this was a fun murder mystery! i will admit i was invested in the mystery, and even though i guessed accurately who the perpetrator was in the beginning, i still had moments of doubt where i started suspecting someone else instead and even the final reveal had it's shocking aspects.

i will say though, that none of the characters were really likeable, which made this a slightly difficult read, simply because i couldn't find myself caring about any of them. also, i feel that if the book had been in holiday's pov it would've worked better, considering that she did most of the investigative work.

however, i am very intrigued by greer's character!! with the way this book ended, it seems to be that cotugno's setting up for a sequel, which i am definitely interested in!

This was okay. I wanted more from the mystery. It was very unremarkable.
The characters were all awful. I think if you liked We Were Liars you may like this. Im not a fan of rich white privileged teens in books.

This was such a fun, summery YA mystery! In this book we follow Linden, as he spends his summer vacation at his best friend Jasper's beach house in New England. Jasper's ex-best friend Greg ends up in a coma after "falling" into the pool, but Linden and his childhood friend Holiday think otherwise and begin investigating this incident.

Reading the story from Linden's perspective rather than Holiday's was an interesting choice but I actually enjoyed it overall. Holiday was such a fun character and was giving Nancy Drew vibes the whole time, but I wish she was more involved throughout the whole story! It was also fun to be in this world of rich, privileged teens with all these secrets, and I think it made for an interesting dynamic between Linden and the rest of the cast of characters.

While the plot line of this book was resolved, I loved that it ended on a cliffhanger - especially now that I know there's going to be a second book!

This one kept me on my toes! I really enjoyed it. There are a lot of good twists' and each time I was sure I knew who did it, I was wrong again. I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was definitely a different kind of book by Cotugno. Not usually known to write mysteries it was interesting to see her take on one of these kind of stories. and while it was okay, it definitely wasn't a favorite. I appreciated all of the Massachusetts/Boston references and the setting a lot, but the characters were not the kind of people I typically want to read about. In the end this was a quick read, but just okay for me.

Are y’all a big Agatha Christie fan? I most certainly am and this one reminiscent of Christie.

You’ve got a group of rich kids behaving badly on summer break in Martha’s Vineyard when one night someone ends up in a coma. I have to say the characters in this one are very well developed. I wasn’t a big fan of Linden, the main character though because he seemed a bit whiny. His childhood best friend Holiday pretty badass and I loved her character. I also loved the summer beach setting with the locked room mystery woven into it.

Liar’s Beach is a fun fast paced ya mystery that has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. It ends in a way that I can only hope is setting us up for a sequel because I’d love to see Holiday solving some more mysteries. So if you’re into ya mystery, Agatha Christie, and beach vibes then this is the book for you.

Perfect summer/poolside read.

First I always love a good Agatha Christie retelling and this book is definitely a good one.

I also love stories about a group of kids with secrets and troubled pasts where they all have something to hide. Shady characters are the best. Literally any one of them could have pushed him in the pool.

Definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

Alright, let me preface by saying that I loved this book. Not because it was anything groundbreaking or new, but simply because it was fast, and kept me turning pages. I'll let the fact that I finished within less than a day speak to that fact. My only slight problem with this book was the fact that I guessed the killer almost immediately. I still held out hope throughout the novel that the author surely wouldn't pick such an obvious choice, but sadly, she did. Sometimes it's fun to be right about your guesses, you feel like a little sleuth or like you could be on the next episode of Criminal Minds. But due to the quick wrap-up of the novel, it felt like she was just trying to finish the book up because she had a certain amount of pages. It felt like Katie Cotugno liked writing the description and rich people's problems more than the actual mystery. This is, however, her first mystery novel, so I'd be willing to read more from her in this genre and see her grow. I still enjoyed how entertaining it was, it just won't make my top 5 or anything.

A whodunnit set on a wealthy and exclusive island community off the coast of Rhode Island, with a bunch of boarding school kids and their siblings and friends and hangers-on. When one of them turns up face down in a pool after a party, it takes Linden - a scholarship kid staying at his wealthy friend’s island home - and his old childhood friend Holiday - who comes from wealth but not born with a silver spoon - to get to the bottom of the lies, half-truths, rivalries and betrayals. Well-paced and not totally predictable, this easy read kept me turning pages to the end. If you like classic Agatha Christie mysteries or newer YA murder mysteries like The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or the Charlotte Holmes series, you’ll enjoy this one too.

This was an interesting mystery. Michael really is mostly an observer swept up into the world of luxury that his friends have allowed him access to. His character was really one note for me. I appreciated him realizing Holiday’s friendship might be the only “real” friendship that he has. I did enjoy Holiday’s character. Someone who is so self-assured in who they are, yet able to look that the world they are in and from and observe it in such a objective way. She honestly was the highlight of this story for me. I love mysteries, but this one just didn’t draw me in like I wanted it to. I will still try to recommend it to anyone looking for an Agatha Christy read alike.
Thank you so very much to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Okay so let me preface this by saying k haven’t read any Agatha Christie, so I know nothing of the original particulars of this story, and quite honestly, I’m glad for that.

