What do you think?
Rate this book
Win a free print copy of this book!
8 days and 08:17:40
50 copies available
U.S. only
Lake Effect
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26Win a free print copy of this book!
8 days and 08:17:40
50 copies available
U.S. only
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE NEST, a stunning new novel about adultery, first love and other family secrets… 'Sparkling… a joyful classic in the making' JENNY JACKSON, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street
'I could not put it down!' SHELBY VAN PELT, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
It’s 1977 and an air of restlessness has settled on the residents of Cambridge Road in Rochester, New York. When Nina Larkin is given a copy of The Joy of Sex by her newly divorced friend, she can no longer dismiss the nearly non-existent intimacy of her marriage. Just as her oldest child, Clara, is falling in love for the first time, Nina finds herself longing for the a midlife awakening. An intoxicating fling with a neighbour brings Nina a freedom she never thought possible—but also risks the reputations of both families and unravels Clara’s world, just as she stands on the threshold of adulthood.
Years later Clara, now a successful food stylist in New York City, has never been able to move past the long-ago scandal. Drawn back home by the pull of a family wedding and wrestling with her own demons, she makes a pivotal decision that turns her life upside down.
Written with Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s signature humour and insight, LAKE EFFECT is a wise and probing look at love and desire, mothers and daughters, loss and grief, and what we owe the people we love most.
'I could not put it down!' SHELBY VAN PELT, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
It’s 1977 and an air of restlessness has settled on the residents of Cambridge Road in Rochester, New York. When Nina Larkin is given a copy of The Joy of Sex by her newly divorced friend, she can no longer dismiss the nearly non-existent intimacy of her marriage. Just as her oldest child, Clara, is falling in love for the first time, Nina finds herself longing for the a midlife awakening. An intoxicating fling with a neighbour brings Nina a freedom she never thought possible—but also risks the reputations of both families and unravels Clara’s world, just as she stands on the threshold of adulthood.
Years later Clara, now a successful food stylist in New York City, has never been able to move past the long-ago scandal. Drawn back home by the pull of a family wedding and wrestling with her own demons, she makes a pivotal decision that turns her life upside down.
Written with Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s signature humour and insight, LAKE EFFECT is a wise and probing look at love and desire, mothers and daughters, loss and grief, and what we owe the people we love most.
Audible Audio
Expected publication March 3, 2026
61 people are currently reading
19613 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
3 books2,104 followersCynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is the New York Times bestselling author of The Nest, which has been translated into more than 25 languages and optioned for film by Amazon Studios with Sweeney writing the adaptation. She has an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
Read
February 16, 2026I'm happy to share this is our April 2026 Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club selection and author Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney will be joining us for a chat! This domestic novel unfolds in three parts: in 1977, two families who live across the street from each other in Rochester, New York dissemble and reassemble practically overnight. Neighbors Nina and Finn, unhappy in their respective marriages, divorce their spouses and remarry each other, leaving their teenage kids aghast and angry. Flash forward to 1994, when the now-grown children continue to struggle with the long-lasting aftershocks of that betrayal. And in 1998, the family comes together to confront a crisis and finally attempt to heal old wounds. I loved this for its perceptive family dynamics, realistic portrayal of what it looks like to turn your life upside down, and culinary details galore, including one chapter told entirely as a 1990s Food TV episode transcript. Recommended for fans of Anne Tyler and Sweeney's Good Company.
September 17, 2025
This novel is a tour de force of complex family relationships. There is so much to unpackage when two married people choose to have an affair and subsequently leave their families for quick divorces and equally quick nuptials. The ramifications of their decisions unfold over the next two decades – all seen from the perspectives of the couple, their betrayed spouses, and their respective children.
The sensitivity and compassion displayed by the author in exploring the emotional spectrum displayed by the characters is remarkable and accurate. What makes the novel even more remarkable is the cultural milieu of the times – 1977 through 1998 in a traditional family neighborhood rooted in Catholicism. The consequences have both personal and social overtones.
I found the characters appealing and relatable – even in their darkest moments. The writing style is engaging and the pacing kept me reading long into the night. Overall, this is a well-crafted historical novel that delivers a rich and satisfying experience.
My appreciation to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The sensitivity and compassion displayed by the author in exploring the emotional spectrum displayed by the characters is remarkable and accurate. What makes the novel even more remarkable is the cultural milieu of the times – 1977 through 1998 in a traditional family neighborhood rooted in Catholicism. The consequences have both personal and social overtones.
I found the characters appealing and relatable – even in their darkest moments. The writing style is engaging and the pacing kept me reading long into the night. Overall, this is a well-crafted historical novel that delivers a rich and satisfying experience.
My appreciation to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
January 1, 2026
I love family dramas told with nuance- and Lake Effect delivered. The book was also filled with references to Rochester NY. So much of the book rang true and pays homage to the unique culture of our city. The time period of 1977 was perfect and I enjoyed trying to decide if Finnigan’s was a Wegman’s- and how many of the characters were inspired by real Rochesterians. The impact of Nina and Finn’s decision start a new life together reverberated through their children’s lives. Nina was unaware her daughter, Clara, had fallen in love with Finn’s son, Dune. The decision Nina and Finn made to divorce their spouses and marry each other reverberated through their families for years to come. Sweeney also captured the changing social mores around divorce, sex, and the impact of the Catholic Church in Rochester using "The Joy of Sex" as a catalyst. I loved this book - thank you to the publisher for an advance reader copy! I also listened to part of the book via NetGalley and narrator Marion Ireland does a terrific job.
February 21, 2026
3.5. When you think of a novel about 70s family drama in privileged-people insular suburbs, what likely topics come to mind? In Family Feud-style scoring, “Survey Says: Divorce!”
Also: adultery, and the backdrop of the sexual revolution. Maybe some flirting with questioning traditional beliefs, roles, and behaviors, and maybe some nascent consciousness-raising efforts around gender, identity, and body image issues. But honestly, a lot of these 70s domestic fiction novels seem to mostly concern that bleak triad of sexual revolution, adultery, and/or divorce. In many ways, I felt this novel was sort of a genteel revamp of The Ice Storm that I unfortunately didn’t need.
Many admire this writer’s work, and I admit to her capability, but there is always something about each of her books that has put me a bit off. Often, it’s the emphasis on so-called rich and pretty people problems, as well as the unsympathetic and emotionally immature adult characters. In this one, I suppose I also had trouble buying into the premise that the parental conflict described would inevitably induce such widespread and lasting tectonic-level generational destabilization. I struggled to make and maintain this connection, and I reluctantly found myself becoming disengaged and bored.
I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s my own generational gap issue, certainly it’s a me problem given the superlative praise this book seems to be garnering, but this very capable and appreciated author’s works just miss the mark for me. I’ve enjoyed books about the 70s, and about generational family dysfunction, and even about divorce, but this wasn’t the one for me. 3.5 rounded up for the objective skill of the writing aside from my personal taste-based objections. Nearly everyone so far seems to have enjoyed this book more than I have, so you might too!
