Member Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my review based upon my honest opinion.

Poppy is struggling with the seemingly random death of her husband one year ago, she cannot let it go, she will stop at nothing to discover who murdered him. But, Poppy has a missing gap in her memory and Poppy has been taking pills to help ease the pain and help her sleep and now she is not sure what is real and what is imagined. Can she put the pieces of herself together and solve this mystery before she loses herself? This was a pretty good book, I liked the story line and it was a set at a decent pace. Not a pulse pounding thrill-ride, more of a slow burn but I enjoyed it. I have read a few books by this author and have always enjoyed them.

Was this review helpful?

This is a favorite author of mine that I discovered on Net Galley. Her books will capture you and not let you go until the end of the last page. Her writing is very well crafted to a psychological thrillers and created with suspense and though provoking plots. This is another very exciting read by the author that I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the Arc. My opinion is my own.

In this book we meet Poppy who lost her husband to a brutal murder when he was running in Manhattan.n The case was not solved and Poppy has no closure to his death. She is unable to process her grief and disappears into a abyss of deep seated grief and mental illness. She disappears for days unable to remember where she was and cannot remember what is real life and what is in her mind. Her reality has become deeply disturbing when she realizes someone is following her. Is this person connected to her husband death or is it her imagination.
The plot takes many twist and turns and has a pleasing end to the book. This is a well written spooky psychological thriller that I enjoyed reading and highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

*3-3.5 stars. This is my first taste of Lisa Unger's writing, although I've been planning to read others of hers for quite some time. I received an arc of Under My Skin from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review.

Poppy Lang's husband was brutally murdered a year ago and Poppy is still struggling with her grief, seeing a psychiatrist and self-medicating with combinations of pills and alcohol. So it's no wonder that she seems to be hallucinating at times. She even had a period right after the funeral where she blacked out and had to be hospitalized. With no memory of what happened to her during that period, she wonders if the truth is buried somewhere in those lost memories. Could she solve the murder if she could just remember?

I liked parts of this thriller more than others. I thought the prologue obfuscated the plot from the get-go--why was this scene presented early on when the story doesn't return to that situation till we are nearing the conclusion? And all the scenes of hypnagogia, where she doesn't know if she is dreaming or hallucinating or just plain crazy, begin to grow a little tiresome.

That all said, there was quite an interesting mystery embedded in all the craziness and repetitiveness that was worth hanging in there for. There are a lot of layers to this mystery.

Was this review helpful?

This book wasn't so much suspenseful as it was confusing. I think there is a fine line between books that keep you guessing and books that you can't understand what is going on. This book crossed the line into me asking myself, "What in the hell is happening now."

Maybe it's just that there are too many books out there where the woman can't remember what happened to her and there are others that do it far better (The Girl on the Train). In the end so much of what was happening didn't even matter.

I will say that the very last couple of chapters of this book are good. There is just way too much to wade through prior to those chapters to make this book worthwhile. I was disappointed.

Was this review helpful?

I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher, but I wound up listening to the audio book. That was definitely one of my problems with the book. The breathless, overwrought narration was unbearable from the very beginning of the book. However, my larger problem was with the first person, present tense narration by the whiny protagonist. I took an immediate dislike to her and didn’t care what happened to her. Also the jumping back and forth between her reality and a dream state/flashback/drug hallucination was confusing. This was my first experience with this author. I abandoned this book and I doubt that I will try another one by her.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Park Row Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this read - all opinions are my own.

This book was wonderfully surprising for me - what started out as a slow burn of a story that seemed steeped heavily in the psychotic breakdown of Poppy's character quickly morphed into a page turning, can't put down, what is going to happen mystery full of suspense. I really enjoyed this one - especially as I moved into the second part of the book.

I fully admit - the slow burn of the first part, mixed with the constant heaviness of Poppy's mental state made it a little tough for me to get fully into this read right off the bat. Parts of the story felt too repetitive for me - but in all honesty were perfectly suited to the story and to Poppy's drug induced, sleep deprived, grieving mental space. Regardless, I'm glad I stuck with it because when it picks up, it picks up FAST and then I couldn't stop reading this book.

I loved the characters in this book - mostly because I like a book where every character has a little bit held back, making them a little mysterious. It definitely works with the story, and helped make all the many dream state scenes work a little easier (in my opinion).

Overall this was a solid mystery/character drama for me - without question it is unique in nature, and definitely a great story to pick up and waste a way a cold winter afternoon.

Was this review helpful?

Just middle of the road for me... I may try this one again at a later date. I feel like I'm in a book slump at the moment. And it just felt meh.

Was this review helpful?

2.5 stars. This is a very sluggish, surreal and shadowy read. While I do understand the reason why, I felt that the story was dragged down because of it. Our female lead is drug-induced for most of the book. She doesn't know what is real or a dream anymore, so therefore, neither does the reader. I stuck with it though, and while I can't say I was too surprised at the end, it did get wrapped up. I generally like Ms. Unger's books, this unfortunately was not one of my favorites. This does not mean that I won't be reading her again!


**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Was this review helpful?

This book was all over the place for me but I did enjoy some of the surprises at the end. I wish it would have been not so back and forth during each chapter.

Was this review helpful?

