This book has a lot going on. A lot of secrets, a lot of murder and a lot of drama.

The book is written in multiple points of view and different time periods. It could be a little confusing at times to follow. It started out a little slow and then became pretty suspenseful.

There are a couple of characters to root for and a pretty major (yet very unbelievable) twist to end the story.

It was OK.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Juicy? Yes. Mysterious? Yes. Lush setting in Capri? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. The dual timelines are woven together very well!

This was a really great mystery thriller that finally caught my attention as I have found a lot of this genre of books recently are very similar and predictable. There are many layers of family drama and history which is fascinating and truly kept me on my toes. Rating this a 4 instead of a 5 only because I found it hard to keep up with at some points due to the past/present and change of narrator throughout.

Addictive and indulgent. The writing was as luscious as the lemons that grow in Capri. I was fully immersed, from the setting to the characters and all the lies that unravel. I’m normally not a fan of multi-pov novels, but the author hit it out of the park and it really enhanced the narrative. This was one of my favorite reads of the summer!

Wow, this book had me guessing until til the very end! Unfortunately, as I was reading it kept skipping ahead to the end, so I knew the ending before I understood what it meant. Without saying anything else to spoil it, I really liked this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of Katy Hays Saltwater. It started as a quick read but quickly started to drag. None of the characters were likable
which actually made the story work. Everyone had an agenda and this made you want to see where it would go. Unfortunately just when the pace of the story started to pick up, the ending became too forced and unbelievable.

The author provides an interesting take on the wealthy as they summer over in Capri. She then combines their personal stories with an intriguing murder mystery. The mystery have several twists and turns that left me thinking “we I’ll be damned.” Sure made for a great read and I recommend it.

Saltwater was a fun summer mystery. Lately I've seen several publisher blurbs describing a book as "a cross between White Lotus and Ripley" but this one really was a cross between White Lotus and Ripley. The characters were engaging and the lives of the rich in Capri is always fun reading. And there were enough twists to keep me reading. It was hard to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.
What a great book, my favorite this year so far, I loved it!
It's the family saga of the ultra rich who have come to Capri, where they spend a week each year.
The youngest of them is trying to get away from them, but needs money. She and her uncle's administrative assistant hatch a plan to leave with quite a large amount of it, but it doesn't quite work.out.
The family is hiding so many lies, secrets and apparent murders it's hard to fathom ... and they will do anything to keep them buried.
The answers to the questions as well as the ending are
fabulous and such a surprise, wow, I loved it!

As someone who doesn't really like a dual timeline, this one didn't seem to bother me. I felt engaged the whole time reading. Some of the characters were insufferable but I had a feeling that they would be based on the books description.

Thank you, NetGalley for this eARC! The cover of the book was what sold me. I knew I was headed to a beach vacation and thought this would be the perfect beachside mystery to read. I was correct!

“Saltwater” follows a few different character perspectives throughout the novel, but the most important are, Helen and Lorna. Helen’s family is rich and vacation on Capri every summer which is odd considering her mother died on the very same island and trip 30 years prior. Lorna is Helen’s friend who now works for the family. Both Helen and Lorna want the same thing freedom from this family and the money to secure that freedom. This means uncovering family secrets including what really happened to Helen’s mother Sarah.

Overall, this was a fun mystery to read. I know other reviewers mentioned the jumping timelines were confusing, but I enjoyed them. These characters have very few, if any, redeeming qualities which made it hard to root for any of them. The setting of Capri was lovely. I felt like I was there. This was a solid 4-star read for me till the very end. I was surprised by twist which I liked and thinking back I see the clues. However, I don’t think it was fully believable, especially after the 2nd part of the twist. I think most readers will enjoy this mystery though!

Oh my goodness. What a spiraling, twisting, serpentine adventure. The money. The deceit. The hate…This book had it all, and more! One minute I think I know what’s going on and BAM, Katy Hays blows that right out of the water. If you’re looking to get sucked into family drama, murder, and more plot twists than you can count - This is it! My favorite read this summer, by far!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was really good. The two mysteries converged well, and there were a lot of good twists. Something felt a little off, I’m not totally sure what, but it was still really good!

