Spending time in southern Italy was a special experience—there’s something about the atmosphere and the people that made it unforgettable. But what really stood out was the story I found myself immersed in. The main characters weren’t locals but a ridiculously wealthy, snobbish American family, and their dynamic was absolutely chaotic. At times, it felt unbelievable, but it was written in a way that kept me engaged. I was never bored for a second.

As the story unfolded, I started noticing that some of the predictions my friend Sharada and I had made were actually right, which was satisfying. However, certain twists felt a little too unrealistic. Still, I reminded myself—it’s a story, and sometimes you just have to suspend disbelief. Despite a few over-the-top moments, the experience was completely immersive. The setting, the characters, and the unpredictable nature of it all made it an unforgettable read.

Saltwater is a book about an upper class family who continues to summer on the island of Capri every year. The two brothers continue to return, even after (or possibly because of) the suspicious death of one of their wives decades ago. They continue to return in an effort to keep up appearances and maintain their innocence of any wrong doing bringing along the daughter, who was left behind the summer of her mother's death.

The premise sounds like other books I've read in this genre, but the book felt fresh. The way it is written gives the past a sense of urgency. Even the flashbacks, which can sometimes feel stale, felt like they were a part of the current narrative. The story was intriguing and kept me guessing until the end.

The book was a very enjoyable read and the setting of Capri made this a perfect beach read or a book to grab when you wish it were summer. Thank you to Katy Hays and Ballantine Books for this advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own. I also want to thank PRH Audio for the ALC!

Oh my gosh, I think I am obsessed with this book. When I saw the cover, I knew I had to get my hands on this book.

I know it is early to tell, but I think this book may possibly be one of my favorite books of 2025.

How much did I love this book? Well, I read this book twice before the pub date. Once as an arc, and a second time as an ALC (from PRH Audio)...that should tell you something!

I finished this book in under. a day. Saying this book is juicy is almost an understatement. I literally couldn't put this book down. Katy Hays knows how to write a deliciously addictive novel.

The audiobook is narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Allyson Ryan, and Carlotta Brentan. All three ladies did a fantastic job and I definitely recommend checking out the audiobook as well!

Overall, I highly recommend this book!


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book (alc/arc) in exchange for my honest review.

I just cannot get into this one at all, it’s slow slow slow, rich people behaving badly and a woman who wants to be accepted by the family, feels like a tale as old as time

I had to DNF 51% into the book. The book was way too slow and is feeding us crumbs here and there and I was suffocating from the mystery intensifying while not being given anything. What also didn't help was that not a single character was appealing. And I have zero interest in the island of Capri; at times, it felt like a promotional travel guide.

Im a fan of multiple perspectives and “messy” timelines so I loved this. I have some students in mind who will like it as well!

This was a very dull thriller, in my opinion. It started off very slowly and meandered through to the end. The premise was typical and not interesting to me. I finished this book only because of Netgalley and offering an honest review. The characters were spoiled and unrelatable. This is a typical murder mystery set on the island of Capri. Helen, whose mother died when she was a child, is somewhat sympathetic because her rich family cordoned her off so thoroughly from reality, yet she doesn’t really rebel. Her friend, Lorna, was hired as an administrative assistant and had a rough upbringing, so she generates a bit of sympathy as well. Mostly, this is simply because rich people are behaving poorly.

I felt like there was little to differentiate all the female characters. Their voices were so similar that I had to look at the chapter title to figure out which character was telling the story. It was not fun and not well written, in my opinion. The timeframe bounced around, and I felt disjointed throughout the entire book. The plot twists were quick and too many and not fun for me. I wouldn’t recommend this book. I gave it 2.75 stars.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me. I could not stay interested in the story. Thanks to the author, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A beautiful Italian island is the backdrop for this murder mystery that takes the reader back 30 years in tandem with multiple character’s perspectives in present day to weave the tale of Sarah Lingate and what happened to her that fateful night. Her daughter, Helen, is hoping to find the truth and be freed from the stronghold of her family.

This book had longer chapters and was a bit of a slow burn for the first half but then I was hooked and it took me on a rollercoaster of “who done it?” with a twist of an ending that I did NOT see coming. In the beginning of this book with it’s seemingly pretentious & initially unlikable characters, I did not think that I was going to like it but I was pleasantly surprised as it progressed and thanks to the character development, I was invested and eventually captivated by this book. I definitely recommend it!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A twisted family drama that takes decades to unwind. Old money, power, secrets, murder, death, lies, people behaving so very badly, a lot of twists and turns and a necklace. I love a story told from multiple perspectives. Helps me to keep an open mind and at times wondering and yet this felt more than a bit discombobulated. There were a few times I had to backtrack and that rarely happens. These are not good people and who always use their money to manipulate any and everything to get what they want. When everyone gathers again in Capri things come to light in some twisted creepy ways. An interesting convoluted story. What I amledt most with is the desire to go to Capri!


