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    A Week at the Lake
    A Week at the Lake
    A Week at the Lake
    Audiobook10 hours

    A Week at the Lake

    Written by Wendy Wax

    Narrated by Amy Rubinate

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Twenty years ago, Emma Michaels, Mackenzie Hayes, and Serena Stockton bonded over their New York City dreams. Then, each summer, they solidified their friendship by spending one week at the lake together, solving their problems over bottles of wine and gallons of ice cream. They kept the tradition for years, until jealousy, lies, and life's disappointments made them drift apart.

    It's been five years since Emma has seen her friends, an absence designed to keep them from discovering a long-ago betrayal. Now she's in desperate need of their support. The time has come to reveal her secrets-and hopefully rekindle their connection.

    But when a terrible accident keeps Emma from saying her piece, Serena and Mackenzie begin to learn about the past on their own. Now, to heal their friendship and their broken lives, the three women will have to return to the lake that once united them, and discover which relationships are worth holding on to.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 23, 2015
    ISBN9781494579746
    A Week at the Lake

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    Reviews for A Week at the Lake

    3.5/5

    42 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Another good one by Wendy Wax.
      Looking forward to the next book.
    • 3/5
      Good read for when you don't want to think too hard. I figured out the catch pretty early on, though.
    • 3/5
      Like many other readers who figured out the mystery of the plot at the first early clue,I would have welcomed the exchange of the too brief "Christmas at the Beach" bonus storywith this repetitive and improbable 2/3 too long novel. Very disappointing after the wonderful Beach novels.Also, frequent mention of the racist Gone with the Wind highlights a stunning lack of diversityexcept for the stereotyped Russian nurse.
    • 5/5
      Totally different from what I thought this book would be about. It got so good when it went in the opposite direction then just woman hashing it out on a lake for the week. I don't want to give anything away but it was a good read. And then you get an extra Novella at the end of my favorite people from Wendy Wax's great beach renovation series!
    • 3/5
      This book had a good storyline, but I found the characters unrelatable, and it was very hard to get into it.
    • 4/5
      Emma and her friends are to meet for a week at the lake after a five-year hiatus. Unfortunately Emma is hit by a car landing in a coma followed by amnesia. As her friends look after her and her daughter they learn what it means to be friends again and also how important honesty is to their friendship.While this was not her best book, I enjoyed the friendship of the women and how close they came to losing it, both with Emma's accident and the revelation of secrets. Emma's mother is a piece of work but I felt sorry for her as she had so little of substance in her life. Everything was a show for appearances. I knew the big secret from the beginning of the book as well as other secrets later revealed. The secrets were clichéd. I still enjoyed her story telling though. She made me care.
    • 3/5
      Pretty good book, a chick read for sure. I really enjoyed it. I would recommend to other readers who can't resist a drama filled read ;)
    • 4/5
      I have enjoyed all of Wendy Wax's books and this one is no exception. Three long time friends - Emma, Mackenzie and Serena - plan to spend a week together at Emma's lakeside cottage. This will be the first time that they've been together in five years and Serena and Mackenzie don't know why Emma has pushed them out of her life but they intend to find out. Before they can get to the lake, there is a horrific accident and the bonds of their friendship are tested. The book is about secrets and lies and hurt feelings but most importantly it is about the bond of friendship that women have for each other. This is a fantastic summer read and one that you don't want to miss
    • 2/5
      I found it very predictable.
    • 3/5
      Emma, Serena, and Mackenzie have been best friends since college. Every summer they have gathered at Emma's family's lake house to catch up on life and relax. But, the last five years, these friends haven't been in touch with each other at all and there haven't been any gatherings at the lake house. Then out of the blue, Serena and Mackenzie receive an invitation asking them to come to the house this summer. Emma has a secret she can no longer keep and has chosen to get her friends together to celebrate her daughter, Zoe's, 16th birthday and unbeknownst to Serena and Mackenzie, finally share her secret. When Serena and Mackenzie are on the way to the lake house, they get a text that Emma was in an accident and she is now in a coma. Both of Emma's friends try to understand why she invited them now, while hoping they get a chance to find out.The beginning of the book moved along quickly. I enjoyed getting to know Emma, Zoe, Serena, and Mackenzie and their history together. Since Emma and Serena are famous actresses, it added a bit more to the story including Emma's estranged family and the paparazzi that surrounded the hospital. There was some climatic moments after the accident while waiting to see if Emma would ever wake up. Frankly, once the story moves to the lake house, the pace of the novel slowed down and I, just wanted to get to the big reveal of the secret, which wasn't revealed until the last fifty pages. I was pretty sure I knew what the secret was and I was correct. Most of the novel is quite predictable including the romance piece. But, I still found reasons to continue reading and enjoyed the banter with the characters. Each of the characters are flawed and you will be able to relate in some way to their situations. Of course there is a happy ending even after the betrayal is revealed. The reader is reminded that telling the truth is more important than trying to protect friendships. A WEEK AT THE LAKE is a great light read for tucking in your beach/pool bag and reading under the sun.Side note: I love the cover. It says summer and relaxing and is a perfect image for the story.Favorite Quote: "There was no room on her life raft for the oversize emotions that swamped her."
    • 5/5
