When I read the description of Harrow Lake I knew I had to pick it up: After her horror film director father is brutally attacked, Lola Nox returns to her missing mom’s hometown to stay with a grandmother she didn’t know existed. The setting for her father’s most famous film and a place where time doesn’t seem to move, Harrow Lake is shrouded in secrets and superstition. Lola learns from the locals that there’s something wrong with the town and it isn’t long before she starts to experience strange occurrences herself; will she be one of the lucky ones to make it out or will she get swallowed up like so many others before her?

This story is set up really well and has all the makings of a good spooky read. I don’t know if it’s the quality of the description or just the fact that there are lots of references to film but it’s very cinematic and you can see how easily it would translate to the screen. The concept is original and engaging, and the characterisation of Lola is excellent. I’ve read other reviews that complained about how often she uses the word ‘Optimal’ but it’s clearly included on purpose to show <spoiler> how deeply controlled she is by her father, so much so that it permeates all of her thoughts. I enjoyed her character arc and how she finally took control of her own mind at the end enabling her to beat her demons. <\spoiler>

My only issue was that there were some plot holes and loose ends which was a bit of a shame as it was all set up so well but didn’t come together as neatly as I’d hoped. It’s quite a quick read so the author definitely could’ve added more to some of the storylines which improved the book as a whole. Also I’m still unsure in some parts of what was real and what was imagined, and perhaps that’s intentional with our unreliable narrator, but I personally prefer things to be more clear cut.

Overall though Harrow Lake is a great scary story that truly gave me chills - I wish I hadn’t read it at night but I couldn’t put it down!

An incredible book, I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish and it was impossible to put down. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone

3.5 stars. A great book with a solid premise, but perhaps I'm not the target demographic (I think I'm too old!), because I feel the novel could have been pushed further. There were some really interesting ideas peppered throughout, which I felt could have been 'used' more, but I did like the setting (Harrow Lake) and I did read all the way to the end. Would recommend but for a younger audience than myself!

‘Harrow Lake’ is a surprisingly effective and at times very creepy young adult horror novel. Given the target audience, I wasn’t expecting anything that was going to unsettle me, but actually this got to me on more than one occasion. It’s not perfect, but when it’s good it has a lot to recommend it, especially some really disturbing imagery.
This being YA, the protagonist is a teenage girl, Lola. She’s the daughter of a notorious horror movie director, Nolan Nox, who made a star of her mother when he filmed his most famous film, ‘Nightjar’, in her home town of Harrow Lake. Years later Lola travels to stay with her grandmother in the town when her father is brutally attacked.
Things get creepy fast. Kat Ellis’ depiction of a small town middle America that is stuck in past is both entertaining and subtly critical. The residents of Harrow Lake are obsessed with the film that their town famous, as well as with a mining disaster decades earlier that claimed scores of lives. Through in a batty grandmother, an inappropriate local man who drives Lola about and some authentically disturbing local folklore and you’ve got the makings of a decent horror tale.
Ellis clearly knows a bit about the genre and the number of movie references is a lot of fun. That fandom seeps into the rest of the book as well and the result is definitely gripping, but can feel a bit derivative at times. ‘Harrow Lake’ is a bit like a YA mash up of Marisha Pessl’s novel ‘Night Film’ and ‘The Wicker Man’. That works fine for about 85% of the book, but unfortunately the ending let it down for me. As is often the case with this kind of thing, the reality of what has actually been going on doesn’t match the promise of the build up.
It’s a fun book though. Definitely one to stick in the hands of any teenagers you might know who have an interest in the genre, and a fine way to while away a few hours for old adults too.

Harrow Lake confused me, I both liked it and felt like I didn’t know what I was reading at times. Lola had potential as a character but you never quite feel you know her enough to like her, you wonder why she’s so willing to dress up like her mum, let the locals think she’s a character from her dads movie and how much of the myth is true? It’s an intriguing read and tries to be a tad Wicker Man meets Stephen King but the author forgot to take us somewhere worth getting to. Would I read it again, no but was it worth a first read- yes......see confusing!!

Well written and enjoyable book, I couldn’t put it down.

The writing style is engaging and I was transported to another time which was a welcome reprieve from every day life!

I honestly don't know how to feel about this book. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. I just wish she'd stop saying optimal.

I absolutely loved this book. From the style of writing, the characters and the strangeness of Harrow Lake. I found it utterly gripping and could not put it down, and the ending! Five stars from me.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lola Nox is the daughter of a famous horror filmmaker and when the father is brutally attacked, she has to leave New York and stay with the grandmother she never met in the creepy town of Harrow Lake, where his father's most famous film was made. But there is something weird about the town and Lola must figure out quickly what it is, before it gets her too.

