this one was a worthwhile slow burn! the beginning was a bit of drudgery, and it led to believe Lorna was going to be more of a protagonist than she ended up being, but once I pushed through the first ~25% it picked up. the ending definitely made the book worth the 4 stars, as between the slow beginning and author's writing style (a bit convoluted, and just too much extra nonsense for me) I wasn't sold on giving this book a great review. a good plane read if you can get past the beginning!

I had to DNF this one. The writing was good but the plot just couldn’t keep me hooked. The setting was fabulous and I wish that I could’ve stayed into it to find out what happened but it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked this book. Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review.  As a thriller and mystery it worked for me. Characters I liked and some not at all, it built quite a story of Helen wanting to escape her wealthy controlling family, while wanting to really know about her mother. The world suspects murder, but was ruled a suicide or accidental death thirty years ago, and this year on her annual vacation to Capri with the family she hopes to get everything she's wanted to know. Lots of history from all the characters with timelines that jump around, but totally makes sense as you read. Great ending with everything pretty much tied up.

This book had some interesting twists, although I did not like any of the characters. I appreciated the setting of the beautiful island of Capri.

The very wealthy Lingate family vacations one week each year on the breath-takingly lovely Italian island of Capri. They have done so for decades, and the death of Sarah Lingate on that very island years ago has never stopped them. The family had once been under suspicion for her murder. If they stopped, what would people think? As a matter of fact, a lot of the Lingate family’s life revolves around that very question. But when the long-lost necklace that Sarah had been wearing when she died shows up, the family feels threatened, once again.


This tale starts off slowly, but once it gets going, it presents lots of surprises. This story also gives us a glimpse of the beautiful island.

This was intriguing to a point. It was almost nostalgic of the white lotus. The vibes were there but the plot was lost. The dramatic scenes felt very cheap and you can’t tell me they didn’t recognize Sarah…unbelievable. It was all very unbelievable. By the end, I was bored and disappointed.

Thank you netgalley and penguin random house for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lingate family has made their annual voyage to Capri, thirty years after the death of Sarah Lingate. So many questions remain about Sarah’s death - was it really an accident? What happened that night? Was the Lingate family involved? Sarah’s daughter, Helen, is working with her friend, Lorna, to try and get some answers when Lorna also disappears. Given the amount of alcohol and drugs everyone is consuming, can anyone remember the night clear enough to know what happened?

This was a fun, atmospheric thriller. The setting is absolutely stunning and made me want to book a trip to southern Italy. The family is dark and aloof, but Helen and Lorna are likeable enough to root for. The twists kept the story engaging - this is a perfect beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, Ballantine Books, and Katy Hays for this gripping ARC!

I enjoy books that keep me guessing until the end, and this one definitely fit the bill with multiple big surprises. While the book was enjoyable, it was long and at times really drawn out. But if you like mysteries, this is definitely one worth reading. It would make a great summer beach book.

One minor detail is that I do not think the title and book cover fit the story. While the book is set on the island of Capri which is technically surrounded by salt water, there are only small parts of the story line that involves salt water. The image on the cover also didn't seem to fit with the overall storyline.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this release in exchange for a honest review. This book was absolutely binge able! I flew through this so fast because I could not put it down. Some moments did feel a bit chaotic but I honestly enjoyed all of it, would recommend this one

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. Wow, this one is a lot to unwrap. The premise of the book sounded intriguing and at first it was really good, then it slowed down a little and got a little slow and then BAM the ending was twisty, turny and completely unpredictable.

There are messed up families and then there are messed up families!

The Lingates have survived the tragedy of losing Sarah Lingate twenty years ago in Capri. Because they want to prove that it was not a crime, they keep coming back to their house in Capri for a week every year just like they used to.

Everyone's moved on. Or have they?

Sarah's daughter, Helen, wants to uncover the truth. She also wants to get out from under their control.

And then her mother's necklace is uncovered. The one she was wearing the night she died. The one they had thought was lost to the sea or stolen. And, of course, things start to unravel. They get twisted and twisted again. Some I saw coming, and some not at all.

Despite the truly messed up family, I enjoyed reading this novel and swallowed it up in two days.

with gratitude to netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

“A sudden, cellular reminder that maybe I have been foolish thinking I could get some distance from him, from all of them. That maybe, despite how much I’ve fought it, I’ve always been one of them. Isn’t that what family is? A cult you can never leave, a set of behaviors that are burned into you?”

Katy Hays’ Salt Water is a mesmerizing exploration of secrets, ambition, and the long shadows cast by privilege. Told through dual timelines, the story weaves past and present into a tapestry of suspense and lyrical beauty.

At its heart, the novel examines a wealthy family whose glamorous facade conceals something much darker—a possible murder they’ve all conspired to hide for 30 years. As the protagonists Helen and Lorna unravel the truth, you can’t help but feel the pull of the tides, the tension ebbing and flowing with every revelation…especially when the past seems to be repeating itself.

