This was an amazing and complex book that is relatable in so many complex ways from each character’s role to the actual issues at hand. I have always wanted a book to exist that tells the story of addiction, overdose, and how it impacts EVERYONE else. That is exactly what this book did for me. I really enjoyed each and every character in their own way and developed empathy for each one. Not too heavy but serious enough that you can’t put it down. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

This is a book about addiction and we all know someone whose life has been affected by a family member or friend with an addiction. The characters are all well written and real. I agonized over the two people who became addicts and saw how quickly and easily they fell into their addictions. I also agonized with the family members who went through normal feelings of co-dependency as they watched their loved ones on a downward spiral into the addictions.

Denise and Angie are sisters. Their mom is disabled and Angie lives with her to take care of her. Denise also helps but she is in a relationship and has two children. Both sisters think that the other one could do more to help their mom and Denise feels like she has to watch over Angie to keep her on the right path. She is suspicious of Angie’s new boyfriend Brock. He drives a nice car and doesn’t seem to have a job and Denise assumes that he is probably a drug dealer. When Angie gets hurt, her doctor prescribes pain pills that make her feel a lot better. Soon she is trying to get more and more pills as she becomes dependent. When Brock gets hurt, she starts sharing her pain pills with him and even though they both believe that they can stop any time they want to, the pills are the most important part of their lives and their relationship with each other. One of them will die. And then another.

There’s a lot of collateral damage from the people who knew and loved Angie and Brock – friends and family who can’t believe what happened to them and question what could they have done to help. Denise, her mom, her daughter, Brock’s mom and Mercedes, a friend of Brock’s are all left behind with their grief and their guilt. This isn’t just a fiction story – it’s a mirror of what is happening in our society right now as families lose their loved ones to addictions.

I have read all of Lynne Hugo’s books and she just keeps getting better. One way that I know a book was special is how long I continue thinking about the characters after I finish the book. I read this book months ago and the characters are still in my mind. I would absolutely give this book 100 stars if it was possible – it’s that good.

This is a fantastic novel about addiction and its grips on the addict and their family. It is somewhat of a mystery/thriller. Highly recommend!

I just finished Under an Indiana Sky and I loved it!! The characters, so multidimensional. Each one drew me in, the likable ones with flaws, so human. Disliking others then softening, understanding their dilemma, moving from outrage at their choices, then rooting for them. A tour de force. It’s got to be a best seller!

Under an Indiana Sky by Lynne Hugo is a forthcoming literary novel (scheduled for release October 13, 2026, from Blank Slate Press) about the devastating ripple effects of opioid addiction, drug dealing, family betrayal, and grief in rural Indiana.
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Denise Brown juggles work, parenting her children (including perceptive 14-year-old Julie), and caring for her disabled mother. She grows increasingly worried about her sister Angie, who is dating Brock Varon, a secretive man living alone in a rural farmhouse with an unexplained income and expensive car. As Angie is drawn deeper into Brock’s world, the story expands to other connected characters (including Nora and bar keeper Mercedes). Addiction takes hold, leading to tragedy, suspected foul play (deaths that authorities may dismiss as accidents), and questions of justice. Survivors must confront guilt, betrayal, and whether they can trust one another enough to seek accountability and rebuild.
The novel is frequently compared to works like Dopesick and Long Bright River for its unflinching look at the opioid crisis’s impact on ordinary families. It also explores elder care, rural crime, sisterhood, and fragile hope.

This is a propulsive, character-driven literary novel that treats the opioid crisis and its human cost with realism and compassion.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me dive into this emotional story before it is released.
This book is heavy-- and it's definitely full with emotional twists and turns. If you know or love someone who has experienced addiction, this will be a hard read.
While the characters felt a little flat due to the 3rd person perspective, I think that the perspective also helped protect my heart a little bit from diving in too deeply to such an emotional storyline. I also felt the realistic ease in which people can fall into opiod addiction.

Under an Indiana Sky is a powerful story about addiction and the twisting steps that can gradually lead someone into its grip. It portrays both those suffering directly and the loved ones who become its indirect casualties.

The book also explores unhealthy relationships and how women sometimes remain tied to men who are not good for them—with or without drugs—as well as what can happen when women come together to support each other.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.