Obsession, Lies, Love & Loss. This was so addictive!

Meredith McCall’s life unravels with the loss of her husband in a tragic accident. When she comes across the man whose life was destroyed by her husband’s accident she feels drawn to him and begins following him. As a psychiatrist herself, she knows she’s in a downward spiral and seeks treatment. Just when she starts to get herself together, Gabriel walks into her practice - seeking help.

What a tangled web Vi Keeland weaves in this thriller. I couldn’t step away - it was so addictive! Talk about unhealthy actions, crossing professional boundaries and toxic coping mechanisms. Plus, there is definitely some spice (I mean hello, it’s Vi Keeland!) amidst all the unhinged craziness.

If you enjoy books with flawed characters whose actions will leave you with your mouth agape - run & grab this one.

This was so different from Vi. The past and present of the events kept me reading wondering what happened that led to the start of the story. This is a bit of suspense compared to the other stories from Vi. But I did enjoy it.

This book started off really well, following a very intriguing premise. But the story line quickly fell flat. The characters weren't interesting. The plot was sluggish. The romance (??? I think it was trying to be a dark romance? Not entirely sure.) was unpleasant, yet there were 2 spicy scenes that made me feel weird.
Meredith was an alcoholic who couldn't make a good decision to save her, or anyone else's, life. Watching her make bad decision after bad decision was becoming tedious, repetitive, and annoying. Throughout the story, her personality changed more times than she changed her clothes.
Gabriel was not who I thought he'd be based on the blurb, but I didn't really feel any certain way about him. The very last chapter is in his POV, though.
There were two open door spice scenes (that lasted less than a page) that seemed out of place. Maybe one just to move along the plot in that direction would've sufficed. The second seemed to be from the author's wheelhouse of romance book writing.
Overall, the book was okay. The story moved along at a decent speed, even if the plot itself was slow. I didn't care enough about the characters or the ending to speed read the book, but I cared just enough to finish it and see how it ended.

I should've known that based off the title of the book, that this story was going to be a head scratching, mind game. Who's playing who?

One year ago Meredith experienced a tragic loss that turned her professional and personal world upside down. Still reeling from the loss and trying to pick up the pieces, she's now counting down the days to a sense of normalcy in returning to work. Being a Psychologist in New York is not easy and with everyone constantly on the go, you have to move to their speed.
Getting back to a route will surely do Meredith some good and keep her from pursuing an unhealthy hobby but little does she know, she's in for one big surprise.

I have to say that I really loved the premise of this story and I liked that it was a psychological thriller. We saw the main character at her worst and in that moment, she was fighting to get back a little peace and calm the chaos. With that being said, we also saw her truly hit rock bottom and you start to question if it's self punishment, stupidity, or guilt. Trust begins to evaporate and you're no longer certain if anyone is in their right minds at this point.

If you're looking for a slightly predictable thriller that will have you questioning everyone's motives,then this one's for you.

“Regret is like an anchor that wraps around the heart and weighs it down, keeping it from sailing free.”

This isn’t a love story.
It’s a story about obsession.

You bet your sweet ass it was! Woah.

“That’s what happens when you’re hiding secrets. You assume everyone else is, too.”

3.5 stars! Anyone else want to stick their hands inside this book and smack Meredith right across the face? No? Just me? Okayyy.

She made every wrong decision, man. Every. Single. One. If not for that this could have been a five star for me. I just didn’t feel that connection to any of the characters and therefore I wasn’t rooting for anyone in particular.

I am very impressed, though, that this is a thriller debut from a previous romance author! That last twist had me all 😱😱 and also 🤯🤔 and then rereading the last few pages. That was one hell of an ending!

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Wow!!! I don't know much more to say but wow!! I've been a fan of Vi Keeland for some time but this book definitely solidified my obsession with her writing and stories!! Can't wait for more!!

"This isn't a love story. It's a story about obsession." Crossing boundaries, being obsessed with a man who she shared a tragic occurrence, things get worse and worse. A wild ride.

