Hays has developed their voice significantly. Masterfully examining the outsider in a new world, this differs from _The Cloisters_ in a good way. The drama is still there but the mystery just works better overall.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

This story was intriguing, but slow reading. The beginning was what brought down my review. It starts off very vague, and a bit confusing, with lots of characters and dribs and drabs of information. For some, this will be the hook that gets them into the story. For me, it made it slow. But, it did pick up and I enjoyed the mystery. Plus the island of Capri sounds gorgeous! I didn't love all the characters, but I suppose I wasn't meant to!
Overall, an interesting thriller with some nice twists.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

End at 15%. I’m bummed!! It sounded so good, the reviews are great! But I just couldn’t get hooked. It’s a very dry writing style that my brain just cannot latch onto. I didn’t find any character particularly interesting, I was looking for any reason to keep going and I just couldn’t find one.

I downloaded this and realized I already read it. Since I read it months ago my review will be from memory. I did note I gave it 3.5 stars on my StoryGraph account. I remember being intrigued by the mystery but the story got bogged down at points.

Wow this story! I loved it. Such intriguing characters with so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I haven’t read this author before but I want to read more!

In summer 1992, playwright Sarah Lingate falls to her death from a cliff on the island of Capri. Her family insists it was an accident, but they have been clouded in suspicion ever since. Thirty years later, after returning to the same villa every summer, her brother-in-law's assistant Lorna goes missing late one night. Sarah's daughter, Helen, is determined to find out what really happened to her mother and, now, Lorna. It read like a decent first draft that needed to be reined in and polished. It starts very slowly with a lot of vague details, which I imagine is meant to draw you in, but there wasn't enough information shared to really hook you. The main characters are various shades of terrible and lack depth. A couple of the twists are decent, but one is basically duplicated and seems totally implausible.

Who doesn't love a good mystery thriller read that happens on the beach? While I didn't read it during the summertime, I think this is a book that can be read at any time. The synopsis says who will leave the island alive or not alive and I hung onto that line for the duration of the book!
A great read I hope readers pick up in March.

3.5 stars

Saltwater had a great sense of atmosphere to it, being set on Capri and surrounded by the ancient Roman ruins. The story fills one of my favorite tropes - rich people behaving badly - and those two things are what made this most compelling for me. The mystery itself is a little unbelievable in the end, going more for shock value than reality.

just wasn't for me and was not a book I personally enjoyed. I know there will be other readers out there that this will fit their style a lot better.

This was a really fun read. Admittedly, the ending didn't quite work for me, but it was fast paced and I couldn't put it down for much of the book. Katy Hays is definitely an author I'll keep coming back to.

WHYYY did I wait so long to pick this up?! Holy cow this was great! There were so many twists and turns and I kept thinking “oh, I’ve got this figured out…” but nope. This was phenomenal. Not just a great mystery but also a great comment on family, wealth, marriage. Some real pivotal points in here. 10/10 would recommend. Can’t wait to buy for my friends!

Dark and twisted. Convoluted family drama mixed with some beach vibes. Kept my attention and kept me guessing until the very end

Beautifully written book about family and how far would you go to protect it. While I did see one of the twists coming, there were definitely more that caused my jaw to drop. The imagery was vivid and the plotlines well-woven. Definitely one of my top of the year.

I really wanted to love this book, but found myself struggling with the second half. The setting was beautiful and character development was strong. However, the twists were too much for me and just didn't seem believable. I would still recommend this book, especially if you're a fan of Bravo or tales of old money. I could see this being a fantastic beach read!

I love a whodunit novel. This one had so many interesting turns at first but the more turns that came up, the more confusing the book became. I didn't expect the ending, but I also don't understand how the ending worked at ALL. I sat there like "HUH?" Overall, a solid read.

Secrets, betrayals. Murder. A thriller set on the Island of Capri about the wealthy family, The Lingates who have come for a family retreat which is about to be shattered when the past and those secrets resurface. This book is a wonderful ride, fast paced told from multiple POV's and timelines which kept me page turning. I love a thriller that takes me to a setting where I would love to be, and an author that is able to transport you there and keep you engaged with the story and characters. So, if you also enjoy a good thriller, I highly recommend this one. I thoroughly enjoy this author and will now look to read anything she writes!
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for the opportunity to enjoy this book!

Unfortunately I had to DNF. This was way too convoluted and I didn’t vibe with the style of writing

Absolutely loved this cover which made me want to read this book. This is a family drama (like over-the-top family drama!) mixed in with a bit of a suspenseful plot, all trying to answer was it homicide or suicide? Sarah has died off a cliff of Capri back in 1992 and what follows in a bunch of back and forth in time and characters - make sure to read each heading because otherwise you'll be lost. This family drama involves an incredibly wealthy family where the "drama" is supposed to stay within the family but it seeps out. Sarah marries into this family and has a daughter, Helen, who is one of the narrators of this story.

I did not like any of the characters. Helen is 33 years old but acts like she is 15 - she has to follow the family rules and cannot go anywhere on her own - I mean she's 33! Lorna, another narrator, has the role of "personal assistant" to the patriarch, Marcus, and she has her own vendetta but this is never really solved. Why is she doing what she is doing? The author talks a bit about Lorna's background but this is never really developed and I was left at a loss as to why Lorna acts the way she does and how vested she becomes in this family without a good reason as to why. Freddy is just a bizarre character who just seems to take up space.

It all comes to a point decades after Sarah's death once again on the island of Capri where the family meets every year (for some reason?). There were some twists and turns that I didn't expect and was happy to find but this book just didn't captivate me the way I thought it would or the way I wanted it to - I guess I just didn't care about anyone - they were all spoiled people to me.

Thank you to Katy Hays, NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC and the ability to review with my honest opinions.

Had to force myself to finish this one. A bunch of family drama with no likable characters. Also not sure why the author had three of the same characters get away with the same crime

Saltwater starts with a dead body, that of Sarah Lingate, it’s 1992 in Capri. The Lingates are well known, they are wealthy, and suspected of being involved in Sarah’s death. Officials rule the death as an accident, and to prove their innocence, they return to Capri every year. On the 13th anniversary of Sarah’s death, the family returns to the island with Sarah’s now grown daughter Helen, her father Richard and his assistant Lorna,  as well as boyfriend and rarely lucid aunt Naomi and controlling uncle Marcus. They arrive at the family villa to find the necklace Sarah was wearing on the night of her death waiting for them.  

   Not your typical murder mystery book, Saltwater alternates between the mystery surrounding Sarah’s death, and the disappearance of Lorna, who we learn in the beginning is missing. The story is told in chapters from different characters leading up to the hours of Lorna’s vanishing as well as that of Sarah’s demise.  

    Revealed is the very fractured family behind the facade, the controlling nature they have over everyone, how fragile it all is…and a family secret that set into motion the events that changed many lives. It was one of those books that was able to deliver several plot twists that kept the mystery going right up to the last page.  I’d say this is one for fans of White Lotus and Big Little Lies. Full of secrets, and a love letter to Capri.