Veering a little outside of her trademark category of YA domestic thrillers, McManus' new book will still appeal to her fan base.

Kat's mother Jamie is a jewel thief, and now that Kat is a teenager and the con game lifestyle is all she has ever really known, she is eager to play her part in the games to relieve pressure on her mother. Jamie, however, wants out of the games altogether so she can offer her daughter a "normal" life. When Jamie agrees to one last heist in exchange for her freedom, she never imagines crossing paths with a con from the past and that Kat would end up in the position of having to complete the con.

This page turner keeps the reader tracing several cons connected to the same ultimate goal and being surprised when there is always one more lie and one more con. Great addition to middle and high school library collections.

First and foremost, many appreciations to Netgalley, Kare McManus, and the publisher for this Advanced Reader's Copy.

Recently I was struggling with many if McManus' books, never feeling as satisfied as I did the first time I read "One of Us is Lying." But this one finally changed that for me and I'm back on the McManus train.

Kat and her mom Jamie are jewel thieves, though Jamie is ready to leave that world behind and get back on the straight and narrow. Except, she has to do one final job to set them up for the fortune, which clearly means that everything is about to go wrong. Because how else does every other story with "one final job" or "this is the last time" go

So Kat and Jamie head to the Sutherland estate to steal a pricey necklace. In and out, no one will notice. But on their way to the estate, they randomly bump into Jamie's ex-husband and Kat's ex-stepbrother, Liam, who are also headed to the Sutherland estate.

Someone dies, Kat and Liam are targeted, you get it.

This was definitely one that kept me guessing the whole time and I didn't want to stop reading it at all. I'm glad that McManus left the "One of Us is Lying" world behind. It was time for something more refreshing and I do love me the whole jewel thievery-heist-gone-wrong.

My only annoyance was Kat constantly messing everything up. Like, come on now, didn't you learn from that mistake or that last one or this one? I just like my characters to be a little smarter. Liam is a goofy sweetheart, though.

Added intrigue with the alternating point of views and twists and turns keep you guessing. If you enjoy Karen or are new to her, this one will not disappoint.

Such Charming Liars is a fast paced story of several teenagers drawn into the drama of their adult relatives. Kat is an only child of a young mom wanting a fresh start. Liam is learning to live with his dad and trying to understand why he does the things he does. When they run into each other on the way to a Billionaires mansion they are reminded of their last interaction as young children 12 years earlier. Their lives become intertwined that weekend through a series of crazy events. This is another great book my McManus.

I'm a simple reader... I see a Karen McManus, I read a Karen McManus. I like that this was different than others that she's written. I love a good heist plot and I really enjoy that our two main characters were not love interests.

Who do you trust when your world is built on lies?

Kat & Liam haven’t seen each other since they were briefly stepsiblings as little kids after her mom & his dad were married in Vegas & separated two days later. They’re teenagers now, & run into each other in one of the weirdest ways possible: on the way to a billionaire family’s party. Even though the Sutherlands have security at their gates, Kat & Liam's grifter parents both con their way inside, & before the end of the weekend someone ends up dead…

Liam & Kat are such a fun pair to read about! With her street smarts & his compassion, plus the addition of a Sutherland family member their age, this was a classic Karen M. McManus impossible-to-put-down YA thriller. There were so many moving pieces as the story unfolded, many morally gray & somewhat (or very) selfish characters that kept things interesting. The tumultuous teenager-parent relationship dynamic was explored & there was even a little romance in the midst of the murdery mayhem - as always with work from this author, I was highly entertained & kept guessing until the very end.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & Random House Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF@ 32%

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface this by saying I have absolutely loved everything I have read by Karen M. McManus and I will continue to read her books, but this one was just not for me. And that’s ok. I still love this author’s writing and will continue to support her future books.

I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself but I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that heist books just aren’t for me. I need more action and suspense and thrills and unfortunately heists don’t give me that.

I liked the characters in this one but the plot just moved way too slow for me. I found myself getting bored and not wanting to pick it up. I could see where it was heading but it was taking too long to get there and for that I’m DNFing it.

People who enjoy heist books will really enjoy this one. Sadly I am not one of those people.

One of her best books. Kept me on my toes and guessing. The beginning was a little slow but picked up and I really enjoyed it.

Karen McManus once again provides a fast paced mystery appropriate for and appealing to young adults and adults as well. She moves far away from the predictable endings of many of her contemporaries and leaves the reader suspecting multiple parties until the end. Characters are believable and likable (or hate-able!), Edgy, but appropriate for young readers. Once again, McManus checks all the boxes for a solid YA novel.

This book was twisty and kept me intrigued from chapter 1! Just when I thought I had it figured out, there was another twist! I loved the dual perspectives as well. Overall, highly recommend!

