Lake Thirteen

Full review can be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews and its sister Young Adult site Greedy Bug Book Reviews.Every now and again a book comes along that blows me away. I admit that I don't read a lot Young Adult stories but I am a fan of this author so I was eager to read Lake Thirteen and what a ride it was. Five teens and their parents meet up at Mohawk Lodge and Resort on the shores of Lake Thirteen in upstate New York for an annual vacation, a trip that has been taken with the three fa [...]

Yet another great young adult book by Greg Herren. This mystery follows Scotty and his friends on a vacation to a mountain lodge that's more popular in the winter. As such, they are the only guests there. After visiting a cemetery on the road, the five teens start to experience paranormal activities around the lodge. And Scotty can't help but feel a connection to deceased Albert Tyler, whose grave he found. The story that follows brings the kids on a frightening journey, which might put them and [...]

I have always had a weakness for ghost stories, and this story played into my weakness perfectly. A nicely developed, creepy story that does a great job developing atmosphere without being simply a blood and gore sort of tale. The plot is well developed, and I found myself quickly drawn into the characters both in the present and in the past. Not a terribly heavy story despite the tragedy. It is a perfect young adult book for summer.

Review Taken From The Pewter WolfScotty is dreading this holiday. Every year, his family go on holiday with two other families (friends of his parents). Scotty, who has just come out, is scared of how his friends will react and is worried about leaving his boyfriend behind. So when the five teens decide to make a late night visit to a graveyard close to their cabins, they don't realise that something might awaken and takes an interest in Scotty*takes deep breath* I am in going to write the pros [...]

By now you probably know I love young adult fiction with a paranormal twist, and have a thing for ghost stories or stories that blur the present day with another time. All of that is present in Lake Thirteen, and the end result was me staying up late last night as I got through the last few chapters of the book, tapping madly at my e-reader screen to make it to the end and find out it everyone would make it through alive.Lake Thirteen is absolutely another successful young adult tale from Herren [...]

(nb: I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley)Scotty Thompson is about to enter his Senior Year. He has all the usual problems of boys that age: facing one more year of high school, working a summer job, and trying to find time to see his beloved.Oh, one more thing: Scotty has just come-out to his parents as gay. His parents took the news well, and have been supportive. His boyfriend, Marc, lives with his virulently anti-gay father, so Scotty has to play straight [...]

Scotty is a teenager who has just come out to his parents. Prior to going on an annual vacation with two other families that Scotty and his parents do every year, Scotty also comes out to his lifelong friends over email. Scotty is really nervous about how those friends are going to react during this vacation because no one replied to his email. Shortly after arriving, Scotty finds out that his friends still think he's the same Scotty.Staying at a resort in a small historical town in upstate New [...]

Via onlectus/2013/08/I am having a hard time trying to understand where all the 5 star reviews for this book come from. The damn story is sooooo boring!Yes, this is a ghost story, but it is also a coming out of the closet one. Scotty is gay and just came out, so he is having anxiety issues wondering how his friends are going to react to the news. Which is very odd because, at one point, he says that they are not really close and they are not really his friends. They just meet once a year, spend [...]

this was a great book! it was scary and also sad!i got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. this book is about a guy named scotty. he is gay. He never told anyone this before except for this summer. he finally told his parents and unlike lots of family s they were really supportive. They didn't want him to tell anyone at school because they didn't want him to be bullied. Scotty had a best friend who was also gay, but he couldn't tell anyone because his dad was different [...]

4 Heart Review by DanScotty and his family are off for their annual “family” vacation with two other families that they have been vacationing with Scotty’s whole life. The three sets of parents all met while attending college together and have been friends ever since.The previous year they vacationed on Sanibel Island, this year for some strange reason they are vacationing in the mountains of New York on a lake which is totally out in the boonies. It wasn’t Scotty’s parents turn to pic [...]

