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!!

#yabooks #yaauthors #netgalley #SuchCharmingLiars #bookworm #mysterybook #mysterythriller #yamystery #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #bookreview

Another twisty YA read by Karen M. McManus. This standalone novel is the story of Kat and Liam. two teenagers who have a connection from childhood, and find themselves reunited in the most peculiar way. Kat has been raised by her mother, Jamie, who has decided it is time to change her life path and start fresh, away from running scams and the illegal side of the road. When she has one last job to pull, Kat sneaks along and things get a little rocky. Poison, murder, theft, a long lost step-brother, a very wealthy and complex family... this book has it all. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I felt like the pacing was good and the twists were exactly what I hope for from a McManus book. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5⭐️
I have read several Karen McManus books and enjoy her writing style and all of the twists. This story included a few good twists that kept things interesting and made you think about what might happen next.

The teen characters were likable, however the adults all left something to be desired.
I did enjoy this story and it was a quick read. My students will likely enjoy it as well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House, and Delacorte Press for the ARC.

I LOVED this book! McManus always writes such great thrillers. The pace felt right and I really enjoyed the two POVs. It also had a very different angle and vibe than her other books, and I appreciated the change of scenery. This was really a fun read and I'll absolutely be adding it to my classroom library.

I will never turn away from a Karen McManus book. She is one of a few thriller authors that I still read religiously as my tastes have shifted to different genres more prominently. If Karen writes it, I am going to read it. This beauty of Karen's writing is her attention to detail, the importance of each character, main or supporting and the roles they each play in the story telling. I could not wait to read this and I was almost upset with myself for putting it off as long as I did. Yet another homerun for Ms. McManus. 5/5 unquestionable stars.

Another winner from Ms. McManus!! I loved the characters, Liam, Kat and Augustus. And I didn't see that ending coming. I enjoyed Jamie's character and understood the plotting, but I would have loved a bit more of her and maybe Morgan. LESS of Luke!! I am character driven in my reading.

This is my SPOILER-FREE review of Karen M. McManus’s Such Charming Liars. I’ll most likely be doing a spoiler-heavy review once the book is published on July 30, 2024.

The story is told from two points of view: that of Kat, a sharp and independent 16-year-old in-training jewel thief, and of Liam, her sweet and naive stepbrother from her mother’s brief Vegas marriage to Liam’s debonair con-artist father. Liam’s father, Luke, and Kat’s mother, Jamie, divorced after only two days; but Kat and Liam still pleasantly remember each other.

Twelve years later, Kat and Liam meet again at the birthday party of billionaire Ross Sutherland at his massive family compound. Kat is there with Jamie, who is working to pull off one last jewelry heist before she and Kate go straight. Liam is there with Luke, who has seduced Ross’s youngest daughter and means to marry her for her money.

Naturally, Jamie and Kat’s heist doesn’t go as planned. Naturally, someone is murdered. Naturally, the culprit is unknown. Naturally, Kat and Liam are thrust together as they try to solve the situation and get out in one piece.

REVIEW

I didn’t expect much from this book, judging by its premise. But I tried it anyway because I’m a major fan of heist stories and because I’ve enjoyed all of Karen’s previous books. Boy, am I glad that I did. This book was slow for about the first thirty percent, then it became an unputdownable thriller that maintained velocity until the literal last page. In fact, even the slower startup chapters were ultimately justified as crucial setup information—as tends to happen in heist stories.

The mystery is darker and more disturbing than any of Karen’s other ones, which I loved because I’ve wanted Karen to go darker with her content for quite a while now. This is probably Karen’s most family-oriented book since The Cousins. Most characters are well written with emotional depth and solid backstories. The various twists and turns will be mind-blowing to most readers, though I guessed or suspected many of them in advance (only because of my general familiarity with Karen’s formula and with heist subgenre tropes). And the book ends with a much cleaner sense of justice and closure than tends to occur in Karen’s novels.

