This book had an interesting premise, but it didn’t quite deliver. The atmosphere was moody and immersive, but the plot felt slow and aimless, and the characters never fully clicked for me. I kept waiting for something big to happen, but it just never did. That said, the audiobook was well-produced, and the narrator did a decent job bringing some emotion to the story, which made it easier to get through. If you love beautifully written but super introspective stories, you might enjoy it, but for me, it just dragged.

Thank you to the publisher and Hayes for this advanced copy.

I can summarize Saltwater with one word: atmosphere! So much rich atmosphere. I loved the setting of this story.

Complex narrative set against the beautiful backdrop of Capri. I’m hooked!

I would recommend this to any fan of Alice Feeney who I think does a great job weaving stories of family drama.

Sarah Lindgate fell off the cliffs of Capri on a family vacation in 1992. Since then the Lindgate family has continued to vacation there and her now 33-year-old daughter, Helen, wrestles with feeling trapped in her very controlled life. When a package arrives at the house on the 30th anniversary of Sarah’s death, everyone is on edge. And Marcus Lindgate’s personal assistant, Lorna, who joined them on vacation has also gone missing. Secrets will be uncovered in this suspenseful family drama.

I really liked the writing in this and the different points of view. The way the story unfolded with a non-linear timeline, sometimes going back to Sarah’s perspective back in the early 90s, sometimes bringing readers to the present in Helen’s or Lorna’s voices. Themes of wealth and privilege, control, manipulation, and societal expectations abound. I admit, it’s hard for a book in this genre to blow me away; I’m too keen on making predictions to sit back and enjoy them. But this one had enough subplots of interest that it held my attention. I also liked the writing style.

Overall, a clever, somewhat slow-paced, and suspenseful title that makes me curious about the author’s earlier and future work.

I think the cover is beautiful for this book. The setting...Capri, Italy what could be better?

I thought Helen was great i enjoyed getting to know her character. The others however were underdeveloped and boring. I typically love the writing style that gives you multiple points of views while jumping from the past to present so I get the whole picture. This book however did not do a very good job with the past to present and back again. I was confused for the majority of the slow book.

I did enjoy the twist at the end and did not see that coming at all! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This one reminded me of a very slow moving, White Lotus type book. Rich people behaving VERY badly. This one I struggled to finish due to its slow moving pacing.

In 1992, Sarah Lingate falls to her death while on vacation in Capri, leaving behind a three-year-old daughter named Helen. Her rich and powerful husband, brother, and sister-in-law are all cleared of her death but live under a cloud of suspicion. Thirty years later, the Lingate family is back on the and has brought along an assistant named Lorna. Lorna, former party girl, has a manilla folder of Lingate family secrets. When Lorna and Helen team up to sell the secrets and break free of the restrictive and dysfunctional Lingate family, tragedy ensues. As the novel moves between the past and the present, decades-old secrets are revealed as the action moves towards a satisfying climax.

This was an atmospheric slow burn, with too much atmosphere and too little plot. At first, the writing reminded me of Emma Cline’s The Guest (which I absolutely loved), but Hays didn’t build suspense or develop the characters in the same satisfying ways. Helen and Lorna’s voices were very similar so it was difficult to differentiate between their sections. I did love the descriptions of Capri and the observations Lorna made about the family members, and the pages turned pretty quickly, but ultimately this book isn’t one I’ll find myself recommending often. However, if you like atmospheric thrillers this one may be a hit for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the electronic advanced reader copy!

Read this if: you enjoyed The Blue Hour or The Divorcees

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is incredible. From early on in the book your mind is racing, thinking about who killed Sarah and what is happening in with the Lingate family 30 years later. I will tell you now.....you cannot guess all the twists and turns of this book. Up to the very last chapter I was stunned.

I can't wait to read more books by Katy Hays. So good.!

