Vi Keeland’s "Someone Knows" is a gripping thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. Having previously read "Beautiful Mistake", I was curious to see how Keeland would transition from romance to thriller, and she delivers remarkably well.

The novel follows Elizabeth, a woman forced to confront a dark secret from twenty years ago when a mysterious student begins submitting chapters that eerily mirror her past. The premise is instantly compelling, and Keeland builds the tension masterfully, pulling readers into Elizabeth’s paranoia as she scrambles to uncover the truth. The pacing is fast, but rather than feeling rushed, it enhances the suspense, keeping the story immersive and engaging.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its carefully placed twists. Too often, thrillers rely on shock value without proper groundwork, but Someone Knows avoids this pitfall. The clues are woven into the narrative, and when the reveals come, they feel both surprising and inevitable, proof of Keeland’s skillful storytelling.

That said, the novel’s resolution left me slightly underwhelmed. While I can see how some readers might appreciate the direction Keeland took, the ending felt like the simplest way to tie everything together rather than the most satisfying one. Given the intricate setup, I expected a more layered conclusion.

Overall, Someone Knows is a solid and well-executed thriller that showcases Keeland’s range as a writer. If you enjoy fast-paced psychological suspense with well-crafted twists, this is definitely worth picking up.

Someone Knows releases on June 17, and I’d like to thank @atriabooks for providing me with an ARC via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Unraveling by Vi Keeland was one of my favorite books last year so I was absolutely thrilled when I was approved to read the arc of Someone Knows. This was such an interesting story! As always, Vi's characters are morally grey but somehow make you root for them during their experience.

Elizabeth is a college professor who has a tormented past. Growing up without a father and an alcoholic, absent mother, Elizabeth leaves her home state of Louisiana to better her life in New York. She teachers creative writing and is doing summer class. Her students are to send in their chapters and she is to review them and give her feedback. Until one day, one of her students sends in a chapter retelling a story that is too similar for coincidence of something from her past.

Traveling back to Louisianan to try and figure out who could be sending her this story, her mother is diagnosed with cancer. She also meets a man she likes, but is he who he says he is? Is he the one tormenting her?

This is told in present time but the chapters submitted take us back to the abuse and the story of what happened when she was in high school.

I absolutely loved this and couldn't put it down. Thank you Netgalley so much for this arc! 4 stars!

Ok soooooo at first I was like I am not liking this main character. Nope not at all. At the end I still didn’t like her! But the book plot got better the second half and man those twists!!!!! That ending was wow and who knew it was first part

Wow wow wow !!!!! Is all I can say I was in a hard reading slump and picked this book up when I say this book had me on edge I was ready to fall 🤣 so good I wish I could read it as of it’s my first time I would not have guessed the plot because every time I thought I knew I didn’t I would recommend this to friends and my book clubs this is a 5 star read hands down

Speechless. Speechless! This is a phenomenal story. Twisted me into knots until I didn't know which way was up. Vi Keeland, you are a psychological thriller writing genius. Someone Knows had me guessing until the very end, just like The Unraveling did. I am now officially hooked on reading psychological thrillers and suspense again, after a long time without them. Amazing, detailed characters intricately woven together. The story unfolds in unexpected ways that had me turning pages deep into the night. Truly. Do not miss this book. I'm hoping for more stories like this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Atria books for the arc of this book. This is the first thriller I have read by Vi Keelan. I was already a fan of the author's romance novels and I absolutely loved this book. This book hooked me from the start and I could not put it down. I ended up reading it in one sitting. This book has many twists and turns. The last chapter was just WOW! This book is so well thought out and well written. This book not only has suspense but it has some spice as well. I highly recommend this book.

Vi Keeland gives you twists and turns around every corner. A lot of characters that could potentially be the "one who knows." It will definitely have you guessing throughout. The only reason I didn't give this five stars was because of how the ending leaves you dangling off the cliff with a lot of unanswered questions. It would have been great to see what happened AFTER that ending.
There are a lot of potential triggers in this book as well, so please check the warnings beforehand.

