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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
I loved this!! Brigid's writing is so captivating, not to mention her characters always relatable, funny and interesting. The plot was great and so were the dynamics between each of the characters. I can't wait for the sequel :))
Um wow, so that was certainly something. I'm so completely confused by Thicker Than Water, and I'm left super disappointed. Initially rated two stars on entertainment value, but the more I think about this book, the more displeased I am with what happened. This one gets filed under "how did the editor not stop this?"
What I Liked (aka the first half)
The first half of this book was awesome. Like, I just kind of suffered through Kemmerer's Elementals series (kind of because obviously I could have stopped but I'm stubborn and kept hoping for a really good ship), so I wasn't going into this with high expectations. Plus, this cover looked like it indicated a book that would not be for me, which kind of ended up being true after all, so good marketing, I guess?
But, all that said, the book captured me right off, despite having a really non-Christina opening. The vibe was very similar to Letters to the Lost or More Than We Can Tell, in that it felt like a super dark contemporary but the narrative voice and the romance is so good that I don't even mind the high levels of drama. (The book opens on Thomas' mom's funeral—she was strangled to death and he found the body—and the whole town thinks Thomas killed her, so all the cops are out for him and it's A LOT.)
Things peak at a scene where Thomas gets a job at the library and there's seriously adorable bantering over the phone, and I was pretty sure I was going to LOVE this book. What happened?
Things I Hated or Could Not Even With (or the second half):
This book takes a serious hard turn to the left. On the plus side of the negative, I will say that this book was definitively unpredictable. It's been a while since I read something where I had so little idea how the book would end. There's something kind of refreshing about that, even if I spent the whole time going WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
The direction the plot ends up taking is absolutely bonkers, and I'm honestly not sure if the book remained contemporary or not?So it turns out that Thomas and his secret brother are empaths, which in this book means they can influence the emotions of others and essentially mind control them, so long as they draw on impulses the person already has. The idea is relatively interesting, but as I said to me that's more paranormal.
Nor do I feel like the resolution is at all satisfying. The secret brother JB shows up to bail Thomas out of jail after Thomas is arrested for trying to strangle Charlotte to death (ACK) and explains all of this. JB's last name is "Augury" which is pretty fucking on the nose if you ask me. JB informs Thomas that Thomas did in fact murder his mother, which is TRUE. On the one hand, that's a twist because WHAT, but also JB made him do it, and they manage to set JB up for having actually committed the murders himself so Thomas and Charlotte can be cute together again.
Ummmmmm what?????
For all that JB made Thomas commit the murders, I find it really un-fucking-believable that they'd be able to switch it around on him. And the fact that Thomas is pretty quickly okay with the fact that, whether he had control or not—and by the world building in here, you can only be manipulated into things you want to do at least a little bit anyway—he strangled his mother to death and tried to strangle his girlfriendish person to death. That's some serious shit to deal with, and there's nothing there at all. Unless JB lied, he can't make Thomas do something he wasn't unwilling to do, which means he's not entirely unwilling to murder his mother or rape and murder his girlfriend, and there's really no coming back from that and rooting for a character.
And how the fuck is Charlotte okay with all of this? She accepts it IMMEDIATELY. As soon as it's over, she's ready to be with Thomas again. I don't see how you emotionally recover from him being the one to strangle you. Of course, maybe it's because she has an ability to dream the past that is COMPLETELY UNEXPLAINED. The book says empaths don't dream, so she's not an empath, but what is she? Also, why did both manipulated guys say "We've got an audience"? That's what really tips her off to the fact that the first murder is connected, but it makes no sense for them to say that at all.
Perhaps that and many other things are explained in the second book that was clearly intended but never will exist. The ending's super open,JB's out of prison—how?—and their creepy dad's out there somewhere too and sure as hell not satisfying. Like, I don't know who can read through all of that weird-ass, horrific shit and be thinking about the ship, because I can tell you that I shipped it and by the end I very much did not.
Two other things: 1) there's a lot about the sexism in Charlotte's family that really doesn't get addressed. Maybe also intended to be dealt with in a second book? 2) There's another killer guy in the book, and of course he's the one person of color in the whole thing so far as I can tell. He's not particularly important but fucking hell that is not a good look.
Thicker Than Water was so fucking weird and upsetting, and I mourn the book it could have been. That first half was such an excellent contemporary novel before everything went off the damn rails. The best I can say for the novel as a whole is that it was fast-paced, entertaining, and unpredictable, which sounds great except that I don't like where anything ended up.
