Kat and her mother, Jamie, are a convincing con-artist duo, but Jamie's looking to get out of the game. When she agrees to do one last heist before they start over again, she doesn't anticipate all of the challenges ahead. It's a fast-paced thriller sure to capture Karen McManus's readers. Fans of her work will be satisfied with this standalone that's brimming with tension and vivid descriptions of opulent jewelry and fashion.

This was a decent YA thriller/mystery. I like that it was a slight deviance from Karen McManus's usual books but still had a lot of the same elements as her others. I really enjoyed the connection between the two main characters as well as the heist plotline. I did feel that some of the twists at the end were only added for shock value, but it didn't take away too much from my enjoyment so I would still recommend.

Wow, so many twists and turns! This book was like watching an episode of Jack Ryan. I loved the dual POV from Kat and Liam. Both have such interesting sides to the story. Kat ends up going on a work trip with her mom unexpectedly but she was determined to go and meets Liam. He is the son of the man her mom married in Vegas for 48 hours. Liam is traveling with his dad to visit his girlfriend's rich family at their family compound where Kat's mom's mission is to steal a very expensive necklace. Many twists and turns later and a few other plot twists we find out what really happened at the Sutherland family compound. Highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this twisty story. It was your typical heist story. I didn't like that the end of the story was quickly finished. Like it felt like there could have been more added to complete the story better.

5 Reasons to Read

Friendships

I feel like we always get a love interest when it comes to YA so I enjoyed the change of pace where Kat and Liam are more along the lines of siblings than romantic acquaintances. It was fun seeing how each of them balanced each other out and came together after so many years a part.

Romances

I loved seeing the relationship between Liam and Augustus come together. Augustus was my favorite character of the three of them. He was fun and witty!

Heists

Kat and her mom Jamie have been pulling off heists for years. When Kat interjects herself into Jamie’s last heist before they go straight, she finds herself having to step in to make sure it gets done! Right from the beginning things start to fall apart and it’s now a race to fix everything before Gem, the ringleader of their crew, finds out that things have gone off the rails!

Murders

What more can I say? This was supposed to be a jewelry heist but at some point in this story someone got in the way and paid the ultimate price for it!

Plot Twists

Just when you think this book is predictable the plot takes a turn. It was so fun seeing how everything unraveled and then was put back together, and how the past and present intertwined with each other. This was so fun!

Lots of fun twists and turns, especially toward the end. It did feel like things wrapped up quite quickly (felt a bit rushed), and at times, the writing felt like a straightforward explanation of what was going on. But it was still a fun heist story. I think this would make a great movie or miniseries.

McManus always delivers a twisty thriller. I really loved the characters and the plot of this story. it kept me wanting more and reading. I never wanted it to end. I really liked the ending and and I highly recommend this book!

What an interesting and fresh read! Karen McManus is the queen of YA mysteries. This concept was new and innovative. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because I have seen better from her. I will still definitely recommend this title, though! It just did not feel as strong as her others.

Mystery loaded with con artists!

Kat and her grandmother Gem are in disguise at a posh store scouting items that Gem can make at fractions of the cost with cubic zirconia. Little does Kat know but Gem steals a diamond ring.
Liam halts a con that his father is on by setting up a fake lunch date and explaining what his father is up to. Kat’s mom is furious about Gem involving Kat in theft so she decides to travel to Maine for a job away from Gem. Liam’s dad and Kat’s mom are con artists who were married for two days twelve years ago. They haven’t seen each other since until they both end up at the very same place in Maine. They’re both furious and are worried that the other one is going to ruin their plans. Unbeknownst to them, other crimes and cons are being committed in secret and these cons will change their lives forever.

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the humor and sarcasm of Augustus. The layers of mystery are interesting and fun to see unravel. Kat, Liam and Augustus are great characters.
Mature content: PG for kiss.
Language: R for 172 swears and 26 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Ethnicity falls to white.

