Karen M. McManus truly k its how to write a mystery that traps you straight from the beginning. I loved how McManus strayed from their typical mysteries and focused on a jewel heist.

Liam and Kay are fleshed out characters and the different view points lends itself well to the story. I loved knowing things the other didn’t know yet and could see them out the pieces together. Their chapters were distinct and I found them easy to distinguish from the other.

I look forward to recommending this book! It made me think of “The Girls I’ve Been” by Tess Sharpe and “Heiress Takes All” by Emily Wibberley.

While I love Ms. McManus's trilogy of One of Us is Lying books (Maeve is a favorite character) I think her standalone books are more complex and exciting. Such Charming Liars is a little different than her other books, there are characters that don't seem to have any relationship with each other, but then they all are entwined in the end. There seemed to be more "blood" in this one and the "bad guys" are really bad, but that was balanced with the relationship with Liam and Kat (sort of step-siblings) and Augustus is a great character and the book for the most part leaves it up to these three to get themselves into and out of trouble. In the end, the liars are not so charming (adults) and the truth tellers (the kids) are the charmers.

This book has been preordered and has a spot waiting on my HS library shelf.

First I want to say LIAM. He is treasure and should be protected (agree with Augustus here). But he goes through it. Especially after losing his mom. He tries to do right by everyone. All the time. But it does get him caught in the middle from time to time.

Kat. I feel for her I do. But at some point she’s got to stop. I couldn’t really care about her till the end. She was hard to like.

Augustus. I adored him. Perfect for Liam. Also dealt a rough hand but had a wealthy family so his problems were definitely different.

From the moment they all arrived at the Sutherland’s chaos ensues. While it’s all a bit out there it is entertaining and fast paced. I enjoyed and and didn’t see the ending coming.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advance Kindle copy of this book, which is out on 7.30.24. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This is a pretty solid heist thriller. Kat and her mom Jamie are running one last job for their con boss before Jamie gets them out and into a more traditional lifestyle. But they don’t expect to meet up with Jamie’s ex-husband and his son at the same compound; they definitely don’t expect the entire job to go wrong, and a billionaire’s son to wind up dead. And they definitely DEFINITELY don’t expect for an attempt on Jamie’s life. Now Kat and her former stepbrother (for all of 48 hours), Liam, are on a race to figure out what is really going on - and who is behind it. There are twists until the end, and readers who don’t like open endings will not appreciate it. There’s some teen drinking and some language, but I’d say this will appeal to readers in grades 7+.

It has always been Kat and her mom, Jamie. There was a brief time when her mom was married, but that only lasted 48 hours. Jamie is a good jewel thief but wants to leave that life behind … after one last heist. Kat finagles onto the job, and they run into her mom’s ex-husband and his son. They have their own scam planned … then the billionaire dies. Who else is a target? Is there anyone Kat can trust?

Such Charming Liars was a fun if not exciting read. Although this book wasn’t very long, I didn’t find the mystery very attention-catching. The story moved along, and all questions got answered, but I finished the book wondering why I spent the time. It's not as good as McManus’ other books, but not the worst mystery written recently.

While not my favorite McManus book, this will likely be engaging to some young adults. There is a heist element, past secrets, cheating, and family inheritances at play, I found the characters a bit flat, and the interactions between Kat and Liam around being attractive to each other, but not attracted to each other because they were once step-siblings (and Liam says he only likes guys) odd. Nothing overt in the book to flag for cautious guardians, but I would not consider it a must-buy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Such Charming Liars." Initially, I was concerned that it might not meet the high standard set by some of the author's other works, but I was pleasantly surprised. The book proved to be an engaging mystery novel that kept me hooked until the very end.

One aspect that particularly stood out to me was the unexpected twist regarding the identity of the villain. The revelation took me by surprise and added an exciting element to the storyline, making the book even more intriguing.

Additionally, the portrayal of the romance between Liam and Augustus was heartwarming and added a touch of sweetness to the overall narrative. Their relationship added depth to the characters and provided a nice balance to the mystery elements of the plot.

Overall, "Such Charming Liars" is a captivating read that seamlessly blends mystery and romance. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a compelling and well-crafted novel.

Such charming liars
by Karen M. McManus
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The newest mystery from the author One of Us Is Lying, the Queen of thrillers, Karen M. McManus! When mother-daughter grifters set out on their final job, the heist gets deadly and dangerously personal.
I was on a Book Award committee a few years back when I was introduced to this author for YA. I loved her books so much that now I keep an eye on YA books to make sure I'm not missing a good one. You don't have to be a youg adult to enjoy this!
In Such Charming Liars we meet Kat and her mother Jamie - two grifters working for a strong female boss. Kat still remembers when Jamie was briefly married and she has. stepfather and brother named Liam. Coincidentally, also grifters, the pair turns up at Kat and Jamie's next job!