      Emma, Mackenzie and Serena met when they were all starting out in New York City. Emma is the daughter of a well-known acting family and lives in California with her daughter Zoe; Mackenzie, a fashion designer, married Adam and moved to Indiana to run a community theater; and Serena still lives in New York City, voicing a caricature of herself named Georgia Goodbody. They have always met for one week every summer at the lake cottage that Emma was left by her grandmother - up until five years ago, when Emma stopped asking them to come.But this year, Emma wants to resume the tradition, and, the day they are set to leave Emma has an argument with Zoe that results in an accident and Emma being left in a coma, with Mackenzie and Serena constantly at her side.Serena, damaged by a relationship that should have materialized and never did, now only dates married men: the premise being the men aren't worth having anyway. Mackenzie, who has been relatively happy living in Indiana, has had her life turned upside down by the fact that her husband Adam has finally seen interest in one of his screenplays and is over the moon at seeing it possibly bought by Hollywood, which would mean great changes. Emma, before the accident, realized that she needed to confront her friends and share with them a secret she has hung onto for years, terrified by the fact that it could change all of their lives forever.I didn't know what to expect reading this book, but I absolutely loved it. Of course there were aspects I didn't really agree with (is it ever okay to sleep with someone else's husband?) but none seemed to detract from the pleasure I derived in it. I felt for Emma, who was 'divorced' from her parents and estranged from her siblings, people for whom acting was their life blood and far more important than she ever could be in their lives; not understanding why she didn't strive as deeply as they did for the top prize. Mackenzie had spent her entire life in Adam's shadow without ever knowing it, her love and desire for him showing through ever fiber of her being, happy to be his second-in-command, and even expecting it. Serena, tough as nails New York style, never allowing herself to become involved with anyone in order that she might lay herself open to the raw, blistering pain she felt when her first love, Brooks, deserted her at the last minute in order to remain in Charleston and marry another local Southern belle.While Emma lies in a coma we are treated to the strong friendship Mackenzie and Serena have for her, and each other; and the love they have for Emma's daughter, Zoe, who is lost and devastated by what has happened with her mother. When they finally do make it to the lake we watch as they navigate their time together, with Mackenzie's insecurities about Adam bubbling to the surface, and Serena's refusal to look at her life and see things she never wants to look at; we watch Emma's recovery and her struggle to remember exactly what it is she wants to reveal to them.I think that we know what it is long before Emma remembers, but it doesn't matter, we need to watch, and hope, that everything will turn out alright - Emma will help Zoe navigate life as she returns to hers; Serena will finally become the woman she was always meant to be; and Mackenzie will pull herself from Adam's shadow, realize she will always love him but refuse to remain an added fixture to his personality. It is a book that shows us what happens by wanting the best for those you care about; and the strength of friendship after tragedy and betrayal.I have to say that I enjoyed Nadia's character; it gave some much-needed comic relief (a Russian weight-lifter turned nurse). This book is well worth reading, both for fans of Wendy Wax and those who have never read her before - it is a great starting-off point. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      Southern author Wendy Wax, returns with her anticipated summer read, A WEEK AT THE LAKE, a story of estranged friendships, family, betrayal, and dark secrets. Three women, best friends more than twenty years ago: Emma Michaels, Mackenzie Hayes, and Serena Stockton, spending their summers dreaming of the bright lights and future in New York City. They always spent a week together in the summer at the lake. Until their tradition was broken and their lives drifted apart. However, they were not forgotten. Emma grew up among Hollywood royalty, a child actress. She divorced her parents at a young age and lived with her grandmother. The cottage at the lake was a special gathering place for Emma's friends, where they bonded each summer in Manhattan. Emma has not seen her friends in over five years and she has invited them to the lake to reunite, which is shocking to the others as they do not have a clue why the distance. Emma has her own agenda. Someone will have to confront their feelings, a betrayal. Emma needs her old friends. Someone has a secret. A betrayal. A mistake. In order to heal their past friendship, they will need to reunite at the lake once again and decide if their friendship is worth the time and effort. However, before she can come forward, she is in a terrible accident which prevents her from talking to the old friends. As they arrive in Manhattan, they discover Emma is in the hospital and her daughter, Zoe is waiting for them at the hospital. Flashing back and forth while Emma is in a coma, we learn about each character and their lives leading up to the present.Mackenzie’s husband Adam is in LA with meetings about his screenplay. They have lived in Indiana and work with a small theatre, and she writes a blog about being married without children. She has made the best of her life, without a child. Adam was her life, while he acted in plays and she tried to break into fashion. (She seems very insecure). Serena an actress, plays a cartoon character; however, she has experienced loss with her old love, Brooks and she currently is not making the wisest of choices. Did Brooks choose the safe route and will he come back into her life? After all the secrets are unraveled, there are decisions to make as lives are involved. Can they get past the betrayal, heal, and move on? I have read most all of Wendy Wax's books, a long-time fan, and a lover of her Ten Beach Road series (Florida settings, design, talented gals) ; so much fun, and hopefully the next in the series, coming soon! I was hoping for more, with this book, as the front cover draws you in. However, my two least favorites, happen to be this one and While We Were Watching Downtown Abbey. The novel did not hold my attention as prefer the southeast settings- Wax’s strong suit. I did not feel particularly connected to any of the characters; overall story seemed long and drawn out—possibly due to the narrator, Amy Rubinate, which I did not care for, as her voice was quite annoying. I would recommend reading the book, not the audiobook. Cannot wait for the next in the Ten Beach Road series!