Member Reviews

5 stars

I love Karen McManus books so much! Her mystery’s are always intriguing and well crafted. I love the friendships she creates between characters as well. This book had all of these aspects, which is why I loved it so much! This is a perfect summer mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

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Such a Charming Book! I sped through this wonderful thriller. No one does YA thrillers better than Karen McManus and this newest is her best yet! I cannot wait to get my hands on a print copy! You will keep turning the pages late into the night and be unable to put it down until the thrilling conclusion. Highly recommended!

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Karen McManus almost never fails to amaze me. The way she can tell a story will and always will be captivating to me. I was scared going into this knowing I’d be different than all her other works (I’ve read them all!) but this book is written just as well as her other books. Thoughtful, well rounded characters and a plot that’s interesting. I will always be on the lookout for new books from her!!

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I was impressed by this book. It's not often a book without romantic interest can captivate me in the way that this did it was well-written and witty. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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I don't know if it's because I accidentally took a big break while reading this book, or if it's because McManus is setting it up for a sequel, but it wasn't my favorite.

Kat is the daughter of a con artist attempting to go straight. They have one last job at a wealthy man's commune to swap outa necklace during a party. Except her ex stepfather and stepbrother are there, as the supposed dates of someone in the family. Except the ex stepdad is a con artist. And someone ends up dead.

There were a lot of twists and turns, which make it entertaining, but also hard for me to follow and keep straight who was "good" and who was "bad." Again, could be because I didn't read it all in one day like one should with Karen McManus.

Thanks, NG!

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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book was a lot of fun. It took a few chapters to get into it but once you get to the plot, it’s such a fast pace read.

I thought the storyline was great. I really loved the theme and the plot twist through out the book. I thought the characters were well thought out but I would have liked a little bit more background information on them. I honestly wasn’t surprised that I like this book so much because this author is one of my favorites.

The way she writes her books is captivating. She really knows how to appeal to her reading audience.

I kind of hope with how it ended that there will be a book two but who knows!

4 stars!

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Another solid summer mystery from Karen M McManus. I was excited to hear she was coming out with heist book and Such Charming Liars didn't disappoint! I expect this one will be a hit with my mystery-loving teens.

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If there is one thing I adore as a high school teacher, it's a Karen McManus new release. I absolutely adored these con artists! I cannot wait to use this one for a First Chapter Friday!

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3.5 stars. Karen M. McManus is my go-to for twisty, turny YA mysteries/thrillers. I liked the premise but felt like it didn’t quite live up to the jewel heist promise. It got a little messy with all of the adult characters thrown in. I really enjoyed the 3 leads - Kat, Liam, and Augustus - and I liked the queer representation too. All in all, an enjoyable book that I will definitely add to my classroom library and recommend to my students. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review,

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Oh my goodness.

What do you get when you mix a jewelry thief and a con-artist then sprinkle in their kids? This book.
I loved the dynamic between the young adults in this book and the inclusivity the 2 outcasts find in an unexpected friend. Their parents on the other hand… how they have existed so long without landing in jail themselves I do not know.

Kats mom, Jamie is trying to get out of the game. She’s been a jewel thief since her divorce from an epic 48 hour marriage to Liam’s father. Jamie’s plan to switch out a replica with a very expensive pieces goes awry when she falls sick and Kat takes her mother’s place as the help. Liam on the other hand is a guest at the compound with his father. Yes. Coincidentally, the same compound, and the same party that Kat is working.

Kat tries to keep her cool as her plan b turns to plan e. But her life becomes endangered when a family member at the party is murdered and she was witness to it. She must hide her mom, find the jewelry, get away from the murderer all while not getting caught. Can she risk asking her former stepbrother for help?

This was a wild ride. As captivating as all of Karen McManus’s books. It’s definitely worth the read!

Thank you for the ARC @writerkmc , @netgalley & @delacortepress ! I’m so excited for others to read this!

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In “Such Charming Liars” you get a little bit of everything. There is family, mystery and suspense. When Jamie is desperate to make a better life for herself and her daughter she finds her answer in Gem. But that new life comes with a cost. On her last “job” things do not go as planned and what happens next no one could have predicted.

A good read with fun characters and some twists that you might not see coming.

