I’m the kind of person who always has music playing (my Spotify wrapped numbers are truly unhinged), so I had many different playlists on rotation while writing THE LAKE CLUB. In fact, I had playlists for each individual character (this helped me get into their mindsets/energy) as well as for the book at large, and I’m excited to share a few songs with you now!
“Sunshine” by Atmosphere
This song was in my head from the moment I started THE LAKE CLUB. Atmosphere is a band from Minneapolis, and I have great memories of listening to them growing up on Lake Minnetonka. This song is super narrative in style - and I love how it captures one summer day and all the possibilities and freedom that roll in with the heat, even when you might not expect it. Summers always seem like the most magical months of the year (especially in Minnesota, when the rest of the year is frigid), and I think this song in particular captures the feeling that anything can happen when the sun is burning bright.
“10,000 Emerald Pools” by Børns
As soon as I saw the cover for THE LAKE CLUB (gorgeous, right?!), this song came to me. It’s been one of my favorites for years, and I love how it is both on the nose in describing the book and cover (pools abound…) and mirrors the metaphorical “deep ends” the characters fight through. The song also has a catchy, fun melody yet still captures a more intense yearning and desperation, which is a perfect vibe for the book. It’s additionally poetic that a lyric says, “10,000 fathoms, under a tidal wave,” and Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes - and Børns is from the Midwest!
“Moves” by Suki Waterhouse
Speaking of yearning, I love how this song cuts through the noise and basically says, “Don’t overthink this, we both want each other.” Every character in THE LAKE CLUB is suppressing their wants - both romantic and otherwise - which is the real catalyst for all the drama. I appreciate how this song seems to break through to the heart of desire, and I could imagine multiple characters saying, “I'ma put some goddamn moves on you, babe, I know you need it.” It’s a great balance of earnestness and playfulness, just like many of the relationships in the book.
“First Class” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
This was one of the first songs on my “Chat” playlist, and he’s even wearing a Rainbow Kitten Surprise T-shirt in an early scene, so I had to include it here! I see Chat as a Rainbow Kitten Surprise fan in general - like them, he’s gritty and melancholic yet romantic - and I think he’d appreciate this song for how it speaks to dreams and fantastical futures. He’s always searching for something more, and while he’s not necessarily chasing money or fame (though I enjoy that cheeky nod to class dynamics), he is looking for something richer in life. I also think he’d enjoy how, at its core, it’s a love song. He’s a romantic, after all, despite his lack of girlfriends…
“Afterglow” by Josh Rabenold
What’s a playlist without Taylor Swift?! I am cheating slightly here, though, because I love this cover by Josh Rabenold. He so beautifully captures the remorse and regret underpinning the song, and I could see Augie and Danika blasting it as they get into their feelings and reflect on past relationships. Both Augie and Danika have lost loves, made mistakes, and have shifting perspectives, and I think they’d really see themselves in this song. I also think they’d like how it still feels hopeful - because they are both trying to course-correct and do better, even if they can’t get that one person out of their head.
A Novel
A sizzling, soapy summer debut, in which two women in a wealthy lakeside suburb clash over a cute male nanny, pulling the town’s darker secrets to the surface.
DRAMA LOVES A DEEP END
When Danika Crawley attends events at the Aldon Lakes Country Club, heads turn. Danika has it all—beauty, money, a successful husband, and two perfect children. She plans on making this summer her best season yet and has a secret weapon to secure the envy of her neighbors.
Augie Elling has lost it all. Reeling from a post-grad scandal amidst her now-former life in New York, she returns to Aldon Lakes with her tail between her legs. Augie wants to keep her head down, save money, and find a way to leave her hometown for good, but someone keeps distracting her.
Danika and Augie have one thing in common: they are both a little obsessed with Chat, the male nanny Danika hired for the summer. But, unbeknownst to either woman, Chat’s appearance in town sets off a chain reaction that threatens Aldon Lakes' carefully maintained ecosystem. As the heat rises between the three of them, the truth behind a long-buried scandal comes to light, and everyone at the club must reckon with the consequences.
The Lake Club is both an addictive, rollicking beach read, and a stylish, deft exploration of a lesser-known region of American wealth.
Women's Fiction Family Life [ William Morrow Paperbacks, On Sale: June 16, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063447295 / eISBN: 9780063447271 ]
Lina Patton is a writer, illustrator, and teacher. Originally from Maine, she moved to Minnesota at thirteen, trading the ocean for 10,000 lakes. She holds a BA from Elon University and an MFA from George Mason University. Her work has appeared in ELLE, The Cut, Narrative Magazine, and Driftwood Press, among others. After seven years living abroad, she and her husband currently reside in Washington, DC, with their two very good, very bad dogs. The Lake Club is her first novel.
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