Previously, I have had the pleasure of reading Lisa Unger novels. As usual, all the elements that make this read enjoyable are there. Under my Skin combines a love story with a terrible loss, flawed characters who are interesting and intriguing, a murder mystery which appears to be unsolvable. Jack and Poppy are a happily married young couple. During his morning jog, Jack is brutally killed. Poppy, under the weight of terrible grief, uses sleeping pills and other drugs with alcolhol for a year, leaving her in a state where she cannot tell reality from bad dreams. During this confused period of time, she is looking for the murderer of her husband. She is helped by her childhood friend Layla and a dedicated detective who does not want to give up. All in all, this is a page-turner of a mystery. I would recommend this to readers who want something different in their thriller booklist. Thank you to Park Row Books and NetGalley for an eArc of Under my Skin by Lisa Unger in exchange for an honest review.

I can't say this was my favorite, Lisa Unger book, but I did enjoy it. The idea of Poppy missing parts of her memory kept the story going as little bits were figured out. But the slight obviousness of who the bad person was kind of took away from the suspense.

Poppy's husband, Jack, was brutally murdered while running in the park. Shortly after the funeral she is found by her best friend with no memory of the last several days. A full year later, she is not only struggling with the grief of losing her husband but also the confusion of what happened during those last days and who is responsible for Jack's death. As she searches for answers, it's hard to know who she can trust.

Overall I liked this book and there were some surprises for me at the end which always makes for a good thriller. I did get slightly confused when the book went back and forth with then and now. It helped keep me guessing but I had to go back and re-read parts to make sure I didn't get lost. I did like the book and will check out this author again.

Thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Full disclosure; got an advance copy from Net Galley....so I need to still be honest. It’s got a decent pace, and is interesting but, for the most part, it’s nothing special. The resolution of the plot was relatively “ho-hum” and I thought, Poppy, our protagonist was not portrayed in the strongest, favourable light. This is a book that is a fixture on your “just OK” shelf.

This book is a psychological thriller about Poppy whose husband Jack is murdered one morning while he is out running.

The rest of the book has Poppy trying to sort out who did this and why but most importantly, why she seems not to remember things from that time frame.

I spent the entire book in confusion as the writing was disjointed, and many editing errors that I hope will be fixed before the book is published. (I reviewed an advanced copy of this book.)

I was lost most of the times as Poppy had this tug of war with herself in dreaming, hallucinations and in general trying to figure out what was real or not. Frankly, I was worn out after reading this book. So much so it was a struggle to finish.

With that said, I would still try other work by this author but this one I can’t recommend.

Man, I got 62% of the way done with this and just. couldn't. finish. it. I tried. I tried so dang hard. I just couldn't do it. I didn't care for ANY of the characters, I couldn't stand the flow, it's told from something like 613 viewpoints with no obvious segues. I wanted to love this book. I adored Ink and Bone, couldn't put it down. This one? I just couldn't keep it in my hands.

Thank you though, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2585043539

3.5 out of 4.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. The story starts about a year after Poppy's husband was brutally murdered and the case is still unsolved. We follow Poppy as she tries to uncover the clues to help figure out what happened to her husband Jack.

I found the book to be a an easy quick read - however, was a bit predictable for me. While I found it predictable, I still enjoyed it and believe the author had a few red herrings to keep a casual reader interested.

Memory loss/distorted memory books seem to have become more common in the last two years. Sometimes I really enjoy them and sometimes I find them a little dull. This one at times I found to be a bit too convenient, but for the most part I enjoyed.

This was may second book that I have read by Lisa Unger (both thrillers) and I have enjoyed both of them and look forward to reading additional books she has written.

This is one psychological thriller that needs to be closely read. It's hard to tell whether Poppy is dreaming or experiencing things. Be prepared for lots of rabbit trails while trying to decipher what is happening. By part two, Poppy's flashbacks are becoming increasingly reality or are they? Recommended.

I think I like this book, I'm not sure though. That may sound strange but that's how I feel. It was a good story, maybe to detailed in some spots, that I would have to go back when someone answered a question to see what the question actually was.

I've always loved Lisa Unger, and this novel fits the mold of what makes her such an intriguing author. Her books provide an element of confusion for the reader that works. Suspenseful, psychological, and keeps a reader needing more. Very good read.

NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Under My Skin. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

After Poppy's husband Jack is brutally murdered during his morning run, Poppy herself spirals into her grief and goes missing for several days before returning abruptly. Despite never knowing where she was during that time period or what actually happened to Jack, Poppy tries her hardest to move forward with her life. Will the nightmares and blackouts send Poppy over the edge or will she be able to use them to help figure out what happened to both her and her husband?

