The Lake House

by Mikaela Bee

Jillian loves being a stay at home mom. But when her son starts kindergarten, she realizes quickly how lonely she is. Things start to look up when she befriends the mysterious Madison, who seems to conveniently enter her life at just the right time. The two women immediately bond, and Madison invites Jillian and her husband for a peaceful, adults-only weekend away at her boyfriend's lake house. They find a sitter for their son, pack their bags, and head to the Adirondacks. The lake house is on a private, secluded island. It all seems perfect until someone ends up dead. And if someone screams in the middle of a lake, with no one else around, do they even make a sound?

274 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2021

Reviews

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 1 out of 5]

With such a beautiful cover, you would think the book would be exciting where things happened in the lake house. You would be right. Things happened. All of them were utter crap and a waste of my time and money.

Jillian wanted a friend, downloaded an app, and the first woman, Madison, who replied asked to visit her home, and Jillian agreed. They drank, Jillian forgot to get her son from school, and they decided to go to Lake House for the weekend, keeping her son with a stranger, a supposed friend of Madison.

How could a supposed loving mother take such stupid decisions? And her husband was a lawyer, another idiot, who readily agreed to hand off his son to that babysitter without any kind of investigation on her background.

You realize where I am going now…

So many weird things happened that I could just shake my head in despair.

THE CONS

So many POVs that it felt disjointed.
Story wasn’t cohesive.
All reactions were weird and illogical.
Absolutely no nuances in characterization. I hoped all would kill each other and die.
The chapters with the POV of a 5 year old didn’t feel as if it were a child speaking.
A murder or two was written in to make it a dark thriller.
If course, a scene or two of illicit lust.
There were many, many things which didn’t work for me, but I got tired of enumerating them.

THE PROS

None!!!

Conclusion
Authors need to read many dark thrillers before they start to write them. Having a concept made not a thriller.
.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really liked this book! It was very fast paced and unputdownable (is that a word? Lol🤷‍♀️) in the beginning of the book something that really got on my nerves is that fact that Jillian just left her 5 yr old kid with a stranger , as a parent that seemed either very careless or unrealistic. But once I got past that I really liked it!

[Nicole Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I have to talk about this gorgeous cover! It just screams pick me up and read me! Did you notice the full moon on the upper left hand corner? As a nurse I know what happens on full moons so I was fully expecting the crazy to come out in this book and that’s what happened.

Jillian, a stay-at-home mom to Caleb, is bored and joins an app to find female friends. Enter Madison. After bonding, Jillian accepts Madison’s invite to her adults-only secluded island lake house. But is Madison really who she says she is? Who will make it off the island alive? Read to find out!

This is a remarkable read, especially for a self-published and debut author. The plot was intriguing and suspenseful. The author did a good job of leaving the chapters with an ominous ending that made me keep wanting to read another chapter. It was a page-turner and I read it in just under 24 hours. The set-up of this book is my favorite type, with short chapters and alternating povs. Also, the descriptions of the lake house and surroundings allowed me to envision the setting in my head.

I’ll be following along to see what else she writes!
If you want to give The Lake House a try it’s available on Amazon. Next up by this author is Dear Violet, recently published and also available on Amazon.

[Ginna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 stars. Easy read.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an AMAZING book. Love it being told by different people. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is a book that will be telling yourself one more chapter, just one more chapter. Once I started I could not put it down. It's a THRILLER that will not leave you disappointed.

[Kelsey Varron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What can I even say about this book! It is a page turner in my opinion. I read this in one sitting. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I found this book interesting from the beginning. I am a full time mom/student/and employee and found myself not being able to put it down. I became invested in Jillian and without spoiling anything, the twist made my mouth drop to the floor. I was shocked. I felt it was suspenseful from the beginning. It did contain different points of view but I don’t mind that. A lot of books do that. It helps develop the character. Overall, it was great and I cannot wait to start the sequel! If this was made into a movie, it would definitely be one to watch.
I really liked Justin as a character and thought the ending was great!

[Lacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the plot, but hated the characters.

I had so many issues with the choices the characters made. Who invites a total stranger to their home having never met them face to face and texting one sentence? Who then goes on a vacation with the person having met them twice? Who hands their 5 yr old to a total stranger for a weekend with no background check, especially a LAWYER?

I didn't have an issue with the changing POV, but the one from the 5 yr old did not sound like such.

Plot wise, I liked it. I devoured it. It's one of those books you're hooked on, it's a quick read, and it's just eh. You don't really LOVE it.

[thebookcloser]

Did not finish book. Dnf at 61%. I wanted to love this book so much!! I gave it a fair try and was enjoying the fast pace, short chapters, but it was very predictable. A big twist happened and I felt the character’s reaction was a bit unbelievable so that was the final piece I couldn’t overlook. Beautiful cover and I did enjoy the author’s writing style.

