Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

For Vi Keeland's first thriller, I think she did a great job and I hope to read more thrillers from her in the future. The Unraveling follows a psychiatrist struggling with the death of her pro hockey player husband who just so happened to cause an accident killing a child. I think this story was super unique because you are following a professional who is unraveling, not her patient. Definitely like the twists and turns! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

This mind-flipping thriller has you constantly wondering: who’s the crazy one here? And honestly the constant plot surprises have you rethinking everything…again!

Dr. Meredith McCall, a talented NYC psychiatrist, loses her hockey-player-star husband Connor in a car crash in which her husband strikes and kills a young mother and daughter before striking a building. At the time he was struggling to cope with both a significant leg injury that occurred on the ice during a game, depression that he may not be able to play again, reliance on pain killers, and anger towards Meredith. Prior to his injury, Meredith thought they had an ideal marriage. She is crippled herself with depression over his loss. Meredith also feels profound guilt that her failure to more effectively intervene in his depression may have contributed to the accident.

After running across Gabriel Wright, the father of the mom and daughter who died and who Meredith recognizes from the hospital, she starts to follow him as she obsesses about how he’s doing. She sees him laughing, and wonders if he could possibly have recovered from his grief when she so spectacularly has not. Having had her practice suspended – for reasons that come out as the novel goes along – Meredith has time on her hands and starts to stalk Gabriel. As a psychiatrist, she knows she should know better, but cannot seem to help herself.

But just as Meredith listens to counsel by her therapist to let her obsession go and she gets the go-ahead from the Medical Board to reopen her practice– who should show up as a new patient but Gabriel! Does he not know who she is?! She cannot bring herself to turn him away- she justifies it as assuaging her guilt by trying to help him heal. She crosses ethical lines to treat him, and it doesn’t help that sexual sparks fly between them.

Next up, Meredith becomes aware that someone’s been stalking her. It’s a cat and mouse game, but who exactly is stalking whom? Just when you think you have things figured out, surprise twists catch you off guard. When I finished the last page, I had to sit there a long time shaking my head and struggling to absorb the shocking ending.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

This is a fast paced psychological thriller that grabs your interest right away. I read that the author mainly writes romance, and you can see tones of that in this book, but it is still a riveting read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this title

The Unraveling is an excellent debut thriller/mystery novel from romance writer Vi Keeland. As soon as The Unraveling was announced, I knew I had to read it as soon as possible. I enjoyed every second of it. So much so, that I devoured it in two days. Keeland’s writing was addictive.

The Unraveling follows Meredith, a psychiatrist, who becomes obsessed with a man who becomes one of her patients. Thus, beginning a story about obsession, grief, forgiveness, and attraction.

The Unraveling is told for the majority of the novel from the present, however there are a few chapters set in the past. The chapters set in the past give readers a glimpse of Meredith’s life before everything changed setting her on the course of her obsession.

As mentioned previously, Keeland usually writes romance novels. There are echoes of her romance writing found throughout The Unraveling. There’s a particularly delightful meet cute that I loved that could have been the beginning of a romance novel. With the romance comes the spice. While the romance and the spice are tangential to the mystery plot, they are well written. Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

The Unraveling is full of twists and turns I did not see coming. The final few chapters were perfection, especially the last chapter.

Overall, The Unraveling is an excellent mystery/thriller debut for Keeland. It’s an engaging story with addictive writing and compelling characters that will keep you turning the pages well into the night.

The Unraveling is a psychological thriller by Vi Keeland. I’ve read many books by Ms Keeland in the past and this story is a whole new direction for this author. Our main characters, Meredith McCall and Gabriel Wright, are brought together through one unfortunate night. Each trying to deal with a tragedy that will forever link them. Seemingly out of the blue, Gabriel becomes a patient of Meredith’s practice. This event quickens the unraveling of how Meredith views herself and how she deals with her grief.
Ms Keeland’s writing draws the reader into the ever spiraling life of Meredith, leaving a question of just what is the truth. I highly recommend reading The Unraveling, the ending does not disappoint!

OMG! This book was so saucy! I loved it! It was sexy, edgy, and thrilling. One of my favorite reads this year.

2 years after the death of Meredith's husband, she still struggles with moving on. One day a chance encounter with the husband of her deceased spouses hit and run victim leads her into a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

For fans of You by Caroline Kepnes, this book will have your heart terrified and in lust all at the same time. Great read!

