I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Meredith’s husband who was injured after a hockey accident is hooked on oxy which causes him to accidentally kill himself and a woman and child while driving.
Meredith becomes obsessed with Gabriel, the husband of the two killed. She starts following him etc.
when he walks into her office seeking counseling she knows it is wrong to treat him but how can she not when he needs help? But things aren’t always what they seem - Gabriel has a plan also-he obviously knows who she is. What is the plan? A captivating book!

5 Stars for this psychological thriller!

I just read one of my top reads for 2024 … I could not put this book down reading into the wee hours of the morning. I think I also found a new favorite genre. This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be my last.

I felt the whispers in Meredith’s ear ... look around you! Sure Meredith did some pretty stupid stuff, putting her career in jeopardy and her life at risk … but she was getting over a tragic loss and her mind wasn't in a good place. My feelings went back-and-forth for Gabriel. One minute I liked him and the next I didn’t … but I always felt sorry for him. I can't imagine someone getting past a tragedy like that. I’m usually pretty good at guessing the outcome of a book ... but not this one. There are so many twists and turns that my head was spinning. The ending ... WTF!

I received an early copy courtesy of Atria Books through NetGalley.

Lurking in the shadows befalls even the most solid of us.

Like a moth to a flame, sometimes we just gotta know. We make the worst decisions. We follow pathways that we should never even step foot on. We put ourselves in precarious positions without thinking clearly. It's almost like a caveman mentality while dragging a heavy club behind us. But that heavy club can be a dreadful weapon against even ourselves.

Vi Keeland introduces us to Meredith McCall, a NYC psychiatrist. Keeland has us following Meredith down the streets of the city after she's had too many rounds with the box wine. Meredith is in a bad place. Keeland, initially, doesn't give much away. We only know that Meredith has experienced a great loss that involves her hockey player husband, Connor. That's why she's clinkin' wine glasses with herself.

But one day Meredith spots a familiar face. It's Garbriel Wright. Keeland doesn't go into much detail yet about Gabriel. Meredith decides to follow Gabriel day in and day out. So we follow Meredith stalking Gabriel while we readers are stalking Meredith. Sounds about right.

Then Gabriel shows up at Meredith's office as a patient. Meredith panicks. We panic, too. but we don't know why we're panicking......until much later. Keeland then begins to peel away the layers until we get to some mighty explosive details. Chapters are labeled Now/Then. The blurred lines are now becoming clearer. Much clearer.

The Unraveling is a tightly drawn novel in the hands of Vi Keeland. There's quite the Cat and Mouse scenario happening here. Intense. Very intense.

My only concern was in the format of a supposed highly intelligent woman making decisions like a middle school dropout. Yes, there's that box wine infusion nightly and the tragedy that she experienced. But even Psych 101 would have come in handy. She's playing Jeopardy every moment and the stakes are far too high to lose everything. And then......we wouldn't have a shocker of a story, would we?

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Simon & Schuster (Atria Books) and to Vi Keeland for the opportunity.

Make sure to block off a chunk of time when you start reading THE UNRAVELING, because you won't able to put it down until you've finished the book! Obsession, paranoia, forbidden romance..... and it all started from Meredith wanting to understand why the man who suffered a great tragedy for which Meredith feels like she is responsible and to jump at the chance to possibly help him. I'm restraining myself from giving away any more!!! Just read it!!! Having read some of the author's other work, it's so cool to see her also write a thriller - I hope she'll write more!! Sexy, intense, thrilling, and so so good! I can't wait the book comes out and I can talk to other people who've read it! I will say I"m not entirely sure I understood the very end correctly. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Tense, twisty, and thrilling!!

Meredith is a successful psychologist in NYC. She went through a traumatic loss and is trying to navigate life afterwards. She randomly runs into Gabriel, who is connected to her tragedy. He has so many reasons to be sad and grieving but he appears happy, and Meredith just doesn’t quite get how he could be happy so she decides to start following him.

Once she returns to work, Gabriel of all people walks into her office and doesn’t seem to recognize her. She knows she shouldn’t take him as a patient but her curiousness gets the best of her and she continues with him. Over their sessions, Meredith gets deeper and deeper into his life and it brings out so much!! I don’t want to give anything away, but y’all, it was GOOD!!

