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Liar's Beach #1
Liar's Beach
A fresh new take on Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery The Mysterious Affair at Styles , with iconic detective Hercule Poirot recast as a brilliant, brash teen girl named Holiday, and narrated by her childhood friend Linden, an athlete-scholar who fits right in at his elite New England prep school—all the while hiding some secrets of his own.
Michael Linden—or just Linden to his preppy boarding school pals—doesn’t belong in wealthy, storied Martha’s Vineyard. But when his roommate Jasper invites him to spend the end of summer at his massive beachfront home, August House, Linden tries his best to fit in. Linden wouldn’t call it lying, exactly. Though it turns out August House is full of liars.
Then someone is found unconscious in Jasper’s pool, and everyone has something to hide—Jasper, his beautiful sister Eliza, their older brother Wells, and their friends. The accident is written off as just that—an accident—but Linden begins to wonder...
Holiday Proctor. Linden’s childhood friend, and the one person on the island who knows the truth about Linden. There’s nothing Holiday loves more than a good old-fashioned mystery and she’s convinced there's a potential killer on the Vineyard. The only question is…who?
Michael Linden—or just Linden to his preppy boarding school pals—doesn’t belong in wealthy, storied Martha’s Vineyard. But when his roommate Jasper invites him to spend the end of summer at his massive beachfront home, August House, Linden tries his best to fit in. Linden wouldn’t call it lying, exactly. Though it turns out August House is full of liars.
Then someone is found unconscious in Jasper’s pool, and everyone has something to hide—Jasper, his beautiful sister Eliza, their older brother Wells, and their friends. The accident is written off as just that—an accident—but Linden begins to wonder...
Holiday Proctor. Linden’s childhood friend, and the one person on the island who knows the truth about Linden. There’s nothing Holiday loves more than a good old-fashioned mystery and she’s convinced there's a potential killer on the Vineyard. The only question is…who?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2023
About the author
Katie Cotugno
19 books2,312 followersKatie Cotugno is the New York Times bestselling author of seven messy, complicated feminist YA love stories, as well as the adult novel Birds of California (Harper Perennial, 2022). She is also the co-author, with Candace Bushnell, of Rules for Being a Girl. Her books have been honored by the Junior Library Guild, the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee, and the Kentucky Association of School Librarians, among others, and translated into more than fifteen languages. Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, and Argestes, as well as many other literary magazines. She studied Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in Fiction at Lesley University. She lives in Boston with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 805 reviews
June 10, 2023
sure, this book is pretty ridiculous, and all of its lines of dialogue feel like punch-ups on a netflix show written by millennials about gen z, and there's an unnecessary love triangle, and all of the characters are pure evil or worse, annoying, and it's inexplicably and clumsily written from the point of view of a teenage boy who is forced to learn a lesson about how Women Are People Too at the end à la an after-school special or a video you'd watch in health class...
but all of that is relatively forgivable.
what's unforgivable is that the mystery is lame.
bottom line: what an L.
(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
but all of that is relatively forgivable.
what's unforgivable is that the mystery is lame.
bottom line: what an L.
(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
August 1, 2024
Michael Linden, otherwise known as Linden to his closest prep school friends, has been invited to spend the last days of his summer vacation at his closest friend’s posh Martha’s Vineyard vacation home: August House. Arriving at the massive Victorian, Linden does his best to fit in. After all, he’s had plenty of practice hiding his less than wealthy home life from all of his boarding school pals.
When someone is found floating unconscious in the pool following a nighttime of partying, however, everyone is quick to brush it under the rug as just an accident. Even the cops seem decidedly underwhelmed by the scene. Linden, though, has an unnerving feeling that something seems unmistakably off.
Unsure what to do with his complicated feelings, Linden reaches out to the one person who will know just what to do: Holiday Proctor, his old childhood friend. After all, she is the one person on the island who knows the unvarnished truth about Linden. She also just so happens to be a rather good detective and perhaps that’s just what the doctor ordered.
Meeting her one afternoon, Linden fills her in on everything that has happened, partly hoping to hear her laugh at his outlandish suspicions. To his dismay, however, she not only agrees, but is determined to root out who the potential murderer might be on their very own. Because if there’s one thing Holiday seems sure of, it’s that there’s a killer on the island. And according to her, it’s now down to the two of them to figure out who.
