I LOVED this book. I learned about Megan Collins after reading The Family Plot- which I loved- and was excited to see a new book. Told from 2 POVs and started off with a bang and never let up, this book was great! Told through a web of characters and relationships, some hiding secrets and others dealing with those secrets, you have to get your hands on this book if you can! I’d like to thank @netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pretty okay. I found the story captivating, but it fell flat in some areas. I found myself frustrated by Siennas inability to accept that her brother wasn’t perfect, or that people could change, but this was resolved in the last 15-20 percent of the book. I also found myself frustrated at the lack of depth from Julia’s character. She had issues, but wouldn’t look into them. The reveal was also pretty anticlimactic. I guessed it (or another slight variation) within the first 25% of the book. Overall, the book was just middle of the road.

Okay wow, this book pulled me right in. I absolutely love the way these characters were written; from Julia who seems to be the careful one, to Sienna who is stubborn and secretive, and even Aiden who is so mysterious for most of the story. Julia and Sienna’s relationship was absolutely perfect, even being total opposites they make the perfect pair of best friends. All these characters together form this perfect mystery that I could not put down until I finished it.

We start the story hearing of news that a man has been murdered, but there is currently no suspect in custody. However when Jason, Sienna’s brother/Julia’s husband, crashes his car and ends up in a coma, there are some pieces of evidence that all point to him being the murderer.
This whole story keeps you so intrigued as we switch back and forth between Sienna’s and Julia’s POV’s, getting to see how Julia tries to find evidence and be rational where as Sienna is set to find her own evidence to prove her brother’s innocence.

This book was just so good that I never wanted to stop reading, yet I was also so eager to get to the end to get all the answers I had been waiting for. Trust me when I say this is one ending you’re going to want to get to.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Very quick read; the mystery doesn't feel so much a mystery as we explore just how much we think we know vs what we do know. The plot swirls around a man in a coma so the narrative around what happened to him and his boss prior has to be pieced together by his wife and sister because hes well in a coma. So it's interesting the bonds the women share and the goal of unraveling this mystery. But that I liked the most was the exploration of the "nice guy" and what that means. Collins is a reliable writer for a readable thriller perfect for poolside.

“Thicker than water” is absolutely riveting, thought provoking, character driving, well developed psychological mystery from the creative mind of Megan Collins.

The complex, dysfunctional relationship patterns between layered, multidimensional characters, the twisty murder mystery as the questions raising up about who you can trust, the heart wrenching, skillfully wrapped up ending with surprising revelations are absolutely highlights of the book.
All those characters are realistically portrayed. Their mistakes, flaws, weaknesses, powers, obsessions, dynamics are reflected honestly.

The story revolves around Julia- Sienna: bride and sister-in law.
Julia: 38, copywriter, married with Jason at young age, raising their teenage son Aiden at Jason’s childhood house. Interestingly at the young age, with so many trust issues she’s burdened from her mother, she accepts to marry with Jason because she’s clicked with her sister Sienna as soon as they’ve met. They are polar opposites, become partners in work. They were there for each other during the toughest times: including Julia’s giving birth to his son and Sienna’s break up from his fiancée Wyatt who cheated on her!

Julia holds her emotions back as Sienna regulates them for her, becoming her voice and her defender to the outside world. She’s more patient, restrained, logical, calm person as Sienna is impulsive, tempered, reactive.

And Jason is a good man with savior complex that causes putting the other people first. After losing his parents at a tragic hit&run, his savior complex, protecting the others starting from his sister Sienna escalates, turning into an obsession.

Both Julia and Sienna keep secrets from each other. Julia didn’t talk about her marriage problems with Jason who withdrew 10 thousand dollars from their joint account to go to their belated honeymoon in Europe they never had before. Sienna also keeps secret she still sees her ex Wyatt again.

But three things happen that change their lives: Jason’s boss Gavin gets brutally murdered. Jason gets into car accident that placed him into medically induced coma. He becomes prime suspect of his boss’ murder investigation.

