One Night at the Lake by Bethany Chase ~ My Thoughts #OneNightAtTheLake

One Night at the Lake by Bethany Chase
Print and e-book, 289 pages
Published June 18th 2019 by Ballantine Books

Past and present collide in an atmospheric mystery about two best friends and the man whose lake house means something different to them both--from "a great new voice in fiction" (Emily Giffin).

This is the moment that Leah Tessaro has been waiting for: her boyfriend, Ollie, is taking her and her best friend, June, to his family's lake house for a week of lazy summer bliss, boating and barbequing. Leah can feel in her bones that this vacation will be the moment he finally proposes. And she can't wait to share that joy with June, whose presence will make everything feel more real.

Seven years later, the moment June Kang has been dreading has finally arrived: her fiancé, Ollie, is taking her to his family's house on New York's Seneca Lake. But this is not an ordinary house, on an ordinary lake; it is haunted by June's long-buried memories of her lost friend, Leah, and by all that Leah meant to the man June loves more than anything.

Alternating between the two women's vibrant voices, one in the present and one trapped in the past, Seneca Lake explores a complex tangle of friendship, loyalty, and betrayal, all driving toward one question: what exactly happened to Leah on that hot summer night?

   

My thoughts about One Night at the Lake ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"I dream about her all the time, you know. It's always the same dream."

Leah and June are best friends. Leah is hoping that Ollie will propose. Then seven years later Ollie is taking his fiancé, June, to his family's lake house for the weekend. It's the first time that June has been to the lake since the night that changed everything. Who is to blame for what happened? We find out about that weekend and what everyone is going through now by June's and Leah's alternating timelines and perspectives, as the tragedy of the past slowly unfolds.  

I actually read this book a while ago but I still think about it and what happened to these three people that one night on the lake. This is definitely a story that will stick with you, just like it did me.

I received a copy of One Night at the Lake from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

A native of Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains, Bethany Chase headed to Williams College for an English degree and somehow came out the other side an interior designer. The craftsmanship and creativity that surround her in the design world are a continual inspiration for her novels, which include USA Today Bestseller The One That Got Away, Results May Vary, and the forthcoming One Night at the Lake (June 2019). She lives with her husband and son in New Jersey. ~ Amazon

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Results May Vary by Bethany Chase, a Guest Post, and My Thoughts

Results May Vary

Results May Vary by Bethany Chase
Print and ebook, 336 pages
Published: August 9th 2016 by Ballantine Books

She never saw it coming. Without even a shiver of suspicion to warn her, Caroline Hammond discovers that her husband is having an affair with a man—a revelation that forces her to question their entire history together, from their early days as high school sweethearts through their ten years as a happily married couple.

In her now upside-down world, Caroline begins envisioning her life without the relationship that has defined it: the loneliness of being an “I” instead of a “we”; the rekindled yet tenuous closeness with her younger sister; and the unexpected—and potentially disastrous—attraction she can’t get off her mind. Caroline always thought she knew her own love story, but as her husband’s other secrets emerge, she must decide whether that story’s ending will mean forgiving the man she’s loved for half her life, or facing her future without him.

Compassionate and uplifting, Results May Vary is a bittersweet celebration of the heart’s ability to turn unexpected troubles into extraordinary strength.

My thoughts about Results May Vary ~~ 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—'There are these two little words I know, that we all know; we learn them so early that we can't remember when we did. They have a gravitational attraction to each other, I would say; the one word love, and the other word story. 'Cause you can have a story without love, sure; but when it comes to the kind of love you fall in, whether it's a slow glide or a blind plunge over the edge ... you can't have a love without a story.'

Results May Vary is an intriguing story about a woman who finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about her perfect life with a man she has know for more than half of her life. Her husband's affair with another man is only the beginning of the secrets that she discovers he is keeping from her. As she tries to make sense of it all and to get on with her life, she finds out that being by herself is a very liberating feeling. 

Bethany has written an amazing story that has us experiencing the thoughts and emotions that Caroline thinks and feels as she journeys through the steps to heal her heart and soul. Results May Vary was a wonderful, enjoyable read that kept me drawn to it from the very first words. 

Bethany Chase and the Importance of Art

The art world setting of Results May Vary, like the architectural backdrop of my first book, The One That Got Away, came from my own personal background. My love for art has its earliest origins in my upbringing in a family of artists—my mother, father, aunt, great uncle and great-great-aunt were not only talented artists, but were celebrated within our family for being so. Visual creativity, and the appreciation of it, are in my DNA.