A fresh take on one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels (The Mysterious Affair at Styles), Liar’s Beach was aptly named. After all, with secrets, lies, and plenty of hidden agendas buried deep within its pages, there were plenty of unexpected details left to uncover.
While billed as a YA mystery, I personally found this one decidedly more along the lines of a crime fiction novel geared towards teens. Following in Christie’s brilliant footsteps, the plot unwound with one twist after another, although perhaps a bit more predictably than the Grand Dame of Mystery herself. I was, however, thoroughly pleased to find the much required dénouement at the very end where all of the suspects gathered for the final reveal. Even better, I didn’t, for the life of me, sniff out what really happened until Holiday delivered her spiel.
The one glaring issue I found was with that conclusion, though. After all, when I turned the last page, there was one unanswered question. Now perhaps this will be addressed in a sequel, as I would truly love to follow this dynamic duo through about investigation, but I have a bad feeling that this book was a one off. So, inevitably, I’m somewhat disappointed with the lack of that nice, pretty, little bow at the end. Sigh, guess you can’t have everything you want, though, right?
Now back to the pluses, as I also have to applaud Cotugno on the well-developed, truly top-notch characters. Each of them were so much more than who I initially thought they were, including Linden himself. But the best bit was easily how each had their own unique identity. While some of them weren’t necessarily well fleshed out, they all did manage to capture my attention wholeheartedly despite some rather unlikable traits. But then, perhaps that was partly why they each felt so genuine and true-to-life.
All said and done, Liar’s Beach worked equally well for this decidedly not teenage reader. A quick, fun read that was just made for the beach, I had a blast following Linden and his wealthy friends around Martha’s Vineyard. With evocative descriptions and some rather witty dialogue, not much was missing. Granted, it was far from groundbreaking, but just the same, it was the perfect escapist read that was a nice departure from my much loved hard-hitting thrillers. So if you’re looking for something like that, this will most definitely hit the spot. Rating of 4 stars.
Trigger warning: drug and alcohol use, mention of: infidelity, financial crimes
When someone is found floating unconscious in the pool following a nighttime of partying, however, everyone is quick to brush it under the rug as just an accident. Even the cops seem decidedly underwhelmed by the scene. Linden, though, has an unnerving feeling that something seems unmistakably off.
Unsure what to do with his complicated feelings, Linden reaches out to the one person who will know just what to do: Holiday Proctor, his old childhood friend. After all, she is the one person on the island who knows the unvarnished truth about Linden. She also just so happens to be a rather good detective and perhaps that’s just what the doctor ordered.
Meeting her one afternoon, Linden fills her in on everything that has happened, partly hoping to hear her laugh at his outlandish suspicions. To his dismay, however, she not only agrees, but is determined to root out who the potential murderer might be on their very own. Because if there’s one thing Holiday seems sure of, it’s that there’s a killer on the island. And according to her, it’s now down to the two of them to figure out who.
A fresh take on one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels (The Mysterious Affair at Styles), Liar’s Beach was aptly named. After all, with secrets, lies, and plenty of hidden agendas buried deep within its pages, there were plenty of unexpected details left to uncover.
While billed as a YA mystery, I personally found this one decidedly more along the lines of a crime fiction novel geared towards teens. Following in Christie’s brilliant footsteps, the plot unwound with one twist after another, although perhaps a bit more predictably than the Grand Dame of Mystery herself. I was, however, thoroughly pleased to find the much required dénouement at the very end where all of the suspects gathered for the final reveal. Even better, I didn’t, for the life of me, sniff out what really happened until Holiday delivered her spiel.
The one glaring issue I found was with that conclusion, though. After all, when I turned the last page, there was one unanswered question. Now perhaps this will be addressed in a sequel, as I would truly love to follow this dynamic duo through about investigation, but I have a bad feeling that this book was a one off. So, inevitably, I’m somewhat disappointed with the lack of that nice, pretty, little bow at the end. Sigh, guess you can’t have everything you want, though, right?
