If you like this author, you'll probably enjoy this. There are a ton of twists and turns. We follow Kat, who has been living the grifting life with her mom for years and this is their last job. We also follow Liam, who was Kat's stepsister once but they haven't seen each other in years. He's stuck with his dad again now after his mom's death and his dad is not an honest man.

Lots of are they/aren't they in terms of who is being honest, who is playing others for a fool. Just enough action for my taste without being overwhelming. Lots of mysterious stuff with a tiny tiny hint of romance for fun, plus it's full of rich people which always adds some interest.

Oh my, what a ride this was. Once you get past the first 30% of this book, which admittedly was a bit slow, you will not want to put it down! I loved all of the complex twists and how multifaceted this story was. Fans of Karen McManus will love this one.

The story is told through the points of view of Kat and Liam. They were briefly step siblings when they were very young, but when they meet again as teenagers they find that the sibling bond still sort of remains. I loved both of these characters and adored how they looked out for each other. Kat has a lot of street smarts and is pretty good at figuring out solutions to all of the things that happen in the story, but she also makes a lot of bad decisions. But I still found myself rooting for her to get her act together, which she sort of does. Liam was adorable and goofy, but I loved how he wanted to protect everyone, especially from his father.

There is a light romance between Liam and Augustus, the grandson of the very rich Ross Sutherland. I loved the two of them together and adored watching them find their feelings for each other. I also loved how attached Augustus was to Kat and how willing he was to help her even when it meant uncovering some dark secrets about his family.

The adults in this book were too much. Almost all of them were morally gray and many of them showcased the worst in human behavior. I did really like Jamie, Kat’s mom. She was out to do what was right for her daughter, even when it meant breaking the law. Luke, Liam’s dad, was so unlikable that it was very easy to root for Liam’s antics in bringing down his scams. The Sutherlands were a bit on the caricature side, in that they all represented all of the bad things you always hear about the uber rich.

This plot was so full of well timed twists, many that I did not see coming. The beginning was a bit slow as the story is set up and we are introduced to all of the players, but once it takes off you are in for a rollercoaster ride. The writing is well done and I love how well Ms McManus is able to write such complex and multifaceted characters. The motivations and deceptions by the adults are slowly revealed throughout the story, and made it really hard to guess who was involved in the murder. The ending and the final twist were a bit rushed, and I felt like there just needed to be one more chapter to really give closer to the story.

Another great book by this author. If you are a fan than I don’t think you will be disappointed by this one. I really hope we get another book with this trio of characters. They are a lot of fun and I felt a bit of an attachment to them that I am not willing to let go yet. Highly recommend this one to those of you that enjoy thrillers.

This is the kind of book you DROP EVERYTHING AND READ for. In fact, that's just what I did only hours after getting it in my hands.
Kat, Liam, and Augustus are interesting characters and you want to stick around to see what will become of them as their story progresses.
The adult characters are intriguing as well.
This pacing and intrigue really drew you in to the story and left you wanting to figure out exactly what was going on.
I enjoyed the hours I spent with this book and think other YA readers will as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for this ARC! "Such Charming Liars" by Karen M. McManus is a gripping young adult thriller that masterfully weaves suspense with complex character dynamics. The story centers on a group of teenagers entangled in secrets and lies, leading to a shocking mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. McManus excels in creating multifaceted characters whose motivations and deceptions are gradually revealed, adding depth to the narrative. The plot is intricately crafted, with well-timed twists that maintain a high level of intrigue throughout. With its engaging writing style and a story that delves into the darker aspects of teenage life, "Such Charming Liars" is a compelling read that fans of McManus and the YA thriller genre will thoroughly enjoy.

