In the world of the rich you are either taking advantage of someone or being taken advantage of. The Lingate family is no exception. ‘Saltwater’ is full of wealthy family drama, dark secrets, and tragedy. Their darkest secrets live on Capri where the family vacations every summer. 30 years ago Helen’s mother’s body was found in the water below steep cliffs. Now, in present day, Helen returns with her family (as they do every July) desperate to learn more about her mother and to find a way out of her isolated controlled life. Soon the tragedies of decades earlier seem to be repeating, putting the family back under a suspicious spotlight.

I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and dual timeline. The writing was descriptive, although drawn out and repetitive at times. I found part 2 to have more psychological depth while reading Helen’s POV. You can feel her spiraling guilt and struggle to trust those closest to her. The ending was full of twist after twist. Overall, the storyline gave me modern Shakespearean vibes and while the ending was exciting and unexpected, the mirroring of past and present to that extent felt over the top.

The cover art is gorgeous and drew me in to request this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Mar 25 2025

I really liked THE CLOISTERS, and SALTWATER is an excellent follow-up from Katy Hays! With multiple timelines and multiple POVs, in the gorgeous setting of Capri, Italy, Hays teases apart us the inner workings of a wealthy American family on vacation, and the murder that still haunts them decades later. There are White Lotus vibes (complimentary) yet Hays has created a story and world all her own. Will definitely be recommending this to people for summer reads this year!

This book was such a wild ride! Right at the beginning you’re introduced to one of the big events behind the book: Sarah’s death (or murder maybe?). From that point on you get to experience the Lingate family and slowly delve into their secrets. The first half of the book was a little slow to me, but the second half picked up the speed and the shocks. The ways things escalated, anything could’ve happened. I thought I knew how everything would come together but I was definitely wrong. The last few chapters had my jaw dropping! Definitely recommend if you love books with crazy twists, rich families with dark secrets, and unreliable narratives.

This was rich people behaving badly, but from the point of view of an outsider and the a family member starting to see sense. I enjoyed the stop and start way this story was told, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the end.

On the island of Capri, one week a year, the Lingate family returns to their villa. Thirty years ago, Sarah Lingate died on this island. It was ruled an accident, but she left behind her young daughter, Helen, and a whole lot of questions surrounding her death.

What makes this vacation so different for the Lingates? The arrival of the necklace that Sarah was wearing the night that she died. It has everyone in the family on edge. It isn't until a Lingate staff member/assistant/Helen's friend Lorna goes missing that things really start to heat up. Sarah's case is reopened and the Lingate's are squirming. Scandal is something to avoid at all costs.

Each person has their own secrets and motives, giving us this twisty, sun soaked mystery that was so much fun unraveling.

In 1992, Sarah Lingate’s death at the cliffs of Capri was ruled an accident—but the whispers of suspicion never truly faded. Thirty years later, her daughter Helen returns to the family’s villa, only to find Sarah’s long-lost necklace waiting for them. As the past collides with the present, old secrets resurface, and the truth about that fateful night becomes impossible to ignore.

My thoughts:
🌊Can we take a moment for this stunning cover?! It practically screams grab your bestie and book a beach trip immediately!

💰When I first read the description on NetGalley, I was 100% on board for the rich people drama and buried family secrets. But as I dug deeper, the alternating timelines and dual POVs pulled me in even more, adding depth to the mystery and unraveling years of lies, betrayals, and grudges.

🎭Everyone in this book was hiding something and just when I thought I cracked a secret, another twist pulled me deeper into the Lingate family’s web of lies!

⚖️While the setting and family drama were fun to read, I would have loved some more suspense. This felt more like a slow-burning family mystery than a high-intensity thriller.

If you love twisty mysteries packed with family drama, betrayal, and a gorgeous island setting, this one’s worth adding to your TBR. A perfect beach read thriller to grab this summer☀️

Kate’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Each year the Lingate family returns to Capri where Sarah Lingate was found dead beneath the cliffs. Questions
still remain as to whether it was an accident or not. As the story progresses more is learned about the family
and their secrets. Surprising revelations lead to more questions.
#Saltwater #RandomHouse #Ballantine #NetGalley

Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I love a good mystery with twists and turns and Saltwater certainly provided a plethora of both! You think you are in one murder mystery but no, you are in two, or are you? I loved how the author sets up this family and balances the two timelines to show what really happened in 1992 compared to what we think might be happening in the present day. The island of Capri is a background character for the lives of the Lingates as truths are revealed and choices are made. This definitely had me guessing.

First, the pros of the book: The author successfully created an atmospheric novel, and I think she did an excellent job with the setting. The plot itself is interesting, as well. It makes the reader wonder what happened and what will happen next.

Unfortunately, the way the story was narrated didn't work for me. The multiple perspectives and different timelines worked against the entertainment value. What really made it worse was that the characters needed more unique voices. Using the first-person narration style requires a unique voice or else it will feel confusing.

I often went back to confirm whose perspective I was reading. The jumps in the timelines don’t allow the reader to fully connect with the characters or remain fully engaged with the story. Salt Water had the potential to be a compelling mystery thriller and a favorite read, if not for the drawbacks I mentioned. If you can disregard these shortcomings, you might enjoy the book a lot.

