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.

Thicker Than Water – Megan Collins

When Julia married Jason, she never could have expected to connect with his sister Sienna in such a way that they became inseparable. Not only were they sisters-in-law, but best friends and business partners. Sienna looks up to Jason and in her eyes, he can do no wrong.

When Jason’s boss is found brutally murdered with his lips sewn shut, Jason seems to be on edge. A few days later, things are starting to spiral when Jason is in a car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma. Cops get wind of Jason’s involvement with his boss and becomes a prime suspect. And things only get worse when evidence is found in his car.

As Julia and Sienna fight to clear his name, more truths come out. The further they get into their own investigation, Julia begins to doubt her husband, and Sienna is never more determined that he is innocent. Can their friendship survive the downfall of Jason?

This is my second Megan Collins book, and when I got my paws on this book, I was so excited. The girls had a bond that was unlike any other and it hurt my heart to see their struggles making it through this, as well as facing their own personal demons. I was on my toes the entire time, really struggling to put the pieces of this one together. In the end, I couldn’t have possibly guessed what really went down. If you looking for a thriller that’s going to keep you guessing, this is the one! ⭐⭐⭐⭐/4!
Thank you Netgalley for the azong ARC!

Thank you to netgalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was unique in two ways for me: 1. There were two female best friends who were IN LAWS which i personally have never read about and 2. The purported killer is an a coma which adds an extra layer of depth to the who dunnit plot. These two unique factors in thrillers are what grabbed my attention and made me want to pick this book up.

It was fascinating to read about Sienna and Julia's friendship it was very realistically done in the sense that it was revealed to be flawed and not perfect which is bound to be the case when these two are so inseparable. The difference in how Sienna's unwavering blind faith in her brother Jason and Julia's clear doubts about her husbands guilt was also super interesting to see play out.

I will however, admit that the whodunnit plot wasn't very engaging and its been done. a million times before the only uniqueness there was that the "killer" was in a coma while the crime was being investigated. That being said, the twist at the end did surprise me, actually the two twists at the end surprised me and it was not sloppily done it definitely fit into the story well. The character dynamics were interesting to read about and easy to follow i just think the plot could have stood to be more enticing and engaging and suspenseful. The pacing was also kind of slow which could have done better with more speed.

All in all if you want to read a domestic thriller with just a bit of a twist and unique element i would recommend picking it up but it definitely was not my favorite. I am glad i read it though im starting to really enjoy this author.

This one is a slow burn. I liked the 2 different points of views between Julia and Sienna. I enjoyed Sienna's character more as she is so emotional and just reacts without thinking things through. She is very passionate and is one loose cannon in this story that you aren't quit sure who she will accuse next of being the murder.

Julia and Sienna are best friends and business partners. Julia marries Jason who is Sienna's brother. They appear to be close but you soon realize that there is much they aren't sharing with each other. Jason's boss is killed and Jason is the prime suspect.

This will cause stress and relationships will be tested. It is a story about friendships, family, marriage and boundaries.

I liked how in the end both Sienna and Julia are on the same page by telling Jason how he could have done things differently