Now back to the pluses, as I also have to applaud Cotugno on the well-developed, truly top-notch characters. Each of them were so much more than who I initially thought they were, including Linden himself. But the best bit was easily how each had their own unique identity. While some of them weren’t necessarily well fleshed out, they all did manage to capture my attention wholeheartedly despite some rather unlikable traits. But then, perhaps that was partly why they each felt so genuine and true-to-life.
All said and done, Liar’s Beach worked equally well for this decidedly not teenage reader. A quick, fun read that was just made for the beach, I had a blast following Linden and his wealthy friends around Martha’s Vineyard. With evocative descriptions and some rather witty dialogue, not much was missing. Granted, it was far from groundbreaking, but just the same, it was the perfect escapist read that was a nice departure from my much loved hard-hitting thrillers. So if you’re looking for something like that, this will most definitely hit the spot. Rating of 4 stars.
Trigger warning: drug and alcohol use, mention of: infidelity, financial crimes
March 15, 2023
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.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Katie Cotugno, and the publisher, Penguin, for this opportunity.
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.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Katie Cotugno, and the publisher, Penguin, for this opportunity.
May 23, 2023
I didn’t enjoy reading this book and it was hardly a mystery as someone else was trying to solve everything. I didn’t like any of the characters and the ending was not worth it. Also, what was the whole thing with Greer about..??
August 6, 2023
i thought Greer was a man until i read page 188
July 23, 2023
As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, I didn't like it at all.
(Some Spoilers from here on)
It held a lot of potential but from the start it wasn't really interesting. First of all, the narrator is really annoying, Linden is really the worst character to narrate this whole novel. Eliza, Holiday or even Wells would've probably been a better choice. Surely he had this "broke boy at rich friend's mansion" vibes, which set him apart from all the rich characters, but he still was just blatantly boring and his views lacked to catch my interest.
Not to mention many things that just didn't make sense with this novel, like the Greer and accident thing. I have no idea who she is and what happened in that accident, why not make things clear for the reader in the end?
Plus all the other characters were written with typical teen show dialogue vibes and I wished we had more real conversation within the book. The last 2 or 3 chapters were the only time we really gotten deep into the topic of layers in people. Eliza, Wells and even Jasper had so much emotion to show and we saw only a glimpse of it, which was not enough to make it worth it to be honest. Also Doc: Was he a necessary character? There was barely any emotion other than him being Linden's "rival" at lacrosse.
The mystery itself was really boring and I was pretty annoyed with it. You could foresee the ending and how in the hell was Holiday this all-knowing being? Linden did pretty much nothing whilst she easily handled a murder investigation. Not to mention that the police didn't make any sense either, they had a talk with the group in the beginning and then they just arrested the suspects in the end. No questions in between or anything.
I was really sad the book didn't go into more details and built all characters thoroughly, sadly I really didn't enjoy anything other than their dog and the ending made me think there'll be a part 2. Not sure if I'd want to even read about Greer and what she wants.
(Some Spoilers from here on)
It held a lot of potential but from the start it wasn't really interesting. First of all, the narrator is really annoying, Linden is really the worst character to narrate this whole novel. Eliza, Holiday or even Wells would've probably been a better choice. Surely he had this "broke boy at rich friend's mansion" vibes, which set him apart from all the rich characters, but he still was just blatantly boring and his views lacked to catch my interest.
Not to mention many things that just didn't make sense with this novel, like the Greer and accident thing. I have no idea who she is and what happened in that accident, why not make things clear for the reader in the end?
Plus all the other characters were written with typical teen show dialogue vibes and I wished we had more real conversation within the book. The last 2 or 3 chapters were the only time we really gotten deep into the topic of layers in people. Eliza, Wells and even Jasper had so much emotion to show and we saw only a glimpse of it, which was not enough to make it worth it to be honest. Also Doc: Was he a necessary character? There was barely any emotion other than him being Linden's "rival" at lacrosse.
The mystery itself was really boring and I was pretty annoyed with it. You could foresee the ending and how in the hell was Holiday this all-knowing being? Linden did pretty much nothing whilst she easily handled a murder investigation. Not to mention that the police didn't make any sense either, they had a talk with the group in the beginning and then they just arrested the suspects in the end. No questions in between or anything.
