The Lake House

By: Sarah Beth Durst

Narrated by: Karissa Vacker

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Yellowjackets meets One of Us Is Lying in this masterful survival thriller from award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst.

""Formidably scary, Durst's survival/horror story is the stuff of late-night campfire legends. With three deftly drawn, powerful girls at the center, reading felt like I had found a crew of clever, loyal best friends, even as I stayed up long into the night, trembling with dread."" —E. Lockhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars

Claire’s grown up triple-checking locks. Counting her steps. Second-guessing every decision. It’s just how she’s wired—her worst-case scenarios never actually come true.

Until she arrives at an off-the-grid summer camp to find a blackened, burned husk instead of a lodge—and no survivors, except her and two other late arrivals: Reyva and Mariana.

When the three girls find a dead body in the woods, they realize none of this is an accident. Someone, something, is hunting them. Something that hides in the shadows.

Something that refuses to let them leave.

©2023 Sarah Beth Durst (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Fun summer read

I’ve see a lot of reviews of this book saying nothing happens and while in an see where they’re coming from I disagree. No, this is not a fast paced, slasher style book however the friendship really shines in this books and I think it’s characters are a main focus. The plot is a bit on the slow burn side but I enjoyed it. I felt like it gave me time to get to know the characters and as a result I really cared about what they were going trough and what their outcome would be. I had a really great time with this book.

Amazing imagery!

This book definitely kept me up at night wondering what was next. Amazing plot twist. I love the different personalities of the characters and how relatable they are. Definitely would recommend!

Super fun page-turner

Really enjoyed this YA thriller! Lots of time in teenage girls’ heads, but I couldn’t stop listening to see how it would all shake out.

The performance was great.

However, the story was hard. but I couldn't stop at the same time. I don't remember seeing if this was marked as a "coming of age" story but it totally is. I had a hard time relating to the characters at times. There was a lot of repetition in the writing for each character.

Relatable characters

A group of “flawed” young women meet and think they’re on their way to summer camp, it couldn’t be further from the truth. This feels to me like a YA horror novel. The descriptions of issues people had were so realistic it gave me a better connection to the characters. The survival aspects were well done .
I have enjoyed everything that I’ve read by Sarah Beth Durst ever since her first novel was recommended by Tamora Pierce. She’s very good with characters and often has unusual and creative ideas.

Creepy atmosphere and a surprising supernatural twist

This is a good thriller for summer! I was not sure what I was expecting but the twist for *why* everything was happening was a very interesting surprise. The three main characters all develop and grow throughout the book

Very relatable characters

Loved this book! The girls are multidimensional and thus so relatable, it’s got scares and emotions. Very enjoyable

Seems Like A Book For Teens

SO. MANY. TROPES. The title and summary of the book intrigued me but I found that it was just horrible. The narrator is good, but she doesn't have much to work with. One character is especially annoying and if you read this book you'll see what I mean. I would have liked this book as a teen, but I don't think it's for adults...imho. It's shallow. It's not scary. It tries to be interesting and creepy but it falls way short. All in all, a waste of my time.

Wanted to love this...

The narration was great but the story fell completely flat to me. I kept waiting for it to get better but it just kept getting more nonsensical. I LOVE this Author so I was expecting to love this. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed.

I didn’t like the supernatural element

Three campers arrive a day late to camp, only to discover the site burnt, a dead counselor in the woods and no one. Without WiFi and with only the snacks in their bags, the teens only hope is that the boat that dropped off will return before August.

Told mostly in Claire’s third person, anxious voice I could see why her parents and friends had difficulty tolerating her. They probably wanted her to get a handle on her obsessive thoughts as much for themselves as for Claire who feels so sorry for herself I wanted to send her to a treatment center, not a summer camp.

The repetitive thought often let my mind drift while I listened to the well-narrated audiobook.

I’d have like the book better if not for the supernatural element.