Sincere thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Ecco for the ARC of this book, which is due out on March 3, 2026!
Also: adultery, and the backdrop of the sexual revolution. Maybe some flirting with questioning traditional beliefs, roles, and behaviors, and maybe some nascent consciousness-raising efforts around gender, identity, and body image issues. But honestly, a lot of these 70s domestic fiction novels seem to mostly concern that bleak triad of sexual revolution, adultery, and/or divorce. In many ways, I felt this novel was sort of a genteel revamp of The Ice Storm that I unfortunately didn’t need.
Many admire this writer’s work, and I admit to her capability, but there is always something about each of her books that has put me a bit off. Often, it’s the emphasis on so-called rich and pretty people problems, as well as the unsympathetic and emotionally immature adult characters. In this one, I suppose I also had trouble buying into the premise that the parental conflict described would inevitably induce such widespread and lasting tectonic-level generational destabilization. I struggled to make and maintain this connection, and I reluctantly found myself becoming disengaged and bored.
I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s my own generational gap issue, certainly it’s a me problem given the superlative praise this book seems to be garnering, but this very capable and appreciated author’s works just miss the mark for me. I’ve enjoyed books about the 70s, and about generational family dysfunction, and even about divorce, but this wasn’t the one for me. 3.5 rounded up for the objective skill of the writing aside from my personal taste-based objections. Nearly everyone so far seems to have enjoyed this book more than I have, so you might too!
Sincere thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Ecco for the ARC of this book, which is due out on March 3, 2026!
September 14, 2025
I’m not at all surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I’m a big fan of family dramas that span generations, and this one grabbed me from the very beginning.
What sets this book apart is the intricate exploration of the adults’ marriages, which are unlike any other I’ve read. Additionally, witnessing the story unfold through the lives of their children—both during their formative years and later in their adulthood—provided an enriching reading experience.
This book certainly gives me vibes of Mary Beth Keene’s writing style, so if you’re a fan of her novels, you won’t want to miss out on this one when it releases in March 2026!
What sets this book apart is the intricate exploration of the adults’ marriages, which are unlike any other I’ve read. Additionally, witnessing the story unfold through the lives of their children—both during their formative years and later in their adulthood—provided an enriching reading experience.
This book certainly gives me vibes of Mary Beth Keene’s writing style, so if you’re a fan of her novels, you won’t want to miss out on this one when it releases in March 2026!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A beautiful and nuanced exploration of two families' lives as they go through a ripple effect of two parents from cheating on their partners and eloping together. This book was capital D drama but still managed to have such a complex cast of characters and events.
Sweeney showed their skill with how they handled the characters and their motivations, I really enjoyed reading this.
Sweeney showed their skill with how they handled the characters and their motivations, I really enjoyed reading this.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Sharply told with Sweeney’s signature wit and wisdom, 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 is a tour de force portrayal of familial relationships in all of it's nuances and complexities.
Set along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in Rochester, NY, the title holds extra significance. With the upstate NY locale, the weather is often times precarious and leads to what's known as the "lake effect." This weather phenomenon is highly unpredictable which feels apt and equally fitting in regards to life in general.
The generational span of time covered from 1977-1998 and shifting character perspectives allows for a deep and intimate look into two families lives. Watching the ramifications of their decisions trickle down to their children during their formative years and witnessing how it shapes their adulthood is remarkably executed. These characters are layered, messy and sometimes unlikable with their questionable choices and morals, but it makes them entirely authentic.
Through the many facets of family dynamics, 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 displays a smattering of emotions from anger to love to resentment to grief. It's an incredibly accurate representation of family that feels universal. Readers who gravitate towards family drama will devour this one!
🎙 Marin Ireland narrates: need I say more?! She's a gift to the ears and proves yet again her innate ability to deliver a top notch solo performance on a book with multiple narratives.
✨️ Thank you Ecco Books for the ARC & goodies & Harper Audio for the ALC!
Pub Date: 3•3•2026
Set along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in Rochester, NY, the title holds extra significance. With the upstate NY locale, the weather is often times precarious and leads to what's known as the "lake effect." This weather phenomenon is highly unpredictable which feels apt and equally fitting in regards to life in general.
The generational span of time covered from 1977-1998 and shifting character perspectives allows for a deep and intimate look into two families lives. Watching the ramifications of their decisions trickle down to their children during their formative years and witnessing how it shapes their adulthood is remarkably executed. These characters are layered, messy and sometimes unlikable with their questionable choices and morals, but it makes them entirely authentic.
Through the many facets of family dynamics, 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 displays a smattering of emotions from anger to love to resentment to grief. It's an incredibly accurate representation of family that feels universal. Readers who gravitate towards family drama will devour this one!
🎙 Marin Ireland narrates: need I say more?! She's a gift to the ears and proves yet again her innate ability to deliver a top notch solo performance on a book with multiple narratives.
✨️ Thank you Ecco Books for the ARC & goodies & Harper Audio for the ALC!
Pub Date: 3•3•2026
February 20, 2026
I LOVED this book.
When Nina Larkin runs off with across the street Neighbour Finn Finnegan, both families are wrapped in the scandal. The rippling effects impact their kids and we see how each child copes as we jump forward in time. The characters are beautifully flawed, and as we discover their perspectives, you can’t help but want the best for them all.
I binged this in an afternoon, it was such a compelling read.
When Nina Larkin runs off with across the street Neighbour Finn Finnegan, both families are wrapped in the scandal. The rippling effects impact their kids and we see how each child copes as we jump forward in time. The characters are beautifully flawed, and as we discover their perspectives, you can’t help but want the best for them all.
I binged this in an afternoon, it was such a compelling read.
October 1, 2025
Compulsive family Drama with a capital D! All of the main characters were captivating, & the author did a fantastic job of telling their stories in a way that made me withhold judgement, even when I disagreed with choices. I’ll be thinking about Cara’s grief for a long time. Fantastic storytelling, and the end…. Just wow.
Thanks you #NetGalley & #HarperCollins for the ARC e-book.
Thanks you #NetGalley & #HarperCollins for the ARC e-book.
February 24, 2026
This book begins in 1977 in Rochester, NY, delving into two families that live across the street from each other, as we get to know all four adults and all four of their teenage children as their world is then upended by an affair. The bulk of the book is set in the year or so after, before jumping into the 1990s as we see how the effects of that time have continued to play out in the lives of the characters, and where they have all ended up.
I said “characters” in the previous paragraph, but boy did they all feel like real people who I had come to really know by the time the book ended - the writing and character development in this book is just great, as is the sense of place for both the Rochester and NYC parts. And I really was touched emotionally and finished the book in tears.
4.25 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC (out 3/3/26); all opinions are my own.
