I thought this book had a lot of potential. A man is stabbed, strangled and his lips are sewn shut right at the beginning of the book! This brings all the makings of a great murder story, right? Nah … it sort of loses steam from there. It becomes more of a silly family drama that is chock full of weird and co-dependent behavior. I would’ve liked the murder story more!!!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

"Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, Jason. , the two are devoted best friends and business partners, believing that theirs is a uniquely unbreakable bond. To Sienna, her protective brother can do no wrong, and although Julia knows he’s not perfect, they’ve built a comfortable life and family together. Recently, Jason has been putting in long hours to secure a promotion at work, so when his boss is found brutally murdered".
A few days later, Julia and Sienna’s lives are upended when Jason gets into a car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma. Worse, the police arrive with news that he’s the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With Jason unable to respond—and with Julia and Sienna working to clear his name—the two women find their friendship threatened for the first time: Sienna staunchly maintains her brother’s innocence, but as their investigation uncovers a complicated web of secrets, Julia is less sure she’s willing to defend her husband.". Will they stop fighting, is one of them the murder or will they work together to find the murder.
Lots of suspense, thrilling, kept attention, love Megan Collins books.
Thanks to atria books, netgalley, and the author for an honest review.
Published July 11th 2023

I read Thicker Than Water in one day. I was entranced by it from its opening pages. Sisters-in-law who are closer than sisters....Julia and Sienna's relationship was immediately interesting as very few fiction books have this dynamic so well on display. Julia's husband is Sienna's brother and his boss has just been murdered and is is looking suspect. These two ladies who are seemingly closer than family to each other see the cracks in their relationship neither knew were there. Julia recognizes sooner than Sienna that while Sienna's faith in her brother's innocence is complete and blind to any evidence otherwise, Julia's is not. The following examination of whether a relationship like their, built from each of their relationships with Jason, can survive knowing that for one of them Blood is Thicker than Water.

While I didn't love Julia's mousiness, I didn't find her as grating as I did Sienna. However, Sienna was sadly a very realistic portrayal of the contradiction in how one feels about transgressions depending on who commits them.

As a Mystery/Thriller, I would probably only give the book 3 stars as I didn't find that part of the book particularly compelling, but as an observation of a very realistic set of relationships, I think Thicker Than Water was great. I would recommend!

Super speedy read, and my interest was piqued throughout. Biggest roadblock for scoring this one higher is that I found Sienna insufferable. She was so righteous and made every single thing about her. However I really enjoyed Julia’s character development. The writing was solid as always.

Overall, entertaining and twisty.

Another hit from Megan Collins. I'm always drawn in by her beautiful words and this one was no exception. While keeping the tension up throughout and building rich settings and characters, Collins succeeds yet again in keeping me on the edge of my seat and gobbling up every word.

This great novel is full of twists and turns that will have you turning each page quickly. I did not want to put this one down until the end. I loved the characters and the relationship between the sister in laws. This was full of so much real drama. A great read and really good for any book club discussion.

“Thicker Than Water” is written in the POV of Julia and Sienna. Julia and Sienna are the best of friends while Jason is Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother.

After a freak accident Jason ends up in a coma and at the middle of a murder investigation. Julia and Sienna have to clear his name before he wakes, but can they? And will their friendship remain after what they uncover?

I enjoyed this book but it was hard to first get into. Also, I felt the ending was predictable.

3⭐


Thicker than Water is a slow-burn drama involving sisters in law Julia and Sienna, who work together to solve a murder involving Julia's husband/Sienna's brother, Jason.

I say this is a slow-burn drama because I never got a "thriller" vibe from it. Sienna and Julia's characters definitely grow and change by the end, which was great, but that was about it. I figured out the murder once more characters became involved and I never felt any "danger" like you would any other thriller. I didn't feel like it was twisty as other thrillers generally are too. I guess this would be more of a cozy mystery?

This was my first novel by Collins, so I'm hopeful that this might have just been a fluke read for me and I just found it average.

Another reviewer called it as bland as cream of wheat, and though that made me chuckle, it's 100% accurate.


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this one! I loved that the two points of view were so different from each other and allowed a glimpse into two separate types of loves. I was hooked about halfway to the point where I couldn’t stop reading until I found out what really happens. Great read that definitely I recommend!

This was a slow burn, family/friend drama more than “thriller” for me. We are trying to find out why Gavin is dead and who killed him.⁣
⁣
All fingers are pointing at the same person but his wife and his sister could never picture him harming someone but then so many secrets and lies are unraveled that show this character in a different light, that you aren’t sure if he did or didn’t commit the crime. ⁣
⁣
It’s told from Sienna (the loud, sister who only sees things in black and white) and Julia (the wife who’s calmer) who’s also friends with Sienna.⁣
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This was mostly character driven and the characters were really well written and developed but the story was a bit slow for me.⁣
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It mainly makes you question bonds between siblings, spouses and friends. Who can you trust? What happens when you view things differently?⁣
3.75⭐️

I think there is always a point where every friendship is tested, every marriage faces a challenge. I found this murder particularly gruesome and the primary suspect can't even defend himself. How far would I go to clear my husband or my brother's name? I'm not sure I can answer that, but Julia and Sienna are facing just this. I really enjoyed the female friendship between the ladies. I found the twists to be unexpected and the book to be fast paced.

If you love crime novels, this will definitely please.

