You'll feel like you spent some time on vacation because this book is so entertaining and well written. Don't be fooled—this YA novel is incredible and suitable for readers of all ages. I'm eager to read Katie Cotugno once more.

(2.5 stars). <i>Liar's Beach</i> is one of those books where I really had to think about how I felt about it. It's a modern retelling of an Agatha Christie mystery, which think is a really fun approach to YA mystery. The writing is engaging, and I never felt like the plot lagged. However, there were two main things that keep me from rating the book higher. The first is that the protagonist is so unlikeable. We get the story through the eyes of Linden, a 17 year old kid from the poorer side of Boston, as he visits his wealthy roommate on Martha's Vineyard for the summer. I think Katie Cotugno writes the character well as Linden does really seem like a self-obsessed teenager who is so focused on what he wants (to fit in, to get the girl, to be accepted among the rich kids) that he cannot see how poorly he treats the people around him. The character is well-developed, but it definitely makes it hard to like him or root for him by the end of the novel.

The second thing is one that was more disappointing. The ending of the story and who committed the crime seems to come out of nowhere. We don't really get any breadcrumbs of clues re: who did it, so the ending ultimately feels pretty unsatisfying. We follow Linden and Holiday around the island trying to find clues, yet at the end there really wasn't anything for them to find. I wish that part had been better developed.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of Liar’s Beach in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I’m a 42-year-old who loves YA (most of it). Katie Cotungo is one of those authors that I adore!

This novel is a murder mystery in a pre-school setting. It’s a YA/fresh spin on The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (which I have not read so have no comparison).

It was about what I expected out of this book based on the description. It was pretty much, what you see is what you get. Don’t go in expecting anymore than that & you will enjoy it. If you are expecting the greatest novel of all time, you’ll be disappointed.

I know everyone is different, but sometimes I enjoy the books that don’t make my brain work so hard that I have a headache. I usually use rom-coms to fill this need in between intense thrillers, but this was one of those stories that serves that purpose as well.

Again, it was a good book for what it was. I believe the intended audience (YA) will enjoy it quite a bit. If you’re an almost middle-aged adult (in denial) like me, you might find it a bit boring & lacking. Just remember who the intended audience is when reading & reviewing.

I’m giving it 4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's & Delacorte Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own.

Liar’s Beach follows Linden, a teenager boy who is invited to spend the summer on Nantucket with his rich friend from boarding school. Linden is pretending to fit in financial wise — and ends up witnessing some things that end up in an ugly murder.

This book was entertaining enough. The characters are hard to like — our MMC viewing the world with a chip on his shoulder and all of his friends being privileged, selfish brats who don’t take much seriously. The only somewhat redeeming character is Holiday. I say somewhat due to Holiday not seeming to care she was meddling hardcore in peoples lives to find the truth.

Overall, this book is fun and definitely a beach read. The mystery could have been better, but it was straightforward enough that it was almost comical the MMC didn’t realize who it was until Holiday’s big reveal.

The author throwing in that ending was both frustrating and intriguing. The mention of Greer throughout the novel was just enough to mildly pique my interest, but with that last page, I’d be interested to see if another book comes along about all of that drama.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. It was so slow, I didn't particularly like any of the characters, I found the story to be predictable, and there was nothing that was unique enough to pique my interest. I ended up DNFing around 70%.

This one was a little hard to get into as it moves very slowly, however I ended up loving the dynamics between the friend group. It was a nice thriller and an even better beach read! It made me very excited for summer days on the beach.

3.8
Contugno really nailed that prep school young adult uber rich endless summer vibe, genuinely. My problem is that I kind of hate that vibe. So. It's all very we were liars meets Agatha Christie - objectively in a good way, just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thought and comments are my own.

This book was a tad boring in my opinion. I lost interest about a third of the way through but pushed through it to finish. The plot was flat and the characters were extremely annoying in my opinion. They all acted like spoiled brats and it really threw me off. It was also very predictable. I knew after they found the necklace, who “killed” Greg. I’m also assuming there will be a second book since it ended with that phone call.

If you like “clue” mysteries then I guess this book is for you. When I think of thrillers and mysteries; I think of books that keep me on edge and books that are fast pace. This book wasn’t fast pace at all.

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

I read this book in a day and enjoyed it but I didn’t like that they mentioned multiple times throughout the book about an accident that the main character had been in but never said what really happened.

Welcome to the beach! Martha's Vineyard is all that you expect it to be when Michael Linden, son of a housekeeper visits his roommate from prep school. Katie Contugno does an excellent job of making you feel the sand between your toes, the sun on your face and the dread in your stomach when faced with some of the less likeable, very wealthy, young people on the island. Michael only wants to hang out, fit in and relax but a potential attempted murder detracts from his plan.