I said “characters” in the previous paragraph, but boy did they all feel like real people who I had come to really know by the time the book ended - the writing and character development in this book is just great, as is the sense of place for both the Rochester and NYC parts. And I really was touched emotionally and finished the book in tears.
4.25 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC (out 3/3/26); all opinions are my own.
August 28, 2025
Right off the bat I loved the setting of this book taking place in the 70s. All of the characters are so entertaining and relatable. There are many themes in this book to relate to like grief, coming of age, affairs, love, and bad decisions. The scandal is juicy and the connection the characters have with each other is addicting. I laughed, I frowned, I cringed and gasped. Beautifully written, this book had me consumed from the first page to the very last word.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 21, 2025
I’ve been in a real reading rut—fearing that my attention span for intensive amounts of reading wanned—but this novel pulled me right out of it. Vivid, engaging characters in a story about romantic and familial relationships that feels so true. Equal parts Judy Blume adult novels of women of the 70s discovering and acknowledging their desires and 90s family drama in the best ways. There are some loose ends and characters whose importance slips away but that all feels true to life. The ending gutted me but also felt entirely right.
January 11, 2026
A beautifully written book a family saga with characters that come alive.An affair that shakes& shapes the lives of two families neighbors in this small town social friends and suddenly a couple .A fast elopement leaving their children distraught.Love the fact that we follow these people for years delve into their lives and the effects of this one act the elopement on their emotional lives.This is a book that stays with you even after you read the last page.This authors books are so entertaining just a joy to read.
October 5, 2025
Strong family drama with relatable characters and complex relationships over the course of 20+ years. I enjoyed it! 9/10.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Ecco for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Ecco for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 23, 2026
I just loved this book set in Rochester, NY (mainly in 1977 but also parts occur in the 1990’s). I loved references to the family grocery store that could only could have been modeled after Wegmans and I especially adored a shout out to Keuka Lake. This family drama made me think and cry and what more could I want? Add this to your TBR. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.
February 18, 2026
Oh, how I loved this beautiful , heartbreaking family saga filled with real, flawed people who hurt those they love, get hurt, forgive, take chances and learn to live authentically.
4.5 stars bumped to 5 because Marin Ireland makes everything better.
Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy
4.5 stars bumped to 5 because Marin Ireland makes everything better.
Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Highly recommend if you loved “Hello, Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano and/or “Buckeye" by Patrick Ryan.
February 19, 2026
This author’s stories keep getting better with each new publication. My least favourite was her first.
This family saga checks all the boxes, and I’m there for it. The narration elevates the story and is perfect.
Thank you Net Galley for an early glimpse.
This family saga checks all the boxes, and I’m there for it. The narration elevates the story and is perfect.
Thank you Net Galley for an early glimpse.
February 1, 2026
It’s 1977 and Nina Larkin receives a copy of the Joy of Sex from her newly divorced friend, the book makes her realize that her marriage doesn’t have the intimacy she wants and makes a decision that changes the trajectory of two families as well as the tight knit neighborhood where they all reside. Her daughter Clara seems to have the most issues with her decision, and years later, Clara returns home to her estranged family to wrestle with the past and figure out how to move forward.
This novel had me from the first moment I began listening and kept totally engrossed until the end. I loved the story, the characters, there sometimes morally grey decisioning and how each dealt with their family demises. The audio was great but I really enjoyed just sitting with the book and reading. This was a great family drama (which is usually something I enjoy) and it was a great read.
4.25 stars
This novel had me from the first moment I began listening and kept totally engrossed until the end. I loved the story, the characters, there sometimes morally grey decisioning and how each dealt with their family demises. The audio was great but I really enjoyed just sitting with the book and reading. This was a great family drama (which is usually something I enjoy) and it was a great read.
4.25 stars
September 13, 2025
Rochester NY, the setting for this poignant novel, holds a very special place in my heart. It is where I went for radiation treatment for my breast cancer. I'm from Fairbanks, Alaska and in 1998, when I was diagnosed, there was no radiation therapy available in Fairbanks. My daughter lives in Rochester and I stayed with her while I received my treatment. Not only was it an opportunity to grow closer with my daughter, but I also gained special insight into Rochester, a city rich with art, music, culture, and history.
Ms. Sweeney intertwines themes of family, love, grief, anger, and pain throughout these pages. This results in a delicious and unique smorgasbord, always rich but sometimes bitter, recipes that cannot be replicated yet are universal. The poet, Theodor Roethke, says it best as I quote him here: "What is madness but nobility of the soul at odds with circumstance." We all have choices; how we act when faced with choice, lays the groundwork for our future.
Rochester, New York is located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in upstate New York. Its weather is precarious and often unpredictable, causing what is known as 'lake effect'. Finn, one of the protagonists in this highly readable and meaningful novel, states that lake effect means you could never be sure what was coming. How true this is, not only with weather, but with life.
One day, apparently out of the blue, though not totally unexpected, Finn runs off with Nina, his neighbor's wife. Nina's two children, Clara and Bridie, are left emotionally ravished and deal with their grief and perceived abandonment in very different ways. Both feel pain and loss, but Clara believes that the only path to her recovering from this maternal betrayal, is to gain control of her home. She tries to attain this control through cooking, a choice that leads to her future profession but also destroys any future ability for her to engage in intimate relationships.
Ms. Sweeney deftly uses the metaphor of cooking to portray the unfolding of emotions. Characters in this novel cook with love and forgiveness, but also with fear and regret. As one character states, "I don't know what else to do. I cook."
The novel moves through the 1970's into the present time. Rochester's economic boom is contrasted with its downturn as Kodak and Xerox, its two economic mainstays, go under, at odds with the new tech frontier developing in California.
While this novel is character driven, it is also a page-turner. I thought this would be a beach read, but it is so much more. Family secrets, and their concomitant shame, are explored as themes of homosexuality, revenge, and anger come to the forefront of daily life. It grabbed me by the heart and immersed me in the hopes, dreams and disappointments of every character. It is definitely a novel to be savored.Rochester NY, the setting for this poignant novel, holds a very special place in my heart. It is where I went for radiation treatment for my breast cancer. I'm from Fairbanks, Alaska and in 1998, when I was diagnosed, there was no radiation therapy available in Fairbanks. My daughter lives in Rochester and I stayed with her while I received my treatment. Not only was it an opportunity to grow closer with my daughter, but I also gained special insight into Rochester, a city rich with art, music, culture, and history.
Ms. Sweeney intertwines themes of family, love, grief, anger, and pain throughout these pages. This results in a delicious and unique smorgasbord, always rich but sometimes bitter, recipes that cannot be replicated yet are universal. The poet, Theodor Roethke, says it best as I quote him here: "What is madness but nobility of the soul at odds with circumstance." We all have choices; how we act when faced with choice, lays the groundwork for our future.