This story had some predictable twists but was quite the page turner. The main character is a psychiatrist married to a pro hockey player. Events happen that it all tears her world apart. Stalking is a theme but the question becomes who is stalking whom? Who is te criminal here? Patient client privilege is detailed and there are some sexy encounters. Reads fast. I haven't read anything by this author before but would again.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this based on the blurb. To me it wasn't very thriller-y but the story itself was very good. I enjoyed the ending and was kinda shocked. Overall a good read

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I was excited to get an ARC of this title because I'm such a fan of this author's romance books. Good for her for trying a new genre. However, I found myself disappointed, mostly due to the sheer stupidity of the main character. You've JUST gotten back to practicing psychiatry, and you do THAT? Wow. And her choices keep getting worse and worse. I was rolling my eyes more and more as the story progressed. Meredith was so immature, too. I simply couldn't suspend disbelief enough to enjoy it more. I had no sympathy for her. There were absolutely no surprises. No spoilers, but how on earth did she end up with a job like that at the end? Who in their right mind would hire her after what she had done? Again, insert eye roll.

I would have rated this lower except it started out so good, I loved the parts with Connor, and it was such a quick read, I didn't feel I wasted my time reading it.

This is Vi Keeland's first and hopefully not the last thriller you'll see from her. It was a fast-paced, exceptionally dark addictive twister thriller that would make you gasp out loud more times than you could count. Keeland delivers with a captivating unseen twists and consumes your every thought of what will unfold next.

Huge thanks to Emily Bestler, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing ARC in exchange for my honest review.

5 Stars

All I can say is WOW! What an incredible ride! When Vi Keeland announced that she was writing a thriller, I could not wait to get my hands on it. I knew that it was going to be good but I was not expecting the absolute perfection it truly was. Her writing takes you into the minds of the characters where you feel every single emotion they feel. I loved every single aspect of this book. The thrill of it all kept me on my toes needing to know how it was all going to play out. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone so I will leave you with this-go in blind and expect the unexpected.

Ms. Keeland proves once again how versatile she is as an author with The Unraveling. Highly recommend reading it!

This story is phenomenal! The main character is introduced as a psychiatrist that is having personal issues requiring her own care. The tension and suspense about what might happen next is off the charts. They layers are peeled back as new characters are introduced. Don’t get too comfortable because the next plot twist is coming up. This story will be on my best of 2024 reads.

For those of you not sure about the story, the suspense is related to what might occur. As a reader I was never sure. There is some sadness related to the main characters story. The sadness gives background to why the main character needs care. I definitely recommend.

#vikeeland
#psychologicalthriller
#whatjusthappened

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

'The Unraveling' by Vi Keeland is a psychological thriller involving Meredith, a therapist whose husband kills Gabriel Wright's wife and daughter. Gabriel then becomes one of Meredith's patients, with Gabriel seemingly unaware of their connection.

This is a solid thriller involving professionals behaving badly, which is personally a favorite trope of mine. The idea that a professional hasn't, or never would, cross the line is interesting to poke at, although the concept is certainly amplified here. Meredith's insight into psychology felt accurate: she can detect behavior and find a few possible reasons for it, but ultimately it takes time to find the true origins behind that behavior. The result is that Meredith can't make perfect decisions regarding those around her, especially when she's struggling through her own grief process and morbid curiosity.

As Meredith struggles with the consequences to her actions, it felt like the other choices she made—such as people she reached out to—were reasonable. In the end, Meredith does go through an intense emotional journey and the way her story ends makes sense.

The book uses a flashback structure for the first half or so, which I don't think was really necessary. Other than adding to the book's length, the details covered in the flashbacks could have just been mentioned in a contemporary-focused plotline. The flashback structure is also dropped for the second and third acts of the book, which makes it feel even more like an idea that isn't really needed. Also, the book employs "you" as a bit of a framing device. The book is told from Meredith's first person POV, so "you" isn't intended to be a second-person POV like the Caroline Kepnes "You" book series. It felt like '"you" was used to potentially add tension and mystery, but it ultimately came off as confusing before largely being abandoned. It's pretty obvious who "you" is referring to early on in the book. Despite being apparent as to who "you" is referencing, the descriptions and language that Meredith uses doesn't change, so it can occasionally make passages feel a little clunky.

Still, "The Unraveling" is a fun thriller, especially if you want a front row seat to watch the lives of folks who are behaving badly come apart.

What the heck did I just read?!

Let me start by saying I am obsessed with Vi Keeland and her books. I’ve been reading her romances since 2017 when I first read Egomaniac. So I was so excited when I saw she was releasing a thriller! I am beyond thankful that I received an early review copy.

I. Loved. This. Book. So. Much. I finished it in less than 24hrs. I thought the balance between thriller and romance was very well done. I liked the obsession part a lot.

All of these characters were morally grey and I had no idea who root for the entire time. It was so messy, but in the best way possible!