I was really sad the book didn't go into more details and built all characters thoroughly, sadly I really didn't enjoy anything other than their dog and the ending made me think there'll be a part 2. Not sure if I'd want to even read about Greer and what she wants.
August 27, 2024
Not bad but that boy is a dumb
September 19, 2023
I liked that this was a legit mystery (and of course I'm loving that it's inspired by The Mysterious Affair at Styles), but the writing really didn't click with me. The dialogue felt cringe
February 23, 2023
A fun mystery read that is very much reminiscent of Agatha, definitely something you don't see very much anymore, especially in the YA genre. I had fun with this and look forward to that ending hinting at a book two.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
May 5, 2023
This was okay. I wanted more from the mystery. It was very unremarkable.
The characters were all awful. I think if you liked We Were Liars you may like this. Im not a fan of rich white privileged teens in books.
The characters were all awful. I think if you liked We Were Liars you may like this. Im not a fan of rich white privileged teens in books.
April 13, 2023
Edgy, contained and brilliant!
Michael Linden practised fitting into the preppy school he was enrolled at on a sports scholarship. He’s as far away from this rich, entitled crowd as Earth is to Mars, and then some.
An invitation to his “buddy” Jasper Kendrick’s summer place at Martha’s Vineyard might be fun. After all he’s trying to be one of the crowd. That is, until someone’s found at the bottom of the pool after a party. Someone the family had reason to dislike.
Jasper’s twin sister Eliza is very attractive but somewhat unpredictable. Of course some of the guys from Bartley are on the island. It all one big elitist club. Jasper’s parents seem to spend time at the country club and out to dinner, leaving the group alone. Jasper’s father had been sued over some financial issues. He was sent to jail. The father of a family who’d been close friends and had originally hooked Mr. Kendrick up with his financial advisor had received community service in exchange for giving evidence. No love lost! There’s a strange frisson that runs beneath this family. Hard to grasp hold of.
Surprisingly Michael meets up with his childhood friend, Holiday Proctor. Holiday’s parents are academics, somewhat bohemian, egalitarian and kind. He and Holiday had spent their formative years together when Michael’s mom kept house for them.
Holiday is a different type to Jasper and his group. She’s somewhat of a goth, an individual and independent. Holiday decides they should investigate. After all, what if this wasn’t an accident?
The finding of truths can be releasing, dangerous and very complicated. One things for sure money and position doesn’t necessarily make for happiness. Mind you survival might not be a problem.
A summer holiday turns into a nightmare of mystery. Friendships are sometimes only temporary, other times much more.
An incisive, intriguing mystery!
A Delacorte ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Michael Linden practised fitting into the preppy school he was enrolled at on a sports scholarship. He’s as far away from this rich, entitled crowd as Earth is to Mars, and then some.
An invitation to his “buddy” Jasper Kendrick’s summer place at Martha’s Vineyard might be fun. After all he’s trying to be one of the crowd. That is, until someone’s found at the bottom of the pool after a party. Someone the family had reason to dislike.
Jasper’s twin sister Eliza is very attractive but somewhat unpredictable. Of course some of the guys from Bartley are on the island. It all one big elitist club. Jasper’s parents seem to spend time at the country club and out to dinner, leaving the group alone. Jasper’s father had been sued over some financial issues. He was sent to jail. The father of a family who’d been close friends and had originally hooked Mr. Kendrick up with his financial advisor had received community service in exchange for giving evidence. No love lost! There’s a strange frisson that runs beneath this family. Hard to grasp hold of.
Surprisingly Michael meets up with his childhood friend, Holiday Proctor. Holiday’s parents are academics, somewhat bohemian, egalitarian and kind. He and Holiday had spent their formative years together when Michael’s mom kept house for them.
Holiday is a different type to Jasper and his group. She’s somewhat of a goth, an individual and independent. Holiday decides they should investigate. After all, what if this wasn’t an accident?
The finding of truths can be releasing, dangerous and very complicated. One things for sure money and position doesn’t necessarily make for happiness. Mind you survival might not be a problem.
A summer holiday turns into a nightmare of mystery. Friendships are sometimes only temporary, other times much more.