Rochester, New York is located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in upstate New York. Its weather is precarious and often unpredictable, causing what is known as 'lake effect'. Finn, one of the protagonists in this highly readable and meaningful novel, states that lake effect means you could never be sure what was coming. How true this is, not only with weather, but with life.
One day, apparently out of the blue, though not totally unexpected, Finn runs off with Nina, his neighbor's wife. Nina's two children, Clara and Bridie, are left emotionally ravished and deal with their grief and perceived abandonment in very different ways. Both feel pain and loss, but Clara believes that the only path to her recovering from this maternal betrayal, is to gain control of her home. She tries to attain this control through cooking, a choice that leads to her future profession but also destroys any future ability for her to engage in intimate relationships.
Ms. Sweeney deftly uses the metaphor of cooking to portray the unfolding of emotions. Characters in this novel cook with love and forgiveness, but also with fear and regret. As one character states, "I don't know what else to do. I cook."
The novel moves through the 1970's into the present time. Rochester's economic boom is contrasted with its downturn as Kodak and Xerox, its two economic mainstays, go under, at odds with the new tech frontier developing in California.
While this novel is character driven, it is also a page-turner. I thought this would be a beach read, but it is so much more. Family secrets, and their concomitant shame, are explored as themes of homosexuality, revenge, and anger come to the forefront of daily life. It grabbed me by the heart and immersed me in the hopes, dreams and disappointments of every character. It is definitely a novel to be savored.
Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader's copy.
Ms. Sweeney intertwines themes of family, love, grief, anger, and pain throughout these pages. This results in a delicious and unique smorgasbord, always rich but sometimes bitter, recipes that cannot be replicated yet are universal. The poet, Theodor Roethke, says it best as I quote him here: "What is madness but nobility of the soul at odds with circumstance." We all have choices; how we act when faced with choice, lays the groundwork for our future.
Rochester, New York is located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in upstate New York. Its weather is precarious and often unpredictable, causing what is known as 'lake effect'. Finn, one of the protagonists in this highly readable and meaningful novel, states that lake effect means you could never be sure what was coming. How true this is, not only with weather, but with life.
One day, apparently out of the blue, though not totally unexpected, Finn runs off with Nina, his neighbor's wife. Nina's two children, Clara and Bridie, are left emotionally ravished and deal with their grief and perceived abandonment in very different ways. Both feel pain and loss, but Clara believes that the only path to her recovering from this maternal betrayal, is to gain control of her home. She tries to attain this control through cooking, a choice that leads to her future profession but also destroys any future ability for her to engage in intimate relationships.
Ms. Sweeney deftly uses the metaphor of cooking to portray the unfolding of emotions. Characters in this novel cook with love and forgiveness, but also with fear and regret. As one character states, "I don't know what else to do. I cook."
The novel moves through the 1970's into the present time. Rochester's economic boom is contrasted with its downturn as Kodak and Xerox, its two economic mainstays, go under, at odds with the new tech frontier developing in California.
While this novel is character driven, it is also a page-turner. I thought this would be a beach read, but it is so much more. Family secrets, and their concomitant shame, are explored as themes of homosexuality, revenge, and anger come to the forefront of daily life. It grabbed me by the heart and immersed me in the hopes, dreams and disappointments of every character. It is definitely a novel to be savored.Rochester NY, the setting for this poignant novel, holds a very special place in my heart. It is where I went for radiation treatment for my breast cancer. I'm from Fairbanks, Alaska and in 1998, when I was diagnosed, there was no radiation therapy available in Fairbanks. My daughter lives in Rochester and I stayed with her while I received my treatment. Not only was it an opportunity to grow closer with my daughter, but I also gained special insight into Rochester, a city rich with art, music, culture, and history.
Ms. Sweeney intertwines themes of family, love, grief, anger, and pain throughout these pages. This results in a delicious and unique smorgasbord, always rich but sometimes bitter, recipes that cannot be replicated yet are universal. The poet, Theodor Roethke, says it best as I quote him here: "What is madness but nobility of the soul at odds with circumstance." We all have choices; how we act when faced with choice, lays the groundwork for our future.
Rochester, New York is located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in upstate New York. Its weather is precarious and often unpredictable, causing what is known as 'lake effect'. Finn, one of the protagonists in this highly readable and meaningful novel, states that lake effect means you could never be sure what was coming. How true this is, not only with weather, but with life.
One day, apparently out of the blue, though not totally unexpected, Finn runs off with Nina, his neighbor's wife. Nina's two children, Clara and Bridie, are left emotionally ravished and deal with their grief and perceived abandonment in very different ways. Both feel pain and loss, but Clara believes that the only path to her recovering from this maternal betrayal, is to gain control of her home. She tries to attain this control through cooking, a choice that leads to her future profession but also destroys any future ability for her to engage in intimate relationships.
Ms. Sweeney deftly uses the metaphor of cooking to portray the unfolding of emotions. Characters in this novel cook with love and forgiveness, but also with fear and regret. As one character states, "I don't know what else to do. I cook."
The novel moves through the 1970's into the present time. Rochester's economic boom is contrasted with its downturn as Kodak and Xerox, its two economic mainstays, go under, at odds with the new tech frontier developing in California.
While this novel is character driven, it is also a page-turner. I thought this would be a beach read, but it is so much more. Family secrets, and their concomitant shame, are explored as themes of homosexuality, revenge, and anger come to the forefront of daily life. It grabbed me by the heart and immersed me in the hopes, dreams and disappointments of every character. It is definitely a novel to be savored.
Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader's copy.
September 12, 2025
Endless saga.
With thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for this e-ARC.
With thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for this e-ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There is an abundance of novels written about family conflict from the classics on. What could be more relatable and interesting? It’s difficult to find new twists, unique complications, and fresh characters. But Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney has entered this crowded field with originality. She weaves the particular times they are set in and how it affects the family dynamics. This is D’Aprix Sweeney’s third novel (The Nest and Good Company )and each was hard for me to put down. Great storytelling.
I found this one, Lake Effect, the most compelling as the characters tiptoed through this particular family mine field. Some more successfully than others. Although all were damaged by the precipitating event.
Told in three time periods, it expertly weaves in larger societal change with what we are willing to accept in our own sphere. How a lack of intimacy in a marriage spills into every aspect of family life, and how the way family members relate to each other foretells the course of their lives. There is humor, irony, and of course, the requisite forgiveness.
The story sets out in a tightly knit neighborhood in Rochester, New York with friendships that are wearing thin. Two families are at the center of the book. Nina and Sam with teenagers Clara and Bridie and Finn, wife Honey, and teenage children Dune and Fern.
Nina has never been happy in her marriage. Her husband, Sam, a Xerox employee is uninterested in sex and that sets the stage. Nina puts all her efforts into creating a warm, accommodating home life and dotes on her daughters. That is until she is introduced to the book Joy of Sex. That sets her on a mission to experience what is in that book. And she knows that won’t be with Sam.