What I Liked (aka the first half)
The first half of this book was awesome. Like, I just kind of suffered through Kemmerer's Elementals series (kind of because obviously I could have stopped but I'm stubborn and kept hoping for a really good ship), so I wasn't going into this with high expectations. Plus, this cover looked like it indicated a book that would not be for me, which kind of ended up being true after all, so good marketing, I guess?
But, all that said, the book captured me right off, despite having a really non-Christina opening. The vibe was very similar to Letters to the Lost or More Than We Can Tell, in that it felt like a super dark contemporary but the narrative voice and the romance is so good that I don't even mind the high levels of drama. (The book opens on Thomas' mom's funeral—she was strangled to death and he found the body—and the whole town thinks Thomas killed her, so all the cops are out for him and it's A LOT.)
Things peak at a scene where Thomas gets a job at the library and there's seriously adorable bantering over the phone, and I was pretty sure I was going to LOVE this book. What happened?
Things I Hated or Could Not Even With (or the second half):
This book takes a serious hard turn to the left. On the plus side of the negative, I will say that this book was definitively unpredictable. It's been a while since I read something where I had so little idea how the book would end. There's something kind of refreshing about that, even if I spent the whole time going WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
The direction the plot ends up taking is absolutely bonkers, and I'm honestly not sure if the book remained contemporary or not?
Nor do I feel like the resolution is at all satisfying. The secret brother JB shows up to bail Thomas out of jail after Thomas is arrested for trying to strangle Charlotte to death (ACK) and explains all of this. JB's last name is "Augury" which is pretty fucking on the nose if you ask me. JB informs Thomas that Thomas did in fact murder his mother, which is TRUE. On the one hand, that's a twist because WHAT, but also JB made him do it, and they manage to set JB up for having actually committed the murders himself so Thomas and Charlotte can be cute together again.
Ummmmmm what?????
For all that JB made Thomas commit the murders, I find it really un-fucking-believable that they'd be able to switch it around on him. And the fact that Thomas is pretty quickly okay with the fact that, whether he had control or not—and by the world building in here, you can only be manipulated into things you want to do at least a little bit anyway—he strangled his mother to death and tried to strangle his girlfriendish person to death. That's some serious shit to deal with, and there's nothing there at all. Unless JB lied, he can't make Thomas do something he wasn't unwilling to do, which means he's not entirely unwilling to murder his mother or rape and murder his girlfriend, and there's really no coming back from that and rooting for a character.
And how the fuck is Charlotte okay with all of this? She accepts it IMMEDIATELY. As soon as it's over, she's ready to be with Thomas again. I don't see how you emotionally recover from him being the one to strangle you. Of course, maybe it's because she has an ability to dream the past that is COMPLETELY UNEXPLAINED. The book says empaths don't dream, so she's not an empath, but what is she? Also, why did both manipulated guys say "We've got an audience"? That's what really tips her off to the fact that the first murder is connected, but it makes no sense for them to say that at all.
Perhaps that and many other things are explained in the second book that was clearly intended but never will exist. The ending's super open,
Two other things: 1) there's a lot about the sexism in Charlotte's family that really doesn't get addressed. Maybe also intended to be dealt with in a second book? 2) There's another killer guy in the book, and of course he's the one person of color in the whole thing so far as I can tell. He's not particularly important but fucking hell that is not a good look.
Thicker Than Water was so fucking weird and upsetting, and I mourn the book it could have been. That first half was such an excellent contemporary novel before everything went off the damn rails. The best I can say for the novel as a whole is that it was fast-paced, entertaining, and unpredictable, which sounds great except that I don't like where anything ended up.
I really enjoyed Thicker Than Blood more than I had anticipated. It had the perfect amount of mystery surrounding the entire plot. I feel like these characters were realistic, as if I was reading a biography, because Thomas grieved a lot, and Charlotte was diabetic. It’s almost rare to find books with characters with a disease. At least, that is what I feel like. Although the diabetic issue wasn’t prominent, it was refreshing to have little insight into it through Thomas’ and Charlotte’s eyes.
However, the supernatural ending made me lower the rating. I think it could’ve ended better, without any of the supernatural themes. It was a nice contemporary/mystery read but I feel that the sudden touch of supernatural lowered my rating. However, most of the characters were well-developed and I enjoyed watching, or rather reading, them grow. Charlotte’s brothers are all protective of her and I found that cute, because she has people who love her and who look out for her. I found it actually quite strange but amusing that the males in Charlotte’s family are somewhat related to the police department and Charlotte befriended someone that the police were suspicious of. But Charlotte is a sweet girl and I like how she isn’t quick to judge others.
