Beneath The Sweater And The Skin

The story was being told to us instead of being shown, God it was terrible. The idea of psychic twins might seem a little far-fetched, but Gregg Olsen does a masterful job of creating a subtly to their messages that makes the storyline completely believable. The messages Taylor and Hayley receive are little more than feelings and glimpses they get when they come into contact with something that belonged to Katelynn.

The coroner rules her death as accidental, but Katelyn’s childhood friends, twins Taylor and Hayley, believe it could be murder. Possessing psychic abilities, they begin to decipher messages from the deceased girl that will lead to the truth. But someone out there is watching them. Katelyn’s death has reopened wounds from a tragic accident years before. What a nosy reporter uncovers about the past may put the twins in danger.

Too Busy to Be Productive — Beneath The Sweater And The Skin

The plot is mainly a whodunit storyline, that’s good, it’s a classic and you can hardly imagine anything to go wrong. The story is written in various POVs. Actually, there were so many POVs that I’ve lost count already. Now, various POVs aren’t bad, they can actually be very useful if you want to describe how several characters feel about a certain event, but the problem of POVs in Envy is they are too random. In each chapter, which is mostly only three to four pages , there were already various POVs appearing.

The characters are flat and superficial; the plot isn’t believable; and the writing is cringe-inducing. I guess Gregg Olsen usually does true crime. Supposedly, this is based on a true life event, with Olsen being a true crime writer himself, the denouement and all felt a little too sketchy. He could have at least improved the ending, could have improve upon its over all message. Another thing, the twins based on his own children who could just divine the clues felt lazy and wasn’t very creative. Just terrible, terrible storytelling.

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Something darker was behind her death. As the halls of Kingston High are rocked by the scandal, everyone from the most popular cheerleader to the class outcast could have reason to want her dead. I highly recommend Beneath the Skin – amazing characters, flawless writing, and a story that gives you all the feels. This was my second book by Mr. Banner and again I was thoroughly satisfied. This author’s writing easily takes you away and puts you inside the pages of the story.

Brant was an easygoing, happy-go- lucky College manwhore. Nell was a shy but eccentric artist who did not trust trust men like Brant. I loved Brant’s openness and I adored Nell’s intense but quiet strength. Even though Brant comes off as immature that at times I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his antics, I loved that beneath his flamboyant persona, he also had depth. And Nell helped bring out the best in him.

by Gregg Olsen

I expect nothing less from the self-proclaimed lover, Brant. And Nell, with all her darkness, just screams “freak in the sheets” and when they come–(see what I did there?!)–together it is magnificent. We see artistic Nell and trying to find himself Brant.

The young girls frinds and mother had taken to cyber bullying her via MySpace after a falling out between the girls. There were parts of the book that didn’t make sense, such as why was Shania okay with murdering someone, what promise did she make to the twins mum? Just a few of the questions left unanswered lol. I thought it touched on a real issue that needs to be addressed but at the same time gave readers a clever mystery to unravel as well. I look forward to discovering more about Hayley & Taylor and what other secrets may be revealed in Port Gamble. I think there is a lot of build up for a not so fantastic outcome.

Love one another

I can’t wait for the next book in the series because I don’t want to leave these characters. This is the first book of Daryl’s that I have read. I love that the characters are deep.

As twins, Taylor and Hayley share a psychic connection beyond the boundaries of normal sibling relationships. They have kept the extent of their connection a secret from everyone except each other. How would anyone else be able to understand that they can catch glimpses of the past and future and possibly receive messages from the dead? Their gift has been something that they never gave much thought to until the death of their former friend. Taylor and Hayley want to know the truth behind Katelynn’s death and agree to use their abilities in solving what they come to believe is her murder. Starting with an angst-ridden teenager, this psychological thriller debuts the twins Haley and Taylor Ryan of Port Gamble.

Beneath the Sweater and the Skin by Jeannette Encinias

The premise or this series, is so fresh and interesting and albeit a little eerie, but it’s based on facts and stories that have indeed happened. At the end of the book, the author talks about the events that took place and its similar to the book he wrote. Needless to say, I was astounded by this refreshing and emotional story. I picked up this book because of the cover, the cover is creepy and dark, all the things I love in a book.

Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own. “And finally, not far away, one person got online and started deleting the contents of a file folder marked KATELYN.” It’s style and technique frustrated me so much I almost hated Envy as much as Ken Kermode hated the Entourage movie. Just kidding, I don’t hate books but Olsen could have done much better with this…..

Beneath the Sweater and the Skin

She also seems to resist all of Brant’s charms. Nell goes to the same college as Brant and she’s a talented artist. Her art is provocative, but it’s what she wants. Nell dislikes Brant on first sight and tries to push him away.

We’ve been friends, aging together, ever since. Beneath The Skin was the second book that I have read from Daryl Banner. The first book was Read My Lips, which is the first book in this series. I loved that story and particularly Clayton. I mean who doesn’t love a hot brooding tattooed man of few words?!

Friend Reviews

Now I must get ready to read my ARC of Betrayal soon so I can find out more about this story. This book was originally published as ENVY. This new edition has been re-edited since its publication in 2011.

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She was depressed and lonely, shutting herself off from everyone who once cared about her. Former friends Taylor and Hayley Ryan knew that Katelynn needed help, yet they had a difficult time accepting that Katelynn’s unexpected Christmas evening demise was actually a suicide. First there was the manner in which Katelynn supposedly used to kill herself, an espresso machine in the bathtub. Next, were the cryptic messages they were sure Katelynn was sending them from beyond the grave. Messages they felt would unlock the mystery behind Katelynn’s untimely death.