Great read! I love all of Karen's books. Lots of good characters, drama and fantastic storylines. I read it in just a few days!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is an entertaining YA Mystery/Thriller set on a billionaire's swanky compound. Kat is a teenager that grew up fast and had to be older than her years. Her mother is a jewel thief working for a woman that rescued her and Kat in Vegas after a disastrous quicky marriage and divorce to a smarmy con-man. Jamie is planning to go straight, but owes her boss one last job at the billionaire's birthday party. When they arrive at the location, they discover Jamie's ex-husband and his son Liam there too. Liam was Kat's step-brother for a hot minute while their parents were married. Neither has forgotten the other, and yearn to develop a relationship with each other again.

When things start to go wrong with the job, Kat steps up and tries to save it. But when someone is killed at the party, Kat, and eventually Liam, are put in the killer's cross-hairs. As one truth after another is revealed, Kat feels her life will never be the same.

This is a fun, quick, and easy read. I liked Kat right off the bat. She's smart, tough, and resilient. She watches out for her mom and is determined to have a better life. But she's grown up with shady people, so she doesn't trust easy and knows she can't believe everything she sees or hears. Liam lived a relatively normal life until he moved in with his father, and does everything he can to thwart his father's scamming ways. He just wants to graduate high school and move on with his life. Despite not trusting each other, I liked how Kat and Liam finally worked some things out and got closer. At first I had no trust for the Sutherland that Liam has a crush on, but as the story progressed, I felt better about the person.

The plot has plenty of twists, although I was able to work out most of them ahead of time. It was still fun to see how the author got there. This book isn't rocket science. It's just plain, good ole fun, and should be read with that in mind. If you like the author's other books, you'll like this one too.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from TBR and Beyond Book Tours. All opinions are my own.

"Such Charming Liars" by Karen M. McManus is a thrilling ride filled with twists and turns that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story follows Kat and her estranged stepbrother Liam, who are unexpectedly reunited during a high-stakes jewel heist at billionaire Ross Sutherland's birthday party. McManus expertly weaves a tale of deception and suspense as Kat and Liam navigate a world of con artists, scammer fathers, and unexpected deaths. The intriguing premise and the tension-filled heist storyline make for an engrossing read that I couldn't put down.

However, the book does have its shortcomings. The characters, while complex, are sometimes difficult to relate to, which may distance some readers from their struggles and motivations. Additionally, the story starts off a bit slow, taking some time to build momentum before diving into the heart-pounding action. Despite these minor flaws, "Such Charming Liars" is a compelling read that fans of heist stories and psychological thrillers will surely enjoy. McManus's ability to craft a captivating narrative ensures that this book is a standout addition to the genre.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pub Day: 7/30
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Huge fan of McManus, so I was super excited to read this one. Such Charming Liars is about a jewelry heist that goes wrong at every possible turn, the biggest issue being murder.
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Such Charming Liars is pretty addicting right off the start. I felt like I really needed to know where this story was headed. Told in a dual POV between Kat and Liam we really get a sense of both sides. I felt a connection with the majority of the characters, they were well written and fleshed out. The only thing that drove me insane was some of the decisions that were made were so unbelievable juvenile even for a teen to be making.
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The pacing was more of a slow burn with some very intense / suspenseful parts. I love the twists that were thrown in to make you be like "waittt whaaattt?" I wouldn't say that the ending was overly mind blowing, but there was a decent twist within a semi-predictable ending which I really enjoyed. Everything was tied up nicely in the end - which is exactly how i like my books.
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Overall, this was a hit for me, I enjoyed it and I think that YA fans and McManus fans will love this one! Be sure to check it out!! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Karen M. McManus and Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kat and her mother Jamie are thick in a web of lies as con artists and jewel thieves. So when Jamie decides it’s time to leave the business, she is sent on one last mission before her exit. When everything starts to go horribly wrong, Kat decides to step up and take matters into her own hands. But what she doesn’t account for is a long lost step brother, a mysterious illness, and the murder of a millionaires son on top of the jewelry heist she must take part in. A twisty novel that leaves you guessing until the end whether everyone is a charming liar.

Thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an advance copy!

I'm a big fan of Karen M. McManus! Her books got me into the YA mystery genre. This installment was still suspenseful and kept you on your toes, but it wasn't my favorite of McManus's books. I didn't feel super invested in the characters or their relationships. It was fun to see how all the dots connected at the end, though!

I love a good con artist mystery/thriller and this did not disappoint! This was an absolute trip! Just when I thought it was going one way, another twist! I both listened to this and read on kindle. The audible book had a couple of narrators and was really well done. I definitely recommend this one!

loved this mystery and keeping secrets and the different point of views. Also loved trying to figure out who did it . I enjoyed the mystery behind it.

In the latest entry from the author of bestseller One of Us Is Lying, we leave the high school campus setting and head for the glamor of real estate magnate Ross Sutherland’s family compound. Adding to the glamor? Kat and her mother are jewelry thieves, planning one last heist before going straight.

But things get complicated quickly. For starters, Kat and her mother run into Luke and Liam. Luke and Kat’s mother were married briefly, and they’re both still scarred from the time Luke left Kat and Liam alone to get lost in Vegas. Luke’s a con artist in his own right, and he’s playing his own game at the Sutherland compound.

And then Kat’s mom gets sick, leaving Kat to handle the jewelry heist on her own. The replacement jewels go missing, Kat witnesses a murder in the woods, an attacker breaks into Kat’s room, and it’s not long before Kat teams up with Liam and one of the younger Sutherlands in an effort to just stay alive.

This was another fast-paced ride, and we enjoyed both the glamor of the Sutherland compound and the twists and turns of the mystery as Kat and Luke worked to get to the bottom of things. Profanity and references to mature situations do make this a more appropriate recommendation for high school students.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

*Review will be posted at https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on October 28, 2024.

Karen McManus is back again with another page-turning YA mystery! Told from dual perspectives, *Such Charming Liars* follows 16-year-old Kat—the daughter of a jewel thief who is trying to pull off one last big score so they can leave their life in the shadows behind—and Liam, Kat’s once step-brother who is actively trying to sabotage his con-man of a father. While the two are unexpectedly brought together again after over a decade at the site of Kat’s mom’s last job on billionaire Ross Sutherland’s compound, they quickly have to decide whether or not to trust each other when someone is murdered at the opening night birthday party. What follows is a fast-paced, thrilling adventure for Kat and Liam to figure out who the murderer is—especially when it seems they might be next.

>> ❤️ What I loved: The relationship development across the board in this novel is great—I love watching the sibling relationship develop between Kat and Liam, as well as the little romance between Liam and Augustus! McManus is skilled at writing believable YA characters, and while Kat’s choices at times made me put my head in my hands, they felt perfectly reasonable for a 16-year-old.
>> 💔 What I didn’t love: A very minor note, but a lot was going on in the plot of this book and so, at times the pacing felt a bit all over the place as we tried to get things on track. I would say this was a bit more predictable than some of her other works, but I think there was still plenty to work out and keep you engaged through the end!

This is an easy recommendation to many of my students reading Young Adult novels, and I know they are going to eat this up in a couple of weeks when we’re back in school! Looking forward to seeing what McManus does next :)

**Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)**

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Karen McManus, and Random House/Delacorte Press, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

I've read all of Karen M. McManus' books and I was excited to read her new one. Sadly, this one just didn't work for me.

The premise wasn't as intriguing to me and I feel like I went into not really caring, but KMM has fun twisty books so I thought maybe I could be turned.

A lot of it just felt really far-fetched to me. Maybe that's just me? I don't know how teen readers would react to this one, but curious to see at my library.

Even though I didn't love this one, I'll still read KMM's next book.