“I used to think people like you didn’t get jealous,” she said. “No. We get it the worst, actually. When you think you have everything, it’s impossible to imagine someone having more.” “Even if that more is actually less?” He nodded. “Especially then.”

Hays does an incredible job of creating characters who are flawed yet compelling. The past timeline delves into the family’s golden years, full of ambition and decadence, while the present timeline crackles with the Helen’s determination to expose the truth and figure out what really happened to her mom in the past and her friend today. The dual perspectives add layers to the story, keeping you guessing until the very end.

What sets Salt Water apart is Hays’ lush, atmospheric prose. The vivid descriptions of the coastal setting mirror the story’s mood—wild, unpredictable, and deeply immersive. The way she crafts each scene makes you feel like you’re standing on a cliffside, tasting the salt in the air as the waves crash below.

This is more than just a mystery; it’s a meditation on power, guilt, and the ways the past refuses to stay buried. If you enjoy books that blend haunting beauty with gripping intrigue, Salt Water will captivate you. Nothing is as it seems, all the characters have secrets, noone is truly innocent, and the twists at the end left me speechless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review. I can’t stop thinking about this one! Be sure to grab this March 25, 2025. I promise it will blow you away!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Saltwater is a murder mystery 30 years in the making. Sarah Lingate is found dead at the bottom of cliffs in Capri. The Lingates are suspected but ultimately cleared. 30 years later the family comes back to find the necklace Sarah was wearing on that night. What really happened to Sarah? How else is the rest of the family involved? Is this just rich people doing bad things?

Helen is a thirty three year old woman. She lives a life of luxury, wealth and isolation. Thirty years ago her mother, a prolific playwright, was found dead off the coast of Capri and of course the only real suspect was her father. Now decades later and with the help of her only real friends, Helen commits to an scheme to not only win her freedom but to find out the truth about her mother's death.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. While there isn’t much groundbreaking here in a suspenseful story between the haves and the have nots and what the rich get away with, this was still a fast paced easy read that I suspect will be very popular this summer and I am giving this book 3.5⭐️.
Just when the story seemed to be wrapping up on a predictable note the author managed to throw not one, not two but three decent twists into this book which I really appreciated. I will say there is a moment when one of the characters refers to a male background character as “a walrus of a human” that particularly disgusted me. This served no purpose for and honestly I think it should be removed from the book before publication. I will be posting a review of this book on my social media (TikTok and YouTube) in January 2025.

Thanks NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

I was emailed by the publishers about this one so I decided to give it a try and it was a great beach vacation read over the holidays! It was good paced and entertaining. I will definitely purchase this one and recommend it to my patrons. The cover is beautiful. Plus, I love a book where I love to hate certain characters and this book was full of them.

Sarah Lingate and her family visit Capri every year, until 1992 when she is found dead at the bottom of the cliffs. Her death is ruled a suicide even though many suspect the family but due to their money they were able to get away with it.
30 years later Sarah's daughter, Helen is visiting the island and Lorna, Helen's friend and her Uncle's assistant has gone missing. Money can make problems go away but everything always comes to the surface, especially when everyone is hiding something.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. With two timelines but one location, lots of interesting build ups to a few twists and turns and lot of not knowing who to trust.

This was a fun read. I think if you read a lot of family oriented thrillers the ending will not be surprising but if you're new to the thriller genre it will really catch you off guard.

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. But on the thirtieth anniversary of Sarah’s death, the Lingates arrive at the villa to find a surprise waiting for them—the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died.

Haunted by the specter of that night, the legendary Lingate family unity is pushed to a breaking point, and Helen seizes the opportunity. Enlisting the help of Lorna Moreno, a family assistant, the two plot their escape from Helen’s paranoid, insular family. But when Lorna disappears and the investigation into Sarah’s death is reopened, Helen has to confront the fact that everyone who was on Capri thirty years ago remains a suspect—her controlling father, Richard; her rarely lucid aunt, Naomi; her distant uncle, Marcus; and their circle of friends, visitors, and staff. Even Lorna, her closest ally, may not be who she seems.

Rich, deeply layered family drama and psychological thriller. This one ticked all the boxes for me. The ending took me by surprise. This was a great book! 4⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Helen Lingate was only 3 years old when her mother, Sarah, died on the paradise island of Capri, Italy. For the thirty years after, Helen has lived under the close watch of her father and uncle, and she’s had enough. Helen and her uncle’s assistant, Lorna, create a plan that they believe will help them escape the Lingates. On their annual trip back to Capri, Helen and Lorna enact their plan, but Helen is left with more questions than answers - what happened to Lorna and how did her mother really die?

Full of twists and turns, with a couple unexpected surprises at the end!

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This is the perfect beach/pool read. Starts off slow but picks up. Sarah is found dead on the cliffs in Capri during a family vacation. 30 years later, her daughter, husband and others are again on vacation when the necklace Sarah was wearing when she dies show up at the villa. What happened to Sarah 30 years ago? Most of the characters are awful people and have lots of secrets. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.