For the month of January, I chose to read The Lake. The Lake is a 384 page mystery thriller written by Natasha Preston, which takes place somewhere in Texas during summer time. Where we see two childhood best friends, Esme and Kayla, return to there beloved summer camp, Camp Pine Lake as CITs, even though they both share a gut-wrenching secret from ten years ago when they were campers there, and absolutely no one (besides them) knows. All is fun in the sun with Esme and Kayla, meeting new friends to chill with, and new boys to crush on seems amazing, but when mysteriously bone-chilling (and awfully strange) events start to happen at camp, all CIT’s, counselors, and the head owner, Andy, are put on edge. Especially Esme and Kayla, as the threats seem to be linked to their dark, awful, and unforgivable, secret from ten years ago. As Natasha Preston writes, “the lake never forgets…”
I definitely recommend this book because the whole story keeps you on edge the whole entire time. Chilling cliffhangers are at the end of every chapter, and extremely crazy plot twists are never too far ahead. This book really makes you think about how well you know a person, and how much trust can you put into someone. If you don’t prefer predictable endings/books then this is the one for you. Trust me, when I was reading it, I had no idea where this book was going to possibly end up, my mind was racing with the possibilities of even the next chapter. If your like me, you’ll be excited to hear that this book has super short chapters (I think the longest chapter was five pages), so you will never get bored. This book has love, betrayal, heartbreak, death, murder, mystery, horror, friendship, and basically everything thrilling in a book wrapped up into one, singular book.
My favorite character, of this book, has to be Esme because she is respectful, loyal, and clever. One piece of evidence that shows that Esme is respectful is, “It would set off the anxiety in Kayla that she’s fought so hard to get under control…It took years of therapy for her to get where she is now. That could all be undone if I’m not careful.” (Page. 287-288). This shows that she’s respectful because instead of Esme revealing to Kayla about a dangerous person being in their cabin for a few minutes, Esme keeps that in because she is afraid it will upset Kayla. Showing that Esme respects Kayla’s feelings/mental well-being (and wanting Kayla to have fun/be happy) instead of ranting/getting the new secret of her chest, and sharing the new horrifying news with Kayla.
My favorite quote from The Lake is, “…it’s ok, though, because I just realized I would do anything to protect you.” (Page 355). This is my favorite quote because it showcases the massively strong friendship that Esme and Kayla share together. Even after Kayla betrayed Esme, almost getting killed together, having multiple arguments, being friends for more than ten years without drifting apart, and many more events, they still will always be there for one another, and love each other (platonically). It’s just paints a universal theme that some friendships can get through anything together (if your friends with the right people). Even a murderous summer camp won’t do the trick.