I was unfortunately disappointed in this one. Usually when I read a Karen M. McManus book I can easily rate them 4 or 5 stars but this one was probably my least favourite. From the very beginning I felt like I would have to suspend my disbelief and this one did not disappoint in that department. There were too many things going on that were hard to believe were happening. The brother/ sister relationship was probably the best part of the book, everything else was meh. I think it took too long to find out what was in Kat’s past that by the time we find out I didn’t really care. The ending was super rushed with revelation after revelation that I felt like I had whip lash and I was pretty much left with wondering why someone would go through that much trouble.

All in all it was fine but not some of McManus’ best work

She did it! She finally found the same high from her first book! I will always read anything McManus puts out but this one was finally so original and so thrilling I had no guessing.

Another fantastic keep-you-on-your-toes thriller from Karen McManus! I have read almost all of McManus' books and I truly always enjoy them so much. This was no exception!

I felt like the plot of this one was quite different than her other books, and it was full of fun new twists! I loved the bonds that formed between Kat, Liam and Augustus, and there were so many hidden agendas that I was constantly shocked throughout my read. I would guess something or think I figured it out, and then bam 8 other things actually happened. This definitely could have gone the way of being confusing, but this author always does such a great job of keeping the sub plots and offshoots clear enough that the introduction of new information only adds rather than takes away from the main through line.

I also really enjoyed how many secondary characters there were and how the ways in which they were connected were revealed. Karen McManus always does a great job of revealing true colors in ways that both affirm what I already thought, or completely contradict my predictions. That is very important to me in a thriller! I want to work out certain things on my own and be able to confirm that I was right, but I also want to be shocked!

Definitely a 3.5 star read for me. The only reason it's not higher is the plot itself wasn't my favorite, and a few of the characters felt random, but it was still quite solid. Overall, a fun quick read by one of my tried and true authors!!

3.5 stars

Karen M. McManus is known for her One of Us Is Lying series, which I enjoyed.

Her new book, Such Charming Liars follows Kat and Liam. Kat has been raised by her grifter mom, and Liam’s dad is a bit of a scam artist. Kat and Liam met when they were younger, because their parents were briefly married. Present day, they meet up again, because their parents’ end up at the estate of a wealthy family to pull off scams of their own. But then a member of the wealthy family dies, and Kat and Liam don’t know who they can trust.

Maybe it was the mood I was in when I was reading this book, but it took a long time to finally get interesting. The setting was nice. Most of the characters were unlikeable, but I think they were probably meant to be. I did like Liam and Augustus. As far as heist stories go, I wasn’t overly impressed with this one. I felt like it was lacking some excitement.

This started out slow for me and I wasn’t sure about it but once Kat and Jamie got to the compound, the pace picked up and I devoured this book. It was different than McManus’s other books, but I really loved the dysfunctional family dynamic. I was able to figure out the twist before it was revealed but it was still satisfying.

I'm kind of upset i didn't read books from this author before ! i def enjoyed this book. i wish i would have read her other books first but now i wanna go down her backlist!

Karen McManus does it again, this time with a heist gone wrong. Kat and her mother dream of leading a quiet, normal, and boring life. Instead Kat and her mother get caught up in a heist that goes wrong at the same time the past comes back to meet them. This story has twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end with an unique cast of characters that complicate the adventure all along the way. This is another must read by the author. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm generally frustrated by plots that could be easily wrapped up if any of the characters had a 10 minute discussion. I liked Liam a lot, though. Here's hoping for good things for him!

Calling all fans of Karen M. McManus's twisty YA novels! This standalone story dives into the lives of Kat and Liam, teenagers with a surprising childhood connection who reunite in the most unexpected way.

Kat, raised by her single mom Jamie, finds her world turned upside down when Jamie decides to ditch their life of crime. Determined to go straight, Jamie takes one final job – a luxurious party for a wealthy family. But with Kat in tow, things quickly spiral out of control.

Prepare for a whirlwind of poison, murder, stolen jewels, and a long-lost stepbrother. Forced into the drama of a complex family, Kat and Liam must navigate their newfound connection amidst the chaos. Packed with action, suspense, and McManus's signature twists, this book will keep you guessing until the very end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced story. The characters are engaging, and the twists deliver exactly what you expect from a McManus novel.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story kept me on my toes FROM THE START & throughout the whole book! It was so intense and exciting! Reminded me exactly why I love Karen’s books & writing style. It was thrilling & unexpected in every single aspect of the plot. Like so much backstabbing was happening behind the scenes that when it all started coming to life my mouth was agape too many times to even count. The brother/sister relationship in Kat & Liam was SO good without being too sappy.

My only caveat was the romance aspects to the book felt unnecessary & forced at some parts. I truly don’t think it added to the storyline at all.

I will always be a hype girl for Karen McManus. I think her YA mysteries are uniquely unmatched with unexpected twists and turns.

Publish date is July 30th. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves YA mysteries that’ll keep you guessing through the LAST page!!

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