First off, I sincerely want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was easily one of my favorite books this year, and I don’t think I would have picked it up had I not been approved through NetGalley to read it.

This was my first book by Megan Collins but I’m going to immediately go binge her other works now. I sat down to start reading after putting my son to bed, and I didn’t get up again until I was finished with it almost 5 hours later. I’m usually a fast reader, but this was the first time in a long time where I was literally glued to my seat (and my couch isn’t that comfortable).

I absolutely adored the dialogue and the relationship between the two main characters, and I really liked how the author positioned their strengths and weaknesses to illuminate how much they each grew by the end of the book.

I also really liked that the overall theme of the book spoke to the idea that recognizing injustice isn’t enough, swift and appropriate action is needed. I really appreciated the way that the author framed several social issues that have been prominent in modern society, and how by the end of the book all characters recognized their shortcomings in perspective to their own involvement in those issues. One character was blindly devoted to her brother and refused to even question his morality- she only saw things in black and white, in right and wrong. But by the end, she was able to call out the bad parts of his character while still loving the good. Another character was too distance and silent to speak her needs, so she never really received what she needed; she suffered in silence. By the end, she recognized how she hid in her sister-in-law’s shadow as a means to never have to stand up for herself or to truly be uncomfortable around others. But she didn’t just acknowledge those shortcomings, she actively worked to fix them! How often does that actually happen, whether in fiction or in real life?

There was more character development that I could ramble on about, but I’m already skirting the boundaries of spoilers and I know that I’m going to cross that line of I keep going.

In all seriousness, this was such a good book. Maybe it’s because I lack a real sense of family in my life, but the way the bond between the two main characters was written just really drew me in and fleshed them out into real people.

I truly adored this book.

Love Megan collins!! Her thriller books are one of my favorites.
This book is about best friends and the things that come between them and connect them. The twists and turns of this book were so good. I’d highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read all of Megan Collins' books to date. I'm not sure if it is my life circumstance (newly in graduate school) or the plot, but I cannot help but feel like this one fell a bit flat.

The dynamic built between Julia and Sienna is very good. I enjoy the growth both of them experience. But I was never drawn into the plot the way I expect with a Collins book.

While I may not have been wow'd, this will not keep me from reading, and hopefully loving, Megan Collins in the future.

3.5/5 stars for this one. Julia is married to Jason and best friends with his sister Sienna. Jason gets in an awful car accident 3 days after his boss was killed in a horrific way. When the police find evidence that implicates Jason, Julia and Sienna are torn apart when one believes the evidence and the other believes in the man they both love. Which one of them is right? Will their friendship survive? Will Jason?

Great premise, great storyline but it was a slow burn. It took until about the 70% mark for the story to really heat up and I found myself annoyed at Sienna (her rage, selfishness and childish behavior).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I guess you expect men to lie and disappoint you- but you don't expect your best girlfriends to do it.
Of course in the end - Well I can't go into that but it SO twisty.
It gets even better at the end.

I just love this author and Thicker Than Water proves why. This book is fast paced and unexpected. I was completely entertained!

When her husband Jason is a suspect in the murder of his lecherous boss, Julia becomes haunted by her mother’s insistence that men can’t be trusted. His sister Sienna, who is Julia’s best friend and business partner, can’t fathom the possibility that Jason is guilty. Julia and her son, however, know her husband has been keeping secrets.

The perspective alternates between Julia and Sienna. Both characters grow as a result of the story, but their illusions about the strength of the relationships with the people they love are forever changed.

Collins sets the mood immediately by focusing on the rooster wall paper that reminds Julia of blood stains. The plot revolves around how secrets and obsessions affect trust and have the power to destroy relationships.

The story shows how our perceptions of others are colored by our interpretations of events, which in turn affect the way we see those people and our relationships with them. Reading a book that focused on key characters rather than dealing with the dynamics of a large cast was a pleasure.

As a writer, I loved how, in the acknowledgments, Collins thanks her past self for persevering and finishing the novel. Writing is a labor of love, and the labor part is rarely acknowledged.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Thicker Than Water
By: Megan Collins
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WOW!! Julia Larkin is married to Jason and his sister Sienna is her best friend and business partner. Sienna has always been close to Jason and thinks he is perfect. So, when she meets Julia, they have an instant connection and consider each other soulmates.

They get the call that Jason was in a car accident and is in a coma. Julia does not know how to tell her son who is a typically teenager and seems to be pulling away from the family.

A shocking discovery is made when Jason’s boss is brutally murdered, with his lips sewn shut.
Jason becomes the primes suspect as details come forward. Julia is starting to believe her husband is guilty and Sienna is desperate to prove he is innocent. How will these two navigate their friendship hoping Jason comes out of his coma?

I have read all of Collins novels, and loved them all. I highly recommend to my mystery, thriller booklovers. Her books kept me glued to the story. I love a good book where I am sad that it is over, but thrilled I did not see the ending coming.