Thicker Than Water
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Megan Collins

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, Jason. More than that, the two are devoted best friends and business partners, believing that theirs is a uniquely unbreakable bond. To Sienna, her protective brother can do no wrong, and although Julia knows he’s not perfect, they’ve built a comfortable life and family together. Recently, Jason has been putting in long hours to secure a promotion at work, so when his boss is found brutally murdered—his lips sewn shut—the Larkins are shocked and unsettled, especially as local gossip swirls.

A few days later, Julia and Sienna’s lives are upended when Jason gets into a car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma. Worse, the police arrive with news that he’s the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With Jason unable to respond—and with Julia and Sienna working to clear his name—the two women find their friendship threatened for the first time: Sienna staunchly maintains her brother’s innocence, but as their investigation uncovers a complicated web of secrets, Julia is less sure she’s willing to defend her husband.

My Thoughts: This moody and atmospheric psychological novel will keep you on your toes. This is a slow burn novel. Julia and Sienna are not only related by Julia marrying Sienna’s brother, but they are best friends and business partners, they compliment each other. Jason, Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, is involved in a series accident where the medical team had to a medically induced coma. Right before this, Jason’s boss is murdered. The detective suspects Jason in the murder, so much so, that he has a police on his door at the hospital and plans to arrest him when he wakes from the medically induced coma. Julia and Sienna go rogue and do their own investigation when Sienna feels like her brother is being set up to take the fall for the murder.

The story is narrated by Julia and Sienna in a dual narration, from their respective perspectives. Julia is more calm and reserved, insecure, and logical. Julia struggles to find her voice and stand in her truth. Sienna is vocal and very angry, reactive, instead of proactive, and tends to be quick to rush to judgement, especially concerning her brother. I struggled with Sienna’s character, seeing past the evidence, and only in black and white, with no grey, ever. Sienna was a tad annoying at times, but both of the characters had tremendous character growth throughout the story. The characters were well developed with mystery, flawed, realistic, banter, intriguing, and creative. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, and kept me invested until the end. Some of the middle seemed a bit repetitive and sometimes unnecessary. The characters were built up throughout the novel, the plot is delivered in twisty layers, somewhat predicible, and the ending wrapped everything up nicely in a bow.

This was a compelling, gripping, keep you on your toes thriller. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I would read future novels by Collins. I would recommend to other readers.

Could you imaging sewing someone's lips shut? Now imagine that person actually deserving it. What could someone possibly have done to warrant being murdered and having the lips seen shut? Well, you're gonna find out, but after a lot of other chaos comes to light. I really enjoyed this one. Lots of Secrets to uncover.

I mean, who doesn't love a family drama? I most certainly devoured this one. I was hooked in pretty quickly and kept guessing until the end. It was a classic "who done it" but I thoroughly enjoy that in books. It was more of a mystery than a thriller however, with all the drama, secrets, deceit etc. it will definitely keep you engaged. I loved the plot, the pace and the character development in this one. It is easily a good quick read.

Thicker Than Water explores the concept of found families. Julia & Sienna are friends first, and in-laws second. Their bond is stronger than sisters, stronger than friends. But can those bonds stick through the family linkage? When a husband/brother is suspected of murder, one has doubts while the other has blind loyalties. It's an intense back-and-forth perspective, leaving the reader suspicious of everyone and scrambling to figure out whose side they're on.
The author has done an excellent job in touching on certain themes and topics. The dynamic between the sisters-in-law, sexual harassment, boundaries, the blurred lines between right and wrong, speaking up, and the complex emotions of teens.

I really enjoyed this one and I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Thicker than Water" by Megan Collins was such a gripping book that I couldn't stop reading! It was my first dive into Megan Collins' writing, and wow, what a thrilling introduction.

The best part? The story had me guessing right up until the very end. Megan Collins weaves a suspenseful narrative that keeps you on your toes, and I loved every minute of it.

I also enjoyed the flexibility of switching between audio and ebook formats based on my mood and surroundings. It made the experience even more dynamic by reading the ebook and also simultaneously listening to the audio. The dysfunctional family dynamics and the alternating voices between two key characters added depth to the story, making it all the more engrossing.

Megan Collins seems to have a knack for blending family drama with psychological suspense, and "Thicker than Water" was an absolute treat. I'm eagerly looking forward to exploring more of her works. If you're a fan of mystery and thriller novels, don't miss this one—it's a must-listen and must-read. Megan Collins is definitely an author to keep on your radar!

Thanks to Atria books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Julia and Sienna are best friends, business partners, and sisters-in-law. Julia's husband, Jason, is Sienna's brother. When Jason's boss is murdered and Jason is put into a medically induced coma, the police identify him as the prime suspect.

As Julia and Sienna try to prove his innocence, Julia becomes less sure she can defend him. Soon these best friends have opposing views of exactly what Jason did.

Colins perfectly captured the dynamic of female friendships in this one. While I was invested in finding out if Jason actually committed murder, I was even more invested in Julia and Sienna's bond.

I think there was a good mystery in there somewhere but it got lost in the friendship between the two women. And honestly, I didn’t care for either character.

This was a fine mystery but I found it to be a bit lackluster at times. I wanted to finish so I pushed through. I look forward to other titles from this author. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC copy.

I had high hopes for this book but i couldnt get into the story. The main character was not likeable and i couldnt finish the book.