Coming off the movie Saltburn, this title immediately intrigued me. Since I’m freezing in the cold, this reminded me of beach and drinks

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of this. This book was great. Who killed Sarah? So many people confessed to it. It keeps you wondering the whole book. It was beautifully written.

Also how many books are about someone getting killed cuz they fell off a cliff? I have never been anywhere close to a cliff before but it seems like a common problem in the murder mystery world.

This was okay for me. Started very slow and took me a bit to get into but glad I finished it. Definitely will be enjoyed by many readers.

I just didn’t really enjoy this. I felt some sympathy for Helen, who grew up wealthy but has no freedom despite being in her thirties, and some sympathy for Lorna, Helen’s friend and the assistant to the family, because her upbringing wasn’t easy and after having some substance problems, managed to sober up. But I don’t particularly like reading about rich people behaving horribly.

In 1992, Helen’s mother’s body was found at the cliffs on the island of Capri. It was ruled an accident, but many have speculated over the years about the truth of that assertion. Now, the family is back in Capri, and it’s Lorna’s body that is discovered.

I mostly just found this boring, thus I struggled to get through it. I didn’t like the twists at the end—they just seemed too unlikely.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 25, 2025.

The writinf style is great and would have enjoyed more if it weren't for all the change of POV's and dates in the storyline. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Who wouldn't love a warm vacation to the island of Capri? I mean that is if you can tolerate the people you have to go with. The Lingates come from old money and with that could some of their haunting pasts. Lorna and Helen just want to escape it all. Working together they form a plan and execute it while on vacation in Capri but as expected nothing is easy with this family. This story is full of suspense, secrets, lies, betrayals with a very twisty plot. Just when you think you know what is next, it all changes.
There were times the book slowed down a bit, however, push through and you won't regret it. I enjoyed the different characters, and their personalities really carried this book.
Great read!

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books, NetGalley and Katy Hays for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oof, this felt like Succession x The Perfect Couple which I loved! I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and the character development.

4.5 stars!

Initially, I was thinking this book was not going to be for me, but I was absolutely wrong. This is the first thriller/suspense that I've read in a while that has actually shocked me and took a twist that I did not expect at all. It did start a little slow but picked up and when it did, I was hooked.

Told from multiple POVS and with switches from present to past, we are thrown into the mystery of the Lingate family. A wealthy family with deep, tragic secrets, fancy lifestyles and tons of family drama. Once fully engaged with the characters and in the story, I was constantly questioning each character and their motives. It was fun because there was never a time while I was reading that I could pinpoint the "good guy". All of the characters seem to have something about them that makes them suspicious, and this will keep you guessing.

Katy Hays also does a beautiful job of giving us a real feel and visual for the Isle of Capri. I would highly recommend giving this one a go! If you are a suspense or a "whodunit" lover, I think you will enjoy this read!

Thank you NetGally, Katy Hays and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in return for my honest opinion!

An engaging thriller that pulled me in and kept me hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed the setting, the author’s attention to detail, and the suspense. Well done.

If you enjoyed The Perfect Couple get ready for a bit of Gatsby, Hilderbrand and and Wharton rolled into one.

Saltwater tears into the spoils of the wealthy and privileged Lingate family, leaving no room for sensitivities and simply a blood trail of mystique, revenge, betrayal, selfish, selfish betrayal.

I became engrossed with humble Lorna and motherless yet silver spooned Helen and completely clueless to the road I was led down by the two. Still cleaning up my jaw off the floor!

Saltwater by Katy Hays is a unique and very interesting book.
Told from several viewpoints and timelines this book will really draw you in.
Extraordinary character development and various plot lines that you wont see coming.
I highly recommend this book and will definitely recommend it to my customers

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>Saltwater </i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The sun-soaked island of Capri is the setting of this novel. With two timelines that are 30 years apart, it is necessary to cement the correct time in your brain before reading the chapter. I did lose the thread a few times, but that may have been due to the holidays and a house full of guests.

The Lingate family is old money rich with seemingly few unanswered needs. Helen Lingate, however, finds her family stifling and controlling as their main purpose seems to be guarding the family horde of secrets.

Thirty years earlier. Helen's mother, Sarah, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Murder? Suicide? No real determination was ever made, but a cloud of suspicion hangs over Helen's father, Richard. Helen longs to break free from her family; she just needs money to do it. Enter Lorna, her uncle's assistant. Together, they plot to unravel the truth of Sarah's death and bring it to the open unless they are handsomely paid to keep silent.

