This took a little time to really get into but once I was interested it held my attention. Didn't want to put it down. Fun read. Very interesting.

I got to the 40% mark and I gave up. The synopsis sounded so promising but the delivery was flat. The characters were so one-dimensional that I realized at this point that I didn't care who was murdered or missing. It's a miss for me.

Love this one! Get ready for all the wanderlust vibes because this was such a perfectly set thirller! Would 100% rec!

I was SO excited to read this one - murder, island life, wealthy families, secrets and betrayal - sounds like FUN! Unfortunately, the story fell incredibly flat for me. The setting was incredible and well described. I thought the plot set-up was done well. My attention was captured - what happened to Sarah on the Island of Capri? And why does the family return every year? I lost interest pretty quickly though - there were too many perspectives and timelines. Unfortunately the characters were not well developed enough making it difficult to remember who was actually talking. The transition between characters and timelines was not smooth, which also added to the confusion and the struggle that I had to connect. It did not keep me on the edge of my seat, I found that I was too confused at times and not excited. It started out quick, but the pace slowed down. I wish I loved this one, but the pieces just did not work for me.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Personally my review is more of a 3.5 stars than 4 but I rounded up because even though parts of this book fell a little flat for me, I still really enjoyed it. I would recommend this to someone looking for what I like to call a volatile plot. It was up and down and left and right at all times.

I liked the drama and big, rich family secrets. I do think the twists towards the end were not my favorite. One would have been fine but both… meh 🤷🏻‍♀️

Overall, not bad! I would read it again.

Really enjoyed this one— especially Part II where the plot really picks up! Similar to THE CLOISTERS, SALTWATER reads as more of a literary suspense.

The combination of secrets, drama, and alternating POVs/timelines complimented each other well and kept me invested. I wouldn’t go into this thinking the characters are too relatable or likable, but I think that can be deduced from the synopsis. They are flawed, privileged, and private but also had some depth as things went on.

I loved how Hays kept it interesting until the very end. And SALTWATER really had me ready for an Italian vaca too!!!!

Saltwater had all the ingredients for a gripping mystery—family secrets, multiple timelines, and a moody coastal setting—but it never fully delivered. The writing style didn’t work for me, and the shifting perspectives felt more confusing than compelling. Instead of building tension, I kept flipping back to figure out who was narrating.

For a story with such a juicy premise, the suspense was lacking. I expected twists, betrayals, and shocking reveals, but the pacing dragged, and much of it felt like filler. And while Helen had potential as a lead, the characters felt distant, making it hard to stay invested in their unraveling secrets.

Overall, Saltwater had promise, but the execution fell flat. If you like slow-burn mysteries with atmospheric writing, it might work for you—but I wanted more tension, more depth, and more payoff.

Saltwater by Kathy Hays is the perfect read to add to your summer TBR. Family drama set on an idyllic island? Sign me up. Of course, the circumstances are anything but idyllic. I have been to Italy before, but I have never been to Capri; it is on my list of places that I want to visit. Hays does a good job of creating the atmosphere and setting the stage for the Lingate family. There is a lot of juicy drama and mystery surrounding the Lingate family. This is a story of rich people behaving badly (very badly) and almost reminded me of a modern day take on The Great Gatsby. Being rich seems like all fun and games until you realize that they have a lot of secrets and their family has more dysfunction than most see on the outside. I was hooked and invested in the story from the beginning, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. This one is sure to be a hit after its publication date later this month, and I'm sure people will be talking about this one for the rest of 2025.Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of this book.

I enjoy Katy Hays writing, but for some reason this book fell a little flat for me. There wasn’t enough suspense for me and there were times where I wanted to put it down and leave it be. I was a little confused by the back and forth timelines. Just didn’t really mesh well with me. I’ll still read anything Katy Hays puts out! Thank you NetGalley, Katy Hays and Ballantine Books for this digital arc.

Mix of digital & audio - 2.5 rounded up. Whomp whomp. Sadly, this one didn’t really work for me. I started it two different times and got more into the second go around because I was hoping for some White Lotus vibes. Which I did kind of get! But all in all, I couldn’t connected to any of the characters (they felt like caricatures of actual characters), felt like it all was a bit dragged out, and just wanted to get to the conclusion to see how it all wrapped up. Obviously I read the whole thing but part of me wishes I DNFed. It was bad, it just wasn’t for me.

A great thrilled that pulled me in immediately and kept me hooked until the very end. A good read if you like suspenseful, page turning murder mysteries!

Read This Book If…you’re a fan of Lucy Foley!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Saltwater by Katy Hays

Genre: mystery thriller
Spice Level: 0/5🌶, no spice
Setting: Capri, Italy
POV: multiple, 1st/3rd person, present/past tense
Tropes: dual timeline

My Thoughts:
If you love bad people behaving badly, look no further! This story feels like a combination of Succession and White Lotus season 2. I couldn’t put it down! Now, I read enough thrillers that I called a few of the twists, but I still very much enjoyed the storytelling.

Memorable Quote: “But then, Lorna used to always say men take rejection worse than women. They kill over it.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

Saltwater by Katy Hays is a captivating and chilling novel that immediately drew me in and kept me hooked until the very end. This book is a must-read for anyone looking for a thrilling and engaging story.

The book begins with Sarah Lingate's unexplained 1992 death. Despite all the rumors, her wealthy and influential family maintains that the event was an accident. Her body was discovered beneath the rocks. When her daughter Helen visits Capri thirty years later, she discovers a terrifying surprise: the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she passed away. Then came the suspicion that not everyone on this island would survive, the paranoia, and the revelation of secrets.

Slow burn of a read that picked up within the last few chapters. The scenery of Italy while the Lingate family vacationed was a beautiful backdrop for the terrible things revealed that had transpired amongst them. Great read for lovers of suspense, mystery, and stories with great twists and turns.

While I did find this very digestible (I read it within one day!), by the end, it started to drag and felt like there were 5 separate endings. I also wasn’t a huge fan of how the plot is resolved, specifically, some of the plot twists at the end felt too outlandish for me. I also really disliked the epilogue, it felt like it was explaining way too much, and I think this book could have used a little ambiguity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Saltwater by Katy Hays.

If you are picking this book up expecting something like Katy Hays’ book The Cloisters, you may be disappointed. But give this a chance, it is good, but different! I found it a bit slow to start as it develops the characters and the back story. But you need that to understand why Lorna, the assistant, is so important and what her connection to Helen, the daughter/niece, is. Add in a few time jumps back to Sarah who is really the driving force behind the current day, and let’s just say the Lingate family is a mess. But the twist at the end, was not what I was suspecting…actually several of them. The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me is the slowness at the start, and that’s nothing against the writing just simply my preference. Easily could be a 5 ⭐️.

Add this to your summer beach reads list. You'll want to head straight to Capri after reading this. I loved feeling like I was sitting in Capri and experiencing the story. Lots of twists and overall a quick read.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I appreciated the chance to read an advanced copy of this book!

This was a solid 3 star thriller for me. The twists were fun, the setting was really enjoyable (perfect for a summer read), and the cover is outstanding. Even with all of that being said, this story was very confusing. The dual timeline was tricky (especially the dual timeline within the present day timeline--so maybe it's truly three timelines in this book?) to follow at points. There were also SO many twists at the end of the story that it really felt far fetched. I wasn't bought in enough to suspend my disbelief as much as the author needed me to.

Overall, I think this book is fine. I think plenty of people will enjoy reading it poolside, but it's also not going to stick with me and I think many people could pass on it for stronger thrillers.

2.75 stars

Oh, how I was hoping I would enjoy this novel more. In a nutshell, Saltwater has an interesting premise, but ultimately gets bogged down by one too many twists.

Let’s start with what I enjoyed about the novel. The setting felt lush, yet sinister in a way that immediately draws readers in. The characters are interesting, some more than others, but I felt pretty committed to the story. So much so that, for the first half to three-fourths of the book, I thought it might even be a four-star read.

But then all the aforementioned twists start happening, and they proved to be too much for the narrative to handle. I can’t get into it further without spoiling the plot, but suffice to say, the ending was pretty meh and also way too convenient. The author wants to keep readers in suspense for too long, and wants to misdirect them for too long. The story ends up feeling purposefully manipulative rather than deftly told.

The cover is gorgeous, though. And the ending is as happy as it could be. So, there’s that.