Thank you, Megan, for your novel. I cannot wait to see what you write next! This novel is due out July 11 and TRUST me you will want to add this one to your summer list. Thank you @thrillerbookloverspromotions for introducing me to this author and helping promote her.🖤

#thickerthanwater, #megancollins, #atriabooks, #booksconnectus, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50, #arc

A husband and wife and the husbands sister and a grisly murder, and so begins a twisty, suspenseful tale that will keep you guessing the whole time. The characters are likeable and story is well written. I enjoyed this read as I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. Thank you to Netgalley, Atria and the author for sharing the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It was pretty slow and predictable, but not the worst book I've ever read. I couldn't stand Julia OR Sienna which made it a bit hard to get through.

In full honesty, I didn't finish this. It was too slow of a thriller for me, especially considering the big IN YOUR FACE thing that happens at the beginning of the book. You'd think there'd be a little more oomph. I also hated the dynamic between the two women (sisters in law). It felt a little codependant, maybe a little toxic? This is a book I could see myself trying again at another time though. The writing had moments of brilliance. "For most of my childhood, my mother wore her misery and regret like a too-tight wedding ring, and instead of confetti or well wishes, she threw doubt on my decision to commit to ___." Stunningggg. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy.

Thank you so much for a copy to review.

Unfortunately, this was way too slow of a burn for me. I lost interest pretty quickly and couldn't find myself liking either woman. I couldn't connect the way I would want to the story.

I did start this one and I just couldn't get into it. Thank you for the ARC and best of luck to you!

Megan Collins has did it again with this suspense filled book. I did not want to put this one down. This book is very character driven and full of suspense, betrayal, and secrets. It is a very fast paced and twisty story and I highly recommend.

I love Megan Collins. She is one of my go-to authors. I like who she is inside and out of her writing. Thicker Than Water is a slow burn thriller, but once it gets there, wow. I loved the relationship between sister in laws, Julia and Sienna. It was beautifully twisty and turny, and an absolute win.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of Thicker Than Water. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
This story is one that really makes one think about their relationships with family, and how trauma and even casual comments from your youth, both large and small, affect who you become as an adult. Is blind loyalty wise? Can you forgive a betrayal? This book will give you things to reflect upon, and will probably stick with you after the tale is done.

This book sucked me in right from page 1 and I hated every time I had to put it down. As a survivor of a serious car accident, I was afraid of how much detail was going to go into the accident that Jason was in that put him in a coma. Luckily, it was sparse, with just enough details to explain the coma and then later how it happened but not enough to give me a PTSD episode. I liked the dual POVs of Jason's wife Julia and his sister Sienna, who were best friends. While they try to figure out what happened, they find out that Jason is a suspect in his boss's murder. They work to try to solve it but their friendship gets tested as they clash when Sienna believes Jason's innocence completely and Julia starts questioning if Jason is really a murderer.

This book had me second guessing myself on who murdered Jason's boss. I recommend this book for anyone who likes thrillers. Thank you Atria and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book

Thicker Than Water is centered around best friends and sisters-in-laws, Julia and Sienna. Julia is married to Sienna’s brother Jason. In Sienna’s eyes, her brother Jason is perfect but Julia knows that there is more to her husband than meets the eye.

Julia and Sienna get the call that Jason has been in a horrific car accident and had to be placed in a medically induced coma. To make matters worse, a couple of days later, the police arrive at Jason’s hospital room to let the ladies know that he is a suspect in his boss’s murder.

Since Jason is not capable of telling his story, Julia and Sienna scramble to find answers. And for the very first time, their close bond is starting to shatter.

Another amazing read from one of my favorite thriller authors! Thicker Than Water kept me on my toes! At several points, I was skeptical of every character and was actually surprised when the revelatory twist was revealed.

Thicker Than Water is not only a domestic and psychological thriller, but it's also a family drama. Her characterization of all characters was terrific and I loved the main characters Julia and Sienna. They had a very yin and yang type of relationship- they were very different women but their differences complimented one another.

Megan Collins is one of those authors that deserves more hype! She consistently writes compelling stories that always entertain. Trust me, you will not regret picking up Thicker Than Water. And while you are waiting for its release, check out her prior works The Family Plot (my favorite), Behind the Red Door, and The Winter Sister.

Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins will be available on July 22. A massive thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy!

Thicker Than Water is a rollercoaster RIDE of drama and I had such a blast reading it.

I’m really enjoying these character driven mysteries lately. I love the mix of murder whodunnit, twisting thriller but framed with the mundane realities of characters lives, relationships and secrets all being the actual glue of the story. I loved that just when I thought things were slowing down in the story, another perfectly crafted twist dropped and I was right back to being addicted to what happens next.

This is really well paced, and I deeply enjoyed the movement of POV between sister and wife, which kept revealing new important clues before bringing it all back together perfectly.

No spoilers, but this is absolutely the kind of fun, summer escapism reading that we all need on our TBR piles.

Definitely recommend this one, especially if your feeling the character drama mysteries this year. You won’t be disappointed!

Thank you @atriabooks for the copy! And @megancollinswriter - don’t ever stop serving up these twisty delights!

Book Review
Thicker Than Water
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publish Date: July 11, 2023

This was definitely a slow burn mystery/thriller. I’m more of a fast paced book person, so it was slow in spots for me personally. However, I loved the dual POV and the stark personality differences between the main characters. I was definitely engaged enough to want to continue reading, and find out what happened at the end, which was somewhat surprising. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will definitely try another from this same author.