I will say, I could have done without some of the spice. I love some spice but it seemed a little out of place here. Overall, I enjoyed the writing and the characters and alllll the little breadcrumbs along the way! I found myself guessing what was happening just to be wrong every time 🤣 the twist at the end got me and had my jaw on the floor! This book had me turning the pages so fast. This was my first Vi Keeland book and it won’t be my last!! Well done 👏🏻

Thanks a bunch, NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC 🫶🏻

Wow.

I have not been hooked on a book in such a long time until reading The Unraveling. I have annoyed my bookish friends and family with mentions of this book for days now. For this being Vi Keelands first jump into Thrillers & Suspense, what an amazing job!


SPOILERS!

The story follows the life of Meredith after turmoil and a devastating time in her life, a psychiatrist who is now being treated for her indirect actions in the death of 2 people. We get to see her coming off a year long suspension, the obsession she takes on with a man whom she has no clue is obsessed with her. A man deeply connected to the death of those 2 people her own late husband was responsible for their deaths. But that isn't even where it twists and turns. Keelands writing had me on edge, on the tips of my toes. Reaching for my Kindle every free chance I got, staying up past my bedtime to get just one more chapter in. I just finished last night and I am in withdrawal.

This is a must read, will leave you in shock, mouth wide open, no words, need more it just isn't enough!

WHEW. that was a tad bit insane, but in a fun way. I am still reeling from the ending. WHAT WHAT WHAT?! I should have known something was up there 👀

Anyway, I really enjoyed this. The characters were awful, sans Sarah, but in a way that made the story interesting. I know it’s an overused phrase but it was truly like a car crash that you can’t look away from. So many crazy people, so little room on the pages. I hope the author delves further into the thriller world!

I could have done without the graphic sex scenes, but that’s simply personal preference.

I enjoyed this so immensely. Was honestly a little skeptical when I saw Vi was doing a thriller and straying from her usual romantic ties but it had me hooked. Line and sinker, hooked. Should’ve known not to doubt her.
Riveting and obsessive and a true page turner. Read it!

This book was so good! The characters were both lovable and so easy to dislike/distrust. The plot was great and I finished it so fast!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Vi Keeland for the eARC of The Unraveling in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

This was completely different from what I've come to expect from Vi Keeland, but here's what I learned: Vi can write dark and twisty suspense! Of course, there was some spice involved (of course), but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around these characters because well, I didn't LIKE any of them. Usually when I read a thriller, I at least feel something for one of the mains and I just could not. However - the book kept me on my toes, I wanted to keep reading, and I loved the twist at the end. This was a quick read and I look forward to seeing Vi write more suspense in the future!

This is twisty and suspenseful, but I didn’t particularly care for psychiatrist Meredith McCall. I didn’t blame her for the tragedy the way she did, but I don’t understand people who stalk people. When she sees Gabriel, he seems happy, but he is touched by the same disaster that has sent her into a downward spiral with her career and her nights with way too many glasses of wine, so she can’t stop following him, wanting to understand why he doesn’t seem to be the basket case that she is.

Then he walks into her office for therapy. She should immediately say she can’t see him. That’s not what happens.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES JULY 9, 2024.

It took me a little while to read this book. Personally I had a little difficulty with the mail female character.
She is grieving the death of her husband. She has been suspended from her job as a Psychiatric Therapist. Now she spends her days roaming the streets of NY, following the husband and father of the woman and little girl who also died in the car crash caused by her husband.. Eventually said husband (Gabriel) becomes a patient, which she knows is not right and she could loose her practice, but she continues because she feels guilt and also attraction to him.

I found it a little difficult to connect with either characters , as most of the thoughts we got were more about dealing with their own grief rather than getting to know them by their own personalities. Progress was pretty slow, and I kept waiting for the suspense side of the novel to break through and I wasn't sure when the suspense would come or how it would tie in with the story so far.. At this point it felt more like a daily diary of daily living with grief.. He seemed to be attracted to her, she was to him and they had a couple of sexy times. But i really didn't get that part or why she would risk loosing her career after her precious suspension.

