My main interest in this book was stemmed from the fact that I had seen it compared to E. Lockhart's "We Were Liars", which is a book I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, this one fell kind of flat for me and I found myself disapointed. This book was a lot darker than I expected for a YA book.

I love books with strong characters and connections and I unfortunately did not really feel that with these characters. Jo seemed very bland for someone who was supposed to be "stealing identities". It is told from Jo's POV which was all very odd. I think it would have been better as duel POV and getting to see some of the story from the POV of her adopted sister, Temple.

The story had big secrets that were revealed over time and involves a lot of manipulation. The pacing seemed unbalanced and I struggled with getting through some parts. I personally just felt like a lot of the plot points just fell flat for me and happened too suddenly. I had a feeling that towards the end a lot was left out or missing. While the ending was the easiest part to get through it felt slightly confusing and incomplete.

It was a suspenseful strange read that there is definitely an audience for, I just do not think that was me.

3.5 stars

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy.

After really enjoying Kim Savage's BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS, I knew I wanted to read more of her books. IN HER SKIN is another young adult novel with a mysterious feel. Readers follow Jo Chastain, a teenager who lives in tent city yet longs for a family after her mother was murdered. Jo takes a liking to the pretty girl named Temple that she sees at the library. When she discovers that Temple's childhood best friend has been missing for nine years, she decided to pull off her greatest con yet and assume the role of Vivian Weir.

At first, Jo's plan works well. Temple's family takes her in without a second thought. Plus, they are extremely wealthy and provide her with everything she could ever need. Yet something is not quite right, and soon Jo feels trapped in what she thought would be her safe haven.

I really enjoyed IN HER SKIN. It's written in the second person, with readers taking on the character of Temple. Although I did predict the twist easily, I felt the pace to be compelling. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen!

Moreover, I loved that the book is set in Boston. IN HER SKIN actually gave me some places in the city to explore. I must visit the library when I get a chance! I even had a laugh when the courthouse I visit for work was mentioned by name.

My main critique with IN HER SKIN, on the other hand, is that the ending felt quite abrupt and left some key details out. I'm fine with an open-ending, which Savage also employed in BEAUTIFUL BROKEN GIRLS, but here it felt rushed. Nonetheless, I highly enjoyed this book and found it entertaining. I look forward to reading more from Savage in the future.

Jolene is a 16-year-old girl on the streets and she’s tired of it. She just wants a safe, warm home and a family. She decides to impersonate a missing girl from a rich family and becomes Vivi Weir. What starts off as a dream come true for Jo turns into something that may be even more dangerous than living on the streets. This story was intriguing and I loved the plot but it dragged a lot at times. Regardless, totally worth the read.

This book has been on my TBR list for a while and some how kept getting pushed to the side until recently. Finally decided to pick this book and I will say that I ending up loving it. It was just what I needed right now after coming across a book I didn't enjoy usually I end up in a slump but this book got me out of it. I loved getting to know the characters. Watching the mystery unfold of what happens to the read Vive was an interesting experience. There was family secrets, lies, cons and so much going on that there was never a dull moment. I just really enjoyed this book so much highly recommend if you enjoy a good mystery thriller.

This was a roller coaster ride of a book. I honestly had no idea where the story was going and what really happened. I read it a long time ago and I'm still stunned by it all. I loved how it was written and how it kept me on the end of my seat. It was a highly addictive read and I loved how Boston was used almost as a character in the story. That ending though. Man!

A psychological thriller filled with mystery and intrigue, In Her Skin will leave you on the edge of your seat.

This is Savage's third book to date and possibly her best one. I've purposely read all of Savage's books through the years because there is something about her writing that leaves you questioning everything. In Her Skin went beyond anything she's done before. She brings to life Jolene's twisted past to converge with a new one that is darker than I would have ever expected.

"I am Vivienne Weir. I am Vivienne Weir. I am Vivienne. Three times make it so."

