Vi Keeland, best known for her romance novels, departs into psychological thrillers with The Unraveling. The book focuses on Meredith's obsession with Gabriel and the consequences of her actions. Meredith charts a path entirely at odds with her education, training, and ethics. Gabriel is a mystery from the onset, as is Meredith's obsession with him.
The actual psychological thrill is Meredith's internal battles with her emotions of guilt and remorse. However, her actions often conflict with her intentions. Her backstory, told in multiple flashbacks, paints a picture of a relatable career woman. Still, when the reader meets her, she is riddled with anxiety that, while understandable, lacks depth and nuance. The writing style is one of telling versus showing. The author leaves little to the imagination with many descriptors of what the character is thinking, often accompanied by descriptions of what Meredith is eating (or not) and drinking. Meredith's constant questioning of Gabriel's behavior without questioning her own is tiresome, especially given her profession. The telling narrative also stunts Meredith's development, resulting in an unreliable narration. She has a limited perspective, often misinterprets events, and makes assumptions based on incomplete knowledge. These are all good things for a protagonist in a thriller, but she never leaps to unravel the why of the truth. Generally, this flaw would add to the build-up of tension as the mystery unfolds. However, the reader knows what's afoot before the main character, making the narrative predictable. Secondary characters need more depth and an earlier introduction. The secondary characters are an afterthought and ineffective, although they are an intricate part of the concluding reveal. A few more easter eggs would have helped sell the conclusion. The conclusion is a time jump that leaves a cliffhanger, but there are no surprises. While some readers may enjoy the telling vice-showing style, it does not lend itself well to the plot of a woman falling apart and consequently putting things right again. The Unraveling needs more psychological elements to explain or untangle Meredith's emotions to be a psychological thriller.

Wow! I was asking myself what am I reading?! What a crazy fun ride that was. Thank you for the opportunity to read this early!

THE UNRAVELING is so different from anything I've ever read from Vi Keeland before and I have to say that I am utterly obsessed. The storyline was so addictive and I couldn't stop reading. I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to thrillers, so at times I found it slightly chilling, but regardless of this, I had to keep on reading. Storytelling at its finest - highly recommend.

Wow, what a suspenseful read this was!!

The Unraveling is a very different genre than I typically read, but I found myself hooked from page 1! I absolutely love the show "you" and this gave me the same vibes as that (creepy/ stalker / what’s going on?!)

I can’t give too much away in the review - but there was plot twist after plot twist and I truly couldn’t figure out the ending while reading! And that ending was EPIC.

I love how Meredith’s character grows in the book and she finally can move on at the end! It was heart wrenching watching her blame herself for everything.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like: domestic thrillers, troubled pasts, multiple timelines, stalkers, female protagonists, characters dealing with grief

TW: addiction, child death

Meredith McCall, a psychiatrist in NYC, is slowly unraveling. Her husband is dead and she is stalking a man with whom she has a secret connection. When he turns up in her office as a new patient, she doesn’t say anything and delves even deeper into his life.

Loved this book! Meredith is a deeply flawed character but I still loved her and rooted for her despite her many bad decisions. I enjoyed the dual timelines for the first part of the book and my heart broke for what Meredith lost.

The author wrote so well about Meredith’s state of mind during the entire book and it felt almost realistic despite the wild ride this book takes you on. Loved both big twists and honestly didn’t see them coming. This one has a satisfying ending and I can’t wait to read more from this author. I will definitely be recommending The Unraveling.

Looking for a summer thriller with spice and everything NOT nice? Here you go!

I have been hooked on this book ALL DAY. I had to know what was going on, I love a good stalker book and this one definitely delivered. AND THAT ENDING?! I’m sorry, what?! So unexpected that my jaw dropped. This is going to be a summer must read - mark my words!

Thriller lovers you will adore this one! Twisty, intense, breath taking! I have never read a book from this author and now I will be on the lookout for any further thrillers she publishes. I could NOT figure out where this story was going and it still made for such a fun reading experience!

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and it won’t be the last. This is the kind of book that keeps you engaged from the first page to the last and keeps you up at night. It’s a fast paced intriguing read about a MC whose life is a mess after a terrifying accident. I could not put this book down and definitely recommend it!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this Advanced Reader Copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This was my first book by Vi Keeland as she is a romance author. The Unraveling is her first thriller and I was not disappointed. New York City psychiatrist Meredith McCall is living day by day after experience a personal tragedy. When she accidentally runs into a man connected to that tragedy, she impulsively starts following him. This was a slow burn and I couldn’t wait to get to the juicy part of the story, and it was definitely worth the wait. I totally enjoyed this book.

New York psychiatrist Meredith McCall has just experienced a horrible tragedy and is trying to pull her life back together when she notices a man outside a coffee shop; a man who she realizes is tied to the tragedy as well. But he is happy - how can this be. She must find out, and this leads to an obsession for Meredith that she can't seem to control. How can this man be happy after the loss he has endured, and is anyone who they claim to be?

A disturbing and compelling thriller that will keep you guessing and wondering who is telling the truth and who can be trusted - all the way to the final page!

After looking at the covers of other books by this author, I was surprised I liked this book. The other covers all have hot men on them and look like they are most likely spicy romance novels, which are fine, but just not my cup of tea. This book did have a bit of sex in it, but it was definitely in the thriller genre and not romance. I didn't want to stop reading until I found out what was really going on, and again, didn't find out everything until literally the final page. Highly recommend if you want an edge of your seat thriller!

