I usually love thrillers like this, but this one didn’t live up to my expectations. I loved the dynamic between Julia and Sienna - especially when their theories began to clash. This was easily my favorite aspect of the book. Toward the end, however, I was getting a bit frustrated by what was going on - and not in a good way. It just seemed kind of messy and rushed at points and there didn’t seem to be much of a resolution.

I’d give this one a shot if you enjoy these domestic thrillers, but I wouldn’t put it high up on your list. It was an enjoyable read, but not one that I’ll remember after leaving this review.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for my copy of Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins! I really enjoyed this read, it kept my attention. I also liked the two different narrators, Julia and Sienna, their different perspectives were a good touch. Will definitely be checking out more Megan Collins

“But people do that, I guess. They fuck up. They do bad things they can’t take back. Maybe what really matters is whether or not they wish they could.”

4.5 stars and the best Megan Collins book to date! I have enjoyed her other ones, and have even met her in person (she’s local and an absolute doll). And this book just had me from the start!

Was I annoyed with Sienna’s obnoxiously blind view of her brother? Of course!! But the dynamic between her and Julia was so frustratingly yet satisfyingly enjoyable to read. Jason-the brother and husband-was almost like a side character to their relationship. Loved that aspect!

“It’s one thing to love someone, to trust them, but I’m beginning to think love shouldn’t be blind, shouldn’t limit us to seeing only the pretty parts.”

Also, after reading her acknowledgments, yes girl you nailed the coma storyline along with your definitions of the brain injuries and the GCS. Well done! I always appreciate when authors research to make sure any medical storyline is accurate.

So overall this was a pulse pounding, fast paced, page turning, crazy and wild ride that I enjoyed from the first to the last page.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the advanced copy of my first ever Megan Collins read! I thoroughly enjoyed it to put it lightly!!

This book caught my attention from the first page and took off, never dropping my interest; I never wanted to put it down! It was packed with one gut punch after the other; I FELT those! There was one shocking relegation after another. Many moments that had me saying “WHAT?!”

Collins did such an incredible job describing the intricacies of each of the relationships, connections and betrayals, of each in the family triangle of Sienna, Julia, and Jason. The way they hurt each other cut me. It made my insides twisty and uncomfortable like it was happening to me.

In every thriller, you always know the killer is not the obvious answer, the one everyone else thinks did it, but it was such a mystery of who-dunnit I could hardly formulate a guess! They made such a compelling case and though I KNEW, it wasn't the targeted suspect, I couldn't figure out who it could be. I made fleeting guesses but not based off of anything sound. Collins made it really difficult to pinpoint a suspect other than the one she wanted you to see.

Lastly, I also loved the way this book depicted the struggles within relationships and within one’s self. Watching the healing and the growth of each of the narrators toward healthy self and healthy relationships was really different than what you get from most books in this genre and I really, really liked it!

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Megan Collins for the advanced copy of Thicker Than Water in exchange for my honest review.

One thing I've struggled with when it comes to thrillers lately is that they seem to take just a little too long to really get going, but I'm happy to say that was definitely not the case with this one!

I was immediately sucked into the story and could not put it down until I knew what was going on. This was very easy to finish in less than 24 hours.

I didn't guess the ending and that always makes a book that much more enjoyable for me. Collins has quickly cemented herself as an autobuy author for me!

Megan Collins upended my whole world with The Family Plot. I finished it In one sitting, I cried and felt for those characters so much. I still think about them honestly. So I knew that Thicker Than Water would, at the least, be pretty good. And wow, it has left me haunted.

This is one of those books I wanted to reread as soon as I finished it. I felt like I was living in this book for days or weeks, but I finished it in 24 hours! I know Megan Collins doesn’t owe us an expanded epilogue or a “1 year later” or something but omg I wish we could get that so bad. I loved these characters and I’m honestly upset that I finished the book and can no longer spend time with them. I know people don’t expect thrillers to have insanely realistic characters or characters you’d want to know in real life, but whatever cuz this one does.

The plot will have you on your tiptoes from beginning to end, second guessing everything you think you know. This is one of those books where by the end of every chapter you have a new stance on the mystery. I turned to my boyfriend so many times while reading this like “omg obviously it’s ____, I know it!” Only to change that opinion completely 10 min later.