Listen, summer camp thrillers are MY JAM. They cannot be beat, and Cotugno is one of my absolute favorite YA writers for a reason. She absolutely delivered on this. Every page had me guessing, and I actually kept a running list in my phone of why it could be any number of characters. The final reveal had me 🤯

HIGHLY recommend!

Liar’s Beach is the perfect summer mystery to pick up this year.

As soon as I heard about a new YA take on Hercule Poirot and a particular favourite of mine out of his cases, I knew I had to have it in my life. Liar’s Beach pays a gorgeous homage to the intense atmosphere, claustrophobia and resultant paranoia of Christie’s locked-room mysteries. It has that same character study, with added nuance and a social awareness more benefitting current times. Cotugno weaves in an excellent discussion around class and privilege that I really enjoyed. It is thoughtful and provides context to the actions of the characters, giving the story an extra layer of depth. Also, it helps create a particular atmosphere evoked by incredible wealth and the ability to access a place like Martha’s Vineyard.

I absolutely fell in love with Cotugno’s fierce, funny and incredibly smart new Poirot in the form of the undeniable Holiday. She misses nothing but does not always reveal her conclusions to Linden or subsequently us as readers. This allows armchair detectives to revel in shared suspicions, but also build to an explosive conclusion. The way Holiday provides a classic laying out of the who, what and whydunnit is amazing and also updated in a way that makes it relevant and believable to a modern audience. Linden is an interesting protagonist, with plenty of his own secrets and entangled relationships. He is not always a morally supportable character, but his flaws are all too human and the pressures surrounding him are all too heavy at times.

Liar’s Beach is a rip-roaring, riveting and remarkable YA thriller that I highly recommend. It takes the ethos and spirit of the original story it is inspired by, but gives it a fresh new twist, so do not presume that you already know how this one will end.

I’m anticipation of reading this novel, I decided to read The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie since this is suppose to be a “new take” on the classic. I didn’t care too much for the original story and the same can be said for this story. They are both fine. However, I struggled finding some of the parallels between the stories. To be honest, however, since I didn’t care too much for the original story, I don’t remember too much.

The one thing I did like was the perspective of Linden. I enjoyed his perspective and like his own secrets that he was keeping (albeit, not really secret-worthy).

This one didn't work for me. Wasn't a fan of Linden’s POV and wasn't interested in the rich kids behaving badly. Maybe a case of reading at the wrong time but this wasn't it for me.

This was a classic who done it book. Michael Linden, a kid from boarding school on scholarship is spending the summer with his rich friends. None, of which, know is is not rich as well. After a party one night, a body is found floating in the pool. Linden then begins to question how well he knows his friends. I mean, he himself is keeping secrets from them.

Lairs Beach is a YA mystery inspired by Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles. A group of rich teens on break from their boarding schools are hanging out on Martha’s Vineyard when one of them is found unconscious in the pool. The story then follows two of the characters as they try to solve the mystery of what happened.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one and although the mystery wasn’t really one the reader could figure out on their own, it was very well done.

The author was clearly setting the stage for more books in the series throughout this one and that left a few things feeling out of place and unfinished. There was also just something missing for me in this one. I can’t put my finger on what is was exactly. 🤨

Overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to readers who like YA mysteries.

This book is good. I especially loved all the female characters and their strength (Holiday and Eliza). I can say that I did t know who was the perpetrator until it was revealed so it was not a basic mystery plot.

Enjoyed the spin on the classic murder mystery! Took a big to get to the point/interesting but enjoyed otherwise!

I was so excited for this be, but it fell short of the mark for me. Some places the story was just completely unbelievable, and some places I realized I just didn’t care enough about the story and wasn’t invested. The poor kid in the rich kid works trope got tiring fast. IMHO there are better summer thrillers out there. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Childrens for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Are you a fan of Agatha Christie? I have a YA retelling of one!
Summer Island - It’s almost time for the summer to wind down, so a group of friends are hanging at a house in Martha’s Vineyard for one last good time.
Guy in Pool - except after a party, one estranged guest is found floating in the pool, barely breathing
Something to Hide - as our main character, Michael and his childhood friend Holiday start to investigate, they realize everyone has something to hide
Whodunnit? - In this whodunnit retelling of Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles, you can never be sure who anyone is and who did it.


But anyway, I was not familiar with the details of this particular Agatha Christie book, but I love YA Mysteries. This one did not disappoint as I was only able to slightly guess the ending. Also there is somewhat a little open ended thing that makes me think there might be another story. And if that’s the case, sign me up. Michael’s friend Holiday was my favorite character as she was super smart and observant. If there are more books about her, I will instantly read them.