Thank you to Vi Keeland, Atria Books, & Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a plot driven book that was sadly not my cup of tea. I didn't like any characters, I thought the overall story was kind of trite and done before, and I thought the writing was a bit coarse in places.

I was really looking forward to Someone Knows by Vi Keeland, but unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the main character, which made it difficult to fully enjoy the story. The premise was intriguing—a college English professor’s dark past comes back to haunt her when someone discovers what she did and is determined to see her dead. That setup had so much potential for suspense and emotional depth, and at times, the tension really pulled me in.

However, as the story progressed, I found it hard to relate to the protagonist’s choices and emotions, which made it difficult to stay fully invested in her journey. I wanted to feel the fear, the guilt, and the urgency of her situation, but something about her characterization left me feeling detached. Because of that, the stakes didn’t hit as hard for me as I’d hoped.

That being said, Vi Keeland’s writing is strong, and I can see why others might love this book, especially those who connect more with the main character’s experiences. While this one wasn’t quite the right fit for me, I still appreciate Keeland’s storytelling and will definitely check out more of her work in the future.

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Vi Keeland's "Someone Knows" is a thriller based on the premise that an unknown student in her creative writing class is sending her a series of book chapters about a illicit relationship and subsequent murder that occurred twenty years ago. Throughout he book, it's ultimately revealed that Jocelyn, the girl who had sex with Mr. Sawyer, is actually Elizabeth. Elizabeth didn't remember this happening to her at first because of she blocked out the traumatic memories. At the end of the book, we learn that Noah Sawyer, the man who Elizabeth had occasionally been sleeping with, was sending her the chapters as a way to induce psychological torment, which is alluded to continue after the book's conclusion.

The premise itself is intriguing and could have gone in a rage of directions, but in some respects feels a little bit flat. CAPS (Character, Action, Plot, Setting) review below.

CHARACTERS
Elizabeth is our POV character for 99% of the book (with the exception of an epilogue chapter). She is relatively likeable and has moments where she's assertive in trying to decide what to do next. But then there are moments where the agency goes away or she makes a decision that's illogical, like having sex with a character who could be considered dangerous. Having a female character express rage does feel refreshing, and there's an element of Elizabeth not apologizing for being angry or not wanting to stick to social conventions that she finds annoying or exhausting.

However, many of the supporting characters are one-dimensional or don't add more complexity to the story. Take Elizabeth's mother, Teresa, as an example. Teresa abused alcohol her entire life and is now dying of cancer. She implores Elizabeth to go to confession and to confess the sins that Elizabeth has committed. It turns out that Teresa went to the motel where Elizabeth was meeting her teacher and killed him. While it was an act to protect her daughter,

Teresa's behavior after the incident feels off. It would make more sense for her to struggle with the fact that she killed a man, even in defense of her child, while also wanting to have a stronger relationship with her daughter. A personal conflict like that would have given Elizabeth the space to explore her past and ultimately forgive herself for the things she did as a teenager.

Noah's behavior is relatively consistent, but we don't get clues during the story that he is the one who could be sending her chapters. Sure, there's a moment where Elizabeth finds Noah writing a book, but he has an explanation that Elizabeth readily accepts. It feels strange that Noah would have never looked up the past about his dad after finding his father's collection of photos of girls that he groomed. Given Noah's background as a reporter, looking into his father's background would have made a lot of sense.

ACTION
Action is generally easy to follow but as mentioned before, sometimes characters take action that doesn't make a ton of sense. Elizabeth going back to Noah, despite the fact that he has proven himself to be a danger multiple times, just feels really irrational. Part of what that shows is that Elizabeth is missing a consistent moral guide to help her work through the mystery of who is sending her chapters from the book. Additionally, a consistent moral guide could help Elizabeth come to terms with her revealed memories and the trauma she suffered after being sexually groomed as a teenager by her high school English teacher.

