Thrilling story with a plot that kept me turning the pages, really well written with great characters. Highly recommend to everyone who is a fan of this genre.

I really loathe books that can't keep me intrigued and interested. However i dislike nothing more than guessing where the novel is going (in thriller's anyway), which i did with this one. Just not for me i think.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a book this is. Unger really has an amazing talent in her story writing.
Poppy and Layla. Best friends since children. One rescuing the other.
Poppy’s husband is murdered and she is so devastated she goes off the rails.
Drugs, therapy, online dating, lost days and more are sending Poppy crazy.
Can Laylaand the detective looking into her husbands murder, save her?

This book takes you on such an emotional ride, you really feel connected with Poppy Layla.
Highly recommend this book. One I will remember for a long time.

Book blurb...
From New York Times bestselling author and master of suspense Lisa Unger comes an addictive psychological thriller about a woman on the hunt for her husband’s killer.
What if the nightmares are actually memories?
It’s been a year since Poppy’s husband, Jack, was brutally murdered during his morning run through Manhattan’s Riverside Park. In the immediate aftermath, Poppy spiralled into an oblivion of grief, disappearing for several days only to turn up ragged and confused and wearing a tight red dress she didn’t recognise. What happened to Poppy during those lost days? And more importantly, what happened to Jack?
The case was never solved, and Poppy has finally begun to move on. But those lost days have never stopped haunting her. Poppy starts having nightmares and blackouts — there are periods of time she can’t remember, and she's unable to tell the difference between what is real and what she’s imagining. When she begins to sense that someone is following her, Poppy is plunged into a game of cat and mouse, determined to unravel the mystery around her husband’s death. But can she handle the truth about what really happened?

My thoughts…
I am not surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. Lisa Unger is a great writer who crafts dark and complicated plots - this one about dreams/memories.
Under My Skin is what I call a deliciously unsettling read.
Even after finishing the story I am left wondering (in a good way). I don’t have a problem with Unger’s style, in this regard. I really admire the structure. Unger cleverly confuses the character with dreams and/or memories and this made for great storytelling from a reader perspective. It’s one of those books you want to re-read to figure out how Unger does it!
Whilst I may have suspected who the killer was, the story kept me hooked.
Definitely a book for the TBR pile.

3.5★s

In the time since her husband, Jack’s brutal murder, almost a year prior, Poppy had spiraled into depression; lost days that she had no memory of; moved out of their comfortable and well-loved home to a stark and sterile apartment; and tried to keep the business that she and Jack owned, running. Poppy’s visits to her psychologist were regular and calming but once she was back into her life, her uncertainties and grief continued. Poppy’s best friends, Layla and Mac, tried to care for her, but she felt a great need to be independent – to move forward.

But was it paranoia that had her seeing a tall, hooded man who watched her and followed her almost everywhere she went? Or was it the microsleeps that Dr Nash said could happen – even in daylight when she was working? Poppy’s sleep was interrupted by vivid dreams; nightmares – what was real? What were dreams? And were there memories mixed up in the chaos that was Poppy’s life – memories that she had no idea about? Detective Grayson was concerned, especially knowing the case was unsolved; Poppy’s friends were also worried. What would happen to Poppy as she desperately searched for answers?

Under My Skin by Lisa Unger is an in-depth psychological thriller with plenty of twists, back and forth memories which tend to confuse (both the reader and Poppy!), intense heartbreak mixed with hope, terror and grief. Poppy was a character who made plenty of mistakes – popping pills to help her sleep, washed down with plenty of alcohol – but the emotions she was going through made it understandable in a way. I’ve read several of Unger’s thrillers, and this one isn’t her best in my opinion. But I’ll definitely read more! Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There was a moment or two after I started this book that I worried it was one by Lisa Unger I'd already read - one, in fact, I'd heard her introduce at a writers festival I attended in Brisbane in 2008 or so (ed: which I later discovered was Die For You).

I knew I'd read a recent book of hers with a similar name (ed: which I'm now assuming was In The Blood, #blood #skin #whatevs) and wondered if this was a re-release though it seemed different enough that I didn't remember it in enough detail to have read it before.

I'd started reading it on a plane however, so it wasn't until a stopover (and access to the internet) I could and confirm this was - in fact - a new release.

I've been a little hard on Unger of late as I've not 'loved' her The Hollows series or her journey into the other-worldly stuff. I mean, give me a good ol' whodunnit or psychopathic serial killer any day.

There are a couple of references to (The Hollows), but only in passing. There is however a sense of the unknown as Poppy went AWOL after her husband's death and has been having increased dreams about the what-ifs or things that may - or may not - have happened during the time she was missing.

Her therapist calls it hypnagogia from sleep deprivation... resulting in micro-sleeps, meaning you're often not aware you've fallen asleep (and dreaming). And Poppy herself admits that the mix of various pills and alcohol she's been consuming probably have been playing a role in her confusion.

Nevertheless she's forced to question what is actually happening vs what she is dreaming vs what she's perhaps remembering... from the days after her husband's murder; and she struggles to find answers.

Unger's introduced a strong support cast, with their own stories to tell and I very much liked the fact that Poppy basically had to visit many of the players and piece her time - including that from before her husband's murder - back together. Things weren't as rosy as she'd been thinking, she's reminded. He was preoccupied, she's reminded.

And then there's a sense of Poppy having 'lost' herself.... even before Jack's death and needing to rediscover her true self as well as understand her husband and his possible secrets.

I really enjoyed this. There were a couple of coincidences or plot holes: exactly how / why she had the memory loss was never explained as I didn't think she was addicted to pills etc when she went missing; and I wasn't really convinced re the final motive given what we find out about those involved and their tendencies.... (can't say more cos of spoiler thing!)

But this is a twisty read that will have readers wondering how well they know the people in their lives, and contemplating the secrets that those closest to them may be keeping.

You have lost everything so how can you go on? Poppy is trying to move forward but she can't rest until she finds out who killed her husband Jack. She knows that they had problems but she wishes that she could have been there maybe they could have fought the attacker together and he would still be here. They had all these plans but now that Poppy looks she realises that he gave up his real passion to make her happen she always thought that he wanted to settle down and start a family but she now knows that he settled. There is so much that she doesn't understand and she feels like she is losing her mind as she can see Jack but all dreams are making no sense. All she can do is carry on taking the pills and pretend that she is okay. She knows that her friends worry and she knows that her best friend Layla thinks the she is losing her mind as nothing makes sense. The more Layla pushes the further Poppy runs and when they find out the truth everything will be different and there will be no going back. Will Poppy find out the truth about Jack's murder and can she really be allowed to find happiness with someone else? A good read. I was really worried about Poppy there I thought that she was going off the deep end but I am glad that she was able to find someone to help her get better. And the killer caught me off guard. I am sure that others will enjoy this story as it does keep you turning the pages. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley and the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.