Skin Deep: And Other Troubled Thoughts

by T M Lunn

It’s all well and good locking away your troublesome thoughts - but are you ever truly safe from them?

A collection of short stories that blur the line between real life experiences and pessimistic over-thinking. Expect fast-paced terror, gruesome body horror and manic twists that bring nightmares to life.

Genres: Horror

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2024

About the author

T M Lunn is originally from the Northeast of England and is obsessed with everything literary. She likes to write about the thoughts that occur in everyday life that often spiral out of control into something a bit darker. You can find her on Instagram, where she is a huge supporter of fellow indie authors and shares her work in progress: @tmlunnauthor

Reviews

[Lia's Haunted Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is 46 pages and includes 7 stories. When I say this has made its way to my top 5 story collections, I’m not exaggerating. The stories explore struggles, fears, and mental health issues, mixing real and paranormal elements that reflect worries many women face. Even though the stories are short, the character development is so good that you genuinely care about the characters and what happens to them.

For the same reasons I loved it, I know some might not, but it’s the kind of collection that really validates the reality of overthinking and dealing with our thoughts. Considering this is the author’s debut, I’m floored. The book is dedicated to overthinkers and validates people’s emotions, thoughts, and experiences.

Here’s a breakdown of each story:

Skin Deep: 4.5

It's Just a Phase: 5

She Might Think: 5

Mooring Rope: 4

One Stop: 4.5

Sweet Dreams: 5

You Should Be: 5

[Chiara Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the only book that truly crawled into my skin and turned me inside out. It made me feel so seen and cathartically uncomfortable at times. 


Each story is full of horror, not because of the gore but because of how real they feel. These are stories that are happening somewhere right now and I felt deeply connected to more than one. I was those characters in those stories at some point.


As I said before, it is extremely difficult to convey a lot in a few pages and the author delivered so much more than I expected, through direct and expert writing. 


If you want to experience deep, real and primeval emotions, give this collection a try. 


Thanks to the author for a copy and this is my honest opinion. 

[Calum Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was absolutely fantastic! It is an amazing debut by this author as a whole, but a great selection of short stories that will make you visually wince at times!

I can't go into too much detail as I would end up giving parts of stories away, but my highlights were the title story, 'Skin Deep', 'Mooring Rope', and 'One Stop' which were all particular amazing!

This is the kind of book that you can finish in one afternoon! The perfect read to sit down, have a cuppa, and be equally terrified all at the same time!

There are some disturbing themes throughout, such as gore, eating disorder, self-harm, and death, so just be aware of these when approaching!

It's an amazing collection of disturbing, troubling, and nightmareish short stories that I couldn't actually fault! I can't wait to read more from this author!

Rating: 10/10!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short weird stories? Yes please! Let's talk about them!

📖 Skin Deep
This is my favourite of the bunch!
I don't want to spoil this one for the reader, it's so intense! I share a bad habit with this character so this story really stood out to me - and I love the way it's referred to "like popcorn" by one of the other characters. It's really on point with the descriptions! This was an entertaining story.

📖 It's Just A Phase
Mmm... Say what now?! That was creepy! A short tale that will deffo have you flicking back to the first page of the story with wide eyes!

📖 She Might Think
Lost my breath reading this one! A fine example of intrusive thoughts. I recommend reading it, and then reading it again as fast as you can to get a real insight into this person's mind!

📖 Mooring Rope
Scared of the water? This one is for you heh heh

📖 One Stop
I've always had anxiety about getting on the wrong train, even when I caught the same train at the same platform as the same time everyday. Do you feel the same? Well, read this story. Make the anxiety worse 😂

📖 Sweet Dreams
Short and creepy indeed. Won't be getting any sweet dreams of my own now heh heh

📖 You Should Be
This starts off sad and really shows a good example of the horror of life. Rather than a ghost lingering in the corner, it's just us and our thoughts. The cruel words from others. This reminded me of the days of being bullied endlessly... however, you can sure say I smiled at the end of this one. You go girl! 😉

This collection is overall around 50 odd pages, so one you can enjoy in one or two sittings with your cup of tea! I managed it on an hours work lunch break! I very much recommend and I can't wait to see what this author does next!

[Tom Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of brilliantly well written stories that keep you wanting more. The stories stir up many emotions and feel so realistic with twist endings and tension throughout. For someone who doesn’t read much I got through this in one sitting. Personal favourite was mooring rope which was deeply descriptive and felt as though you were there.

[Gabriella Viner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - I’m blown away! What an outstanding debut. Skin Deep is a captivating collection of short stories offering fast-paced terror and spine-chilling twists. The writing is gripping and immersive, with each story leaving me both satisfied and craving more. I devoured this book in one sitting and I can’t wait to more from this talented author 📚✨⛵️💀

[sarah dough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book for free as apart of a horror book blast:

it's a very chaotic mixed bag, some were genuinely really interesting reads, others had endings I felt were flat, and others were just.... I... didn't like them

[Brianna North · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read short story collections, but this one absolutely blew me away! Each one was truly so unique and had me feeling all sorts of emotions, especially as they were on the creepier side. The first story, Skin Deep, had me wincing and made me rethink ever wanting to bite my nails again haha! This story and You Should Be were my top favourites - You Should Be reminded me a lot of my own experience being bullied in middle school and brought back all of the sad feels. Such an amazing debut, and I can't wait to read more from this author!

