This book...I think I liked it. It will definitely keep you guessing. The family drama is engaging. The setting (Capri) is well-described. The characters are full of flaws. There's a twist at the very end that will surprise you. As a mom, it's a little farfetched - not the Sarah/Helen part, but the Renata/Ciro part (3 year olds know their moms). Saltwater is a quick, mysterious read.

Family drama that alternates between the (murder/suicide/accidental) death of Sarah on the island of Capri and the return of the family to that site years later. Different perspectives reveal the events of 1992 and the tragedy that unfolds with Sarah's daughter, Helen, and her friend, Lorna, when the family returns to the villa. Surprising revelations keep changing what you think happened to Sarah and Lorna as well as your perceptions of the characters right up to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This was a wild ride of a book with murder, wealthy family, secrets, lies all within the setting of Capri. The story follows the wealthy Lingate family with dueling timelines of the death of Sarah Lingate in Capri to present. Helen Lingate sets to find out what happened to her mother and begins to suspect her own family. The book was a little slow moving at times, but the last 100 pages had me on the edge of my seat. The ending was brilliant! Highly recommend this thrilling mystery layered with jealousy, family drama and the dark side of wealth and fame.

I had not read anything by Katy Hays and Im happy to have come across this book. It contained everything from mystery, secrets, murder and all set in an island, Capri. How fabulous!

The characters were so well written that I found myself hating some of them, which is how you know the writing is splendid. The multiple characters POV made it a little difficult at first to follow along with. It also has some time hops which also made it a cumbersome at first but once I got used to reading the format, I felt a little better about the progress.

I think because of the stated this book took me a little longer to read. I can see how this book can be enjoyed by a big population. It wont be the last book I read by Hays.

Well written mystery/thriller with a fantastic setting but does not enter new territory. Just an enjoyable read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215362444

Saltwater is a suspense novel about rich people behaving badly. Set in Capri during a family vacation, it is perfect for a summer read.

**Rounded up from 3.5 ⭐️s**

The beginning was hard to navigate. There are a lot of characters and three timelines, so it was a bit confusing to follow storylines and character relationships. However, everything comes together 40-50% in. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this summer drama.

Writing Style - 3.5/5 ⭐️s
Plot - 3/5 ⭐️s
Character Development - 4/5 ⭐️s
Readability - 3.5/5 ⭐️s
Gut Rating - 3.5/5 ⭐️s

Overall, I enjoyed Saltwater. If you like books about family drama, especially involving the super wealthy, you'll like it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for an ARC.

I loved everything about this book!!!!!!! It was the perfect marriage of everything I loved and more. What a fun, twisty book. Cannot wait for this one to come out!

Richard Lingates wife died on the island of Capri under questionable circumstances 30 years ago. this is a mystery and will keep you guessing.

This book was an incredible read! I couldn't put it down all weekend. It's one of the best books I've read all year. There were twists, turns and unexpected connections throughout, with a major twist at the end that I didn't see coming. The twist was both shocking and heartwarming at the same time, and this murder mystery had a happy ending in the end.

Oh my gosh...what a book! I loved The Cloisters by Katy Hays and was extremely excited to read another book by her. She did not disappoint! I read this book in three days. The plot was well written and I was guessing who did what until the very end. If you are busy, don't read this, you won't be able to put it down!

The well to do Lingate family vacations on the Italian island of Capri every year, despite the suspicious death of the patriarch's wife, Sarah, on the island 30 years ago. Helen, who was 3 years old when her mother, Sarah, died on the rugged cliffs of the island, returns to Capri 30 years later with the family. The politics of living in an affluent family with secrets to hide add many twists and turns to the story.

I couldn’t put this down! Saltwater is set in Italy on the island of Capri. This novel is narrated from different members of the wealthy Lingate family and those who work for them. Jealously, murder, and wealth are the major themes in this absorbing mystery with lots of twists and turn and a surprise ending.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

There is a lot to like about this book, but also some aspects of this that I found challenging. The plot involves a wealthy family, old money, who vacation on the island of Capri. Thirty years earlier, the wife of one of the family members, was found dead, mysteriously. She (Sarah) was a playwright and was completing a play called Saltwater at the time of her death. Sarah's husband did not want to see this play see the light of day. Thirty years later, the death was being reinvestigated, prompting a series of actions by the family and some support staff members.