[Alison Bechard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not great. It had potential, but the plot holes and unanswered questions left alot out.
Written like an overly-dramatic Lifetime movie. Stupid decisions made by stupid people. A couple murders (one was not even talked about again). Also, no such thing as Lake George PD (I live nearby and that bothered me). Terrible editing, the characters were silly, unlikeable. The point of views from the 5 year old, Caleb made no sense (what 5 year old says "avoiding me" when being ignored?).
The book was very unbelievable, not enough descriptions. I really wanted to like this book too since it mainly takes place in Lake George not far from my hometown.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

A quick read, told from multiple points of view, with a moody, secluded setting that lends a idyllic, though mildly threatening air to this thriller.

Spoilers below…

Right from the onset, this book require too much suspension of disbelief from me. A mother leaves her five-year-old with a stranger with only an assurance of a “friend” she’s just met? Beyond that, I didn’t find the characters likable, and they were tough to emphasize with. Worst yet, the antagonists only motivation for all the crazy things she does seems to be her inability to conceive. This felt lazy and seems unfair to so many women that struggle with infertility to ask readers just to accept this as a reasonable motivation for her homicidal mania.

This author has written a sequel and I will be reading it out of curiosity to see how the story could continue, but over-all disappointed.

[Becca Ban · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner you do NOT want to miss from an up and coming thriller writer!

Being a stay at home mom can be lonely (i’d know, since I am one too) and with nothing but time on her hands now that her son is in kindergarten, Jillian is determined to make some new friends to help fill her days. That’s where the mysterious Madison comes in, meeting on an app to make friends they quickly become friends. Madison invites Jillian and her husband (Asher) to her boyfriends (Justin) lake-house for an adults only weekend promised to never be forgotten. All is well until someone turns up dead, and that isn’t even the craziest part!

When I was reading this I was immediately engrossed with the story because it’s such a story that could happen to anyone. Mikaela is an amazing writer who gives every character an amazing personality, even the most minor of characters. Being a mom myself I was quick to judge Jillian for things I would never do, but I was still silently rooting for her, even through the annoyance I had for her. I really thought I had the book figured out by 50% through but Mikaela throws in such good twists, foreshadowing, and doubt that I didn’t see the ending come even when it was looking at me right in the face. If you want a book that seems so realistically scary but amazing that you won’t be able to put down, this is the book for you. And to make everything even better, THERE’S A SEQUEL. So, you may finish this book but you won’t have to say goodbye to these characters just yet, and I can only imagine how amazing the second book is going to be.


If someone screams in the middle of a lake, with no one else around, do they even make a sound?

[Kelly Kilpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jillian, a stay-at-home mom, is struggling balancing her 5 year old son, Caleb, going to kindergarten and her lawyer husband, Asher, being at the office 24/7. She’s feeling lonely and downloads an app and meets Madison. They hit it off right away and Madison invites Jillian and Asher to an adults-only weekend at her boyfriend, Justin’s lake house. Jillian and Asher aren’t sure they can spend a weekend away from Caleb - he’s been acting out in school and taking about seeing a woman outside is window. Madison’s got it covered though-she’s got a friend to watch him. It’s all a part of the plan.

A remote island, two couples (some of which know each other better than others) and lies. What could possibly go wrong, or right? Who will make it out alive?

“She came back again last night-that lady. She was standing in the yard, looking in my window.” - When a child says something like that, you are in for a good book. Right from the start, you get spooked. I loved getting characters POV of the story - including Caleb’s. The chapter are short, but give you all the elements needed. This was a slow burn, but also a page turner. My thoughts on the character’s changed as I got to see each of their chapters. The book was a little predictable, but there still were a few twists I didn’t see coming.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this book on one of my Facebook groups and I was intrigued. I was let down though. I found this very predictable and no particular twist that made it anything new or surprising. I did find it very easy to read with the switching perspectives although I found it weird that all of the multiple perspectives were written in 3rd person except Caleb where it is told in 1st person and his pov as a 5 year old didnt come across as a child’s perspective. It kind of threw me off. I think the hardest part for me to get onboard with were the decisions the main character (and mother) Jillian made. It was so unrealistic and made her extremely unlikable. I saw that there is a sequel, so even though I was disappointed with this one, I am still curious on how to author continues the story.

[Hannah Beard · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one took me a minute to get though because I just couldn't get into it. The story sounded interesting but then once I started reading it, I just got really annoyed with the characters. Jillian is the main person I was irritated with. Like who invites someone over whom they just met, never even met in person, and forgets all of her responsibilities! And then to top it off decides to go away for the weekend and leave her 5 year old with a babysitter whom she has never met either because this new friend "has known her forever and trusts her?" Talk about a terrible parent!

Painful is the only way I can describe getting through this book. The writing was bad and the story was just ridiculous.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jillian is a stay at home mother to five year old Caleb. Now that he’s in school, she finds herself a bit bored. She downloads an app to help her make friends and meets Madison, and the two quickly become friends. Everything changes when Madison invites Jillian and her husband Asher to her lake house for the weekend.