The Finnegans live across the street. Finn is part of his family’s grocery store chain and is very engaging and successful. His wife Honey (even her name is ironic) is a cold, superficial, demanding, good Catholic girl. He is deeply dissatisfied.
Nina and Finn gravitate to each other and have the robust sex they’ve both desired. But what complicates things is that their teenagers Clara and Dune, childhood friends, have also fallen in love.
When Nina and Finn decide to go to the Caribbean to get a quickie divorce and marry ,leaving a vague note, the story takes off.
I couldn’t put the book down intrigued by all the turns D’A’prixSweeney introduces. I also appreciated the time pieces. The book is in three section: 1977,1994, and 1998. She used the Rochester setting to integrate the shortsighted demise of Xerox and Kodak; San Francisco to foreshadow the beginning of the AIDs epidemic; and New York to introduce the beginning of Cable TV through the Food Channel.
Clara gets the most airtime. Her losses are too much for a teen. A doting mother who is suddenly absent, a lost love and the capital it brought her at school, the home that had once been her haven now anything but. She inhales all the anger and confusion all the other characters feel and holds on to it. This is basically her story with the trajectory of the others interwoven.
I found some things in the story puzzling. Nina, perhaps because she feels shame for what she did, backs away from her children in a way that didn’t feel natural, given the kind of devoted mother she was . This was a time they needed her most. Bridey and Fern were more neglected. They didn’t get nearly the development that older siblings did. Clara and Dune always overshadowed them yet they were the more sensitive and in need of loving attention. Sam and Honey were stereotypes and could have had more dimension. Perhaps that stood out because the other characters seemed so alive.
All in all, this is a very good book. I look forward to future books by this author.
Highly recommend.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an honest review.
I found this one, Lake Effect, the most compelling as the characters tiptoed through this particular family mine field. Some more successfully than others. Although all were damaged by the precipitating event.
Told in three time periods, it expertly weaves in larger societal change with what we are willing to accept in our own sphere. How a lack of intimacy in a marriage spills into every aspect of family life, and how the way family members relate to each other foretells the course of their lives. There is humor, irony, and of course, the requisite forgiveness.
The story sets out in a tightly knit neighborhood in Rochester, New York with friendships that are wearing thin. Two families are at the center of the book. Nina and Sam with teenagers Clara and Bridie and Finn, wife Honey, and teenage children Dune and Fern.
Nina has never been happy in her marriage. Her husband, Sam, a Xerox employee is uninterested in sex and that sets the stage. Nina puts all her efforts into creating a warm, accommodating home life and dotes on her daughters. That is until she is introduced to the book Joy of Sex. That sets her on a mission to experience what is in that book. And she knows that won’t be with Sam.
The Finnegans live across the street. Finn is part of his family’s grocery store chain and is very engaging and successful. His wife Honey (even her name is ironic) is a cold, superficial, demanding, good Catholic girl. He is deeply dissatisfied.
Nina and Finn gravitate to each other and have the robust sex they’ve both desired. But what complicates things is that their teenagers Clara and Dune, childhood friends, have also fallen in love.
When Nina and Finn decide to go to the Caribbean to get a quickie divorce and marry ,leaving a vague note, the story takes off.
I couldn’t put the book down intrigued by all the turns D’A’prixSweeney introduces. I also appreciated the time pieces. The book is in three section: 1977,1994, and 1998. She used the Rochester setting to integrate the shortsighted demise of Xerox and Kodak; San Francisco to foreshadow the beginning of the AIDs epidemic; and New York to introduce the beginning of Cable TV through the Food Channel.
Clara gets the most airtime. Her losses are too much for a teen. A doting mother who is suddenly absent, a lost love and the capital it brought her at school, the home that had once been her haven now anything but. She inhales all the anger and confusion all the other characters feel and holds on to it. This is basically her story with the trajectory of the others interwoven.
I found some things in the story puzzling. Nina, perhaps because she feels shame for what she did, backs away from her children in a way that didn’t feel natural, given the kind of devoted mother she was . This was a time they needed her most. Bridey and Fern were more neglected. They didn’t get nearly the development that older siblings did. Clara and Dune always overshadowed them yet they were the more sensitive and in need of loving attention. Sam and Honey were stereotypes and could have had more dimension. Perhaps that stood out because the other characters seemed so alive.
All in all, this is a very good book. I look forward to future books by this author.
Highly recommend.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Lake effect, in Finn's understanding, just meant you could never be sure what was coming.
Lake Effect offers a quiet, powerful slice of suburban life as the characters navigate the changes between the 1970s and 1990s in Rochester, New York.
This is one of those books that seems to be about nothing and everything at once. Nothing, because very little happens beyond the characters' daily lives— their love affairs, family fallouts, dreams and ambitions. And everything, because, well, for most of us that is everything.
Characters change, grow, grow apart, actions have consequences (good and bad), and people are shaped by the actions of others.
It takes a book like this to capture the extent of the changes between the 1970s and 1990s. Such a short time, really, but the difference in attitudes to divorce and the way women viewed themselves was massive. The 1970s brought Comfort's The Joy of Sex, a now-dated but then eye-opening book for many women who had previously not known that they, too, could be enjoying sex.
Shortly after, Fat Is a Feminist Issue arrived, Orbach's indictment of diet culture and the obsession with starving oneself to thinness. In Lake Effect, the generational divide here is clear, with Honey pushing her daughter to join WeightWatchers while Fern's generation push back and dare to (somewhat) accept their bodies.
It is interesting to see authors exploring the way a book can change a generation. Last year I read The Book Club for Troublesome Women, which explored the effect of The Feminine Mystique on middle class women in the 1960s. One person's idea can change everything.
We're indentured servants in our own homes, forced to obey the whims of children and husbands. It's exhausting and maddening. We can't catch a break. We've been told we have more opportunity, but nobody's giving us a hand with our existing opportunity. How are we supposed to do all these new things liberation has brought into our lives and find the time to still run everyone else's lives?
Where I found this one more successful than TBCfTW was in the complex and spirited characters. Sweeney does a great job of juggling a large cast and spending time developing them all. I understood fully how each one had become the person they were, from a combination of their own personal experiences and the cultural events and ideas that shaped generations. You can see both Finn’s point of view— the despair of a loveless, sexless marriage —and Honey’s, her trauma about sex and her own weight.
The world of the novel looks very different as you move through the different third person perspectives. A character who seems uptight and tyrannical from one person's perspective becomes deeply sympathetic when we step inside their mind. I think this balanced view makes for truly fascinating storytelling and character craft.
Please be aware that the book contains on-page depiction of sexual assault and substance abuse.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’d kind of forgotten I had this, but I was looking for a palate cleanser amid my Thursday Murder Club binge. I *loved* The Nest (I think I liked Good Company? But I confess to not remembering much about it). This was fine, but I feel like the character development was lacking - it reads more like a series of vignettes than a cohesive plot.
