I love the whole one of us is lying serious, so I’m gonna have to read this book. This is about a mother and a daughter and the mother is a jewel thief. Mom has a random marriage for 48 hours that ends in divorce. And that should be her last heist she ends up running into her ex-husband and his son her daughter and the son have to try and figure out who the killer is. Another one for the author! I loved it!

I loved this book. I just can’t get enough of McManus’ novels. This mystery has a completely new set of characters than her previous series. We meet some very charming and sneaky characters in this book. As with all of her books, you never quite know who the “good” guys and “bad” guys are until the very end. I was sure I had the mystery solved several times throughout the story. This will be a great addition to my Library’s mystery section.

Karen M. McManus’ latest YA thriller strays from her usual high school setting to delve into the world of the rich and privileged. Featuring Kat, a semi-trained con artist who’s been on the run her whole life, and Liam, her former stepbrother, the pair team up to pull off the heist of the year: stealing a ginormous necklace from the richest family in New England. Brought together nearly a decade after their parents’ divorce, Kat and Liam barely know each other as people, let alone as siblings, but their shared night of trauma as children bonded them for life. Now, in an effort to save Kat’s mom and take down Liam’s dad, the pair embark on a series of hijinks while stumbling into murder, generational trauma, and theft.

McManus will always deliver with her YA thrillers, and Such Charming Liars is no different. While none of her books have managed to capture the initial magic and success of One of Us is Lying, Such Charming Liars is a good step in the right director for McManus. A breakaway from her normal plot, this latest novel plays with sibling dynamics and heist plots in a promising way, and Im excited to see if McManus develops a sequel for Kat and Liam. Fans of Holly Jackson, Maureen Johnson, and McManus’ other mysteries will enjoy this book.

Excellent mystery. I loved the premise and the surprises throughout. Great character building and plot development.

Such Charming Liars is an incredible thrill ride for all the mystery lovers out there. Karen has a gift for writing good plot twists.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

I was excited about reading this, even though I know YA is not my jam, but I'm relieved to have finished this book and can finally move on. It might be my last Karen M. McManus read but don’t hold me back from that. The issue wasn’t the book itself—it was me. I’ve been stuck in a severe reading slump, and if I hadn’t, I probably would’ve enjoyed it more and finished it faster. The plot had some solid twists—while I saw a quarter of them coming, two caught me off guard in the best way. Still, the pacing felt uneven, dragging in parts, making staying engaged hard. The characters, though, were great, and their traumas hit hard, especially one scene that made my blood run cold. Augustus stole the show for me. I liked the unique storyline and most of the characters, but I can’t help feeling the execution could’ve been a bit better. Or maybe that’s just the slump talking because the book itself was pretty solid—it’s just me that’s the problem.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers

Such Charming Liars delivers an intriguing blend of suspense and psychological drama, but it falls short of reaching its full potential. The story centers on a group of characters whose tangled web of secrets and deceptions gradually unravels, leading to a compelling mystery. However, while the premise promises twists and tension, the execution feels uneven.

The characters, though interesting, lack the depth needed to make their motivations and actions fully believable. As the lies begin to surface, some of the plot twists are predictable, and the pacing occasionally drags, leaving certain key moments without the punch they deserve. The writing is solid, but the emotional stakes never quite hit as hard as they should.

For readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries filled with manipulation and intrigue, Such Charming Liars offers an entertaining ride. However, it may leave others wishing for sharper twists and more complex character development. Overall, it's a decent psychological mystery, but not a standout in its genre.

Karen McManus is the queen of YA thrillers! This is a page turner that young adults are sure to love!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to preview this title.

This was surprisingly my first Karen M. McManus book and it won't be my last.
I enjoyed her twisty and suspenseful writing. Super quick read and kept me very interested the entire time.

The only reason I knocked it down from a 4 to a 3 was that the twists were a very predictable and some of it was kind of far fetched. All of that aside, I did enjoy the read!

I love Karen McManus and will read whatever she writes. But this one was a miss for me. It just didn't hit the suspenseful high notes that I'm accustomed to in her writing. I don't know if it was trying to do too much with the heist plot but it just didn't work for me. I think YA readers will still enjoy this entry into McManus's pantheon but it won't be the first one I recommend.

This is kind of a different kind of book for McManus. I loved it! Our slightly morally grey characters who really just wanna survive the weekend we're so enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Another stellar offering from Karen McManus. The relationships are nuanced and interesting and there are more twists than I can count which makes this one quite the page turner!

This was simultaneously very confusing and very boring. Fun premise, but the story tried to do too much, which ended up throwing off the momentum -- just the mother/daughter jewel heist could have been fun, but then it got all overly-convoluted with long-lost family and murder and a (lame) twist and another (lame) twist and blargh. This was super disappointing.

Karen McManus is a master at YA mystery storytelling. Seriously, I do not know how she continues to dazzle me with these stories. You'd think that knowing her writing as well as I do by now that she would start to become predictable, but that is not a problem she has. Phenomenal.

While this book was entertaining, it just didn't grab me like her other books have in the past. I liked the story and the characters alright, it just felt like something was missing. Don't get me wrong I would still buy it for my library, I just won't add it to my recommendation shelf. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

What can I say about Such Charming Liars? It had everything a good drama should have. Or rather, a murder mystery. The liars were Kat and Jamie. The other stars of the book were Liam and Augustus. Liam was Kat's step brother, and Augustus was the guy Liam was attracted to. He was also Ross Sutherland's grandson. Another liar in the book was Liam's father, Luke. His mission in life was to prey on rich women and steal their money.

Kat and Jamie ran scams for Gem. The Sutherlands were an extremely wealthy family. Ross was the patriarch of the family and Analyse was his daughter. She was the woman Luke wanted to marry. She had a necklace that was worth millions and Gem had made a replica of it. Ross was having his 80th birthday party and Gem had seen to it that Jamie was on the wait staff. Her goal was to sneak into Analyse's bedroom, still the necklace and replace it with the replica. Kat was not supposed to go with Jamie on this trip but she forced her way in.

When Jamie was to report for work she became violently ill and Kat subbed for her. Afterwards, when she got back to their cottage, she found that the replica necklace was missing. She assumed another server, Vicky, had taken it.

During the course of the party, a gunshot was heard. It turns out, Ross's son, Blake, had been shot and killed. And Analyse's necklace was found on him. But that's just the beginning.

They were all sorts of twists and turns in the story. The necklace changed hands several times and there was a twist ending. My favorite kind of ending. The author created believable characters and in spite of the many ins and outs and tangles in the saga, it was easy to follow. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I gave it five stars.

This might be my favorite Karen McManus book. I could not put it down! I love how the book felt older than some of her others, definitely darker.

Kat & Liam had the best chemistry and I love me a male/female (sorta sibling) friendship!

The plot was a little overly complicated at the end, but this is a fun thriller that those who enjoyed her other books will also eat up.