The portrayal of this wealthy family was well done. The plot twists in the last quarter of the book were surprising and they kept on coming. The writing quality was excellent, though sometimes the author gets lost in her words. I was challenged by the slow start of the book. It was hard to figure out who was who at first. I also was confused at time by the changing points of view combined with the timeline flipping back and forth between the present and past. I stayed with it and eventually the confusion disappeared and I was rewarded with the book's superb conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my ARC of Saltwater.

The title intrigued me, the setting intrigued me.

Once I started reading, I realized how the beauty of Capri contrasted so starkly with the ugliness of the characters---all rich people behaving badly.

The Lingates are a powerful and old-monied family. Watching them implode on the pages of this book is equivalent to a train wreck, tragic but hard to look away. Sadly, not a single characters is likable, but between simmering hostiles and crafty manipulations, the story weaves a spellbinding web.

Decades ago, while on vacation, Richard Lingate's wife died under questionable circumstances, her daughter just a child of three. Now an adult, Helen returns to Capri and the site of her mother's death but with her own agenda.

The story plays out like a glossy soap opera replete with old wounds, squabbling, and the downward spiral of a family imploding. Therein lies the train wreck, disaster looming like thunder clouds on the horizon. I applaud the author for the number of slick twists at the end. One I expected (though I had no idea how it would be pulled off), the other completely blindsided me. That one had me replaying several scenes in my head, re-examining puzzle pieces that slotted cleverly into place. All in all, I found Saltwater a captivating read.

If you enjoy exotic settings, family dramas, and slow-build mysteries, this story is a winner.

Despite a Kindle and bookshelves full of TBRs, I flew through this twisty armchair travel thriller.

The author whisks the reader away to sun splashed Capri for a whodunnit linking past and present, On the ride, she explores themes of money, power, and feminism. In what ways does marrying money or being born into it free a person, and in what ways does it constrain them?

My problem with many thrillers is shallow characters and themes. This book managed to keep me guessing through the end AND quench my thirst for weighty characters and ideas.

I loved the descriptions of a luxury trip to Italy, delicious food, and glamorous homes. A great beach read that would be just as good as book club fiction.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
This was hard for me to get into as it starts out slow. I like a book that grabs you from the start but it was given good reviews so I kept reading. It picks up and it makes for a good beach read. I love the setting of Capri and could picture the scenery. I enjoyed this book when I got into the second half.

This story spanning a 30 year period revolving around the deaths of two women in/involved with the ultra wealthy Lingate family was captivating and set in one of the most beautiful locations, Capri. I was definitely caught off guard in a good way with where the story went - the second half was much faster paced and engrossing than the first. While this is definitely one of those stories where I didn’t particularly like any of the characters it was well done and I’d love to watch this as a movie. Having recently been on vacation in Capri, it was fun to read the many real life names of places, hotels, restaurants and it brought the story to life in my mind.

I loved this book! The perfect mystery beach read. Think White Lotus meets Knives Out. There were secrets upon secrets in this Italian villa. I couldn’t put it down!

This book combines an exotic local (the Isle of Capri) with intergenerational family drama for a great beach read. Helen Lingate is subject to almost complete control of her life by her wealthy and dysfunctional family, all of whom have been scarred by the untimely death of Helen's mother, Sarah, when Helen was a young girl. Was it suicide or murder? The book goes back and forth in time between the days surrounding Sarah's death and the present, when Helen's friend and her uncle's assistant Lorna disappears. Family secrets are slowly teased out, with an explosive finale.

Overall a good read, although it was a little disjointed at times. It was hard to tell who to root for (and that's probably the point) because no one seemed very likeable. Everyone seemed to have a secret agenda, and the author did a good job of teasing these out throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy for an honest review. Such an intriguing book! Helen is the scion of a suffocatingly wealthy family; Lorna is the beleaguered assistant to Helen's uncle and Helen's confidante; Sarah is Helen's mother, dead by murder or suicide when Helen was a toddler. This is a family bonded by secrets, and Helen, now a young woman, seeks to gain her independence by breaking those bonds, Hays has artfully pieced together a narrative timeline by letting the characters relate in Rashomon style both very recent and long past events on the beautiful isle of Capri.