I could feel my blood pumping when Charlotte was discovering/researching about the murder mystery about her friend and Thomas’ brother and how they were related to one another. Let’s just say, I didn’t sleep because it freaked me out (okay, I’m very sensitive and get easily freaked out and scared over the smallest of things so you can’t blame me.)
Thomas, I feel, didn’t have that much character development. He was overall a caring guy and you could tell her loved his mother. He was also naïve, but it wasn’t his fault since his mother hid him from his “powers”. I was weary about Thomas’ brother the moment I met him because he gave off this bad vibe about him. Now I know why that is.
The plot was well developed. The solving of the crime made the story more interesting and solving the mystery was fun; I enjoyed trying to decipher what really happened as well as Thomas, Charlotte and the police. I came up with a lot of theories but they obviously weren’t right because of the supernatural theme. The writing style was beautiful, and I’d like to read more of Brigid’s writing as I really enjoyed this story.
However, the supernatural ending made me lower the rating. I think it could’ve ended better, without any of the supernatural themes. It was a nice contemporary/mystery read but I feel that the sudden touch of supernatural lowered my rating. However, most of the characters were well-developed and I enjoyed watching, or rather reading, them grow. Charlotte’s brothers are all protective of her and I found that cute, because she has people who love her and who look out for her. I found it actually quite strange but amusing that the males in Charlotte’s family are somewhat related to the police department and Charlotte befriended someone that the police were suspicious of. But Charlotte is a sweet girl and I like how she isn’t quick to judge others.
I could feel my blood pumping when Charlotte was discovering/researching about the murder mystery about her friend and Thomas’ brother and how they were related to one another. Let’s just say, I didn’t sleep because it freaked me out (okay, I’m very sensitive and get easily freaked out and scared over the smallest of things so you can’t blame me.)
Thomas, I feel, didn’t have that much character development. He was overall a caring guy and you could tell her loved his mother. He was also naïve, but it wasn’t his fault since his mother hid him from his “powers”. I was weary about Thomas’ brother the moment I met him because he gave off this bad vibe about him. Now I know why that is.
The plot was well developed. The solving of the crime made the story more interesting and solving the mystery was fun; I enjoyed trying to decipher what really happened as well as Thomas, Charlotte and the police. I came up with a lot of theories but they obviously weren’t right because of the supernatural theme. The writing style was beautiful, and I’d like to read more of Brigid’s writing as I really enjoyed this story.
This was a great read up until a certain point where there was a turn of events that made me start to lose interest in the story.
Though the major twist is hinted at throughout the whole novel, the reality of it felt a little underdeveloped. On goodreads, this book is displayed as a standalone, but it kind of feels like it is the first in a series. There are so many unanswered questions and unexplored possibilities that I found the conclusion a bit lacking. Also, it was all insanely convenient and way too fast-paced, as if Kemmerer just wanted to book to end. It all just happened so fast and to the point that it felt like facts and details were being glossed over.
For the most part, I enjoyed Thicker Than Water, but it wasn't a fantastic read.
Happy reading!
Though the major twist is hinted at throughout the whole novel, the reality of it felt a little underdeveloped. On goodreads, this book is displayed as a standalone, but it kind of feels like it is the first in a series. There are so many unanswered questions and unexplored possibilities that I found the conclusion a bit lacking. Also, it was all insanely convenient and way too fast-paced, as if Kemmerer just wanted to book to end. It all just happened so fast and to the point that it felt like facts and details were being glossed over.
For the most part, I enjoyed Thicker Than Water, but it wasn't a fantastic read.
Happy reading!
I was expecting, based on the jacket copy, that this book would feature older characters (not teens) and that was my first surprise. But it definitely wasn't the last one.
When Thomas Bellweather's mother is brutally strangled to death in their new home only ten days after she gets married, he becomes the prime suspect and enemy #1 in the small town he's just moved to. No one believes that he didn't kill his mother except his new step-father and Charlotte, local good girl and sister to three cop brothers who are more likely to shoot Thomas than solve his mother's murder. But his mother kept secrets, and as Thomas searches for the murderer himself, he starts to uncover answers he'd never dreamed of.
The Goodreads summary says that Charlotte's best friend was murdered, and that's not true. She barely knew the girl who was murdered years before Thomas even showed up. Not to mention, I'm in the minority (again) when it comes to the Goodreads reviews.