I found it refreshing that the author did not take the plot in a predictable direction, that being that Poppy is not discredited by the professionals around her. As Poppy's confusion ramps up, the author takes the reader on a ride with this psychological thriller. Under My Skin is very engaging, with a well developed plot and good characters. I would recommend this novel to readers who like psychological suspense thrillers and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

#UnderMySkin#NetGalley
By: Lisa Unger
Review By: I Love To Read/Librarian

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin-Hanover Square Press

Unreliable narrator, Poppy, suffers a breakdown and loses four days of her life after her husband's brutal murder. In order to deal with this traumatic murder, Poppy relies on alcohol, drugs, and the support of questionable friends to survive. The murder has gone cold. Poppy determines to find the killer. In her fragile state she cannot differentiate between reality, repressed memories, or dreams.
She insists someone is following her, but cannot get a close look at the mysterious person.
In order to bring some reality into her life she continues to head the photography company founded with her dead husband. She dates a few random men.
Nothing seems to bring her closer to solving the murder as she battles one disappointment after another. She suspects all her friends.
At last she gains some control over her fractured life and is able to function rationally.
Each page built suspense and the ending came not as a surprise but a relief for this troubled heroine.

Under my Skin took a while to get under mine, but once it did it was hard to put down. Lisa Unger did a good job of keeping the mystery going.

The book starts at the one year anniversary of the main character's husband's death. He was murdered in Central Park while out running. The killer has still not been found. The main character suffered a nervous breakdown after his death and is on a cocktail of drugs to help her cope with the trauma. This is a fast paced psychological thriller with a few interesting twists. I'm sure anyone looking for a fast paced thriller will enjoy this book.

Today, I am reviewing a thriller I breezed through and enjoyed greatly. It is the book, Under My Skin which had me up to the early hours finishing what I found to be a pretty compulsive read. “It’s hard to wake from a nightmare when the nightmare is real.”

Poppy has lost her husband in an attack while jogging in the early morning in Central Park. It’s horrific and Poppy finds herself caught in a nightmare state set off by Jack’s death and the mysteries that surround it. She can’t sleep, can’t function and in the year that has passed since his death, she has been medicated both by a doctor, a friend, and herself mixing pills with booze so much so that she can’t tell what is real. Right after Jack’s demise, Poppy disappeared for a number of days and now she tries desperately to recreate what brought her into this fugue state where she sees someone following her and can’t access her memories. She is being helped by a wealthy friend and her husband, a police detective, and a mysterious man, Noah, who she seems to have met previously. Poppy is unsure, tremulous, and frightened. What is it that perplexes and exasperates her so, making her relive the exasperation and distress every moment? Will Poppy be able to climb out of the fog of memory and find what she searches for, who murdered her husband, or will she succumb to those nightmares that plague her and drive her perhaps to insanity? ” Do not ignore dreams. They are a line from the past to the future. All nightmares are real.” – (Max Gladstone)

I found this book to be a great read for those of us who enjoy a fast paced, action thriller that keeps one engaged from the get go. I enjoyed the author’s way o using the mind and the ways in which thought, memories, and dreams create a reality, that is sometimes at best very far from the real way things are. Some stories engage you and this was one of them.

Thank you to Lisa Unger providing this reader with hours of mysterious, perplexing and baffling story, and Harlequin Square Press, and NetGalley.

Provocative. Interesting.

There were just so many threads to pull with this story, watching Poppy's world unravel.

An excellent read!

I've read other books by Lisa Unger and was excited to read this one as well. This sort of plot and mystery typically peaks my interest and has me at the edge of my seat and I can read quite quickly. However, I kept turning away from this book as I found the characters unlikeable and plot tough to stay interested in. It was just ok and was disappointed overall in the story.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC. This was an unsettling thriller that help my interest. This is the 1st book I’ve read by this author and was very interesting.

Poppy loses her husband to a murderer, goes into a fugue state and now can't figure out if her nightmares are memories or just as they seem - nightmares. Popping pills to help her sleep are exacerbated by the alcohol intake and just WHO is this hooded figure she sees following her everywhere??

I'll be honest here - I think a book I read recently having to do with sleeplessness and the effects this has on a body/mind made me a bit sour to read another that's somewhat (and only somewhat) in the same vein.

I'm a huge fan of Unger. She's not the thriller type that throws huge twists into your face and makes you gasp - she's more the subtle, build up of suspense - creating a world where you do get completely immersed. Poppy's situation caught my attention and I empathized with her a variety of levels. I most certainly wasn't expecting the ending to go the way that it did and I'm not QUITE sure how I feel about it over all.

I absolutely loved Ink and Bone and The Red Hunter. I don't believe I liked Under My Skin quite as much as I did these two others. However, Unger is still at the top of my list for authors to continually watch and autobuy.

Again, I think maybe it's a bit of a timing issue with me regarding this type of story line. If you're looking for an unreliable narrator whose view of the world is skewed and we aren't sure what's real and is not... well, the paranoia aspect of this book definitely resonates.

Under My Skin by Lisa Unger was like no book I’ve ever read before. I was so lost with this book. I didn’t know what I was reading, most of the time. I had no idea what was real, what was a dream, what was current, or what was in the past. I felt Poppy’s confusion, and although that made me really feel for her character, it left me confused. So confused. The whole concept of hypnogogia was mind boggling to me, but also so interesting! I loved the Poppy / Layla relationship though, and found their friendship to be one of my favorites in a book. Poppy’s character was also very likable and I found myself really hoping for the best outcome for her.

The conclusion was really different from the rest of the book. I felt that it really flowed nicely, wasn’t as confusing and summed things up nicely. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for this copy. It was definitely and interesting read and I can’t wait for more friends to read it so we can discuss!