I love a good domestic/family suspense. Thicker Than Water is a good one and while it took me a bit to get into the flow of it, I ended up finishing at a rapid pace.

Julia and Jason are married and it’s safe to say the bloom has worn off. Sienna is Jason’s sister and Julia’s best friend and business partner. Sienna thinks that her brother is the shiniest apple on the tree but Julia has seen a side of Jason that is a bit darker. When Jason’s in a car accident, resulting in a coma, both women are surprised when he’s listed as a suspect in the murder of his boss.

This is a great exploration of family and friendship, the secrets people keep and the experiences that often push actions/reactions.

My thanks to Atria Books for this gifted DRC.

I'm sure there will absolutely be readers for this one, as Megan Collins is a name in this genre. But for me, this particular book of hers was a true meh for me. I hated Sienna. The book didn't feel particularly thrilling to me. The resolution was SO quick, and there was like 20 years of character growth overnight. It was more family drama than anything else, and I found the character motivations weak. I can get behind character's making stupid choices, but not understanding why they've made a stupid choice? I can't get down with that.

Thicker Than Water fell a little flat for me, especially after loving The Family Plot so much. The beginning was a little boring but think the end did pick up a little. Overall I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it.

Julie and Sienna Larkin are sister-in-laws, business partners and best friends. Connected by Sienna’s brother,Jason, the two are truly inseparable. The only time they tend to disagree is when it comes to Jason. To Sienna, her brother can do no wrong, but as his wife, Julie sees his flaws. And when Jason’s boss is gruesomely murdered, all eyes are on Jason who is in a coma after being in a car accident around the same time as the murder. As Julie and Sienna work to clear his name, the two women find their friendship questioned for the first time as they uncover a web of lies they have all played a part in spinning.

THICKER THAN WATER is aA fast-paced, slow-burn! I simply could not put this book down! From the first few pages all the way until the end I was hooked and trying to guess what was going to happen. I LOVED the dual POVs switching between the sister-in-laws 👭 as it created a character-driven story that really focuses on family and how they influence us. The ending was a little predictable, but still satisfying. It felt a tiny bit rushed and I just kept hoping for one more twist to happen. Fans of Sally Hepworth, Greer Hendricks and other domestic dramas will devour this one!

Once again Megan weaves a layered and complex family thriller where behind every door is even more secrets. An excellent book and one you don’t want to miss.

This book is a lot of family drama mixed with a murder mystery. I loved the writing style and I devoured this one literally in one sitting. I thought the characters were well developed (even if I didn’t really like any of them). I appreciated that this book was more about family and their dynamics than it was about the murder and the book had the characters really growing. That being said the mystery was good even if it wasn’t as twisty as I might have like. Julia and Sienna may be sisters in law but they are closer than if they’d been sisters. One night they get a call that Jason (Julia’s husband/Sienna’s brother) has been in a car accident and is currently in a coma. While they are at the hospital trying to figure out if he will live the police come and they learn that investigating the accident gave them evidence that Jason murdered his boss the week prior. Sienna and Julia are determined to figure out what really happened before Jason wakes up.

I really wanted to love this, as the premise was very interesting, and I’d enjoyed this author in the past. Unfortunately, most of this book was very slow and repetitive. Sienna really aggravated me as a character blinded by her love of her brother and unwilling to be realistic and remotely rational. Overall, 3/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review. This published July 11, 2023.

I loved the way this book portrayed a woman truly unsure of who she can trust after the two most trusted people in her life, her best friend & sister-in-law, and her husband turn out to be keeping things from her. When her husband is in a horrible accident, Julia has her sister-in-law and best friend, Sienna, for support. But soon she realizes that Sienna is not being truthful. As Jason is in a coma and subsequently a suspect in the murder of his own boss, Julie begins to do a bit of sleuthing on her own to see if she can prove his innocence before its too late.

