The Lake by Natasha Preston
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⭐ The Lake by Natasha Preston — 3⭐ Review (Slowburn Summer Camp Thriller)
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
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Bullying
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Graphic animal violence/death
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Physical abuse
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Emotional abuse
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Murder and gun violence
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Fire/burn injuries
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Child neglect
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Psychological manipulation
☕ First Impressions (aka My Opening Rant)
So, The Lake immediately reminded me of The Last Time I Lied because… well… summer camp + trauma + secrets + returning years later = apparently the universal starter kit for thrillers 😅
I fully accept that camp settings are popular — isolated woods, cabins, lakes, teens without parents, secrets galore. Fine. BUT… if you want to use a familiar sandbox, you better build a fresh castle, you know?
I was into it at first… two friends (Esme and Kayla) return to the camp where something horrible happened years ago, and the past is catching up with them. Fun setup, good mood, creepy vibe.
Then…
😴😴😴
The pacing slowed to a crawl.
Like… a slow paddleboat on a lake with one broken oar.
I’m talking dozens of chapters where the plot is basically:
“Is Lillian alive?”
“Is Lillian stalking us?”
“Should we call the police?”
“Nah, let’s not.”
And you just watch these two tiptoe around the same emotional territory for a very long time.
The ONLY reason I kept going was because readers online kept screaming about how mad they were at the ending, and your girl is a sucker for controversy. 🤣
❗ SPOILER WARNING ❗
This review contains full plot spoilers and the full ending — you’ve been warned!
🏕️ The Setup: Secrets at Camp Pine Lake
Esme and Kayla return to Camp Pine Lake as counselors-in-training. They’re supposed to have a carefree summer with swimming, bonfires, and kids who forget their bug spray. But they’re haunted by a secret from 10 years earlier:
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As kids, they started a small fire in the woods
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They met Lillian, a runaway with major issues
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Lillian showed them a deer head (…and you thought camp crafts were bad)
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Kayla pushed Lillian and she fell into the fire
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The girls ran away and never knew if Lillian survived
So now they’re older, back at camp, and trying very hard to pretend this decade-old disaster is not about to blow up in their faces.
But guess what?
IT BLOWS UP IN THEIR FACES.
🌲 Slow Build, Creepy Notes, Weird Noises
Strange things start happening at camp:
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Weird notes fall out of Kayla’s pockets
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Someone carves warnings into the cabin
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Cigarette butts appear on camp grounds
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Someone leaves a knife in the door
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Esme thinks she keeps seeing Lillian watching from the woods
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An inflatable water toy is sabotaged
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There are stalking incidents, flashing lights, and photographs taken of them
Meanwhile, the camp director Andy is like:
“Let’s not call the police because reputations matter.”
Sir. Children are involved. A knife is literally in a door. At least call a park ranger, my dude.
But okay.
🧠 Esme’s Paranoia vs Kayla’s Denial
Esme is spiraling with guilt and paranoia. Kayla insists:
“We didn’t do anything wrong. Lillian is probably fine. Please chill.”
Spoiler: Lillian is NOT fine.
Rumors swirl that maybe Rebekah, another counselor, is involved. Esme begins to suspect Rebekah is communicating with Lillian or knows more than she lets on.
Esme sneaks into Rebekah’s cabin, overhears phone calls, finds drawings of fires, and becomes convinced Rebekah is a messenger or accomplice.
Meanwhile, Esme starts bonding with Olly, who (plot twist!) says he was there the night of the fire too, and he regrets not helping Lillian. But even Olly feels suspicious because every single person in this camp seems like a red herring.
Then there’s the dead deer carcass hanging like a horror movie set piece — very on theme for Lillian’s hobby interests.
Kayla’s anxiety gets worse. Esme’s judgment gets worse. Andy still won’t call the police because… camp spirit?
🔥 When Things Finally Escalate
Esme confronts Rebekah again, who eventually admits she HAS helped Lillian with small things but regrets it now that Lillian is escalating.
Esme and Kayla sneak into town to research Rebekah’s family and get more info, but honestly, this whole middle portion felt like Scooby Doo without the fun. A LOT of creeping around in pajamas.
Kayla and Esme eventually follow Lillian into the woods, where she holds them at gunpoint and reveals:
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She survived the fire
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She has lived with horrible burn injuries
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Her family suffered emotional and financial devastation
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She believes Esme and Kayla walked away without consequences while she lived a nightmare
This part is genuinely emotional — not because the writing is deep, but because the motivation at least makes sense.
Lillian tells Kayla:
“Either you kill Esme or I kill you.”
This is extreme but consistent with Lillian’s long-held rage.
Esme distracts them, pushes Kayla into Lillian, and runs back to camp, hoping the adults will finally intervene.
Police arrive.
Rebekah is panicking.
Andy finally realizes, “Oh, maybe I should have called 911 six chapters ago.”
🔫 The Ending: Chaos, Gunfire, Body Count
Lillian reappears and kills Olly, Rebekah, and Kayla.
Yes, Kayla dies, after all that denial.
Lillian leaves Esme with the gun — which is a weird symbolic handing over of guilt and responsibility — and disappears into the woods. When Esme is found, she is alive, traumatized, and holding the weapon.
Police don’t shoot her, thankfully, and the chaos ends there.
We never see Lillian arrested on-page, which is a little anticlimactic, but okay.
🤷♀️ My Take
Is the ending outrageous? I don’t think so. I’ve seen way worse YA thriller endings. But I also came in with low expectations because people online were so angry, so maybe I was emotionally prepared.
My real complaint is pacing.
This book spends too long circling the same questions and emotional beats. The middle chunk is a swamp of repetitive suspicion, creeping around, and paranoia that could have been condensed into half its size.
However, the final confrontation is fun, and the reveal that Lillian survived and orchestrated everything is satisfying enough.
So:
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Not terrible
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Not great
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WAY too slow in the first two thirds
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Solid for YA readers who love creepy summer camp atmospheres
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Just don’t expect breakneck thriller momentum
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
🌟 Who Would Like This?
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YA thriller readers
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Fans of isolated summer camp settings
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Anyone who enjoys a slow, suspenseful burn
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Readers who like psychological guilt + claustrophobic atmosphere
📚 If You Liked “The Lake,” Try:
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The Last Time I Lied — Riley Sager
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The Girls Are All So Nice Here — Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
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The Cabin — Natasha Preston
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Camp So-and-So — Mary McCoy
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I Know You Remember — Jennifer Donaldson
All creepy, atmospheric YA or domestic suspense with secrets, guilt, and dark campy vibes.
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