Inspired my the Mysterious Affair at Styles I just HAD to pick this one up!

Sadly it fell rather short for me

Liar's Beach
Katie Contugno

A little bit gossip girl, a little bit Agatha Christie (a new take on The Mysterious Affair at Styles), a lot of privilege, a brilliantly incessant teenage girl acting detective, and you get Liar's Beach.

Set in Martha's Vineyard over a summer, we get a glimpse into the lives of uber-rich kids, what goes on beneath the surface, and how it all unravels when something goes wrong.

How do the relationships change and evolve and reveal themselves once someone is found face-down in a pool, and it's clearly not an accident?

A book that starts off annoying the reader with the immense palpability of privilege, that then sucks us into the fast-paced storm surrounding the accident.

When I heard “thriller” and “Gossip Girl” I was instantly interested!

Linden gives off serious Jenny Humphrey vibes with the idea that he’s trying to fit into a social world he doesn’t feel he has the means to belong to. Riding on a scholarship he’s trying his best to fit in with his pretentious and for the most part completely out of touch rich friends. When a body is found in the pool, it’s brushed off as an accident but Linden along with an old friend who has much more of an insight into the lives of the elite have their doubts. Together they try navigating and infiltrating this circle of friends with the hopes of finding out what really happened.

This book had me guessing until the very end and the reveal really did surprise me. I think lovers of YA mysteries would really enjoy this. I perhaps wouldn’t say the stakes or pace are enough for me to personally call it a thriller, but it’s definitely a mystery. I didn’t know going into this that it looks like it might be a series as it says “book one”. If this is the case I would definitely be interested in seeing how the stakes increase going forward.

𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
I really liked this cover, its mysterious, it looks interesting but now ive read the story, i dont actually get the reference.

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀
Agatha Christie retelling
Mystery
Male POV
Rich Kids

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
I love thus author, but im not sure that i loved this one. its different to their other books!

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
I didnt love any of the characters!!!

𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
it was definetely written well

𝗔𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱?
the main character is AWFUL. seriously very annoying.

"Liars Beach" falls into the realm of an okay read for me. The unique setting and the main character's journey provide some appeal, but the lack of tension and missed opportunities for a gripping mystery prevent it from truly standing out.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this. The setting on Martha's Vineyard was new to me, and I quite liked the main character trying to fit in with the rich privileged kids, whilst hiding his own background. Unfortunately there wasn't much tension as to whether he would be discovered, and even less angst when one of them is discovered dead in the pool. Linden is convinced there is a killer amongst them, and ropes in a childhood friend he bumps into on the beach to solve the mystery.

It's an OK quick summer read, with enough to keep you reading to the end, though I feel it's missed the mark... not enough going on to grip older teens, but too much swearing and some sex for a younger audience.

I loved this YA read and have since seen it in lots of my local bookshops! If you are a fan of shows like Pretty Little Liars and One of Us is Lying, you will enjoy this book!

This was an alright book. Liar's Beach follows a group of friends, who are staying at a beachfront house, when they discover a body in the pool.

I think the author was trying a lot of things all at once– reimagining Agatha Christie's characters, trying to establish a connection between characters, a mystery, and maintaining that suspense and intrigue throughout the entire book. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it did not pan out well. There were a lot of things that I felt like could've been done better character-wise and plot-wise.

I did not care for the characters, I found them to be one dimensional and boring– which is sad considering there is an entire cast of characters that add nothing to the story. As an extension of that, I did not care for whatever they were getting up to. The only reason I finished the book is through skim reading the last 60% of the novel.

The mystery doesn't happen until the a little later in the first half of the book, which means the first couple of chapters are character introductions and filler pages.

2 stars.

3.5☆

An enjoyable YA murder mystery, slow at times, and overly descriptive. The murder mystery parts sparse themselves. I did enjoy Linden's relationships with the other characters, especially Jasper and Holiday.