Lisa Unger is great at keeping her readers in suspense. This book definitely did that however there is the add in of drugs and alcohol with it. The main character has a difficult time knowing what’s reality versus hallucinations/memories or nightmares. Then she also starts not knowing whom she can trust. She doesn’t even know if she can trust herself and her own thoughts as being real. It keeps the reader in suspense. I recommend this book if you are looking for a good suspenseful read.
Thank you net galley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I love mystery/thriller books, and Lisa Unger does not disappoint. This book was a bit confusing for me at times. The back and forth between past, present and dreams left me wondering what was real. Everything came together in the end and I couldn’t put the book down until it was all figured out.

Was this review helpful?

Dark, tangled, intricate, twisty plots are the life blood of a Lisa Unger book and this one is probably her best yet. Engaging and enticing.

Was this review helpful?

This is a psychological thriller with a lot of suspense building page by page. The reader is drawn into the main character’s confusion about her husband’s murder. What is real and what is a dream? Or is the confusion caused by the pills she is taking? Things are not always what they seem, nor are the people involved.

Was this review helpful?

Poppy's husband Jack was killed while on his morning jog. She had a nervous breakdown after he died and there are days afterward that she can't remember. She is trying to self medicate to feel numb to the pain she is going through. Her life is a mess with memories or dreams that she doesn't know which one it is . This was a great read with a very exciting ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced review copy.

Was this review helpful?

IMO, this was just ok. The lines between reality and psychosis were pretty blurred. And the ultimate resolution seemed like it belonged in a different book. Readers who are mad into psychological thrillers may want to pick this up, but it wasn't for me. I don't think it's something my readers will be interested in. This would be an author I might recommend readers look for at the public library if they are interested in this type of fiction.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the immediate mystery that unfolded within the first few pages. Poppy’s sweet friend Layla reminded me of my BFFsis Ali. This book has lots of opposing reviews, and it’s understandable. The story is confusing, but that all serves a purpose. I can see that it’s not for everyone. I loved it, though!

It’s challenging to properly review Under My Skin without giving away too much.

Was this review helpful?

This book was one WILD and CRAZY RIDE!!!

This is the kind of book you need to finish in order two truly see the brilliance... The beginning of the book was like sifting through fog... nothing was clear, I was confused as to what exactly was going on... were these Poppy’s dreams? memories? delusions?? I was as confused if not more than Poppy and her drug and grief addled brain... but once the fog cleared I realized this was done by the author by design... fully immersing you in poppy’s tragic situation.... Poppy was one spectacular unreliable narrator....

Poppy’s husband Jack was murdered while jogging at the park one day... Poppy is devastated, she also feels guilty.... soon after Jack’s funeral Poppy goes missing for a few days, and comes back with no recollection of where she was or what she did.... with Jack’s murder never being solved and certain she is being followed, Poppy is completely on edge... will she ever recover her memory? Who killed her beloved husband and why? And who in the world is following her now?

Lisa Unger takes you on one twisted ride in this book.... The uncertainty and unraveling was quite dizzying... for a large portion of this book I wasn’t quite certain if I was coming or going... Papi definitely drags you through her complicated Mays of crazy.... A brilliant thriller that ends with a twist and a bang!

Absolutely recommend to fans of of a darker twistier psychological thriller...

*** many thanks to harlequin for my copy of this book ***

Was this review helpful?

I had a hard time deciding how to ultimately rate this story. There were many times throughout the book where I was confused as to what was happening, and whether it was a dream, past, or present. In the end, everything comes together and it’s clearer as to why it’s written this way, but it almost kept me from wanting to continue to read. Overall, the story was good, which is why I went with 3 stars.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Under My Skin by Lisa Unger was sadly my first book by this author. I do not know how this has author has been off my radar for so long but hello Lisa Unger I see you it is so nice to meet you. This truly does get Under Your Skin. I loved the pace I loved Poppy and the story line was great! I want to apologize to All parties involved in this books production for my delayed review. It does not take away from how wonderful this book actually was. Poppy, A former travel photojournalist Now owns a boutique agency representing other photo journalist her husband Jack died years earlier attacked early one morning while running in a local park. After everything transpired poppy realizes There is a mysterious man Following her. She begins to doubt her sanity Because during the initial phase of her grief she has A nervous breakdown That involves a two-day blackout. She Starts To have dreams That deal with the period during her blackout And she slowly starts to put her pieces back together.
Under My Skin In one word Is addicting! It feels like we the readers are in a dazed dream and I for one loved every minute and every page turn that it had. The novel had a sense of hold on to your seats this is going to be a great ride! I wasn’t sure as the reader if I wanted to find out what happen to Jack or if that was just going to make things much worse for Poppy. I have read a large number of thrillers this ranks with the best of the best. I am not sure what Lisa Unger has in mind for her next book but SIGN ME UP! Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC and I apologize for my delay.

Was this review helpful?

Under My Skin by Lisa Unger is an exciting thriller book that I really enjoyed. Poppy's husband, Jack was beaten to death a year ago while he was out for his morning run. Normally Poppy ran with him, but she had a bad cold and stayed home. Poppy lost days after Jack died and doesn't remember what happened. She also has nightmares, that she is trying to understand. Who really killed her husband, and what is the truth of her disappearance? This book is a real page turner, that I couldn't put down. I recommend this book and this author for anyone who enjoys a good mystery thriller.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Was this review helpful?