This is my first book by this author, and I found it to be a really good read overall. I really enjoyed the multiple timeframes that the story was told in, as well as the multiple POVS. I thought the first three quarters of the book was really good. The story was moving along quickly, and I was really invested in the characters. There was suspense, and I loved that I couldn't predict where the story was going. In the last part of the book, I found the twists to be a little to far fetched and unbelievable for me. It became a little too chaotic for my liking, which kept me from rating it higher. Overall, though, the whole of the story was enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy to read and review.

I received an advance copy of Saltwater from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy mysteries, but not so much like this. Not even sure I know how to describe what "this" is. Thriller and suspense are the popular tags, while I tend to favor series like Anna Pidgeon, Kinsey Milhone, Jack Reacher, and the very cozy Mrs. Pollifax. By my figuring, I have read only 2-3 novels similar to this in the past two years. So I was surprised when it was offered to me without requesting it, but it sounded interesting, and it is so hard to say no to free books!

Italy is such a beautiful setting for books, especially in locales the rich and famous frequent, and a beautiful, at times creepy, sense of the setting is presented here. Getting to Italy was a relief. TBH, Helen's character, by virtue of the way she was raised so sheltered, was flat and her reliability was questionable, but that was likely intentional. It was tiring at times reading about protecting the family and their wealth.

The author talks about the difficulty of writing her sophomore book, but arriving in Italy was like flipping a switch on the suspense, and Helen emerged like a butterfly from her cocoon. The plot twists came with increasing speed and wow factor. If you want to know more about the plot, read a different review, but I will leave you with, if you think it's true, it's probably not.

3.5 stars

I thought at the beginning this book may end up being on my dnf list. If it wasn't for receiving it as an advanced copy it probably would have. But I stuck with it and ended up enjoying it.

The reason this book almost ended up as a dnf is because at the beginning the chapters go back and forth between Sarah, Helen and before Lorna disappears. Add to that, the story takes place in the then and now depending on which character is the focus of the chapter. I found myself confused as to where the story was going. But once I got the hang of who was who and how the chapters were going it wasn't that bad and I appreciated the format.

I'm not sure what I would classify this book as. It didn't have a thriller feel to it so I guess I would say a suspense. Or maybe just a story about money, lies, scandal and family. The story is a really slow burn.

The story ended with many twists and turns and revelations I didn't see coming. There was no shortage of drama at the end.

All in all this wasn't a bad book and would make a good vacation read. It's probably not a book I would rave about to others and refer to as a must-read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

This was definitely not a happy book. It was more like a psychological thriller in a sense. I loved the descriptions of Italy and Capri. However, the characters were not likeable and the story was not quite believable. The ending was certainly twisted and while I had a suspicion of how things happened, I was only slightly wrong. I think most readers will figure this mystery out.

How many twists and turns can one move have? Apparently, a lot! But that's what makes this book the charmer it is. You're never quite sure of what's going on or who did it. You just keep turning pages and wonder if you got it right. But, trust me, you never will!

This book is a winner! It is hard to believe that this is only Ms. Hays's second novel. Let's hope she keeps going. I can't wait to read her next one.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the writing, setting, and central mystery here, but overall, I hoped for faster pacing and a bit more suspense and investment in the outcomes.

30 years ago, Helen's mother died in what the family determined was a self-inflicted manner, but there are lingering questions about the accuracy of this interpretation. In the present day, Helen is ready to solve the mystery and cut ties with her wealthy family and their apparent secrets if needed.

This motif - the wealthy family and their inner evil under a very different, somewhat polished exterior - is so prevalent that something really special needs to happen to set them apart from their many comparable peers. I'm not sure that happens here beyond a charming setting and a fulfilling ending. For me, the pacing was too slow, and the characters and their mindsets were a little too expected. I hoped for more of a thrilling mystery and found that the mystery stood alone (i.e., without the thrills).

Hays is a skilled writer, and this is a great concept that I think will serve as a solid spring break and maybe even summer beach read. I will read more from this author.