I like Brigid Kemmerer. I do. My next book will be by her, too. But I hated the characters in Thicker than Water and I really couldn't believe where the plot went. Thomas is targeted by everyone as they believe he killed his mother despite no evidence that he did, but he's particularly targeted by Charlotte's brothers who are so overbearing and protective that they would shoot Thomas for breathing. Charlotte's family lives in a 1950s mindset that makes me want to puke just reading it (women are supposed to be dainty and subservient, home and baby makers, etc.) and in all honesty, most of the characters, including Charlotte and Thomas, are surface level. They've hardly got any depth and the changes they go through are minimal in some cases and plot-driven in others. The only thing I found really accurate was the treatment by the police, small-town small mindedness (not to say all small towns are like this, mine certainly isn't), and the likelihood of an innocent person going to jail for a crime they didn't commit solely because someone needs to be held responsible.
I'm not getting into the plot. I'll tell you that this book started off as YA Fiction and transitioned into modern paranormal that's not even compelling. The mystery isn't compelling. The only emotion that drove me through a majority of the book was irritation around the characters–particularly Charlotte who can't take "no" for an answer and pursues Thomas with little regard for his well-being, especially for someone who's supposedly crazy over him.
When Thomas Bellweather's mother is brutally strangled to death in their new home only ten days after she gets married, he becomes the prime suspect and enemy #1 in the small town he's just moved to. No one believes that he didn't kill his mother except his new step-father and Charlotte, local good girl and sister to three cop brothers who are more likely to shoot Thomas than solve his mother's murder. But his mother kept secrets, and as Thomas searches for the murderer himself, he starts to uncover answers he'd never dreamed of.
The Goodreads summary says that Charlotte's best friend was murdered, and that's not true. She barely knew the girl who was murdered years before Thomas even showed up. Not to mention, I'm in the minority (again) when it comes to the Goodreads reviews.
I like Brigid Kemmerer. I do. My next book will be by her, too. But I hated the characters in Thicker than Water and I really couldn't believe where the plot went. Thomas is targeted by everyone as they believe he killed his mother despite no evidence that he did, but he's particularly targeted by Charlotte's brothers who are so overbearing and protective that they would shoot Thomas for breathing. Charlotte's family lives in a 1950s mindset that makes me want to puke just reading it (women are supposed to be dainty and subservient, home and baby makers, etc.) and in all honesty, most of the characters, including Charlotte and Thomas, are surface level. They've hardly got any depth and the changes they go through are minimal in some cases and plot-driven in others. The only thing I found really accurate was the treatment by the police, small-town small mindedness (not to say all small towns are like this, mine certainly isn't), and the likelihood of an innocent person going to jail for a crime they didn't commit solely because someone needs to be held responsible.
I'm not getting into the plot. I'll tell you that this book started off as YA Fiction and transitioned into modern paranormal that's not even compelling. The mystery isn't compelling. The only emotion that drove me through a majority of the book was irritation around the characters–particularly Charlotte who can't take "no" for an answer and pursues Thomas with little regard for his well-being, especially for someone who's supposedly crazy over him.
I received a copy of this title from NetGalley. It does not impact my review.
Thicker Than Water will be available December 29, 2015.
I was a big fan of Kemmerer’s Elemental series (On a side note, I just saw that there is going to be another book in the Elemental series and I am sooooooo happy! I knew that series couldn’t be over!) so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I knew I had to read it. First, though, I need to get this off my chest – the synopsis says a prior murder victim was Charlotte’s best friend, but she wasn’t. It was a girl she just barely knew. Though that murder does play a large role in Charlotte’s life later in the book.
Kemmerer really knows how to write guy characters that I’ll fall in love with. Thomas made my heart break, but he could also make me smile, laugh, get frustrated, and – for lack of a better word – swoon. I just felt so awful for him as he was trying to come to terms with his mother’s death and living with the step-father he barely knows, all while the police have named him their number one suspect.
Charlotte is the youngest child – and only daughter – in a family of cops. She meets Thomas at his mother’s funeral and basically every thing she does after that just puts Thomas in more trouble. While she is capable of defending herself and I admired her for not automatically condemning Thomas like everyone else was doing, she drove me insane most of the time. She just kept doing stupid things and often Thomas had to pay the price for them, which infuriated me.
I really liked the supporting cast of characters in this book. I liked Stan, Thomas’ step-father, even though he didn’t always believe Thomas. Charlotte’s best friend provided a lot of comic relief and I really liked Charlotte’s brothers (I’ll mention again – Kemmerer writes guys I love) and wish we would’ve gotten even more from them. While they could all make me angry at times, they all had a good sense of humor and they were very protective of their family. And then there is JB who was a very interesting character that I really loved reading about, but I fear anything I say about him will go into spoiler-town, so I’m going to restrain myself.