Finishing this book gave me the most intense adrenaline rush, and also a lot of tears. So many feels, I definitely felt connected with characters on some similar personal experiences but also I just felt for and with these characters so much. I definitely identified more with Sienna but honestly I felt equally connected to both of these women and I loved seeing all these complex feelings and sharp words being thrown at each other all over the page. It was part of what gave the plot so much adrenaline, and personally for me it was deeply cathartic.
Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

This story line had a lot of potential. I enjoyed it. However, there was several things that I found annoying.
1. The character Sienna, was whiny and annoying.
2. Some of the coincidences were not believable. and
3. The characters repetitively brought up things that happened from the past.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

Happy *soon to be* Pub Date to Megan Collins and Thicker Than Water! Thank you to Altria Books and Megan Collins for allowing me to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for an honest review!

📅This book will be published TOMORROW (Tuesday, July 11, 2023).📅

I’m so thankful 🤗 that I was able to complete this book 📖 as a Buddy Read with two friends (@literally_booked_ & @taylorsbooksta) that were also approved for this ARC.

This is a thriller where everyone is a suspect. It has lots of twists and turns that leave you changing your mind about “who dunnit” in just about every chapter.

The suspects (🥴 I mean characters…)

Gavin - CEO of a home improvement business. Found dead 💀 in chapter one.
🔪🩸🧵🪡

Jason - Mister Perfect. Always the savior. Worked with Gavin. Suspect numero uno according to the cops. Hospitalized just a few days after Gavin’s death. Husband of Julia. Sister of Sienna. Father to Aiden.
👮‍♀️🚗🏥🤕

Julia - Unhappy in her marriage. Can’t trust her husband. Wife of Jason. Incredibly close to sister-in-law, Julia. Has lost all connection with teenage son, Aiden.
💍👯‍♀️💔💵

Sienna - Very loyal, too loyal, to people in inner circle. High anxiety and anger. Thinks older brother, Jason, is a superhero. Runs a web based business with sister-in-law.
😡🦸‍♂️💻👯‍♀️

Aiden - Appears young and naive but is much smarter than people give him credit for. Knows something but won’t tell.
🧠👟🤐🗑️

Maeve - Alleged mistress. Administrative Assistant for Gavin’s company. Creative. May have caught Gavin doing something illegal. Knows more than people give her credit for.
👛🖼️🧵🪡

What I liked:
💕 Characters very well developed.
💕 Quick read.
💕 Keeps you guessing.

What was a miss for me:
🙅‍♀️ The relationship between Sienna and Julia was too much for me. Often time’s unbelievable.
🙅‍♀️ The book could have ended after you found out “who dunnit”.
🙅‍♀️ A lot of miscommunication. (⬅️ not my favorite trope)

Great thriller with a surprising twist at the end! Friendship, love, betrayal.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review

There are two main characters in this novel: Julia, a total milquetoast and Sienna, a fiery foulmouthed, in-your-face, totally obnoxious woman with a huge chip on her shoulder.

There was lots and LOTS of repetition and lots and LOTS of moaning and groaning and second guessing about the murder and the murderer. Lots of jumping to conclusions. Definitely chick-lit. Page after page of obsessing, guessing, stressing, while the plot went no where.

If you like secrets, lies and betrayals, this is definitely your book.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like:
🏡 Domestic Thrillers
🕵🏻‍♀️ Playing Detective
🧠 Psychological Mysteries
🔀 Twists and Turns

What would you do if your brother or spouse ended up in a coma and then was named the prime suspect in the murder of their boss? You would of course try to solve it and clear his name with your best friend who happens to be your sister in law right?!

But it isn’t that simple as Julia and Sienna may be best friends but have been keeping secrets from each other that in order to clear Jason’s name are going to come out.

How far would you go to clear the name of a loved one even if it meant opening up secrets you didn’t want to share?

I think thriller and mystery fans will absolutely enjoy this journey to the truth and highly recommend adding this one to your Summer TBR if you haven’t already!

Thanks so much Atria for my ARC of this one!

This novel opens with some levity in family exchanges despite the gruesome news being discussed–Jason’s boss has been brutally murdered. Best friends and business partners, Sienna and Julia, met through Jason, Sienna’s brother and Julia’s husband.

Sienna and Julia discover that Jason, their shared family, is accused of murdering his boss. Jason is in a situation where he can’t speak for himself while he is under investigation.

I loved reading the women’s alternating points of view as they try to figure out why Jason is under investigation and seek out the truth. Tensions rise as Sienna fiercely defends her brother and passionately fights the accusations, while Julia begins to doubt how well she knows her husband. As the story continues, Sienna and Julia both keep secrets from each other as they seek to unravel Jason’s secrets. I really liked Jason and Julia’s 14-year-old son, Aiden, and his role in the story and could have used more of his perspective.