It's a race to complete the grift, avoid one another and just stay out of the limelight. All four characters are absolutely interesting and engaging and the story, while simple, is filled with complex feelings and considerations that keep you as the reader completely engaged.
Great Setting! Great Plot! You won't want to miss this great read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Childrens, and Karen M. McManus for an advance copy of Such Charming Liars in exchange for an honest review. Its been a minute since I picked up a McManus book but shes still producing some great reads! We meet Kat & Jamie who find themselves in a pickle when a heist goes wrong. Throughout the story, we meet so many excellent supporting characters (Im talking about you, Liam & Augustus) who truly add to the plot of the story. This one was a rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns down to the last page. I would recommend picking this up if you love a good mystery that is full of surprises that will make you gasp. There are some potential trigger warnings (DV) to be aware of as well. You can pick up a copy of this gem (pun intended) on July 30th!

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for GR.

While I liked the story, (I love stories about awful rich people getting theirs) I do believe it should've been an adult novel, from the adults perspective. There wasn't THAT kind of adult content, more like the entire story was really about them, their mistakes and their choices. The kids meddled and got involved, but it ultimately wasn't about them. I would've loved a dual perspective with Jamie and Morgan and even Luke.
Otherwise, good mystery novel....even though the one pulling the strings was quite obvious to me by the way this character was introduced and then missing from a massive chunk of the novel. I'm usually surprised by the twists but this one didn't surprise me.
I'm sorry! (I don't like giving negative reviews)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC! This book was another great story by Karen McManus. The characters were immediately likable and relatable, the story hooks you instantly, and the slight humor common with McManus’s writing was of course present in this novel. I’d highly recommend this book to why Ya thriller/mystery fans!!!

I LOVE everything Karen McManus writes. This was no exception. I've said before that she can write the same book a dozen times and I'll keep reading them over and over again. Such Charming Liars was, however, quite different than her other titles. It was refreshing to have a different setting than her usual, along with some darker and more complex characters! The exploration of morality and the sins of our parents was really intriguing. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this title!

I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Karen McManus book. This book was pretty good. I enjoyed the friendship between Kat, Liam and Augustus. I actually got a little annoyed whenever we had to spend too much time listening to the adults and what they had going on. The mystery was pretty good. I did not expect the ending or the special extra surprise twist. I would love to read more adventures of this trio. I did find all of their home lives to be quite sad though and while I feel like the ending made it seem like a happy ending, it could also open up to more of their adventures which I’m more intrigued by then a happy ending. The only reason I have rated this book 3 stars and not four or five is because, it was easy to put it down and forget that I was reading it. The story built a lot of history between the characters and gave a lot of filler information. I suppose to potentially distract you from figuring out whodunnit but that made it very slow for me. Some chapters were quick and fun and exciting and others…I would sit the book down and forget about it until the next day.

I could not put this book down!! The plot was perfectly constructed! I loved Kat, Liam and Augustus so much! Perfect summer or weekend read because you will not be able to stop reading until you’ve finished it.

⭐️: 3.5/5

For her whole life, Kat and her mother Jamie have been a team, except for 48 hours where Jamie was married and Kat had a stepbrother, Liam. Now, Jamie makes a living as a jewel thief, but she’s trying to go straight after one last job. But when they show up to the billionaire Ross Sutherland’s compound, they’re surprised when they run into the last two people they thought they’d see, Liam and his father. Now, they’re on a collision course to disaster, only made worse when a Sutherland dies, and Kat finds that she and Jamie may be in the killer’s crosshairs.

