Review of ‘The Other Side of Forestlands Lake’ by Carolyn Elizabeth
Ok, I’m not the bravest person out there. And by that I mean, my courage can be measured in grams or milliliters, not kilos or liters. In fact, why I was ever a devoted X-Files fan is sometimes surprising to me. And for those lingering X-Philes out there, this lesbian mystery paranormal book is a treat with even a reference to my beloved series in it!
Willa Dunn and Lee Chandler spent the summers at the Forestlands Lake community in Upstate New York. Inseparable, and just about to explore more than friendship, their lives are separated by tragedy the summer before their sixteen birthday. A quarter of a century later, now famous author Willa returns to the community looking for a writer’s retreat and time with her estranged sister, Nicole. Once there, she reconnects with Lee, who is the director of a summer camp on the other side of the lake and lives there with daughter Maggie. Together they must unearth the community’s secrets and lay old tragedies to rest.
I really enjoyed this book. The descriptions are great and suck you right into a ghostly atmosphere. Now, this is not horror but was enough for my brave self to talk to the book. You know, ‘don’t go there’, ‘that’s not a good idea’ kind of talking. The community’s setting around the forest and lake and the disjointed cabin owners offer an abundance of immediate suspects and frightening places.
Elizabeth’s best skill as an author, besides dropping the word maggots nonchalantly, is her ability to write great chemistry. We all fell in love with Thayer and Corey, and although this is more in the mystery category, Willa and Lee’s chemistry was palpable from the beginning. The adolescent version was sweet and full of promise, paving the way to an adult version that picked up where they had left off seamlessly, yet with a bit of reality at missing the past 25 years of their lives. Maggie was a smart, sensible, and sweet adolescent. Nicole’s character is complex and at times not personable, but her journey is vital to the story and the author did a fantastic job at balancing it so the end result is a likable teenager…or you know, a teenager.
The mystery and paranormal aspect of the story was also well done. I don’t want to
get into it as to not add spoilers since the book’s blurb was pretty circumspect. There are a mysterious disappearance and a death, and then some paranormal events as the story unfolds. It was suspenseful at times when I wasn’t gasping or cringing.
Overall, an excellent mystery/paranormal story with a sweet romance in the background. This one was a page-turner for me at a time not many stories have kept me engaged. 5 stars
ARC generously provided to me by the author and BB via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Other Side of Forestlands Lake
Ok, I’m not the bravest person out there. And by that I mean, my courage can be measured in grams or milliliters, not kilos or liters. In fact, why I was ever a devoted X-Files fan is sometimes surprising to me. And for those lingering X-Philes out there, this lesbian mystery paranormal book is a treat with even a reference to my beloved series in it!
URL: 5 stars, Abuse, Ghosts, Nature, Writer
Author: Carolyn Elizabeth
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