Gregg Olsen’s first Young Adult novel has been re-released under the name Beneath Her Skin.

On Christmas night 15-year-old Katelyn Berkley’s mother finds her dead in the bath, electrocuted with an espresso maker. Her death is ruled as accidental, but Katelyn’s childhood friends, twins Taylor and Hayley, believe it might have been murder. The twins both possess psychic abilities and they try to decipher messages from Katelyn hoping to learn the truth. Katelyn’s death reopens wounds from a tragic accident years before and with a reporter hanging around, as well as someone watching their every move, danger is lurking.

With its excellent plot and brisk pacing, I had difficulty putting this book down between chapters. Beneath Her Skin was such an absorbing read, and I relished every moment. This riveting, dark story is weighty and Gregg Olsen brilliantly weaves the tale of the two sisters. Hayley is a reasoned thinker and has an analytical mind and her twin sister Taylor is very emotional, though they are both intense and their bond is sure-fire. Set in Port Gamble, Washington and with several twists and enough mystery and intrigue to compel me to read late into the night, this was a well-delivered, stellar read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Wow wow Wow! Absolutely heart pounding, tense and fast paced. A book I just couldn't put down. Brilliant writing, great story. Absolutely amazing. Just Wow.

This was a YA Mystery and it was written very well.

The twins in this have supernatural powers so that's a unique twist on the genre.

The cover of this book was creepy and eye catching.

It was fast-paced and kept my attention all the way to the end.

First, I want to thank Gregg Olsen, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review!

YES!!! Gregg Olsen is back with another you must read and go put it on your TBR list! He has become one of my favorite Bookouture authors with his amazing writing style. His latest book Beneath Her Skin gave off a totally different more relatable vibe. 

There are many great qualities to Gregg’s writing but one that sticks out particularly. His characters and experiences are based on actual facts of when he was a true crime writer. Many scenes are incredibly intense and detailed. It is this aspect that draws me in to each of his books.

Gregg threw in some great pop culture references that made me smile. Not only that but this time around there is some humor in the book as well. At times I could not help but laugh.

The characters in this book I related to more than his other books I have read. I don’t know maybe it is because I am a true teen at heart. 

Speaking of characters I loved how he used such unique names and spellings of them. Some of my favorites were Colton James, Hayley, Mindee, Moira, Harper, and Teagan to name a few. 

In Beneath Her Skin there are some serious and important topics that are brought up. These issues are suicide, alcoholism, stalking, etc. 

Originally, I loved the Katelynn story and finding out what really happened to her. However, as the story progressed  the Ryan twins story became more interesting to me.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of BENEATH HER SKIN for exchange a review.
Usually I love Gregg Olsen books but maybe her shouldn't try writing young adult it didn't feel like a teen was texting, or talking. The whole thing was just off. Still Love the author.

I've read many of Gregg Olsen's books and loved every one of them so deciding to read the 1st book in his new Empty Coffin series was a no brainer.  As always, the first book in a new series has to set the scene for the upcoming books, introduce us to the characters and build a back story that can be woven throughout the series.  All of those can be found in this riveting story of a young woman/girl whose death by suicide may not be what everyone thinks it is.  Our MCs are a set of twins who were friends with the young woman who died.  The target audience is young adult so the characters fit the genre very well.
Port Gamble, Washington is a small town and as all small towns go, the kids all go to the same school, the adults all work close to each other and any time you choose to get into trouble, your Mom and Dad will get a call before you get home.  There is no hiding secrets.  Unless your secret is personal and you only share it with your twin.  These young ladies have some psychic abilities that allow them to get "flashes" of information from inanimate objects and even a few from the dead.  They have only shared their ability with each other and have no intention of letting anyone else know.....until the young woman who committed suicide communicates with them.  
Gregg Olsen is well known for his nonfiction stories.  If you've read any of them, they are not a dry retelling of information.  They introduce you to a community of people and weave their story as it unfolds.  He has brought the same skills to his fiction.  While this one might be not as smooth as the nonfiction books I have read, it's definitely and excellent start to a new series.

I was completely sucked into the story and invested in the characters. I was stunned by the outcomes! This little community is hiding some darkness and I can't get enough. I'm off to read the second one.

Well, I stuck this one out… 
I wanted to like this, I really did. But I didn’t.
There was a somewhat original idea here, but if fell flat. I considered DNF a few times, but I liked the twins. I liked the idea of what they could do. I think that if they hadn't been our protagonists I would have given up. The solution at the end was horrible.  So overall this was a disappointment.

