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Now and then, I come across a book that tests my boundaries and forces me to re-think my views on controversial and hard-hitting topics. “Under Her Skin” was one such book. From the moment, I read the blurb I knew this would be an interesting read and so I was glad when Netgalley approved my request.
Not only is the story an emotional read, it is also thought-provoking. I know that this story is likely to be a trigger for persons who have been in a similar position. This story was a vivid reminder that some women may find themselves in a relationship that proves to be toxic both mentally and physically. At times, they find excuses to justify their reasons for remaining in such a relationship. Some of these same women will look deep within themselves to find the courage to escape such a situation and take back their lives. This is a story about one such woman.
Uma was in a relationship with a powerful man. When they first met, he was as charming as ever, but that all changed as their relationship progressed. The signs were there, but she stuck it out believing that things would change. Unfortunately, that was not the case, things went downhill and before she knew it, she was running for her life.
The story started slow and it maintained that pace to the end. Although the pacing was slow, the story was not boring. The pacing was perfect for this kind of story. This is the kind of story that deserves to be savoured and not rushed.
This is not a sweet and flowery romance. It is a story about two broken souls finding love when they least expect it. Uma is running for her life and getting close to anyone, especially a man was not on her list of priorities. What she never expected to encounter was the brooding and scary stranger who would become her lifeline in her journey of reclaiming her life.
From the moment Ivan laid eyes on Uma, he knew she was a victim of abuse having experienced it first-hand. He wanted to help, but this would prove challenging, as she was afraid to put her trust in him, which is understandable given her history. She would soon come to realise that he is nothing like her ex-fiancée but, that did stop her from being wary. He helped her realise that she need not be afraid. He gave her hope. This reminded me that a relationship with the right person could be a wonderful and powerful experience.
Their interaction was poignant. The author’s portrayal of Uma and Ivan made it easy to establish a connection with them. I felt every emotion that they experienced. I enjoyed watching Uma overcome her fears and regain her confidence. They helped each other in their healing process.
I enjoyed the romance, which did not take place until around the second half of the story. It moved slowly, which was a good thing for them both. Her need for control in this was understandable and I loved that Ivan allowed her to take charge.
The supporting characters were diverse, some were likable and some not so much. The one that peaked my interest was Uma’s new employer. At first, her behavior was mean, but beneath all that, meanness laid a soul that has had its share of pain. I loved that Uma stood up to her making their interaction entertaining.
Verdict:
Under Her Skin is everything I expected it to be. It is an unforgettable story about love, hope, and healing. I enjoyed every moment of this powerful, emotional and thought-provoking read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
NB: This can be read as a stand-alone.
Not only is the story an emotional read, it is also thought-provoking. I know that this story is likely to be a trigger for persons who have been in a similar position. This story was a vivid reminder that some women may find themselves in a relationship that proves to be toxic both mentally and physically. At times, they find excuses to justify their reasons for remaining in such a relationship. Some of these same women will look deep within themselves to find the courage to escape such a situation and take back their lives. This is a story about one such woman.
Uma was in a relationship with a powerful man. When they first met, he was as charming as ever, but that all changed as their relationship progressed. The signs were there, but she stuck it out believing that things would change. Unfortunately, that was not the case, things went downhill and before she knew it, she was running for her life.
The story started slow and it maintained that pace to the end. Although the pacing was slow, the story was not boring. The pacing was perfect for this kind of story. This is the kind of story that deserves to be savoured and not rushed.
This is not a sweet and flowery romance. It is a story about two broken souls finding love when they least expect it. Uma is running for her life and getting close to anyone, especially a man was not on her list of priorities. What she never expected to encounter was the brooding and scary stranger who would become her lifeline in her journey of reclaiming her life.
From the moment Ivan laid eyes on Uma, he knew she was a victim of abuse having experienced it first-hand. He wanted to help, but this would prove challenging, as she was afraid to put her trust in him, which is understandable given her history. She would soon come to realise that he is nothing like her ex-fiancée but, that did stop her from being wary. He helped her realise that she need not be afraid. He gave her hope. This reminded me that a relationship with the right person could be a wonderful and powerful experience.