I did like the romance between Thomas and Charlotte for the most part. Though it happened a little fast, I think that’s explained later on in the book in a way that makes sense. This book is a little more graphic than Kemmerer’s previous books, so younger readers should watch out for that. I generally don’t appreciate that in YA, but it was only a couple scenes, so I can overlook it.
While it’s hinted at in the first chapter – and several times throughout- it takes over 200 pages for the supernatural element of the story to come into play. I think I would’ve liked it to be explained a little earlier in the story. Once we get to that point, it felt a little rushed and I’m still a tad confused about how it all works. It plays a huge part in the murder mystery aspect of the book and I wish the pace would have slowed down a little instead of speeding toward the conclusion.
Overall, I did really enjoy Thicker Than Water. I really loved the characters (even though Charlotte made me angry most of the time) and I just really love Kemmerer’s writing. The story is told in alternating 1st person POV and I thought it was done really well here. While I felt the ending was resolved enough to be a standalone, there was enough left open that I thought this could be the start of a series. I ended up asking Kemmerer on Twitter and she said, “Right now it’s a standalone…” so I have some hope there will one day be more books on the way, as this would be a series I’d definitely continue.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars
Thicker Than Water will be available December 29, 2015.
I was a big fan of Kemmerer’s Elemental series (On a side note, I just saw that there is going to be another book in the Elemental series and I am sooooooo happy! I knew that series couldn’t be over!) so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I knew I had to read it. First, though, I need to get this off my chest – the synopsis says a prior murder victim was Charlotte’s best friend, but she wasn’t. It was a girl she just barely knew. Though that murder does play a large role in Charlotte’s life later in the book.
Kemmerer really knows how to write guy characters that I’ll fall in love with. Thomas made my heart break, but he could also make me smile, laugh, get frustrated, and – for lack of a better word – swoon. I just felt so awful for him as he was trying to come to terms with his mother’s death and living with the step-father he barely knows, all while the police have named him their number one suspect.
Charlotte is the youngest child – and only daughter – in a family of cops. She meets Thomas at his mother’s funeral and basically every thing she does after that just puts Thomas in more trouble. While she is capable of defending herself and I admired her for not automatically condemning Thomas like everyone else was doing, she drove me insane most of the time. She just kept doing stupid things and often Thomas had to pay the price for them, which infuriated me.
I really liked the supporting cast of characters in this book. I liked Stan, Thomas’ step-father, even though he didn’t always believe Thomas. Charlotte’s best friend provided a lot of comic relief and I really liked Charlotte’s brothers (I’ll mention again – Kemmerer writes guys I love) and wish we would’ve gotten even more from them. While they could all make me angry at times, they all had a good sense of humor and they were very protective of their family. And then there is JB who was a very interesting character that I really loved reading about, but I fear anything I say about him will go into spoiler-town, so I’m going to restrain myself.
I did like the romance between Thomas and Charlotte for the most part. Though it happened a little fast, I think that’s explained later on in the book in a way that makes sense. This book is a little more graphic than Kemmerer’s previous books, so younger readers should watch out for that. I generally don’t appreciate that in YA, but it was only a couple scenes, so I can overlook it.
While it’s hinted at in the first chapter – and several times throughout- it takes over 200 pages for the supernatural element of the story to come into play. I think I would’ve liked it to be explained a little earlier in the story. Once we get to that point, it felt a little rushed and I’m still a tad confused about how it all works. It plays a huge part in the murder mystery aspect of the book and I wish the pace would have slowed down a little instead of speeding toward the conclusion.
Overall, I did really enjoy Thicker Than Water. I really loved the characters (even though Charlotte made me angry most of the time) and I just really love Kemmerer’s writing. The story is told in alternating 1st person POV and I thought it was done really well here. While I felt the ending was resolved enough to be a standalone, there was enough left open that I thought this could be the start of a series. I ended up asking Kemmerer on Twitter and she said, “Right now it’s a standalone…” so I have some hope there will one day be more books on the way, as this would be a series I’d definitely continue.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars
eARC kindly provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley*
My Review!
Let’s talk about this one! Okay, so I loved Brigid Kemmerer’s Elemental series, and so I HAD to have this one. And I was so thankful to nab an early copy from Kensington. I really liked this one! I’m just not quite sure what it was; contemporary, thriller, something else? Maybe a combination of all 3 of them? But to be honest, I could have done without the "major" twist. I would have liked it more, I think, had it been just a murder mystery wrapped around these two teenagers’ lives.
