A great story made up of many stories with many different characters whose lives intersect. An illustration of how we only know people as they portray themselves, not knowing what’s beneath the skin.

The Blurb :
Three women. Three secrets.
Antonia is beautiful and happily married. Her life is perfect. So why does she hurt herself when nobody’s watching?
Sophie is witty, smart and married to the best-looking man in town. She likes a drink, but who doesn’t?
Olivia is pretending to be a happy wife and mother. But her secret could tear her family apart.
Their lies start small, they always do. But if they don’t watch out, the consequences will be deadly

My Thoughts :
I like the cover on this book, althought it is quiet plain and doesnt tell you much it kind of calls to you to read me.
The story centres around the lives of four couples. It tells us of their lives and their darkest secrets. Caroline England has a great writing style and keeps us on the edge of our seats throughout the book as everything is revealed slowly. The story weaves around a bit but it works well. The charactors are brought to life as she reveals their personalities and deepest secrets.
Its hard to not give away any spoilers in this review so I am trying to keep it basic.
Looking forward to the next book by Caroline England, who im sure is an Author to watch out for.

Having just finished this book I'm left wondering what genre it fits. Caroline England writes a good story and I feel that its a woman's fiction novel.
Four couples who all have secrets as individuals, betrayal, corruption, self harm, lies plenty to keep the reader interested. Although the main secret is revealed at the end I feel the rest of the story was left unfinished.
Slightly disappointing.

This book was completely different to what I was expecting. I thought I would be reading a thriller but I'm not sure that I would put it in that category. This is a slow burn story that makes you want to keep reading I think it made me reflect on how common it is to make assumptions about other people without knowing the truth. I am not sure all the characters were very likeable, although this is not always necessary but overall I enjoyed the book and would certainly read future books by this author.

Once in a while you come a across a debut author and think, wow, how can this be a debut it is so well written. This is one of those books. Caroline England will be a name to turn to in years to come if this is anything to go by.
Beneath the Skin is a book that does exactly that, it draws you in with its flawed characters and complex relationships. It is a lesson in not making assumptions about other people, the secrets we all have and the lengths we go to hide them.
I wouldn't class this as a psychological thriller but a domestic noir and I totally recommend it.

I just couldn’t get into this book at all. Sorry.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Caroline England for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Three women. Three secrets.
‘Antonia, Antonia. My name is Antonia.’
It’s been her name for many years. But sometimes, like tonight, she forgets.
Antonia has a secret. A secret so dark and so deep that she can barely admit it to herself. Instead, she treats herself to Friday night sessions of self-harm while her husband David is at the pub, and her best friend Sophie is drinking too much wine a few doors down.
Nobody close to her knows the truth about what the teenage Antonia saw all those years ago. No-one, that is, except her mother. But Candy is in a care home now, her mind too addled to remember the truth. Antonia is safe. Isn’t she?
Antonia is beautiful and happily married. Her life is perfect. So why does she hurt herself when nobody’s watching?
Sophie is witty, smart and married to the best-looking man in town. She likes a drink, but who doesn’t?
Olivia is pretending to be a happy wife and mother. But her secret could tear her family apart.
Their lies start small, they always do. But if they don’t watch out, the consequences will be deadly. And then what’s going to happen?
I enjoyed this book even though it wasn’t what I thought it would be. The writing is good, the characters are believable. 4*

I'm sorry but I couldn't get into this book to my disappointment.

I thought that this book was absolutely thrilling and haven’t hesitated to give it 5 stars!!  The story centres around the lives of four couples – their lives and their deepest, darkest and potentially explosive secrets – the writing style used is excellent and the story weaves it’s way around brilliantly.  You can see the thought used when writing this and for me that made it more than just another main stream psychological thriller.  The characters are complex, some you’ll like, most you might want to hate but that is what makes this story so great – that for me the characters were believable and it is that which makes the plot work so well!! – I really enjoyed this one and can share with you an exclusive extract from the book below – enjoy!!

This book was completely different to what I was expecting. I thought I would be reading a thriller but I'm not sure that I would put it in that category.

This story follows the lives of four different couples, all friends either through childhood or marriage, all with their own issues and secrets and how their actions affect each other's lives. The characters are well written and complex, and honestly not very likable but they are believable which makes up for that.

This is a slow burn story that keeps you turning the page to find out what is going to happen. Very thought provoking and makes you realise how easy it is to make assumptions about other people without knowing the truth.

Overall a very good read and a great debut. I will definitely be looking out for more of this authors work in the future.

Antonia is a bit of a mystery from the start. We know she sometimes forgets her real name and that she suffers deep emotional pain associated with her earlier life, so much so that she self- harms. The opening scene of her secretly doing this in the bath allows the reader to be hooked in from the start.