4 1/2 HeartsReview written for MM Good Book ReviewsScotty and his family are heading to a remote resort for the annual holiday with two other families, a tradition that has happened every year since the adults were in college. This year Scotty came out to his friends via e-mail and he doesn't know how they will react. During a late night visit to an old cemetery something happens, and Scotty and his friends find themselves unraveling a secret that has been hidden for nearly a century.This is a w [...]

Rather Be Reading YAI received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was intense and scary from start to finish. I love horror movies, and they rarely scare me aside from a jump or two, but I almost couldn't go on reading when Scotty and his friends were exploring the cemetery. I was that afraid of what they were going to find.The overall story was great, although it wasn't hard to guess the outcome once a few pieces of the puzzle were revealed. I liked that Carson [...]

*A free digital copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*I struggled a lot with reading this book. It was too boring and uninteresting and had it been 300 pages long, I probably would have put it down around 20% in.Every aspect of Lake Thirteen was just so flat and dry. The characters were my main issue; Teresa, Rachel, Logan and Scott were so stereotypical that even their responses to the situations reinforced their particular stereotype. They were given no room for eith [...]

Book Review originally published here: iheartreading/reviews/Lake Thirteen is a ghost story and paranormal mystery that offers fluent writing, interesting characters, and a worthy plot. Three families take a trip together each summer, to a location shown at random. This summer, it’s a remote resort in the mountains of upstate New York, named Lake Thirteen. Scotty, our main character, is nervous about how the other teenagers will react to him, as he just outed himself as being gay. Unfortunatel [...]

3.5 Stars from me!What starts out as a joke between a group of teenagers ends up becoming something even more serious than that when they upset ghosts that are haunting the lake they are vacationing at. I do have to say that the parts of the story that involved the ghosts were written extremely well. Even when it came to describing how cold the wind felt, I almost had shivers running through my body.While this was an interesting book to read, it seemed like it was extremely predictable as to how [...]

Lake Thirteen was a very quick and enjoyable read. I did like the characters. I really felt for Scotty in his anxiety about coming out to his friends. I thought the subject was handled very well. I think the way the other kids took the news really reflects the changing attitudes of today's youth. That was nice to see. I enjoyed the mystery and the reincarnation possibility in the story line. The only thing about the book that I wish was included was an epilogue that wrapped up Scotty's boyfriend [...]

Another great teen mystery from this author!I'm so in awe of Mr. Herren's writing style. I love that he can write such a lovely love story without erotica and still convey the depth of love one gay teen can have towards another.The mystery of this story was intriguing and I loved how it freaked everyone out but touched the heart of Scotty and his friends as they stumbled their way through to finding the truth.This is how story telling should be told.

Considering I don't read much in the way of YA fiction or ghost stories, I quite enjoyed Lake Thirteen. It provided spooky fond memories of my own childhood summer vacations in the Adirondack Mountains. The mix of genres - paranormal & coming-of-age - puts an interesting twist on each, raising the stakes dramatically for the likable teens who investigate a possible haunting.

A typical YA novel where the adults are pretty much absent. The mystery was a bit predictable. The first person POV wasn't too bad, but the ending was wrapped up VERY quickly. I did enjoy the characters and would like to see their continuing adventures. There was also some odd tension between two of the characters that was never really explained. Just a minor point I would have liked resolved.

Honestly, I was expecting a typical horror story, with vampires or zombies. However, there's nothing typical about this story. It is more of mystery, than a horror book. Some frightening moments thrown in though. If you're looking for a Stephen King-type tale, this isn't for. But if you're interested in a unique mystery, this is a good choice.

This was a nice quick read that kept a good pace. Ghosts and cemetaries are the main topics. Kinda creepy and spooky. There is a underlying story about gay teenagers but it works together with the rest of the story. Overall, a fast paced scary story.

A smart, interesting, emotionally complex ghost story with a heart of gold. Truly enjoyable, and more than a little scary in places. I'd have been ecstatic if the story had been three times longer, and would happily read more with these characters.

another great YA fiction from Greg Herrend spooky as well. I love the way this man writes!

Great book!