Saltwater Secrets by Cindy Callaghan

Saltwater Secrets Reviews

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  Nursebookie

  SALTWATER SECRETS is a wonderful story of a blended family, full of mystery, friendships in a heartwarming and page turner of a story I really enjoyed! This was a really great summer read perfect for tweens and teens.
  
  I highly recommend this for a fun summer read for teens, tween and everyone else!
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  Darla

  This is the perfect summer read for tweens. With a compelling mystery and a current conservation message, it has right now appeal. The alternating timelines within in the two POVs adds suspense and reflects the setup of popular adult thrillers. Stella and Josie are sisters who live on opposite sides of the world. They are very different, yet loyal to each other. I found their mix of friends was also nicely varied and intriguing. Callaghan communicates the need for a change without being preachy. I am looking forward to the sequel!
  
  Thank you to Aladdin and Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
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  Studio B

  If you have EVER wondered what the perfect book is that will transport you to a warm sunny beach with cold dark mysteries? Well, this is it. Cindy Callaghan is one of my FAVORITE authors, and surpassed my expectations with this AMAZING read. Wether it's the middle of winter, or you are on the beach yourself, you won't be able to put this book down.
  NOT. EVEN. FOR. ONE. SECOND.
• 
  Mom_Loves_Reading

  I absolutely LOVE tween books like this! A nice break from the lengthier, heavier themed, adult thrillers, these kind of tween mysteries remind me of how much I loved reading my mom's Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys books way back when. Books that get to the point without all the added big words & overly drawn out dialogue; just pure reading enjoyment.
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  "Saltwater Secrets" is told from the POV of both Josie & Stella in flashback form as they are being interviewed by the police after an incident that injured someone & the girls may be in a bit of a pickle. This quick-paced, tween novel is a perfect summer reading pick (for girls & boys, AND adults, too!) with oceanic atmosphere, relatable family drama, a mystery, sisterly bonding, & some humor as well.
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  I read to my autistic, twin, teen sons daily as a special bonding & calming time of our day & this is our reading material this week. So far they seem pretty intrigued! I will definitely be checking out Callaghan's other tween reads, including "Just Add Magic" which was also adapted into an Amazon Original series. Look for this fun book now wherever books are sold & be sure to check out Cindy's other books!
  
• 
  Celia

  This was one of the most unique middle-grade books I've read in a long time. I loved the coming-of-age aspects as well as the sisterly love. The mystery added an exciting aspect to the story. I pictured this as a Pixar film, with all the twists and turns!
  
  Thank you Books Forward for the review copy!
• 
  Leigh

  I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Saltwater Secrets follows half sisters Josie and Stella as they embark on another fabulous Jersey Shore summer together. This time, though, things are different. The girls are heading into high school and Stella isn’t sure that Josie is ready to act the part. The girls happen upon what they believe to be a major problem at the boardwalk, and when local officials won’t listen, they take it upon themselves to keep the people and the jellyfish safe.
  
  I think a lot of kids will like this one. It’s told in alternating perspectives by Josie and Stella as they relay their side of the story to Officer Sanford in an interrogation room. It’s a perfect mystery for middle grade readers.
• 
  Candi

  Saltwater Secrets is about two half-sisters Josie and Stella. Every year they spend the summer together. They always hangout at the shore where there are some amusements and vendors. They share a little hiding place under the boardwalk and stash little mementos in a box to look back on. One day they notice something is not right. Eventually, there are some changes to the area and it starts them off on a quest to find out what is going on and the people behind it.
  
  I liked the storyline and found this book enjoyable. A perfect book for the family and kids.
  
  Thank you Books Forward for this ARC.
• 
  Meredith Ann

  An interesting eco mystery written in a really cool way. It's not all laid out at once, you discover more as you move along in the story. The format works well for the story being told. I loved the shore setting too. With that setting and the mystery aspect, I can see this being popular with some of the middle grade readers at my library.
• 
  Lindsay

  I wasn't a fan of many chapters ending with a variation of "You won't believe what happened next" or "And then something amazing happened".
• 
  Jenny

  3.5 stars. Slow start but it definitely picked up in the second half. There were definitely some lol moments due to the characters witty banter and it had a strong environmental message. Overall a great tween read.
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  Momma Leighellen’s Book Nook

  Guest Review!
  
  I was asked by the publisher to provide an honest review of this book, so I thought what better way to review a YA book than from an actual teen? So my sons best friend offered to read this one. Here’s what she has to say:
  
  Saltwater Secrets follows the story of two sisters, Jose & Stella, who share the same father but have different mothers. They spend all year apart living with their Moms but get to spend every summer together when they get see their dad. Set during the Sumer of their 8th grad year, this book follows a year of change for the girls. Stella wants to start doing things the older kids do and is concerned about being cool and popular. Jose is still childlike and innocent. She wants things to stay how they always have been.
  
  “Sure Josie, nothing is gonna change. But like all perfect things it did.”
  
  This summer it seems like everything has changed. Through a dual narrative timeline, the book hops back and forth between each girls perspectives. They both feel the tension between them and how they are drifting apart. At the same time, their favorite spots are also changing. Their snow cone place is now a smoothie shop. The smoothie shop is now a popular hangout but Josie is reluctant to try something new.
  
  The smoothies are amazing but also healthy. No-one can figure out the secret recipe. But there are weird things happening at the beach. The pier is starting to shake. Some jellyfish are dying. Along the way they find out the smoothie shop is making the smoothie with an illegally imported berry from Australia and then dumping the runoff into the ocean. It’s runoff of the berry was breaking down the pier and making sea animals sick.
  
