It turns out this was not for me. I’m not generally a thriller gal, but I dabble in it. I find it very frustrating when a main character repeatedly makes completely awful decisions, especially when they are supposed to be intelligent. I didn’t buy the MC’s grief and guilt as the justification for her actions. And so I found myself more disinterested in than concerned for her fate: she made her bed after all. I contemplated DNFing at about 60%, but powered through. It is a short and fast-paced read. But unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the ending. My immediate reaction was, what was the point?

And yet, this is one of THE books of the summer. I haven’t seen a single negative review for it. So perhaps, if unlike me, thrillers are your jam, you’ll love this.

I absolutely love Vi Keeland and have ead quite a few of her books. This is now one of my favorites. I began wanting to take it slow but I couldn't slow myself down to finish it! Absolutely an unforgettable very well written story. It will play back quietly in my mind for a long time to come.

I love Keeland's romances so I was excited to give her debut thriller a read. The premise caught my attention with Meredith experiencing a major tragedy and intersects with another person that shared the same experience. I felt for Meredith and the all the guilt that she had and then her obsession leading her down a rabbit hole of bad decisions. There were parts of the story that was a bit predictable and parts that I didn't see coming. I did feel some of the plots wasn't fully fleshed out but overall, it was a great first thriller.

Oh and of course, there was some spicy scenes which was hot!

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley for a copy of this.

I am not sure how to feel about this. It was interesting and a relatively slow burn. I read so many people talking about the ending and I have to agree with them. What happened?? I want to discuss this with someone which I guess is the sign of a good book.

Rating: 5 ⭐️

When I started this book I absolutely did not expect to read it in one day. But this book has quickly become one of my favorites.

The premise of this book was so intriguing to me and I loved every page of it. It was twisty and kept me guessing what was going on the entire time.

This was definitely a psychological thriller, which are my favorites. The reader was literally in the head of the main character and it was a crazy place to be.

Look at me reading a Thriller!!! When I started reading more in 2020, I am pretty sure I read most of Vi Keeland’s backlist. Then, when I saw in her FB group that her newest book was a Thriller, I knew I had to try it out! I am newer to Thrillers (mostly because I am a GIANT baby) but I was excited to take the plunge and try this one! So, so glad I did!!

After the tragic loss of someone close to her, Meredith McCall is lost. Her life’s purpose has been stripped from her, and she can’t seem to move forward. Then, she sees him, the only man who has any understanding of her loss, because Gabriel Wright’s connection to her is on the other side of the same coin. Consumed by how different his life looks post tragedy, Meredith begins to follow him. Then when he ends up at her office as a potential patient seeking a psychiatrist, she sees it as an opportunity. Against all moral and ethical judgement, Meredith says “Yes.” and no matter how convoluted things get between them, her obsession continues and leads to a destructive unraveling.

The Unraveling has a plot that builds and gives fast paced information, scattering your thoughts in several different directions. There were so many moments of “I know what’s going on!” only to find out I was 100% incorrect. Vi did a fantastic job of keeping your empathy for each character high but giving small doses of skepticism here and there making you question each person and their part in this thrilling story. Although not classified as a romance, Vi makes this story alluring in its own way. I don’t want to give too much away but from beginning to END, this is a thriller that keeps you guessing and leaves you speechless!

Atria eARC
I don’t want say too much about this book not because it was bad, but because I feel like readers need to go into it with no prior knowledge. I love an unhinged psychiatrist and this book delivered on all fronts. The plot was well thought out and she felt justified in her actions, even though what she was doing was not making the best choices. I was engrossed from beginning to end. I am still thinking about the last chapter a week after finishing. If you want to bingeable, quick thriller, I highly recommend picking this up.

Um, WOW? What did I just read? This was an insanely fast paced thriller that had me on the edge of my seat, and truly shocked me multiple times. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give away any details, but dang this was wild. While there are certainly flaws (I mean, can Meredith be any more dumb?), I just think the reader should take this book as it is and enjoy the ride. I found it compelling, and I could not put it down. I feel like the author did a great job of setting the scene for the reader, and it got me from the beginning. Literally finished it in one sitting, that's how much it hooked me in from the jump. Be warned, there are some spicy scenes as well. I highly recommend this one if you love psychological thrillers, this might be the best one I've read in quite a while! Solid 4.25/5 stars.