TRIGGER WARNING/CONTENT ADVISORY

Such Charming Liars is definitely for mature teenagers and new adults. It may be a turn-off for younger kids and/or those with religious sensibilities.

There is abundant foul language, one crucial subplot involves a gay courtship, and said courtship is consummated rather graphically.
Alcohol, drugs, and poison are all present. Major storylines revolve around psychological trauma, tragic accidental death, spousal abuse, and child abuse. Predatorial behavior in its many forms is a major theme. Violence and its threat loom large in this book—larger, in fact, than in any of Karen’s previous works.

MY OVERALL RATING

I give Such Charming Liars 4 of 5 cronuts. All told, it’s probably my favorite Karen M. McManus book since One of Us is Lying.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for providing me with the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.**

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

Karen M. McManus does it again!!! This book was so full of twists and turns! The surprises kept coming and I absolutely loved it!

As one who is usually able to tell who the guilty character is in mysteries and thrillers, McManus never fails to keep me guessing all the way through her books.

Loved everything about this one and cannot recommend it enough!

Karen McManus DOES NOT MISS. Comparable to "The Cousins," the plot is family-based, which I loved. Plan on buying for my physical bookshelf upon release.

This one felt like The Cousins for me…I just don’t like her family dramas as much as her murder mysteries set in schools. Her adults don’t feel real to me. It took a long time before I cared about it & then I still felt more like I was getting through it than actually enjoying it. It definitely got better the more the action wove together & I did like the twist at the end.

I thought this was a fun twisty young adult mystery! There was maybe one too many plot twists for my enjoyment, but it was a quick read that kept me hooked. 3/75 rounded up

But that can't be it... but it must be.

The mystery thriller "Such Charming Liars" is intense, it revolves around two main characters, Kat and Liam. They haven't seen each other since a 'weekend gone wrong' when they were five, and now they find themselves going to the same billionaire Sutherland birthday party with the whole family. Kat's mom, Jamie, is part of a thieve's final mission when she becomes ill. In the twist of a second Kat finds herself in control of conducting the robbery pretending to be her mom.

Kat and Liam find themselves struck in the spotlight when disaster after disaster happens, forcing them to keep moving and changing plans. Questioning those around them and even each other, they are left with constant unease. Lie after lie, mystery after mystery... will they manage to get out of this unscathed?

This read will not be one you want to miss, you'll be kept on your toes as you try to figure out what is going down in this *chaos* of mystery.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
★★★★/5

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children's, and Karen M McManus for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review. This was such a suspense-filled read.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as Karen McManus's other books. If you're a fan of the One of Us Is Lying series, this book might not be the right book for you. It took me some time to get invested in the story, and I found the characters underdeveloped and somewhat unrealistic. I wish we had more history of the Sutherland family and more insight into Kat and Liam’s past. That would have a fun addition. However, the book's premise was interesting, as it followed a mother-daughter duo on their final heist together. This book was still fast-paced, but it didn't connect with me as well as her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House Children's for giving me a copy of the book.

*4.25 Stars*

I'm a sucker for a McManus book. I've read all of them. So I was really excited for this one and I was right. I really liked the premise and the characters and how they were linked to each other. The twists took me by surprise and it was all around a good time. It broached a lot of not fun subjects but it was still a fun read in the end. It was a bit silly at times even but I enjoyed it. I really liked this book overall, I just expected a little more. I can't even explain it and I know that's not very fair of me, but that's how I felt.
Anyway, I love the gays and that was another good one from Karen McManus, I can't wait for more.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press at Random House Children's for providing me with a digital arc of this book!

*minor spoilers*

Such Charming Liars is only the second book I've read by Karen McManus, and I must say, I am very impressed. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by her. This book takes place at a rich compound in New England where someone in a family of billionaires is found dead. The main characters are outsiders; Kat is there with her mother in order to help her successfully complete a jewelry heist with her mother. And Liam is there because his father is dating the very person Kat hopes to steal a priceless necklace from. But, when someone shows up dead and Kat is there to witness it, all plans seem to go awry.