  It was a nice, easy read and a sweet story. We’ve all been at that point of trying to be popular or staying who we are and deciding who we want to be as we grow up. This book details the power of friendship as they had trials and tribulations but were able to overcome them.
  
  
  3 stars - just OK. Entertaining but not earth shattering.
• 
  Rosemary

  Originally published in hardcover last year, the paperback release of this fun Summer mystery is perfect for beach reading while ruminating on how water ices can save the world. Half-sisters Josie and Stella spend every summer together: Josie lives in Australia with her mom, while Stella lives in New York with her mom and stepdad. They share their summers – and their dad – together at the Jersey Shore, where they have their rituals. This year, Stella is pushing back against those rituals, because she’s on the verge of high school and wants to act more adult; Josie revels in their childhood memories. What starts out as a story where two sisters are growing up yet afraid of growing apart gets infinitely more interesting when you realize that chapters alternate between the sisters’ story and a debriefing at a police station. Something big has happened, as the story unfolds through each chapter, and it has to do, somehow, with the new smoothie store that took the place of Josie’s beloved water ice shop; a pop star coming to perform a concert at the pier, and the jellyfish population, currently undergoing a marine life crisis. This family story becomes a co-plot to an environmental mystery that brings the sisters back together to solve as they work out their growing pains, and it is guaranteed to keep readers glued to the pages.
  
  There’s a fun cast of supporting characters, great pacing and dialogue, and an eloquent statement about the environment and how we affect it, for better or for worse. Put this on your shelves with other summer books like Kayla Miller’s graphic novel, Camp, Mae Respicio’s Any Day With You, Melissa Savage’s Lemons, and – naturally! – Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer.
• 
  Erin Buhr

  SALTWATER SECRETS is a fun summer read for tweens. Stella and Josie are half sisters who only see each other in the summers so those months together are sacred. Like with all things tween though, they need to adjust and figure out how to have a relationship as they change into teenagers. This is a summer of transition and as they try to handle their evolving relationship, the new relationships in their parents’ lives, and a group of cute lifeguards, they are also confronted with a mystery only they seem prepared to solve. I liked the way the story was told in cuts between the plot and an interview at the police station. It took a little while to get into the book but once that started it added more suspense and propelled me through the pages. Callaghan expertly transports you into the mind of a tween and to the salty seaside Jersey town. A book that screams ‘take me to the beach’ and will keep you wrapped up in the plot for a few hours.
• 
  Sara Hill

  Saltwater Secrets by Cindy Callaghan was a super sweet story about two half sisters, with all the summer vibes.
  
  Josie and Stella spend the summer with their dad on the New Jersey shore. They have grown up doing the same summer rituals every year. This summer changes. They get to town to find one of their favourite places gone along with their buried treasure. A mystery is afoot, and these two clever girls are about to figure it out.
  
  The first 25% of this book I struggled to get into. The following 25% started to get me interested. The last half of the book I flew through, and I could not put it down. This is a really wholesome middle grade novel, which I often find lacking these days. I think children, tweens, and parents will enjoy this alike. I cannot wait to read Callaghan’s other books in the future.
  
  I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and Aladdin through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.
• 
  Cheryl

  Stella and Josie make good main characters. Teens going through puberty will relate to the dynamics of Stella and Josie. They are very relatable to teens. Why I could not relate so much is because of the dialect of the characters was juvenile. As the police even reacted the same as an adult trying to get the facts about the case, not who liked who or what someone was wearing.
  
  Where the mystery was involved. It did seem to take a really long time to get to the case. It did not really come together until the last third of the story.
  
  This is is a cute book. While, I did like it, I would have to say that the target audience of a younger reader is the right choice. Which, young teens could read this as there is no language or sex portrayed in this book. So, this is a clean read.
  
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  Jennifer Velez

  I didn't hate this book. I think it was a fun beachy read. Doesn't help that I'm reading it in the middle of February. I liked the mystery aspect of it. Those stories are always engaging to me. The biggest issue that I had was that Josie and Stella had similar voices when it was their section. And the flipping back and forth I think was confusing because of that. I think this would have been better if everything besides the interviews at the station were written in 3rd person instead of 1st.
  
  A lot of the plot points felt very convenient to me. That being said, this is a middle-grade book, so I can accept that.
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  Ashley Ewert

  This story is told in an interesting way with the back and forth between characters and being interviewed by a detective. Not very strong character development for any one character as there were so many to keep track of all at once.
  
  Although the main mystery of the story was resolved, the reader is still left with a cliffhanger at the end.
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  Stephanie

  It was a little too fast paced, and it was really confusing with the switching back and forth between the story and the police station, but I really liked the environmental theme and how it was about saving the oceans from pollution.
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  Carrie Milburn

  I really like this book! I think middle school kids would enjoy reading this.
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  Trudy

  I won this book not having read this author or knowing her genre.
  It’s a fun quick tween read.
  SO fun!
• 
  Baylee

  3.5
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  Christina Marie Reads

  This book was such a perfectly fun summer middle grade mystery read! If you adored Just Add Magic, you'll love Saltwater Secrets!
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  Kimberly Gray

  This is one of my favorite books this season. It was a fun read and a lovely way to escape during self-isolation.
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  SashReads 🗾🎑🏞🌅🌄🌠🎇🎆🌇🌆🏙🌃🌌🌉🌁

  *3.5