I really liked both Thomas’ and Charlotte’s voices and felt that they were distinct from each other enough. It wasn’t that hard to jump from one to the other, and it wasn’t hard to separate them. Thomas was a grieving, tortured guy who was caught up in a bad situation that just kept getting worse. With his mom dead, and his freshly new status in town, no one cared or believed in him. His stepdad was suspicious, and he was a cop. And when Thomas gets tangled up with Charlotte, her cop brothers get in the middle of it, and pretty much everyone turns on him. I thought it was so, so unfair to this kid. He clearly loved his mother; he was just trying to mourn her death, but he couldn’t because of the investigation and the events that continue to happen. I thought he handled everything as well as he could; I thought he did his best to keep a level head. But he was lonely, and a little bit broken, and hurting, and he just wanted someone to believe in him. And Charlotte did, even though everyone said she shouldn't.
Charlotte was outspoken, sweet, and her naiveté was refreshing if a bit unoriginal. But she was also tough, having grown up with three older brothers, and having been taught from a young age how ugly the world can be. She’s not a pushover, that’s for sure. I loved how she had her own opinions about everything, especially given how unyielding and strict her family was. She was a feminist in a household of traditionalists. There were moments with her character, though, that felt like they didn’t make sense. But now, looking back, I think I see the reason for it (but it still seemed pretty odd). Even though I KNEW Thomas wasn’t responsible, I almost could not believe Charlotte would continuously see this kid she didn’t know at all. She’s kind, sure, but everyone warned her away. She never listened to them. She was smart, but she did put herself into situations that felt un-Charlotte-like. But, again, I suppose I can’t really count all of that, given everything that happened later on.
I enjoyed the kids’ banter with each other! I laughing aloud many times, and I think the progression of their relationship could have been so good, if this hadn’t been a murder mystery. They were mostly preoccupied with finding answers, but they did have some sweet times together. I’m not gonna lie, though, I would have loved more romance in this. I also would have loved more scenes with Charlotte and her brothers. I’m a sucker for close familial relationships. I did want to punch the idiots quite a few times, because their protectiveness was SO overbearing and stifling. But I loved how they were all there for Charlotte, and their interactions were some of my favorite parts of the book. I also ADORED her friend, Nicole. She was definitely underdeveloped and underutilized, which kinda just makes me sad because she was a fabulous character.
But I could have done without the (mostly) unexpected plot change and everything that happened afterward. *shrugs* I just didn’t… care for it. I wasn’t as invested once that was all being brought out in the open, especially since it didn’t really have a focus in the story. It was mostly a contemporary, with a little murder mystery thrown in for good measure, well until over the halfway point. So once certain truths are being revealed, it feels rushed and a bit unbelievable. And I wasn’t very satisfied with that ending. It’s so OPEN, and normally I wouldn’t mind that, except it feels like it’s setting up for a sequel that will probably never happen. I just, I honestly could have read this without the twist and been completely fine with that.
I really liked Thicker Than Water! I wasn’t in love with it, but it was an enjoyable and quick read over the course of a few nights. And it was easy to fall into the story with Brigid Kemmerer’s writing. I’ve always loved her style, and that fact didn’t change in this one. I just wanted more out of it, but wanted less in certain aspects. I’m so easy to please, aren’t I? Haha. I definitely recommend this one, though. It’s a good read!
Rating: 3.5 Paw Prints!
My Review!
Let’s talk about this one! Okay, so I loved Brigid Kemmerer’s Elemental series, and so I HAD to have this one. And I was so thankful to nab an early copy from Kensington. I really liked this one! I’m just not quite sure what it was; contemporary, thriller, something else? Maybe a combination of all 3 of them? But to be honest, I could have done without the "major" twist. I would have liked it more, I think, had it been just a murder mystery wrapped around these two teenagers’ lives.
I really liked both Thomas’ and Charlotte’s voices and felt that they were distinct from each other enough. It wasn’t that hard to jump from one to the other, and it wasn’t hard to separate them. Thomas was a grieving, tortured guy who was caught up in a bad situation that just kept getting worse. With his mom dead, and his freshly new status in town, no one cared or believed in him. His stepdad was suspicious, and he was a cop. And when Thomas gets tangled up with Charlotte, her cop brothers get in the middle of it, and pretty much everyone turns on him. I thought it was so, so unfair to this kid. He clearly loved his mother; he was just trying to mourn her death, but he couldn’t because of the investigation and the events that continue to happen. I thought he handled everything as well as he could; I thought he did his best to keep a level head. But he was lonely, and a little bit broken, and hurting, and he just wanted someone to believe in him. And Charlotte did, even though everyone said she shouldn't.