[Lee Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing horror anthology. The great thing about short story collections is that there's no messing about, you dive straight in. And if done correctly, they can offer a delicious tapas of bitesize terrors. And these unsettling tales certainly didn't disappoint. Each entry was unique, but expertly crafted and guaranteed to get under your skin. Talking of skin, the opening story was probably my favourite. I could see David Cronenberg directing the film adaptation.
I was so eager to hunt down T M Lunn's other work after reading the superb All I Can Remember Now. And I can safely say she is an author I will be following closely. This is a must read for horror fans.

[Dean Asquith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and powerful.

At the heart of this book are short stories of struggles that are so intrinsically linked to so many lives. The author, T M Lunn, does an exceptional job of translating the very real struggles and real life experiences into a collection of well worked stories that are very readable and as I said…thought provoking.

My favourite story was the first one, whilst it, in places, made me a bit queasy, it is a shining example of this book and its content. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart but at it’s centre, it is poignant and brilliantly written.

I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to read and review these and would recommend them to readers of this kind of book. Definitely check the trigger warnings first though!

[Hayley Anderton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection! These stories lean into creepy but with surprising realism too in many cases. Skin Deep made me sooo uncomfortable because it was a little too close to home as someone that picks my skin, so I think it had the exact desired effect! I found the story to be original and unsettling, and the rest in the collection were too! TM Lunn is bringing something new to the table and I’m excited for more!!!

[Gemma Viner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best short story collections I have written and a fantastic debut.
My favourite stories were You Should Be and She Might Think ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Skin Deep was very disturbing but very captivating!!

[Lisa reads alot Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling book of short stories. Each one different and oddly chilling 😃

[Pete Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A creepy collection of somewhat unnerving stories! Each story is written in a unique style with enough similarities to create a "world" that links the stories together. Very clever! The book is short, but the feelings created by the stories stay with you much longer and leave you wanting more.

[M.J. Mallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skin Deep

Well this read is certainly dark, deep, and different. It's a short horror read that really stays with you. Some great pieces. The first, dives right in, Skin Deep had me wincing! 

Favourite stories: One Stop, (dark humour, teachers would appreciate this!) Mooring Rope, (Should have been a lovely day away. But No, this is horror!) You Should Be, (difficult to summarise without spoiling, but this one hits hard, so get a copy!)

It's a quick page turning read. Recommended for dark horror short story readers.

I've had this on my TBR for a while. Read during Hayley Anderton's Indie Visible Halloween Hauntfest. These events are a great opportunity to discover new indie authors to read. 

[Steve Haygarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly well written! I couldn’t stop myself going from one short story to the next!

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

*SYK book*
Pretty unremarkable. However I do see heaps of potential. Keep on truckin' Lunn!

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommend!!!

[Ayanna Marielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short stories were just the right amount of creepy I loved the first two and the last the most.

[Elisa86 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disturbing short stories

Short stories that are a little disturbing. Definitely shouldn’t have read this at 3 am. There were some that really stuck with me.

[Amy B Garratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy collection of diabolical short stories, particularly enjoyed the imagery of ‘Mooring Rope’ & ‘You Should Be’. It’s brilliant how these short pieces still have so much character depth, and spooky scenarios that make you wonder what’s lurking in the dark….

[Ellen Dandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not usually a short story reader however this collection is nothing short of spine-tingling, out loud noise making, wring your hands because you’re equal parts engrossed and freaked out, genius. Plunge into the depths of the authors terrible thoughts. I have been thinking about story 1 and 3 for DAYS!

[Dave Musson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird, disgusting and really great! A cracking little collection of disturbing stories.

[Rose English · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and foreboding shorts

I've not ever felt so nauseous reading a book as I did with this one, but I could not stop. There is something very dark and foreboding about these little horror stories but they certainly stick in your mind.

[Kayla Alaysia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely enjoyed majority of the short stories. When I finished the piece in its entirety, I finished it with a wide grin at how much I enjoyed it. It’s a little piece of the author and what could be better?

[Becki · Rating 5 out of 5]

TM Lunn has written a fantastic collection of short stories. Each standalone chapter managed to get so surprisingly close to home, getting under my skin in different ways.

I’m not typically a horror reader. Skin Deep has made me change my mind. Excited to see more from the author!

[Renate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of 7 chilling short horror stories.

Each story is eerie, creepy and makes you feel all the feels.
The first story, and also my favorite of the bunch, made my skin crawl.

Highly recommend.
These are stories that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading them.

[Jessica Huntley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, quick horror read that's perfect for a rainy afternoon. Delightfully weird and oddly addictive. Some of the stories ended too soon for me!

[Lex Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of raw, emotive and distressing stories. Lunn’s writing style was also a pleasure to read, and I look forward to any future stories to come!

[Kim Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of short horror stories. I have seen many good reviews for this one and I've had it on my TBR list for a while. I really enjoyed the stories, well thought out and delivered. I have only recently started reading a few horror books, mainly short stories, as thrillers are my usual go to. Reading the short stories helps me see what type of horror I like to read or not. I'm not a fan of gruesome body horror but it was so well told and detailed for those who are fans. The rest I really enjoyed. The suspense and eerie vibes, plus a revenge story is always sweet 😄 I would love to see another release from T M Lunn. Love the cover too 😍