honesty, I'm happy to say this book is over... it truly felt like it was never going to end. I don't think I really liked the story until about 70% into the book and until that point I was pushing myself to get to that point.

slow SLOW burn... I can't say I connected with ANY of the characters and it felt repetitive at times. I couldn't find enough interest into the twists and only felt a breath of relief once it was over.

if you're one to love slow burns with detailed writing, then this is perfect for you

I was really looking forward to picking this one up, but in the end it was just very meh. I loved the setting on Capri, and the author did a nice job of creating a scenic backdrop to the story. But.....for a thriller, this book was just not very exciting. The book was very slow moving (and not in a slow burn way), and I was not overly motivated to keep picking this one up. The ending was weak and messy and not worth wading through the rest of the book for.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to review this fun mystery for my honest review. I really enjoyed this twisty book. It’s filled with twists and turns and plenty of rich people drama. I also loved the setting of Capri. The author did a great job describing this beautiful setting. Thank you again for allowing me to review this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys twisty mystery/thrillers.

I normally don’t gravitate to mysteries but if it’s about rich people creating their own demise? Count me in. 🤣

This gave me such a la White Lotus vibes and I was here for it. There were times I thought I knew the outcome but it does sort of twist and shake it up to the point I didn’t even believe I was reading. There are many POVs so if you’re someone that doesn’t enjoy that, this book might not be for you. I personally enjoyed the confusion as it added to the element of the plot.

No one is really likable in this book. I think that was the point. You truly learn what people will do for money or at least the facade of it. It makes me glad I never grew up in old money. 😅

I personally never saw the ending. It surprised me and a job well done for doing so. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Capri and the connections to Roman mythology.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

Thanks to @randomhouse (Ballantine Books) and @netgalley for the gifted e-ARC and to @prhaudio for the ALC!

Told in multiple timelines and with multiple POVs, this book is a slow burn mystery that tells the story of two murders, 30 years apart, that interrupt a wealthy American family’s yearly trip to Capri, Italy.

This is one of those books that seems straightforward at first. The characters all hate each other. But they’re family. And they’re rich. So they spend their vacation together and keep up appearances. None of them are particularly likable. Helen is the sheltered daughter who longs to break free of the family’s control. Her boyfriend, Freddy, handpicked was by the family. Her father Richard is the grieving widower whose wife committed suicide on this island 30 years ago. Marcus, Richard’s brother, holds the family together. Helen, Marcus’s wife, is too zoned out on pills and alcohol to know what is going on. And Lorna, Marcus’s new assistant, despises all of them. These six people spend a week on Capri, just like they always do. But this year, everything changes.

It took me a while to figure out who everyone was, and at first the plot was hard to follow. But the beauty of the writing is in how it slowly unfolds. And as it does, more and more things come out. The way I gasped out loud at some of those twists!

The multiple narrators read the chapters for their characters and did a great job matching each other’s voices for the minor characters.

The setting was gorgeous. I’ve now added Capri to my bucket list!

I really enjoyed this mystery and highly recommend both the print and audiobook.

When I read what this was about, I thought I had found a book that would be just what I was looking for. A murder that after 30 years still haunted a family.
The more I read the more I knew that this just did not fill in the blanks of why things happened. I did not like the characters enough to find out why things happened. I am sure this book will have fans and enjoy reading it but for me it was an OK book but one that did not stay in my mind for very long after finishing it.
Thank you NetGalley, Katy Hays and Random House Publishing Group for the arc of Saltwater. This is my personal honest review.

I really wanted to love this one. As far as tropes go, I love juicy family dramas, rich people behaving badly, and twisty thriller/ mysteries. I especially love a scenic and atmospheric setting, and I was soo excited to be whisked away to the beautiful island of Capri. Unfortunately, everything fell flat. The “twists” were all predictable and/or spoon fed to us. So many things were unnecessarily repetitive. I feel the story could’ve taken place on any island or remote location, none of the scenery or food/drink mentioned screamed Capri to me. Any book that takes 75%+ to get anywhere in the neighborhood of interesting is immediately on my shit list. Sorry!!!! :(

This was a fantastic read. I loved the twist and turns. The characters were well written and the fast pace kept me reading. Loved the twist at the end.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. The concept was interesting but the writing style was boring and confusing, and all the characters were annoying. It’s hard to read a book with no one to root for.

Absolutely loved this twisty mystery set in Capri, Italy! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and the author, in exchange for an honest review. The author, Katy Hays, wove in a fascinating dual timeline across 30 years with continuing plot twists throughout the book, in the setting of extreme opulence and wealth, with have and have-not distinctions between staff and the family on a beautiful Estate used once a year for vacation (specifically, a vacation on the anniversary of the murder of one of the family members). When another individual goes missing and the initial murder is reexamined, everyone is a suspect. Ms. Hays did a wonderful job of developing all of her characters in this very conflicted family and several close friends/staff, but leaving just enough out of the story to allow the reader to wonder what was next or how they were actually involved. Overall, I really enjoyed the journey on the book. The only slight downside was the ending of the book felt a bit rushed, and less developed than the rest of the story.

