Before I start this review, I want to say I am a Huge Karen M. McManus Fan. I have read all of her book! When I saw this book was coming out and was able to get a copy of the ARC, I was so excited! This was a slow burn; I was really trying to figure out what was going on what was going to happen. I was thrown off, but then thrown off again! It really starts to pick up mid book and you are just thrown down hill with one thing after another. You don't want it to stop but aren't sure if it will ever slow down.
Jamie is asked to do one more job, but Kat isn't going to let her mom go alone. Will they be able to complete the job and get out without any issues or will there be "chaos".
Luke is planned to go meet the family of his girlfriend, but Liam tags along to make sure his dad doesn't do anything stupid.
What is the worst that can happen when past meets present?
This book had a way of making me really rally for Jamie, then get so mad at Jamie to rally for her again. I love the bonds and friendship that were created and cared for during this book. Ugh Luke and Kat's relationship really just made me tear up. I really enjoyed the book.
I rated 3 stars, because it was a slow read for a while, I was like okay, so this is happening now what is next. Then once I got to the middle of the book and it really started picking up. I just was like what?!?!?!?! Start of the book is 3 and the end of the book is higher for sure! Honestly. It would be a 3.5 for me. The characters were well put together and created. They really draw you in and question everyone. Karen does it again!

#Netgally #ARC

Thank you to Karen M. McManus, Random House Children's, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a fan of many young adult thrillers, but I found this book to be much slower than I'm used to and I didn't find it very thrilling. It was hard to keep my attention focused on the story. There are many characters to keep track of and although some were very well developed, others I still don't feel like I really know anything about them. We learn a little bit about Jamie, Kat, Luke, and Liam's past as well as get to know the Southerlands, Gem, and Morgan. My favorite dynamic would be between Augustus, Kat, and Liam. I enjoyed seeing the challenges they faced and how it connected them far beyond just the current situation. I would say that it briefly picks up around 80% and that was the most exciting part of the book when most of all the action and twists takes place. And then that ending....well it just ends, abruptly. I'm assuming there will be a sequel, but the pace was so slow in this book that I'm not sure if I'd want to dive deeper, but on the other hand, a part of me still wants to know how it will all truly end. It has all the making of a great novel with theft, deception, secrets, murder, etc., it's just that the delivery I felt could have been done better. Overall it's a good read, just not my favorite. This book publishes July 30, 2024.

In “Such Charming Liars,” Kat and her mom decide to leave the Heist life. They’ve got to complete one more job and then they’re out. They’ve got to visit the Sutherland family estate during the patriarch’s elaborate birthday party to swap an expensive necklace. When the plan starts to go awry, Kat enlists the help of her long lost stepbrother. Did I mention that his dad is also a con-artist? This fast-paced story is thrilling, filled with murder and twists! I thought this book was different from McManus’ usual. It’s more of a thriller with some mystery, and I really enjoyed it!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Such Charming Liars is full of twists and turns. Just when you think you know what's going on, something else happens! I really enjoy a young adult mystery/thriller and Such Charming Liars is no exception.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for an eARC.
Another amazing mystery thriller from Karen M. McManus. This one includes a heist, murder, and family drama. Kat and her mom get taken in years ago by a woman who runs many jewel heists. They want out and have one last heist to do. They need to switch out a necklace during a rich man’s birthday party. Things don’t go as planned and they run into the man Kat’s mom married in Vegas years ago along with his son, Liam. Kat and Liam along with rich boy Augustus band together to figure out what went wrong with the heist and why was someone murdered. Another great mystery that kept my entertained.

Such Charming Liars follows Kat whose mother Jamie who is a jewelry thief. They are doing one last job which is to steal from billionaire Ross Sutherland at his birthday party. While there the run into Liam who is Kat’s previous stepbrother. However Liam and Kat’s parents had a bad divorce. While at the party Ross gets murdered and now they are targeting Liam and Kat. They can’t trust anyone not even each other. Will the be able to make it out alive?

I am always excited when a new Karen M McManus has a new book out. She is one of my go to YA thriller authors. However, this was not her best book. I was entertained and wanted to keep reading. However this book did leave me bored. I feel like this book had a lot of different plot lines to keep up with and that did get confusing at times. But it was not a bad book. But I really like all of his authors other books, so this one didn’t seem to live up to my expectations the way the others did.

I expect a fast-paced mystery that won't take a whole lot of brain power when I pick up a McManus, which is to say that my expectations aren't too high going in. Despite that, I didn't find this as enjoyable as most of her previous works. Some of it was the bouncing around between characters, but I also didn't find any of them fleshed out enough to make me especially interested. And although I'm happy that Kat and Liam found each other, because they both needed family, it's hard to believe they are as bonded as they are from their very brief time together. There are a lot of characters and familial relations to keep straight both among the Sutherlands and in Gem's group which held me a little out of the story as I worked on remembering who was who and what I was already supposed to know about them. Overall, it just didn't work as well as her previous titles for me.