Their interaction was poignant. The author’s portrayal of Uma and Ivan made it easy to establish a connection with them. I felt every emotion that they experienced. I enjoyed watching Uma overcome her fears and regain her confidence. They helped each other in their healing process.
I enjoyed the romance, which did not take place until around the second half of the story. It moved slowly, which was a good thing for them both. Her need for control in this was understandable and I loved that Ivan allowed her to take charge.
The supporting characters were diverse, some were likable and some not so much. The one that peaked my interest was Uma’s new employer. At first, her behavior was mean, but beneath all that, meanness laid a soul that has had its share of pain. I loved that Uma stood up to her making their interaction entertaining.
Verdict:
Under Her Skin is everything I expected it to be. It is an unforgettable story about love, hope, and healing. I enjoyed every moment of this powerful, emotional and thought-provoking read and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
NB: This can be read as a stand-alone.
This was ok, but I think it lacked a bit of depth, both in characters and plot. I thought the romance could have been more slow burn - it seemed way too fast for the trauma the heroine had suffered.
The writing was pretty good. It gets bonus points for being in third person.
Not sure if I would continue the series.
The writing was pretty good. It gets bonus points for being in third person.
Not sure if I would continue the series.
CW for review: abuse & assault
Book deals with trauma, IPV, and abuse. It references rape, violent assault, emotional abuse, IPV, and PTSD among other traumas on page. Multiple characters have been abused. I cannot speak to the representation of these situations, but I can say I don’t think the book handled consent well and there was some healed by magical dick vibes.
Book deals with trauma, IPV, and abuse. It references rape, violent assault, emotional abuse, IPV, and PTSD among other traumas on page. Multiple characters have been abused. I cannot speak to the representation of these situations, but I can say I don’t think the book handled consent well and there was some healed by magical dick vibes.
So I managed to get a quarter of the way into this book before I finally DNFed it. And even that took me FOREVER to get through. (OK, I'll readily admit that I've been focusing more on listening to audiobooks than actually sitting down and putting my eyeballs to paper/screen lately...) But this book just hit a LOT of buttons for me.
First off, I HATE books where trauma/abuse is only shown part way. I totally get Uma running the way she is, and she SHOULD be traumatized, but you can't have her completely terrified of every shadow that crosses her path, and then having her practically jumping Ivan's bones in the next breath. It's completely nonsensical.
But the point of the book where I REALLY checked out was when Uma recalls talking to her mother on the phone, and her mother completely defending Uma's ex. I mean seriously... I gave the book until Uma and Ivan hook up before I was like uh, nope. This book SHOULD have been about Ivan SLOWLY earning Uma's trust, and them SLOWLY building up to that moment where they are intimate. Not three days after she arrives in a strange town with strangers she hardly knows and she's already lusting after the neighbor and wants his babies (which, incidentally, comes 2 WEEKS after she runs from her abusive ex...).
And then let's talk about the obvious. She's ONLY in town because some doctor will help her remove her tattoos for free because she's an abuse survivor... I'm no rocket scientist, but I'm damn sure that there is more than ONE doctor/organization that will do this for her in the entire country, and she wasn't forced to return to her ex's backyard to get it done.
Ok, that's my rant about this one... I'm just moving on to the next book on my list now.
First off, I HATE books where trauma/abuse is only shown part way. I totally get Uma running the way she is, and she SHOULD be traumatized, but you can't have her completely terrified of every shadow that crosses her path, and then having her practically jumping Ivan's bones in the next breath. It's completely nonsensical.
But the point of the book where I REALLY checked out was when Uma recalls talking to her mother on the phone, and her mother completely defending Uma's ex. I mean seriously... I gave the book until Uma and Ivan hook up before I was like uh, nope. This book SHOULD have been about Ivan SLOWLY earning Uma's trust, and them SLOWLY building up to that moment where they are intimate. Not three days after she arrives in a strange town with strangers she hardly knows and she's already lusting after the neighbor and wants his babies (which, incidentally, comes 2 WEEKS after she runs from her abusive ex...).