Beneath Her Skin is the first instalment in the young adult Port Gamble Chronicles series, set in the small town of Port Gamble, Washington and is based on a shocking true crime relating to cyber bullying. It opens with 15 year old Katelyn Berkley about to take a bath. Having spent a lot of time crying she doesn't know what to do with herself and the depression she finds herself in. Downstairs in the kitchen her mum, Sandra, is searching for the espresso machine wanting to use the foamer on her Bacardi Spiced Rum and Eggnog. Sandra's parents, Nancy and Paul, had recently left after visiting for Christmas and had dropped a bombshell - their promise to fund Katelyn's college education was no longer possible due to their financial situation. Katelyn had left the table in tears. Now when her mother shouts up to her she gets no reply. Sandra makes her way upstairs and down the hallway. She reaches the bathroom and knocks before stepping inside but what she finds devastates her. Katelyn is slumped over the tub. Under the bath water Sandra can make out the shape of the mini espresso machine still plugged in at the wall. No one is sure whether she committed suicide or if it was an accident but her friends and family are adamant that Katelyn would not have taken her own life. 

When the coroner rules her death as accidental by electrocution, twins, neighbours and childhood friends of Katelyn's, Hayley and Taylor Ryan, who have the power to speak to the dead, believe Katelyn is telling them that something sinister happened and that it wasn't just a tragic accident. Believing it could've been homicide,, Hayley and Taylor begin to decipher messages from Katelyn using their special psychic abilities that will tell the truth of what happened that day. But someone is watching their every move around Port Gamble and stalking them like a predator stalks its prey. And they are not alone is trying to find the truth; an investigative journalist is also searching for an explanation. Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out what happened and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined. This is a compulsive, thrilling and engrossing read with twists and turns that blindside you and enough plot action to keep you turning the pages well into the night. I don't normally enjoy books featuring supernatural powers, but I thought it worked really superbly here and added to the drama and intrigue exceptionally. With evil lurking and strange things happening, this is a riveting and thoroughly gripping tale. Highly recommended.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

2.5 Hearts This is a new series by Gregg Olsen but I am so sad to say that I am not sure I will bother with the next one. 

So the story is about twins who seem to have a psychic ability and they are investigating the death of an old friend. But there is just so much wrong with this book. 

There is a bit of a paranormal feel with the “abilities” the twins have and honestly there doesn’t seem to be much in the suspense side of it either. And there is no horror. There are so many unanswered questions. I can think that some questions about the twins may be answered as the series goes on but there are still questions about the murder. 

Just not what I hoped based on the cover and synopsis. 

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Port Gamble is a close knit community that 10 years ago experienced a terrible bus crash that killed several young girls.   One of the survivors of the crash is Katelyn Berkley who is found dead in her bathtub of an apparent suicide.   But friends of Katelyn - twins Taylor and Hayley Ryan - aren't so sure.   Ever since the tragic bus crash they have been able to hear the dead.   It seems that Port Gamble has something to hide and Katelyn from beyond the grave is trying to help the twins figure out what is really going on.

Twins have the ability to sense memories using water, objects,  dreams and other mediums. They know Katelyn didn't kill herself.  Using their skill,  they delve deeper, trying to solve their sad friend's death. 
Katelyn dies in the bathtub- electrocuted when the family espresso machine falls in. Her death is ruled accidental.  Though no one can ignore the scares from cutting, the lingering depression,  isolation.  
Taylor and Hayley are determined to find out what really happened.

This book is a YA book and a repackaged version of the book "Envy (Empty Coffin #1)., originally published 10 years ago.  It starts out with the tragic death of 15 year old Katelyn, which is deemed a suicide, though no one in her life can determine why she would have done that.  Identical twins Hayley and Taylor were friends with Katelyn when they were younger and (along with some of their friends and fellow students), try to seek answers as to what really happened.

On the good side, the mystery is sound and I had a hard time figuring out what really happened until it was revealed.  I am also familiar with the Port Gamble, Washington location where the story is located; it's always fun to see places you know depicted in books.  

On the less good side, there was a lot going on that didn't really need to be there- another whole mystery involving Hayley and Taylor when they were babies and a ton of internal dialogue from all of the characters in the book, many of them quite shallow.  Also, it doesn't appear that anything was updated since the original version so you had things like printed out directions and lack of social media that I would have expected to be modernized. 

Overall, a good mystery and an OK overall book, but I wish that Olsen had modernized the re-release.  I read the 2nd book in the series too (and liked it better), and am unsure if a 3rd is coming, but if so, I am sure I will read it, especially if it's newly written.  Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an older story repackaged with a gorgeous cover - the older title [book:Envy|10586317]. Both covers have an eerie quality to them and I have to say that I love this new one more than the last. But the original story is from 2011 and I think the story reflects it. The kids lack some of the on-line skills many kids have these days and a lot of the lingo. I also think the story with the on-line chat and video would be very different these days.

With all that, however, it is an interesting mystery - not necessarily a thriller (I don't think there's a lot of tension or suspense). Learning what the twins could do as they try to figure out what happened to their friend was interesting as well, and I liked how that all played out. I just think the story got a little slow in places as they tried to get back in to house and then had to deal with their day to day lives. The mystery felt a bit lost in places but it did pick back up at last hundred pages or so and I liked the how it all wrapped up.

