Such Charming Liars
Written By Karen M McManus
Published By Random House Children’s
Release Date July 30, 2024


This is, in my opinion, one of the best YA thriller writers out there. I truly enjoy her writing skills as well as how well she develops the characters she writes about. This book will keep you engaged although it does take a few chapters before it picks up. However, I must say that this was not my favorite nor do I think it was one of McManus’s best. This has all of the hallmarks of a great mystery that will keep the reader guessing but you may be guessing too much.

Jaime and Kat have been all each other have had for quite some time. That is until Jaime was married for a very short time and she would then have a step brother, Liam. Jaime is now a defunct jewel thief and needs to finish one final job. A job that might cause more grief and disaster than anyone could think. Billionaire Ross Sutherlands birthday party will have some very nice bling, ripe for the taking…..but should she take it?
There are a couple of other surprises as well at the party. Liam and his father. Something terrible is about to happen and it puts Kat and Liam in the sights of a killer. Can they escape alive and unscathed?



4 stars

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

In relation to McManus' other titles, to me, this one wasn't as thriller-y. It had all the parts to be, but I'm not sure Kat's character resonated with me. I did like Kat and Liam's relationship and the twist at the end, though.

This book was secretive, captivating and a nail biter from the start.

I couldnt get enough the mother daughter duo of it all was perfect, kat and jamie lived a very hard life and it didnt get easier they had to live a life of thievery with Gem in there secret fake gem business. They just had to do one more job and they would be completely out with a fresh start……or would they?🤔



The plot:
So good i could imagine the small town that the richest family ever has bought so easily and anything that occurred was super easy to understand but also so secretive you could not put it down till you knew what happened next.

The characters:
Liam was so charming and quirky, he has the best moral and he was the one making the best decisions out of them all, his father a con artist did not make him one too

Kat, she had the best but also the most complicated character development, she wanted to be like her mom and gem her mom’s employer so bad that she couldnt see how bad it could be for her and that a normal life would he good for her. She was definitely by favorite with her spontaneous and very forward statements 😎

Augustus, was a fun flirty rich kid, that loved his family but would put them in there place when they were severely wrong, you’ll have to read and see who he falls in love with kat or liam 😉


The ending: it was to dieee for!! I only called one thing occurring but the rest i was completely blinded sided, these 3 misfits will have to come together to solve the greatest heist and murder without being looked at by the police.


I truly enjoyed this book i love all books by this author they never miss

Such a fun book from the amazing Karen McManus. I loved the characters Liam & Augustus. Liam is such a wholesome person & Augustus is effortlessly funny. Parts of the story I was able to guess, but overall I didn’t come anywhere close to predicting the ending. In fact it went the complete opposite direction of where I thought it was going. I’ll admit that this wasn’t my favorite book of hers, but in no way does that mean it’s a bad book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but I do wish we could’ve gotten some more history & depth from some of the characters. The Sutherland family seems entertaining & complex enough to have their own book if we got more insight into their lives. There’s so many different family dynamics going on & I really liked seeing the story of Kat & Liam unfold. I’d definitely recommend this one.

So because the book has not been released yet, I am going to keep this very general. My daughter and I are HUGE fans of Karen. That being said, this was not my favorite of hers.
So the idea behind the book was good. A mother and daughter duo doing one last jewelry heist so to speak.

But there was a lot of other things going on that really didn't seem to add much to the story but rather distract. I wondered the point on some of the characters and the ending was a little messy

that is not to say I think its a bad book. It just didn't do it for me as much as her other books have

Such Charming Liars is a fun thriller and the con artist/jewel heist part of it made it feel different. This will be a popular title for fans of her other books already and an easy book to introduce her writing to new readers.

Another great mystery by Karen McManus! So many twists and turns. This is definitely more plot driven than character driven. There were so many characters, it was hard to really get to know them deeply. I enjoyed the story nonetheless, and I think teens will too.

Great YA (don’t let THAT hold you back) novel about jewel heists, counterfeitters, Las Vegas marriage, and some ingenious teens. Throw in a little romance and you’ve got the perfect novel. More twists and turns than an amusement park ride, you must read this latest by Karen McManus. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

The book was not engaging and did not pick up into almost half way through the book. It is marketed as a murder mystery but the crime does not take play until about a 100 pages into the book. I have liked other books by this author but this one did not grab my attention. I would not suggest it and I would say that if you want a fast paced book, this is not the one for you.