And then let's talk about the obvious. She's ONLY in town because some doctor will help her remove her tattoos for free because she's an abuse survivor... I'm no rocket scientist, but I'm damn sure that there is more than ONE doctor/organization that will do this for her in the entire country, and she wasn't forced to return to her ex's backyard to get it done.
Ok, that's my rant about this one... I'm just moving on to the next book on my list now.
Well-written, but *not* a pleasure to read. There was so much darkness present, and the sex scenes (although much better written than average) were the only sparks of light.
Appreciated the unusual plotline. Loved Mrs Lloyd as a secondary character.
[TW: past domestic abuse by an intimate partner, assault, forced tattoos, violence]
I was loving this book until I got to the 50% mark. It was intense and painful and this *needs* TWs, a lot of them. But I was loving the intensity, the slow developments and the struggles that brought both MCs together. The way they navigated their power dynamics and the reclaiming of sexuality was lovely and as survivor-centered as I wanted it to be. It was steamy and perfect.
Now that was until at 50%or so the penetrative, naked sex happened and I thought it was okay because we still had 50%to go for it the survivor story arc and the relationship to develop at the same steady space it did before. But then the book ended at 60% or so. Which was abrupt and unexpected and made me angry. For one it's a personal peeve of mine when books end that "early" and almost half of the book are not the story in and on itself.
But what was a bigger problem for me is more personal. Because to me the sex here was akin to a magic dick moment. And while I understood the significance of the scenes here they still left me reeling. It might be a very strange form of envy. Why is she suddenly able to do all the things, get better, *heal*, stand up for herself and throw punches when I can't seem to get anywhere near half of that? It's a me-thing and one that might feel completely different and validating to other survivors reading it. It might be their fantasy, their golden light of hope on top of a validating story.
For me it had the opposite effect. A friend said it very well : my fantasy recovery fairytale is one of slow healing, of hiding, recovering, finding your safe space and going back and forth and getting there with lots of time and care. The story arc as it was her didn't work for me. It left me upset and feeling invalidated and very, very small. So I can only give two stars for the first part of the book, but none for the ending.
I was loving this book until I got to the 50% mark. It was intense and painful and this *needs* TWs, a lot of them. But I was loving the intensity, the slow developments and the struggles that brought both MCs together. The way they navigated their power dynamics and the reclaiming of sexuality was lovely and as survivor-centered as I wanted it to be. It was steamy and perfect.
Now that was until at 50%or so the penetrative, naked sex happened and I thought it was okay because we still had 50%to go for it the survivor story arc and the relationship to develop at the same steady space it did before. But then the book ended at 60% or so. Which was abrupt and unexpected and made me angry. For one it's a personal peeve of mine when books end that "early" and almost half of the book are not the story in and on itself.
But what was a bigger problem for me is more personal. Because to me the sex here was akin to a magic dick moment. And while I understood the significance of the scenes here they still left me reeling. It might be a very strange form of envy. Why is she suddenly able to do all the things, get better, *heal*, stand up for herself and throw punches when I can't seem to get anywhere near half of that? It's a me-thing and one that might feel completely different and validating to other survivors reading it. It might be their fantasy, their golden light of hope on top of a validating story.
For me it had the opposite effect. A friend said it very well : my fantasy recovery fairytale is one of slow healing, of hiding, recovering, finding your safe space and going back and forth and getting there with lots of time and care. The story arc as it was her didn't work for me. It left me upset and feeling invalidated and very, very small. So I can only give two stars for the first part of the book, but none for the ending.
So I don’t love an angsty book but I did love this book. Uma is such a great character and I loved her journey. The book does deal with violence, trauma, rape and abuse, so it is heavy. But the book is about the heroine taking control. I thought it was great.
More on UNDER HER SKIN:
* Available NOW on all retailers!>> books2read.com/Under-Her-Skin
* A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017
* Available NOW on all retailers!>> books2read.com/Under-Her-Skin
* A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017