Book Dragons! I found your summer thriller. Vi Keeland has written her first thriller, and I'm praying she writes more! This exceeded every one of my expectations. And that last chapter! WHAT?! I absolutely loved it. This is how you write a thriller!! I was hooked after Page 1, and there were plenty of twists to keep me guessing and binge reading. I don't want to reveal too much and give away spoilers, but I want you all to read this, and slide into my DMs to discuss!
Keep in mind, this is written by the Legendary Vi Keeland, so it's going to be SPICY. Parents, don't let the kids get ahold of this one! But goodness gracious 🥵 it's a good one, and so morally wrong.

I’d heard great things about this story so I was so happy to get approved. The writing style was really captivating to me and I had so much fun getting lost in the world of the plot.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I believe she writes romance, which is definitely not my genre, and wrote this psychological thriller.

I must say I truly loved the writing style. It was definitely a very slow work up to the suspense but honestly didn’t mind. I very much enjoyed the characters, enjoyed the build up and throw in a little sex halfway through and I’m a happy camper.

I don’t think the twist was the great “ah-ha” gotcha moment but I did enjoy. Overall this was a very solid easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

Oof where to start. Saw glowing reviews so downloaded the read now. Should have done more research. This is really not my cup of tea. The thriller sex vibe was so ridiculous I was reading passages aloud to my husband for laughs. The characters and situations were surface and implausible. The writing was not good.

Vi Keekand wrote a physician thriller?!?! Sign me up.

I was hooked from the beginning. Vi gives us a mix of sexy, angst, messy very messy story plot. The characters are intriguing, interesting, hate worthy and break your heart worthy. So many times I wanted to scream, no don't do that, or, pretty sure thats not a good idea. I was invested in her actions!!!

So many twist and turns I never saw coming. Vi Keeland had my full attention. I was hoping to read between the lines and really thought I had....but I was totally wrong.

I look forward to more thrillers from Vi.

After reading The Unraveling, you'll be left asking yourself. WTF did I just read...
I anticipated that Gabriel knew who Meredith was early on in the book, but I was still blindsided at the other twists the book had.
I felt like I was being watched with how they perfectly described the stalking scenes.
I was also rooting for Gabriel to be a good guy, but his chapter in the end left me speechless.
If you love a good psychological thriller that will hook you with all the messiness, this is your sign to read this book. It will not dissapoint.

I am not a romance reader by any means but when I saw this author had written a debut thriller I thought I would give it a try.

Meredith, a New York Psychiatrist, is married to Connor an ice hockey legend. She has built up her practice over time and is happy and content with her marriage and working life. But soon cracks start to occur and her happiness will begin to dissipate, moving her life onto a very dark path mainly due to the actions of her husband. An incident happens that will shatter everything she holds dear to her and soon she is on a down would spiral.

This is a fast moving book and even though I started to realise what was going to happen at about the 50% mark, I was so engaged the pages kept turning very quickly. The book alternates between the past and the present, the author skillfully integrating the two together. Great characters that were well thought out and very much enhanced the story, I really liked Meredith and felt for her as her life began to fall in a heap. As a psychiatrist she should have known that her behaviors were not going to have a positive affect on her life but she is unable to stop herself as she continues to make horrendous decisions that will end up having disastrous repercussions. Themes of revenge, obsession, love and friendship are all explored leading to a terrific thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

When I requested this on NetGalley...I didn't realize it was a thriller and to be honest I wasn't mad.

The story starts off a little slow and doesn't really pick up until 50% but that's ok because you get a lot of background into Meredith's past. Meredith is a psychiatrist who is adjusting to being back at work after having to take leave. You find out why she was forced to go on leave for a year and the author gets into the details of that in the first half of the story. She did experience a tragedy and before she gets back to work she sorts of develops an obsession with Gabriel, who we find out is connected to her through that tragedy.

She begins to follow him and her interest in him grows. At the same time, Meredith is seeing her own therapist who tries to get her on the right path but she can't help herself sometimes. When Meredith returns to work she picks up with the patients that she has and gets some new patients, one of which being Gabriel. Meredith knows that it is a breach of ethics that she is his doctor but she can't stay away. Things start to turn at 75% and that's where things become unsettling. I can't say that I was completely surprised by some of the twists but Vi Keeland's storytelling is so immersive that I still gasped. The book has lulled at some parts for me while at others my heart was racing.

There is a bit of spice in the middle of the book and it is goooood but it's not overwhelming and helps build the story.

Overall, a good read with fun twists and a fantastic ending. I would love a little short novella maybe to see where Gabriel and Meredith end up...

While I predicted about 80% of the twists in this thriller with YOU undertones, the last one GOT me! One of those Verity type endings that definitely leave you ruminating the whole thing! This was a fun, quick read and I always seem to enjoy the ones with a psychologist/ therapist theme!

This is the kind of crazy book I love! The ending, I reread several times! Yes, that is what it says! The whole book from start to finish is engaging and page turning! In the beginning, it is past and present. The past tells the back story to get to the present.

Meredith McCall is psychiatrist who tragically lost her husband, she has a connection to her new patient, Gabriel Wright. There is some obsession on her part as a relationship begins to develop. Intense at times as their therapy sessions take some twists and turns!

It is a wild ride and one I highly recommend! This story is mind blowing and the ending is shocking!
Intense, Engrossing and Brilliant! 4.5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 7/9/24.