Thanks to Atria Book and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Meredith's life fell apart one fateful night. Her happy marriage fell apart when her husband killed a mother and her daughter. Now, months later, she is finally building her life back up--getting back to her psychiatry practice. But when her new client is the man her husband made a widow, she starts to feel like all of her past mistakes are coming back to haunt her.

This was a really good, solid domestic thriller. Here's what I liked:

The uneasiness: This whole book had a great atmosphere that gives you a feeling of unease. You really don't know what's going on and who is connected to who. Meredith starts feeling like she is unsure of anything and you feel that way right along with her.

Meredith: I felt so bad for her the entire time I was reading. She really is a good person who tries to take ownership of the things she does. I wanted her to find peace.

The romance: anytime you mix thriller and romance, I love it. not only does Keeland does this but she throws in a couple of spicy scenes as well which I appreciate!

All in all, this was a good thriller!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

This was a great psychological thriller and a debut thriller for this author who normally writes romance!

Meredith and Gabriel have both lost important people in their lives following an accident. Years later, Meredith is still struggling to piece her life together and get back into her role as a psychiatrist at her practice. At some point the doctor/patient boundaries are crossed and Meredith continues to make questionable choices.

This one was filled with so many twists and a splash of romance too! I liked seeing how Meredith was mentally before and after the accident as perspective. Meredith was a bit of an unlikeable character because of her heavy drinking and she was UNHINGED but that is what helped make it an interesting read. The end was open ended enough that I feel there could be a second book! I'd like to see what thriller this author has in store next.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It begins relatively innocuous, a bitter widow rallying against her dead husband. But then it starts getting weird with all these obsessive tones, goes into twisted territory, and us readers are left scratching our heads.

Meredith went down the rabbit hole in this story of guilt, love/hate towards her husband, attraction towards another man involved in the tragedy, obsession and so many lies I don’t know how she kept them straight.

It gets curiouser and curiouser as it twists some more, and Meredith is so anguished with her feelings, her fear, her guilt. It’s like being inside a tornado, being thrown around.

I felt for her, although at times I also judged her. Who knows what you feel when you lose your husband under the circumstances she did, no wonder she didn’t know where to turn.

It’s not a thriller but it’s certainly suspenseful, surprising, enthralling like when you’re watching a rattlesnake waiting for the bite. It’s full of lust and feeling lost, of trying to find your way out of a maelstrom of feelings and compulsions and strive for a normal life. Compelling and brilliantly executed!

The Unraveling by Vi Keeland is a sad story about a woman, Meredith McCall a New York City psychiatrist. Meredith loses someone dear to her heart in an accident. That day changes Meredith’s life forever. Meredith’s husband was not the only one who lost someone that day. Gabriel Wright lost his family that day as well.

The Unraveling was a sad story for both Gabriel and Meredith. Meredith starts doing things she never would have done before the accident. Meredith’s life starts to unravel. Her life began to spiral out of control in more ways than one. Meredith was suffering great pain and she was dealing with it the only way she could at the time.

The Unraveling kept me glued to my seat as I waited to see what Meredith would do next even though her days seemed to all blend into one as she did the same thing every day. Many great twists kept on coming. Great big surprising twists that I never saw coming either.

We get to see what happens in The Unraveling from the past and present, then and now. The Unraveling is unlike any book I have read before and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. The descriptions are so well written I had no problem seeing it all play out in my head.

I highly recommend The Unraveling to anyone who likes romantic suspense stories. Grab a copy of The Unraveling today!

I was riveted early on with this one. It completely kept my attention. I went in blind, so I had no idea where the book was going to go. I still felt that way once I hit 50%. But some of our FMC's worries & inner thoughts started to feel too repetitive at some point.

Sometimes timelines that jump back & forth don't work for me, but this book did a good job with the jumps, especially having the start of the chapters say which timeline we're in.

All in all, loved the twists and the tension, but the entire middle half of the book was problematic for me. I think this would be a great thriller for romance book fans, but it's not quite up to par for serious thriller fans.

The Unraveling was an engrossing tale that took us on quite a ride. The story follows Psychiatrist Dr. Meredith McCall who is dealing with grief in the aftermath of tragedy as well as a career upheaval.
One day, she sees Gabriel who was also tied to that tragedy but he doesn't seem to be as affected as she is and she needs to know why. What follows is a thrilling tale that had me hooked from start to finish as we see Meredith's slippery slide into obsession as she finds herself torn between crossing ethical and moral boundaries.

