Thanks to Random House for providing this ARC. This is a super early review since the publication date is next spring, but I wanted to do it while it was still fresh in my mind. This definitely could be the summer book of 2025, as hyped by the publisher. Rich people, Mediterranean setting. Unresolved old death. It checks all the boxes for sure and I found the plot pretty propulsive. Great ending(s) to a few of the characters’ stories. Highly recommend this so put it on your list for next year.

My apologies, but I thought this was an audiobook which is the only thing I have time for these days. When you release it on audiobook, I would love to read it and review it. Many thanks.

Slow to start, but eventually picked up. It still could have used a little more suspense. But overall, a very entertaining, perfect beach read!

In multiple timelines and multiple pics, this novel tells the story of Sarah’s death on Capri, and her daughter trying to figure out what happened decades later. The whole thing is obscured by the wealth of the family. I don’t generally live books about super wealthy people, but this book had so many twists and turns and was so well plotted that it made up for it.

4.5 ⭐️
This is the perfect summer murder mystery. i thoroughly enjoyed this book and it had so many twists I didn't see coming.

plot: when the wife of a rich family turns up dead on a vacation in italy all eyes are on the husband. but with no actual proof the years pass. when the family is vacationing there again and their assistant turns up missing . what secrets is the family hiding and what lengths will they go to to keep them secret?

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC!

While this book had all the twisty turns of a good psychological thriller, it didn't have much pull. I wasn't sucked into the story but I also wasn't entirely bored either. It just felt like it was too long. Characters were okay but lacked something that would make readers want to root for any of them.

This reads as pretty disjointed, though the second half is a bit cleaner than the first. The main problem is that you don't really want anyone to succeed. At anything. Ever.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for this advance copy.
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The descriptions of Capri and twisty, page turning plot make Saltwater a perfect binge worthy summer read. This is a slow burn, thriller-esque rich people behaving badly family drama. All my favorite bookish buzz words. The reader is dropped into the story with multiple POVs and it took some time to orient in the beginning. There are lots of secrets, and you aren’t sure who knows what and where loyalties lie. But that all just upped the suspense and intrigue for me. I could not put this down! An impressive sophomore novel from the author of the Read with Jenna pick, The Cloisters. There were still several little errors and typos in the arc, but I trust those will be fixed before the final version. This book deserves all the praise it will receive!

This novel kept me guessing the whole time amid all the twists and turns. I’m not usually into thrillers, but this one drew me in! The picturesque Italian setting, the family drama, the greed, the secrets, the lies, the two crimes years apart - it’s all enthralling.

Oh, so fun! Dateline meets The Real Housewives of Italy in this deliciously witty tale of family and wealth. I dove in not sure what to expect, just knowing that I loved Katy Hays last book, The Cloisters. She does not disappoint! Although, this is a totally different vibe from the art museum mystery of her last novel— Think more along the lines of White Lotus!

Saltwater is masterfully written to the point that it both convinces you to want visit Capri, Italy while also spooks you enough not to go anywhere near it! Twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end!

So freakin’ fun. And beautiful cover!

Welcome to the Isle of Capri, and the summer home of the Lingate family. The Lingates are very rich and (sometimes) famous, and even after Sarah Lingate died there in 1992, the family returns every summer to prove (we’re not sure to whom) that they are still very rich and above reproach. Sarah’s death was ruled an accident, but we soon learn that there are many sides to this complex story and every family member holds a piece of it, which they keep closely guarded, from the world and from each other.

The beginning of the book is slow going. The story is told by several narrators: Sarah’s daughter Helen, Helen’s friend Lorna who is also her uncle’s assistant, Sarah herself from 1992, aunt Naomi and caretaker Renata. Each of them has learned to be elusive, so it takes some time before we figure out an overarching thread of truth. When Lorna goes missing in a similar way as Sarah did, the threads start to unravel, and by the last quarter of the book the secrets are practically spilling over each other as they are revealed. But wait, is Marcus’ truth the same as Richard’s truth? Does perennially drunk Naomi have a different version? Who will reveal the final secrets?

One of the strengths of this book is the way Hays subtlety underscores the reality of the Lingates’ existence by describing the scenery in which they navigate. The mansion is often depicted as having crumbling walls and peeling paint in corners which are not seen by the outside world. At one point, a character is described as circumnavigating a party like “a fatty sturgeon.” The veneer is very thin, and the assumption is that they have to work very hard to keep it from cracking.