This book is getting a lot of buzz, and I'm here for it! When life keeps going downhill - it's a thrilling read!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

Thoughts of guilt and self-blame has Meredith struggling to get through each day. Then out of the blue she happens to see the man that she shares a connection with due to a tragic event. What happens after will lead her to make decisions that ultimately puts her life at risk.

The story is told in the past and present, revealing the tragedy that changed lives forever. There were twists and turns with a surprise ending. This author is known for her romance books and I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more.

2.5 stars. I didn’t dislike this book necessarily, but I was underwhelmed by it. It was very similar to many other psychological thrillers. It was a fast paced read and I finished it quickly, but I didn’t love it!

The Unraveling tells a believable and horrifying tale of grief, guilt, and obsession. Meredith is helpless and lost as the three psychological elements wrap her into a tightly-wound knot, which is in fact her UNraveling. There were some plot points that were unbelievable and also inaccurate, including the discussion about paper prescriptions not being traceable (not entirely true in the U.S. with our new procedures), but the mental health storyline was relevant, believable, and accordingly undeniably spooky.

This book was equally unique and lovely. I followed the story but it does seem different than her other books. I liked it ok but I need a different sort of romance in my books. I will try to check out some of her other stuff.

I was hooked from the blurb . Vi is one of my favorite authors. I was so excited to read a different genre from her. I had no idea who was going to be behind certain scenarios. The last page is going to leave you wondering if what you read was just a bad dream. I do wish the characters ended up together but I understand that they both needed to heal & discovered a life for themselves individually. The only downfall I had was some of the choices Meredith made but her last decision helped redeem her in my eyes .

Suspense romance I could not put down. Really enjoyed all the twists and turns. The characters were so addicting to read about.

Meredith McCall is a prominent psychiatrist dealing with her own set of tragedy. Her deceased husband ends up killing a woman and child during a car accident. She is left trying to put together the pieces together however, something is off. She ends up seeing the husband, Gabriel Wright, of the dead woman that her husband killed and starts to follow him.

Meredith is confused that Gabriel appears to be handling life so well after suffering the loss of wife and child. She wants to know if it is an act or if it is the real deal. She starts a dangerous trail of stalking him and trying to figure it all out. She just didn’t expect him to come into her office as a patient one day, asking for help. She knows she needs to send him somewhere else but is so caught up in putting the pieces together that she crosses the ethical client/personal lines.

I’m not a stranger to this author at all, but this is a new genre for me when it comes to her. I didn’t know how I would feel about this. What would happen? However, this book took me down a rabbit hole and I didn’t want to stop reading it because it was so dark and scary at times. This makes it so hard for me to review. Readers have to go in blindly. The little twists and shockers shouldn’t be spoiled or revealed.

Meredith’s mental health was always at the forefront of my mind in this thriller. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t seek any help. I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on. I kept asking myself, “What am I reading?” but I couldn’t let up. Then BAM! The moment where you see how unhinged everyone really is revealed.

While I did enjoy all the smutty-like behavior and tension, I didn’t necessarily love it. I felt something for Meredith initially, but she did a few idiotic things. I like the chemistry and watching the story unravel, but it could have been tighter, so it’s not full-on five stars, but very close.

This is such a delicious, well-written, dark thriller that fans of this author will enjoy. Fans of dark, sensual thrillers will enjoy this as well.

~ Samantha

What a ride! I love a good psychological thriller. When a car accident kills Gabriels wife and child, the wife of the driver feels intense guilt as she sees Gabriel become her patient.

4.5 stars

Did I binge this in one day? YUP.

Is this book totally unhinged? YUP.

What a crazy ride. Rebecca is quite the MC, but I loved the twists and turns. Needless to say, I would not want her as my therapist 🤣.

Wow! What a thrill of a lifetime reading this book! It was something I loved because I didn’t see much of it happening! Highly recommend this book!

Brief Synopsis:

Our FMC Meredith, a therapist in NYC has just experienced a major life tragedy. Struggling to get her life back on track, her own therapist recommends getting back out in the world.

One day in a coffee shop she meets a charming man, Gabriel. As they start talking they discover they have both experienced the same life event. Then one day while Meredith is at work, who walks in, but Gabriel Wright.

