This book overall was entertaining and a good story, with a side of justice. However, it was a bit painful to get there. It’s written from many different points of view and one of them isn’t chronological. So it felt a bit erratic and abstract to read and piece it all together - almost like a giant riddle. I probably had the most difficulty reading because none of the characters are exactly likable. Some are quieter horrible people, others are just free spirited or incredibly rigid. A bit of an odd cast all together. Somehow I feel like it could have been easier to read and follow in print version rather than digital - but that’s probably my own personal issue really. At the end everything comes together and wraps up nicely though.

This book review could be wrapped up in three words: Below Deck fans. Denise and Helen sisters that you can tell from the beginning Denise is the older, responsible sister with Helen more of the free spirit looking for another chance. And that other chance seems to be the yachting company Denise captains

The island imagery was picturesque, leaving you in a tropical paradise envious of White Lotus fans. I appreciated the integration of the set up within the character building and not just front loading. Poppy did get on my nerves; sort of a bubbly air headed personality. And too obvious what she truly was. Like she needed subtlety. Unfortunately about 40% of the way in the pacing hit a snag and felt more like grasping to fill until the climax was reached. It’s the formatting that threw me off for this. It started off as a medium paced, set the scene, introduce the players types of mystery and almost at the halfway point, changed its mind to more of a slow build and then flipped back again. With so many characters, having something happen to a character with little to no relevance felt minute and un necessary.

The dynamic between the sisters was the best part- and I would be surprised if the author didn’t have a sister herself. Overall this was hard to get through and felt very first draft. A lot of ideas that needed edited down.

This book was a little difficult for me to get into initially because I was struggling with all of the POVs, but once I was into it I really enjoyed this book! It’s a great summer read and I loved the dynamic of the sisters.

I just could not get into this one, and was bummed because just look at that cover! It promised below deck vibes but I couldn’t get far enough in.

I had high hopes for Salty. Loved the idea and the characters, I just felt that it read difficultly. I rarely knew who was speaking. I don’t often have to reread portions, but I had to with this read. It just felt slow.
Despite that, I really did enjoy it. I eventually caught the pace, and really got into the storyline. The scenery is beautiful, and I loved the boat aspects throughout.
Great summer read! Pick it up!

4.0

Salty is, well, not so salty in terms of language but definitely dealing with some of the underworld of the poorest of the rich. Though technically not a new style, there’s seems to be a recent trend with books about some sort of crime or, usually, crime and a revenge plot where the story rotates between being told by set of characters from different sides of the story. There’s always a main character, but the limited group of narrators can be anyone.

This is a story about two sisters who want to bring justice upon the family who has become rich by cutting corners and fixing things in their favor. I don’t really understand the issue with the acquiring of the land where the sisters used to live in a single family home that is now being constructed into a lagoon with a high-rise condo building. It seems like another woman lived in that house after them before the land was acquired, so the Falcon family did not take it from them and it was unclear that they acquired it underhandedly.

The majority of the story takes place on or is about the time spent on a yacht run by a rent a crew kind of concierge service For those who can afford a lot but maybe not the best.

I wasn’t sure what the book was about and with so many books coming out now, my attention span is shorter than normal. It was taking me a while to get pulled in and so I switched to the audiobook that is usually able to tug me along until I get my sea legs, so to speak.

The narration is good and it’s an interesting array of narrations from the sisters to the ditzy fiancé and the British PR guru. Well done and truly easier to follow along once I switched to audio.
Thank you to Kate Myers, NetGalley, HarperVia, and Harper Audio Adult for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book and audiobook for my unbiased review.

#Salty #NetGalley #bookreview #ADHDreader #audiobook #foundfamily #caper #sailing #yacht #florida #katemyers #harpervia #harperaudio
#retribution #vigilantejustice

Hear me out: Kate Myers is the new Carl Hiassen.

I loved this book even more than I loved Myers’ previous novel Excavations (which was a lot), and it really felt like a Hiassenesque plot while still being its own original thing.

Myers is so good at using humor to drive plot without ever getting obnoxious or bogged down in meaningless banter, and I also loved the balance she struck between sharp wit and sweet intent.

There’s a madcap aspect to this, but it never goes too far over the top, and the characters all seem to know just how far to take their absurdity without descending into pure farce.

I loved that this was a mystery and a comedy and a family saga all rolled into one with underlying themes of environmental concern and, at the less serious end, yacht culture.

I’ll say the same thing about this as I did about Excavations as to who I recommend this to: In short, everybody. But especially those who love a light, charming read that is also exceptionally sharp and observant.

This was exactly the kind of layered summer read I love—funny in a sharp, observational way, full of character dynamics that kept me turning pages, but with surprising emotional depth underneath.

The real heart of the book, for me, is Denise and Helen—sisters who are total opposites. Denise is a tightly wound, rule-following yacht captain trying to keep everything afloat (literally and emotionally), while Helen drifts from job to job around the world, somehow always landing on her feet. Their relationship is equal parts maddening and tender, full of old wounds, reluctant affection, and the kind of earned intimacy that only sisters can have. Watching them collide and reconnect was both hilarious and unexpectedly moving.

I also had a fantastic time with the ensemble chaos—especially Linnie and Poppy, who made me laugh out loud more than once. The whole setup walks a great line between satire and sincerity, especially when it comes to real estate schemes, family tension, and the increasingly unhinged disaster-mitigation strategies. And the audiobook narrator was excellent—just one voice, but every character felt distinct and alive.

The relationships here are rooted in family—what we inherit, what we protect, what we rebuild. It’s a story about repair, reinvention, and choosing to show up when it matters. Really glad I read it. Thank you Harper for the gifted ebook!

SALTY by Kate Myers | 3.5 stars | ARC from HarperVia (thank you!)