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5 stars! Few graphics moments. Good pacing for most of it. The end had a ton of twists but some of them felt unbelievable and left me with too many questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a readers copy of this book. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
The story centers on a wealthy family named the Lingates. Their annual family vacation is on the island of Capri. It moves between two time periods, current day and 30 years in the past when the wife of one of the Lingates died. Now her daughter is looking to break the strict hold that the family has kept on her for 33 years. Her mother’s death was ruled an accident or suicide, but was it? To complicate matters further an assistant to the family who accompanied them to Capri has now disappeared.
The author creates a convincing picture of the storied lives of the super wealthy, how they cover scandal and close ranks to protect the family at any cost. Definitely a good read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

This was a miss for me. All of the characters felt one dimensional and under developed so it was hard to care about their stories. There was no real back story or personality to any of them which made the story fall flat. There were lots of twists and some I saw coming while others felt a bit ridiculous. Overall, this one didn’t work for me.

Sarah Lingate died in 1992 below the cliffs of Capri, leaving behind a three year old daughter. Her death is ruled an accident but the wealthy and private Lingate family has always been suspected of being involved. Every year after Sarah's death, the family returns to Capri. Fast forward to 30 years after Sarah's death and the Lingates arrive to the villa to find Sarah's necklace waiting for them. In addition to the family on this trip, there is also Lorna, assistant to one of the Lingate brothers, which adds a little twist to the normal family drama.

This sounds like a great setup which is why I picked up this book in the first place. It is really more of a family drama than a murder mystery. There are many points of view and they bounce back and forth in time which sometimes interrupts the flow of the book.

If you are a fan of unlikeable rich people doing bad things and being terrible people, you will probably enjoy this book. Perhaps it is just bad timing of when I am reading this book but I am just not in the mood to read about annoying rich people doing terrible things. There were plenty of betrayals and twists, including one that was somewhat surprising and required a bit of an eyeroll with the explanation, but overall, this was a good twisty family drama with terrible people for characters. I was interested in the resolution of the story even if I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters so I would recommend if you can get over some bad people.

30 years ago, a woman who married into an extremely wealthy family was found at the bottom of the Capri cliffs. Her husband was suspected, but the crime was never solved. Now, the whole family is back on the island for their annual vacation, and things get . . . weird.

This type of story has been told so many times before, but I really enjoyed this iteration. There were so many twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and the author does such a good job of teasing out the psychology and emotions of this toxic af family. It’s obviously hard to feel too bad for people living with obscene wealth, but the book definitely shows how trapped and caged it can make people feel, and the way it’s built like a house of cards. The relationships are believable and layered, and each character had just enough likability while being incredibly messed up that I wanted to follow their journeys.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a solid thriller, but it fell flat for a couple of reasons for me. First, the characters just weren’t all that compelling. I felt disconnected from Helen and Lorna, and everyone else is just background noise. I wasn’t rooting for anyone really, because I didn’t care enough about anyone! This is a frequent complaint of mine when it comes to thrillers, but the best ones have me fully invested so I know it is possible to strike the balance. My other gripe was that I figured out the major twist wayyyy too early. It’s sometimes fun to predict a twist, but I don’t want it to be obvious that far in advance.

This was more of a slow burn type thriller, with a lot of focus on the opulent surroundings. It ends very dramatically, but in an eye rolly type way. It was just all too OTT for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 rounded up!

Overall I generally enjoyed this but I found it a little challenging to stay engaged with. The twists were pretty decent and I found myself surprised with how things ended!

This book was a slow burn with dual timelines and multiple POVs. It took me a while to get into it as the author introduced the characters and laid out the history of what had happened to Sarah. Once it got going, it picked up and it ended with several twists that definitely bumped up my rating. Overall, it was a good mystery that kept me wondering if anyone was telling the truth and who did it.

Wow.. so many secrets, lies, & twists in Saltwater. Fans of White Lotus will absolutely love this! The setting in Capri is captured so perfectly. The tension & dysfunction in this wealthy family made the story so interesting. Every time I thought I had the mystery solved, there was another twist. There are many povs and timelines which felt chaotic at times but also kept it from being predictable. I had a hard time getting into it at first.. maybe because all of the characters are just sooo unlikable, but the slow burn really ended up being great!