Beneath the Skin is a gripping book from debut author, Caroline England. It is a brilliant, character driven drama that will keep you hooked from page one.

We focus on the lives of a group of characters and the book is told from their perspectives. Each character is very well developed and they all have their own sets of issues which play out in the book, the one thing that binds them all is that they all have secrets. I didn’t find any of the characters in the book particularly likable but I was keen to find out more about them as the story progressed.

The plot of the book is very hard to talk about without giving anything away so I won’t say anymore here as I don’t want to spoil it but there were some surprising twists and turns along the way. Parts of the novel I did find a little slow but I raced through the last quarter of the book and I found the final revelations surprising.

When I first started reading I did find the storyline hard to follow at first, particularly as it was jumping from one perspective to the other and to different times as well, but once I knew who everyone was and what problems they were facing in their lives it made for a very enjoyable read.

If you’re looking for a character driven drama full of plenty of intriguing characters then this is the book for you. Overall, a very good read, I’m sure I’ll be looking out for more from Caroline in the future. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

A mixture of couples all with issues. Some in the past, some in the present and some that are going to cause issues in the future. David has forgotten something that he is responsible for at work. Forgotten because he has used the funds for it for something else. Antonia has new name but can’t forget her past especially as her demented elderly mother keeps reminding her of her past identity. Stones and ripples-how one thing can affect another and other people. A throw away comment that cuts to the quick, a compliment that you remember for years afterwards.To me not a psychological thriller as there wasn’t a key mystery as such- just lots of people with their own secrets not all of which were unfurled. A very well written book with characters that came alive. An interesting premise, a complicated web, a different read.I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

If you enjoy a deep and complex character story this one is for you, if you are a plot riven reader this one may not suit. It starts off slow for those of us who are more plot driven, but you get a lot of depth on the characters and understanding of all the players before it really takes off. Give it a chance just know that it takes a little while to get more gripping.

Beneath the Skin is billed as a thriller and whilst I wouldn’t say it lives up to the thriller title per se, it’s a very clever book. It follows the lives of a number of friends who all have secrets it seems.

This book is well written but there is a lot going on and quite often I had to remind myself which character that particular part of the story was about. Having said that, the book did keep my interest to the end and I did enjoy it. I would give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and he author for the chance to review.

This is certainly not as it is described as psychological thriller.
The story line is good though with a lot of character interaction it is sometimes hard to keep up with who is who.. An intriguing read but due to the description I was expecting something completely different.

What are the dark secrets you bury beneath your skin?

Four couples, intersected by friendship and work, carry the weight of secrets and lies. The opening starts off with the tease of a suspenseful thriller and creates a great hook. We meet Antonia in a bathtub taunting her body with a razor blade. We later learn of a group of friends, some married with children, fumbling through their lives with heavy psychological burdens.

The characters are plentiful however each has a distinct personality and relationships with their partners and with each other. The couple, Antonia, and Dave are the envy, a housewife, and a solicitor with a life replete with wealth. However, it is all pretense in a marriage undercut by deceit by Antonia's past and Dave's lie of omission. Sophie, Antonia's childhood friend, is married to Sami, prays on Antonia's good nature and generosity. Sami and Sophie struggle with IVF, a longing for a family of their own. Strong-willed Olivia berates Mike for being an absentee husband and father, their lives shifting with the chaos of children. Mike's wears his vulnerability on his sleeve and is endearing. Lastly, Charlie is a partner at a law firm and has been hiding his health issues from his wife. But Helen has other arrangements at hand. All these relationships are crumbling under the tension of mistakes, unfulfilled dreams, and promises kept and broken. Although the characters are well developed, they often fall into deep reminiscence and conversation in their head, blurring past from present. These transitions are not seamless and are disruptive to the flow of the narrative.

The novel plays out in three parts. In the first, the characters are set up. The second part of the narrative starts close to the half-way point, and the story takes off. The third part will tie up some loose ends.

Beneath the Skin is marketed as a suspense story but in reality, it is a more of a psychological portrayal, of families, relationships, and human nature. As we progress through the narrative, we learn of past and present of all the characters, until a twist at the end that is unpredictable and emotional. The narrative is at times beautifully written, but the character-driven aspect of the novel leaves it less rounded.

Although the story was entrancing, it was challenging to read. I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy character dramas.

