I thought this was a well written mystery, although I found it to be quite a slow burn. The story was told through the POVs of Julia and Sienna, but I didn't really connect with either one of them. I think I would have liked this one more if it had some element of suspense to it. It did have some good twists, but for the most part, I was left feeling a little underwhelmed.

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the #gifted e-arc of this book!

Megan Collins writes fantastic domestic thrillers. Dark, suspenseful, and engaging. Thicker Than Water is a page turner with a fresh and unique storyline- not your typical thriller. Well written, entertaining, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This was my first Megan Collins read and I enjoyed the fact that it was part family drama, part murder/suspense. The writing was strong and while the plot didn’t knock my socks off I had fun with the story.

In Thicker Than Water we meet Julia and her sister-in-law, Sienna. The pair has a bit of a codependent relationship that was incredibly frustrating at times, but also added some interesting layers to the story. When Julia’s husband (Sienna’s brother) is placed in a coma after a car accident the timing couldn’t be worse… because he’s just been accused of murdering his boss.

Jason was the most irritating character despite the fact that everyone, especially Sienna, believes he’s perfect. Turns out Saint Jason has some secrets up his sleeve and it was fun to discover what he’s been up to.

While I felt there was a lot of potential here the book fell pretty flat for me. The story was a bit bland and nothing too exciting or surprising happened. I enjoyed the exploration of female friendships and the idea of a close companion bringing out the best (or worst!) or you. Overall, I wouldn’t call this a winner but I was entertained enough to want to keep reading so it wasn’t a loss either!

Thicker than Water
By Megan Collins

⭐️⭐️ /5

First, thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Simon and Schuster for this eARC. I’ve never read this particular take on a domestic thriller, which for me was an interesting change.

Julia and Sienna are best friends, business partners, and sisters-in-law. Jason is Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother. Jason’s boss, Gavin, turns up dead and after Jason is involved in a car accident, and placed in a medically induced coma, police find evidence his car that he is the most likely suspect in Gavin’s murder. Julia and Sienna, united in proving Jason innocent, set out to try to figure out what has happened. As the evidence reveals itself, Julia and Sienna find themselves at odds about where or not Jason is truly innocent.

I have mixed feelings on this one. As I said, the concept intrigued me, but both main characters, Julia and Sienna, really bugged me. I felt there were a lot of pieces that just didn’t seem to need to be there. I got a little lost at the end, though it may have been because my interest had faded.

Still, if you’re a fan of domestic thrillers, this one is a quick read and worth your time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author for an ARC of Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins for an honest review.

Thicker Than Water is definitely a slow burn. It took me awhile to get into this book. It has dual POV alternating between Julia and Sienna. The two are sister in laws and Julia's husband is a suspect in his bosses murder.

This is a slower paced book, there is good character growth between the two main characters. There is a lot of lying and not telling the full truth which adds to the plot and what actually happened. While I did guess what actually happened the ending was well done and tied everything up.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. The story focuses on the relationship between the wife a man suspected of murder and her sister-in-law / best friend. I loved the concept of the blurred lines between best friends and family, but this quickly fell apart when I realized that was the entirety of the story. I personally don't like when characters turn into Nancy Drew detectives. especially when they're unlikeable.

Ultimately this focused too heavily on following dead end leads and the relationship between the sister-in-laws, leaving the actual mystery / suspense on the backburner.

Highly entertaining, strong characters, and great plot twist! I thought the relationship between Julia and Sienna was authentic and the primary focus of this domestic thriller, which I really enjoyed. More character-driven than plot-driven, the story was paced well and slowly unveiled the mystery. This was a hard book to put down! I'm already looking forward to the next Megan Collins book!

This is a slow burn, domestic psychological thriller sprinkled with murder and family drama. The bonds of friendship and marriage are put to the test and things are not always as they seem. This book was thought provoking and has some lessons we can all learn from. The suspense and twist definitely kept my interest and the pages turning. Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

3.5 ⭐️
I read Behind the Red Door and loved it so I jumped at the chance to read another book by Megan Collins.

There are some interesting dynamics in Thicker Than Water. Julia has been married to Jason since she became pregnant at a young age. She’s also best friends with his sister, Sienna. They are so close that they are like sisters spending most of their time together and even owning a business together. From the start, it’s evident that there are some trust issues between Julia and Jason. Julia and Sienna are also keeping a couple secrets from each other as well.

Jason’s boss is found murdered then shortly after Jason gets into a car accident that leaves him in a coma. To Julia and Sienna’s shock, Jason becomes the number one suspect in his bosses murder and they are left trying to figure out what actually happened.

To be honest, the most interesting aspect of this story is the relationship between Julia and Sienna. They describe themselves as platonic soulmates. They are extremely co-dependent and cracks begin to form as they start to have differing opinions about whether Jason is guilty or not.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with this book to review.

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!