An incisive, intriguing mystery!
A Delacorte ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
June 2, 2024
╰┈➤ 3 stars
November 14, 2023
Review coming soon.
August 27, 2023
Liar's Beach is a YA Mystery that reminded me of We Were Liars (one of my all time faves) and also gave major Last Great American Dynasty vibes - Is Katie Cotugno a Swiftie?
Michael Linden (or Linden), the main character, is a student at the prestigious Bartley boarding school on a full lacrosse scholarship. He is invited to spend the last weeks of summer with his uber wealthy roommate Jasper at his family's summer home on Martha's Vineyard.
Linden's childhood friend, Holiday, is also staying on the Vineyard for the summer and when a tragic "accident" occurs and a body is found in Jasper's pool, the two join forces to investigate what happened.
None of the characters except Holiday and Aidy are particularly likeable IMO, but that kind of seems to be intentional. I would like to have learned more about Holiday and her background.
This book has a love-triange, lots of family secrets and some cute witty banter. While Holiday is ultimately able to solve the mystery, a few things are left untied (Will Jasper be able to return to school on scholarship with his injured ankle? What happened to cause the car accident in which Jasper injured his ankle in the first place?) so the book ends on a cliffhanger, which I hope means a sequel is in the works!
P.S. The Swiftie reference is because Jasper's family vacation home is called AUGUST House and his childhood friend is named Holiday, which reminds me of Holiday House - one of Taylor's homes, mentioned in The Last Great American Dynasty. Coincidence? 😉 Sadly, no poodles or cats were dyed lime green in the book.
*Thank you to Underlined and Delacorte Press for sending me an advanced copy of this book!
Content Warnings: Drug and alcohol use, violence
Michael Linden (or Linden), the main character, is a student at the prestigious Bartley boarding school on a full lacrosse scholarship. He is invited to spend the last weeks of summer with his uber wealthy roommate Jasper at his family's summer home on Martha's Vineyard.
Linden's childhood friend, Holiday, is also staying on the Vineyard for the summer and when a tragic "accident" occurs and a body is found in Jasper's pool, the two join forces to investigate what happened.
None of the characters except Holiday and Aidy are particularly likeable IMO, but that kind of seems to be intentional. I would like to have learned more about Holiday and her background.
This book has a love-triange, lots of family secrets and some cute witty banter. While Holiday is ultimately able to solve the mystery, a few things are left untied (Will Jasper be able to return to school on scholarship with his injured ankle? What happened to cause the car accident in which Jasper injured his ankle in the first place?) so the book ends on a cliffhanger, which I hope means a sequel is in the works!
P.S. The Swiftie reference is because Jasper's family vacation home is called AUGUST House and his childhood friend is named Holiday, which reminds me of Holiday House - one of Taylor's homes, mentioned in The Last Great American Dynasty. Coincidence? 😉 Sadly, no poodles or cats were dyed lime green in the book.
*Thank you to Underlined and Delacorte Press for sending me an advanced copy of this book!
Content Warnings: Drug and alcohol use, violence
May 3, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ Very easy read, I didn’t guess the ending but I do feel it came a bit out of nowhere… my money was on the housekeeper! Holiday was one of of the only redeeming characters, the others were a bit shallow and whiny.
Shelved as 'lost-interest'
February 27, 2024This is unbelievably boring, I'm out
August 18, 2024
꒰🪩⊹ ࣪
Liars Beach
ᯓᡣ𐭩
౨ৎ 2.5 ⊹ ࣪ ˖
⤿ .`★ I stood in the driveway for a long time after Holiday dropped me off, gazing up at the splendid, glowing facade of August House. This place had seemed so deeply glamorous to me just a few days ago, an avatar for everything I thought I wanted, and while it was still incredible — all gable and balcony and turret, shadow looming in the deep purple night — now it looked like a haunted house out of a little kids storybook: beautiful but sinister, swollen for secrets.