A therapist and a patient plot is one I always enjoy. This was a gripping story that had me on the edge of my seat. I was enthralled from the start and couldn’t put it down. Recommend adding this to your summer TBR.

"The Unraveling" by Vi Keeland is a thrilling departure from her usual romance novels. The story follows Meredith McCall, who, after a devastating personal loss, is struggling to move on. Her life takes a wild turn when she meets Gabriel Wright, a man who shares a similar tragedy but seems to have handled it differently. Meredith becomes obsessed with Gabriel, especially when he becomes her patient. This leads her down a path of questionable choices and a series of intense, twisty events.

The author keeps you on the edge of your seat with a plot full of surprises. Just when you think you have it figured out, you realize you’re wrong. The story dives deep into Meredith’s chaotic mind, making it a gripping psychological thriller. The story is captivating and hard to put down.

This book is perfect if you’re looking for a quick, binge-worthy thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. I've always known the author for her amazing romance novels (Hate Notes is one of my favourites), but Keeland’s debut in the thriller genre is definitely worth a read.

Overwhelmed by guilt, she starts making some very bad decisions.

Meredith’s life was once the envy of all who knew her. She and her husband Connor, a professional hockey player, were very much in love; he was at the top of his field, and she had built a successful psychiatric practice in New York City where they lived. Then Connor was seriously injured during a game, and had to take time off to recuperate from his injuries. His anxiety over whether he would ever heal sufficiently to play the game he loved developed into anger, especially as his dependence upon opiate painkillers and later alcohol worsened. Meredith did her best to support him through his challenges, but Connor directed a lot of his anger onto her. He promised he was stopping the pills and the drinking, but one night after a fight with Meredith he went out. He got behind the wheel of his car, very much under the influence, and struck two pedestrians, a young mother and her daughter, before crashing the car. Meredith became a widow, and Gabriel, the husband and father of the two victims, had his family stolen from him. Further complicating things, Connor had taken some of Meredith’s prescription pads in order to fuel his need for opiates when his doctors refused to do so. Meredith believes that she should have been more aware, done more to prevent Connor’s descent into addiction….had she done so, she tells herself, Gabriel’s wife Ellen and daughter Rose would still be alive. She is suspended from practicing for a year because it appeared as if she had written the prescriptions for him, and during that time off can barely function. When she sees Gabriel one day when she’s out wandering the streets, she notices him smiling. How can he be happy, when she is still so miserable? She decides to follow him to see if she can find an answer to that question, and so begins an obsession with the man whose life she believes she helped ruin. Their paths continue to cross, and Gabriel doesn’t seem to recognize her. Meredith knows rationally that she should stay away from him, but cannot, and she makes one bad decision after another (drinking a bottle or two of wine each night probably isn’t helping). There is more to what is going on in her life than she realizes….is she losing her mind, or is she being followed and gaslighted? Is Gabriel as unaware of her identity as he seems? Resuming her work with clients gives her the focus she needs…but may also prove to be her undoing.
The Unraveling is a psychological thriller that explores the dark pull of loss, guilt and obsession. When someone who is trained in identifying destructive behavior and helping others to overcome it becomes herself enmeshed in an ever-worsening series of decisions, she knows that what she is doing is wrong but can’t seem to stop herself. Is her behavior towards Gabriel, while certainly counter to professional ethics, understandable given the tragic bond they share? Is Meredith becoming paranoid due to stress and/or overindulgence in alcohol, or is someone really out to get her? When it turns out that Gabriel’s relationship with Ellen was rocky, does that explain why he doesn’t seem to be as devastated by his loss as Meredith is by hers? As a reader I was far more suspicious of happenings than Meredith was, but while I expected some of the plot twists before they popped up I couldn’t be completely sure of anything until the very last page. A quick read that grabbed my attention early and held onto it throughout, The Unraveling should appeal to readers of Rachel Hawkins, Araminta Hall and Jenny Hollander. Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for allowing me early access to a copy of a book that is perfect to bring along on your summer vacation.