3 ⭐️

You've got to give it to her. Karen knows how to write drama. This book is rife with it. Heists, murder plots, and cover-ups.

I really liked our three main characters. I wish we got Augustus's POV, I imagine it would have a lot of WTF going on. Liam is my favourite character. He's just innocently running about the place saving the day while chaos runs rampant.

I did struggle with Kat and Liams immediate sibling bond when they only knew each other for 2 days 12 years back but I do get that what happened in those 2 days gives a strong basis for that connection. One of my favourite aspects was Kats' relationship with her mother and how it changes when they start being honest with each other. It's a sweet emotional aspect, and this book needed it between all the other awful characters.

The plot twists were good, I didn't expect the last one. I did feel that some of them made people who are meant to be smart look like idiots.

All in all, it's not my favourite of Karen's books. It fell a little flat for me, but I can see how it would appeal to others.

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

Kat’s mother is a jewel thief with one last big job before she leaves her life of crime behind. All she has to do is target a billionaire’s 80th birthday party. Sounds simple enough, right? Things are complicated when it turns out her scammer ex-husband and his son Liam are also in attendance. When someone is suddenly murdered, Kat and Liam realise they might be in danger and have to trust each other to survive.

I first discovered Karen M. McManus’s books in 2018 and have been hooked since. While I love Agatha Christie, I don’t tend to read many contemporary murder mysteries (as I’m a scaredy cat and scared of everything). Despite this, I really love McManus’s writing. Her teenage characters and settings are well realised and fun to follow. There is always genuine tension and a compelling mystery as well.

Such Charming Liars is no exception to this. While it took a little while to set up the premise and for me to get fully into it, I really enjoyed it. The story felt more heist-like than some of her previous books and the mystery kept me guessing throughout. McManus has great attention to detail and every thread is tied up neatly.

What a fun read! This is different to McManus' usual style and I feel like it really worked for her. It was less realistic than her usual stories but much more fun because of this, and it did still have her signature twists and turns. I enjoyed the heist aspect of it and seeing the inner workings of a criminal organisation and how the lifestyle affected the characters. Kat, Liam and Augustus were fun protagonists and I loved how their relationships developed. I would definitely recommend this book to her usual fans and beyond!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A great young adult books that doesn’t feel too teenage.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

I have been a Karen M. McManus fan for years so this book has been so high on my list to read. It definitely did not disappoint at all, immediately I was hooked and had to keep reading until I figured it out.

I love a heist book. This was fun and the twists kept twisting. Another solid read from Karen McManus.

I loved it!

Anything Karen M. McManus writes, I’m going to read; so I was really excited to get an arc of this.

I wasn’t initially too sure about the heist element but I quickly came to see how it enhanced the whodunnit element of the murder mystery. As always in a McManus novel, the character were well-developed and the plot fast paced. And, once again, there was an ending I did not expect.

Such Charming Liars boasts a bigger page count than McManus’s previous mystery novels and an older cast than the One of Us…series.

It does not disappoint. For my money McManus’s greatest strength is the integrity she breathes into each character, no matter how deluded or crooked, which is crucial when juxtaposing different points of view, furthering the plot as it gives a clearer look at each character.

This is one of those books that you devour in a sitting.

This was such a breeze to get through, every time I turned a page I swear I had jumped about 10% in to the book, the pages and the story flew by! This was a riveting, mysterious read that gave me light Knives Out vibes and I love Knives Out.

I really loved our three mains, Kat, Liam and Augustus (although I do question Karen’s decision to name Liam and Luke those names…I did keep getting them confused…which I think was the point at first but became irritating later on). This book was pure chaos was all its twists and turns and betrayals and past characters popping up and it was just wild. So many red herrings. Sometimes it did get a bit too convoluted which was annoying but for the most part it was plotted and explained well. The book is ridiculous, but it’s the good kind of ridiculous. Don’t think too much about it.

Shout out for the “gluten is mean to me” representation!!!! Gluten is also mean to me and I wish it would stop!! (Or to put more precisely that my immune system stops overreacting but there).

One of my favourite books by McManus.


Thanks to Penguin Random House UK | Penguin for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Having devoured Karen's previous novels was very excited to get this for review

Wow I loved it. Have recommended it to my friends

Thank you for the opportunity to review

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Randomhouse UK for the ARC

Karen M. McManus is one of my favorite YA thriller authors and this novel was yet another hit! I love her writing and the way she craft her mysteries. I couldn't guess the twists until they hit me in the head and left me stunned. Highly recommend for an entertaining and gripping ya thriller

I forgot I was reading a YA title when reading this book. The fast paced plot full of twists and turns (especially in the last few chapters) kept me just as gripped as adult thrillers do.

The story is mainly from the viewpoint of Kat, who tags along on her mother's last job - stealing a necklace from a very rich family. What could possibly go wrong...

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

This mystery novel focuses on a mother-daughter heist at a wealthy compound.

The story was well thought out and well written. The characters were distinct (although I did find that some of the side characters were quite surface level).

I didn’t find myself ‘needing’ to keep reading like I have with mysteries in the past. It was enjoyable enough but wasn’t as action packed as I expected.

Id recommend it to fans of her other novels and fans of lighter YA mysteries. I think it would be appropriate for younger YA readers because it doesn’t cover anything especially graphic or distressing.

I wasn't too sure how I would feel about McManus writing a heist book but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved the characters and the setting and it all flowed seamlessly.

This book is a fun, easy teen thriller that I think a lot of people will race through!

Karen M. McManus never disappoints! The writing was great, I felt like I was really living through the hell with Kat and Liam, the suspense was there and had me literally holding my breath for them at points, and the plot twists were guessable enough that they were satisfying without being too obvious. (Some were still 'OMG' moments, of course!) I really enjoyed this and the relationship/ found family of Kat and Liam as well as the relationship Augustus had with both of them. I would 100% recommend! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Another very strong book in this series. The storyline is strong and expansive and the usual nuanced developments of the plot is there in abundance. The characters are strong and vibrant and it's a real pleasure to read a book like this.
Overall a very enjoyable read and I'm grateful to the publishers for allowing me to read this early.

This book is exactly what it sets out to be: a fun teen thriller. There are many twists and turns, some quite obvious but some still shocking. Kat as one of the narrators is a bit annoying at first because she makes dumb decisions, but once the story really gets going and she’s with Liam and Augustus she’s a little less annoying.
This book is fast paced and easy to read.
3.5 stars