‧ * ₊ ｡ ꒰🍁꒱ this book was so boring and predictable omg 😭😭 it just seemed like a book where teenagers who don’t fully like each other hang out and some big mystery happens and they act like nothing happens till the end of the book, I was really hoping to enjoy this one as well hoping eventually it will get better but it never did 🫤 the author needs to not market this as YA but have mentions of porn, jerking off, and sex in it, so unnecessary why include it?? 💀 this book was such a slow read, I couldn’t stand any of the characters either, Linden was so caught up on making his (possible) girlfriend the perfect girl in his mind, SO ANNOYING. He was also worried what his friends would do if they found out he doesn’t have as much money as them, like what?? Making it is whole personality I hate him 😒😒
————— ୨୧ —————
୨୧‧₊˚ 🎞️ pre-review ✧˖°
💌 ꒱ my first summer thriller for the year 😛😛
౨ৎ 2.5 ⊹ ࣪ ˖
⤿ .`★ I stood in the driveway for a long time after Holiday dropped me off, gazing up at the splendid, glowing facade of August House. This place had seemed so deeply glamorous to me just a few days ago, an avatar for everything I thought I wanted, and while it was still incredible — all gable and balcony and turret, shadow looming in the deep purple night — now it looked like a haunted house out of a little kids storybook: beautiful but sinister, swollen for secrets.
‧ * ₊ ｡ ꒰🍁꒱ this book was so boring and predictable omg 😭😭 it just seemed like a book where teenagers who don’t fully like each other hang out and some big mystery happens and they act like nothing happens till the end of the book, I was really hoping to enjoy this one as well hoping eventually it will get better but it never did 🫤 the author needs to not market this as YA but have mentions of porn, jerking off, and sex in it, so unnecessary why include it?? 💀 this book was such a slow read, I couldn’t stand any of the characters either, Linden was so caught up on making his (possible) girlfriend the perfect girl in his mind, SO ANNOYING. He was also worried what his friends would do if they found out he doesn’t have as much money as them, like what?? Making it is whole personality I hate him 😒😒
————— ୨୧ —————
୨୧‧₊˚ 🎞️ pre-review ✧˖°
💌 ꒱ my first summer thriller for the year 😛😛
September 26, 2023
I’m screaming over the ending 🥲 and not in the good way ahh!
This is a young adult mystery novel, it’s fast paced, interesting and well written, I really enjoyed it and I didn’t guess the killer, which is always a win!
It did however end on a cliffhanger, hopefully there’s a second book in the works!
This is a young adult mystery novel, it’s fast paced, interesting and well written, I really enjoyed it and I didn’t guess the killer, which is always a win!
It did however end on a cliffhanger, hopefully there’s a second book in the works!
September 29, 2023
*Thank you to Penguin for gifting me a copy of this book to review!*
I had no idea until after I’d finished this book that it’s apparently based on an Agatha Christie story, so my review is just on this book as it stands on its own.
This book started so good for me, I was actually obsessed for about the first 80 pages. It gave me really strong We Were Liars vibes, if WWL had a baby with The Great Godden that’s initially what it felt like. As those are two of my favourite ya books I started this kicking my legs and squealing with excitement expecting to have a great times, but it very quickly fizzled out.
My main problem I think is that the tragedy happens in this book far too quickly, we spend a long time dilly dallying in the middle, and then the ending was really quick too. I started to get less and less interested the more I was reading, and I didn’t really like the setup of one of the characters playing detective as it felt like she was far too easily able to jump to conclusions which almost just ruined the whole mystery element and trying to put clues together yourself as a reader for me. The vibes just weren’t there for this book, I didn;t feel like there was any immediate danger the characters were in and the stakes felt extremely low. I love reading about rich people sitting by their pool all day, but not in my mystery thrillers.
The characters also felt very one dimensional, and to be honest with you there were so many of them with indistinguishable characteristics that I was constantly getting them confused in my head. They all read, acted, and talked almost the same. And any semblance of originality just felt almost like a caricature of a real person. I don’t really know how else to explain it. I feel like there were some interesting dynamics going on between different characters but that is never really played into enough either. I feel like this is the kind of book where everybody is supposed to be a suspect and you’re always supposed to be on guard, but it sort of just points you in a singular direction.
I think the most annoying thing about this book was the ending. I think there is a difference between a plot twist, and something really random that actually makes no sense. And that fact that after the big reveal at the end the book ends almost immediately was really annoying. I just didn’t feel satisfied after reading this one.