Nina is a bored suburban mom - her marriage is mostly fine, her daughters are great, but she’s feeling that “shouldn’t there be something *more*” sort of pull. She starts having an affair with the neighbor (Finn Finnegan, which is an excellent name), and they eventually run away together. I never really got what they saw in one another though. By the time we meet them, it seems like the affair is already in progress? The blurb mentions Nina having some kind of awakening after her divorced friend gifts her The Joy of Sex, but we mostly see daughters Clara and Bridie reading it. It seems like she has the affair because she’s bored (and maybe a little because she finds Finn’s wife Honey a bit insufferable and wants to put one over on her?). And she seems to immediately regret the whole running away gambit, but goes along with it anyway. And then…they just settle into life as a boring married couple. As one of Clara’s friends tells her later in the book, the only interesting thing Finn and Nina ever did was run off and get married.
For her part, this is a defining moment in Clara’s life and she Will Not Let It Go. She keeps going on and on about how her mother ruined their lives with her selfish choices and guilt trips Bridie into not spending time with Nina either. The problem with this is that we never actually SEE any of this supposed trauma. We keep jumping forward in time (I was going to say we keep jumping *around*, but that would imply that there are flashbacks, and the narrative is at least linear) and all of this stuff has already happened and someone is stewing about it after the fact. The bulk of the book is set in the 70s/80s timeline and the last third jumps forward to the 90s (where Clara is a food stylist with a grudge). It felt like we just sped through so many big moments in favor of…I’m not sure what exactly. You could set an entire novel just around Bridie’s wedding, for example.
There are just so many characters; and it’s not that I had a hard time keeping track of them, but I felt like we never truly got to know any of them. By the time we hit the unexpected tragedy of the final act, I was largely unmoved, because I never felt like I got to know these people well enough to be sad for them. Ultimately, this is a fast read, and I did enjoy it. I just wish I had enjoyed it more.
Nina is a bored suburban mom - her marriage is mostly fine, her daughters are great, but she’s feeling that “shouldn’t there be something *more*” sort of pull. She starts having an affair with the neighbor (Finn Finnegan, which is an excellent name), and they eventually run away together. I never really got what they saw in one another though. By the time we meet them, it seems like the affair is already in progress? The blurb mentions Nina having some kind of awakening after her divorced friend gifts her The Joy of Sex, but we mostly see daughters Clara and Bridie reading it. It seems like she has the affair because she’s bored (and maybe a little because she finds Finn’s wife Honey a bit insufferable and wants to put one over on her?). And she seems to immediately regret the whole running away gambit, but goes along with it anyway. And then…they just settle into life as a boring married couple. As one of Clara’s friends tells her later in the book, the only interesting thing Finn and Nina ever did was run off and get married.
For her part, this is a defining moment in Clara’s life and she Will Not Let It Go. She keeps going on and on about how her mother ruined their lives with her selfish choices and guilt trips Bridie into not spending time with Nina either. The problem with this is that we never actually SEE any of this supposed trauma. We keep jumping forward in time (I was going to say we keep jumping *around*, but that would imply that there are flashbacks, and the narrative is at least linear) and all of this stuff has already happened and someone is stewing about it after the fact. The bulk of the book is set in the 70s/80s timeline and the last third jumps forward to the 90s (where Clara is a food stylist with a grudge). It felt like we just sped through so many big moments in favor of…I’m not sure what exactly. You could set an entire novel just around Bridie’s wedding, for example.
There are just so many characters; and it’s not that I had a hard time keeping track of them, but I felt like we never truly got to know any of them. By the time we hit the unexpected tragedy of the final act, I was largely unmoved, because I never felt like I got to know these people well enough to be sad for them. Ultimately, this is a fast read, and I did enjoy it. I just wish I had enjoyed it more.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A richly layered family drama—brought to life brilliantly on audio
Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is not to be missed—and for audiobook lovers, the incomparable Marin Ireland doesn’t simply narrate; she elevates this beautifully crafted novel into something truly special.
🙏 Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for providing me with an advance audio copy. The audiobook is scheduled for release on March 3, 2026.
💭 What happens when one midlife decision ripples across decades—and generations?
Set against the shifting cultural landscape of America from the late 1970s through the 1990s, the novel captures a moment of profound change—when women began asserting their independence, even as the Catholic Church and society struggled to hold the line.
Sweeney weaves in the era’s defining moments—divorce, the Gay Liberation movement, the AIDS crisis—creating a vivid backdrop that will resonate deeply, especially for those who came of age in the 1970s.
📖 The story opens in 1977 Rochester, New York, with a wonderfully bold scene: a divorced woman—gasp—buying copies of The Joy of Sex in bulk for her friends. As the first divorced woman on her block, she appoints herself the unofficial educator of female sexuality. The result is both hilarious and quietly revolutionary.
✨ There is a strong sense of nostalgia throughout. Do you remember life before word processors? Before personal computers? When divorce was a neighborhood scandal? When “pep juice” was the not-so-secret answer to staying thin? Sweeney captures it all with warmth and wit—and Marin Ireland’s narration transforms the experience into an absolute delight.
🏡 At the heart of the story are two neighboring families, the Larkins and the Finnegans. Nina Larkin, a grateful recipient of that infamous Joy of Sex delivery, embraces the changing expectations of her generation. A midlife awakening leads her into an affair with her neighbor—setting off consequences that ripple through both families for years to come.
As with The Nest, Sweeney excels at creating characters who are deeply human—flawed, relatable, and at times frustrating. She moves seamlessly between perspectives, and her signature humor ensures that even the more difficult moments never feel heavy-handed.
💔 There is much to unpack here: morality, personal choice, and the long shadow cast by the decisions we make in midlife.
🎧 This is a gem—and with Marin Ireland behind the microphone, the audiobook is an experience unto itself.
Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is not to be missed—and for audiobook lovers, the incomparable Marin Ireland doesn’t simply narrate; she elevates this beautifully crafted novel into something truly special.
🙏 Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for providing me with an advance audio copy. The audiobook is scheduled for release on March 3, 2026.
💭 What happens when one midlife decision ripples across decades—and generations?
Set against the shifting cultural landscape of America from the late 1970s through the 1990s, the novel captures a moment of profound change—when women began asserting their independence, even as the Catholic Church and society struggled to hold the line.
Sweeney weaves in the era’s defining moments—divorce, the Gay Liberation movement, the AIDS crisis—creating a vivid backdrop that will resonate deeply, especially for those who came of age in the 1970s.
📖 The story opens in 1977 Rochester, New York, with a wonderfully bold scene: a divorced woman—gasp—buying copies of The Joy of Sex in bulk for her friends. As the first divorced woman on her block, she appoints herself the unofficial educator of female sexuality. The result is both hilarious and quietly revolutionary.