I had such high hopes for Saltwater. The cover is and description caught my attention, but unfortunately, the story couldn’t keep my attention. I found myself having to re-read sections because it was so boring and repetitive. The first part of the book was confusing, and the hints given by the two main characters didn’t help…seemed like they were dangling carrots with the hope the reader would continue reading just to figure out what in the world was going on. The story picked up for the last quarter of the book, but by then, it was too late.

honesty, I'm happy to say this book is over... it truly felt like it was never going to end. I don't think I really liked the story until about 70% into the book and until that point I was pushing myself to get to that point.

slow SLOW burn... I can't say I connected with ANY of the characters and it felt repetitive at times. I couldn't find enough interest into the twists and only felt a breath of relief once it was over.

if you're one to love slow burns with detailed writing, then this is perfect for you

I was really looking forward to picking this one up, but in the end it was just very meh. I loved the setting on Capri, and the author did a nice job of creating a scenic backdrop to the story. But.....for a thriller, this book was just not very exciting. The book was very slow moving (and not in a slow burn way), and I was not overly motivated to keep picking this one up. The ending was weak and messy and not worth wading through the rest of the book for.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to review this fun mystery for my honest review. I really enjoyed this twisty book. It’s filled with twists and turns and plenty of rich people drama. I also loved the setting of Capri. The author did a great job describing this beautiful setting. Thank you again for allowing me to review this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys twisty mystery/thrillers.

I normally don’t gravitate to mysteries but if it’s about rich people creating their own demise? Count me in. 🤣

This gave me such a la White Lotus vibes and I was here for it. There were times I thought I knew the outcome but it does sort of twist and shake it up to the point I didn’t even believe I was reading. There are many POVs so if you’re someone that doesn’t enjoy that, this book might not be for you. I personally enjoyed the confusion as it added to the element of the plot.

No one is really likable in this book. I think that was the point. You truly learn what people will do for money or at least the facade of it. It makes me glad I never grew up in old money. 😅

I personally never saw the ending. It surprised me and a job well done for doing so. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Capri and the connections to Roman mythology.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

Thanks to @randomhouse (Ballantine Books) and @netgalley for the gifted e-ARC and to @prhaudio for the ALC!

Told in multiple timelines and with multiple POVs, this book is a slow burn mystery that tells the story of two murders, 30 years apart, that interrupt a wealthy American family’s yearly trip to Capri, Italy.

This is one of those books that seems straightforward at first. The characters all hate each other. But they’re family. And they’re rich. So they spend their vacation together and keep up appearances. None of them are particularly likable. Helen is the sheltered daughter who longs to break free of the family’s control. Her boyfriend, Freddy, handpicked was by the family. Her father Richard is the grieving widower whose wife committed suicide on this island 30 years ago. Marcus, Richard’s brother, holds the family together. Helen, Marcus’s wife, is too zoned out on pills and alcohol to know what is going on. And Lorna, Marcus’s new assistant, despises all of them. These six people spend a week on Capri, just like they always do. But this year, everything changes.

It took me a while to figure out who everyone was, and at first the plot was hard to follow. But the beauty of the writing is in how it slowly unfolds. And as it does, more and more things come out. The way I gasped out loud at some of those twists!

The multiple narrators read the chapters for their characters and did a great job matching each other’s voices for the minor characters.

The setting was gorgeous. I’ve now added Capri to my bucket list!

I really enjoyed this mystery and highly recommend both the print and audiobook.

When I read what this was about, I thought I had found a book that would be just what I was looking for. A murder that after 30 years still haunted a family.
The more I read the more I knew that this just did not fill in the blanks of why things happened. I did not like the characters enough to find out why things happened. I am sure this book will have fans and enjoy reading it but for me it was an OK book but one that did not stay in my mind for very long after finishing it.
Thank you NetGalley, Katy Hays and Random House Publishing Group for the arc of Saltwater. This is my personal honest review.

I really wanted to love this one. As far as tropes go, I love juicy family dramas, rich people behaving badly, and twisty thriller/ mysteries. I especially love a scenic and atmospheric setting, and I was soo excited to be whisked away to the beautiful island of Capri. Unfortunately, everything fell flat. The “twists” were all predictable and/or spoon fed to us. So many things were unnecessarily repetitive. I feel the story could’ve taken place on any island or remote location, none of the scenery or food/drink mentioned screamed Capri to me. Any book that takes 75%+ to get anywhere in the neighborhood of interesting is immediately on my shit list. Sorry!!!! :(

This was a fantastic read. I loved the twist and turns. The characters were well written and the fast pace kept me reading. Loved the twist at the end.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. The concept was interesting but the writing style was boring and confusing, and all the characters were annoying. It’s hard to read a book with no one to root for.

Absolutely loved this twisty mystery set in Capri, Italy! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and the author, in exchange for an honest review. The author, Katy Hays, wove in a fascinating dual timeline across 30 years with continuing plot twists throughout the book, in the setting of extreme opulence and wealth, with have and have-not distinctions between staff and the family on a beautiful Estate used once a year for vacation (specifically, a vacation on the anniversary of the murder of one of the family members). When another individual goes missing and the initial murder is reexamined, everyone is a suspect. Ms. Hays did a wonderful job of developing all of her characters in this very conflicted family and several close friends/staff, but leaving just enough out of the story to allow the reader to wonder what was next or how they were actually involved. Overall, I really enjoyed the journey on the book. The only slight downside was the ending of the book felt a bit rushed, and less developed than the rest of the story.

Unfortunately, I DNF this around the 30% mark. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style and wasn’t hooked with the characters and the storyline. I did like the description of Capri. I think this one just wasn’t for me, as I’ve seen others like it.

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.