Brigid Kemmerer

When Thomas Bellweather is framed for his mother's murder, the only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, whose friend was murdered similarly twenty years ago, and both investigate to find answers that may get them killed.

Thicker Than Water

Jessica Guht

So I couldn't put this book down, but I don't really know how I feel about it. Things got weird at the end, and got very magical even though I didn't think the book was like that.

It was still a good story though, and the lunch date will forever be my favorite part, I was grinning during the entirety of that scene.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

3.5 stars

Initial reaction: Hmm… well, that was TOTALLY different than I expected.

I really enjoyed this book, yet there were a few parts that kind of threw me for a loop. Let’s discuss, shall we?

Thicker than Water is told through the perspective of two teens. First, we have Thomas, who has recently lost his mother to strangulation. Because he had the awful privilege of finding her, he is the town’s prime suspect. Secondly, we have Charlotte, who is surrounded by police officer. Her father and three brothers are all cops, all over protective, and all very powerful in the town. Thomas and Charlotte meet at Thomas’ mother’s funeral. For some reason, Charlotte is drawn to Thomas, and he’s thankful to have someone on his side. Charlotte is the only one in the town who believes Thomas is innocent and truly wants to befriend him. Together they attempt to figure why his mother was murdered, and by whom.

“Loneliness is a funny disease. You don’t realize how badly you’re infected until someone gives you a shot of contentment — and then it wears off.”

So I have to put this out there, and it’s a little difficult to discuss in depth because of spoilers… but this book really messed with my head a bit. It basically switched genres mid-story. The first part of the story read as a contemporary. I was thoroughly enjoyed it… then BAM! A paranormal twist. I won’t go into details, as I said, because of spoilers… but the major switch caught me off guard and caused my excitement level over this story to drop quite a bit.

There was a lot I thoroughly enjoyed in this story. I really liked Thomas. He was broken, shattered, lost… but very realistic. I really felt for him. He found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time more than once… at times a little too coincidental… but I thoroughly enjoyed his chapters. Charlotte, surrounded some many over-protective police officers, had a bit of a rebellious side, and I liked seeing that. I was surrounded by brothers growing up as well, and I can definitely understand how sometimes you’re made to feel like you can’t do anything without help or supervision. Charlotte’s spunk had me routing for her, even when it came to her making not-so-smart decisions.

Overall, I really liked this story. It kept my attention and was intense, suspenseful, and definitely interesting. My only issues with it were, as I mentioned earlier, the genre switch, as well as the ending. It left quite a few questions unanswered. I checked several times to see if this was going to be a series, as it ended on a note that could definitely lead to more… but nope. It’s a standalone. Because of that, I felt the ending needed a bit more to really satisfy me. Overall, a solid story that I liked quite a bit. This is my first Brigid Kemmerer book, but I’ll definitely be checking out more of her work in the future.

(Thanks to Kensington Books for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

I’m a huge fan of Brigid Kemmerer’s Elemental series, so I was excited at the thought of reading a new book of hers! Thicker Than Water is a little different than the Elemental series, since it reads like a contemporary book right until near the end. It’s a fantastic, well-written story with relatable characters and a suspenseful mystery surrounding them. I really enjoyed this new book of Brigid Kemmerer’s and I’m hoping there will be more!

Thomas Bellweather and his newlywed mother have only moved to a new town for a short while before Thomas’s mother ends up murdered… and everyone thinks Thomas did it. Even at his mother’s funeral, there are glares and accusing looks at Thomas, especially from the police. It seems like everyone’s out against him, all but Charlotte Rooker, who he meets at the funeral. She doesn’t seem to suspect him like everyone else, but with her three cop brothers, Thomas needs to stay away from her, no matter how pretty and relatable she seems to be.

I felt so bad for Thomas – my heart went out to him from the very first page. Not only is he devastated over his mother’s death, the only family member he had, but he’s also accused of her murder. He just can’t catch a break, and the only time he feels calm is with Charlotte, but even she brings trouble with her overprotective cop family. I really liked Thomas’s character (Brigid Kemmerer writes the male POV SO well) but Charlotte took me a while to warm up to. I didn’t like how her family kind of walked all over her and she didn’t really do anything about it. She does grow to have a spine, so I eventually grew to like her more.

The mystery in this book was so well-written! I had no idea what to expect, and the plot was unpredictable. You can really feel the suspense in this novel as Thomas and Charlotte find clues and information regarding the murder. There was also a little romance in the book, but the main focus was definitely the mystery.

Thicker Than Water is written in both Thomas and Charlotte’s POV, and I have to say again, the author’s writing is fantastic. It’s compelling and the way she writes her characters makes them feel authentic and understandable to the reader. I would definitely recommend this for the writing, and if you’re a fan of Brigid Kemmerer, you don’t want to miss this new release. Now I’m very much hoping for a sequel, because the ending left me curious for more!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1MUWVpI
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1SAZOTJ

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Thicker Than Water

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