The Other Side of Forestlands Lake

Published Nov. 27, 2020 by Bella Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-64247-164-9

(2 reviews)

As kids, best friends Willa Dunn and Lee Chandler spend every summer together at the idyllic Upstate New York community of Forestlands Lake, nestled in the foothills of the Taconic Mountains. During the summer before they turn sixteen―just as the two are discovering that there might be something more to their friendship―a tragic accident befalls Willa’s family and without warning, Willa and Lee's world is torn apart. Twenty-five years later Willa is a successful author of the young adult ghost stories she loved to read as a child. She returns to the lake looking for a writer’s retreat and an opportunity to connect with her troubled teenage sister, Nicole. Lee, now a single mother to her wise-beyond-her-years teenage daughter Maggie, is the director of the summer camp on the other side of Forestlands Lake. Before Willa and Nicole even have the chance to unpack, their plans are upset by a …

As kids, best friends Willa Dunn and Lee Chandler spend every summer together at the idyllic Upstate New York community of Forestlands Lake, nestled in the foothills of the Taconic Mountains. During the summer before they turn sixteen―just as the two are discovering that there might be something more to their friendship―a tragic accident befalls Willa’s family and without warning, Willa and Lee's world is torn apart. Twenty-five years later Willa is a successful author of the young adult ghost stories she loved to read as a child. She returns to the lake looking for a writer’s retreat and an opportunity to connect with her troubled teenage sister, Nicole. Lee, now a single mother to her wise-beyond-her-years teenage daughter Maggie, is the director of the summer camp on the other side of Forestlands Lake. Before Willa and Nicole even have the chance to unpack, their plans are upset by a mysterious young girl, a near drowning, and a surprise reunion. Soon Willa and Lee are working to protect the girls, reconcile their past and unearth the secrets surrounding Forestlands Lake―putting old ghosts to rest once and for all.

1 edition

Cheri reviewed The Other Side of Forestlands Lake by Carolyn Elizabeth

Review of 'The Other Side of Forestlands Lake' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

Okay I stuck it out to the end. I really wish this book had been something completely different. I loved the ghost story part. Loved it. It was engaging and interesting and if the whole book would have been focused around the deaths and hauntings and the mystery, I very likely would have given it five stars.

But that's not what it was. It was also a second-chance romance and a potential romance for two other characters AND a ghost story/mystery. It was legitimately too much ensuring none of the parts were done to the level they probably should have been.

I ended up really disliking Lee, not feeling great about Nicole and Willa, and not caring at all about Maggie. I liked young Lee and Willa but grown up Lee and Willa's relationship was too fast and too much to believe. There was no reconnecting and too many issues …

Okay I stuck it out to the end. I really wish this book had been something completely different. I loved the ghost story part. Loved it. It was engaging and interesting and if the whole book would have been focused around the deaths and hauntings and the mystery, I very likely would have given it five stars.

But that's not what it was. It was also a second-chance romance and a potential romance for two other characters AND a ghost story/mystery. It was legitimately too much ensuring none of the parts were done to the level they probably should have been.

I ended up really disliking Lee, not feeling great about Nicole and Willa, and not caring at all about Maggie. I liked young Lee and Willa but grown up Lee and Willa's relationship was too fast and too much to believe. There was no reconnecting and too many issues with basic communication to believe the insta-love after 25 years, even with their teenaged almost-love in the past.

I'm also reading [b:Gallows Humor|44195405|Gallows Humor (Curtis and Reynolds, #1)|Carolyn Elizabeth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569173174l/44195405.SX50.jpg|68733233] and loving it. So maybe this was just a blip for me. We'll see how my continued relationship with Carolyn Elizabeth's writing goes.

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Nov. 20, 2021

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