Rich people behaving very, very badly, a 30 year old scandal ready to pop again, and all of the secrets that the Lingate’s have fought so hard to keep are about to be out in the open.
Hays is a great writer and her descriptions of the environment on Capri are incredible. There are a LOT of story lines to follow in this book so get your thinking caps on and be ready for a slow start and then a loooooot of twists (for anyone this book doesn’t work for, it’s going to be the crazy twists that get them)

Thank you for the free copy in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC! Wow, what a fun read. The setting is beautiful with a soft undertone of decay… A playwright was murdered while vacationing with her family in Capri. Who or what caused her death? Thirty years later, her brother-in-laws assistant goes missing on the same island while the family vacations carelessly… Nothing could have prepared me for the twists and turns of this one! Sometimes I find twists like this corny but in this book, it absolutely works. This book is empowering, breath-taking, moving… I cannot express it, you will just have to read it for yourself.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
This was such a fun and twisty book! I’m a die hard fan of rich family drama mysteries that are so messed up you’re just grateful your family isn’t like theirs. This one was a slow burn but so much fun to read. There were countless twists, and the one at the end still has my jaw on the floor. Katy Hays does an incredible job of making you feel like you’re right in the middle of Capri. Her detailed and atmospheric writing draws you in from the start and keeps you hooked through every lie, secret, and twist.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🎭Family drama
🔎Slow burn mystery
💰The life of the rich
🤐Lies and secrets
🔀Twisty and fun
✍️Atmospheric writing
🇮🇹Island settings
😳That ending
↔️Alternative timelines
🗣️Multiple POV

💰𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾💰
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

💕Q U O T E: “𝐹𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒾𝓃𝒻𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓇𝑒𝒻𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓈𝓅𝒶𝒸𝑒. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Katy Hays for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

Novel Concept: 5/5
Execution of Novel Concept: 4/5

Title: 5/5
Characterization: 3/5
Dialogue: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Theme: 3/5
Prose: 5/5

Does this pass the Bechdel Test: I'm pretty sure

**Title**
Saltwater is in reference to the literal saltwater that permeates the novel in the location itself, but also the title of Sara's play that ultimately plays a large role in the novel's plot. I really liked the title because it helped point us in the direction of the significance of the play. I was always coming back to it, remembering that it was the most important piece to the puzzle of the novel.

**Characterization**
Let's talk about the capacity to kill. This novel both succeeds and fails at convincing us that characters should and do have the capacity to kill another. And perhaps ironically, the capacity to kill someone is a theme in this novel. It is not easy to take someone's life, and the act of taking someone's life is significant. Thus, there's some required work needing to be set up to convince the reader that a character has the capacity to kill. This novel as a whole serves as a long devolution of Helene, from a girl who would never to a girl who might have had a choice, but chooses violence anyways. By the time we get to that pivotal scene, we can recognize that Helene is crossing a point of no return and we believe in it, and some of us might even sympathize with her. It's truly some phenomenal writing.

The premise focuses on Sara Lingate's death and that narrative, too, even if we don't spend a lot of time with the people who are involved with her death, is believable. There's desperation, rage, desire. Her whole event is also encased in the themes of who has the capacity to kill and who simply doesn't. It's emotionally raw and, above all else, believable.

So I was shocked that Lorna is just a murderess in the 11th hour of the novel with a very direct line to help us understand that she's this selfish cold-hearted woman. And that line has to be there because this murder is a character assassination of Lorna. Up until then, she's had this shroud of mystery but while she's trying to get ahead after coming from nothing (she is not a Lingate, but a Lingate's assistant) there's never been anything that's indicated that she could take someone else's life. She, I would argue, has spent the entire novel being characterized as the opposite. She hates the Lingate's for their apathy when one of their employee's hand get's cut open. She seems to empathize with Helen, and thinks what happened to Sarah (if she was murdered) was wrong. Even though both Lorna and Helen are characters with everything to lose, Lorna doesn't feel as endangered as Helen is. So when Lorna comes out as just as vicious as the people she once loathed, I just don't believe it.