Multiple mysteries, multiple twists, lots of family drama, and plenty of unlikable characters, all set in a beautiful Italian villa. What it doesn’t have is suspense and deep character development, making it harder to relate to any of them. Granted, it’s a rich egotistical family so it would be hard to relate anyway. Overall, I enjoyed the story but truly didn’t like the ending. I actually wish it had ended a couple chapters earlier. I simply found the final twists unnecessary, but that’s just my opinion. If you read it, I’d love to know yours.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the complimentary copy of this book. As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.

HOLY SHIRTS AND FORKS, everyone must go buy and read this book when it comes out next week. I was on the edge of my seat EVERY SINGLE PAGE. It gives Succession meets White Lotus vibes and yet you are constantly questioning what will happen next! There are sooo many twists and turns that you don’t ever see coming, even until the very end! I loved the way the author peeled back the layers of the story and unveiled different elements of what happens currently and 30 years ago. It is so hard to do and very well done in this book.

the description of this book intrigued me from the beginning and it did not let me down! i was hesitant to read the slower paced book, but the story, details, and setting had me hooked. i loved all of the twists at the end and felt so many of the emotions the characters felt as well. if you’re looking for a vacation mystery, this is the book for you!

A "good" book. Why so base? I'm in the middle. I thought some of it was inspired writing and the premise is very "movie of the week" but I got lost in the middle and couldn't keep up with remembering anything I read. So, translation: maybe it was me. Still giving it a 3. I like some of the twists and yet I saw some of them coming. Your opinion will be different.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc! I so enjoy getting "in" on the upcoming titles!

Rich people family drama with a Mediterranean backdrop and a murder? Yes, please.
Saltwater was great! I loved the multiple POVs, timelines, and newspaper clippings. What happened to Sarah Lingate? Why was the Lingate family so concerned about their reputation? And what was Helen actually up to with Lorna? What’s with all the secrets?
This was a twisty story with a nice backdrop and a shady family full of scandals and secrets. I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend sticking it in your beach bag this spring/summer. The cover is also beautiful!

Disclaimer: I am pretty picky about my thrillers. I loved that this was about rich family drama. I usually find remote islands to be cliche and too claustrophobic but the way the author described the setting worked really well for me. It felt so beautiful and treacherous at the same time and I loved it. I wanted to know the ending and I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know how this would end. However, this wasn’t a four or five star read for me because I didn’t like any of the characters and I was pretty confused throughout the first half. I kept trying to figure out which character I was supposed to root for and I didn’t want to root for any of them so it made for a pretty ok reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.

Saltwater is a beautifully written debut that explores grief, identity, and the deep ties that bind us to our past. Set in a small coastal town, the novel follows Juliet, a young woman who returns home after her mother's death to confront unresolved memories and relationships.

The sea, both a literal and symbolic presence, mirrors Juliet’s emotional journey, reflecting her internal struggles as she grapples with loss and the weight of family secrets. Hays’ writing is evocative, capturing the tension between nostalgia and the painful reality of returning to a place that no longer feels like home. The coastal setting becomes a character in itself, bringing a sense of isolation and beauty to the story.

While Saltwater isn’t fast-paced, its quiet, introspective nature draws you in. Hays’ strength lies in her atmospheric prose and the subtle emotions between characters, creating a layered exploration of how grief and memory shape our identities.

Helen Lingate has long desired an escape from her controlling, old-money family. Her mother Sarah, an accomplished playwright, died when Helen was young under mysterious circumstances. On the 30th anniversary of Sarah Lingate's passing, Helen teams up with her assistant Lorna to orchestrate a complex plan: one that will free them both from the family's grip. But in the wake of the plan, Lorna herself goes missing under a new set of mysterious circumstances.

A multifaceted, multigenerational mystery unfolds against the backdrop of Capri, bringing in a variety of points of view: Helen herself, Lorna in the hours leading up to her disappearance, Sarah in the weeks and months before her untimely demise, and other players throughout the Lingate family. At the center of it all are a duffel bag full of money, a snakelike necklace of Sarah's thought to be lost, and Saltwater: Sarah's unproduced final play that could air all of the Lingates' dirty laundry. As Helen explores two disappearances at once, she discovers that pretty much nothing is as she originally believed.