Teen heist books are a certain guilty pleasure of mine, and I usually love them, so I had high hopes for this one. The problem was mainly that con-person stories are much more fun to read about when the person doing the conning is…you know…good at being a con-person. Not only were Kat and Liam essentially bumbling teenagers (I mean a stuck ring trope? Seriously?), but also the adults who were actually supposed to be good at heists were just disappointing. The saving grace for this one was the intricate web of lies that the author built, so you don’t know how everything connects until the very end, which made it a fun read to try and puzzle out. It was a bit of a bait and switch honestly, where they pulled me in for the heist, but it was really more of a psychological domestic thriller, but I can’t say I’m too mad about it. Liam was such a sweetie and easily the best character in the book, and the conclusion was well done.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers @randomhousekids and @delacortepress for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

As a Karen M. McManus fan, I was very excited for her newest book. This novel has all the things I have grown to love from this author: multiple narrators/perspectives, twists, complex relationships between characters. However, this novel is very different from most of her other books. Based on the description, I thought the plot might get a little confusing, or that there would have to be a lot of suspension of belief. That is not really the case at all- McManus writes in such a way that makes you feel that this is all very real. There are a lot of characters who are all interconnected, and I can see this being confusing for some YA-aged readers, but I personally did not mind that.
There were some parts that made me a little sad, and I do wish I knew some of the TWs going into it (as a mom of toddlers, the Las Vegas situation was so upsetting to read and imagine). That being said, I would just give some TWs to my students before recommending this book to them.
Overall, McManus fans will not be let down by this, and I think this will be appealing to many YA mystery/thriller lovers.

SUCH CHARMING LIARS was an exciting story. I know many teens will enjoy this fast paced story. I'll be recommending it to customers.

Many thanks for my gifted copy.

Karen McManus never disappoints, and this book is no exception. This is a different genre (heist) for her but I think she did it very well and hope she writes more like this in the future. “Such Charming Liars” is fast paced, and as engaging as all of her other books. This book takes us on a jewelry heist, gone very wrong with so many twists and turns it is impossible to know what is coming next! The dynamics between Kat and Liam are intense, filled with unresolved tension from their past, and the complex relationships between the characters add layers to the narrative. I loved that it was told from both Kat & Liam's POVs. The dialogue is sharp and witty, and reflects the characters' personalities. There were some parts of the story I was able to guess, but overall I didn’t come anywhere close to predicting the ending. It went the complete opposite direction of where I thought it was going. All of the characters in this book are likable for different reasons, except, of course, for the ones that you know you shouldn’t like. I loved all of their relationships and spent the majority of the time just wanting them all to win and to have happiness that I thought they deserved. While the ending sort of brought closure to the main plot, it left room for a possible sequel, it also left me with lingering questions and wanting to know more about Kat, Liam and even Augustus' futures. You do not have to be a YA fan to enjoy this thrilling story. Thanks to Karen McManus, Netgalley, Random House Childrens and Delacorte Press for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I am looking forward to Karen’s next book.

The queen of YA mystery/thrillers is back and this time, with a jewelry heist gone wrong story. The plot follows two narrators, Kat and Liam, who met when they were younger because their parents were briefly married in Las Vegas. Kat's mom, Jamie, is kind of a grifter who eventually starts working with Gram and her jewelry heist business, making high-end knock-offs and stealing the originals. Liam's dad is a professional scammer, befriending women with power and money. However, when Liam's Dad left them alone for the weekend, the couple quickly separated but the trauma of that weekend endured in both protagonists. Years later, both teens find themselves back together at the Sutherland compound where Kat is helping Jamie pull off one last heist to start a new life and Liam is accompanying his Dad as he tries to woo and marry Sutherland's daughter, Annalise. The heist does not go as planned, and when one of the Sutherland sons winds up dead and Kat is the only witness, she becomes a target and Liam must help her survive and unravel the mystery together.

While I enjoyed the latter quarter of the book, it took a while for the plot to truly get moving. There are lots of characters in the beginning and keeping everyone straight coupled with the back-and-forth narration of both Kat and Liam and several subplots required a bit more effort than is necessary in a YA novel. However, the latter part of the book is where McManus shines with her twisty plot and an ending that always leaves a punch. I enjoyed the antics and friendship between the two MCs and the fact that there is no romance between them (although there is some between Liam and another bisexual character).

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House & Delacorte Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy in return for my review.

This was a VERY different story from McManus’ previous books, but it still had her classic twisty and turn-y vibes and I really enjoyed it! It had a lot of my favorite things: multiple POVs, rich people behaving badly and complicated family dynamics. I thought both Kat and Liam were written so well and I loved their friendship so much. The way they both shared their traumas and helped each other get through them was so lovely to read. It’s slower paced at the beginning, but it absolutely picks up and then about 70% in, it’s NON STOP. This is one with a lot of details, twists and turns so you need to 100% pay attention. There were a few things I had to reread because I was a little confused on logistics, but I still found it really thrilling! The ending was super abrupt, which was a little disappointing because that last minute twist was WILD. However, I still had a great time reading it and can’t wait until her next book!

CW: domestic violence, child neglect, murder, gun violence

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review