Two estranged sisters reunite to work on a luxury yacht and take down the owner who destroyed their childhood home—and might have something to do with the dead body found next door. A quintessential summer read, SALTY is set in a small beach town with quirky retirees, yacht owners, and seaside locals all vying for their stretches of beach with varying levels of ambition and success. Hijinks! Hilarity! Love affairs! Murder! A sunken yacht!

It’s incredibly fast-paced and tightly plotted, which does good work to zip the story along, but sometimes I found it worked to its detriment. Very often you’ll read something and wonder if you’ve missed a crucial character or plot point. And while the characters are funny, they come off caricaturish in some instances, like the hippie yacht worker who keeps talking about the aura of people’s gut health? The dialogue is a little ~too sharp to be realistic and there are often long monologues from each character rather than seeming like a genuine conversation, which is my preference in dialogue and character work. I also wish it went a little deeper into some backstories to raise the stakes a little more.

But, I realize that that’s not what everyone is looking for, especially for a summer read! If you can suspend disbelief easily, I think it’s a great side-of-pool or seaside story that seems perfectly poised for a television miniseries.

Similar reads: EXCAVATIONS by Kate Myers, THE DOG OF THE NORTH by Elizabeth McKenzie, BAD SUMMER PEOPLE by Emma Rosenblum

Denise and Helen, sisters who grew up in a house that now is gone and the Falcon’s are developing. Poppy is about to marry one and is taking over ownership of their yacht. Geoff is a concierge who wants to climb the ranks. Denise and Helen want to stop the Falcons from continue their build.

That’s literally all I got from this book. It was painful to get though and I just couldn’t connect. I almost DNF but since it’s short, I pressed on hoping it would get better - it didn’t.

Salty was billed as a hilarious story, but it was not particularly funny to me. It seems that rich-people-behaving-badly is supposed to be humorous, which I think others will appreciate. I've never been one to gel much with rich-people-behaving-badly, so not surprising I didn't love it. On the plus side, Kate Myers is a skilled writer, and I enjoyed the sibling dynamic between Denise and Helen.

I’m sure I won’t be the only one to say this, but Salty is a great book for fans of Below Deck. This is a great for someone looking for a beach read, pure silly fun escapism. The story centers around estranged sisters, Denise and Helen. Denise is the captain of a luxury yacht. She can’t stand the majority of rich people that she takes out on little trips. Now one of these rich guys, a real scumbag of a real estate developer, is looking to build condos where her childhood home was and she and Helen are out to take him down. The sisters couldn’t be more different, the story moves fast, gets pretty wild, and is just a lot of fun. As I said, it’s great escapism and a great summer read. I’d like to thank HarperVia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Kate Myers’s Salty.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/salty-kate-myers/1146328874?ean=9780063385481&bvnotificationId=29dd77ba-51d1-11f0-8dea-0eb8f764b083&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/350416882

I started this book and expected and waited for all the hilarious parts and for me there was not much that I found funny and surely not hilarious. To me hilarious makes me laugh out loud and others around me turn and ask what I am reading. That did not happen.
Sadly, I did not care about much for this book. I am sure there will be some readers who will adore it. I will not remember much about it.
Thank you NetGalley, Kate Myers and HarperVia for the arc of Salty. This is my personal review.

📖 Book Review 📖 There’s a paradox for those who reside by the water - you never feel fully grounded unless you can feel the salt air surrounding you and sense the waves nearby. And for two estranged sisters who have never had much in common, working together on the sea finally offers them a chance to reunite and heal wounds from the past. Kate Myers delves into the delicate intricacies of family relationships amidst the allure of the ocean in her latest novel Salty. When their first charter cruise together for an ultra wealthy family ends with the news of a dead body of the real estate mogul who stole it all from their family, the stakes are high for these two. Salty is the gripping summer beach in the we that delivers it all.

This is the perfect summer read for your TBR list. The characters are richly entertaining, the setting a cruise ship with exotic locals. It's a story of sisters , family drama and rising above life events. I enjoyed this humorous read.
Thank you to the publishers, Net Galley and the author. My review opinion is my own.

I was excited to read a book that is supposed to be a hilarious page turner. However this book was not hilarious and the only reason I turned the pages was to see if it got better. It is a book about 2 sisters, 1 that is a liar, plays dumb and is a mess and her sister is a boat captain on a yacht. From the beginning of the book until I quit reading it , I felt as if there were way too many people involved and as if I was watching the mess of the show Below Deck. A crew that is dealing with the very rich but has all the drama when the rich aren't there. Way too much drama for my liking and the story was fairly confusing about setting up a blue lagoon. Huh?

Very disappointed that it wasn't Hilarious.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was supposed to be a funny summer beach read that has two sisters working together on a yacht business but honestly I only finished because I had the audio to listen to. For the most part I found myself zoning out and just was not invested in it at all. Great cover though. Now on to the next. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This novel is a breezy, whip-smart novel that perfectly blends humor, heart, and a sharp eye for modern relationships. With snappy dialogue, vibrant characters, and an irresistible beachside setting, Myers delivers a deliciously entertaining read that’s as fun as it is insightful. A perfect vacation companion or weekend binge!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for this digital e-arc.*

It's being billed as a humorous story, but I really didn't find much humor in this one.

Denise is a boat captain for the yacht set and her sister is a big mess that's come back home to work with Denise. They're looking into a company that's setting up blue lagoons in the area where they used to live. It's kind of confusing to follow that storyline. It's a lot of rich folks vs locals and the help hooking up with the owners. It just wasn't a story I really enjoyed - I didn't find much funny and was disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Reading this felt like a beach vacation, it moved quickly and the characters were quirky. The perfect mix of summer fun and mystery. Just do not recommend reading if you're going on a cruise anytime soon.