2.5/5

I was bored.
It seemed to have the same conversation with Julia and Sienna over and over the whole story. Nothing happened after the first couple chapters until the end of the book.
All of the characters were selfish and didn't earn any sympathy.

Jason is the prime suspect of the murder of his boss. A couple of days after the murder occurred, Jason was in a car accident and is now in a coma. Unable to give his side of the story it is up to his wife and sister to find the truth.
Sienna, his sister, is totally on bored with proving he is innocent, no matter the evidence piling up against him. Julia, his wife, is doubting his innocence but doesn't want to push against Sienna.

Thicker Than Water is a dual POV thriller at it’s finest. Jason, suspected of murder, has been in an accident and is in a medically induced coma. Through the viewpoints of Sienna, Jason’s sister, and Julia, Jason’s wife, you go through conflicting emotions regarding Jason’s innocence. Sienna believes that her brother can do no wrong and Julia has her doubts about her husband. Add in some twists and turns and you will not know what to think. I did figure out the end twist ahead of time but I still really enjoyed this story.
It is a tale of revenge and flawed humans. It portrays the stress and struggles that secrets can cause between families (and friends). And ultimately it’s about personal growth in the aftermath.

I have posted this review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvP-Pe1rTbt/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5350859659

And Amazon

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the premise of this story! It’s about two best friends that are also sister-in-laws since one of the girls is married to the others brother. When a car accident and coma puts their husband/brother in critical condition and suspected of murdering his boss, the women team up to try to find answers while they still can. The story was well written with the characters having complex backstories which I always appreciate. There were no really big twist moments that caught me off guard but some people may be shocked. If you’re into domestic thrillers, give this one a try!

Dysfunctional is the name of the story here. Everybody lies to their loved ones, not even trusting their own private thoughts.
Jason is Superman (he thinks)
Julia, his wife has no voice
Sienna, can’t accept that others could be right (Jason’ sister/Julia’ sister in love/best friend)
Aidan, seems to be lost in the mix (son of Jason/Julia)
Jason is accused of murdering his despicable boss Gavin, has a car wreck and ends up in a coma
And so the story begins… it took me a spell to really dig in, but once the family relationships began to crack, the question becomes will this family survive?
My 3.5 rating is because I couldn’t find a character I could connect with or even like, however I found this to be more than a worthwhile read.
***A SPECIAL THANKS TO NET GALLEY FOR PROVIDING THIS DIGITAL COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW***

Absolutely devoured this novel!! The author’s writing style was captivating and I couldn’t put it down. If you like complex mysteries this is for you! This reminded me of a Gilly MacMillian novel, which is huge praise! 10/10. 5 stars. Definitely an author to watch!

Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins
Publisher Aria Books
Release Date July 11, 2023


Characters: 2/5
Plot: 4/5
Pace: 3/5
Suspense: 3/5
Overall Enjoyment: 3/5

I would say I am a very lenient reviewer and that is certainly the case here. Unfortunately, this book fell short on many things. The only reason I gave it 3 stars was because of the plot. It certainly has the ability to be a 5 star book but for me there are just too many areas that missed the mark…

Two women are brought together by one man Julia and Jason got married years ago when she became pregnant. Jason’ sister Sienna and Julia became the best of friends. So much so that they went into business together. It seems everything is going great. UNTIL,….Jason’s boss, Gavin is murdered. When Julia was little, the one thing her mother instilled in her was “Never trust a man”. Jason and Sienna parents were killed in an automobile accident and Jason has since been the one that Sienna runs to when there are life issues such as when her ex Wyatt cheated on her. She was devastated and turned to her brother for support. So when Jason is the prime suspect, neither women believe he could be capable of such a heinous crime. Julia’s thoughts reverted back and her thoughts were to never trust a man and Sienna’s was that Jason hung the moon and was a hero to her. Then Jason is seriously injured in a car wreck himself and cannot fight the battle alone. The two women set out to clear his name but in the process find out more than they bargained for. This new information puts the two women at odds with each other.