Part of this comes from the fact that Lorna is very much an enigma with no clear direction. Next to Stan, I would say that she is the weakest character in terms of writing, and that's saying a lot considering she is a narrator. By the end of the novel I'm aware of what Lorna wants, but up until she literally spells it out for us, her motivations are somewhat ambiguous. We understand to some degree that she infiltrated Helen's life to get closer to her in hopes of having the benefit of a very rich friend. But Lorna ends up working for Marcus, Helen's uncle. So if it was always about the money, was Lorna not being paid enough? What threat was she facing, truly? Was it simply just greed? Why not express that? Lorna spends most of her time criticizing the rich, so it seems so bizarre that greed is her ultimate motivator. Then there's the Sarah Lingate part. Lorna is seemingly obsessed with figuring out the details of Sara Lingate, and why? Is it simply to sell to Stan? Why not make that more clear? There are so many moving parts to Lorna's backstory and none of them end up fitting into place when the whole puzzle is revealed, so to speak.

Stan is also just somewhat confusing, and honestly he's only confusing in relation to Lorna. Anything that's confusing in this novel is generally connected to Lorna. He seems to be blackmailing her but also maybe he isn't? He thinks that Lorna being an escort is information he can weaponize against her, and I don't know, he never comes out and says anything overt or explicit so the threat never feels real. We have the vague feeling that Lorna might be being blackmailed but no one will come outright and say it.

Naomi was great. What a chaotic woman. She might have been a minor character but she slayed every scene she was in, and quite possibly was the best part of the novel. The drama. The chaos. She is Everything. Truly, especially towards the end, every time she came on scene I knew we were going to have a great time.

Marcus and Richard were also an interesting dynamic. I do love that Richard is supposed to be this weak link problem but when all is said and done and there is dirt and blood on everyone's hands, it's actually Marcus who doesn't have the strength to be a truly evil Lingate. These brothers are entrenched in the themes of who is and is not willing to kill for the sake of preserving their family name, and I loved the way that this dynamic resolved itself. It was on point.

Ciro was, in terms of character, a mess. I don't have much to say other than he seemed to be evil when we needed him to be evil, and good when we needed him to be good. And we don't need to explore or answer anything beyond that. He's just a plot device, not a character.

Dialogue
The Dialogue was natural and I never felt like I was being lore-dumped at any point. Which is impressive because there are a handful of villain confessions in this book but the context around these confessions make them very dramatic, interesting, and invisible.

Plot
90% of this novel is good. There are all of these moving parts and characters with different motivations. People lying to each other and to themselves. Everyone trying to keep their cool when a necklace arrives, dredging up a thirty year old past that no one wants to really confront.

And then the 11th hour of the novel starts and the twists start becoming far-fetched and shock value. I had to sit with my thoughts for a while to figure out how I felt about the Sarah-Renata stuff and I ultimately decided that I didn't like it because it felt like an assassination of theme and of Sara's character. Sara is another narrator who grows to despise the Lingates and actually has a meaningful friendship with Renata. And here's the thing. It's not that what Sarah does is out of character, because honestly, the situation is believable. The problem is much deeper in that the scenario presented feels like it was there for some level of shock, and served no thematic purpose beyond that. Additionally, there is then something affirmed about the way that the poor pay for the rich's mistakes, and this is not explored in any meaningful way by Sarah. It just feels like the wrong thing to write for her and Renata. Before we get to that section, I liked the way that Sarah's storyline ended. This felt unnecessary.

And this also plays into the other plot point that didn't need to exist which is Lorna's murder of someone. Again, we are back into this theme of the poor paying for the Rich's mistakes, but Lorna does not seem like the right character to write this for. And there's no exploration of this theme because Lorna has no regrets. It's just really unbelievable that we spend so much time with these two characters as the empathetic association with the working class only for them to end up as class traitors after their own interest, with no really meaningful exploration of the ways that people corrupt. It just sort of happens because the plot needs to happen. There's no work put into it.

Again, the twists with Naomi? Steller. Love her. Everything that she does makes so much sense, and everything surrounding her character in terms of the plot is solid in its foundation.


Atmosphere
The worldbuilding and research was believable to me. The Island of Capri and the behavior of the rich felt alive and real. I never felt any real threat from Stan, but the tension and terror that permeates the novel as the mystery unfolds is good. The Lingates as these dark apathetic forces, playing mind games and trying to control the narrative had depth and helped characterize the world and the story. The danger, for the most part, remains real and terrifying up until the end when all of the danger ceases feeling real because of all of those shock value twists.