✨ There is a strong sense of nostalgia throughout. Do you remember life before word processors? Before personal computers? When divorce was a neighborhood scandal? When “pep juice” was the not-so-secret answer to staying thin? Sweeney captures it all with warmth and wit—and Marin Ireland’s narration transforms the experience into an absolute delight.
🏡 At the heart of the story are two neighboring families, the Larkins and the Finnegans. Nina Larkin, a grateful recipient of that infamous Joy of Sex delivery, embraces the changing expectations of her generation. A midlife awakening leads her into an affair with her neighbor—setting off consequences that ripple through both families for years to come.
As with The Nest, Sweeney excels at creating characters who are deeply human—flawed, relatable, and at times frustrating. She moves seamlessly between perspectives, and her signature humor ensures that even the more difficult moments never feel heavy-handed.
💔 There is much to unpack here: morality, personal choice, and the long shadow cast by the decisions we make in midlife.
🎧 This is a gem—and with Marin Ireland behind the microphone, the audiobook is an experience unto itself.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is one of those novels that quietly disarms its reader. When I first began it, I braced myself for disappointment—anticipating thinly drawn characters and a breezy but ultimately vapid domestic drama. Instead, within a matter of hours, Sweeney resoundingly proved me wrong. I read the book in a single sitting, absorbed and unexpectedly moved, reluctant to leave its world when it ended.
Set in 1970s Rochester, New York, the novel opens with a destabilizing act of domestic rupture: two neighboring adults abruptly leave their spouses, divorce, and remarry one another in the Dominican Republic. What could have easily become a sensational or gimmicky premise is treated with remarkable emotional intelligence. The true subject of the novel is not the scandal itself, but the long reverberations of that choice—how it fractures families, reconfigures loyalties, and quietly reshapes the inner lives of everyone involved.
Sweeney excels at rendering complexity without heaviness. Her characters—particularly the children caught in the wake of adult desire—are distinctive, psychologically astute, and deeply human. Their responses to betrayal, confusion, and shifting family dynamics feel authentic and earned. Equally compelling is the way the adults reckon with their own decisions: regret and self-justification coexist, and personal growth is neither linear nor guaranteed. No one is reduced to a villain or a victim; instead, Sweeney allows contradiction to be the animating force of her characters.
The historical setting is more than decorative. The social and political undercurrents of the 1970s—its evolving attitudes toward marriage, freedom, and self-fulfillment—subtly heighten the emotional stakes and lend texture to the narrative. The era’s restlessness mirrors the internal turbulence of the characters themselves, deepening the novel’s resonance.
What the Lake Effect ultimately offers is a meditation on consequence: how a single impulsive decision can echo across years, shaping identities and relationships in unforeseen ways. It is a deceptively breezy, quick read, yet one with real substance beneath its surface—emotionally engaging, propulsive, and quietly wise. I could not put it down, and when it ended, I felt the familiar ache reserved for books whose characters have begun to feel like companions. This novel is, quite simply, a winner.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review
Set in 1970s Rochester, New York, the novel opens with a destabilizing act of domestic rupture: two neighboring adults abruptly leave their spouses, divorce, and remarry one another in the Dominican Republic. What could have easily become a sensational or gimmicky premise is treated with remarkable emotional intelligence. The true subject of the novel is not the scandal itself, but the long reverberations of that choice—how it fractures families, reconfigures loyalties, and quietly reshapes the inner lives of everyone involved.
Sweeney excels at rendering complexity without heaviness. Her characters—particularly the children caught in the wake of adult desire—are distinctive, psychologically astute, and deeply human. Their responses to betrayal, confusion, and shifting family dynamics feel authentic and earned. Equally compelling is the way the adults reckon with their own decisions: regret and self-justification coexist, and personal growth is neither linear nor guaranteed. No one is reduced to a villain or a victim; instead, Sweeney allows contradiction to be the animating force of her characters.
The historical setting is more than decorative. The social and political undercurrents of the 1970s—its evolving attitudes toward marriage, freedom, and self-fulfillment—subtly heighten the emotional stakes and lend texture to the narrative. The era’s restlessness mirrors the internal turbulence of the characters themselves, deepening the novel’s resonance.
What the Lake Effect ultimately offers is a meditation on consequence: how a single impulsive decision can echo across years, shaping identities and relationships in unforeseen ways. It is a deceptively breezy, quick read, yet one with real substance beneath its surface—emotionally engaging, propulsive, and quietly wise. I could not put it down, and when it ended, I felt the familiar ache reserved for books whose characters have begun to feel like companions. This novel is, quite simply, a winner.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
A charming novel about messy entangled suburban lives that I couldn't stop reading. The dramatic 70's divorce is basically its own subgenre of story, but Sweeney wants to dig a little deeper. Yes it was a trend--the introduction of No Fault Divorce laws in the US in 1970 kicked off a wave of rethinking divorce, though those laws weren't in effect in 1977 Rochester where this is set. All kinds of trends come together in the lives of our characters the way they do in reality: Weight Watchers groups, The Joy of Sex, even the wave of semi-religious musical theater.
This book wants to make it complicated. It wants you to see everyone's point of view. And it's pretty determined not to have any heroes or villains. (At least until the last third or so.) It also isn't content to just give us the leadup and the fallout, it wants us to look 20 years later to see the way it still impacts everyone. This is where Sweeney surprised me. I was already reading this book feverishly, but when we move the setting to 1998 and the children are no longer teenagers but 30-somethings who arguably should have their lives together. For us as the reader it is all still fresh, so it's easy to empathize with Clara who still has not managed to let any of it go, even as we see how irrational and damaging it is.
The last section is the weakest, mostly because we focus in so much more deeply on Clara and the conflicts she creates for everyone. The book is at its best when you get to move between all the characters.
I was skeptical of this book, I had to admit. I never read The Nest. And suburban divorce as a subgenre is usually quite boring. I was even more concerned when basically every character in this book goes by the kind of cutesy WASP-y nickname that makes me roll my eyes. But oh boy did it pull me in and take down all my defenses. Ok yes the left-spouses are too one-dimensional. And I really wanted to get back into Nina's head after everything happened, since I know she and I both had our doubts about how this was going to go long-term. But I had such a good time reading this book that it's hard to get too concerned about my doubts.
This would be a great book club book because it will inevitably start some fights and because it's so readable that you're much less likely to have people who only read half. I really truly enjoyed it. It is such a gift to just enjoy a book, friends.
This book wants to make it complicated. It wants you to see everyone's point of view. And it's pretty determined not to have any heroes or villains. (At least until the last third or so.) It also isn't content to just give us the leadup and the fallout, it wants us to look 20 years later to see the way it still impacts everyone. This is where Sweeney surprised me. I was already reading this book feverishly, but when we move the setting to 1998 and the children are no longer teenagers but 30-somethings who arguably should have their lives together. For us as the reader it is all still fresh, so it's easy to empathize with Clara who still has not managed to let any of it go, even as we see how irrational and damaging it is.