PLOT
There are two key twists for the book. The first is that Jocelyn, who is the girl that had sex with English teacher Mr. Sawyer, is actually Elizabeth. Back in high school, Elizabeth went by Jocelyn, but that clue isn't mentioned at all until about halfway through the book. It feel strange that no one back in Louisiana, which is where the action shifts, would have ever called Elizabeth by that name. There is also no sense of amnesia The ultimate twist/ending is that Noah, who is the son of the teacher that Elizabeth slept with, is the one sending Elizabeth chapters that recounts the relationship that his father had with Elizabeth. But why would Noah want to sleep with the woman who had to do with his dad's death? Although it was Elizabeth's mom who ultimately strangled Mr. Sawyer, why would Noah still continue to sleep with her.

SETTING
The two settings of New York and Louisiana have some unique characteristics to them. Elizabeth has to play by a slightly different set of rules when she's back home in Louisiana, which is apparent during different parts of the story.

Read this book you will not regret it! I speed through this book because I could not stop reading! This book will have some twist so be prepared! I have not read a book by this author that I have not liked. This book did end in another twist that left me mind blown!

Hands down Vi had me thrown with this book. I was so curious and confused just like Elizabeth. Who was Hannah and how did she know what all took place. I was paranoid and looking at everyone being "Hannah". Then finding out who Joselyn really was, I was like wtf, where is Vi going with all this? I kept trying to gauge Noah's true motive and wondering how Elizabeth was so drawn to him. The end came and I was like how clever! I still don't know quite sure how Hannah did it and how someone close to Elizabeth had a hand in that part but it was well executed. How the emails were able to be orchestrated by someone before, I know I'm vague but I'm still shocked and reeling by this ending!

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was such a great and wonderful story! I liked how was written, how the characters and the differences between cities was described.
And the plot was fire. I couldn't put the book down until the finish.
And the finish... left me speechless and with so many questions. But I think this is the beauty of a thriller and a mystery, to guess what is next.

It is a 5 ✨️ from me.

I’ve heard of this author in the past and had been meaning to try one of her books, so I was happy to receive an ARC of Someone Knows.

The story revolves around Elizabeth, an English professor whose peaceful life is threatened when she starts receiving chapters from a mysterious script that depicts events from her own life—events she desperately wants to forget. To uncover who is sending these emails and how they acquired those delicate informations, she has no choice but to go back to her hometown and investigate.

The book is fast-paced, which I appreciate in a thriller. It kept me interested the whole time and didn’t waste time on unnecessary details. I did predict a few twists, which, to me, is a sign of great foreshadowing. I will admit that I was slightly disappointed with how the final twist was delivered, and I do have a couple of lingering questions, but overall, it was a satisfying read.

WOW! I literally have no words. I read this in one sitting. Absolutely could not put this down. & the ending! My mind was blown, I honestly did not see that coming. I will recommend this to anyone & everyone. What a wild ride of a book!

This book was so good the more you read the more you’re hooked. Elizabeth is an English professor in NY and she avoids attachments. She is teaching a summer course. She begins receiving work from a student eerily similar to a story from her past. I enjoyed the layers we get current day, the chapters and bits of her past. When she returns to her hometown to see her mom more memories come back. It’s a wild twisted ride

I loved The Unraveling, so I was super excited to be able to read Vi Keeland's new thriller. It was quick, held my attention, had a little spice, some good twists, and I loved the ending. Definitely recommend!

As a long time reader of Vi Keeland's romance titles, I was so curious to see how her thriller titles compared and she did not disappoint. Someone Knows follows Elizabeth, a creative writing professor, through a journey back through her forgotten past. The book takes you down many unexpected paths and is one I couldn't put down. The ending isn't as tidy as I like my endings, but that is a me problem, not a book problem. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital copy. I highly recommend this fast paced page turner!

4.5/5

This book grabbed my attention immediately. The twists were so good. The ending of the book had my mouth dropping.
Vi Keeland didn’t disappoint with this thriller.

The characters were so well written! Hannah is a professor who went through a trauma with her friend group. She has a complicated relationship with her mom. She meets Noah when she returns home to see her mom and do some investigations. Noah is linked to her past.

I know I’ll be thinking of this book for a while!

This book was so good! It has me hooked from the very beginning. The pacing was just right and the twists came at just the right time. It was so hard to put down because I was so engaged!