First off, I’m a Lisa Unger fan. If you are too you will love her latest book. It’s an easy read with a murder mystery at its core that you want to see solved. But I’ll be honest, the title is so generic that I had a hard time telling people the name of the book I was reading. The story, with its unreliable pill popping, hard drinking protagonist, gets a little repetitive as she struggles to recall what happened in her past. But she’s likeable and so are the cast of characters surrounding her, and it’s easy to get swept into their world.

What if the nightmares are actually memories?

Under My Skin has a “girl on the train” vibe. The mourning Poppy lives in a waking dream world thanks to all the drugs/sedatives/antidepressants she is taking. Scenes which feel real turn into dreams and Poppy and the reader can hardly differentiate the two.
The unreliable narrator trope begins to raise its ugly head.
And then what happens? You get sucked in. You can’t look away. Who are friends? Who are enemies? Who’s been keeping Poppy in a drug induced haze hoping she won’t remember? Who can she trust? Great fun!!

This is the first book I’ve read by Lisa Unger and as tired as I am of psychological thrillers it ended up being a decent read. Definitely an author whose books I will read in the future.

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.

Lisa Unger is a new favorite author for me. This is the third book I've read by her and all of them have been really good! Poppy was a good character who was dealing with the fact that her husband was murdered and the case hasn't been solved. Poppy had a breakdown and had to get help from a counsellor as well as medication to help her sleep which she is mixing with pills her friend Layla gave her and alcohol. Poppy thinks someone is following her, but she doesn't know what is real and what is imagined.

The suspense builds throughout the novel as things keep happening and Poppy tries to get off the pills and get a handle on what is really happening. A couple of the twists really surprised me. A good psychological thriller.

Thanks to Lisa Unger and HARLEQUIN - Hanover Square Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I have enjoyed Lisa's other books so I was excited when I was presented with a chance to read an advanced copy from the publisher. 
However, I am really torn with this review. I enjoyed the book but then again, I didn't. It was very slow moving and confusing for the first half of the book. The second half picked up and my interest in the book piqued. Even though this isnt my favorite of Lisa's, I look forward to her next book.

A psychological thriller that at time kept me reading but somewhat confused as the story line was shifting from memories to actual events. You’ll be surprised at the ending if you can keep up with her dreams/memories/actual life. Would recommend this to others to read.

Under My Skin
by Lisa Unger
#NetGalley #UnderMySkin #LisaUnger

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this one! I received this copy from NetGalley for an honest Review:
I have read all of Lisa Unger's book, so I guess you could say I am a 'huge fan'; this new one definitely doesn't disappoint! I did find this a bit harder to follow in the very beginning but it wasn't long before I understood just what Poppy was seeing, thinking, dreaming & trying to understand regardless of whether she was dreaming or there in the moment.
This was a sad story of loss, a story about friendship and family and what it means to have both. It was the story of lies and manipulations and what we 'see' with our eyes and with our minds.
I especially enjoyed the way Poppy saw her world through her 'photographer's eye'...being an amateur photog I totally understood where she was coming from in her view of the world and how she navigated through it.
The more I learned, the more uncertain I was of what exactly was going on...I love the way the pieces all fit in the end. I will admit I had my suspicions but that in no way took anything away from the ending!
As usual, I Loved it! Thank You Ms. Unger...you really know how to get Under My Skin.

I have been reading Lisa Unger's novels for over 6 years and have been entertained by each of them, so I was delighted to get a chance to read & review her newest offering, Under My Skin

I was definitely not disappinted by this book. They way it was written seemed to give the genre of phsycological thriller a new direction.

If you are a fan of Lisa Unger's writing then you most likely have th his book on your list. If you have never read her works this is a fantastic one to begin with and I'm sure you will find yoyrself checking out sine of her previous books.

I usually enjoy Lisa Unger books but this one wasn't one of them. It was drawn out, repetitive and all around boring. I really just couldn't finish this one.

I have mixed feelings on this book. First it was so hard to follow, was repetitive. On the other hand I couldn’t walk away from the story until I read the end. There are so many twist and turns that as soon as I thought I knew who did it, there would be a reason to think it was someone else. So I am giving the book 4 stars just because like I said it was hard to keep up with what happened when

Under My Skin is the latest novel by Lisa Unger. From the first few pages the reader is immediately drawn into the story and as you continue reading it becomes more and more suspenseful and you hate to put it down. The further into the story you are the more likely you're going to be up all night reading! I was given an early copy to review.

Don't start this book if you have anything pressing to do! I wasn't able to put it down. Talk about a psychological thriller! When her husband is killed, Poppy becomes a basket case. Nightmares, hallucinations, drugs and grief all overwhelm her. Eventually with the help of friends she's able to pull herself together but she can't let go of the loss. You'll be speechless when they untangle to web of lies that led to her husband's murder! One of my favorite books so far this year. #netgalley#undermyskin#lisaUnger

The protagonist experiences psychological dissociation after the murder of her husband--sometimes to the point of leaving the reader on the verge of dissociation. A good book!