**Theme**
I've brought up theme assassination a few times and that's because anything that the book was trying to say ceased to matter when it comes to all those 11th hour plot twists. The things that the book ends up actually saying remains unexplored, such as the way that the poor pay for the rich's error, and how money corrupts people into doing things they'd never do. These are themes that happen as a result of the plot twists, but it's not really set up nor inspected in any meaningful way.

There are themes of loss and grief, and the desire to escape but the things that it costs along the way. Therese are deep and are well explored throughout the novel, but all of the plot twists make these all moot points because nobody really loses anyone. There aren't really any meaningful costs that are thoughtfully explored when the twists are said and done.

Prose
The prose was beautifully written. I loved that we got different perspectives from different characters to help flesh out the story. It really worked out in the story's favor.

Conclusion
This novel is great! Until you get to those late book plot twists. Then it becomes an absolute mess. It would have been five stars if I closed the book the moment we got to Renata's POV, and honestly? I wish I hadn't read beyond that. I really liked where the story was going before those twists.

Except Naomi. Keep all the Naomi stuff in. She's literally the best.

The villa in Capri was only occupied one week a year in July-that was when the Lingate family took a transport boat to the island and did the things only the ultra-rich can do. In July, Capri crawls with tourists, local residents, and arrivistes but the Lingates have nurtured their wealth through several generations and understand the importance of maintaining it. That way, when trouble hits, it's not hard to head it off in the press, social media, and even at the police station. And there was always trouble.
Members of the family included Marcus, the older brother, who knew how to schmooze and make nice, his alcoholic wife Naomi, his younger brother Richard, and Richard's daughter, Helen. Helen's mother Sarah, a New York playwright, died in a fall over the island cliffs, three years after Helen was born. The family speculated that it was accidental or self-inflicted (Sarah wanted a divorce and Richard wouldn't allow it) but the police and the townspeople saw a more sinister reason for her death. Of course the investigation ended abruptly.
Since then, Helen was a virtual prisoner in their house in Bel Air-she wasn't allowed any freedom, friends, jobs, spending money, or alone time, unless she just stayed in her room, which she did a lot. She had fond memories of her babysitter on the island-she was the only one who gave her love and affection, and told her about her mother who Richard neve discussed.
As a young woman, the one thing that she was allowed to do was walk a hiking trail near her university and that's where she met Lorna. A woman about her age, Lorna became her friend and confidant, and when Marcus needed a personal assistant, Helen recommended her and she got the position. She was invited for their annual week in Capri, but of course Lorna had to make all of the arrangements and was always expected to be on call-it was hardly a vacation. But Helen has plans for Lorna-she believed that her mother really had been murdered, and by someone in the family. If Helen could co-opt Lorna in helping find proof that they did it, they could blackmail the brothers and get some well needed cash-they both could use it. The plan was working, but then Lorna disappeared.
The story is told by the various characters on the island, and in multiple flashbacks- when beginning the novel, it's best to make sure you note the chapter heading which also reveals who's narrating. Nothing is as it seems, everybody is hiding something, and I guarantee the reader will reread the novel a few times to help puzzle it out. As Helen's boyfriend says, "we are all two people." Hays' novel goes a long way towards proving it.

When I got chosen to read this book early I was very excited! Saltwater is a book about murder, the lives of rich people, deciet, and how to maintain a rich lifestyle. The book is action packed and a fast read. Defintley a great summer beach read! The plot reminded me quite a bit of White Lotus and at times I felt like I was reading a pilot episode for that show. This book explored the ways rich people explot those around them for their own gains with characters that are un-likable to a fault. Because of the characters and how un-likable they were, I had a difficult time enjoying all of the twists and turns this book offers.

"I used to think the money made you free. And maybe sometimes it does, or it helps you believe you are. But the Lingates aren’t. Even with this garden that stretches to the edge of the Mediterranean, even with these polished terrazzo floors, even with people always waiting to anticipate their needs—they’re not. No one this haunted can ever be free."

I'm starting to recognize a lot of similarities between this style of luxurious mystery and now that I see them it's hard to not see that the books are all following the same formula.

The mystery in this book was also overshadowed by other drama.

It's not bad it's just for me not anything exciting..

Thank you netgalley and Random Hoise Publishing Group Ballantine for giving me an advanced review copy of this book.