Essentially there are 4 couples central to this story. They all have complex back stories that steadily emerge as the story is told. Less thriller and more a dark character drama that has complicated emotional twists and an impressive prose. It is essentially about the secrets people sometimes live with and keep hidden so deeply that even their spouses and friends don’t reveal them.

There is good background tension throughout the book, with the impending sense of a deep reveal. As all the characters have secrets no one tends to probe too deeply about each other’s pasts so that they don’t put themselves in a position where they need to say more than they really want to. But it makes for a not particularly happy life and makes much of their relationships superficial.

When Antonia’s husband dies in a car crash more starts to emerge and buried secrets come to the surface with an unusual reveal, but not necessarily the twist that I was anticipating. So in some sense the outcome is a surprise.

This is an impressive debut - the writing being of a high resonating quality, and the emotionally element delves quite deeply to keep it compelling. The thriller tag is somewhat misleading, but think that a number of readers will be suitably impressed with the writing and story to follow Caroline’s next writing endeavours.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Caroline England, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

No-one remembers your past. But you do. ‘Antonia, Antonia. My name is Antonia.’ It’s been her name for many years. But sometimes, like tonight, she forgets. Antonia has a secret. A secret so dark and so deep that she can barely admit it to herself. Instead, she treats herself to Friday night sessions of self-harm while her husband David is at the pub, and her best friend Sophie is drinking too much wine a few doors down. Nobody close to her knows the truth about what the teenage Antonia saw all those years ago. No-one, that is, except her mother. But Candy is in a care home now, her mind too addled to remember the truth. Antonia is safe. Isn’t she? The lies start small. They always do. But when the tightly woven story you’ve told yourself begins to unravel, the truth threatens to come to the surface. And then what’s going to happen?

BENEATH THE SKIN by Caroline England is a beautifully written debut novel, but I wouldn't consider this to be a thriller. To me, this was more of a captivating character drama, as it delves into themes like secrets, family issues, and identity. This book definitely has a slow-burning plot, so if you're looking for a quick, exciting, fast-paced read, then you picked up the wrong book. But where this book lacks excitement, it has character depth, relationship turmoil, and wonderful prose. However, England never quite makes it to the point where you feel for the characters. Perhaps that was her intent. This book read more like a wreck I couldn't put down than an all-consuming story I didn't want to put down. If you enjoy fiction that have literary undertones, you'd enjoy this one. 3.5 stars.

I couldn’t make up mind whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. I decided on 3 due its misdescription as a psychological thriller. Because there’s no thriller element in it, as far as I could see. Intrigue aplenty, and a gripping storyline, but that doesn’t make it a thriller. It’s a twisty story wrapped up in the lives of four couples and the secrets they hold about themselves and each other. The main story revolves around the beautiful but aloof Antonia, who is not what she appears to be. In fact, all the women in this story are liars in some form or another, which makes for an engaging read as their lies are revealed and their impact on others understood.

I enjoyed the way the story flickered between the eight characters and their thoughts and actions. This format kept it interesting and the chapters were nice and short, so the pace was good. However, a key storyline was left hanging in mid-air at the end. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t resolved as, for me, that storyline was more interesting than Antonia’s!

I found Antonia to be too remote to identify with and Sophie was too horrible to empathise with. I don’t think someone like that would have any friends at all. Olivia seemed quite normal, but we didn’t really get to know her. I found it hard to believe that these people were, in fact, friends, which then marred the story for me a little. However, the plotline was very believable and kept me reading up to the neat twist at the end. Except... except, I really wanted to know about the baby!

I have to admit this was a bit hard for me to read and really get into because the subject matter of suicide is so prominent which in my family is something of an open wound that never really heals.

Aside from that there were so many secrets and ties between the characters I felt like I needed to get a dry erase board out to create a circular flow diagram to keep it all organized. With all the secrets and behind the scenes connections it really made me think of the tv series I recently finished watching Big Little Lies as it has more of a drama feel than a standard psychological thriller.

In some ways it feels like a three act play; character set up, narrative confrontation and finally the resolution which ties up those pesky questions posed when the action finally started to heat up in the middle.

Though this seems like it’s a story about Antonia we have these other couples whose relationships are all interconnected so their behaviors and decisions cause ripple effects in each other’s lives. We aren’t spoon fed enough information to necessarily understand why the characters do the things they do so the reader is often left having to make their own assumptions.

This is both good and bad. It can be irritating if you like knowing everything but on the flip side all the holes will stop you from figuring out the end game too quickly. Just when you think you finally have a handle on things, the author throws in some curveballs making you question where you thought the story was headed.

