A book about privileged kids vacationing on their home turf of Martha’s Vineyard. And one wanna-be rich kid hiding his own secret. The book had so much potential with a great cover, setting, secrets, and summer. Then there’s a body floating in the pool that doesn’t cause much alarm in the kids, parents, or even the police. It started off a bit slow for me. I would have liked to connect with the characters a bit more before landing in their world (that I can’t relate to). The suspense built up from there, right through to the big reveal.

It was hard to feel connected to the characters for the first half, but I think many teens will enjoy this contemporary mystery and I hope it motivates them to read the one that inspired this one. I received a copy for review which does not affect my review and do hope to read the author’s other books.

I wanted to go into this with high expectations because I had just DNFed another YA thriller, but this did not grab me from the get-go either. I honestly was not interested in getting the POV of teenage boys, so I DNFed this one within the first chapter. I still may order this for our library since our teens really love thrillers, but it just wasn't for me.

There is a lot to like about Liar's Beach. The characters are pretty engaging (Holiday was the best for me, Linden was okay, but sort of a whiny little bitch too), and the mystery element, while not all those original was well thought out and put into action. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was reading another version of We Were Liars, but much more straightforward. The whole rich kid mentality and the whole not rich kid trying to fit into the rich kid lifestyle while making a good story, it's also kind of overwrought. There is quite obviously going to be a sequel to this book, I'm guessing Linden and Greer and whatever happened to them is going to be discussed (that's a huge question mark that is consistently brought up in the book but never ever concluded) and I'm hoping that Holiday makes her mighty return and makes the book tolerable because honestly, Linden is not a very likable or redeemable character, but maybe that will all change. For the mystery and Holiday being badass, this book gets 4 stars—the other characters, meh. We'll see where the next adventure takes us.

Thanks to Random House Children's and Delacorte Press for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I definitely recommend this as a fast, fun, whodunnit read to bring with you to the beach! It will be available May 2nd.
I started reading Liar’s Beach while on the beach during my spring break in St. John (I mean, there is “beach” 🏖️ in the title - how could I not?!), but I finished it back home in MA, which is fitting because it takes place on Martha’s Vineyard. Linden is from Boston but he’s spending time with his boarding school roommate at his family’s island house at the end of the summer before their senior year of high school. Linden attends the school on a lacrosse scholarship, but he was in a car accident that crushed his ankle last spring, and he is unsure if he’ll be in shape for the fall season. But instead of worrying about that, he’s living it up with his roommate!
One of his first nights there, an accident occurs that leads to a teenager being hospitalized in a coma. While the local cops think it was an accident and are surprisingly chill about the whole thing, Linden can’t help but think someone isn’t telling the truth. He reconnects with his childhood friend Holiday, staying in her own family’s summer house, to do some amateur sleuthing to try to find out the truth.
Mixing rich kids behaving badly with a summer getaway romance and a mystery, Liar’s Beach is hard to put down once you start reading it! I really enjoyed the premise and I LOVED the character of Holiday - she was an interesting, smart, true-to-herself character. I hope she will get another mystery to solve in a future book…🤞🤞
Since this is a YA thriller/romance, I should mention that the book contains liberal underage drinking, some sex and drug abuse, and considerable profane language. Nothing seemed gratuitous, but I’m clarifying for those of you (like me) who recommend books to teenagers.

If I see "Agatha Christie" in a description, I don't need to see anything else. I really enjoyed this one that felt pretty different from others I've read from Katie Cotugno. Holiday was a fantastic character and I really hope there's more in store for her.

I read this book thanks to Netgalley. It's about Michael a kid from boarding school on scholarship spending the summer with his rich friends. He gets caught up trying to hide his true self while solving a mysterious accident and keeping secrets of his own. Overall the story was okay. I felt like it was twice as long as it needed to be and the authors language kept switching up. One chapter would be typical teen talk and the next I would need a dictionary to understand. I also feel like there was no character growth and even the main character we know very little about. The ending wasn’t satisfactory for me. The plot was so close to being there and the book has so much potential but it wasn’t quite there for me.

An excellent summer mystery! Linden, who attends an elite New England boarding school on scholarship, is spending a couple weeks at his roommate and best friend's house on Martha’s Vineyard. Jasper's family is one of the ultra-wealthy residents, whose summer homes are bigger than most people's year-round houses, and definitely grander than Linden's two-bedroom apartment. But Jasper and his family have many secrets, and when a old friend is found unconscious in their pool, Linden and his childhood friend Holiday start an investigation to unravel them all. Give this one to fans of We Were Liars and The Hawthorne Legacy. Recommended for grades 8 & up.

As an adult, this was a quick, simply 3-4 hour read. There weren't many twists or turns or red herrings to decipher. The story itself works, but just lacked some punch. Linden as a MC is fine, and Holliday adds some dimension, but the rest falls apart as soon as it's more about "the lesson" than "the story" at the end.

Would work well as a mindless beach read...

Overall: 3.5 stars

I'll tell my students about: sex, language, physical violence, blood/gore, trauma

**Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Linden goes to spend the summer with his boarding school friend. One night an accident occurs with a former friend of the family. Linden and his hometown friend start investigating and not only find out who the culprit is, but also some other hidden family secrets.

Liar’s Beach by Katie Cotugno

Thank you to @netgalley, @delacortepress, & the author, @katiecotugno for the opportunity to read this #eARC in exchange for my #honestreview!