The characters are either jealous or disdainful of others. Is it possible to be too rich? For the Lingates, there is never enough.

Hays has a stunner of a surprise at the end.

Saltwater
By: Kate Hays

4 Stars

This is a story about family, secrets, and murder. Helen is trying to figure out what really happened to her mother. They say it was suicide, the family does. The suspicion is always there that the family was involved somehow. Helen begins to dig deeper, and secrets come to light that change everything. Now Lorna, the assistant, has gone missing, and Helen begins to connect the past to the present.

Wow. This story was twisty and thrilling. It was fast-paced and filled with drama and mystery. The Lingate family will shock you. Affairs, danger, and drama kept me hooked from start to finish. By the end, I was shocked at some of the revelations that come about. Lorna? Sarah? Helen? Each made this story and showed great depth throughout. They were only some of the interesting characters in a well-done family thriller.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

While the characters in Saltwater were at times difficult for me to care about, the setting was so captivating it kept me reading. I loved that the decadence and heartlessness of Ancient Rome, specifically Tiberius, seemed to undergird the general rot of the Lingate family in modern day. I enjoy alternating timelines and multiple perspectives in novels, but there were occasions reading Saltwater that it was a bit confusing and I would have to flip back to see whose perspective was in play and where I was in the timeline.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lingates have been reclusive and enigmatic ever since Sarah Lingate's mysterious death in 1992 on Capri. For the longest time Helen Lingate could not comprehend why her father, Richard, and her aunt and uncle, Naomi and Marcus, would spend so much time coaching her on staying out of the public eye and never accepting friends. Or why on earth they would still want to go to the same house every year for vacation where her mother died thirty years ago. She's not sure her father murdered her mother, but she's not wholly convinced her family is innocent either. When her uncle's assistant, Lorna, approaches Helen with an offer of friendship, and eventually a potential way to escape the suffering reclusive life - how far will the two of the go during their week on the island of Capri?

This was so fascinating and so different from Katy Hays' The Cloisters. I loved it. It dives into the divide between the class systems and their lives, and how money can control motivations. It focuses on family dynamics, especially in one surrounded in grief and manipulation, and the dichotomy of struggling with still caring for the people who raised you and finding the line where you no longer can.

I struggled a little with some aspects of the ending. I'm not sure how I felt about some artistic choices made - particularly there were two major plot points that were the premise of the whole book and essentially in two chapters at the end it undoes those points. I'm not sure I liked that aspect. Mostly because it was glossed over in an epilogue and not flushed out.

I think a lot of people will really love those twists, however. Anyway - Read Saltwater! Out March 25, 2025!

Saltwater was an interesting read. Just when you thought you had things figured out another truth was revealed, rearranging all the events. Centered around a thirty year old unsolved murder, the family of the victim who returned to the scene of the crime each year all seem capable of almost anything.
I enjoyed the exotic setting of the island of Capri.. I was impressed by the web of intersecting characters and the misdirections they caused as I struggled to solve the crimes committed.
My only regret is that I had trouble finding a character to relate to. The rich really are different, so much time was spent on what was worn, eaten, drank and the excess in which it was done. I think Saltwater will appeal to many mystery and suspense lovers.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

This book was suspenseful, but a little too unbelievable for my taste. The setting was gorgeous and it made you feel like you were actually there. The writing was a little dry, but overall it was a good book.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. My first thought is - when can I go to Capri??? The author did an amazing job with the setting. From the summer crowds, to aperitivo time, to the ruins - it was fascinating and vividly described. At the beginning, I had a little bit of trouble keeping the characters straight, particularly Richard and Marcus, but once the story developed more, that was resolved. I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints/timelines. I thought the author did a good job on pacing as far as which chapters would be Helen, which Sarah, etc. There were a few parts where it was a little slow, and some character behaviors which seemed maybe not quite believable, which is the reason I took off one star. I was completely shocked with one of the twists, actual mouth dropping open in surprise, so that is huge for me as a thriller reader. I feel like there were maybe one or two details not totally explained, so I would be curious to see if other readers thought the same.

I requested this because I love anything where the premise is “rich people problems abroad” as it reminds me of books by Katherine St. John/Katherine Wood. This one definitely delivered in that aspect! I was super hooked from the start because of the mystery of the mother’s death — and the twist that came at the end was crazy! It was a really enjoyable read that I’d recommend for anyone who loves a good warm weather thriller.