group of friends since childhood will have their lives changed forever. Lake Timmeny is in Vermont and it holds secrets from decades past. It all catches up to the friends in this last week of innocence. They all are holding secrets, but who among them is a killer? This book had me at page one and I couldn't put it down. This is my first book by Jamie Day and I will add her to my TBR collection. What a great read!!