Loved the setting of August House, and the whodunit was well done

Liar's Beach is like a summery episode of 'Gossip Girl', if the main character was a scholarship student struggling to fit in with his rich trust fund friends. (So, like Gossip Girl!) But our protagonist is much more interesting (in my humble opinion) than Dan Humphrey. He's recovering from a sports injury; fighting the guilt he feels about lying to his friends about his home life; managing a crush on his roommate's sister, and worrying that he isn't being loyal to his mother because he's enjoying living a lavish lifestyle. Katie Cotugno also writes convincingly as him and ensures that the story is as enjoyable as it is realistic.

Particular highlights of the novel for me were the characters of Holiday and Eliza. In some parts, I did worry that they might receive the 'manic pixie dream girl' treatment, but Cotugno reversed that idea brilliantly. I won't give too much away, but I loved how she gave a nod to the trope without using it. Holiday was especially entertaining and I'd honestly read a spin-off about her and probably greatly enjoy it!

I'd recommend this book for someone wanting a teen mystery read, perhaps by the beach! It's nice and light and written beautifully. The ending was also fully satisfying for me and I'd happily reread certain extracts again!

This book (sadly) took me more time to read than expected. Normally I just fly through Young Adult thrillers. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. Several times I had to convince myself to keep reading - and it took me much longer than most books of this genre (which I like very much!).
The short form is probably: The book and I didn’t connected.

The reasons?
1. I disliked the narrator/main character pretty quickly - and it got worse as the story progressed. His smug and condescending manner towards his friends (at least in his mind, since he was too cowardly to honestly say what he was thinking) really got on my nerves. Which could have been the intention of the author - because it would fit the story. In that case: We’ll done! But protagonist wasn’t it for me.
2) I really liked the writing style, especially the descriptions, but I sometimes had a problem with the dialogue, which too often sounded like adults talking, not teenagers. The way the characters sometimes talked, they could have been in their late twenties.
3. The murder mystery was just ... sorry ... extremely slow narrated and boring to boot. Most of the time I didn't care who the culprit was. It could have been anyone and I wouldn’t have been sad about it, as the characters all didn't particularly grow on me. Without exception, they were all arrogant and hardly likeable. Which again could be the intention of the author, because we are talking about a bunch of privileged people. But it was a bit too much of arrogance and pretentious for my liking.
4) The pace of the book was too slow for me for a thriller/murder mystery and got lost in trivia. Too often it got lost in petty romantic feelings (which did little for the story) or in the thoughts of the main character, which also did little for the pace.

Nevertheless, I have to say that the book was well written, I could picture the locations very well, and that it was just me not warming up to the characters and the pace. I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of people looking for this kind of story and loving it. It just wasn’t me - sadly.

Not really a book for me if I'm honest. It felt all a bit meh. I wish there was more to the mystery in this novel, I didn't connect to any of the characters as they was rich white privileged teens and it was just OK.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book and was immediately caught up in the summery vibes. The descriptions were beautiful and I would love a holiday at a place like this (maybe not with these people..]
It's a fun gripping mystery and I ended up suspecting pretty much everyone incorrectly so it kept me on my toes. I read in the author notes it's their first time writing in this genre so hopefully we will get more mysteries from Katie Cotugno.

A group of wealthy, privileged teens gather for a summer house party at Martha;s Vineyard. The alcohol flows but by morning, one person is found injured at the side of the pool. Was this an accident or something more sinister?
The book has a cast of unlikeable characters, apart from Holiday who is not part of the friendship group and who acts as the "investigator" as the events of the night are gradually uncovered. Every suspect has a connection to the victim and a motive to harm him but as each is found to be innocent of any poolside skulduggery, more and more secrets and lies are revealed. The actual murder mystery at the centre of this book was not especially complex but the web of secrets exposed along the way are an intriguing and enjoyable part of the story.
This book is suitable for older YA due to the language/sex/drugs etc.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.for the review copy.

