Not wholly believable but a fun ride as the reader tries to figure out what happened to Sarah Lindgate on the night she died.

This was a solid read, but not a favorite. The beginning felt pretty slow, and I wasn’t totally hooked until around the halfway point. Once the story found its momentum though, I was definitely more invested.

I really liked the alternating timelines—it kept things interesting and gave the story some needed depth. The twist was mostly predictable (I had a good sense of where it was going), but I’ll admit the very end caught me by surprise (but also...how 👀)

Overall: a good pick if you enjoy slow-burn mysteries perfect for summer. Just know you’ll need a little patience to get there.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A slow burn thriller that will satisfy thriller lovers and those who like domestic fiction alike. This is book club material for sure.

The beautiful blue Mediterranean Sea. A wonderful island, Capri. A wealthy family with dark secrets. Murder for nearly 30 years ago. And it all crashes together with the daughter of the victim wants answers. To start with, the plot was superb and the ending was so twisty I could never have guessed all the things going on. Readers just accept what they hear - never believe until you have proof. Mostly, it was 20% too long, and I only say this because there were chapters where nothing much happened and it felt slow and repetitive. But the writing was solid, and the characters had some spunk to them. I'd read more by the author in the future.

I found this book engaging. The setting offered a refreshing change of pace, and while the characters were largely unlikeable, that actually added to the intrigue. Even those who initially seemed sympathetic revealed themselves to be self-serving survivalists. The twist at the end wasn’t particularly shocking—it felt more like the natural result of each character’s personality and choices. Their actions left me questioning whether any of them were truly capable of caring about anyone but themselves. Still, despite their flaws, I was drawn into their world—perhaps because it was so starkly different from my own.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Katy Hayes for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When she was three, Helen Lingate’s mother, Sarah, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Capri, her death ruled an accident. On the 30th anniversary of Sarah’s death, Helen finds herself back in Capri at her family’s exclusive villa with her controlling father, Richard; her addicted aunt, Naomi; her cold uncle, Marcus; and Lorna, the family’s assistant. When Helen finds the necklace Sara was wearing the night of her death, she becomes more determined than ever to know exactly what happened to her mother.

Katy Hayes’ Saltwater has all the qualities of a great mystery. From the Lingate family property to the ocean around Capri to opulent parties, Saltwater’s setting is stunning. At the same time, Saltwater’s characters are despicable, as one would expect from a ridiculously wealthy family with a big secret to hide. Like a good mystery, Saltwater is filled with unexpected twists and turns. There’s even a bit of a love story. My only regret is that I read Saltwater during cold and dark March; it would make a great beach read.

🍝 This is a fun summer thriller that sweeps you off to the island of Capri off the coast of Italy. Thanks to @randomhouse for my #gifted copy. This came out back in March— but I’m just getting to it!

🍝 Ok, so for most of this book I was super entertained. Loved the setting, was into the plot, the characters all had me guessing. Then about 75% in, the twists just kept coming and each was more unbelievable than the last. I know we have to suspend belief to be entertained— but this went a little too far for me.

🍝 Read this one if you love:
- rich people misbehaving
- old secrets coming back to haunt
- thrillers that surround family drama
- never ending twists
- atmospheric settings

And if you’re ok with a pretty out-there end to it all.

🍝 Overall, it was an entertaining listen— but I’m not going to be shouting about it from the rooftops.

🍝 Ok, love it or hate it question. How do you feel when the twists continue until the very last page. Like you think you know everything and then the prologue changes it all??

🍝 For me, if an author does this, that last twist needs to blow me away: audible gasps, jaw dropped, the works. Otherwise, I’m just annoyed and feel like they did it because their editor told them they had to. 🤣

Saltwater is a dark, atmospheric thriller set on the cliffs of Capri, where a wealthy family’s secrets slowly unravel. The story moves between past and present, following three different women whose lives are tangled in a decades-old mystery. The setting is vivid and almost feels like a character itself—beautiful but unsettling. I liked how the book explores themes like privilege, guilt, and how people rewrite the past to protect themselves. Some parts felt a little slow or overly complex, but the twists kept me turning the pages. Overall, it’s a moody, character-driven mystery that stays with you after the final page.

Saltwater has everything I usually love in a book: a beautiful Italian setting, family secrets and twists. However, I thought this book was confusing and hard to follow with many unlikeable characters. Not my favorite but others will probably like it better than I did. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy.

I loved the location of this story. I could really feel like I was in Capri and immersed in the setting. It's a slow burn that explores the power of family and privilege. There were plenty of morally complex characters. I found it occasionally confusing, especially since characters reappear in different timelines. Overall, I thought it was a decent read.

30 years after Sarah Lingate was found dead below the cliffs of Capri, Italy, the wealthy Lingates continue to return every summer to the villa where many believe they murdered her. Helen, Sarah's daughter, is determined to make this the year she escapes the family's restraints and she's working with her uncle's assistant, Lorna, to make it happen. But everyone has secrets and nothing is as it seems on the surface. The more Helen digs into the past death, the more it is likely that not everyone will leave the island alive this time.