Hays’s writing is truly top-notch, and the mystery at the heart of the story was incredibly intriguing. While the book started off a bit slow, it steadily built momentum, and by the end, I couldn’t put it down! A gripping read that keeps you hooked until the final page.

An uber-rich family with wealth stemming from questionable deeds; a private getaway on the exclusive island of Capri; hot summer nights; hand-selected staff with their own agendas; and the thirtieth anniversary of a suspicious accident that killed the mother of a three year old girl. Saltwater, the twisty thriller by Katy Hays, has all this and more. Hays includes all the atmosphere of a Hitchcock film and a locked room mystery. Told by multiple narrators with flashbacks to the days leading up to the death of Sarah Lingate on the treacherous cliffs of the island interspersed with the explosive plans of her daughter Helen to uncover who among her family and close associates might have killed Sarah, the plot careens to its wild ending through the suffocating heat of Capri, the playground of the ultrawealthy.
Hays's writing is top-notch.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

The mystsry was intriguing and did keep asking myself "What actually happened to her?"
But unfortunately, there wasn't a single character i liked within this book. Multiple pov and each one of them selfish & self absorbed. With all of them being bad people with infidenity issues.....I just found myself if not rooting against them, not really caring what happened to them.
And after how everything went down, so sure I liked that ending either 😕

Saltwater is a fascinating entry into the realm of "rich people behaving badly." No one is entirely likable (although some of the family has at least logical reasons for why they do what they do - even if the actions are highly questionable). Sarah Lingate died 30 years ago, and every year the Lingate family still returns to Capri, the island where it happened. They tightly control their image, and by the time we start the story, Helen Lingate is reaching a breaking point.

Brought into Helen's plans is Lorna, the assistant to Marcus Lingate. We also have Naomi, Marcus' wife, and Richard, Helen's father and Sarah's husband. We follow a few days of their lives, from arriving at the island to a culmination of years of secrets and lies and revelations. We also get flashbacks and moments from different points of view. As with any good thriller, nothing should be taken at face value.

I loved the atmosphere created here. It is a slice of life of the extremely wealthy, and everything that they will do do hold onto a tightly controlled image and narrative. No one wants to admit defeat or fault or failure. And in this mess of motives, we also see the darker side of this tight control. The unspoken parts of presenting an image and not caring who you have to ruin to keep your place among the echelons of the rich. I was constantly revising my opinions of who did what, and even at the end was engrossed in what the final outcome would be. It is best to go into this one without too many hints or spoilers, but I will say that the story holds your attention and even though no one is without fault, I truly enjoyed seeing how this family managed to slowly unravel themselves until all that was left were things that maybe should have been left unsaid.

This book kept me guessing and thinking the entire way. It was a book to which I really had to attend in order not to get lost or miss pertinent information. I loved the story of the Lingate family and the depths to which they would go to maintain their secrets. Toward the end of the book, I thought of the twists were done, but I was wrong. This book ended with two, great and unexpected twists that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am excited to dive into more of Hays’ work in the future.

this review will include spoilers.

This book started slow. It took me awhile to care about any of the characters. for the first 30%, I was tempted to put the book down and just give up. However, once Sarah entries started appearing, I was more invested and started understanding the other characters more. by the end, I was flying through it and when the big twist happened, I had to put the book down for a minute.

I do wish that we had more understanding of what Lorna was thinking along the way, but I do understand that we couldn't know she used one of the boat girls because that would give away other details. I wonder if she had any idea who Renata was?

I plan to share this book on my instagram within a few days before publication so around March 24th.

One thing that stood out to me was the descriptive writing - I really felt like I was in Capri! As someone who has been fortunate enough to go twice, it felt familiar. I love a setting that is true to reality.
The book itself was interesting. I am not one who typically steers toward mystery/thriller reads, but this one kept my attention the whole time. I was never bored while reading it. The plot lines twisted together, unraveling several stories at once which display the sad realities of old money, how family can mean something so different to other people, and unfortunate accidents (or not). I love the dual timelines and how everyone and everything was interconnected.
This was a good book - one that I think many people can and will enjoy this summer by the pool - but it did not blow me away. As the events unraveled, I wasn't surprised by what we found out. It was more so, "oh, of course." I wish there was something that truly shocked me. That being said, I do think people will enjoy this one!

Thank you to the author and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!