Worse yet, the daughter of the family his mother keeps house for is on the island and keeps intersecting with his group. Holiday is a Hercule Poirot type detective and draws Michael into her scheme to solve the murder attempt.

This novel is so fun and so well written that you will feel like you spent time on vacation too. The names of the characters might get on your nerves of course, but that might be more due to reality of the culture of the wealthy rather than the author's choice (Wells, Doc Holiday and so forth). Make not mistake, this YA book is for all ages and is one to die for! I can't wait to read Katie Cotugno again!
#RandomHouse #LiarsBeach #KatieCotugno

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Sue me, but I’ve never read the Mysterious Affair at Styles so I had no idea really what I was getting into with it being compared to Agatha Christie’s novel. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Linden visits his prep school roommate, Jasper in Martha’s Vineyard at the end of the summer. Jasper lives in a timeless, extravagant mansion-like house weirdly decorated with photos of poisonous plants he lovingly calls August House. As someone on a scholarship, Linden feels out of place around this group of rich kids. His whole life, he’s just been trying to fit it and he projects that into his ideals of the other characters.

Everyone in August house seems to be keeping secrets, including Linden himself. After a party leads to a body floating in the pool, everyone assumes it must have been a drunken accident. But was it?

Holiday Proctor, Linden’s old friend, doesn’t think it was an accident at all. She convinces Linden to play detective, but they may not be happy with what they find.

I’ve got to say that I rarely read books from a male perspective (not on purpose, it just happens), however this was a refreshing voice to have in this case. Unfortunately, he still managed to annoy me at times. I would love to get a POV through Holiday. Her character was so interesting to me and she always knew the right thing to say: she was kind of a badass and the hero of the story. I found myself wanting more.

This wasn’t fast paced; more of a slow burn if anything. It had a bit of a slow start for me. I did, however, appreciate the intelligent humor and the story development (minus the part with Greer- wtf is going on there??) Omg with that ending though, there better be a book 2! 😳

Thank you to Delacorte Press, the author and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Michael Linden is a scholarship student at Bartley. He goes to visit his uber-wealthy roommate, Jasper, and his family in Martha's Vineyard. While there, a local former friend of Jasper's is found unconscious in the pool with a gash on his head. Linden reconnects with his friend Holiday and they set out to determine if his injury was truly an accident or if something more sinister is going on.

I finished this book in two days. It kept me guessing. It definitely has some Gatsby vibes - the unattainable perfect girl, pretending to be something you're not, and the haves and have-nots.

Recommended for fans of The Agathas of One of Us is Lying.

I haven’t read the Agatha Christie that this is inspired by, so I don’t know if having a familiarity of that story would have added anything to reading this, but it seems to be the kind of mystery that appeals to a lot of teen readers these days. The dynamics between some of the characters kind of gave me Great Gatsby vibes and I am not even quite sure why other than the wealth/class issues that come up.

3.5 stars. I didn't love this but I also didn't hate it. The characters are a touch on the annoying side but I really enjoyed Holiday. The mystery is fun and this would make a great beach read.

I would probably not recommend this book but would likely purchase it for a high school or public library. There are elements that would appeal to mystery readers and some characters for readers to love and to hate. As far as a mystery goes, I liked it decently well although parts of the story and characters seemed a little too cliche. But the part that is not sitting well with me is the last few pages and the side plot with Greer and an accident Linden was in. Why mention several times he was in an accident and her name but never give context as to how he hurt his ankle or how the accident happened? I maybe could have gotten past that, but then for it to be brought up again with her calling in the last few pages. Why? It is a loose thread and unexplored subplot throughout the book. As a reader, I find that nonsensical and frustrating.

I just loved reading this. It felt so fresh, the pacing was great and I was invested in the characters from the very beginning. To me, it really stands out from the other similar young adult thrillers.

Liar's Beach is about rich boarding school kids at Martha’s Vineyard for the summer. The scholarship kid, Linden, feels out of his element by staying with his classmates this summer. Reconnecting with Holiday, who Linden has ignored for years, to solve a whodunnit, seems like a stretch. Holiday makes everyone a suspect by googling them, and Linden goes along for the ride. Overall, it’s a fun read for a quick mystery.

Liar's Beach is a departure for Katie Cotugno, who usually writes YA romances (that I love); this one was a fun mystery read set on Martha's Vineyard. I really enjoyed this one and I think teens will, too. Fans of Karen McManus and Liz Lawson/Kathleen Glasgow will eat this one up, I think. Rich kids, a body found after a party....who did it?