Charlotte was outspoken, sweet, and her naiveté was refreshing if a bit unoriginal. But she was also tough, having grown up with three older brothers, and having been taught from a young age how ugly the world can be. She’s not a pushover, that’s for sure. I loved how she had her own opinions about everything, especially given how unyielding and strict her family was. She was a feminist in a household of traditionalists. There were moments with her character, though, that felt like they didn’t make sense. But now, looking back, I think I see the reason for it (but it still seemed pretty odd). Even though I KNEW Thomas wasn’t responsible, I almost could not believe Charlotte would continuously see this kid she didn’t know at all. She’s kind, sure, but everyone warned her away. She never listened to them. She was smart, but she did put herself into situations that felt un-Charlotte-like. But, again, I suppose I can’t really count all of that, given everything that happened later on.
I enjoyed the kids’ banter with each other! I laughing aloud many times, and I think the progression of their relationship could have been so good, if this hadn’t been a murder mystery. They were mostly preoccupied with finding answers, but they did have some sweet times together. I’m not gonna lie, though, I would have loved more romance in this. I also would have loved more scenes with Charlotte and her brothers. I’m a sucker for close familial relationships. I did want to punch the idiots quite a few times, because their protectiveness was SO overbearing and stifling. But I loved how they were all there for Charlotte, and their interactions were some of my favorite parts of the book. I also ADORED her friend, Nicole. She was definitely underdeveloped and underutilized, which kinda just makes me sad because she was a fabulous character.
But I could have done without the (mostly) unexpected plot change and everything that happened afterward. *shrugs* I just didn’t… care for it. I wasn’t as invested once that was all being brought out in the open, especially since it didn’t really have a focus in the story. It was mostly a contemporary, with a little murder mystery thrown in for good measure, well until over the halfway point. So once certain truths are being revealed, it feels rushed and a bit unbelievable. And I wasn’t very satisfied with that ending. It’s so OPEN, and normally I wouldn’t mind that, except it feels like it’s setting up for a sequel that will probably never happen. I just, I honestly could have read this without the twist and been completely fine with that.
I really liked Thicker Than Water! I wasn’t in love with it, but it was an enjoyable and quick read over the course of a few nights. And it was easy to fall into the story with Brigid Kemmerer’s writing. I’ve always loved her style, and that fact didn’t change in this one. I just wanted more out of it, but wanted less in certain aspects. I’m so easy to please, aren’t I? Haha. I definitely recommend this one, though. It’s a good read!
Rating: 3.5 Paw Prints!
Thomas Bellweather hasn’t been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad’s cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect.
Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years.
The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers.
Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden…
Thicker than Water is a psychological murder mystery, set it a small town. The book opens at Thomas' mother's funeral, and right then I knew I loved the writing. The author didn't shy away from depicting his grief, and his subsequent helplessness. For the characters, the depth given to the them was one of the key points of the book. Thomas is a person who used to be charming and popular, but now he is hated and lonely. In his new reality, there are few people who believe him, including Charlotte, the closeted daughter of a police family.
Thomas and Charlotte interacting is very dangerous for him, considering the police still have their eye on him, and she somehow manages to get situations worse. It doesn't help that she is drawn to him, and he to her kindness. Misunderstandings arise constantly when she is around, and he ends up being thrown in jail. He develops a distrust for the authorities, and his helplessness drives him to seek out clues on his own, leading him to a long-lost brother. Now that's where it gets even more twisted, because this brother seems a bit shady. I don't want to give much away, but it also has a paranormal component which was an interesting surprise.
The plot, pacing and overall mysterious atmosphere of the book had me hooked. I couldn't put it down since I started it, which meant a late night (or morning, if you want to be technical). The ending, though, threw me for a bit. I am not sure if this is a standalone, because there are some things left unexplained, like how he was getting in the houses, what about the father and who was Alex. I sure would have loved to have those things resolved, at least partly, even if this was part of a series. Nevertheless, an immensely enjoyable book.
Received a free galley from Kensington Books via Netgalley; this does not influence my opinions or the review.
Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years.
The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers.
Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden…
Thicker than Water is a psychological murder mystery, set it a small town. The book opens at Thomas' mother's funeral, and right then I knew I loved the writing. The author didn't shy away from depicting his grief, and his subsequent helplessness. For the characters, the depth given to the them was one of the key points of the book. Thomas is a person who used to be charming and popular, but now he is hated and lonely. In his new reality, there are few people who believe him, including Charlotte, the closeted daughter of a police family.
Thomas and Charlotte interacting is very dangerous for him, considering the police still have their eye on him, and she somehow manages to get situations worse. It doesn't help that she is drawn to him, and he to her kindness. Misunderstandings arise constantly when she is around, and he ends up being thrown in jail. He develops a distrust for the authorities, and his helplessness drives him to seek out clues on his own, leading him to a long-lost brother. Now that's where it gets even more twisted, because this brother seems a bit shady. I don't want to give much away, but it also has a paranormal component which was an interesting surprise.