The setting: summer break, Martha’s Vineyard. The players: Michael, his childhood friend, Holiday, and his college friends Jasper, and Jasper’s family. The game: Jasper’s sister, Eliza, wakes up the morning after a summer party and discovers family frenemy Greg barely breathing and bloody in the shallow end of the pool. Nearly everyone seemingly has a motive but no one is saying a word. Will Holiday and Michael figure out what really happened to Greg or will their investigation blow up in their face?

I loved this! I enjoy a good, fun, coming of age messy romance and this had this plus a high stakes investigation. Once I was thoroughly pulled into this mystery, I couldn’t put it down. Once I realized it’s a reimagining of Agatha Christie, I enjoyed it that much more (and Holiday’s sudden involvement made a hell of a lot more sense!). It’s a great summer quick read for those who enjoy mystery and waters that get a little muddied.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

TW: drug abuse, fighting, cheating

This one was fun and so was the premise. I’m not the biggest fan of YA reads these days but it kept me interested well enough!

#LiarsBeach #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc copy of this novel. I will be recommending this to my Tweens and Teens, they will definitely be interested in this one.

Not my favorite book by this author but not a bad read. This one will be popular with my students. I did enjoy the pace of the story but I didn't connect with the characters in the way that I hoped. Thank you netagalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book so much! I really didn’t know what it was about when I started reading it, but I quickly was obsessed! The characters are well developed, and I couldn’t help but love them all!

Meh. This could have been a great thriller read, but I just didn't care enough about anything that was happening. I was going to give it three stars on the basis that I didn't really have enough strong negative feelings to bring the rating down, but I also didn't have enough positive feelings to warrant a full three. The best thing I can really say about it is that I was curious enough about how things would resolve that I didn't DNF it. I'm sure I'll forget 90% of it by a week from now.

CW: death, injury, hospitalization, infidelity

When Michael Linden is invited to stay at his friend Jasper's vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, he is looking forward to some time away from the double life he's keeping from everyone at his elite prep school. What he gets is launched into a whodunit style mystery when said friend's arch nemesis is found floating in the family's pool.

The setting and back story of this YA mystery are totally on point for what I love in a good summer read. Prep school thrillers and true beach reads frequently make their way to the top of my TBR list in the spring and summer months. Though I've never personally been the Martha's Vineyard, Ms. Cotugno does a fabulous job of sweeping the reader away to a coast filled with sunshine, privilege and deceit.

The mystery aspect of the story was good, and its characters have the potential to be great. What kept me from giving this book more than just a "good" rating is that some of Cotugno's cast of characters lacked the depth and emotion I've grown accustomed to in so many great YA novels (including several of her own). I think that my minor disappointment may just be remedied in the future, though. This book, though it primarily reads like a stand alone, ends on a cliff hanger that will, no doubt, have me clamoring for the next installment of the series when it is released.

*A special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an advanced readers copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review*

A story of your typical Martha's Vineyard vacation with boarding school buddies--if those vacations typically include attempted murder.

I haven't read the Agatha Christie novel is based on, so I don't know how it compares, but this was a fun mystery that kept me guessing how it was going to play out. I really hope this becomes a series because the cliffhanger ending was highly illegal, and I'd love to see Linden and Holiday team up again!

I love summer books! Especially books set on the east coast beaches.
Linden is joining his boarding school roommate, Jasper, and his family on Martha's Vineyard for the end of summer. Linden tries very hard to fit in, as he and his mom struggle to make ends meet. He is on a scholarship to attend the school, but doesn't mention this info to his friends.
When a boy who shows up to the house looking for a fight, ends up dead in the pool. it gives Linden, and his childhood friend Holiday, to look into the motivation of everyone in the house.
A great YA mystery, my students will love it!

Edgy, contained and brilliant!

Michael Linden practised fitting into the preppy school he was enrolled at on a sports scholarship. He’s as far away from this rich, entitled crowd as Earth is to Mars, and then some.
An invitation to his “buddy” Jasper Kendrick’s summer place at Martha’s Vineyard might be fun. After all he’s trying to be one of the crowd. That is, until someone’s found at the bottom of the pool after a party. Someone the family had reason to dislike.
Jasper’s twin sister Eliza is very attractive but somewhat unpredictable. Of course some of the guys from Bartley are on the island. It all one big elitist club. Jasper’s parents seem to spend time at the country club and out to dinner, leaving the group alone. Jasper’s father had been sued over some financial issues. He was sent to jail. The father of a family who’d been close friends and had originally hooked Mr. Kendrick up with his financial advisor had received community service in exchange for giving evidence. No love lost! There’s a strange frisson that runs beneath this family. Hard to grasp hold of.
Surprisingly Michael meets up with his childhood friend, Holiday Proctor. Holiday’s parents are academics, somewhat bohemian, egalitarian and kind. He and Holiday had spent their formative years together when Michael’s mom kept house for them.
Holiday is a different type to Jasper and his group. She’s somewhat of a goth, an individual and independent. Holiday decides they should investigate. After all, what if this wasn’t an accident?
The finding of truths can be releasing, dangerous and very complicated. One things for sure money and position doesn’t necessarily make for happiness. Mind you survival might not be a problem.
A summer holiday turns into a nightmare of mystery. Friendships are sometimes only temporary, other times much more.
An incisive, intriguing mystery!

A Delacorte ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)