June 21, 2023
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Thank you Penguin Australia for this book in exchange for an honest review
Well, the first few chapters were good but after that – you spend the rest of the book rolling your eyes. I have this annoying thing where I must finish what I start, whether it’s a book or movie, it doesn’t matter how horrid it is and how much I hated it, I still have this stupid need to finish it. This was that book that I disliked and yet – I annoyingly finished reading it.
This is meant to be a thriller, a short thriller where a whole bunch of rich, snobby pricks are on a beach, blaming each other for a murder. And while that sums up the plot, there isn’t a lot more depth than that. The characters were bland, they all seemed to have this snobby personality, there wasn’t any variety whilst on the beach, the only difference was their history of court cases, cheating and drugs. It was very cliché.
There is a lot of dialogue. A lot. So, prepare yourself for that. Actually, just prepare yourself for this book in general.
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Thank you Penguin Australia for this book in exchange for an honest review
Well, the first few chapters were good but after that – you spend the rest of the book rolling your eyes. I have this annoying thing where I must finish what I start, whether it’s a book or movie, it doesn’t matter how horrid it is and how much I hated it, I still have this stupid need to finish it. This was that book that I disliked and yet – I annoyingly finished reading it.
This is meant to be a thriller, a short thriller where a whole bunch of rich, snobby pricks are on a beach, blaming each other for a murder. And while that sums up the plot, there isn’t a lot more depth than that. The characters were bland, they all seemed to have this snobby personality, there wasn’t any variety whilst on the beach, the only difference was their history of court cases, cheating and drugs. It was very cliché.
There is a lot of dialogue. A lot. So, prepare yourself for that. Actually, just prepare yourself for this book in general.
June 7, 2023
Normally I love a good YA thriller but this one was just slow and a little boring...
February 23, 2024
I just didn’t really care about anyone or anything that was happening 😭 also the mystery was just kinda dumb?!?!
March 5, 2023
Thanks to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the copy of this ARC!
Rich kids behaving badly in Martha’s Vineyard and a cast of shady characters? Yes please.
In a locked-room ode to Agatha Christie, Katie Cotugno introduces us to Holiday (the new Hercule Poirot) and her childhood friend, Michael/“Linden.” I didn’t expect this to be a male POV (Linden’s), so that definitely threw me off in the first few chapters as I expected Holiday’s POV. Linden goes to stay in Martha’s Vineyard at his friend’s house when that friend’s enemy ends up lying facedown in the pool. Cue the whodunnit mystery! I found this absolutely bingeable - all the characters were kind of terrible, and I wanted to find out who really pushed Greg in the pool via amateur sleuthing. This is a short, compulsive read and one that is PERFECT for your beach bag for the summer. I’d also make note that while this is YA, it’s definitely older YA due to content (partying / sex / drugs / alcohol / lots of F-bombs).
Read if you:
- like locked-room mysteries
- want a cast of shady characters
- enjoy rich kids behaving badly
- want a bingeable read
- need a read for the beach / pool
Rich kids behaving badly in Martha’s Vineyard and a cast of shady characters? Yes please.
In a locked-room ode to Agatha Christie, Katie Cotugno introduces us to Holiday (the new Hercule Poirot) and her childhood friend, Michael/“Linden.” I didn’t expect this to be a male POV (Linden’s), so that definitely threw me off in the first few chapters as I expected Holiday’s POV. Linden goes to stay in Martha’s Vineyard at his friend’s house when that friend’s enemy ends up lying facedown in the pool. Cue the whodunnit mystery! I found this absolutely bingeable - all the characters were kind of terrible, and I wanted to find out who really pushed Greg in the pool via amateur sleuthing. This is a short, compulsive read and one that is PERFECT for your beach bag for the summer. I’d also make note that while this is YA, it’s definitely older YA due to content (partying / sex / drugs / alcohol / lots of F-bombs).
