Liar’s Beach follows Linden, a scholarship student at an elite high school who’s invited to summer with his incredibly wealthy friends at their beach house in Martha’s Vineyard. Linden isn’t used to the ignorance that is granted with privilege so, when his host’s former best friend is found unconscious in their pool after a wild party, Linden isn’t able to ignore it and move on. Along with his childhood friend, Holiday, he spends the next few weeks of his luxury holiday trying to figure out what really happened.

This book is a fun, fast-paced and easy-to-follow high school murder mystery. There are plenty of suspects so it isn’t difficult to get caught up in the drama of it all, guessing whodunnit and having to start again every time they’re given an alibi, and I found that the ending made total sense and wrapped up nicely. There were a few loose ends, which I expect are leading into a second book, but it was otherwise very well tied up.

I unfortunately didn’t connect with the characters at much as I hoped, partially because Linden had a habit of projecting fantasies and tropes onto everyone around him, but the cast was still entertaining. Linden himself was sadly my least favourite character, as he went back-and-forth so often whilst Holiday solved a lot of the clues alone, but it helped that he was self-aware about it the whole way through.

Overall, despite my qualms about the characters, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for fans of easy high-school murder mysteries.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, the characters and the who submit nature of the book. Linden's observations and feelings about the those around him were understandable and I could see from his point of view. Whilst I wish we had of found out more about Greer, I'm hopeful that will be book 2. As for who did it....well I didn't see that coming and it was nicely put together.

Cleverly addictive YA mystery that is both gripping and unpredictable.

I loved the group dynamic of characters and their interpersonal relationships, that plus a great mystery makes for a terrific read.

The setting is great and I engaged completely with main protagonist Linden, navigating world that is not his. I like the way the author plays with perception and I especially liked the last few words which offered up so much promise.

If you like YA mystery you'll love this. Recommended.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House Children’s UK in exchange for an honest review.

Liar's Beach is the story of Linden, a poor college boy who gets invited to his rich friend's beach house for the summer. Things are going reasonably well when one night, after a party, the local bully is found with his head cracked in on the side of the pool. Linden's childhood friend Holiday happens to be there and she seems to think that it wasn't an accident, so they start investigating together.

There was a lot to like about this book. It was light, entertaining without needing to pay too much attention to it and full of some interesting characters. As is too often the case for YA thrillers, the thriller aspect lets it down though. It was incredibly obvious to me who the culprit was from the start, and there were almost no surprises along the way to keep that side of it interesting.

Having said that, this is an enjoyable beach/holiday read. The characters are a step above some YA ones and this kept things ticking along nicely. The writing style is decent enough and it kept me entertained whilst waiting for an incredibly delayed flight, so I can't complain too much. It didn't blow me away but it was good summer fun.

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

The elite system again as part of the story is not unusual but some of the twists within the story were quite good. Will still buy for the library but is a little predictable

I love YA books in the style of We Were Liars so was intrigued to see how this novel would fit into that genre. I wasn’t sure about the fact that this is a reworking of Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and I am not a huge fan of Agatha Christie. However, I did enjoy this book – the character of Linden is well written and draws the reader into events that take place on Martha’s Vineyard. Holiday is a likeable character, and the narrative became more exciting from her initial appearance and the developing friendship / relationship between her and Linden. I found the ending a little frustrating and hope there will be a sequel that delves into Linden’s secrets. I would recommend this to KS4 students who enjoy this style of YA murder mystery.

Poor kid/rich kids, summer as a verb, a murder and it's an adaptation of a Christie? Count me in.

I really enjoyed this. I liked Linden, even when he was being an idiot and enjoyed the mystery, too. I found all the hints about Linden's secrets frustrating considering there was zero payoff - that felt a little cheap.

This YA book is definitely one to put on the list to read, the story that is written is well portrayed, the characters each are loveable in their own ways and different reasons, excellent book all round

This book stated out really good and then halfway through i got a little bored and it took me a little while to finish.

A wonderful and beautifully written YA book, in the modern One of Us Is Lying vein, but with literary allusions and recognisable tropes, from the poor kid who is trying to fit in with the rich old money kids, the characterisation of summer, and feeling isolated among your peers. I really loved this book.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

I adore YA thrillers set over summer and featuring a cast of privileged characters, all with secrets to hide. I scanned the synopsis, realised that this is what was contained here, and was interested enough to begin reading. What I had overlooked, is that this is actually a reworking of Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I have read this classic crime novel but can't recall the particulars it contains, so can't comment on how true to the original it is. I am, however, eager to return to the original soon for a thorough analyses of this.

However, despite overlooking this aspect I was quickly drawn into this novel along with protagonist, Linden. He joins his wealthy college roommate, Jasper, on a return to his summer dwelling and interacts with the other wealthy kids he has grown up with there. I wish we had been garnered more of an understanding for who all the key players in the quickly unfolding mystery truly were as I was intrigued by everything the reader did get to learn about each of them, even if, sometimes, it felt a little surface level.

I did not manage to solve the mystery, although my suspicions were cast on every single character, at some point over the course of the novel, and so was shocked by the final reveal made. This remained an entertaining read throughout and a fun one to fly through in one sitting.

Liar’s Beach is a YA Murder mystery set over one summer on a popular vacation island, narrated by male character Linden and involving more twists and turns than the island’s impending Hurricane.

This book is being billed as We Were Liars meets Gossip Girl, and I’d say that’s pretty accurate — it definitely has elements of both, from an unfolding mystery to rich kids’ drama, and an underlying theme of privilege and unaccountability. I’ve always loved any and all YA books like these, and Liar’s Beach is another addictive addition to those particular genres.

I really enjoyed Liar’s Beach thanks to Katie Cotugno’s great writing; her ability to accurately capture the thoughts and voice of a teenage boy is second to none, and I wish more female YA authors took up this particular challenge.

If you’re looking for a quick, engrossing YA thriller, look no further than Liar’s Beach. I’m hoping it’s the start of a new series starring Linden and his now complicated teen life, and I’m definitely eager to see where the final page’s ending could lead. Fingers crossed for more!