One of the weaknesses of this book is that these pitiful people are deeply unlikeable. The one character who might be is Sarah, but she is gone, having been completely swallowed up by the family even before her disappearance. It is hard to find someone to cheer for. This is a tragic story in the classic Greek sense: the characters are implicit in their own downfall. It makes for an engaging tale, but not necessarily a feel-good one. Still, it pulled me in, and I left admiring the writer’s extraordinary skill, if not totally content with the story

Many thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I liked Hay's previous book so much because of the setting, this one lacked the same unique pull that The Cloisters had, as I feel like this setting is becoming more common for books. Still an interesting story!

Thanks to Random House/Ballentine Books for this ARC of Katy Hays' 'Saltwater.'

Wow! What a soap opera of the lifestyles of the rich and famous this is!

A decades old murder of a rising star in the theatrical world, whose light had begun to dim under the pressure of marrying into a super-wealthy old family sends shockwaves through and down the years to culminate in a week-long frenzy of twists and turns on the island of Carpi in the Mediterranean.

Layer after layer of character and happenings are added and peeled off in rapid-fire succession throughout this fantasy of wealth, privilege, and consequences and lack thereof.

Really well-paced with those aforementioned twists and turns happening constantly and delightfully.

If this isn't made into a Netflix/Apple+/HBO Max miniseries I'll be amazed, it's written to be enjoyed on the screen.

Bravo!

Wish I had this book when I was at the beach, would've been perfect there. Torn between wanting to go to Capri, and wanting to stay far far away.
This was an intriguing family drama wrapped into a murder mystery that was a bit slow going at the start, but ended with a big twist (or a few). Quick, entertaining read that I wish I could talk about with my book club - maybe not the most original or thrilling thing I've read, but it took me for a ride. 3.5 rounded up.

I’ve had the opportunity to read Saltwater by Katy Hays. The tale is good overall. The mystery sleuthing is passable. The police/detective/forensic aspects are sufficient for the story.

I am happy to have read it. Two things kept pulling me away from enjoying the book as much as I would have liked to. The first is the pacing. It never appeared to slow down. I couldn't avoid the feeling of a driving rat-tat-tat in the back of my mind. Perhaps the author was in flow, and her words were gushing to the page. Second, it was filled with miserable characters living elite miserable lives. Thus, it did not create much sympathy for them. Both of these points my have been the writers intent to drive the reader's mood.

This is my first book by Katy Hays and I really enjoyed it. I though it was a great summer read, the setting was captured perfectly in the summer in Capri. Every time I thought I figured out the truth in the web of lies of the ultra rich, old money, Wingate family. The lengths these people are willing to go to to conceal their secrets is outrageous. Read this in two days and am thankful for the ARC.

thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

yeah this one just didn't do it for me. I'm stunned to see it's only 336 pages in print, as it felt way longer than that. I think this book needed to be about a third shorter... it felt overly long and drawn out. I think this writer is good but also she has sort of a dreamy quality to her writing that doesn't work much in a thriller. the characters are kind of generic Terrible Rich People. some of the twists toward the end are quite good, and some are absurdly implausible. idk! not terrible but just did not do it for me.

Are you ready for your next thriller and even better, it is set in Italy? If so, Saltwater should be your next read. You’ll regret skipping this one.

Secrets. Betrayals. Old money. Murder. All on warm boozy summer nights on the idyllic island of Capri. Buckle up for a ride with the Lingates. A fabulously wealthy family fuel by haunting pasts, secret suspicions and wicked characters you will love to hate.

Admittedly I am not a murder/suspense reader but this plot line and setting was too good for me to pass up. I think many readers will enjoy this title.

It does have varying character POVs and skips in time. However, the twisty plot turns, good pacing in the plot and captivating details will keep most readers in the pocket. The setting descriptions are fantastic. I feel like Capri was as much a player in the story as the characters. The ending was a little much for me but overall perfectly entertaining summer read!

It hits shelves May 2025. Pick it up for your Memorial Day weekend. Tell the Lingates I sent you. :)

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this advance readers copy. Congratulations to Katy Hays, think you got yourself another winner!

This started slow but ended up as a very respectable sophomore novel that is both family drama and thriller. And it really makes you want to go to Capri, though I think I would feel really, really poor there.

In 1992 Sarah Lingate was found dead below the cliffs of Capri. She left behind her three year old daughter, Helen and husband. Her death was determined to be an accident even though most people think her in-laws and/or husband, the Lingates are involved and their old money in shielding them.

Thirty years later the Lingates arrive back at the same villa in Capri for their annual vacation. Helen is essentially held prisoner, Britney style. When they arrive so does a package containing the necklace Sarah was wearing on the night she died. Helen decides to use this as an opportunity to escape from her family and enlists the help of family employee Lorna Moreno. Then Lorna disappears. Where is she and what happened to Sarah?