The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Scare Factor: 💀
Plot: 📕📕
Format: 🎧
POV: Third

🕊️ ➞ Tropes:

👻💀Paranormal💀👻
👹Demonic Forces👹
⚔️ Known Killer ⚔️


🕊️ ➞ Progress Notes & Initial Thoughts:

This was so anticlimactic, I wanted to scream.



This book makes you think it’s a slasher then turns into a survival novel as three girls shift from place to place trying to outrun whoever killed their camp director. BUT WAIT, it ended up being a ✨ supernatural ✨ plot.



God, this ending sucked.




🕊️ ➞ Summary Breakdown & Commentary:

The story opens up with Claire on a boat beside two other late-arrival campers, one of whom mercilessly flirted with the boat driver, Jack. When they reached the lake, Jack left the girls on the banks and sped away.



Claire learned quickly that the other two girls’ names were Marianna and Reyva. The former having been the flirt. Marianna was described as materialistic but also a great mechanic/closeted MacGyver. She reminded me of Sarah Michelle Geller’s rendition of Daphne Blake in Scooby-Doo 2. Reyva was pessimistic and monotone. Not sure if her background wasn’t explored, or I was too uninvested to remember, but I barely remember anything about her besides her negativity. I know so much about Marianna because the character never stopped talking.



Anyways, the girls came upon the lake house burnt to the ground. Nothing but debris and ash. They couldn’t find anyone. No campers or counselors. No bodies.



Sus..

In the woods, they found the body of the camp director they met earlier on. She’d been shot. Panicked and not knowing what to do, the girls began to try to survive in hopes someone would come looking for them. Fearing whoever killed the director, the girls kept moving from place to place to not be an easy target.

During their trek, the girls ran into an elderly, crazed man. Said man was soon shot and killed by some military-looking man with a gun. They began running away when they heard a boat approaching. They headed to the docks and were ecstatic to see Jack. While running from the gunman, the girls tried to explain the situation to Jack as they tried to get back to the boat. Right as they were about to reach the boat, the gunman attacked Jack and stole the boat – leaving them stranded.

As the group tried to find shelter and help Jack, the girls were shocked the hear they were on an island. WHAT? How do you NOT know that?!



You took a boat there. Did you not look out at your surroundings? Didn’t you see that the camp was in an area DISCONNECTED from any other piece of land??





Later, after many filler chapters and pointless bantering, we learned that the old man was the camper that went missing during camp’s final summer. Turned out that all three of the teens were the children of the ones who abandoned the camper in the woods as a sacrifice to a demon. Yes, I said it. Demonic…. Sacrifice….



Okay, cool. So just a possessed island and possessed old man running around crazy. Perfect. Sounds great. Add the plot twist that said kids forgot about what happened at camp as soon as they left.



MOVING ON…

It’s revealed that this entire thing was a scam, the camp never reopened. The camp director was the girlfriend of Jack’s dad, his dad having been the man with the gun. Turned out Jack’s dad began to feel a pull to the island, the demon needed a new sacrifice and possessed the father. In a rage, the father killed his girlfriend. Jack brought the girls there to exchange them for his father.



The ending was so anticlimactic for such a build-up! I will never get those precious listening hours back.

The girls ended up getting off the island and leaving Jack behind. Once off the island, like their parents, they forgot about what happened there. However, after some self-probing into their memories, they were able to remember Jack and go back for him. They vanquished the demon, don’t ask me how. I don’t remember.




🕊️ ➞ Character Thoughts:

I wasn’t crazy about the main character, Claire. She was whiney, in my opinion. I related to her anxiety disorder but I felt that her inner monologue was very whiney and defeated. Didn’t provide much to her character development either. Marianna reminded me of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s rendition of Daphne Blake.





She was very girly and materialistic while also knowing her way around cars. Definition of don’t judge a book by its cover.

Revya was very pessimistic and monotone. I wouldn’t say she was uncaring but you could tell she tried not to panic or let the fear get the better of her. She reminded me a lot of Audrey Plaza




🕊️ ➞ Closing Thoughts:

The Lake House was an okay read. Something to listen to as I did chores and during my commute. This novel wasn’t a true slasher. I’d say it’s more of a paranormal/psychological thriller. There wasn’t a killer picking them off, or a sightings of a monster in the woods. Two-thirds of this novel was about moving around the island and fending off the wilderness. Not what I signed up for, but curiosity got the best of me. Might be worth a read if you need something to read to pass the time.

If you’ve read The Lake House, comment your thoughts below!

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