Before I start this review, I want to say I am a Huge Karen M. McManus Fan. I have read all of her book! When I saw this book was coming out and was able to get a copy of the ARC, I was so excited! This was a slow burn; I was really trying to figure out what was going on what was going to happen. I was thrown off, but then thrown off again! It really starts to pick up mid book and you are just thrown down hill with one thing after another. You don't want it to stop but aren't sure if it will ever slow down.
Jamie is asked to do one more job, but Kat isn't going to let her mom go alone. Will they be able to complete the job and get out without any issues or will there be "chaos".
Luke is planned to go meet the family of his girlfriend, but Liam tags along to make sure his dad doesn't do anything stupid.
What is the worst that can happen when past meets present?
This book had a way of making me really rally for Jamie, then get so mad at Jamie to rally for her again. I love the bonds and friendship that were created and cared for during this book. Ugh Luke and Kat's relationship really just made me tear up. I really enjoyed the book.
I rated 3 stars, because it was a slow read for a while, I was like okay, so this is happening now what is next. Then once I got to the middle of the book and it really started picking up. I just was like what?!?!?!?! Start of the book is 3 and the end of the book is higher for sure! Honestly. It would be a 3.5 for me. The characters were well put together and created. They really draw you in and question everyone. Karen does it again!

#Netgally #ARC

Thank you to Karen M. McManus, Random House Children's, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a fan of many young adult thrillers, but I found this book to be much slower than I'm used to and I didn't find it very thrilling. It was hard to keep my attention focused on the story. There are many characters to keep track of and although some were very well developed, others I still don't feel like I really know anything about them. We learn a little bit about Jamie, Kat, Luke, and Liam's past as well as get to know the Southerlands, Gem, and Morgan. My favorite dynamic would be between Augustus, Kat, and Liam. I enjoyed seeing the challenges they faced and how it connected them far beyond just the current situation. I would say that it briefly picks up around 80% and that was the most exciting part of the book when most of all the action and twists takes place. And then that ending....well it just ends, abruptly. I'm assuming there will be a sequel, but the pace was so slow in this book that I'm not sure if I'd want to dive deeper, but on the other hand, a part of me still wants to know how it will all truly end. It has all the making of a great novel with theft, deception, secrets, murder, etc., it's just that the delivery I felt could have been done better. Overall it's a good read, just not my favorite. This book publishes July 30, 2024.

In “Such Charming Liars,” Kat and her mom decide to leave the Heist life. They’ve got to complete one more job and then they’re out. They’ve got to visit the Sutherland family estate during the patriarch’s elaborate birthday party to swap an expensive necklace. When the plan starts to go awry, Kat enlists the help of her long lost stepbrother. Did I mention that his dad is also a con-artist? This fast-paced story is thrilling, filled with murder and twists! I thought this book was different from McManus’ usual. It’s more of a thriller with some mystery, and I really enjoyed it!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Such Charming Liars is full of twists and turns. Just when you think you know what's going on, something else happens! I really enjoy a young adult mystery/thriller and Such Charming Liars is no exception.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for an eARC.
Another amazing mystery thriller from Karen M. McManus. This one includes a heist, murder, and family drama. Kat and her mom get taken in years ago by a woman who runs many jewel heists. They want out and have one last heist to do. They need to switch out a necklace during a rich man’s birthday party. Things don’t go as planned and they run into the man Kat’s mom married in Vegas years ago along with his son, Liam. Kat and Liam along with rich boy Augustus band together to figure out what went wrong with the heist and why was someone murdered. Another great mystery that kept my entertained.

Such Charming Liars follows Kat whose mother Jamie who is a jewelry thief. They are doing one last job which is to steal from billionaire Ross Sutherland at his birthday party. While there the run into Liam who is Kat’s previous stepbrother. However Liam and Kat’s parents had a bad divorce. While at the party Ross gets murdered and now they are targeting Liam and Kat. They can’t trust anyone not even each other. Will the be able to make it out alive?

I am always excited when a new Karen M McManus has a new book out. She is one of my go to YA thriller authors. However, this was not her best book. I was entertained and wanted to keep reading. However this book did leave me bored. I feel like this book had a lot of different plot lines to keep up with and that did get confusing at times. But it was not a bad book. But I really like all of his authors other books, so this one didn’t seem to live up to my expectations the way the others did.