Poppy’s husband is murdered. They were happy and her life is completely torn apart by his death. She is taking her prescribed medication and supplementing it with pills from her friends and alcohol. Eventually she looses sight of what is, in her life, real, what is a dream, what is a memory and what is fantasy. Her friends try to “help” by enabling her. Finally, a year later, with the murder still unsolved, her life reaches crises stage and she begins to accept her husband’s loss and tries to learn what led to it. This is a very well executed Psychological thriller with a cast of characters that are interesting and complex. It is excellent and fast reading. Thanks to Net Galley and Park Row Books for an ARC for an honest review.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. The author is a talented writer. I was drawn in quickly wanting to know what happened and how it was all going to turn out in the end. I was excited to read it. It had suspense and mystery but wasn't scary, dark, or gory. Just the right level of creepy for me. Unfortunately though the crazy level was quite too high and made the book get confusing and lose some of the appeal. It seemed to jump around in the narration that I'd sometimes think, "oh, ok we are back in the past now. what I read didn't really happen". But then it would proceed from there leaving me wrong that somehow it had happened and what seemed to be the past was the present and... Am I confusing you? That's how I felt from the middle of the book. Was it a dream? Was she still having a nervous breakdown? Was it all happening? I couldn't make sense of it. In a way, good, because it made it hard to see the ending. That was nice to be playing detective but not sure where it was going. But in a way, bad, because it got confusing and made it too hard to play along. The ending did bring some of it together and I mostly enjoyed the book, just got a little too crazy for a bit. Also, some strong language.

Reviewing Under My Skin is difficult since it wasn’t one of the favorite things that I have read recently. I received a copy from NetGalley which I was really happy about since I have read several Lisa Unger books in the past which I have enjoyed. This book won’t be counted in that group.
Poppy’s husband, Jack, was murdered a year earlier, in what looked like a random killing. Poppy has tried to move on, even doing some dating. But she’s propping herself up with drugs and alcohol and generally is still not handling her loss very well.

The book begins with Poppy’s inner comments about a date that she is on. That turned me off right away since she was extremely negative and bitter, not what you want to see in a protagonist. Once I got beyond that part, her personality did improve. However, she seemed so thrown by dreams she was having and doubts about Jack’s death that she couldn’t function in any meaningful way. And it was difficult to determine what kind of person she actually was since her impaired perceptions of things seemed to be the sum and substance of her.

The story line took a long time to develop during which time I tired of reading the same kinds of questions that she had and struggles to deal with life. I continued to read and, eventually, the plot started to move. From that point on to the end, I was engaged in the story.
I probably would rate this somewhere around a 3. Others might find more interest in it but it just wasn’t a book I particularly enjoyed.

Holy Batman y’all!! This book literally kept me on the edge the entire time!!! Thank you so much to #netgalley and the publisher for graciously allowing me an #arc (advanced readers copy), of this thrilling and riveting read!

We begin with Poppy, a widow who’s still going through the motions almost a year after her husband has been brutally murdered. She goes in and out of it most days, dealing with nightmares that don’t make sense..until they do start to add up.

I never saw the ending coming. I never thought for once it could be who it ends up being. Ms Unger is truly a gifted writer and I will definitely be adding her books to my #tbr (to be read) pile…oh yess it’s a pile, a HUGE one but, one day I’ll get to everything! Hehehe…

This book is beyond a doubt a 5 Star book, get your hands on it when it’s released!!

Didn’t really care for this one. Seemed very over the top to me and not believable. Too many dramatic mysteries and confusion. Didn’t care for the style of this book.

Some people go on Internet dates to meet that special someone or to just make some sort of connection to combat loneliness. Poppy, the main character in Lisa Unger’s Under My Skin, goes on these dates to satisfy her need for physical affection without wanting to ever talk the person again. It can be a risky undertaking, and she has been flirting with recklessness ever since losing her husband the year before. Poppy and Jack were just getting started with a new photography agency, an upgrade in their living arrangements, and attempts to have a baby together when Jack was killed. He was attacked while out for a run one morning, and Poppy is filled with guilt because she did not accompany that day as usual. Right after his death, Poppy had a breakdown, disappearing for days with no memory of where she was or what she was doing during that time. Her best friend from childhood and coworkers keep a close eye on her as she struggles to keep up with the business and maintain her sanity. Poppy can’t bring herself to unpack the boxes in the new apartment, and she has been turning increasingly to overly self-medicating. When she thinks she is being followed, she contacts the detective who is still investigating Jack’s death. He tells her that some new evidence has come to light that might indicate that Jack’s death was not a random attack. Poppy experiences flashes of former events, but are they just dreams or real memories? Could she be losing her tenuous grip on reality or is her subconscious trying to send her a message? Seeking answers, Poppy searches the city for the places and people she has envisioned. Meanwhile, she also is torn by some unexpected feelings for one of her Internet dates whose persistence both comforts and unnerves her. Poppy increasingly takes chances and chases after danger as she gets closer to discovering the truth about her missing days. Her discoveries cause her to question her assumptions about her marriage and wonder about the secrets that may have been simmering beneath its happy facade. Unger’s novel is a solid page-turner with some good twists and well-developed characters. Under My Skin should be well-received by Unger’s current followers, and would also appeal to fans of A.J. Finn, Ruth Ware and Paula Hawkins.

A year after the murder of her husband and her subsequent breakdown, Poppy is intent on finding answers.

The first portion of the book is a slow paced and disjointed as Poppy is trying to resume normal life while trying to retrieve lost memories. The memories, flashbacks, dreams and hallucinations are often hard to differentiate, purposefully so that the reader is just as confused at times as the narrator.

The second portion moves much more quickly and many more breadcrumbs are dropped along the way leaving the reader guessing and second guessing the end.

Overall an interesting read, despite the pacing. If the first portion had a smoother feel, it likely would have been 4 stars.

This story wanders a bit and is as confusing to the reader as it was to the main character. The mystery of who is responsible for the murder(s) is fairly easy to deduct so the "why" is the real reason to keep reading. The ending tried to tie up loose ends but I was still left with a few unanswered and probably irrelevant questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/Hanover Square Press for sharing an ARC with me.