While Sienna shows growth by the end of the novel, I grew tired of reading her repetitive annoying behaviors. Sienna carries great anger around with her and is very defensive and stubborn. Her unwavering faith in her brother and unhinged rage led her to speak very rudely to the police and even to Jason’s lawyer, who is a family friend. I preferred reading Julia’s chapters.

I liked the premise of this story and the layering of a murder investigation, an accused loved one, and a close female friendship.

Do you enjoy suspense books (any genre)?

I really have to be in the mood for a suspense novel because I feel that the pacing is slower, or more relaxed than I generally prefer. It takes more effort and engagement on my part to really get into them I’ve found.

Julia and Sienna are sisters-in-laws, but they’re more than that – they’re devoted best friends and business partners. Sienna thinks her brother can do no hard, and Julia adores him for their picturesque life. Jason’s been putting in long hours at work trying to get a promotion but when his boss if found brutally murdered, everyone is shocked. Days later Jason gets into a horrible car accident and is in a coma. He quickly becomes the prime suspect for his boss’s murder. As Julia and Sienna work diligently to prove Jason didn’t do it, surprises truths come to light. With their friendship being tested at every turn, they aren’t sure if any of their relationships will survive.

I enjoyed this story being told from Julia and Sienna’s points of view. It really helped add to the story overall. This was definitely a moody and atmospheric read that kept you in suspense. This book is for sure a slow burner, so be prepared for that going in. I enjoyed the twists and turns that were in this one. This book really made you question if you truly know a person or not. The writing quality on this one was great and I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot.

This was my first Megan Collins book but it wont be my last.

Check out this delightful suspense thriller on July 11th.

Thanks to Atria Books, @atriabooks, and Netgalley, @NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Julia and Sienna are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia's husband and Sienna's brother Jason. But more importantly than that, the two are devoted best friends, and business partners, believing their friendship is unique and share an unbreakable bond. In Sienna's eyes, her protective brother can do no wrong. With her biased loyalty, Sienna and Julie must cope with the fallout from his hasty decisions. Lately, Jason has been working long hours to secure a job promotion. The Larkins are shocked and unsettled when told that Gavin, Jason's boss, has been brutally murdered; his lips sewn shut. Is someone sending a message? The Larkin's are shocked by what has transpired; as the local gossip starts, they become unsettled by it. A few days later, after hearing that Jason was in a car accident, the doctors placed him in a medically induced coma. The Larkin family is devastated by the news.
Furthermore, Jason becomes the primary suspect in the horrific murder of his boss. Their friendship is tested because of Sienna's unwavering belief in her brother's innocence, while Julia isn't as sure. Together they must work to discover the truth and learn more about each other's past. The secrets that the family kept hidden in the dark come to light. I don't want to say too much more. I don't want to reveal any spoilers.


I enjoy how Collins examines the bonds of family, love, and friendship and masterfully explores the meaning of guilt and forgiveness. The fragility of relationships raises some tough questions about how well we know our family and ourselves. The dark secrets will either tear this family apart— or bring them together. At some point in our lives, we've all lied to ourselves. So we don't have to confront the awful truths that we are not ready or able to face.

The book became repetitive, which was frustrating, and I felt that there was far too much explaining rather than letting the reader being able to read between the lines. The book dragged on, especially in the middle, but improved somewhat by the end. Unfortunately, at that point, my interest was waning. I had difficulty connecting with the characters. I found them to be undeveloped.However I could sympathize with Julie, who was primarily silent, always compromising to please others, and rarely spoke her mind during a conflict with others. The abrupt ending left me with more questions than answers.

Thicker Than Water was my first time reading a Megan Collins book. I would be interested in reading her backlist and future books. I would recommend it for readers who enjoy slow-burn domestic thriller/mystery.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing the ARC of Thicker Than Water in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

⚠️Trigger Warnings ⚠️
Sexual Harassment and assault

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing the ARC of Thicker Than Water in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was kinda long and obvious. Not my favorite tbh. The reason behind the murder was kinda simple too. I think they should’ve played more into the financial crimes side of things. Overall just okay

When Julia married Jason, it was because she loved him. But it was also because she was young and pregnant and didn’t have a lot of other options. When they did get married, she gained not just a husband but also a sister. Jason and Sienna were inseparable following the tragic death of their parents just a few short years earlier.