Can they work through their issues long enough to try to prove Jason’s innocence? OR is Jason guilty of the crime of murder?

The main reason that I am giving a 3 star review is because of the lengthy historic details about Julia and Siennas relationship. I understand where the author was trying to show the family drama side for the build up but it honestly went too far and dragged the story down with it. The writing seemed somewhat juvenile in places. Gavin’s character never really was detailed enough. It was mentioned that there were some shady dealings but not much more. There was too much emphasis placed on Julia and Siennas characters that, as I stated earlier, it took away from the story itself. The author does a great job though telling a story and building the suspense. I would not fall this a psychological thriller at all. It is more of a family drama. The ending was not what I thought it was going to be and I was let down by it. You may find that you really enjoy this book but I found it to be MEH!



3 stars

ThNk you to NetGalley as well as Aria Books and Megan Collins for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

The plot and the characters failed to engage me. I don't mind dysfunctional characters but this ended up in the icky dysfunctional character category, not the fun or amusing or relatable ones I enjoy.

This wasn't;t for me, but I wish the author well in finding her intended audience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 “𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙮, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧”, 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨-𝙞𝙣-𝙡𝙖𝙬 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢—𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙨𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧—𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚.

I was a huge fan of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 when it was released. I remember really enjoying my time reading that one, therefore, I was so excited to have received an early copy from the publisher. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one as much as the other book.

This definitely was a quick read and had an interesting premise. Julia and Sienna are sisters-in-law, they have a strong relationship with each other. It was interesting seeing them come together to try to clear Jason’s name after he becomes the primary suspect of his boss’s murder.

While the story did take a bit to pick up, I still felt like it was a quick read - at least for me. I already enjoy this author’s writing, I always feel so entertained early on… and it’s so easy to get into.

This wasn’t necessarily a page-turner for me, but I had an enjoyable time reading it. There were a few moments that kept my attention.

I honestly do wish the mystery aspect of the book was much stronger. At times it felt like it was more of a character-driven story with the relationship between the two main characters.

The story also got very repetitive and the ending left me a bit underwhelmed. There was definitely more of a family drama aspect to it.

Overall, this was still an enjoyable read by Megan Collins. I honestly went into it with too high expectations after loving her previous book. While I wouldn’t consider this a thriller, this was fun for what it was - I just wish it would’ve taken a different approach. It’s still worth the read!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the review eARC and physical review copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5🌟
Family and friendship… can either hold up when the police come calling?

Julia and Jason have been married for years. They rushed into it when Julia became pregnant, eventually settling into a comfortable life.

Sienna is Jason’s sister. She quickly became besties with Julia (seriously this friendship bordered on obsession). Even went into business together, and are always inseparable.

But when Jason’s boss is found murdered he becomes the number one suspect. And Jason isn’t talking, having recently ending up in the ICU following a car accident. This leaves it’s up to Julia and Sienna to clear Jason’s name.

And they may find more than they bargained for. Will their friendship survive?

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.
As far as the crime? This one didn’t even require me to dust off my detective’s cap. I had it figured out very early on.

This is my third read from this author, all averaging three-stars. Perhaps we just aren’t clicking as well as I’d hoped?💁🏻‍♀️.
But there are numerous positive reviews for this book so I hope it delivers all the stars to you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books

I could not get into this storyline at all. I really disliked the characters and could not finish the book. Love Megan's other books more.

This is an intense drama. It has everything you would want in a good thriller! I didn’t think it was slow paced at all. Twists and turns all throughout. The narration on the audio was done perfectly! 🎧

✨ murder
✨ alibi that doesn’t add up
✨ sister in law besties
✨ MC in a coma (but we need ANSWERS from him!)
✨ secrets
✨ lies
✨ shocking twists
✨ the SUSPENSE

This was tense! Sisters-in-law, best friends, business partners....and the man between them accused of murder?! Super juicy idea and it was well executed.

I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.