It took me some time to really get into this book. It could be because it started off slow or because it was a busy week. It doesn’t matter. Once my interest was piqued I couldn’t put this book down. Has it really been nearly two years since I’ve read a Karen McManus book?? This was a nice reminder of how much I enjoy her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't put this book down!!

If Gilmore Girls and Ocean's 8 had a baby it would be this book. I am seriously obsessed!! Such Charming Liars has everything you could ever want in a ya thriller: unexpected romance, about a million plot twists, and enough suspense to keep me hooked while allowing me to still sleep at night.

Karen m McManus never misses and SCL is no exception. A must read

Every year I look forward to a new Karen McManus book. This was completely twisty and watching the characters try to figure out who they could trust gave me whiplash. This is a top tier YA mystery.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again I love young adult thrillers so much more than adult thrillers sometimes because of how fast paste they are the twist and terms are suspenseful and even if it is a little predictable, I still thoroughly enjoy it

In her latest young adult mystery, McManus gives us the inherently charming and likable step-siblings Kat and Liam, and while they have only ever spent one day in each other’s company, here they have a life-changing reunion. Their respective parents are both con artists, of sorts, and Kat and Liam get caught up in the latest, and deadliest bad deed. Classic elements of the mystery genre, like murder, jewel theft and red-herrings feel fresh and modern here. Such Charming Liars is well-paced and the character arcs all seem realistic without being predictable.

As a devoted fan of McManus’ writing, I had high expectations for this book. While it won’t be at the top of my list of favorites, it was a strong and entertaining read. In a McManus book, the reader needs to pay close attention to the details and dialogue in order to have any hope of predicting the big reveal at the end. This book is no different! Congratulations to Karen McManus on another sharp, entertaining thriller!

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Random House Publishers, and the author Karen McManus for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is narrated by Kat, a 16 year old girl, and her step brother, Liam. Kat’s mom, Jamie, is a career thief who wants to leave the business after one last job. She is tasked with stealing a ruby necklace and replacing it with a fake. She manages to get herself a serving job at billionaire, Ross Sutherland’s birthday party. Her plan is to sneak out during the party, swap necklaces inside Ross’s daughter’s house, and then disappear. When Jamie becomes violently ill, Kat decides she can pull off the job.

Liam, a likable character, is all about trying to protect the women his father tries to con. His father, Luke’s latest con is to marry Ross’s wealthy daughter, Annalise Sutherland.

When a family member is killed at the birthday party, Liam and Kat find themselves in danger.

In true Karen McManus style, this thriller with its big cast of characters will keep you guessing until the end.

Unfortunately had to DNF. Didn’t really capture my attention at the beginning. Plot started off kind of boring and slow.

Kat's life has been a rollercoaster, defined by an abusive father and her mother's later brief marriage and subsequent divorce, leaving Kat and her stepbrother Liam estranged. The backdrop of their reunion is a high-stakes jewel heist at a billionaire's birthday party, which Kat's mother, Jamie, has decided will be her last job before going straight.
As Kat arrives at the Sutherland compound, she is blindsided by the presence of Liam and his con artist father, who is scheming to exploit the Sutherland family.

The plot takes a darker turn when a member of the Sutherland family is murdered, and Kat finds herself the prime target in a deadly game. McManus brilliantly escalates the stakes, blending mystery and psychological thriller elements seamlessly. Trust becomes a rare commodity as Kat and Liam grapple with the realization that their survival depends on their ability to outsmart a cunning killer. With expertly crafted twists and a relentless pace, "Such Charming Liars" showcases McManus's talent for creating addictive, high-stakes drama where nothing is as it seems and everyone has something to hide.

Thank you Karen McManus, Random House Children's, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

5 stars

I love Karen McManus books so much! Her mystery’s are always intriguing and well crafted. I love the friendships she creates between characters as well. This book had all of these aspects, which is why I loved it so much! This is a perfect summer mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

Such a Charming Book! I sped through this wonderful thriller. No one does YA thrillers better than Karen McManus and this newest is her best yet! I cannot wait to get my hands on a print copy! You will keep turning the pages late into the night and be unable to put it down until the thrilling conclusion. Highly recommended!

Karen McManus almost never fails to amaze me. The way she can tell a story will and always will be captivating to me. I was scared going into this knowing I’d be different than all her other works (I’ve read them all!) but this book is written just as well as her other books. Thoughtful, well rounded characters and a plot that’s interesting. I will always be on the lookout for new books from her!!

I was impressed by this book. It's not often a book without romantic interest can captivate me in the way that this did it was well-written and witty. I thoroughly enjoyed it.