This book was difficult to follow as it kept jumping backwards and forward in time. The story line was complicated but I finally got in the groove of the back and forth nature of the story. It held my interest and had a twisty ending. I did enjoy it.

A thriller/mystery filled with old money and family secrets, set in Capri? Yes, please! This read more like a drama or suspense type book than an actual thriller, but it kept my interest the entire time. It would make for a great vacation read. I didn't really like most of the characters, but I'm not sure that you are meant to. The twists were outstanding. A great read.

I really enjoyed Salt Water by Katy Hays. I loved how the book went back and forth in time and how the story was told from multiple points of view. Lots of secrets going on behind the scenes so you definitely have to pay attention. The setting of Capri was beautiful and made me want to go there. Not sure if I would characterize this as a beach read as there are lots of plots and twists that make the reader need to concentrate but if you love murder mysteries and family dramas, this one is for you. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of Saltwater which will be published March 25, 2025. When I read the summary for this book, I immediately was drawn in and the book did not disappoint. The longer I read, the more I became sucked into the storyline. Hays does a wonderful job with description when it comes to the island of Capri. Her descriptions create a desire within the reader to travel there. Not only this, but the family drama unfolds in a tragic, unexpected way. The twists that come are shocking. At the beginning of the book, I thought it moved slowly and struggled with too much ambiguity. Rather than furthering the suspense of this thriller, it made the story difficult to follow. However, the longer the novel went on, connections were made that sped up the plot. If you're looking for familial drama, this book is a great read!

Dual timelines and a juicy plot twist were what kept me interested in this book. I loved that there were multiple plot twists in the story and who doesn't love a good murder family mystery? It was a good summer read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for this ARC for review. I was introduced to this author when her first book, The Cloisters, was picked for a Read With Jenna book pick. I really liked that book, but I couldn't put this one down. This thriller is about the fabulous, wealthy Lingate family. In 1992, Sarah Lingate is found dead at the bottom of the cliffs when the family is vacationing in Capri. No one is held responsible for Sarah's death; it is just ruled an accident, and her 3-year-old daughter, Helen is left behind. Now the family is returning to Capri for the 30th anniversary of Sarah's death. Helen is determined to get away from her family and enlists the help of the family assistant, Lorna, but when Lorna disappears, it reopens the case of Sarahs's death and old secrets come to light. What really happened to Sarah all those years ago and who in the Lingate family is responsible? This was a fast and fun thriller with some great twists I did not see coming.

This book has a lot going on. A lot of secrets, a lot of murder and a lot of drama.

The book is written in multiple points of view and different time periods. It could be a little confusing at times to follow. It started out a little slow and then became pretty suspenseful.

There are a couple of characters to root for and a pretty major (yet very unbelievable) twist to end the story.

It was OK.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Juicy? Yes. Mysterious? Yes. Lush setting in Capri? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. The dual timelines are woven together very well!

This was a really great mystery thriller that finally caught my attention as I have found a lot of this genre of books recently are very similar and predictable. There are many layers of family drama and history which is fascinating and truly kept me on my toes. Rating this a 4 instead of a 5 only because I found it hard to keep up with at some points due to the past/present and change of narrator throughout.

Addictive and indulgent. The writing was as luscious as the lemons that grow in Capri. I was fully immersed, from the setting to the characters and all the lies that unravel. I’m normally not a fan of multi-pov novels, but the author hit it out of the park and it really enhanced the narrative. This was one of my favorite reads of the summer!

Wow, this book had me guessing until til the very end! Unfortunately, as I was reading it kept skipping ahead to the end, so I knew the ending before I understood what it meant. Without saying anything else to spoil it, I really liked this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of Katy Hays Saltwater. It started as a quick read but quickly started to drag. None of the characters were likable
which actually made the story work. Everyone had an agenda and this made you want to see where it would go. Unfortunately just when the pace of the story started to pick up, the ending became too forced and unbelievable.

The author provides an interesting take on the wealthy as they summer over in Capri. She then combines their personal stories with an intriguing murder mystery. The mystery have several twists and turns that left me thinking “we I’ll be damned.” Sure made for a great read and I recommend it.

Saltwater was a fun summer mystery. Lately I've seen several publisher blurbs describing a book as "a cross between White Lotus and Ripley" but this one really was a cross between White Lotus and Ripley. The characters were engaging and the lives of the rich in Capri is always fun reading. And there were enough twists to keep me reading. It was hard to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.
What a great book, my favorite this year so far, I loved it!
It's the family saga of the ultra rich who have come to Capri, where they spend a week each year.
The youngest of them is trying to get away from them, but needs money. She and her uncle's administrative assistant hatch a plan to leave with quite a large amount of it, but it doesn't quite work.out.
The family is hiding so many lies, secrets and apparent murders it's hard to fathom ... and they will do anything to keep them buried.
The answers to the questions as well as the ending are
fabulous and such a surprise, wow, I loved it!

As someone who doesn't really like a dual timeline, this one didn't seem to bother me. I felt engaged the whole time reading. Some of the characters were insufferable but I had a feeling that they would be based on the books description.

Thank you, NetGalley for this eARC! The cover of the book was what sold me. I knew I was headed to a beach vacation and thought this would be the perfect beachside mystery to read. I was correct!

“Saltwater” follows a few different character perspectives throughout the novel, but the most important are, Helen and Lorna. Helen’s family is rich and vacation on Capri every summer which is odd considering her mother died on the very same island and trip 30 years prior. Lorna is Helen’s friend who now works for the family. Both Helen and Lorna want the same thing freedom from this family and the money to secure that freedom. This means uncovering family secrets including what really happened to Helen’s mother Sarah.

Overall, this was a fun mystery to read. I know other reviewers mentioned the jumping timelines were confusing, but I enjoyed them. These characters have very few, if any, redeeming qualities which made it hard to root for any of them. The setting of Capri was lovely. I felt like I was there. This was a solid 4-star read for me till the very end. I was surprised by twist which I liked and thinking back I see the clues. However, I don’t think it was fully believable, especially after the 2nd part of the twist. I think most readers will enjoy this mystery though!

Oh my goodness. What a spiraling, twisting, serpentine adventure. The money. The deceit. The hate…This book had it all, and more! One minute I think I know what’s going on and BAM, Katy Hays blows that right out of the water. If you’re looking to get sucked into family drama, murder, and more plot twists than you can count - This is it! My favorite read this summer, by far!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was really good. The two mysteries converged well, and there were a lot of good twists. Something felt a little off, I’m not totally sure what, but it was still really good!

This book was an absolute gem. I never knew where it was going, and it kept me at the edge of my seat.