This will likely be the last book I finish in 2018, and what a story to end on. This was a wild and twisty ride, and I was hooked. It kept me guessing until the end, and constantly trying to figure out, is this real or just a dream?

I would definitely suggest this book to my friends!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Poppy Lang is grief stricken. Her husband, Jack, was beaten to death during his run in Riverside Park. Poppy has a nervous breakdown. The couple ran a photography agency together, so it appears that Jack’s murder was random. A detective on the police force is still trying to solve the murder after a year. Poppy has a new apartment, a therapist, employees and maybe the start of a romance. Her best friend Layla helps Poppy. She is the one she turns to when it’s all too much. Poppy disappeared for several days after Jack’s funeral.. she can’t remember where she went or what she did. She has nightmares but wonders if they are memories. Layla worries about Poppy as she keeps disappearing and not remembering. As she searches for the truth of Jack’s murder, she starts to wonder about her own judgement of the people around her.

In this novel the author builds suspense by blurring the dreams and reality of life. I liked that it made me wonder how well we know anyone in our life — even our closest partner. What hidden secrets does one have? This is an excellent psychological thriller.

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.

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.

*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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.**

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ***

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.