I really enjoyed this book! Lola was a relatable character and I was cheering for her the whole time. I really like books with a fast pacing and it made me want to read more. The only thing that stopped me were the long chapters, but that's a personal preference.

The side characters were well-rounded and the vivid descriptions really set the creepy tone of the novel.

I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a YA thriller about finding themselves and chasing monsters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.

This is a well written mystery book but for some reason I just struggled to identify the characters and get absorbed in the story. I'm sure it's a great book but it just wasn't for me.

This book was amazing. I loved how as the book progressed everything became darker and creepier. The uncovering of secrets and the doubt these left in Lola's mind made the book just fantastic. The shocking revolution of the end just blew me away. The conclusion of the book left me happy and overall satisfied.

Tropes and cliches are such for a reason, but Kat Ellis is a master of reinvention whilst keeping that comfortable familiarity that we know and love from thrillers.
Harrow Lake takes you back to a simpler time, strips back all the bells and whistles that seem to be so popular these days to give you an atmospheric, genuinely creepy tale.

I am a huge fan of Stephen King, so when the reviews suggested this was one for us SK fans -in I went. Teenager Lola lives a restricted yet affluent life with her horror film director father in New York. Her mum disappeared when she was a child - it's just the two of them and her dad's rather strange Mr Fix It man. But when Lola's father is attacked in their apartment and hospitalised she gets shipped off to live with her maternal grandmother in Harrow Lake. The town (with scant mobile reception) is where her parents met while mum starred in dad's film of the same name. The town is eerie and Ellis brings to life a magical setting that reminded me of Stranger Things meets Alice in Wonderland - nothing and no one are who they seem.
There is a satisfying ending which i didn't see coming. I understand the author usually writes for the YA genre, but Harrow Lake was an absolutely perfect and satisfying read for this middle aged woman! Very clever, extremely gripping and will leave you with the rather scary Mr Jitters living with you for sometime after you have reached The End.

Really enjoyed reading this creepy page-turner, very descriptive on both setting and atmosphere. Lola, the daughter of a famous horror film director, gets sent to stay with her estranged grandmother in Harrow Lake, when her father is in hospital after being stabbed. The town where her dad’s cult horror film, Nightjar was filmed and her mother’s home-town. Lola hasn't seen her mother since she was five and whilst there tries to find out more about her mother’s disappearance. I liked the style of the interview transcripts but would have liked a bit more on Lola and a conclusion for Carter in the ending.

Gripping, dark and twisted story. Lola shipped to a grandmother she's never met after her father is attacked in his own home. The town of Harrow Lake has a dark history and it's where her father made a film with Lola's mother as the star. Then she disappeared?
Really enjoyable read.

Harrow Lake is an unexpected, stunning novel bringing together themes of grief, coming of age and trauma. It wasn’t what I was expecting and was clever and unique. 

I had no idea what was going to happen. I loved the mystery around Mister Jitter’s - who or what it was - and I didn’t see the ending coming. There was a creepy atmosphere permeating the entire way through the story. Everyone was acting strangely, and I didn’t know who to trust. Not one to read with the lights off! 

The protagonist was so well developed and felt like a real person. Her POV was so well written and I could feel her personality leaping off the page. The other characters were also great - all having unique personalities that shone through. One thing that bugged me about Lola was her use of the word optimal. Everything seemed to be described that way, and it got tedious quickly. 

Overall, apart from the optimal annoyance, I really enjoyed this one. The author has an incredible and addictive voice with a talent for creating an atmospheric environment. Will definitely check out other work by this author.

I really wanted to love this having been hooked by the blurb, but found it was just ok.
I liked the Harrow Lake setting and how everything was a bit creepy and sinister and built up to put the reader on edge.
But unfortunately I didn't really like any of the characters, the ending was predictable and felt rushed and there were some parts where I wondered what the point of something happening was as it wasn't resolved in the end.
It was also very annoying that Lola kept saying everything was "optimal"
Overall it passed some time, but I wanted it to be amazing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my copy in return for my honest review.

This YA horror is the perfect spooky treat for these dark nights. It's an easy, breezy, creepy read (yes, it can be all those things at once) combining a homage to classic horror with a little touch of coming of age YA fiction.

Our protagonist, Lola Nox, is the daughter of film director Nolan, whose most famous movie <em>Nightjar </em>is set in Harrow Lake. Her relationship with her famous father is fractious but he's her only constant, so when she comes home one night to find he's been stabbed her life is turned upside down. </p>
Things are thrown off-kilter further when Lola is sent away from her New York residence while her Dad recovers, to live with her grandmother on her mother's side who she's never met in - you guessed it - Harrow Lake.

