Thicker Than Water

by Brigid Kemmerer

"Kemmerer will melt your heart and blow your mind." --#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout

On his own

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 Frederick there had only 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 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.

The more they dig, the more it seems the only way they'll hear the real story is from the source--the killer.

Not the kind of future plan a college recruiter likes to hear. But then, the better it works, the less likely either of them is going to have a future. . .

• ISBN10: 0758294417
• ISBN13: 9780758294418
• Publish Date: 29 December 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9780758294418

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

After being blown away by Letters to the Lost, I decided to check out Kemmerer's backlist, and it just confirms who great she is at crafting interesting and likable characters with solid family ties.

I liked:
• I really liked Charlotte and Thomas together. They were cute and sweet and I would have liked more romance, though I understand that was not the main focus of this story.
• Charlotte was very likable and as a bonus, she was spunky.
• Charlotte's family was a little overprotective, but she was the only girl in a family with four cops, 3 of whom were her older brothers. They were sort of overbearing and not always the most considerate, but they no doubt loved her. I really enjoyed getting those scenes where we saw her connecting with each brother.
• I thought Kemmerer did a great job with the mystery element. I know I kept reading, because I needed to know, and I will say, I did not see that coming until right before it did. Well done.

Not so much:
• Talk about making us wait! The paranormal aspect was not revealed until like the last third of the book. Not even a hint. I was happy once we knew something, but it was quite a wait.
• I would have liked a little more closure with the ending. I don't know if it was a little rushed or a little too open ended. Either way, I still have questions.

Overall: Another solid Kemmerer read.

[Jo]

2.5 Stars.

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

After loving Letters to the Lost and falling in love with Kemmerer's writing all over again, I picked up Thicker Than Water straight away. But now, having read it, I'm a little disappointed.

Not because the story was bad, it wasn't. I loved both Thomas and Charlotte, their individual voices and their chemistry together. I was intrigued by the mystery; who killed Thomas' mum, why did they, and how did they get into a locked house? But for a lot of the book, Thomas is arrested several times over, or Charlotte is hanging out with Thomas when her family - which includes three older brothers and a father who are all cops - warn her away from him, certain he murdered his mother. The book is told from both perspectives, so we, the readers, know Thomas didn't kill his mum, but Charlotte doesn't know that for definite, and she just keeps meeting up with him despite all she's told. It just seemed really stupid to me. I know Thomas was a good guy, but that doesn't excuse reckless behaviour from someone who doesn't. I know, if Charlotte didn't keep hanging out with Thomas, there wouldn't really be a story, but I just kept thinking, "What are you doing?!" Even more so given the fact that Charlotte is also diabetic, and with regards to her food intake and sugar levels, she's not as on the ball as she normally is when around him, and puts her health at risk.

Other than that, not a huge amount happens, not until pretty much the last 30% of the book. We find out a few things, and the story gets more interesting... and then all of a sudden, there is a huge climax 95% where we get our answers, and then the book ends. So abruptly! It just seemed so bizarre to me that there's nothing much happening for a great deal of the book, and then for everything to happen in the last 5%. Everything happens so fast, and then it ends. There are still unanswered questions. So many. And just behaviour at the end that I don't think was realistic. In spoilers, because I can't talk about it otherwise.


Knowing that Thomas is an empath, and can heighten emotions, why would either one of them want to be with the other? I mean, how do they know that what Charlotte feels is real? Thomas hasn't yet got control of what he can do, so how does he know he's just heightening a crush into something more? How could he be happy with that? How could Charlotte be happy with that possibility, that her emotions are being played with? It just doesn't feel right to me.

Also, even though Thomas was being controlled by his brother JB when he attacked Charlotte, Charlotte still has that memory of Thomas lying over her with his hands round her throat. It doesn't matter that he wasn't in control, that he wasn't doing it himself, it was still him strangling her. That's not something you're going to get over so quickly. I know four weeks go by in a matter of short chapters at the very end there, but to throw her arms around his neck the first time she sees him after? No. That's not realistic. Having someone almost kill her isn't something she is just going to get over and be perfectly fine being around the guy who did it, no matter the circumstances. That would affect her. But she is not affected. I'm not saying, when it comes to this particular issue only, that she shouldn't be with him, just that it would be a lot more realistic if they would take things pretty slow. Because that's a lot to have to deal with. But she's not.