Gregg Olsen has reissued an earlier release with a new title. Envy has now become Beneath Her Skin. No matter what name you use, it is a fantastic thriller with lots of questions to find the answers to.
Katelyn is found dead in her home on Christmas night and the police rule it a suicide. What makes it even more tragic, Katelyn is a survivor of a horrible bus crash from ten years earlier that the small town of Port Gamble, Washington never really got over.
Taylor and Hayley are twin sisters and childhood friends of Katelyn's and they want answers. What could have been so bad for Katelyn to take her own life? Taylor and Hayley sometimes get feelings about events and they believe someone else killed Katelyn. This book is full of twists, thrills and questions that need to be answered. 
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Gregg Olsen for the chance to read this book in exchange for a fair review. If you haven't read Gregg Olsen's books, pick this one up and enjoy staying up way to late at night to finish it!

The death of a fifteen year old is hard for anyone to handle. It’s even harder when the cops have concluded that it was a suicide and no one can figure out the reason why Katelyn would take her own life.

Taylor and Hayley aren’t as close to Katelyn as they were when the trio were younger. But the twins still don’t believe that their former friend would take her own life. More than not believing it, they can’t help but feel like something is off. Can their determination to figure out the truth actually change anything? And does this sudden death have anything to do with the bus crash the three girls survived ten years ago? It takes a little while to get there, but eventually the truth comes out and it’s not what anyone could have expected.

I generally like his books very much but this series is not for me, i am not sure what it is attempting to be?  young adult mystery, mystery with humor,  psychic mystery, but the combination doesnt work for me, not terrible just not as good as his usual ones

Starting with an angst-ridden teenager, this psychological thriller debuts the twins Haley and Taylor Ryan of Port Gamble. Into their world of schooling, family, boyfriends and the usual teenage microcosm of forging an identity comes the murder of a former friend. Not satisfied with the suicide ruling, the twins discover the darker secrets lying beneath their small-town life as they investigate further. Many skeletons long hidden in the closet will be revealed including some regarding the twins. An enjoyable psychological thriller with elements of the supernatural, an entertaining read with a three-and-a-half-star rating. With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a preview copy for review purposes.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Gregg Olsen for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review"

Gregg Olsen’s very first Young Adult novel, has been reissued under the name Beneath Her Skin.

Did Katelyn Berkley commit suicide or didn’t she?  We find her in the beginning of Beneath Her Skin, in her bathtub with a submerged espresso machine. Some deem it a suicide, while her old friends don’t believe she would do that.

Taylor and Haley are 15-year-old twins with special abilities who are former friends of the victim. Haley can touch inanimate objects to ‘see’ a memory or feeling. Taylor can receive coded messages while submerged in water, described in the book as scrabble pieces. Their first clue that something isn’t right is when they see a message out on the water that spells out “look.” From there, they set out to find out what really happened to their old friend, Katelyn.

Port Gamble, Washington, is our setting. It’s a small town where everything is old., from houses to cemeteries to structures. It’s a setting which gives the book a magical feeling that remains throughout.

As usual, Gregg Olsen excels at creating a cast of characters the reader won’t forget. This includes Colton, the hunky teenager who lives across the street, Beth, best friend of the twins and a sharp tongued outcast, and Starla, the girl you love to hate and former best friend and next-door neighbor of the deceased teen. Taylor and Hayley’s father is a famous crime writer, which adds another delicious element to the story.

Every single character, no matter how wonderful they seem, has a dark side to them. It keeps the reader on their toes from beginning to end and surprises them along the way. There are multiple storylines introduced throughout, that give more insight into the scenario that Katelyn was murdered. Though this book is based on true events, she could be any girl in small town America. A teenager who thought she had found love online but found something much, much darker.

The glorious thing is that nothing is what it seems. When the reader thinks they have finally figured out what happened to Katelyn, they are surprised again. As an avid reader of mystery and suspense, I often try to solve the mystery early in the book. I loved that I was wrong here, and Olsen could surprise me. Be warned that not all characters get their due justice. While the ending is satisfying, you yearn for those who did Katelyn wrong to get their payback. This is not that book.

This is a suspense thriller that I loved.  This is book one of a two book series and what a great start it is.  This is an author that I have been reading for quite awhile and his books keep getting better and better.  This is a well developed story that has characters that are connectable and made the story pop off the pages.  I loved being pulled into the story right from the beginning.  The twists and turns had me guessing who did it, just when I thought I knew, nope my mind would go in a different direction.  The characters are just great and the twins are my favorite.  They made the story fun to read as well as entertaining.  What will happen when Katelyn is found dead in her bathtub?  Was it murder or suicide?  Plus add a bus crash that adds to the story will keep you turning pages to the end.  I highly recommend this book and this author.