This book was an absolute gem. I never knew where it was going, and it kept me at the edge of my seat.

I was absolutely transported by this novel. I could hear the water lapping the cliffs in Capri: the blue water, salt air, taste the cocktails…
Loved the story. It did jump a lot between timelines and povs, but I did not mind.
It’s a rich people doing bad things kind of tale and some people love it some people hate it. Overall, I thought the wrong was great and loved the story. I really wish that the play Saltwater was included in the book to read. Could have been juicy.

It is definitely salty! I have to give major kudos to the author. I read a lot of suspense/thriller books, but this one got me. I really feel like I should have seen it coming, but there were - not one - but two delicious twists that I never anticipated. Well done!

The story moves from 1992 to the present day in the life of the Lingate family on the island of Capri. They are an old-money family with brothers Richard and Marcus at the helm. Richard’s wife Sarah was found dead at the bottom of the cliffs of the island in 1992. The death was ruled an accident, but none of the locals believe that.

In the current day, Sarah’s daughter Helen has arrived on the island with the entire family and her friend, Lorna, who is her uncle’s assistant. All Helen wants is to leave the iron grip of the Lingates, and she has enlisted Lorna to help. But the entire time, the family is haunted by the past.
When Lorna disappears, old suspicions are reignited.

The book is incredibly well-written, and the transition from past tense to present is seamless. I thought the characters were very diverse and perfectly defined. Helen was an easy person to love and sympathize with. I felt immersed in the beauty of the island, her descriptions were precise without being overdone. Again, I didn’t see the ending coming and I appreciate that very much. I’ll be reading more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballentine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I just couldn't get into this one. It was hard to keep the characters straight. The writing style is great, but the storyline was just a little convoluted for me.

****8/20/24**** Finished this up on a recent trip and really liked it. You get a rich family, deep psychological drama/mystery, layer upon layer of secrets and family drama - all set in sparkling exotic Capris. I didn't see the finish coming at all. A little darker than I might have liked, but very good. 4+ stars and thank you, NetGalley!

**** 8/4/24 **** Thank you, NetGalley, for a pre-release ARC of Saltwater to read and review. This is a mystery/thriller set in beautiful Capri, Italy, that I've just dived into. Well-written with a female protagonist working for a wealthy family, but she has also secretly befriended the daughter in the family who referred her for the job. It is hard to tell who the allies are vs. foes, although clearly the girl's father and his brother look like the bad guys. But what about the daughter's boyfriend? And what really happened to the girl's mother so many years ago??? I'm only 20% in so I'll have to report back, but very good so far! Fellow netgalley reviewers - request this one - not due for publishing until 3/25/25.

Family dynamics. Even the wealthy have difficult family dynamics. Helen Lingate was raised in the comfort of her wealthy family. The family was very close-knit, insular even. In 1992, Helen's mother, Sarah, died after falling off the cliffs near the family vacation home. The police had suspects but no one was ever convicted of the murder. On the 30th anniversary of Sarah's death, the family returns to the lovely retreat at Capri. Joining the family are Helen's boyfriend, Freddy, and Uncle Marcus's assistant, Lorna. During dinner on the first night on Capri, a box arrives addressed to Helen. Inside the box is the necklace that her mother was said to be wearing when she fell to her death. The appearance of this necklace triggers the unraveling of Helen's father, Richard, her uncle, and her aunt who were all present when her mother died. The necklace had never been recovered, its sudden re-appearance dredges up everyone's actions that fateful night.

Saltwater is a mystery and a psychological thriller. Katy Hays takes readers on a journey that will confuse and surprise them. Each member of the group on Capri has secrets and over time many of them are revealed. It is how the secrets fit together that offers surprises in this story. Needless to say, don't take anything at face value. Katy Hays shows the complicated nature of families and how secret-keeping is only one aspect of families. I did anticipate a couple of surprises in the book but the ending demonstrated Hays's ability to keep the twists and turns coming. Hays is an imaginative author who places herself firmly in the ranks of psychological thriller authors.

This book is officially one of my favorite reads I have ever consumed in my entire life. The writing style draws you in immediately. The beautiful setting where this novel takes place seems so peaceful and so stunning, while such horrible things are happening. You never know who's watching...