Read if you:
- like locked-room mysteries
- want a cast of shady characters
- enjoy rich kids behaving badly
- want a bingeable read
- need a read for the beach / pool
January 24, 2023
There are elements that would appeal to mystery readers and some characters for readers to love and to hate. As far as a mystery goes, I liked it decently well, although parts of the story and characters seemed a little too cliche. But the part that is not sitting well with me is the last few pages and the whole hinted at side plot with Greer and an accident Linden was in. Why mention several times he was in an accident and her name but never give context as to how he hurt his ankle or how the accident happened? I maybe could have gotten past that, but then for it to be brought up again with her calling in the last few pages. Why? It is a loose thread and unexplored subplot throughout the book. As a reader, I find that nonsensical and frustrating.
August 19, 2023
I loved the vibes and the aesthetic of this book, but that's pretty much it. The whole crime thing was poorly done in my opinion, and the ending was very much dissapointing. No flavour whatsoever. As I was reading it, my face was something like 😐. Constantly.
It was a quick read tho, and I liked Holiday (who should have been the narrator in my opinion) pretty much, so that's why I gave it more than 1 star.
It was a quick read tho, and I liked Holiday (who should have been the narrator in my opinion) pretty much, so that's why I gave it more than 1 star.
March 30, 2024
The summer vibes were immaculate but the mystery was just meh?
May 15, 2023
This had such an interesting premise, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. I really liked the setting - the whole sleepy beach town that felt removed from the real world, and I like that the POV all be in from the outsider's perspective. I do think the mystery was a little weak, and while I didn't really see the twist coming, I think that some of the conclusions made to get to that point were a little far fetched, even in the scope of a mystery novel. However, I probably would have still rated this higher if all the characters weren't completely insufferable. I honestly didn't really care for any of them, and maybe that was part of the point, but even Linden (the MC) was really annoying. It's funny because I sort of got Catcher in the Rye vibes at times with Linden trying to fit in, but I love Catcher in the Rye and Holden, and I struggled so much with Linden, and I am not totally sure why I even really compared them. I also hate . Overall, this was fine, but not my favorite.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc to review.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc to review.
June 12, 2024
3.25/5
and why wasn’t it eliza…
this book mostly just pissed me off. i am a big fan of this author and have read basically everything else she’s written but this… not my fave. i am also a huge lover of ya mysteries and this one just made me so mad i don’t wanna think about it anymore.
we get told the mystery through the pov of linden. he’s broke and pretending to be rich but overall he’s just dumb and annoying. if this book was told in holiday’s pov i would’ve like it so much more. honestly the three stars are for the addicting writing and holiday herself. maybe birdie too.
i feel like i can’t think of great things to say about this but it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. i’m just so irritated with all the characters and i feel bad for jasper. maybe i’ll read the next one if i hear that the side characters are entertaining instead of ridiculous.
and why wasn’t it eliza…
this book mostly just pissed me off. i am a big fan of this author and have read basically everything else she’s written but this… not my fave. i am also a huge lover of ya mysteries and this one just made me so mad i don’t wanna think about it anymore.
we get told the mystery through the pov of linden. he’s broke and pretending to be rich but overall he’s just dumb and annoying. if this book was told in holiday’s pov i would’ve like it so much more. honestly the three stars are for the addicting writing and holiday herself. maybe birdie too.
i feel like i can’t think of great things to say about this but it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. i’m just so irritated with all the characters and i feel bad for jasper. maybe i’ll read the next one if i hear that the side characters are entertaining instead of ridiculous.
August 8, 2024
this was okay, i wish the mystery was more developed instead of randomly accusing people. i love when you can re read and see hints of the plot twist but this came out of nowhere (and not in a good way). the writing was fine i just wasn’t super invested and i felt that the beginning was very info dump-y
May 5, 2023
i love it when a book exceeds expectations. i was perfectly fine with reading a decent young adult mystery, but this was actually so solid. i liked the writing style a lot, it was imaginative, witty and even funny when needed. the slightly eerie vibes and weird atmosphere were great, too. creepy houses, especially those at the beach, are always a win. the characters had depth and weren't just basic clichés. the references to culture and art were pretty smart and on-point, too, and not every book can pull that off. really, compliments all around. this will be perfect for those who enjoy karen m. mcmanus' works, or are maybe looking for a young adult version of an agatha christie book.
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