A Week at the Lake

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF WENDY WAX

The House on Mermaid Point

“Will be hungrily devoured by readers.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Romance, celebrity, friendships, and mother-daughter relationships all play key roles in this quick summer read.”

—
Library Journal Xpress Reviews

“This is a great summer read of friendship, family and transformation. It begs to be read at the beach.”

—
Parkersburg News

“Ms. Wax gives you everything you want in this warm and witty novel.”

—
The Free Lance-Star

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey

“
While We Were Watching Downton Abbey
is a tribute to the transformative power of female friendship, and reading Wendy Wax is like discovering a witty, wise, and wonderful new friend.”

—Claire Cook, bestselling author of
Must Love Dogs
and
Time Flies

“Quite a clever, fun little novel . . . If you're a sucker for plucky women who rise to the occasion, this is for you.”

—
USA Today

“Wax's trendy premise makes for a surprisingly poignant and enjoyable story about friendship.”

—
Booklist

“In the style of Karen Joy Fowler's
The Jane Austen Book Club
 . . . The book engrosses its reader in the drama of these women's love lives and emotional struggles.”

—
Deseret News

“You needn't be a fan of
Downton Abbey
to enjoy
While We Were Watching
—the show is simply the pop-culture hook that gives the main characters an excuse to ‘meet cute' but nevertheless create a realistic friendship of such depth and strength, even the Dowager Countess would approve.”

—
RT Book Reviews

Ocean Beach

“Just the right amount of suspense and drama for a beach read.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Wax does a wonderful job of carrying new readers into the story and all the many characters she juggles so well . . . The plot raises both questions and deep emotions to keep readers racing to the end to find out what happens.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“Wax puts on display what most would expect when this many women live and work together in the same environment: laughs, tears, anger, occasional cattiness, and every emotion in between.”

—
Fresh Fiction

“Beautifully written and constructed by an author who evidently knows what she is doing . . . One fantastic read.”

—
Book Binge

“[A] very talented writer who knows how to craft a great story with complex characters [and] a great plot, and plug in just enough steamy romance to satisfy everyone. Finely done!”

—
The Best Reviews

Ten Beach Road

“Great escape reading, perfect for the beach.”

—
Library Journal

“If you loved Jennifer Weiner's
Fly Away Home
for its wise and witty look at the lives of people grappling with personal setbacks . . . then try
Ten Beach Road
 . . . [a] warm, wry novel.”

—
St. Petersburg Times

“Showcases three women who rise above their shattered realities with grace, determination, and a little elbow grease.”

—
Publishers Weekly

Fun . . . heartwarming . . . A loving tribute to friendship and the power of the female spirit.”

—
Las Vegas Review-Journal

“A lovely story that recognizes the power of the female spirit, while being fun, emotional, and a little romantic.”

—
Fresh Fiction

“Funny, heartbreaking, romantic, and so much more . . . This story about recovery and restoration on so many levels is just delightful!”

—
The Best Reviews

Magnolia Wednesdays

“Wax, the author of
The Accidental Bestseller
, writes with breezy wit and keen insight into family relations.”

—
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“An honest, realistic story of family, love, and priorities, with genuine characters.”

—
Booklist

“Bittersweet . . . Vivien's an easy protagonist to love; she's plucky, resourceful, and witty.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Atlanta-based novelist Wendy Wax spins yet another captivating tale of life and love in this wonderfully entertaining book.”

—
Southern Seasons Magazine

The Accidental Bestseller

“It's a definite must for any beach bag this summer . . . Wax does a fantastic job giving readers insight into the cutthroat world of New York publishing, and the story provides inspiration to budding novelists.”

—
Sacramento Book Review

“A warm, triumphant tale of female friendship and the lessons learned when life doesn't turn out as planned . . . Sure to appeal.”

—
Library Journal

“A wise and witty foray into the hearts of four amazing women and the publishing world they inhabit. This is a beautiful book about loyalty, courage, and pursuing your dreams with a little help from your friends. I loved this book!”

—Karen White,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Time Between

“A terrific story brimming with wit, warmth, and good humor. I loved it!”

—Jane Porter, author of
The Good Wife

“A wry, revealing tell-all about friendship and surviving the world of publishing.”

—Haywood Smith,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Out of Warranty

“Entertaining . . . Provides a lot of insight into the book business, collected, no doubt, from Wax's own experiences.”

—
St. Petersburg Times

Books by Wendy Wax

A WEEK AT THE LAKE

WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY

MAGNOLIA WEDNESDAYS

THE ACCIDENTAL BESTSELLER

SINGLE IN SUBURBIA

HOSTILE MAKEOVER

LEAVE IT TO CLEAVAGE

7 DAYS AND 7 NIGHTS

Ten Beach Road Titles by Wendy Wax

TEN BEACH ROAD

OCEAN BEACH

CHRISTMAS AT THE BEACH (novella)

THE HOUSE ON MERMAID POINT

An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

This book is an original publication of the Berkley Publishing Group.

Copyright © 2015 by Wendy Wax.

“Christmas at the Beach” copyright © 2014 by Wendy Wax.

“Readers Guide” copyright © 2015 by Penguin Random House LLC.

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

BERKLEY® and the “B” design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-15716-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wax, Wendy.

A week at the lake / Wendy Wax.—Berkley trade paperback edition

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-425-27447-7 (paperback)

1. Female friendship—Fiction. 2. Interpersonal relations—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3623.A893W44 2015

813'.6—dc23

2015003722

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley trade paperback edition / June 2015

Cover photo by Maxim Blinkov / Shutterstock.

Cover design by Rita Frangie.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Every book leads in many directions and can require a surprising amount of information. This time, I'd like to thank:

Nettleton Payne II, MD FAANS for not running in horror when I (who barely made it through math and science) asked for help and for patiently (and repeatedly) explaining the brain and its reaction to trauma. He did his best. Any mistakes are my own. This might be the place to mention that this is a work of fiction.

Mary Alice Kellogg who shared her slice of New York courtesy of Big Apple Greeter, a network of more than three hundred volunteer Greeters who will show you New York's diverse neighborhoods through the eyes of someone who lives there.

The staff at the Inn at Erlowest, former Millionaires' Row mansion turned spectacular B-and-B, where I had the great fortune to stay while researching this book. I hope you enjoy the scenes that take place there.

Area native Nancy Jefts of Davis Realty for showing me some great houses, helping me pinpoint Valburn's location on Lake George, and for answering questions as I wrote. This might be the place to mention once again that this is a work of fiction as are the characters who appear in it.

Marcia and Sam Kublanow for sharing their love of New York and drinks at the Carlyle.

My critique partners and BFFs Karen White and Susan Crandall, charter members of The Nittie Club, who understand that sometimes you just have to “cue the tarantulas. . . .”

Thanks, too, to Wendy McCurdy for her ongoing editorial input and to my agent Stephanie Rostan for her ability to explain a business that defies explanation and for always telling it like it is.