The plot, pacing and overall mysterious atmosphere of the book had me hooked. I couldn't put it down since I started it, which meant a late night (or morning, if you want to be technical). The ending, though, threw me for a bit. I am not sure if this is a standalone, because there are some things left unexplained, like how he was getting in the houses, what about the father and who was Alex. I sure would have loved to have those things resolved, at least partly, even if this was part of a series. Nevertheless, an immensely enjoyable book.
Received a free galley from Kensington Books via Netgalley; this does not influence my opinions or the review.
I've been waiting for what feels like years for a new book from Kemmerer. I make it no secret that her Elemental series is one of my absolute favourites. It's pretty much everything I want in a series of books. Thicker Than Water is a little different but still has Kemmerer's signature writing and fully developed and personality-filled characters.
Kemmerer does an excellent job of setting up what is ultimately a very head-scratching mystery. Obviously, with it being a mystery I can't give much away, but Thomas is being blamed for his mother's murder. And it really doesn't make sense. The murder scene is really tricky and all evidence really does point in Thomas's direction. As to why he's being ostracized by the town. It's hard not feel for Thomas seeing as he's in this alone. His mom and he are new to the town. This is where Charlotte comes in. Even though she only meets him at his mom's funeral she believes he's innocent. The problem there is her brothers and dad are police officers and besides being over protective they obviously want Charlotte to keep her distance from Thomas. But that's really not happening. Their instant attraction to each other(Kemmerer is a romance writer at heart) might start to slip a veil over what's really important. Thomas is a great brody character and is really hard to read. Even though you get his POV, with some key points missing it's really hard to 100% believe that Thomas is innocent. Charlotte looks a little meek on the outside but I soon came to see her as a sassy and smart girl.
Like I mentioned, the mystery is on point. There are a thousand twists I didn't see coming. One of them adding a bit of a paranormal element to the story. It really adds a bunch of thrilling moments. I honestly could not even guess how the book would end. And because Kemmerer is such a snappy writer, writing a romantic mystery really worked well with her writing style. I know this is supposed to be a stand alone, but I don't want that. I need a sequel. Which is really my only qualm with the book; we just get the answers and that's not enough. There's no open ending, But there's so much more that could be built upon. So here's hoping.
Kemmerer does an excellent job of setting up what is ultimately a very head-scratching mystery. Obviously, with it being a mystery I can't give much away, but Thomas is being blamed for his mother's murder. And it really doesn't make sense. The murder scene is really tricky and all evidence really does point in Thomas's direction. As to why he's being ostracized by the town. It's hard not feel for Thomas seeing as he's in this alone. His mom and he are new to the town. This is where Charlotte comes in. Even though she only meets him at his mom's funeral she believes he's innocent. The problem there is her brothers and dad are police officers and besides being over protective they obviously want Charlotte to keep her distance from Thomas. But that's really not happening. Their instant attraction to each other(Kemmerer is a romance writer at heart) might start to slip a veil over what's really important. Thomas is a great brody character and is really hard to read. Even though you get his POV, with some key points missing it's really hard to 100% believe that Thomas is innocent. Charlotte looks a little meek on the outside but I soon came to see her as a sassy and smart girl.
Like I mentioned, the mystery is on point. There are a thousand twists I didn't see coming. One of them adding a bit of a paranormal element to the story. It really adds a bunch of thrilling moments. I honestly could not even guess how the book would end. And because Kemmerer is such a snappy writer, writing a romantic mystery really worked well with her writing style. I know this is supposed to be a stand alone, but I don't want that. I need a sequel. Which is really my only qualm with the book; we just get the answers and that's not enough. There's no open ending, But there's so much more that could be built upon. So here's hoping.
Received from: Kensington
Received Via: NetGalley.com
THE REVIEW
Why this book?
I seen some of my friends on goodreads reading it
What I thought
This was a interesting book and sometimes frustrating. I hated how Thomas was treated and I really hated Charlotte's brothers. The premise was interesting and it was a page turner. I really didn't see the twist coming and was pleasantly surprised. overall a good read .
Received Via: NetGalley.com
THE REVIEW
Why this book?
I seen some of my friends on goodreads reading it
What I thought
This was a interesting book and sometimes frustrating. I hated how Thomas was treated and I really hated Charlotte's brothers. The premise was interesting and it was a page turner. I really didn't see the twist coming and was pleasantly surprised. overall a good read .