No surprise that McManus smashes it out of the park again. This fun and fast paced thriller has all the twists and turns I expected, and it kept me totally enthralled the whole time. The characters were really lovable and the storyline was exciting! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

Another fun read from Karen McManus. In this novel, we meet Jamie and Kat, a mother and daughter who have been living in a world of crime. Jamie wants to go straight, but she agrees to one last job, a heist at a billionaire's birthday party. Kat tags along and the pair run into a couple of significant people from their past: Jamie's ex-husband Luke and his son Liam. Luke and Liam are also in attendance at this party and their presence threatens the job.
When a party-goer is murdered, Kat and Liam set out on a mission to discover the murderer without becoming targets themselves.
Kat and Liam spent a tumultuous 48 hours together as children when their parents were briefly married. Due to the extreme circumstances, they both feel connected even though they haven't seen each other in years. The reconnection of these "siblings" and the growth of their relationship is the backbone of this mystery.
McManus fans will enjoy this new novel. It's also a fun introduction to the world of McManus mysteries.

I really did enjoy this read. This author is a go to for me and I really enjoyed her other books and this was no different. For me, it was a solid 3 stars and that’s a good rating. It means I was entertained and would likely recommend to others.

Such Charming Liars is a thrilling rollercoaster of suspense, family drama, and unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The story follows Kat, who finds herself entangled in her mother Jamie's last heist at a billionaire's birthday party, leading to a reunion with her estranged stepbrother, Liam. The dynamics between Kat and Liam are intense, filled with unresolved tension from their past, and the complex relationships between the characters add layers to the narrative. I loved that it was told from both Kat & Liam's POVs.

Once again, McManus skillfully weaves together themes of family loyalty, betrayal, and the consequences of a life of crime. The tension builds steadily throughout the story, creating a sense of danger that kept me guessing.

What sets this book apart is the unexpected twist at the end. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the story took a sharp turn that left me shocked. It not only added a new layer of complexity to the plot but also tied up loose ends in a way that was both satisfying and surprising.

Kat and Liam's evolving relationship is a highlight, and the chemistry between them adds an emotional depth to the story. The dialogue is sharp and witty, reflecting the characters' personalities and enhancing the overall reading experience.

While the ending sort of brought closure to the main plot, it left room for a possible sequel, it also left me with lingering questions and wanting to know more about Kat, Liam and even Augustus' futures. If you enjoyed McManus's other standalone books, like Cousins, you will enjoy this story. I cannot wait to interview her at NTTBF and ask her about the idea for this book!

I have read most of Karen McManus' YA novels and always purchase copies for my school library, so I was excited to see this one pop up on NetGalley. Overall, I think I will have some students who enjoy it, but reading it will require more stamina than One of Us Is Lying. The characters are well-developed, but this does add extra layers of complexity to the plot that many reluctant YA readers won't enjoy. My students who are regular readers, however, will appreciate the character depth and the plot twists that keep you engaged in trying to follow the story. I would also like to see a sequel to this novel with Augustus' POV because he is intriguing, and you feel like you only scratch the surface in this story.

What an exciting adventure to follow in this story of our main character and her mother. I enjoyed how this is a split perspective of another character as well and there is an intertwining of their stories along the way. Eventful and students will love this as an independent read!

I love this author and all her books (that I’ve read because I’m currently binge reading her books) I was so excited to get the opportunity to read this book and while I am the type of reader that is along for the ride, this is one of my favorite rides I’ve ever been on.

This author has never disappointed me! I really enjoyed this new thriller/mystery and, although it’s geared toward a YA audience, I believe readers of any age would enjoy it. The loved the dual point of view and the plot twists made the book a real page-turner and keep me guessing. The ending was unpredictable, which I loved! I’ll be happy to recommend this book near publication day. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

Karen McManus does it again. Every time I think these standalones can't get better but they DO! I'm astounded and amazed at her ability to write mysteries that involve such intrigue. The characters and their relationships were so well developed, and the dual point of view made for perfect suspense building. I absolutely loved this book and everyone else should as well.

A heist becomes deadly in this YA thriller by the queen herself!
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Kat has only ever had her mother, Jamie, to rely on. Jamie works for Gem, a woman who makes a living off creating replicas of jewelry and using them to steal. When Jamie decides she wants out of the business, Gem tells her she has to complete one final job: Ross Sutherland’s party at his estate. It’s there Kat reconnects with her former stepbrother and makes a new friend as well. Kat has to stand in for mom when she ends up bed ridden with an illness, and though she tries, Kat is not her mom. One mess after another has Kat running scared, but can she survive this weekend alive?
💎
If you loved The Cousins by McManus then you’ll fall in love with this YA thriller too. McManus always has a trick or two up her sleeve and just when I thought this story was wrapped up, she dropped a bomb. This novel releases August 1.

CW: death, murder, gun violence, physical violence, domestic abuse (recounted), vomit, blood, incarceration, attempted suicide, catfishing

The twist at the end bumped this from a 3 to a 3.75. Not my favorite by her.

I'm a big Karen M. McManus fan (her new books are always an auto-read) for me, and I really enjoyed this new novel from her. It was a bit of a departure from her previous novels, focusing on a mother-daughter pair of grifters/jewel thieft, but still the normal formula of some teens solving a mystery and some toxic family dynamics. It wasn't my absolute favorite from the author, but still a solid YA thriller!