Hi guys! Today on the blog, I'm partnering with SparkPoint to review a great summer read, which I read and personally really liked, and that's The Lake Effect by Erin McCahan! So without further ado, here's the book info and my review for you to enjoy:
Title: The Lake Effect
Author: Erin McCahan
Publisher: SparkPoint/Dial Books
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 400 Pages
Publication Date: July 11th, 2017
Summary: It’s the summer after his senior year, and driven, focused Briggs Henry is ready to leave behind his ex-girlfriend, his comically aggressive grandmother, and his parents’ money troubles for Lake Michigan and its miles of sandy beaches. He’s lined up a summer job working as a personal assistant and living in a gorgeous Victorian on the water—exactly the kind of house Briggs plans to buy his parents once he’s a multi-millionaire. But when he arrives, his boss, the eccentric Mrs. Bosic, tells him to get dressed for her funeral. Uh . . . It’s the first of many funerals they’ll attend this summer—to hilarious and eye-opening effect. Add to this a new set of friends-cum-enemies-cum-friends-again, and Abigail, the mysterious girl next door on whom Briggs’s charms repeatedly fail, and “the lake effect” is beginning to take on a whole new meaning.
I received an ARC of this book for the blog tour in exchange for an honest review, and I'm honestly so glad that I did. I didn't know what to expect when I received it, other than the fact that I knew it was a novel about a guy in a summer lake town doing work for a little old lady. I didn't know if I'd even like the story at all, but the summary had me interested, and I decided to take the leap and sign up for the tour. And like I said, I'm glad that I did, because The Lake Effect ended up being one of my favorite beach reads for this summer!
As the summary explains, Briggs just graduated high school, and now he's about to spend his entire summer working for an old woman named Mrs. B, who lives in a beach house on the lake. (Lake Michigan, to be exact.) While he's spending his summer there, he meets some unconventional people and does some pretty interesting (and also slightly strange) things, such as attending lots of funerals (and not for the sad reason you may think), playing volleyball, painting (and repainting, and repainting, and repainting...) rooms, fixing appliances, and making some new friends. This book is a balance between a carefree summer, working hard, making some interesting friends, and yes, there's even a little bit of tragedy thrown into the mix. There's a lot going on in this book -- but it keeps you hooked the whole time.
As for what I liked about the book, I felt that it was the perfect fit for a summer read (which I've already said a million times in this review, but that's only because it's true). Briggs may not have the most perfect life, but like he says, "Everything is better at the beach." He spends his summer before college making some new (and slightly unconventional) friends, including the adorable Mrs. B. (who I talk more about below), doing lots of work, going to a lot of funerals, and even having some tragedy strike while still managing to make the best of things.
There were also a lot of funny moments in this book, such as Briggs's dad's terrible jokes and the occasional banter between Briggs and Abigail. There were several moments while I was reading this book that I sat back and laughed at something that was going on. I feel like this book was the perfect blend of lighthearted, adorable moments that are key to a beach read, while also having some serious (and sometimes even downright emotional or sad) moments that keeps the book from becoming entirely fluffy and sweet. (Don't get me wrong, though -- fluffy and sweet books are also some of my favorites.)
My favorite character in the entire story was definitely Mrs. B. She was so cute, and really funny with her accent, and even though sometimes she was a bossy old lady telling Briggs what to do, she ended up being such a sweet and grandmotherly figure, and every time that Briggs mentioned that she was smiling big and wide, I found myself smiling too at the thought of it. I just love cute old ladies, guys. Especially happy, loving, cute old ladies. So it goes without saying that she was definitely my favorite character in the entire book. She was just so dang adorable, and the things she said -- both because of her broken English and just because of her personality) made me smile.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Lake Effect. It was a great summer/beach read (since I literally read it on the beach!), and I tore through it so quickly and couldn't put it down. If this book isn't on your TBR, I encourage you to check it out, because you definitely won't regret it! I finished it in a little over a day, because some of the chapters were super short (literally a page or two in length), so it definitely contributed to my "one more chapter" syndrome that I tend to have. But hey, it paid off, because I got a good story out of it!
I'm so glad that we were able to be a part of this tour, and The Lake Effect was definitely a summer read I'll be recommending to my friends. I'm really glad that this was the book that I officially kicked off summer with!
As the summary explains, Briggs just graduated high school, and now he's about to spend his entire summer working for an old woman named Mrs. B, who lives in a beach house on the lake. (Lake Michigan, to be exact.) While he's spending his summer there, he meets some unconventional people and does some pretty interesting (and also slightly strange) things, such as attending lots of funerals (and not for the sad reason you may think), playing volleyball, painting (and repainting, and repainting, and repainting...) rooms, fixing appliances, and making some new friends. This book is a balance between a carefree summer, working hard, making some interesting friends, and yes, there's even a little bit of tragedy thrown into the mix. There's a lot going on in this book -- but it keeps you hooked the whole time.
As for what I liked about the book, I felt that it was the perfect fit for a summer read (which I've already said a million times in this review, but that's only because it's true). Briggs may not have the most perfect life, but like he says, "Everything is better at the beach." He spends his summer before college making some new (and slightly unconventional) friends, including the adorable Mrs. B. (who I talk more about below), doing lots of work, going to a lot of funerals, and even having some tragedy strike while still managing to make the best of things.
There were also a lot of funny moments in this book, such as Briggs's dad's terrible jokes and the occasional banter between Briggs and Abigail. There were several moments while I was reading this book that I sat back and laughed at something that was going on. I feel like this book was the perfect blend of lighthearted, adorable moments that are key to a beach read, while also having some serious (and sometimes even downright emotional or sad) moments that keeps the book from becoming entirely fluffy and sweet. (Don't get me wrong, though -- fluffy and sweet books are also some of my favorites.)
My favorite character in the entire story was definitely Mrs. B. She was so cute, and really funny with her accent, and even though sometimes she was a bossy old lady telling Briggs what to do, she ended up being such a sweet and grandmotherly figure, and every time that Briggs mentioned that she was smiling big and wide, I found myself smiling too at the thought of it. I just love cute old ladies, guys. Especially happy, loving, cute old ladies. So it goes without saying that she was definitely my favorite character in the entire book. She was just so dang adorable, and the things she said -- both because of her broken English and just because of her personality) made me smile.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Lake Effect. It was a great summer/beach read (since I literally read it on the beach!), and I tore through it so quickly and couldn't put it down. If this book isn't on your TBR, I encourage you to check it out, because you definitely won't regret it! I finished it in a little over a day, because some of the chapters were super short (literally a page or two in length), so it definitely contributed to my "one more chapter" syndrome that I tend to have. But hey, it paid off, because I got a good story out of it!
I'm so glad that we were able to be a part of this tour, and The Lake Effect was definitely a summer read I'll be recommending to my friends. I'm really glad that this was the book that I officially kicked off summer with!
Erin lives in Columbus, OH, with her husband of over 14 years, Tim, and is a member of Sons and Daughters in Touch, SCBWI, Intertel and Mensa. She is also a certified Peer Mentor for an organization called TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). When she is not writing or taking walks with her husband, she can be found in any number of local coffee shops having chai and long conversations with friends.
We'd like to once again thank SparkPoint for allowing us to be a part of this amazing blog tour! When they reached out to me and offered me this book to review, I knew that it was going to be the perfect summer read for me. Since I spend so much time at the beach, I was looking for a new book to bring along with me, and this one was definitely it!
It was so great to be a part of this blog tour. I hope that you all add The Lake Effect to your TBR and put it towards the top of your list for upcoming summer reads!
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