I’m begging you, vi, please continue putting out thrillers! This was so so SO GOOD!

THE UNRAVELING
Vi Keeland

Someone is unraveling and it’s not the patient.

Meredith the therapist, fresh from a devastating personal and professional loss, goes to therapy to get her license unsuspended and back to rebuilding her torn-down counseling practice. Gabriel the patient is going to Meredith to recover from his loss.

Somewhere behind the walls of a therapist’s office, their grief combines to create the perfect atmosphere for what happens. And what happens will have everyone talking. THE UNRAVELING by Vi Keeland comes out on July 9th of this year and I can’t wait for you to read it so we can talk about it in the comments.

Wow, I was not expecting that!

THE UNRAVELING was surprising and unbelievable. This will either shock you or confirm what you’ve been imagining about your therapist’s personal life and fantasize about what goes on behind the white noise in your counselor’s office.

Finding her picture under “p” for “psycho-therapist,” Meredith is a kick of a character to read about. And I get to be in her head…what a trip that was. There was a stalker plot, a REAR WINDOW-like fixation, and an obsession unlike any I’ve ever read.

I had fun with THE UNRAVELING and read it in an afternoon. It’s quick and the only thing missing from your well-planned vacation by the shore.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure!

THE UNRAVELING…⭐⭐⭐⭐

Name of Book: The Unraveling
Author: Vi Keeland
Genre: Mystery with a hint of Romance
Publisher: Atra/Emily Bestler Books
Pub Date: July 9, 2024
My Rating: 3.7 Rounded up
Pages: 288

Dr. Meredith McCall is a psychiatrist who is dealing with a tragedy that happened a year ago.
Her hockey pro husband died while driving intoxicated - not only killing himself but also a woman and her five year old daughter.
Meredith’s license was revoked for a year as her husband who was dealing with excessive pain found her prescription pad and forged her signature to overmedicate.

During her year off she did seek of therapy to heal from her grief, as well as guilt, shame, and self-deprecation. Just a year ago, she was happily married to a rising hockey star, and planning to start a family.
When a new patient turns out to be Gabriel Wright the husband whose life was ruined by her husband; he seems to be unaware of who she is.
She knows having him as a patient is crossing ethical boundaries but she cannot turn him away- even though her careers is at risk.

He does not seem to be affected in the same way she has been ~Why?

(I read a lot of thrillers – this created a lot of suspicions!)
Story kept me curious. Although it wasn’t the Big WOW I was expecting. It kept me reading
I did think that once Meredith and Gabriel were honest with each other – Perhaps!

Want to thank NetGalley and Atra/Emily Bestler Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled: July 9, 2024.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. ♥️

Wow! This was my first time reading a book by Vi Keeland and it certainly won’t be my last.

I could NOT put this book down. The drama, suspense, trauma, grief and absurdity from the very start. I found the story to be one that was so believable. You could truly see this woman being your friend, co-worker or loved one. They have the perfect marriage until they don’t. Her and her husband have a beautiful union until he is injured playing professional hockey and develops an addiction to opioids. Their world is rocked. Her husband becomes a stranger to her and she struggles with how to best help him overcome his addiction.

His makes a horrible decision to steal her prescription pad and write himself many prescriptions for his drug of choice and takes too many while also choosing to get behind the wheel. The result is catastrophic for him as well as a woman and her young child.

This sets into motion a set of cataclysmic events that no one could have foretold.

Both the husband of the victims (wife and daughter) as well as the addicted husbands wife see each other at the hospital.

What starts as a chance encounter seeing Gabriel out after having lost his wife and daughter and seeing him happy brings on a longing for the psychiatrist to understand how he can be happy after losing his family because she is struggling to get by. Unfortunately, this snow balls into stalking Gabriel, but somehow the hunter becomes the hunter.

You want to read this one!

i was holding off on reading this one because i was nervous! i read books by vi keeland before, but i didn’t know what to expect from her when writing a thriller.

i’m a fan of thrillers so i read a fair of them. reading this one, i’m not going to lie, it wasn’t something special. however, i couldn’t put it down. it was written in a way that kept you captivated from start to finish.

i can’t say much about the story without giving too much that could take away from the story’s enjoyment. i would say pick it up if you enjoy reading thrillers with a sprinkle of erotica, and ones that will leave your jaw on the floor. ⭐️

*thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review <3*

Wow!! This story captivates you from the start! It’s edgy, thrilling, and alluring.
The story and characters are heartbreaking and unbalanced, yet fascinating and chilling. What is truly going on and whose intentions are pure? I loved the writing and the way this story is told. Excellent plot and twists that keep you guessing to the very last sentence! Fantastic!

The ending alone is why I gave 4 stars.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.