The story is told in both the past and present, and we are given little clues to help unravel the events that leads up to the present day. It was an addictive tale that had me fully drawn in and at the edge of my seat throughout as we go on this journey with Meredith and witness first hand the dangerous game she's playing.

This book was well-written with lots of unexpected twists and turns and it leads us to a shocking ending I did not see coming. I really enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it to lovers of psychological thrillers.

I. Am. Speechless. I could not put this book down, I devoured it in a day. After that epilogue, I couldn't pick my jaw up off the floor. I wished for a different HEA (I can't say what I wished for without spoiling...) but at least it's SOME version of an HEA. I would jump for joy for a sequel with more more more of Meredith and Gabriel.

All the twists and the ways in which their lives were intertwined was written so well. The blurb alone had me SO curious, but the story went far above and beyond what I could have imagined from that blurb. I was a little, erm, creeped out by Gabriel and another person though. I wish that could have been different and maybe the HEA could have then been different. But this is a must read thriller, especially if you're already a fan of Vi Keeland!

Triggers/details:
Death of immediate family
Stalking
Drug and alcohol abuse
Cheating (not between MCs)
A couple short spicy scenes 🌶
Psychiatrist/patient relationship
4.5 stars rounded up ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! 🤍 All opinions are my own.

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the eGalley!

I was fortunate enough to get a physical copy from Atria as well. I devoured this addicting read. I thoroughly enjoyed the unhinged nature of the book.

4.5 stars

I will link my full review below.

Meredith McCall is struggling. Her life is unravelling before her eyes, and takes the reader on this same journey as she spiral further and further into chaos. This is a book of twists, and several games of cat and mouse, and it becomes harder to work out who is who, and whether the cat or mouse is controlling the prey.
Meredith lost a lot of structure and purpose in her life when her husband, Connor, died, and cannot seem to rebuild her personal or work life enough to get her back on track. She made bad decisions, doesn’t take the most appropriate advice, and often she was well aware of the consequences that those choices would result in. Meredith became a stalker. Ethically this sat uncomfortably with me, especially when her own psychologist did not take any action against her when she admitted who she was stalking, Gabriel, who lost his partner and child when they were hit by Connor’s car. The breach of doctor-patient confidentially was strong in this book, unfolding in a misuse of her own prescription pad, and arising again when Meredith took on the very person she was stalking as her own patient. Meredith seemed aware that her actions were a disregard to the moral nature of a human being and also as a licensed practitioner herself. The impact of her grief, and inability to find resolution for it was an explanation – not one we’d probably accept, but one that built the hurtling snowball aiming for her.

The reflections back onto her life before her husband died gave it a romantic feel to it, and there were also moments of when their rocky marriage could have lent itself to a different kind of ending or surprise in the story. The trajectory moved again between Meredith and Gabriel that had more of a dark romance twist, which again became another placeholder in the plot where other characters became not what they seemed. As parts of their relationship wound then together more tightly, other parts seemed to fray at the seams.

This is a book that will keep you interested. A lot happens and changes so quickly, and it propels you towards the penultimate moments. Every character seemed mysterious. No one escaped these characteristics, which made it harder to believe anyone of them. Perfect book for a parent’s school holiday read – it will keep you occupied while the kids are occupied.

Great read. I love thrillers and this one had me on the edge. All the twist and turns makes this especially good.

I haven’t had great luck with thrillers this year, so I was hesitant to pick this up. But thanks to some encouragement from another book friend, I ended up reading it in two sittings over the holiday weekend. The title is apt, as Keeland slowly reveals bits and pieces of what’s going on and who our unreliable narrator is. There were many times I thought I had figured out what was going on, but the ending managed to surprise me – a sign of a good thriller. It reminded me a little of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins both in its main character and in the way she disorients the reader. This is Veeland’s first thriller, with romance being her usual genre, and I hope she writes more.

Outstanding . I am not usually a fan of the thriller book, with that said this book was mind blowing . Once I started I couldn t stop reading . The twists and turns had me on the edge of seat, well page.

Must have summer read! This is one of the BEST psychological thrillers/romance books I have ever read! Probably best to start on a vacation or staycation as you will be reading it from cover to cover