I had no idea of how this book would end at any given point. I genuinely could not stop turning the pages to this to see the next reveal. And the found family trope made this story, let me tell you. I'm not giving it five stars simply because I'm so picky about the books I rate perfectly, and this had a couple of moments where it simply dragged. But, that being said, it was a very entertaining read. 4/5 stars.

I'm a huge fan of Karen McManus and have read all of her books, but "Such Charming Liars" was a miss for me.

I think that the storyline was a strong premise. The idea of a mastermind jewel thief and a huge heist gone wrong by a lot of loose ends and unpredictable characters was definitely intriguing. I just never felt a strong pull towards either of the main protagonists. Again, they did have a lot of positive qualities, but they fell flat for me.

The end was where I really lost the vibes for the overall story. There were way too many characters involved to wrap up the solution and then the final plot piece was not something I appreciated.

I think a lot of readers will absolutely love everything about this book, but it wasn't for me.

Special thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children's for my opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such Charming Liars, the latest mystery from Karen McManus, was such a charming and fun mystery to read! Soon to be published on July 30, 2024, I read this fast-paced YA mystery in less than 2 days. As with all of McManus' books, it was a roller coaster of a read, and I didn't want to put it down.

The story is told from two points of view: Kat, a very independent, quick-witted 16 year old jewel thief-in-training and Liam, her naive and upstanding step-sibling from her Mom's quickie marriage in Vegas to Liam's father, Luke, a debonair con artist. While Luke and Kat's Mom, Jaime, may have gotten divorced after only two days, both Kat and Liam still fondly remember each other.

Twelve years later, Kat and Liam are on a collision course to be reunited at the birthday party of 80 year old Ross Sutherland at his multi-million dollar family compound. Kat and Jaime are working on pulling off Jaime's last jewelry heist before they go straight, while Liam and Luke are there at the invitation of the billionaire's daughter, who also happens to be Luke's latest girlfriend and, Liam worries, his possible new target. What could possibly go wrong when the four of them are reunited? Add in a teen heart throb, a dysfunctional and uber rich cast of characters, multiple criminals, murder and a little chaos, and you have another magical mystery from the queen of YA mysteries.

This book was so much fun to read! I have loved all of Karen McManus' YA novels, and this one did not disappoint. While I found the writing style to be very different from the One of Us is Lying Series, I still really enjoyed the story. The mystery was elevated by the glamour and intrigue of the rich, multiple cons, and the complicated family dynamics that were occurring. While the ending had a few too many over-used tropes, I still really enjoyed the tale and I was satisfied with the resolution. This is one you will want to pre-order or mark on your calendar to pick up on publication day. Happy Reading!

Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Random House and Delacorte Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy in return for my honest review.
#SuchCharmingLiars #netgalley

Karen M. McManus has become a staple in the world of YA mysteries. No matter the book, you can be sure I'll read it. Such Charming Liars fits in perfectly with her other books, but has a change from the others that was much needed. We all fell in love with One of Us is Lying and the books that followed and while I was sad to see the series end, this book showed me that while Bayview High is behind us, more twists and mysteries are ahead of us for years to come.

Kat and her mom are all each other have. There was a time when her month was married for a couple days and she had a stepbrother, Liam. When Kat's mom Jamie is on her final grift and things go wrong, Kat decides to step in and make sure everything goes smoothly with the help of Liam. When the unexpected happens and Kat witnesses something she probably shouldn't have, she is in for the fight of her and her mother's life. Kat and Liam must work to discover who the killer was and why they are after Jamie. Everything they thought they knew, just might be a killer itself. Can they solve the case?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy of Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait to see what Karen comes up with next.

I always like the twists in McManus's books. She tends toward being clever and there's usually an 11th hour twist that you should have seen coming, even if you didn't (she's a master at "look over there!"). I also enjoyed the commentary on class throughout the book, as more than one of the characters tends to have some "eat the rich" running through their head as they get ready to relieve some of the idle rich of obscenely expensive jewelry. Oh, yeah. There's jewelry heists.