This book was fast paced and kept me wanting to know what happened! However, as a mother myself, I found a lot of the choices Jillian made to be really unbelievable. I enjoyed this book, but had a hard time moving past some of those choices.

Thank you to Mikaela Bee for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[The Humble Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book on a Facebook book club and so many people said they enjoyed it. I read the description of the book and decided it sounded good enough. I decided to download it from kindle and I was hooked.

The Prologue drew me in, the rest held me tight and didn't let me falter till the very end. The book was fabulous! There are a couple of inconsistencies and a few mistakes I saw but its easy to just move on and read.
I took off one point because I still have questions that weren't answered.
If I had to put this in a category, I'd say Suspense, Mystery. Not a thriller.
Would I recommend? Absolutely 💯💯.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hardly ever write reviews but this one lol wow the story would have been good just your run of the mill thriller, decent characters, etc but I felt like I was reading a high school students paper. I imagine the writer is very young and immature. She hasn’t had children and she definitely hasn’t had any run ins with law enforcement. As a fictional work it is VERY FICTIONAL and unrealistic to the point of laughter. It was a nice story just very immature and seems like she could have done with an editor or better back up to tell her these things to make it great.

[2manybooks2littletime · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting of the story sounded incredibly beautiful and I wished I could visit the island….until the craziness started….

For me, the choices that Jillian makes are so unrealistic as a mother. I think that might have been the hardest part for me to come to terms with in the story. Her reactions to what happened on the island were also quite subdued considering the enormity of it. I did figure out the huge twist that comes near the end, but man is it a good one!!

The concept of the storyline is genius and I loved it. I just wish that the guts of the story were more believable.

[Nicole Fortuna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unbelievable from the start

I almost DNF this book but skimmed through it just to see if maybe my first impression was wrong. It wasn’t. The writing is elementary and there was zero character development. It had so much potential but it was pretty obvious from the beginning exactly what was going to happen. I’ve heard the sequel is better but I’m not sure I can give that a chance just yet.

[Stephanie Affinito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book (and the sequel) because it was set in a town just a few short minutes from my own home. I’ve enjoyed Lake George for many years and could imagine the island this book was based on. This book was incredibly propulsive and I found myself reading as fast as I could to see what would happen. At a few points, I found myself wondering how realistic this storyline could actually be, but it didn’t matter. I was all in.

[Erin Nudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes place in Lake George, close to me. I first became aware of The Lake House when someone called out the author for the fact that there is no Lake George police department like there is in the story, ha. I moved this up my to read list when I saw the author will be doing a signing locally, so I could have it done before. Read it in two days. Exactly what you'd want from a weekend at a lake house thriller.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to look past the poor writing and disjointed POVs and enjoy the novel, as it takes place in Lake George, where I summer, and has an interesting plot. I was going to give this 3 stars until I finished, and now give it a 1. The ending was terrible, and the police scene was so unrealistic and unprofessional. I mean, has the author seen or read any crime media? The characters were also so dumb, like Jillian, she is such a bad mother with so little intuition she should be locked up herself.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book feels like it was written by a high schooler. I felt like I was reading a group of teens Facebook posts. It did not at all, feel as though I was reading from an adults/parents perspective. Could not finish it, got to chapter 21 and skimmed the rest of the book to find out what happened. Disappointed as I was excited to read this being from Burlington and growing up in the ADK, this could have been based anywhere with the lack of world building.

[Nicole Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. The cover alone was what grabbed my attention for this but reading this was just as amazing. I did like the different points of view. That Madison girl though, let's just say I will most likely never get on any mom apps now lol. I give this author many points for this book. Thank you so much for this book, you did fantastic.

[Melissa Pate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really gripping read all the way through. The effective use of foreshadowing reeled me in, and excellent character development kept me invested. There were plenty of shocking twists! A very satisfying ending, too. First book I've read in awhile that I really enjoyed reading from beginning to end.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Holly Bullock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time

This book had so much potential but the writing is awful. Characters aren't developed, story line is rushed, several inconsistencies throughout, and just some very unrealistic dialogue. The premise for the book was actually good, and had it been developed, would've been a great read with some good twists. But the author just didn't get it done.

[Elizabeth VanHorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to come across a local author, I love supporting local! This also had local vibes given being set in local areas around where I live which was interesting and creepy at the same time :) it was a simple fast paced twisted thriller! Madison is a very
Crazy individual and won’t quit till she gets what she wants!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book! I could not put this book down! I'm a pretty hard reader to please as I can usually guess what the twist is...not in this book! You think you know what's coming, but you have no idea! I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend it!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this author. I loved the suspenseful and chilling read. She knows how to create the right ingredients of a psychological thriller. A friendship that turns into a nightmare. I recommend all her books.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good story. however. I had a problem with the son. A five year old boy is not going to be talking and thinking as say a 12 year old would. I feel he was presented as an older child and not as a mind of a 5 year old child. Overall I did enjoy the book.