Fast forward to now and Jason and Julia are the proud parents of a teen boy, and Julie and Sienna are closer than ever. Then they get the call that Jason is in the hospital fighting for his life after a one-vehicle car crash. And it’s happened the same night that Jason’s boss has been found murdered on his front lawn.

Thicker Than Water is a story that tests the bonds of family trust and loyalty. Who do you believe when all signs don’t point in the direction you thought they would? I enjoyed this one, but found it a little hard to really get into. Definitely a solid summer read with plenty of twists and turns.

Special thanks to Netgalley for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Julia and Sienna are tight. Like sisters. Julia is married to Jason. Jason is Sienna's brother.
Jason's boss has been murdered. Jason has been involved in an accident that has caused him to be in a coma. While going through the wreckage of Jason's car, the police discover clues that make Jason a suspect in his boss's murder.
Sienna tries to finds clues that will prove Jason's innocence, while Julia his wife isn't too sure
Did Jason commit this horrific crime? What is his motive?

"Never trust a man". Julia's mother's words have been in the back of her mind since she was a child, but she thought her husband, Jason, was different, not only a good husband and father, but someone who goes out of his way to help others. But the day after his boss is murdered, Jason is in a car accident that puts him in a coma and the police start to target him as their prime suspect, leaving Julia to wonder if she really knows the man she's been married to for almost 15 years. Jason's sister and Julia's best friend Sienna, clings to her belief in her brother's innocence, investigating leads she thinks the police have missed, refusing to acknowledge how bad things look for Jason. What will happen when he wakes up? Can Sienna and Julia's relationship survive if Jason is guilty? A character-driven story that is more of a domestic drama than thriller (in my opinion), exploring how our past shapes who we are and how we act.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Maudee Genao at Atria and Megan Collins for a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review!**

Part of getting married is "marrying" the family too...and Sienna considers herself lucky that her brother Jason married Julia, truly the soul sister she never had. The two have been inseparable since they met, and one thing the two of them agree on (above all else!) is that Jason doesn't have a cruel bone in his body. But when Jason ends up in a car accident that leaves him in a coma...on the SAME night that his boss is murdered and silenced in more ways than one (the perp actually sows his lips shut!)

Jason's left unable to explain his motive, and he becomes Numero Uno on the suspect list. As the two women dive into Jason's past and present, looking for clues and questioning work colleagues, are they bound to discover that the man they thought they knew best had a darker side? Or is Jason simply a pawn in a large and devastating scheme...one where he's doomed to take his secrets to the grave?

Megan Collins is one of those authors that I've never had GREAT success reading, but I always look forward to picking up her books for one reason: her creativity. She has created some truly creepy scenarios in her previous work, with characters that are larger than life at times, but have an unusual and memorable bent that sets her apart from others in the genre. She isn't afraid to take chances and stray from the norm.

So imagine my surprise picking up this book and finding...well, the complete opposite of that. This book is not only bland, but it felt as BASIC as a bowl of Cream of Wheat. I didn't get that surprise of pop and flavor and instead just sort of plodded along through the slow-moving narrative, hoping there would at least be a dramatic ending or an out-of-left-field perp: but this too, I guessed pretty early on and the 'twists' were fairly mild anyway.

What could have made this book stand out would have been dynamic and interesting characters...but I never felt connected to Sienna OR Julia (and let's face it, with Jason in a coma for a good chunk of the book, not much potential for connection there either). I think this hit a little bit harder for me because I KNOW Collins can write off-kilter, several screws loose sort of characters, and there was only ONE in this book...but even this individual wasn't too compelling. I wanted to hear more from Jason and Julia's son Aiden too, who could have been a fascinating character but acted more as a trigger for certain plot points than anything else. I appreciate the female friendship between the two leads and it was written well enough, but felt pretty tame in the grand scheme of things and there was also room for development here that simply never came to pass.

I keep waiting to be wowed by Megan Collins and will most likely continue to read her books, despite my disappointment with this one. Much like an office friendship that COULD develop over time, it's all about having the bravery to leave the proverbial office and just TALK about something other than work. Collins isn't afraid to take the long lunch: I feel like she just needs to find the perfect companion.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed Thicker Than Water! I found it to be a solid thriller and would definitely work to get somebody out of a slump. There was a lot going on but I felt like Megan Collins was able to tie everything together really nicely in the end, which made sure it didn’t feel like a choppy read with all of the side plots.

I love thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end and this one delivered! I would say that if you like Megan Miranda and Ruth Ware that you will probably like this one!