The Other Side of Forestlands Lake by Carolyn ElizabethThe Other Side of Forestlands Lake by Carolyn Elizabeth is a mystery and ghost story with a second chance romance in the background.

Best friends Lee Chandler and Willa Dunn spend every summer together at Forestlands Lake. This idyllic community is home to permanent residents, families vacationing for the summer, and a children’s camp. The summer camp closes after a young girl goes missing and is never found.

The summer before Lee and Willa turned 16, they discover that what they feel for each other is more than platonic friendship. After a tragic accident befalls Willa’s family, they leave Forestlands Lake without warning. Willa and Lee’s relationship is torn apart just as it’s beginning to take shape.

Twenty-five years later, Willa is a successful author of a young adult paranormal series. Looking to connect with her troubled younger sister, Nicole, she brings her to Forestlands Lake. Her plan is to repair their relationship, work on her next novel, and perhaps look up the woman who had captured her young heart.

Lee is the director of the summer camp on the other side of Forestlands Lake. With the help of philanthropic donors, she’s refurbished the old camp and turned it into a safe place for LGBTQ youth. She’s also the single mother of a teenage daughter obsessed with her favorite author, Willa Dunn.

As soon as Willa and Nicole arrive, strange occurrences begin to happen. Nicole seems to be the only person who notices a little girl who appears out of nowhere. Nicole hears mysterious footsteps along the lake that Willa can’t hear, and Nicole begins sleepwalking.

As Willa and Lee rekindle their relationship, they find themselves working to protect the girls and come to terms with the events that upended their past. Forestlands Lake is shrouded in old ghosts, and it’s time they were put to rest.

The Characters

Willa and Lee have a very easy chemistry. Seeing them as teenagers working out their feelings for each other is very tender. The author does a great job fleshing out their characters so when the book jumps ahead 25 years, it’s easy to see how well they still work as a couple. Of course, they have issues they need to resolve, but they definitely feel like authentic versions of their teenage selves.

Willa’s sister, Nicole, and Lee’s daughter, Maggie, are lovely side characters. Their friendship loosely mirrors Willa and Lee’s relationship when they were young. Willa and Nicole trying to repair their relationship adds another unexpected layer to the story.

The Writing Style

The book begins 26 years before the present day, and the author lays a genuinely creepy foundation in which the narrative can unfold. The events of the past are more ominous because they involve children. The author uses great descriptions and innocuous little details to give the community surrounding the lake a disturbing personality. This is a nice juxtaposition with the giddiness Willa and Lee feel over being reunited.

My Favourite Parts

I enjoyed the way the author made Willa’s sister, Nicole, come to life. Everything from her dialogue, wardrobe choices, behavior, and body language is spot on teenage girl. Having been one and raised two, I say this from experience.

Cons

There were a couple of places where it felt like the author had to take time to explain to the reader what had just taken place with supporting dialogue from the characters, as if the reader wasn’t savvy enough to pick up on it. Those instances pulled me out of the story.

The Conclusion

I enjoyed losing myself in a paranormal story. I’m pretty set in my ways about sticking to the romance genre, but this was a nice change of pace. It reminded me of when I was addicted to stories and movies that gave me goose bumps. The book is well paced, and it’s spooky enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck without making you need to sleep with the lights on.

Excerpt from The Other Side of Forestlands Lake by Carolyn Elizabeth

Across the lake was a pier with a girl at the end, standing on the bottom rung of the safety railing and waving. She was too far away to see her face clearly, but somehow Sasha knew the girl was smiling and waving at her.

She shielded her eyes and waved back, smiling and wondering if in another life they could be friends. Maybe they already were and she didn’t know it. No, she would know if she had a friend with hair that light. The other girl’s head turned at a shout from behind her and she continued to wave for another moment while she walked backward down the pier. Then she turned to catch up with a woman and an older girl walking away along the road parallel to the water.

A gust of wind brought with it the smell of cigarette smoke and Sasha scrunched up her nose looking around for the source. She heard a sizzle of wet sparks and the squeak of rubber and lap of water. Peering into the tree line at the water’s edge she spied the dark green, inflatable boat.

“Hi,” a soft voice called to her.

“Hi,” she whispered back, brushing her dark hair out of her face, cocking her head this way and that to get a look at the speaker.

“What’s your name?” the friendly voice asked.

“Sasha.” She answered and stepped closer to the trees, seeing a flash of eyes and white teeth through the branches. “Do you go to camp here?” she asked.

“Sometimes, Sasha,” the voice answered. “Do you?”

“I’m only eight. Next year I can come.”

“I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends. I don’t have a lot of friends.”

“What are you doing here?” Sasha asked.

“The last day of camp is always so fun and no one ever notices me, so I like to just be somewhere out of the way and watch.”

“No one is paying attention to me either. Is that your boat?”

“No, but I’m allowed to use it. Would you like to see it? Maybe we can be friends.”

“Yes, please.” Her mother would be proud she remembered her manners. Sasha took the offered hand and stepped into the boat.

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Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 978-1642471649
  • Publisher: Bella Books
  • Carolyn Elizabeth Online  

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Note: I received a free review copy of The Other Side of Forestlands Lake by Carolyn Elizabeth. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site