3.5 stars!

This book started off with so much promise-- Italian summer, old money, family secrets. I thought the characters and the plot were interesting but the pacing was a bit off. There were parts of the build-up that really dragged on while the ending seemed rather rushed. I wished the plot twist was more dragged out since I found it so interesting and wanted to know more. Similarly, I think it would have been interesting to follow the two characters at the end for a bit longer.

Overall, I enjoyed it and will definitely read another book by Katy Hays! The writing was really descriptive and made me feel like I was in Capri with the characters :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this Advance Reader Copy.

It took me a while to get into this but it kept my attention! The author wrote in such a way that was almost like they kept interrupting their sentences with another thought, only to loop back around to the original thought. It was a bit distracting at first but you get used to it.

A few things were hard to believe…apparently everyone had face blindness and people could easily slip into someone else’s lives.

Overall, it was an interesting read. A glance into the lives of the 1%.

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for my honest opinion.

This story follows the Lingate family, who returns to the island of Capri every summer because of or in spite of the fact that one of the daughter's in law fell to her death from the cliffs 30 years prior. Adult Helen is determined to untangle herself from her family but their grip on her is tight. She is monitored 24/7 and while coming from a very wealthy clan is controlled by the short leash and allowance they give her. For this year's pilgrimage back to Capri she enlists a confidant (Lorna) who also happens to be her uncle's assistant in the family "business" and they hatch a plan to escape the family with enough money to secure their freedom. This is a fun mystery as their plans develop.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ok so I was surprised by the twist at the end (even if I had kind of guessed at it)

However, this was a slow struggle to get through the initial 60%. I just wasn't gripped by the characters and there was a lot of surprise plot points given out before the characters knew them. I did like having the POV of the victims leading up to the crime interspersed.

Overall, just wasn't my jam but I can imagine it will be for others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for this ARC. A mystery involving money, jealousy, and family secrets. This is a beautifully written story about the lengths people will go to keep a certain status. I enjoyed getting to know every character and their experiences with multiple tragedies over 30 years, even if the majority of them were terrible humans.

I do think it could have been shorter, but I did feel myself wanting more.


I will be going back to read The Cloisters ASAP!

I'm sorry I did not read this book. I thought that It was something else. So, no offense to the book I'm sure it's great I think I may have requested it by mistake... But I Hope for everyone to read this book. Support our creators.....this has to be 100 characters Long everybody GO out and buy SALTWATER by Katy Hays

Since I have to leave a star review for a book I am not going to read and I requested it by mistake, I have to err on the side of 5 stars!

Love, love, loved this book. I really enjoyed Katy Hays book the Cloisters and had high hopes for Saltwater and it didn't disappoint. Katy is so good at weaving the story lines and keeping you guessing with her thrillers. In Saltwater you have Helen who's mother passed when she was young. Helen has lived a very protected and sheltered life until she meets Lorna. Everyone has an agenda as Helen, Lorna, and the rest of the family head to Capri. Every time I thought I had it figured - it took another turn. Totally recommend!

Hays is a literary thriller master. The way the relationships in this story mix and mingle in such a tangled web is *chef’s kiss* 👌🏻 I couldn’t put it down.

Chapters alternative between two timelines and multiple POVs and I was kept guessing the whole way through. The twist at the end was unforeseen and incredible. Highly recommend going in blind to this one!

Saltwater is a tough one for me to review because it started out really strong, and I couldn't put it down at first. Then towards the middle, it slowed way down and became just tedious. It really dragged for me. I almost didn't finish it, but I'm glad I did because it picked back up and there were twists that I didn't see coming. I was pleasantly surprised. But it's still not without its flaws. There's one character, whose name I won't say so it won't spoil anything, that started out as an interesting character and then just sort of disappeared. The resolution to that wasn't satisfying for me. But I did enjoy the book overall and look forward to reading more by Katy Hays. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

What a tangled web we weave when we first practice to decieve...this book was everything and more. The story is told from Sara, Helen, Naomi, Lorna and Renata and what a tale they tell. Secrets, murder, money and a great location. Like an opera...it starts off soft and slowly builds into a crescendo ...and what an ending.
Thanks to Netgalley for the approval to read and review.

Sarah the main character becomes like a friend as you read this book and you're pulling for her all the way. Lots of twists and turns and you're never sure who is who.