Even though it can be summed up as rich people with rich people's problems, there's something about the slow unraveling of secrets and their dire consequences that pulled me in and wouldn't let go. A couple of things were obvious from the beginning. Still, Hays gets really creative and drops some unexpected bombs that elevate this from the pack of forgettable rich people vacationing in Europe thrillers.

Jumping around in time and between characters can become a bit tiresome when the chapters are short, but it provides a well-rounded view of everything that happened in the past and the consequences in the present, which is why I understand why Hays chose to write it this way.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the twisty read!

It took me a while to get into this book. The idea was there, but the story is told through multiple timelines and multiple perspectives, so it was hard to keep up with when I was first getting into it and trying to remember who everyone was. That, paired with the fact that nothing really happened for most of the book, it was just a slow-burn that had a little spark at the end with the big reveal. I will say though, I didn't expect the ending, but unfortunately, by the time I got to that point, I didn't really care as much.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Katy Hays, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

s a slow-burning, atmospheric thriller set on a glamorous Mediterranean island with family secrets and sharp twists. The mood and setting were stunning, but the pacing dragged and the characters felt a bit distant.
Rating: 3/5 ⭐

The sense of Italy this book provided was lovely, and parts of it were compelling, but the final twists were a bit too much for me. Fun enough read.

I really tried to read and enjoy this title but ultimately tapped out about a third of the way into it out of sheer boredom. Maybe one day I’ll go back but not anytime soon

Thank you to Ballantine Books, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for my advanced physical and digital copies in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much! The dysfunctional family dynamics, the dreamy Italy scenes, the slow burn tension, the early 90’s setting, and the web of secrets and lies had me hooked from page one. Add in a cast of morally grey characters and you have another fantastic murder mystery perfect for an end-of-summer binge or a sunny beach read.

The multiple timelines and multiple POVs kept me completely intrigued — though if that’s not your cup of tea, you might need a little extra focus. Personally, I thought it added layers to the mystery and made the game of cat and mouse even more thrilling.

It’s White Lotus meets The Guest List / Midnight Feast meets Succession. You’ll want to book a trip to Capri ASAP after reading this.

4.25 stars. This is not my typical read, but I was sucked into this story from the very beginning. The writing was beautiful and engaging and the entire story was so atmospheric. Rich people behaving badly isn’t typically my thing, but the writing kept me on the edge of my seat, and the setting took my breath away. Not one of the characters is likable or a good person, and the secrets just keep coming out. I ended up loving this twisty, slow burn mystery full of family betrayal, lies, and drama. Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This rich people behaving badly mystery/thriller was a miss for me. The rich Lingate family travels to the island of Capri every summer even though Sarah Lingate died there many years ago, and no one knows if it was murder or suicide. Now it’s decades later, and her daughter Helen who was just 3 at the time has a plan with her uncle’s assistant Lorna - but then Lorna goes missing. But that actually makes the plot sound more straightforward than it is. It’s initially told from the perspective of Helen after Lorna’s disappearance and Lorna beforehand (but both also discussing events earlier than that), and then eventually starts adding in the perspective of Sarah before her death.

Confused yet? I sure was. Especially because this was the kind of book that tries to build suspense by having the narrators keep secrets from the reader so things kept sort of being hinted at but it takes a long time to figure out what is going on with some threads never really resolved! And it was slooow. But the end surprises were just good enough to barely get this one three stars.

Start with a decades-old murder mystery in luxurious Capri, add the old-money Lingate family, mix in a disappearance of an assistant with $10 million, sprinkle in dark family secrets, bake for 336 pages, and you will get a yummy, character-driven, atmospheric thriller.

The book opens in 1992 with the death of Sarah Lingate, a successful playwright, whose body was found below the cliffs of Capri, the famed mythical home of the Sirens. Despite arousing suspicion, the oil magnate Lingate family insists it was a terrible accident. To further establish their innocence, the Lingate family has been returning to the same villa yearly on the anniversary of Sarah's death. 30 years later on their annual trip, Sarah's daughter Helen finds a chilling surprise awaiting her - the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died.

I will admit that it took me a bit to become fully engaged with this story. Part I felt very slow, like a luxurious afternoon basking in the Mediterranean sun with a spritz in hand, while Part II was like cliff jumping off the coast of Capri. And honestly, I was kicking myself for not paying closer attention to the first half - there were so many astute snippets of our main players, little breadcrumbs that made the twists in the second half so satisfying (so much so, that I returned to the first half as soon as I finished the book). The multiple timelines and perspectives can be a bit confusing in the beginning and might encourage you to rush towards the twists and payout, but I urge you to savor it. The characterization, especially of mysterious and lush Capri, is beautifully done, and the messy family secrets are revealed in a manner that will have you questioning any and every old-money family.

I admit I only requested this because it was set in Capri. I didn't care about the story but hey, Capri.