Told from multiple perspectives and with a slow pace it took some time to get into it so I can see people who need that quick adrenaline rush having problems with this. Lovers of character focused dramas though will have a field day.

It’s definitely a marathon to the thrills not a sprint but it’ll be worth it once you get to that conclusion which isn’t going to be erased from your memory any time soon.

What a good psychological thriller. The plot has many twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Couldn't put this book down. Recommend to readers who enjoy a good thriller.

Summary from Goodreads:

"No-one remembers your past. But you do.

‘Antonia, Antonia. My name is Antonia.’
It’s been her name for many years. But sometimes, like tonight, she forgets.
Antonia has a secret. A secret so dark and so deep that she can barely admit it to herself. Instead, she treats herself to Friday night sessions of self-harm while her husband David is at the pub, and her best friend Sophie is drinking too much wine a few doors down.
Nobody close to her knows the truth about what the teenage Antonia saw all those years ago. No-one, that is, except her mother. But Candy is in a care home now, her mind too addled to remember the truth. Antonia is safe. Isn’t she?
The lies start small. They always do. But when the tightly woven story you’ve told yourself begins to unravel, the truth threatens to come to the surface. And then what’s going to happen?"

My Thoughts:

Beneath the Skin is one of those books that I won't be forgetting about any time soon. It was both haunting and page turning while being completely unexpected. I requested this book based off of the above description and that gorgeous cover. This book is being billed as a psychological thriller and I kinda of disagree with that description. I found that this book was more of an interconnected drama - not sure if that is the best description really but I didn't really find that this book was a thriller. It was instead this compelling read that I couldn't put down. It's funny because it is almost hard to describe this book. The story is about Antonia but it is also about these other couples and how their lives all intersect with one another in different ways. The way the book is written we as the readers don't always understand the motivations behind each character's actions. There are questions here and there that leave you wondering. And there are certain events that turn everything on its head in regards to where you think the story is heading. I found myself unable to stop reading or thinking about this book. It was just so good and so readable!

One thing that I found surprising about this book was how connected I found myself to it. I don't always enjoy books where I don't particularly like any of the characters. There was just something about them all though that drew me in and made me want to read their story. I wanted everything to work out for them even when I knew that it might not. Antonia was especially hard to read or understand but yet I really liked her character. I'm telling you that compelling describes this book the best. The ending of this book was definitely one that I won't be forgetting about any time soon. It's books like this that leave you thinking about them long after you've finished. Even now I'm still mulling over things that happened and questions that the author left unanswered. I'm really looking forward to reading other reader's thoughts on this book! I need to discuss this one!

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this book and found myself unable to put it down. I'm really looking forward to reading more by this author. It was really good even though it wasn't what I originally expected it to be. I think I enjoyed it more because it wasn't a thriller but instead was something a bit more. It was different and sometimes that is even more enjoyable because I need that change of pace when the majority of the books I read are mysteries or thrillers. I can't say enough good things so I will just leave you with this: highly recommended!

Bottom Line: A compelling read that I couldn't get enough of!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

This book had my attention from the getgo. Three couples all with secrets and how that can. complicate relationships.. Wonderfully written. I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you for letting me read and review it.

Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Antonia has a secret, a secret she has never told anyone and it causes her to cut herself on Friday nights when her husband is at the pub and her best friend is drinking. It turns out that Antonia isn't the only that has secrets. Sophie is hiding things as well, and so is her husband David and her other friend Olivia.

David is driven to commit suicide, which leads to Antonia coming clean about the self-harm to Mike, who is Olivia's husband. Sophie drives Antonia away after learning that she called her husband to discuss things with him. Sophie thinks that they slept together because she knows that Sami has been cheating.

Mike and Antonia struggle with an attraction, but when Antonia finds out about the baby Olivia is carrying she shuts the fledgling attraction down before anything else happens and before she comes clean about any other secrets. Soon all of the little lies come to head in a tragic manner.

This was a bit of a mystery but it felt more like Big Little Lies than a thriller. It is also a bit of a slow burn, it told from several different perspectives and it took me a while to get into it. On some levels, none of the characters are particularly likable, but the story is compelling once you set aside expectations for a thrilling mystery.

I think one of it's more compelling aspects is that guilt and little lies can turn into so much more. I know that is cryptic, but I hate spoilers so that's all your getting from me. So stick it out and once the story starts coming together it is totally worth it in the end.

A slow burner at first but leads into a good novel . Written following four couples. Friends either by choice as they grew up or thrust on them by marriage. What they do have in common is secrets. Lots of them.

I found it a little tricky at first to keep up with who is who as their is paragraphs per character vs chapters but once you get to figure out who is who and the style of writing you get swept into the story and the development of each of these characters.