I expect a fast-paced mystery that won't take a whole lot of brain power when I pick up a McManus, which is to say that my expectations aren't too high going in. Despite that, I didn't find this as enjoyable as most of her previous works. Some of it was the bouncing around between characters, but I also didn't find any of them fleshed out enough to make me especially interested. And although I'm happy that Kat and Liam found each other, because they both needed family, it's hard to believe they are as bonded as they are from their very brief time together. There are a lot of characters and familial relations to keep straight both among the Sutherlands and in Gem's group which held me a little out of the story as I worked on remembering who was who and what I was already supposed to know about them. Overall, it just didn't work as well as her previous titles for me.

It took me some time to really get into this book. It could be because it started off slow or because it was a busy week. It doesn’t matter. Once my interest was piqued I couldn’t put this book down. Has it really been nearly two years since I’ve read a Karen McManus book?? This was a nice reminder of how much I enjoy her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't put this book down!!

If Gilmore Girls and Ocean's 8 had a baby it would be this book. I am seriously obsessed!! Such Charming Liars has everything you could ever want in a ya thriller: unexpected romance, about a million plot twists, and enough suspense to keep me hooked while allowing me to still sleep at night.

Karen m McManus never misses and SCL is no exception. A must read

Every year I look forward to a new Karen McManus book. This was completely twisty and watching the characters try to figure out who they could trust gave me whiplash. This is a top tier YA mystery.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again I love young adult thrillers so much more than adult thrillers sometimes because of how fast paste they are the twist and terms are suspenseful and even if it is a little predictable, I still thoroughly enjoy it

In her latest young adult mystery, McManus gives us the inherently charming and likable step-siblings Kat and Liam, and while they have only ever spent one day in each other’s company, here they have a life-changing reunion. Their respective parents are both con artists, of sorts, and Kat and Liam get caught up in the latest, and deadliest bad deed. Classic elements of the mystery genre, like murder, jewel theft and red-herrings feel fresh and modern here. Such Charming Liars is well-paced and the character arcs all seem realistic without being predictable.

As a devoted fan of McManus’ writing, I had high expectations for this book. While it won’t be at the top of my list of favorites, it was a strong and entertaining read. In a McManus book, the reader needs to pay close attention to the details and dialogue in order to have any hope of predicting the big reveal at the end. This book is no different! Congratulations to Karen McManus on another sharp, entertaining thriller!

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Random House Publishers, and the author Karen McManus for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is narrated by Kat, a 16 year old girl, and her step brother, Liam. Kat’s mom, Jamie, is a career thief who wants to leave the business after one last job. She is tasked with stealing a ruby necklace and replacing it with a fake. She manages to get herself a serving job at billionaire, Ross Sutherland’s birthday party. Her plan is to sneak out during the party, swap necklaces inside Ross’s daughter’s house, and then disappear. When Jamie becomes violently ill, Kat decides she can pull off the job.

Liam, a likable character, is all about trying to protect the women his father tries to con. His father, Luke’s latest con is to marry Ross’s wealthy daughter, Annalise Sutherland.

When a family member is killed at the birthday party, Liam and Kat find themselves in danger.

In true Karen McManus style, this thriller with its big cast of characters will keep you guessing until the end.

Unfortunately had to DNF. Didn’t really capture my attention at the beginning. Plot started off kind of boring and slow.

Kat's life has been a rollercoaster, defined by an abusive father and her mother's later brief marriage and subsequent divorce, leaving Kat and her stepbrother Liam estranged. The backdrop of their reunion is a high-stakes jewel heist at a billionaire's birthday party, which Kat's mother, Jamie, has decided will be her last job before going straight.
As Kat arrives at the Sutherland compound, she is blindsided by the presence of Liam and his con artist father, who is scheming to exploit the Sutherland family.

The plot takes a darker turn when a member of the Sutherland family is murdered, and Kat finds herself the prime target in a deadly game. McManus brilliantly escalates the stakes, blending mystery and psychological thriller elements seamlessly. Trust becomes a rare commodity as Kat and Liam grapple with the realization that their survival depends on their ability to outsmart a cunning killer. With expertly crafted twists and a relentless pace, "Such Charming Liars" showcases McManus's talent for creating addictive, high-stakes drama where nothing is as it seems and everyone has something to hide.

Thank you Karen McManus, Random House Children's, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!