Home › Family Favorite Kids Books › Lake Life

Lake Life

by Tanya Boteju

A summer of pretend romance and tangled friendships

Regular price $19.77 USD
Regular price $32.96 USD Sale price $19.77 USD
Save 40%

Hardcover New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

A summer of pretend romance and tangled friendships

Spruce Lake gives Maya and Gabe very different reasons to feel out of place: Maya is back at a cabin tied to her painful confession to longtime friend Rashida, while Gabe has been sent there by her mother and wants little to do with the outdoorsy town. Their fake-dating plan is meant to serve both of them, but protests, a watchful community, and shifting romantic feelings complicate the arrangement. The setup connects queer teen romance with questions about unrequited love, friendship, and the assumptions people bring to both. The lake-town summer setting also puts the characters’ private plans in the midst of a community that keeps getting involved.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teen readers interested in LGBTQ+ romance.
  • Readers who enjoy fake-dating premises and love triangles involving longtime friendships.
  • Readers looking for a summer-set story with environmental protests and a small-town community.

Themes

Queer romanceUnrequited loveFriendshipAssumptions about love and relationshipsCommunity involvement

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli, this charming, chaotic romance follows two teens who agree to fake-date when stuck together one summer in a quirky, scenic lake town.

This is definitely not how Maya wanted to spend the summer--depressed at her once-beloved cabin in Spruce Lake, and unable to avoid seeing her lifelong best friend, Rashida, after confessing her woefully unrequited love to her last year. Maya can't decide if she wants to escape, or convince Rashida they're still meant to be.

Gabe is sent to Spruce Lake by her mom in hopes she stays out of trouble. Gabe is NOT excited to be here. She does NOT like nature. She does NOT want to spend her summer in a tiny town with outdoorsy environmentalist types.

Gabe is pretty sure she'll be spending this entire summer bored and alone...until she meets Maya. Together, they hatch a fake-dating scheme to make Rashida jealous and convince Gabe's mom that Gabe has turned a wholesome new leaf.

But as the plan plays out, and Gabe and Maya contend with protests, a relentlessly concerned community, and romantic twists, they start to realize that their assumptions about friendship and love might have led them completely astray. Can they find their way through this mess without hurting each other in the process?

Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews