The book started off hard to follow with multiple POV’s and dual timelines. However, after the main characters and the plot were established, it was easy to follow. The story was intriguing right from the start due to an abundance of deception. Not only are the characters lying to each other, the reader must question if they themselves are being lied to as well. The setting in the book is described beautifully. I could picture Capri, the house, the boats, etc. in my mind due to the vivid detail. After a rough start, I couldn’t put the book down. I couldn’t wait to read what happened next and how each piece of the puzzle was connected. The book took you on several twists and turns and the ending was shocking! Just when I thought I had everything figured out… the writer does a phenomenal job. I very much enjoyed this read and look forward to reading more by her.

4.5 ⭐️’s

Thank you to NetGalley, Katy Hays, and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars! 🌟 Huge thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for the ARC! 💌

Rich people, dark secrets, and a decades-old mystery in glamorous Capri? Sounds like my kind of thriller! But did it deliver? Ehhh… not quite.

The book kicks off with the mysterious death of Sarah Lingate in 1992. Her body was found below the cliffs, but despite all the whispers, her powerful, old-money family insists it was an accident. Now, 30 years later, her daughter Helen returns to Capri, only to find a chilling surprise—the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died. Cue the paranoia, the secrets unraveling, and the feeling that not everyone on this island is getting out alive. 😱

I LOVED the atmospheric vibes—Capri was painted in a way that felt so lush and eerie, making the island almost a character itself. 🌴 The whole “rich people behaving badly” trope was chef’s kiss 👌, and the idea of an annual family retreat where everyone is pretending the past doesn’t exist? SO GOOD. 🌊

🌊 Rich People Drama
💰 Murder Mystery
🌊 Dual Timeline
💰 Slow Burn Suspense
🌊 Family Secrets & Betrayals
💰 Isolated Setting

But here’s where things went sideways:

✧ The writing style was…not it. The multiple timelines and perspectives should’ve made the story gripping, but instead, it felt messy and hard to follow. I kept flipping back to figure out who was talking. 🤔

✧ Where’s the suspense?! A mystery with a setup this juicy should be thrilling, twisty, and unputdownable—but instead, the pacing dragged. I wanted secrets spilling, betrayals, OMG-moments, but a lot of it felt like filler. 🥱

✧ The characters? Meh. Helen had potential, but I never really felt connected to her or any of the family members. They were just kind of… there. 😒

By the time the big reveals rolled in, I was already mentally on a boat back to the mainland. Did I gasp at some twists? Sure. Was I wowed? Not really. 🙄

If you love slow-burn mysteries with moody settings and complicated family drama, you might enjoy this more than I did. But if you're looking for a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller? This might leave you feeling a little shipwrecked 🚢.

Final verdict? Good concept, meh execution. Would I vacation in Capri? Absolutely. Would I revisit this book? Nope. 🏖️

Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with any of the characters and as a result, I was not engaged with the plot. There was nothing unique about any of the family secrets.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

After Katy Hays' debut novel, The Cloisters, captured me for a full afternoon on the beach last year, I was thrilled to see she had a sophomore novel releasing in 2025. The two stories are different but Hays' writing is consistent: unique settings that become characters themselves; characters with rich composition and sharp dialogue; and a darkness lurking around every seemingly-beautiful corner.

Saltwater is a rare thriller that kept me drawn in the whole way, still unfolding surprises into the final pages as I remained glued to the pages. For a summer escape to Capri, where the tensions is as thick as the humidity in the sea air, look no further.

4/5 stars

I ended up guessing a lot of this book but I still really liked it.
The story about a wealthy family and the damage they do to each other to keep the family status. It’s written with different character viewpoints in different time frames so you get a chance to see what happens to the characters throughout time. The setting is described well and in detail.

If you want a book about rich people behaving badly in a beautiful location, Salt Water delivers. This book was just “ok” for me as the plot was slow, with a lot of “I want to get away from my family” but “ they’re my family, I can’t leave”, and coming up with a devious plot to leave, on a continuous cycle. I’m not sure any of the characters had any redeeming qualities, nothing that made me root for them. The last handful of chapters told more than the rest of the book combined and had a few “wait … what” moments. I wanted more subtle drama, more mystery from this one.
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Thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Saltwater by Katy Hays is a highly recommended family drama/thriller following the wealthy Lingate family on the island of Capri.

The Lingate family returns every year to the island of Capri. In 1992, playwright Sarah Lingate, wife of Richard, the youngest heir to the Lingate oil fortune, is found dead below the cliffs. She left behind her three-year-old daughter, Helen. Her death was officially ruled an accident but there are questions about this.

Now 30 year later, the Lingates are returning to Capri yet again. Helen has felt controlled and isolated by her family for years. Now, at thirty-three-years-old she has had enough. Helen along with Lorna Moreno, her friend and family assistant, is plotting her escape from her family's clutches. The plan involves an anonymous package that contains the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she drowned, reminding everyone of Sarah's death and threatening to expose secrets. But then Lorna disappears...

The atmospheric plot is tense, mysterious and secretive right from the start. The island is used to create a lock-room mystery which allows suspense to build and hidden secrets to be revealed. Capri is beautifully described and the setting becomes essential to the plot. There are plenty of hidden secrets and twists along the way in this study of family, wealth, and consequences. The plot does build slowly until the end, which will require some dedication to push through to the action.

The narrative mainly unfolds between the point-of-view of Helen and Lorna, with additional information from Sarah's story leading up to her death in 1992. Be suspicious of everyone and everything. Keep in mind that ultimately none of the characters are appealing or likable.

Saltwater is a good choice for those who enjoy novels populated by rich-people-behaving-badly. Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion. 3.5

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Set against the stunning backdrop of Capri, this story revolves around the death of Sarah Lingate in 1992, leaving behind her three-year-old daughter, Helen. The Lingate family, dripping with old money, returns to the scene every year to prove Sarah's death was an accident. But on the 30th anniversary, they're in for a shock when they find Sarah's necklace - the one she wore the night she died.

Now, I'll be honest - I struggled to connect with these characters. Their wealthy background and seemingly trivial problems didn't exactly endear them to me. But here's the thing: the mystery itself? Absolutely gripping. I found myself turning pages, not because I cared about the Lingates, but because I desperately wanted to know what happened to Sarah.

Hays has a knack for peeling back layers of the story, revealing just enough to keep you hooked without giving away the game. The way she slowly unravels the truth is masterful, dropping breadcrumbs that had me constantly second-guessing my theories. Was it an accident? Murder? The twists and turns kept me on my toes, and I'll admit, I was pleasantly surprised more than once.

If you're a mystery lover who enjoys a good puzzle with a side of family drama, this book is definitely worth diving into.

Thank you, Ballantine Books and NetGalley, for my free book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this E-Arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Saltwater by Katy Hays takes us back to 1992, when the rich Lingate family was on vacation in the rich people's playground, Capri. Tragedy strikes when playwright Sarah Lingate is found dead after falling off a cliff and leaving behind her little girl (3 year old Helen), and although Sarah’s death is ruled an accident, many people suspect the Lingate family had something to do with it. Even though it’s been years, the Lingates continue to return to Capri every summer. Now, on the 30th anniversary of Sarah’s death, Helen, now 30, and the family assistant, Lorna, come up with a plan to help Helen escape her overbearing family. Things take a turn when Sarah’s necklace, the one she was wearing when she died, mysteriously shows up at the house where the family is staying. Just when things couldn’t get stranger, Lorna disappears, and everything starts to unravel.

What really happened to Sarah all those years ago? Who is Lorna, and where did she go? There are so many unanswered questions, and each twist brings more secrets to light.

I really enjoyed Saltwater. The way she writes is engaging, and the characters all have their own secrets that keep you hooked. I also appreciated the surprising twists throughout the story. I can’t wait to see what Katy Hays writes next!
Saltwater will be available on March 25, 2025 but you can pre-order it now!

#NetGalley, #BallantineBooks, #Saltwater, #KatyHays

Thank you so much @netgalley for my copy! This cover is to die for and really sets all the vibes for the story. Rich people being shitty is always so fun. You know you are in for juicy drama and this one delivered. Its also set on the coast of Italy and is lush with rich, atmospheric detail. There are multiple POVs and a jumping timeline between past and present which keeps the reader engaged.

I did pretty much guess all the twists, and at times I felt this was a bit repetitive but, it’s a great way to kick off warmer weather (or hoping) and escaping to the vivid blue sea.

DNF @30%.

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

This will work for a lot of people. It's a typical thriller - time warps and people gone missing and murder and rich folks behaving poorly.

But it didn't work for me.

There were two perspectives, but the writing style did not do enough to differentiate the two voices / characters. I was never sure if I was reading Lorna or Helen. Also, the time skips and jumps and lack of continuity in the story and plot just messed with my head, and I wasn't a fan of the writing style.

I was mildly intrigued by the mystery, and I loved the setting, but I just couldn't bring myself to care much about the characters. It felt like there wasn't enough done to make them 'real' and to make me feel like I had any form of investment in what happened to them. By 20% in the story, I didn't get who Freddy was, what Marcus's deal was, I kept forgetting who Naomi was, and I just didn't understand what was happening in general. This may have been intentional to create mystery, but instead it just made me annoyed and frustrated and not wanting to read it.

3.5 Loved the setting and atmosphere of the very rich family and their secrets. The timeline/ POV jumping was a bit too much and stopped me from enjoying this one more. Oh Helen!

What really happened to Sarah Lingate? She was found dead beneath the cliffs of Capri but no one has ever revealed what really happened and her wealthy family continues the tradition of vacationing in Capri. 30 years later the necklace she was wearing is sent to the family and Lorna, an assistant to the family disappears. Is the disappearance related to Sarah's death? Moving between the present and the past readers discover more and more about the family and the secrets of the past. I recommend this to readers that enjoy books about family secrets.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did. The setting of a beautiful island in Italy with the story of an unsolved murder that haunts a family from years ago, all sounds so good. This book really dragged on though. I finally called it quits at 64%. I just couldn’t do it anymore. All of the characters were unlikable, and not well developed. It took me until about 25% of the book to even know which character was which and how they fit into the family. The plot was so slow moving as well. I just truly did not care anymore what was going on or if we would ever find anything out. The troupe of filthy rich family with secrets is not my favorite, so maybe I should have assumed I wouldn’t enjoy this one.

**4/5 Stars – A Haunting, Atmospheric Tale**

Katy Hays’ *Saltwater* is a mesmerizing blend of gothic mystery and artistic obsession, set against the eerie backdrop of a crumbling coastal estate. Her lush, immersive prose brings the salty air and decaying beauty to life, weaving a story where creativity and madness blur. While some plot elements are predictable and certain character motivations could be deeper, the novel’s haunting atmosphere and slow-burning tension make it a captivating read. Fans of *The Cloisters* and gothic fiction will be drawn to its intoxicating mix of mystery and artistic ambition.

*4.5 stars rounded up*

Morals, motives, manipulation, money… murder?

The infamous Lingate family have maintained standard party lines for the past three decades in regards to the death of Sarah Lingate: it was a tragic accident, & no further comment. But this year when they return to the villa on the island of Capri (the one sitting atop the cliff that Sarah was found at the bottom of) things are different, & secret after secret starts to come to light…

The parallels between past & present, the controlling family, the claustrophobic island setting, & the recurring themes of rot & decay make this an interesting read to say the least, & then we have the multiple twists as we get to the truth of what really happened in 1992 (& what led up to it). The fallout from these discoveries is equally as riveting, & I’m happy to add this author to my keep-an-eye-out-for-future-work list!

Thank you very much to NetGalley & Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked on this book right from the start! The writing was sharp and the Capri setting and family dynamics were pitch perfect. The story jumped between two timelines and between different narrators in a way that kept me engaged and thinking over different scenarios, but didn’t feel confusing, which sometimes happens when an author juggles multiple plot lines. A few of the twists felt a tiny bit too unbelievable, but I lovers thrillers for the surprise, unreliable narrators, and suspense, not the hyper-realistic stories and this certainly delivered.

Such a good story! It was slow at parts but the island setting and the mysteries all made it so atmospheric and gripping! Didn’t see the twist coming at all!

Old money, family secrets. But money won’t keep secrets buried forever. In this twisty thriller you’ll meet the Lingate family and they’ll do anything to keep the mysterious death of Sarah from tarnishing their name. 30 years later while gathered at the very location of her death, a delivery is made to Helen, Sarah’s daughter, that opens up the past. Will they discover what really happened that night? Was it an accident or something sinister?

I absolutely loved this one! Very suspenseful, kept me on my toes and guessing until the end! And the twists?! Woah!

Katy Hays' Saltwater is the book that officially has brought me back to the mystery-thriller genre. I haven't been so engrossed in a mystery-thriller book in probably well over a year and this one has me wanting more of them now.

Saltwater focuses on the Lingate family. The Lingates are dysfunctional, highly problematic, and slightly depressed, and yet. I couldn't get enough of them. The book starts off with a news article about the death of Sarah Lingate. She leaves behind a three-year-old daughter, Helen, and a husband, Richard. The Lingates--Richard, Helen, Marcus, and Naomi--along with Lorna, Marcus' assistant and Helen's friend, travel to Capri, the city in which Sarah died in 1992. Helen and Lorna have a plan for Helen to break free from the Lingates, for reasons that become clearer the more you read. However, before the plan can be completed, Lorna is found dead. Her death sets in motion the reopening of the investigation into Sarah's death and this is when things get absolutely wild.

The book weaves through multiple points of view and the past and present. Some readers might find the change in viewpoint and time jarring, but I found it crucial to understanding the overall story. Katy does an incredible job keeping you on your toes throughout the entire book. I thought I had figured things out multiple times only to be proven wrong in the next chapter or so. I didn't see the ending coming and it left me wanting a sequel because it was that epic.

Without a doubt, pick up a copy of Saltwater. It takes a minute to get oriented with Katy's writing style, but once you do, you'll be hooked just like I was and unable to put the book down.