A super gripping crime thriller mixed with dark academia. I loved this: rich kids who believe nothing can touch them, Linden our MC who feels like an outcast, loads of secrets and a summer full of mystery. I loved that this was a new take on an Agatha Christie novel and I think it was done really well, I couldn't stop reading I was hooked. I think this was an amazing YA book and I highly recommend for fans of The Secret History.

Really enjoyed this young adult crime thriller. Something of theSecret Historybut for teens. Privilege, Romance, Drama, Death. Perfect flawed narrator, gripping setting, up till 3am finishing it. Lovely.

A modern retelling of a classic detective murder mystery by Agatha Christie, this book is interesting a nd I couldn't put it down until the finish. I enjoyed this read very much, thank you for the book, Netgalley!

Liars beach

Let's start with the good parts of the book. The island of rich kids setting made for some interesting characters full of drama. And not just murder drama. There's cheating, court cases, and drugs. The whole book reminded me of big little lies if it was for young adults, actually. I could see Reese witherspoon playing the kendricks mother.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, katie cotugno, and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book.

The problem with this book is that they kept ruling people out because they had alibis even though the alibis had holes. A lot of holes. I also unfortunately didn't really like any of the characters. Now, to be fair, that may very well have been the point, but still, it's hard to enjoy reading in that situation. Also, it appears to set up a sequel, which is interesting.

Sadly, it wound up being a 2 star read for me. If you've ever seen death in paradise, you'll know what I mean when I say it's difficult to be excited about the conclusion of the crime when someone is telling it to you. The book is told from lindens POV, but its holiday that leads the investigation, which means we don't get to do much of the discovering we get told, and it just didn't work for me. I do own some of the oaithors romance books, and I think that those are something that I would like to read

This book is set at 'August house' and Michael Linden our main character ends his summer vacation staying over there in this very part of town. Miles away from Linden home town and life style hes used to, in fact he has been hiding from all his friends

When in dorms at Bartly shares a room with Jasper Kendrick says his summer was a 'total funking snoozer.... every day I think about committing a murder just to spice things up'.
August house was massive with a wrap around porch and balcony, and could hear the waves crashing on the beach below.
We then meet Jasper's brother who graduated from Bartley two years earlier, business major at Havard now. And we are introduced his sister Eliza and Meredith her friend who has been staying there all summer.

Drama at the Kendricks last year, but Linden is not quite sure what it was about at this stage.
Linden tells us how he was on as on a full scoloship so needs a high grade point average and play sports, but Linden has a bad ankle and is worried, he won't be able to play sports at all anymore.

Michael nobody but my mum called me by my first name Liden states except one other person who is called Hoilday. She had 'always been in a category all by herself' he see her down on the private beaches. But has no intention on seeing her again. She was definitely a friend he wanted to keep in his past.

The framily secret comes out as Eliza explains we all used to be so close 'us, and Meredith's family, and the Holllimans-Greg' but a major event happened and things ended very broken between them all.

Why was Eliza up so early on the morning of the 'accident', she said it was because the dog needed to pee.

Meets up with Hoilday,
'No way was I about to start accusing my friends of having anything to do with what happened last night'.
Hoilday tells him that the necklace he found is a Georgette McKeown a famous designer, who makes expensive jewellery. It's a status symbol.

Ilmumination Night, gets decorated with thousands of Japanese lanterns.
This was a very big deal, with locals and tourists.

Hoilday drags Liden away from Eliza to see Mrs Holliman and Wells, heads close together, their hands brushing down then squeezing them.

This book keeps you guessing right to the very end! It is filled with great vibrate character's who keep the story going.

What happen with Lindens ex Greer? Or is Hoilday going to become more of a permanent fixture in Linden life? Fingers crossed for a second novel🤞!

I actually really enjoyed reading this... I got quite a 'We were liars' vibes from it and I really enjoyed reading that.

I read this book not realising it was a fresh take on a Agatha Christie novel but I really enjoyed the whole mystery concept that you don't see as often in YA anymore.