And again, that just takes me to the point before - if she's not reacting in this realistic way, are her emotions being played with by Thomas unconsciously? It all just seems quite weird and it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Thomas, in my opinion, needs to do a lot of work on himself and his power before he gets close to anyone. And I think he's being irresponsible for allowing their relationship to continue when he hasn't got a handle on it yet.

Saying all that, the book is seriously creepy. That ending, though very fast and abrupt, was just so awful. It made me feel so uncomfortable. It was so disturbing! The book is left open, though, what with all the questions left unanswered, and with how things are left. So if this is just a stand alone novel, then I'm hugely disappointed - which, as things stand, it looks like it is. If there will be a sequel, I'd definitely give it a go, because I did love the characters, and I'm intrigued by what we learn at the end, but I would want a whole lot more to happen.

So yeah, I have mixed feelings. Which is really upsetting for me, because I was such a huge fan of The Elemental series. And I just feel awful for not loving a book as much as I'd like by an author I think is awesome. I am sad and disappointed.

Thank you to Kensington Books via NetGalley for the eProof.

[lizarodz]

3.5 Stars
Thicker Than Water was surprising to say the least! For whatever reason – maybe the cover? – I thought it was a NA story, but no, it’s YA. Also, it has a plot twist that I did not see coming at all. I can’t give anything away, but be aware that it’s coming for you. BAM!

On to the main characters. Thomas is an 18-year-old artist that lived in Baltimore with his mom, until she fell in love with a cop – Stan – and moved to the middle of nowhere to marry him. Tom is a bit resentful, but goes along since his mom is so happy. Until she’s found dead on her own bed. This is the center of the story since the whole town is sure that he killed his own mother. Only two people don’t think he’s guilty, Stan and Charlotte. Tom is heartbroken, alone in the world, everyone thing’s he’s guilty, he’s lost, and angry.

Charlotte is 17, pretty, diabetic and has three brothers that are cops. Oh, and her dad is a cop too. They are an overprotective bunch. They warn her to stay away from Tom, the prime suspect of his mom’s murder. She’s a good girl and has been raised to tend to the men, be feminine, polite, and let others take care of her. As you can imagine, she doesn’t like it much. I like that Charlotte didn’t want to fit in the mold that was prepared for her, that she knew she was confident and smart and knew how to take care of herself.

Honestly, I’m not sure what to think about Charlotte. I mean, everyone keeps telling her to stay away from Tom, but she seeks him over and over and over. She puts herself in impossible situations willingly and it drove me bananas. However, this might just be me projecting my inner mom :) There is romance in this book, but it’s kind of slow and a bit messed up. That’s all I’m saying.

The setting of Thicker Than Water is a small town in Maryland’s Eastern Shore and I always love that Kemmerer chooses Maryland as the setting for her novels since it’s all so very familiar to me. The plot of the story is complicated and twisty. At first it reads like a contemporary story – a mystery of the who-did-it type – then it turns into a paranormal murder mystery. As I said, I didn’t see that coming at all. I think that the author hid the clues very well because I was discovering all the clues together with Charlotte and Thomas.

Another thing that I liked about Thicker Than Water is that the parents, siblings and adults are present and prominent in the story. That’s refreshing to see in YA these days.

The ending was somewhat open and that’s one of my pet peeves. I’m not sure if this is a standalone or the first in a series. I hope is the latter because the ending was not satisfying at all.

Overall, Thicker Than Water was a surprising, intriguing and mysterious read, and I’m sorry that I have to be so vague about a few things, but you have to experience the twist for yourself.

[Eve1972]

This was just an OK read.

I generally stay away from YA books, but thought I'd give this one a go because of the mystery angle. I enjoyed the mystery part, and the twist was a little bit out of left field, but still OK. The romance part is where this book was a letdown. Maybe I was expecting to much for a YA book, but I really didn't feel any connection between the H/h.