Jolene Chastain has been conning others most of her life. Thanks in part to the wisdom of her now deceased mother, Jolene has the skill to become another person. Her unique observational skills allow her to analyze what makes a person tick. When she decides to become Vivienne, a girl who went missing at age nine, she becomes eclipsed in the world of the Lovecrafts who provide a safe home and a family she desperately needs. But not is all right in the world of the Lovecrafts. After all, when a rich family welcomes you into their world so willingly... so quickly, there is bound to be secrets they have kept hidden from the world. And if Jolene stumbles on to them, who knows what dangers she could get herself into?

Jolene's background story really shows off why she is willing to con her way in the Lovecrafts lives. She's lived her life with a drug addict mom who doesn't choose the best boyfriends. She later finds herself living in the city streets being protected by a boy named Wolf with his own troubles. She leaves that world behind and dives into the role of Vivi, observing her new family to become the Vivi they remember. With a magnetic personality, Temple Lovecraft becomes someone that Jolene wants to know. Temple's air of mystery and rebellious attitude leaves Jolene with so many questions and willing to tag along on her adventures.

You know a book is good when you are giving the rundown to a loved one, detailing the story every time you take a breather. That's what I was doing with my dad. I could tell by the end of it, he became invested in the story like I was. Maybe not to my crazy extreme, but it's hard to match my love for this story.

All my emotions flooded out of me when the story was over. I couldn't believe it. It was just too good. And that particular ending made me happy because it was a lot clearer than I think Savage's other books have been. I've always had that wtf moment at the end of her books but there was also a confusion. Now a mystery thriller not being a hundred percent clear can make things fun because it always leads you questioning what was real and what's not. But I feel like In Her Skin's case, the ending was presented in the best possible way.

In Her Skin had multiple avenues it could have played out and two storylines that could have been explored more like with Wolf for instance. He had a tragic backstory and I couldn't wait to get to know him but it never came. It is Jolene's story but I was still hoping that I would get to know him. The other storyline that could have been explored was something from Jolene's past which could have been really interesting as well.

The parts that I enjoyed the most were the characters and constant guessing. There was obviously some very shady things going on within the family. Things kept building up and building up. All that buildup left me gasping and later on screaming at the "reveal." Truly one of the most heart pounding moments I've read in a book in a long time.

Jolene herself is a desperate creature. She has such a messed up past that has shaped her into being simultaneously helpless in certain situations and calculated in others. Her thoughts are so freaky. She constantly talks about being in "your" skin. I became empathetic with her situation and wanted her to succeed but with a tale like this, could she? I'll admit her motives at times didn't sit right with me. However, I think that's the whole point of the story.

In Her Skin is a story that stays with you. A heart pounding psychological thriller, In Her Skin is a story you don't want to miss!

I am always game to try a new YA mystery and/or thriller. I had heard good things about this author so when I had the opportunity to join the blog tour for this one I thought I would take advantage of my desire to read the author and give it a try. This was a really unique thriller and I did enjoy it but it wasn't one that blew me away.

One of the things that I did love about this book is the tension. When you are reading a thriller this is definitely what you want, you want to be thrilled. You want a book that is tense and leave you curious and questioning. That's exactly what this book did. It kept you wondering what was going to happen next, when the other shoe was going to drop, and when the con was all going to go south. Because of that I kept reading in the hopes of something crazy and intense happening. It kept me engaged and reading because of that.

That being said, the plot here was not exactly what I was hoping for. It was interesting and it did keep me curious, but it never really delivered on any of the anticipation for me. I think my biggest frustration what the plot however was that it was so basic. This is a short read, which is fine, but I wanted more depth. I've read some short reads that were jam-packed but this wasn't one of them. The tension was there but my mind was spinning with all kinds of possibilities and none of them came true. When it did reach the conclusion for me things just kind of fizzled out. There were some big reveals early in the book but they didn't quite have the weight that I was hoping for. But this was probably my fault because of the way I was imagining things. I should have just experienced the book instead of imagining the possibilities.

As far as the characters go, however, they were really interesting and complex. Our main character in this book is Jolene. Jolene is a con artist and therefore not the kind of character who you think that you would sympathize with, but Savage does a great job of making her likable. She has a bit of a tragic past and is the kind of character who you want to see settled and happy. But maybe I like Jo so much because all the other characters were so odious. The Lovecrafts definitely had secrets and I kept keeping them at arms length. They were definitely odious though, especially Temple, and honestly that is one of the things that made them likable and interesting.