I liked the Capri setting and the wealthy people behaving badly aspects of this book, and it was a page-turner. I did enjoy the read.

But in the end I was left unconvinced.

Spoiler alert:

It was hard to fathom that such inconsequential secrets would lead to murder, that so many women (and it was always the women) would kill others so ruthlessly, and that not one but two corpses would be misidentified..

I felt also in the end that I was being told the story rather than living it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for allowing me the early read.

Read if you like: family dramas, old money, class relations, shady pasts, multiple POVs and timelines.

I enjoyed this book for the writing and the atmosphere. It had a number of twists as well that were (mostly) well executed, if not entirely believable or shocking.

However, I felt the pacing was really slow and a lot of unnecessary detail was given. I also had a hard time with all the jumps back and forth between timelines and characters. There were also parts where the characters reflect on the past for a paragraph or two in the middle of a regular chapter that always threw me for a loop.

All the characters are quite unlikeable but that is the point. This book shows flawed characters with sometimes the best intentions. The family dynamics were interesting. The way the codependency on one another was explained was both sad but seemed authentic in their reasoning.

Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book but that may be because I was expecting a thriller and this is really more a drama about a family.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was more family drama than a mystery/thriller. Set on Capri, the Lingate family is once again vacationing at the home where Sarah Lingate died in 1992. Her death was ruled a suicide but many people disagreed with that verdict. Now in the present another disappearance has occurred and events seem to be repeating themselves. Told from several different points of view the reader is left wondering what really happened to Sarah, and Lorna.

I enjoyed reading about the picturesque setting however in terms of keeping my interest this book failed. The book was a little slow and predictable at points. I also ended up not liking any of the characters. All of them were selfish and money hungry. It is hard to be invested in a book when you really don't like the characters. There were a couple of twists at the end but I am left with several questions. Overall, this book was only ok for me.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

For me this book was a slow start making it hard for me to stick with it. I felt there were too many. Characters, which made it confusing. At times, the plot was hard to follow. This was a no for me. Sorry.

1992 Capri: While on a week vacation, there is a suspicious death of a member of the Lingate family Thirty years later, the Lingate family is continuing their annual vacations to Capri only this year there is another death and the past resurfaces. There are 2 sides to everyone and both sides begin to come out of the family members.
This is a twisted story told by alternating characters in 1992 and now. It deals with family and wealth and how family will stick together under any circumstance to save themselves and the family.

Thank you Random House

I absolutely loved The Cloisters!! Hands down a phenomenal book. I didn't feel the same about Saltwater. It may just be me but the beginning was very confusing, I kept having to go back and get refreshed. I don't like to ding an author and it's not impossible the problem was this reader. I'll come back to it later a read again and see how it hits me. There are many other very positive reviews.

#Saltwater #NetGalley.

*"Saltwater" by Katy Hays is an enthralling and atmospheric novel that immerses you in a world filled with mystery, tension, and richly developed characters. Hays masterfully captures the raw beauty and unpredictability of the coastal setting, making it almost a character in itself. The protagonist's journey is compelling, filled with twists and secrets that keep you turning the pages.

While the plot is engaging and the writing is poetic, there are moments where the pacing feels slightly uneven, and some elements of the story could have been explored in more depth. However, the vivid descriptions and emotional intensity more than make up for these minor drawbacks. Hays excels at creating a hauntingly beautiful narrative that lingers with you long after you've finished reading. "Saltwater" is a captivating read that deftly balances mystery, emotion, and a deep connection to the natural world. A solid four-star novel that will resonate with fans of atmospheric, character-driven stories!

"Decades later, questions remain." Did Sarah Lingate's husband really kill her during a vacation to the Isle of Capri? And did she die because of a play she wrote about the family she married into?

Members of the Lingate family may not be very likable but they certainly make for compelling reading. They don't seem happy, despite inheriting a family fortune. And they seem to have more secrets than the average Joe.

Katy Hays has written a murder mystery with far more twists than most mysteries. "Saltwater" was such an enticing read. I just had to know who did it, and had the book read within 24 hours. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy. This is my honest review.

This story had me hooked right from the beginning. The author did an amazing job exploring the different connections the characters have. I also enjoyed the class differences and how they shaped the story. The suspense made me not want to put the book down once I had started. The ending was filled with twists that left me open mouthed. A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!