Harrow Lake is a small, strange rural town which has an immediate sense of having been left behind by the modern world - Lola can barely even get phone signal in her new location. Even the clothes the townspeople wear feel outdated, and everyone is of course obsessed with <em>Nightjar</em> - there's even an annual festival to celebrate the town's proud piece of horror tourism, which Lola arrives just in time for.

t's also the place where Lola's mother, Lorelei, grew up, before she landed the lead role in <em>Nightjar</em> and escaped the claustrophobic small town life for a new life as a glamorous actress with winning director Nolan. Until she walked out on the family when her daughter was very young - something Lola has never truly worked through or had an explanation for.

So we have a creepy town, stuck in the past, obsessed with a classic horror movie and even older horror stories about the town itself. Coupled with a young girl away from home for the first time, desperate for the truth about her mother's disappearance years ago and her father's recent attack. Plus, a creepy grandmother, a local love interest and an ancient legend of a town monster who haunts the caves in search of his next meal...

That's all I'm going to say on the plot, but for me Kat Ellis brings together all these elements brilliantly. The small-town tension is present throughout, and Lola's teenage cynicism balances out the simmering sense of darkness lurking beneath. As mentioned, there's the typical YA love interest, but for me this is subtle enough that it doesn't get in the way of the plot - in fact it's more a tool for Lola's character development, demonstrating how inexperienced she is spending time with boys her age.

Our protagonist goes on a journey from a sheltered, privileged teen to someone haunted by family secrets and monsters than lurk in the shadows, and it's great to read with some truly creepy moments. There's the classic sense of not knowing who to trust, including Lola herself as the story gets darker.

In short, while this book didn't necessarily blow me away, it did everything it needed to do and maybe a little more - it's creepy, captivating and a thoroughly enjoyable read around spooky season.

The premise of Harrow Lake was very intriguing. Lola Nox is the daughter of a famous horror film director and she thinks nothing can scare her but then she find her father lying on the floor of their apartment bleeding from a stab wound. Lola is unsure if he is going to survive and before she can find out she is sent to stay with her maternal grandma in Harrow Lake.

The villagers are obsessed with her father’s most famous film which was shot in their town. They also have some disturbing local legends, unexplained disappearances and are determined to stay stuck in the 1920’s.

Lola is bogged down with worries about her father, residual anger over her mother leaving years before, and confusion over her grandmother’s strange behaviour towards her. Some of the locals have been less than friendly and someone or something strange is watching her every move.

In general I try to be sensitive to the author’s feelings when I write a review but one thing I do have to say is that the word ‘Optimal’ was so overused by Lola that I felt like I was going to scream if I saw it one more time. It was so annoying that a chapter or so in I had almost decided to give up on the book. It was only sheer boredom that convinced me to continue.

It felt like the book was trying to be too many things at once. I loved the story of Mr Jitters and the legends, and I also loved the connections to the film. The book fell flat for me in terms of the other avenues it pursued which I won’t mention as I don’t want to spoil the plot for future readers.

I did think that the Bone Tree was an amazing addition to the book and was definitely a highlight.

I read the whole book in the end and I can even say I enjoyed some but its not one I will be buying.

Kat Ellis' newest novel has had a real buzz this spooky season. Harrow Lake is the story of Lola, daughter of a famous film director who ends up returning to the site where his most famous horror film was set and filmed, and which is haunted by a classic horror figure, Mr Jitters.

Harrow Lake self consciously draws on classic horror tropes and builds its own internal world of horror reference. Ellis builds a brilliant fictional repertoire of horror films and weaves in recognisable references to ground this. It is a pacy, and times deeply creepy novel which will compel you to find out just what has happened to Lola. The structure of the novel, opening with an interview and flashing back is a clever approach which keeps you wondering and guessing.

Lola is an irritating and pretty unlikeable character but this makes her perfect for the novel. What kid of a famous director kept isolated from the world wouldn't be a bit odd? You might not like Lola but you definitely come to see things from her point of view, and understand why she has become the person she is, so you can't help but root for her.

At times the story was a little predictable - and while this was quite satisfying that you solved the 'mystery' it did make it feel slightly inevitable and like you were just waiting for Lola to catch up. In addition to this the references to 'optimal' behavior were a little on the nose. Perhaps the trajectory of the story would have been less obvious if Ellis had made this a bit more subtle.

However, it is still a gripping read, and ideal for this time of year. If you like horror, and horror tropes, Harrow Lake is your next read.