All in al this was an interesting and engaging read. It was a fast and unique mystery that had a lot of really good tension even if the plot didn't exactly blow me away.

Holy moly did I not expect this book to be as twisted as it was. It had my mouth literally hanging open towards the end when all the secrets unraveled. This book was about how people can be true monsters in more ways than one and there really wasn't a single character who did not have that quality with this book either.

The main character Vivi aka Jolene has always done what had to be done to survive. Whether that meant stealing or even murder she would do it in a heartbeat to save her skin and the ones she loved. Since she was not able to protect herself from being raped by "the last one" and her mom also being beaten to death by him it really became just pure survival for herself. With this terrible background you can't help but feel bad for her lot in life. I also liked how smart and observant she was when it came to people and everything around her. Its a useful skill when your homeless and it comes to time to steal an identity in order to stay safe. It made her easy to slip into Vivi's skin and become her like she was her in a different life, just like her mom always taught her. It was interesting listening to her thought process everyday and how she always referred to Temple as you instead of she. I still don't know exactly why the author to chose to that but it did not bother me since it was pretty unique.

Speaking of Temple that was a character I completely underestimated. I thought for the longest time that she was this sheltered little rich girl who was tired of that stifling life so she did reckless things. I should have known there was a darker side to her when she went into a rage and beat the girl in the uber that called her and Jolene whores. That was the first warning there when suspicion started to niggle at me when it came to the Lovecrafts. I was starting to think it was the adults themselves that had to do with Vivi's disappearance since she vanished from their townhouse seven years ago and never came back. Seems definitely like they got her out of the way for some reason and then killed her parents as well so they wouldn't find out the truth. But nope it was their sociopath daughter who decided to murder Vivi all those years ago and stuff her body in the hole in the wall. There seemed to be no motive for it really, just her blood lust wanting some release. So her parents covered it up and tried to put her on lock down by hiring a security guard. They are extremely prestigious family so it's not surprising that they had it covered up just for the sake of keeping a clean reputation. In that way the Lovecrafts are as bad as their daughter.

Overall I liked this novel especially since it took place in Boston which is a city I know very well. I still liked Jolene even though I shouldn't have but that shows the author's ability to make a character lovable despite their huge flaws. I also had a soft spot for Wolf as well who went through too much only to die from TB at the end of the book when him, Jo, and Vivi's bones escaped from the Lovecrafts. The only thing I didn't like really was that it never really explained if Vivi's parents deaths were an accident or planned manslaughter. I also can't get over that Jo left the adorable dog behind on the street when they were running for the ferry. I would have never done that in a million years and even though I try to remind myself this is not real it still hurts my heart and makes me want to cry. I'm just supers sensitive when it comes to animals left abandoned and alone. But other than that I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good psychological thriller.

What better than an impersonation story set in my own hometown? Jo is a teenage girl who has been brought up the hard way, by a single mother who cared about her but made bad choices about the men in her life. When matters come to a head, Jo has to escape and ends up in Boston. As she focuses on survival, she gets an idea about a scam that could put her on Easy Street...

This is a fast-paced and suspenseful read which was perfect for a recent plane trip. Recommended for fans of YA and those who enjoy thrillers.

In her skin, and under my skin. Impersonating a dead girl, Jo slips into a family and starts living another life. Ah, but nothing is that simple and the twists start coming. The book reads at a very brisk pace while carrying suspenseful creepy suspicions. The Lovecrafts are practically perfect, so can Jo really become their long lost daughter? Is she really their long-lost child?

While I could guess the ending, I still enjoyed this book. It's not what I thought it would be, it's stronger.

My copy came from Net Galley. My review, my thoughts, and opinions​ are my own. This review is left of my own free will.