I received an advanced copy of this book and this is my honest review.

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Always a big fan and felt like this was a great new one. Always on the hunt for good young adult literature to pass on to the kids and this didn’t disappoint.

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Thank you so much to Netgalley & Delacorte Press for approving me for one of my most anticipated reads of the year. In my opinion, Karen M. McManus's books are either really good or just meh, and Such Charming Liars is right in the middle for me. It also feels very different from her other books. It doesn't have the high school/local town mystery to me like her other books do. The book follows Kat, along with her mom, Jamie. - except for two days when Jamie was married and Kat had a stepbrother, Liam. This marriage ended in divorce, and Kat and Liam never see each other again, until one day, many years later, when they run into each other at a party where Jamie and Kat are on one last heist. Things turn deadly when a Sutherland family member dies, and Liam and Kat realize that they are in the killer's crosshairs and are the new targets. The book started at three stars for me. Throughout the first half of the book, I was bored. It starts off slow, building up the plot of the last half of the book and introducing characters. There were so many characters at the beginning of the book, that it's hard to keep track of everyone. I almost DNF'd the book, but at the same time, I didn't want to put it down. It picked up over the last half of the book which I couldn't stop reading and it made me rate this book higher than I originally thought. Once you think you have it all solved, McManus throws so many curveballs your way that your head will be spinning at the end. McManus is truly the queen of YA mystery and will keep you questioning about anything she writes until you turn that last page. Overall, this is a fun read. Not my favorite, but I still enjoyed it. If you like YA mystery books, definitely check this one out.

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Such Charming Liars by Karen McManus was such a fun twisty thriller that I just couldn't put down! Told in dual POV's, it's a story of grifters and cons. It was so fun and so twisty that it is easily another favorite this year! I delighted in every revelation!

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A fun whodunit romp! McManus knows how to spin a compelling story and keep readers guessing. Teens will enjoy this one.

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Such Charming Liars is a slow build. The characters, Kat and her mother Jamie travel to an event so her mom can complete one last heist. It is here that they run into Jamie’s ex-husband (also on a con) and stepson. From here a murder happens and our whodunit begins.

Overall, these characters are not relatable, especially to teens. The ending twists didn’t seem to fit. This book did have the feel of McManus’s other work, The Cousins. If you enjoyed that read, Such Charming Liars may be for you.

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If you are looking for a suspenseful YA read with a surprising twist, then "Such Charming Liars" delivers. The story follows Kat and Liam, two teenagers brought together by their parents' wild Las Vegas marriage (and even wilder divorce). Years later, their paths collide again when Liam's father cons Kat's family. With danger lurking and secrets unraveling, Kat and Liam team up, but must first learn to trust each other, even though lying is kind of their family business.
It's a fast-paced novel with alternating chapters from Kat and Liam's points of view. It will keep you guessing about who to trust and the mystery unfolds with plenty of twists and turns.

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Perfect title because I was completely charmed by this book!

I am a fan of Karen McManus and snapped this up right away. You do not have to be a YA fan to enjoy this thrilling story.
In Such Charming Liars we meet Kat and her mother Jamie - two grifters working for a strong female boss. Kat still remembers when Jamie was briefly married and she has. stepfather and brother named Liam. Coincidentally, also grifters, the pair turns up at Kat and Jamie's next job!

It's a race to complete the grift, avoid one another and just stay out of the limelight. All four characters are absolutely interesting and engaging and the story, while simple, is filled with complex feelings and considerations that keep you as the reader completely engaged.

Since this is Jamie's last job before she goes straight, Kat is invested more than ever. But when one after another's plans go awry, she can't help but think something or someone is behind it. Will they get out of this grift alive?

Great setting, great plot. You cannot go wrong with this utterly charming thriller!

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I love this author and have read all of her books. I enjoyed that this one had a completely new set of characters. I was throughly surprised by the twists in this book

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Another YA thriller for the win! I loved this twisty mystery and who doesn't love a good heist! Karen McManus knows how to keep her readers hooked! I enjoyed following Kat navigating the heist and all the drama that followed. The book is tightly plotted and keep me guessing at every turn. Teens will love this book and I highly recommend to all mystery and thriller readers. Thank you Delacorte and Net Galley for the e-arc.

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