That being said, though, it took a long time for me to realize how much art really meant to me. I was a writer, and then an English major, with a soft spot for pretty old houses. And then, my junior year of college, I went to Europe for the first time. I spent the year studying among the golden spires of Oxford, and traveled from there to London and Paris and Rome and Florence, where I prowled some of the finest art museums in the world, and I fell in love. Standing in the Indian and Islamic galleries in London’s Victoria & Albert museum, staring dumbstruck at the richness of pattern and color on display everywhere I looked, I felt something catch fire inside me that hasn’t gone out since. I came back from my year abroad and, since I’d managed to finish nearly all the requirements from my English major in my three first years of school, I took seven art history classes in my senior year. Indian & Islamic art; East Asian art; Egyptian art; a two-part introductory survey of Western art; medieval European art; 18th & 19th century European art. I devoured everything I could get my hands on; and then, belatedly, considered how I might go about trying to get a job in this field I loved so much.

It wasn’t until several years later that, while still trying to channel my obsession with art and color and pattern into a viable career, I discovered through interior design classes that I did have some artistic talent of my own, after all. But, very much like Caroline, I know that talent is modest; and the need to create art for its own sake has never pushed at me. I am quite happy to study it and marvel over it and interpret it and feel it, the way it was meant to be felt. And now, as an author, it gives me deep delight to tap into that passion and meld it to a story I can share with readers. It is something that I hope my books will always do.

About the author

Writer of love stories, designer, and eternally hopeful A-cup. Author of USA Today bestseller The One That Got Away and the upcoming Results May Vary.

“A warm, witty, and wise novel, The One That Got Away announces the arrival of a great new voice in fiction.” — Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only.

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Release Day: Results May Vary by Bethany Chase

Happy Release Day!!

Results May Vary

Results May Vary by Bethany Chase
Print and ebook, 336 pages
Published: August 9th 2016 by Ballantine Books

She never saw it coming. Without even a shiver of suspicion to warn her, Caroline Hammond discovers that her husband is having an affair with a man—a revelation that forces her to question their entire history together, from their early days as high school sweethearts through their ten years as a happily married couple.

In her now upside-down world, Caroline begins envisioning her life without the relationship that has defined it: the loneliness of being an “I” instead of a “we”; the rekindled yet tenuous closeness with her younger sister; and the unexpected—and potentially disastrous—attraction she can’t get off her mind. Caroline always thought she knew her own love story, but as her husband’s other secrets emerge, she must decide whether that story’s ending will mean forgiving the man she’s loved for half her life, or facing her future without him.

Compassionate and uplifting, Results May Vary is a bittersweet celebration of the heart’s ability to turn unexpected troubles into extraordinary strength.

About the author

Writer of love stories, designer, and eternally hopeful A-cup. Author of USA Today bestseller The One That Got Away and the upcoming Results May Vary.

“A warm, witty, and wise novel, The One That Got Away announces the arrival of a great new voice in fiction.” — Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only.

Connect with Bethany

Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase

The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase

Print and e-book, 352 pages

Published March 31st 2015 by Ballantine Books

Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, this bright, funny debut from a fresh voice in fiction offers a delicious take on love, family, and what it means to build a home of one’s own.

Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She’s well on her way to having the family she’s hoped for since her mother’s death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer — and former flame — Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina’s life takes an unexpected turn.

Eamon proves to be Sarina’s dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices — and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life — and in love.

Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Away is the story of one woman’s discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind.

My thoughts about The One That Got Away ~~

The One That Got Away is an entertaining, emotional read. Sarina has it all, a great job and a devoted boyfriend. When a guy from her past comes back into her life, she realizes that her relationship with her boyfriend just may be missing the passion that true love is supposed to be all about. She struggles with what she wants and what should be the "right thing" to do.

I loved all the different relationships in the story and the author does a great job of making those all believable. First up is the relationship between Sarina and Eamon, pretty intense let me tell you, but what a thoughtful, great guy Eamon is. Then there's Sarina's roommate, Danny. He's a hoot and calls it like he sees it. Sarina and Noah - nice guy but seems rather spoiled to me. I think the one that pulled on my heartstrings the most was Sarina and John, her stepfather. They really had a wonderful relationship and that is the one that got pretty emotional for me. I love it when an author can pull me into a story so much that I become emotionally involved with the characters and what they are going through.

The One That Got Away is Bethany's debut novel and she definitely has a hit on her hands. I am excited to see what else she has up her sleeve. Great job, Bethany!

About the author

I'm a women's fiction author, interior designer, and eternally hopeful A-cup. My debut novel, The One That Got Away, was published in March 2015. 

“A warm, witty, and wise novel, The One That Got Away announces the arrival of a great new voice in fiction.” — Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only.

Connect with Bethany

 Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!