In Her Skin is a fast-paced novel which you can read in one sitting if you have the time! It’s not divided into chapters like other books but in parts. Which makes it kind of interesting because usually, when books are divided into parts there are also a few chapters in these parts. But here it wasn’t the case. It is written in the perspective of our main character Jo. Jo is a young teenage girl whose life is honestly terrible. She has to take the identity of a missing person in order to feel safe again. And I can tell you that it’s not going to be easy for our protagonist. I’ve enjoyed reading Jo’s adventures and what I probably liked the most in this book was that nothing was predictable. You know from the beginning that something is off but you don’t know what and when the truth comes out I was blown away! In a good way of course! I felt myself getting quite attached to Jo. And the only thing I hoped during all this book was that she would stay safe and alive. However, you have to read for yourself what is going to happen to our dear Jo! Because I’m not going to tell you anything more! But please can we talk about the twists? They were brilliant!

The writing style is different. It’s definitely not a style I’m used to but I liked it from the beginning and I had absolutely no trouble getting through the book! In Her Skin had me fascinated and in its grip from the beginning!

Overall this is a book that I highly recommend it to everyone who likes a good suspenseful and mysterious novel!

I thought I could trust you. You conned me. You conned me. You conned me.

What a dark ride this was. Kim does a fantastic job with these characters. Jo and the Lovecraft's are well developed and will surprise you with their past and present actions. Nothing about this story is convenient and that's what makes it so great.

This is the second book I've read by Kim Savage and will continue to check out her books.

This is my first Kim Savage novel, so I went into it pretty open minded without too many expectations. It was definitely intriguing, but it ended up reading a little differently than I was expecting. For starters, I thought there would be more suspense. Instead, it was just a little creepy. I was hoping the main character would live up to her "con-artist" attitude, but in all reality she was just a really sad and lonely girl who wanted a family.

The story was interesting and caught my attention, but I just felt like there could have been so much more to the novel. I wanted more from the ending and I also wanted a little more suspense and a little less creepy. Does that make sense? All in all, it was an entertaining novel, but nothing really stood out to me. I did enjoy the read, but it wasn't one that I will be raving about to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the FSG for Young Readers for sharing this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3/5

This was an ok thriller for me. I feel like I have read books similar to this so the plot twist seemed very obvious to me from the beginning. But it kept my attention throughout. I was, however, disappointed in the ending. It seemed very rushed and underdeveloped compared to the rest of the story. Overall, nothing groundbreaking but was worth a shot.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Her Skin is thought provoking. Dark. Intense. It raises awareness and deals with sensitive topics that others won’t like. It’s highly addicting and you won’t be able to put it down. You won’t know which character you like more or even dislike. There’s something wrong with everyone.

It makes you angry and at times you want to put your kindle down but Jo’s story is too interesting to stop so you just keep going. You find yourself relating to her in more ways then one. You don’t like her but you can’t hate her. You sympathize with her and her situation. How she became a con artist and why she done what she did.

In the end you won’t know if you loved it or hated it since you felt so many emotions throughout that leaves you in turmoil. Then you realize that you were so invested in this book and you didn’t quit reading it that you did love it. It’s the perfect amount of darkness and light. Suspense and mystery. In Her Skin is definitely a must read and I’m so happy I read it.

3 stars

Akin to thrillers such as E. Lockhart's Genuine Fraud, Kim Savage's In Her Skin details a teenage con artist who impersonates a girl that went missing nine years ago.

There's always a lot of potential in these books for suspense and action, but it ended up falling a little flat for me. Although it wasn't as bad as Genuine Fraud in the sense that things actually happened and it wasn't just detailing how this girl got into the con, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed by the result.

Not a lot of things explicitly happened and a large part of this book is just people trying to emotionally manipulate each other. Jo's trying to manipulate the Lovecrafts and maybe the Lovecrafts are trying to con her too.

The entire first 2/3 of the book is honestly really slow. Although it's divided into 3 parts, the first part takes up the majority of the novel and the last two are split in the little time that remains. It felt a little unbalanced and the beginning was just kind of slow for me.

Sure, there was tension because you never know if Jo's gonna get caught and she worries about this, but then the tension turns to emotional manipulation on both parts near the 2/3 mark.

So I definitely wished that the beginning was a little condensed.

Similarly, I had other qualms about the structure, mainly that the POV was kind of really weird. It's told in first person from Jo's point of view, and although it doesn't do that weird switch like "Oops! We've been duping you. These two people are actually the same," it still was funky, mainly because it used you, but you is defined as Temple, the girl who is now Jo's adopted sister.