Julia and Sienna team up to prove Jason's innocence, but their investigation raises questions about their relationship patterns and the true nature of their bond.

Overall: The characterization is excellent, although the mystery aspect is somewhat predictable. The ending is satisfying and makes readers look forward to reading more from Megan Collins. Her writing style is skillful and engaging.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this amazing digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. I felt the narrative dragged on and on with no real twists or intrigue. The twists were not great, and I could not wait to finish it.

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this amazing ARC!

Megan Collins’ new book, Thicker Than Water, was absolutely unputdownable. I absolutely DEVOURED this book in a couple of hours.

Thicker Than Water tells the story of Julia and Sienna Larkin- two sisters-in-law, connected by Sienna’s brother, Jason. Over the course of the book, you learn that while Jason is in a coma in the hospital, he is being investigated for the murder of his boss. The SILs dive head first into investigating the murder, all while trying to prove Jason’s innocence.

The relationship between Julia and Sienna absolutely warmed my heart. The way they were each other’s “person” throughout the course of the book, despite ups and downs, was truly incredible. Their close-knit relationship was my favorite part of the whole book!

Thicker Than Water’s pub date is July 11, 2023, but I suggest trying to get your hands on a copy of this book sooner if you can!

This was a pretty good book. 4 stars out of 5!

Thicker Than Water was a quick read for me. The beginning really drew me in and I liked how it wrapped up in the shocking ending. This was the first book I have read by the author and I was really impressed.

I really like Sienna and Julia but I'm still not sure how I feel about Mauve. She was a bit questionable but really kept the story engaging.

I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you Net Galley and Atria Books for this ARC!

It was a fine read, but the plot and the characters didn't compell me enough, unfortunately. The story felt rather similar to other books I've already read, it didn't shock me with anything new or original. The writing style was just regular stuff, nothing spectacular. The fans of this author could end up really enjoying this one, though.

Okay this was good. A rather quick read at 2.5 hours but the story was formatted very well.

I enjoyed to two different points of view and the multiple layers of relationships. All of the characters were hiding secrets in the end because they were protecting each other and no one had malicious intent. Well except Maeve….I haven’t decided how to deal with her character. This story intertwined so well that I loved it.

Honestly I feel like this could be a potential for book of the year or a Reese book club pick

Alright...ish plot but bizarrely repetitive. Like, a character could not have a thought without someone else reiterating it using the exact same verbiage, which I find impossibly weird.

I’d like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I was a big fan of her last book, Family Plot so I was excited to dive into this. It starts off with a bang and never lets up. Julia and Sienna are connected by one man, Julia’s husband is Sienna’s brother and one night their entire worlds are turned around when Jason lands in the hospital unconscious and is suspected of murdering his boss. The two women start to investigate themselves, will this bring them together or tear them apart? A cast of unlikeable, flawed characters, you can’t help but follow them through this twisty murder to find the truth.

Y’all! This was good! I might have liked it more than The Family Plot. This book started with a bang and didn’t really let up until the end. She did a great job of keeping me guessing, and making me (sort of) like both super unlikeable characters by the end I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

I love Megan Collins's books and this one was no exception. I loved the relationship between the sister and sister-in-law. This one was hard to put down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. I look forward to recommending this this summer!

Okay GO OFF 👑 this book had me hooked like no other book has in quite some time (sorry to the man in the park I ran into because I was walking & reading but I HAD to find out what happened next).

Thicker than water tells the story of the wife and sister of a man in a coma as they investigate a murder he’s been accused of. This book is so much more than just a mystery thriller, it’s about the complicated web of relationships we have, the things we hold back, and what we’re willing to do for those we love.

I loved both the wife and the sister as characters. They were both very flawed in different ways and when I took a step back to reflect on their reactions to the things they were finding out, their reactions seemed very raw and real and you could feel the desperation to clear Jason’s name coming off them in waves.

Another thing I loved was the plot, it was fast moving and the perfect length and I loved how it all ultimately wrapped up! Endings are huge in my ratings and this one delivered!!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.