Saltwater aims high and exceeds expectations, succeeding where so many thrillers of its kind have fallen short. Every little thread, from Helen's love interest to Lorna's background to the movements of housekeeper Renata, are ultimately woven back into the the overall story in a meaningful way. Hays doesn't make the mistake of showing her hand too early; but when the time does come to play it, she does so to full effect. The twists and turns are surprising without being untethered, stretching even on to the final page. There are no two ways around this: Saltwater is simply an excellent book.

A twisty tale of family drama and murder on Capri that moves back and forth in time and between narrators. Helen's mother Sarah died-was killed-on the island when she was three and her family shut down around her after. Now, in the present, Lorna, who is a bit of a grifter, has managed to wind her way into the family and into a friendship of sorts with Helen, a friendship which she exploits. What really happened to Sarah, who was once a playwright, and what's happened to Lorna will collide over time. Helen's perspective and Lorna's are a bit different to say the least but then there's also Naomi, Helen's alcohol soaked aunt. Her father Richard, her uncle Marcus don't have a voice in this but they loom over it all. It's nicely atmospheric - with tastes, smells, heat and the rest that will transport you to Capri. What is the secret of the necklace that arrives at the Capri vacation home? So many secrets, so many questions, so many twists, some of which you might see coming and others which will be a surprise. If I have a quibble it's that this goes on a bit too long but wow that end. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

I was really happy with this story. The intrigue and mystery was there from the beginning - it kept me reading, needing to know what happened/happens. I think I still need to process my thoughts on the two twists at the end, but initially I think I liked them and they work well with the story. I would recommend this book to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. All options are my own.

Saltwater by Katy Hays takes readers on a journey following a rich family vacationing in Capri- the same place where 30 years ago one of them died.

I enjoyed the mystery in the story as well as the multiple perspectives and timeline. There was a portion in the middle that was a little slow, but the last section picked up and kept me on the edge of my seat. There were also several twists that I didn’t anticipate.

Saltwater is a dual timeline, multi POV, mystery set on the island of Capri. In 1992, Sarah Lingate is found dead at the base of the cliffs, and her death is ruled accidental despite suspicious circumstances. In the present day storyline, her daughter Helen feels trapped by her controlling ultra wealthy family, and is planning an escape.
I looooved Katy Hays' debut, The Cloisters, so I was very excited to read her next book. Unfortunately, it's a slower paced mystery/drama, and I was trying to read it during a book slump. So, I'm not sure how much that affected my opinion, but this was a too slow for me. There were a couple twists at the end that I truly didn't see coming, but also felt so unbelievable that I wasn't impressed.
If you're looking for an atmospheric, slow burn mystery set on Capri, check this out when it comes out next week!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Saltwater by Katy Hays

Thank You NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a complimentary copy of this novel!
The Lingate family take a yearly vacation to the isle of Capri. But one incident in 1992 has left a dark shadow. Sarah Lingate was found dead at the bottom of the cliffs. Although her death seemed to be a suicide, there were still some suspicions by the local carabinieri it could have been her husband. She also left behind a 3-year-old daughter, Helen. Every year the Lingates return to the island, but the 30th anniversary of Sarah’s death hangs in the air. Someone has other ideas and wants revenge. So, the Lingate family is there on the island, Helen is now 33 years old, and their assistant Lorna has been with them a few years as well. One night, while at dinner, a box arrives with a piece of jewelry believed to have been stolen from Sarah’s dead body the night she died. Someone knows the truth of what happened that night and the Lingates will stop at nothing to hide that truth, even murder. What happened to Sarah that fateful night in 1992? Was her death a suicide or a more nefarious act took place that night?
This novel was so good!!! The ending will leave you shocked with the secrets and twists that are revealed! Look for this novel March 25, 2025!!