At first it was weird with Jo saying things like "I really missed you" as part of the narration, and it never really stopped. Jo kept thinking about Temple even at the end, and I just found this all to be kind of weird and not really fitting in with the story.

I'm sure Savage had a reason for including it, but it didn't really come across to me and I wish she executed it a little better so the reader understood why she was doing this.

One of the biggest problems was just how I didn't really connect with this main character or the book. It's not as suspenseful as Genuine Fraud, even though more things happen. Jo is just kind of a different MC and although I understand her backstory and stuff, sometimes I think about how hardcore she is and just don't connect.

She felt dissonant at times--was peeved by stealing something from the library, but wasn't peeved by conning a whole family.

Even despite all these marks against In Her Skin I did have a pretty easy time reading and finished it rather quickly. I would recommend it to fans of Genuine Fraud and similar mysteries/thrillers, but if you're looking to enter the genre, I'd recommend searching elsewhere for something to start out with.

4.5/5 stars - rounded up for rating.
Review to follow later today for release!

I struggled from the beginning to get into In Her Skin. Kim Savage is a skilled storyteller, but this one was not for me. I did not finish.

Some con artist are found in televisions and in real life. But some of them can be found in books. Books just like In Her Skin.

Dark, mysterious, and compelling story line are the right words to describe the book. In the book, we learn the things that Vivienne Weir  Jo Chastain  did in her biggest and fearless impersonation of a missing girl.

Tired of being in the sideline, Jo Chastain decided to impersonate Vivienne, who disappear when she was nine years old. Jo let the Lovecraft family that she is indeed Vivienne. Being clueless of what really happen the Lovecraft believe her.

I felt kind of dizzy when reading the first part of the book. As I didn't understand what is going on. Later on, I understand what is happening as I discovered that it is written in a unique POV. Most of the books, the protagonist are the one telling the readers what revolves in the story. But in the story of Jo, she is not talking to the readers but to a specific character. With this kind of POV, it makes the story unique and one of a kind.

Just like the author's name, the story is beautifully written savagely where you will find wondering and thinking what will happen next. It let you think critically who really is behind every scene in the story. The plot twist of the story is a plot twist you will not expect nor imagine.

I highly recommend the book for those who wants to experience and hear a story of a girl whose talent is being a con artist.

Wow. That will be the first word that comes out of my mouth (and therefore, my fingers) in response to how this book made me feel.
In the same way that this book left me feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me a few times, it also left me feeling so desperately sad. I'll get back to that..
Jo Chastain, a young homeless teen, who basically wants a family of her own, assumes the identity of a missing girl (who would now be a teenager), in order to live in a wealthy household. Ignoring how hard I think it would be to actually assume the identity of a missing person and start living a new life, it takes a lot of tenacity and desire to want to rid yourself of your past and get yourself into a new situation, and risk being found out.
The home that Jo comes to live in is one where she now not only has the 'parents' she never had, along with the wealth, she also has the daughter of the Lovecrafts, Temple, who becomes like a sister and best friend to her.
As Jo (now Vivi) becomes lost inside this new identity of hers, and becomes attached to Temple, she has to remind herself of her truth because she starts to realize things are not quite as 'peachy' in the Lovecraft household as she once thought, and there's definitely an ominous tone. It takes a long while for the suspense to build and it's a slow burn that creeps up on you; the book is broken up into three different parts (of which, the first is the bulk of the book), and at the end of the first part the biggest twist comes.
Suspense in a book like this spells danger for a character like Jo, and the book is turned on its heels and at the same time it made me gasp (it's blatantly obvious I can't give you spoilers), this was very cleverly written.
What I felt is so sad about all this, is that we have one young girl wanting a family so badly she is willing to go to these lengths, and within the inner workings of this novel, there's another very sad tale going on for Temple too. This intimate friendship of these two girls starts to look very dysfunctional and you can't help but feel something's not going to end well unless...well, something.
Ultimately though, Kim Savage has written a very engrossing novel about a case of stolen identity, yet it's so much more than that; I read this book from beginning to end with hardly putting it down, and I now know I need more of her writing!