I thought the author did a good job with Thomas's POV, I enjoyed him as a character a lot. Charlotte on the other hand came across as a little to perfect, and weak. I just couldn't connect with her character at all. Don't even get me started on how much I HATED her entire family. If her brothers were on the police force of my town, I'd seriously consider moving! Oy vay...

I also think it ended rather abruptly, so I am wondering if there is a second book planned?

So over all, the mystery was decent, the romance lacked feeling, but it was an OK read!

[Kelly]

3.5 Stars.
Thicker Than Water wasn't at all what I had expected. Intense, sultry and enjoyable for the most part. From the first few pages I gathered it was little more than a typical young adult contemporary but of course well written and engaging. Sweet, small town girl falls for the new bad boy in town, he's the town pariah and she wants to rescue his soul. They fall in love, he changes his ways and they live happily ever after. Thicker Than Water isn't that book. It's a complex contemporary blended with a paranormal romance that felt darker than another teen read, Although certain aspects left me a little underwhelmed, I enjoyed it.

Thomas isn't a bad boy but he's the only suspect in a murder investigation after his mother is found slain in her bed. Having been married to the quiet and awkward Stan only a week prior, Thomas and his new stepfather are both at odds without the woman who was both their common link. While Stan isn't sure how to relate to a teenage boy, he's patient and kind which is more than Thomas and his attitude deserve at the moment. The relationship between Thomas and Charlotte was incredibly intense and both clearly attracted to the other but not willing to act on those feelings. Due to her overbearing family, Thomas felt that Charlotte couldn't be trusted and luring him into a confession on behalf of her brothers while Charlotte continued to second guess Thomas and whether or not he killed his own mother.

Although I did enjoy the romance somewhat, their connection didn't feel genuine beyond their physical attraction. I found Charlotte's character unremarkable and bland, her feelings towards Thomas felt more as though he was little more than a stage of her teen rebellion. She was determined to seek out Thomas at every opportunity, knowing her older siblings had threatened Thomas, Charlotte is still willing to endanger his life. The paranormal twist did explain the reasoning behind why Charlotte was drawn to Thomas, it was introduced far too late within the storyline to try to reconnect to the characters.

The paranormal element was surprising and felt almost like a quick fix to wrap up the storyline sadly. It flowed wonderfully as a contemporary and despite not being able to connect to the characters, the reveal left me feeling annoyed and frustrated.

Although enjoyable, Thicker Than Water felt as though something was missing. It lacked an emotional connection and the paranormal elements were awkward and felt more like an afterthought than part of the storyline. Readers desperately need a sequel to understand the paranormal aspect of Thomas' life and not a bizarre solution to wrap up the storyline. It was wonderfully written but would have preferred a contemporary, rather than the strange paranormal it ended up being.

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

Quite honestly, I thought most of this book was ridiculous. For various reasons. I'm incredibly disappointed because even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the finale, Kemmerer's Elementals series was really enjoyable for me, and I was excited to see what she came out with next. Thicker Than Water, however, was such a disappointment.

I love a good murder mystery, and Thicker Than Water started out as an intriguing one. The main character's mother is murdered and the MC is a suspect. Sounds good, right? But unfortunately it wasn't executed well at all.

My biggest issue with this book is that, once again, Kemmerer has a legion of male characters and less than a handful of females. This was a thing in the Elementals series as well, wherein the four brothers are really the main characters of the series and the female characters are "just" the love interests. This didn't bother me in the beginning, but by the final book I started to get a bit fed up. But in that series, the brothers lived together and so it was understandable that they were around more. In Thicker Than Water, the female main character has a bunch of brothers as well, and hardly any female friends. She has one that I can recall, but we get hardly any scenes with them together. It was all about Thomas and Charlotte, rather than Charlotte as an individual.

So that annoyed me, and then there's a twist towards the end that really threw me for a loop. I didn't sign up for that.

Thicker Than Water is very much more of the same, which is a shame because I was looking forward to seeing Kemmerer branch out a bit more with her writing and stories. I'm glad it's not a series (yet?) because I'm not sure I could handle more of this story that I would feel obligated to read.