Although well written i found I didn't really connect, and eventually the suspense did arrive, but with no real build up to have me glued to the pages, this was basically only in the last couple of chapters and even then it was short and sweet
I have read other books by this author and have loved them but maye the style of this writing just might not be for me

The Unraveling was absolutely fascinating, unhinged and thrilling. I could not put this book down. I had to know what wild thing was going to happen next. This book did not disappoint! I wish I could read it again for the first time. It was well written and grabs the readers attention!

Thank you Netgalley for the Advanced Copy!

Such an awesome thriller! There were so many twists and turns, and it kept my attention the whole time. Definitely pick this one up!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - good

⏰ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫: Meredith McCall endures the death of her husband, but more than that, she endures the fact that he killed 2 other people. One day she sees Gabriel Wright - the man whose life her husband destroyed, except he seems happy, which confounds her in her grief, so she follows him. Before she knows it she’s neck-deep in a game she had no intent to play but now must see it through to the very end…

💡𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: If you read my reviews you know there is one thing I hate - inexorably stupid females. Our protagonist runs in this vein so I have to temper my review with my acknowledgment of this pet peeve clouding my opinion. All things considered I enjoyed the book, despite my strong eye rolls.

There are minor spoilers here but it’s hard to fully enjoy the novel when I don’t like or respect the protagonist. I love the premise of the book - and thought “stalking” Gabriel at the beginning was strangely reasonable, and in a weird way - sweet and sad, but when Meredith starts behaving like a DUMB woman, I’m out. Completely unethical -one of the worst psychiatrists in history. More than that, reading her narrative, she sounds like she has the mental maturity of a teen (at best) I’m rolling my eyes at decisions that don’t seem realistic - how can she make poor decisions not thinking about money? A job? Headlines? Basics? She doesn’t care and I find that implausible… or perhaps inexcusable.

The redemption is that it’s a captivating story and the pacing is swift and sharp. I read the book quickly and found some lovely, well-placed twists to be intensely enjoyable. There is an undeniable guilty-pleasure (and a little smut) aspect to the book that elevated it to 3 instead of 2 stars for me, but it’s a thin line putting this book as “good” for me.

Bottom line: The book is trying too hard to be like The Silent Patient. But it was too obvious.

📚𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mystery, Psych Thriller, Some smut (lol not a bad thing)

😍𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: If you can suspend disbelief, like a face-paced mystery, those who like some smut

🙅‍♀️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: those like me who eschew weak, dumb female protagonists.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for appreciating that I am ALWAYS telling my truth.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!!!! I love this book and will definitely be sharing with friends. The twists were amazing and beautifully written. I thought I had it figured out and was shocked at the ending!

тнe υnravelιng
вy Vι ĸeeland
Release daтe -07/09/24

When an indie romance author writes a thriller, you can always bet on it being a page-turner.
Meredith is the main character of this book. She’s a Dululu board-certified psychologist who’s stalking a man who was part of a tragic event that indirectly involved her and her husband directly, all the while being his
shrink for weekly sessions. Gabriel is the heartbroken patient and the one being followed.
And this one, you guess or think you’ve guessed the twist seven times.
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️S̤̈T̤̈Ä̤R̤̈S̤̈

#vikeeland #theunraveling #atriabooks #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #mysterybooks #epicreads #booksofig #bookhoarder #bookstack #readmorebooks #booknerdigans #shelfie #instabooks #bookreview #bookcommunity #booksofinstagram #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookblogger #booklove

This was such a dark and twisted thriller. I loved it. The end was crazy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

This book was AMAZING!! Great intense and suspenseful book. Great storyline, characters and plot twist. A very well written psychological thriller!

I kept hearing such great things about The Unraveling so I was so excited to get to read the arc. We meet Meredith who has suffered a loss and a year suspension from her job. Hers was not the only loss that day. Gabriel lost his loved ones as well. Meredith has not been herself since her loss and feels guilt over it so she drinks more heavily and becomes obsessed with Gabriel. From there we go on a ride that I didn’t stop reading until the last page. I enjoy stories with psychiatrists and I also love the show and book You so I enjoyed this a lot. The twists were good and there was plenty of suspense leading up to the twists. Also what I like about this book is that there were real moments in it. It wasn’t just a thriller the whole time. You got a glimpse into the relationships which added depth and helped with character development.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.