Unfortunately, I DNF this around the 30% mark. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style and wasn’t hooked with the characters and the storyline. I did like the description of Capri. I think this one just wasn’t for me, as I’ve seen others like it.

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

This book will be the perfect spring break read!! Throw it in your bag and get lost in this twisted family story!

" In 1992 Sarah Lingate is found dead below the cliffs of Capri, leaving behind her three-year-old daughter, Helen. Despite suspicions that the old-money Lingates are involved, Sarah’s death is ruled an accident. And every year, the family returns to prove it’s true.. it’s now the 30th anniversary and Helen is wanting answers about her mothers death so she and the families assistant Lorna began to dig. When the Lingates arrive in Capri they find a surprise waiting for them—the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died." With each chapter in the book each has one of several narrators: Helen , Lorna Sarah, Naomi, whose married to Marcus. Marcus is the brother to Helen's father Richard. Soon the story takes a turn when Lorna disappears, and the thirty-year-old death investigation is reopened. Could the killer be one of the family members how many dark secrets can one family keep?? A slow burn with many twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for proving me with an e-arc!!

If you’re looking for a mystery thriller set on a beautiful island to help kick off your spring or summer reading, this is the one for you!! With a rich, powerful family, dark secrets, and a luxurious vacation, this is a good read for fans of White Lotus!!

Every year, the Lingate family vacations at the island of Capri, always on the anniversary of Sara Lingate’s 1992 death. The circumstances around Sara’s death are very mysterious… although her untimely demise was ruled a suicide, multiple witnesses said they had seen her and her husband fighting the very same night she died. There were obvious issues in the relationship, but Richard was cleared of wrongdoing. However, was that due to money, or because he was truly innocent?

Present day, Helen, (daughter of Richard and Sara) is determined to find out more about her mother’s life. She’s suspicious that the family was involved in her mom’s death, but she’s never been as concerned about Sara’s death, instead wanting to focus on her life. When Helen starts a friendship with her uncle’s assistant, Lorna, she quickly is able to learn more information about her mother as Lorna feeds her information. Helen wants out of the constraints of the family, but knows she needs money- which is when Helen and Lorna concoct a plan to help Helen leave.

However, plans go awry when Lorna disappears one night. Her vanishing causes the past to be dredged up, and now everyone is wondering if Sara was actually murdered, and if Lorna may have faced the same fate. The Lingates seem to have connections and money to cover up anything, but were they truly involved at all?

I really enjoyed this one! I definitely didn’t expect the twist, and I think anyone that enjoys mysteries/thrillers/suspense will want to pick this one up!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately I had to DNF this pretty early on. I found the writing style very dry and nothing about the story hooked me. I vaguely remember not loving this author’s other book that I’ve read (though I finished that one), so I suspect her writing may just not be a good fit for me.

The setting for this book is fantastic. I love that it takes place on Capri. Makes it feel like “White Lotus” with all the drama between the family and some of the islanders. This book is one heck of a slow burn though. It dragged for me and by the time it got to the end, I was ready for it to be over, hence the three-star rating. The twists at the end were one after another and they surprised me. 

The characters are not very exciting, but I did like seeing them interact with each other and learning about their histories. There are quite a few key characters, so make sure you pay attention to who they are and who they are with. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and alternate timelines. I feel like that brought this book to life. 

Overall, this is a decent slow-burn mystery. Thank you Netgalley and Random House for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This is available on March 25, 2025. 

Read if you like:
🔥 Slow Burn Mystery
👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼 Family Drama
👓 Multiple POV
🕰️ Alternate Timelines

Capri is sun-drenched, and this family's secrets are about to face the disinfectant of sunlight. This is wonderful character study that offers us more than just twists and turns--it offers insights into the dark hearts some of us harbor.

This was a character study thriller. I enjoyed it but really loved the setting of Capri. I would have liked more shocking twists.

I thought a book this heavily marketed would be more of a thriller than a literary mystery. It was written well but other than consistently talking about the family’s wealth and secrets… what was there?

A terrific sophomore novel that centers on an ultra "old money" wealthy family hiding from their past mistakes - including the death of the never-truly-accepted-but-highly-accomplished daughter-in law, Sarah. Each year the Lingates return to the beautiful island of Capri to prove to themselves and the gossip-mongers that suffocate them that Sarah's death on Capri was a terrible accident, not murder. The sensory and beautiful descriptions of the island make Capri the perfect setting for what feels like a "locked island" mystery.

Although the beginning was a bit slow, it set the stage for this page-turning drama, told from multiple perspectives past and present. With most of the characters being deeply flawed and more than a little unlikeable, the novel felt like a cross between Succession and White Lotus. I would nott be surprised if this is adapted for Netflix in short order.. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A wealthy family's annual trip to Capri takes a dark turn when a mysterious necklace resurfaces, reopening questions about a decades-old death. With dual timelines, shocking twists, and a stunning Italian backdrop, this is a gripping tale of privilege, secrets, and deception.