Thank you, NetGalley, Avon Books UK, and Caroline England for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The description on this book sounds so mysterious that I had as thrilled when I received it however I was very disappointed after trying very hard to get past the first five chapters. I felt like there were way to many character point of views being told all at once and on each chapter it would have helped being told who's point of view it had changed to because in not doing so even each paragraph the character's change and it all starts getting muddled and frankly aggravating. The characters all seem annoying and whiny with their problems and the first part of it just drones on about that definitely one star for me sadly.

This was about 4 different couples and all of their secrets. The description made it sound as if Antonia's secret past was going to come up in the present, but it didn't really. I thought it would be more of a suspenseful book. It was also hard to follow sometimes. For example, there would be a part of the Olivia/Mike story where Olivia was angry with Mike for something that hadn't been described in book, when they had left off happy with one another, and I'd be wondering if I missed something until I got to Mike's side where he recalled what happened that had her angry. That happened a few times, and it was kind of jarring. It wasn't a bad story, but I didn't really enjoy the book. The characters were mostly unlikable and I found myself wanting to be finished with it. I enjoyed it more in the second half, but overall I would only give it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Beneath the Skin is a beautifully written debut - once again though I have to say I think it is slightly misleading in it's marketing I would not call it a thriller, psychological or not. If you are expecting what has become the "norm" for psychological thrillers it is possible you would be disappointed - Beneath the Skin is carefully considered, genuinely absorbing character drama. All the people in this novel have secrets, there I guess is where the tag comes from, but that is very much secondary to the beautifully layered relationships and study of human nature.

It was a slow burner, with a group dynamic vibe that looks at the lives of several couples, friends, confidante's - and looks at what they keep from each other and from themselves. I wouldn't say any of them are particularly lovable but for me that made it all the more interesting. Caroline England is a wonderfully intuitive writer, her characters come to life on the page and she explores their inner and outer personalities with razor sharp intelligence.

Beneath the Skin for me was a literary beauty - my only slight bugbear is that I didn't feel that we ended up with the whole story. The central "mystery" if you like, that of Antonia, came to an emotional resolution, but there were a few things left hanging in the ether - There is a lot of information here, a lot of characters in the mix and many intriguing levels, some of which were left behind. But overall a really great read.

I look forward to more from this author - a genuine talent.

Firstly this book was not what I expected at all. I thought I was going to read about a woman (Antonia) with a secret and the lengths she would go to in order to keep said secret hidden. In fact, Antonia's secret is a very small part of the book, and the unravelling that is mentioned in the blurb never really happens.

Instead this book is what I would loosely refer to as a domestic noir. There are 4 couples whose lives intersect in various ways. As the reader we see the characters through the eyes of the other characters so don't always know what the truth is. Antonia is perhaps the most detailed character, David the one I knew the least about. None of the characters are particularly likeable, apart from Mike and Charlie, indeed some are intensely dislikable, but all have qualities or characteristics that I could recognise. One chapter that worked really well for me in this book is where the characters are all (or nearly all) at the wake, when Antonia mingles amongst the mourners and picks up snippets of conversation here and there. some of my suspicions seemed to be confirmed at this point, but only as I got to the end of the book did I realise that as the reader I had made assumptions in the same way that the characters had.
The first part of the book did drag somewhat, perhaps in part because I felt mislead by the blurb. At times it became a little confusing, and there were a lot of characters to remember. The second half of the book was a quicker read as secrets started to come to light and the ending of the book is quite shocking, even upsetting.

I used to live in the area in which the book is set. The characters were well written and fitted into their respective niches perfectly.

This is a compelling and, at times, thought-provoking read. Who, after all, knows who any of us are "beneath the skin"? Who knows where our actions - impulsive or deeply premeditated - will lead? Some of the characters certainly find out - to their cost.

I felt that a number of questions were left unanswered at the end of the book - perhaps there will be a sequel? If not I hope that the author fills in the gaps in an interview at some point.

Will look out for this author again. An impressive debut.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for my honest review.

Excellent book - Great characters and plot. I would highly recommend this book.

A gripping read with lots of lies, webs of deceit, secrets and misunderstandings between couples which lead to devastating consequences. Antonia, the main character, has a secret from her teenage years and only her best friend Sophie knows. I did guess this but the way it's written the book had me reading long into the night. Recommended.

Don’t believe every thing you read. That’s the best advice I can give you when reading this book where up is down and right is wrong. Antonia is the product of something terrible that happened to her years before when she was a teen. Having never fully recovered, she self harms to give herself some semblance of control. The only person who might be able to shatter Antonia’s fragile self control is her mother, and she’s hospitalized and drugged to within an inch of her life. Be prepared to pay close attention to the twists and turns in this story so you’ll understand what’s really happened