The last section is the weakest, mostly because we focus in so much more deeply on Clara and the conflicts she creates for everyone. The book is at its best when you get to move between all the characters.
I was skeptical of this book, I had to admit. I never read The Nest. And suburban divorce as a subgenre is usually quite boring. I was even more concerned when basically every character in this book goes by the kind of cutesy WASP-y nickname that makes me roll my eyes. But oh boy did it pull me in and take down all my defenses. Ok yes the left-spouses are too one-dimensional. And I really wanted to get back into Nina's head after everything happened, since I know she and I both had our doubts about how this was going to go long-term. But I had such a good time reading this book that it's hard to get too concerned about my doubts.
This would be a great book club book because it will inevitably start some fights and because it's so readable that you're much less likely to have people who only read half. I really truly enjoyed it. It is such a gift to just enjoy a book, friends.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to both #NetGalley and Ecco for providing me an advance copy of Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's latest #literaryfiction release, Lake Effect, in exchange for an honest review.
#LakeEffect is a character-driven, #generalfiction novel set primarily in Rochester, NY, over the span of the late 1970s through the mid-1990s. The plot centers on multiple characters from two families who live in the same small town. This book was written for those who enjoy #familydramas and stories written about daily life.
This is the third novel by the author that I have read and reviewed. I strive not to compare earlier novels when reviewing works by the same author. Try as I might, however, I must still be chasing that high of my initial introduction to her writing, #TheNest. For me, unfortunately, this was the weakest of the three.
I encountered many of the same gripes I experienced while reading, #GoodCompany, namely, that there did not seem to be an underlying message to the story, and that the characters are one-dimensional by the second-half of novel, which made it difficult to connect or envision any of them. Either the characters require further development, or some should be omitted to make others stronger. Perhaps even both edits should occur, considering the story is character-driven.
Additionally, the plot was tenuous come the conclusion and the writing was not as strong as her previous novels. While the story was interesting enough in the first-half to keep the reader engaged, the ending felt rushed and there were many disjointed points throughout the passages. For instance, while history may repeat itself, there were one too many present-day allusions, yet none of the story occurs in the 21st century.
In sum, the novel borders on the cusp of a literary, character-driven novel, but lacks the fully-fleshed characters and crisp syntax. I struggled to rate Lake Effect because the pacing and plot are solid, though could benefit from focusing on either the decade, certain individual characters, or some oomph element, which makes it difficult for the reader to care or feel emotion for anything that occurs in the end. This also might be a story for someone who is older, wiser, and can commiserate with some of the characters' experiences or the time period. Overall, 3.0 stars.
#LakeEffect is a character-driven, #generalfiction novel set primarily in Rochester, NY, over the span of the late 1970s through the mid-1990s. The plot centers on multiple characters from two families who live in the same small town. This book was written for those who enjoy #familydramas and stories written about daily life.
This is the third novel by the author that I have read and reviewed. I strive not to compare earlier novels when reviewing works by the same author. Try as I might, however, I must still be chasing that high of my initial introduction to her writing, #TheNest. For me, unfortunately, this was the weakest of the three.
I encountered many of the same gripes I experienced while reading, #GoodCompany, namely, that there did not seem to be an underlying message to the story, and that the characters are one-dimensional by the second-half of novel, which made it difficult to connect or envision any of them. Either the characters require further development, or some should be omitted to make others stronger. Perhaps even both edits should occur, considering the story is character-driven.
Additionally, the plot was tenuous come the conclusion and the writing was not as strong as her previous novels. While the story was interesting enough in the first-half to keep the reader engaged, the ending felt rushed and there were many disjointed points throughout the passages. For instance, while history may repeat itself, there were one too many present-day allusions, yet none of the story occurs in the 21st century.
In sum, the novel borders on the cusp of a literary, character-driven novel, but lacks the fully-fleshed characters and crisp syntax. I struggled to rate Lake Effect because the pacing and plot are solid, though could benefit from focusing on either the decade, certain individual characters, or some oomph element, which makes it difficult for the reader to care or feel emotion for anything that occurs in the end. This also might be a story for someone who is older, wiser, and can commiserate with some of the characters' experiences or the time period. Overall, 3.0 stars.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to #EccoBooks and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #LakeEffect by a favorite author -- #CynthiaDAprixSweeney. This book will hit shelves on 3/3/2026 and will be a small, good thing for readers to anticipate in the coming year (and we surely need it)! I loved this novel and it may by my favorite of the three she's written.
I love this writer and the ways in which she creates multidimensional, relatable characters - often within family systems - and weaves them together within relationships, moving forward and backward through time. The plot encompasses consequences, the effects of past and current indiscretions and how family trauma is passed on through generations. It is also a novel of forgiveness and new beginnings. The way the book is arranged, into three distinct parts spread over decades, these relationships are displayed past, present, and future.
The movement of characters over decades demonstrates, beautifully, how times and current culture dictate decisions (and roles) which, in turn, have ongoing and often irreversible outcomes. Sometimes things that seem hopeless and heartbreaking can, in time, become blessings. The lives of families, of friends and neighbors -- the Larkins and the Finnegans -- are inextricably tied together for better and for worse.
I'll leave the synopsis of the plot to other reviewers (and to the book's publicity description) and just say it is SO MUCH MORE than what is described. Each of the Larkins and the Finnegans (along with supporting characters -- like neighbor Bess Pfeffier) carry their own individual backstories and histories and impact the plot in important ways.
Lake Effect is HIGHLY RECOMMEND as is every book by this author. I absolutely LOVED this one!!! Hoping to get the audiobook through NetGalley as well. Again, thank you and CONGRATS to Cynthia!!! She is the real deal!! #brava
I love this writer and the ways in which she creates multidimensional, relatable characters - often within family systems - and weaves them together within relationships, moving forward and backward through time. The plot encompasses consequences, the effects of past and current indiscretions and how family trauma is passed on through generations. It is also a novel of forgiveness and new beginnings. The way the book is arranged, into three distinct parts spread over decades, these relationships are displayed past, present, and future.
The movement of characters over decades demonstrates, beautifully, how times and current culture dictate decisions (and roles) which, in turn, have ongoing and often irreversible outcomes. Sometimes things that seem hopeless and heartbreaking can, in time, become blessings. The lives of families, of friends and neighbors -- the Larkins and the Finnegans -- are inextricably tied together for better and for worse.
I'll leave the synopsis of the plot to other reviewers (and to the book's publicity description) and just say it is SO MUCH MORE than what is described. Each of the Larkins and the Finnegans (along with supporting characters -- like neighbor Bess Pfeffier) carry their own individual backstories and histories and impact the plot in important ways.
Lake Effect is HIGHLY RECOMMEND as is every book by this author. I absolutely LOVED this one!!! Hoping to get the audiobook through NetGalley as well. Again, thank you and CONGRATS to Cynthia!!! She is the real deal!! #brava
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews