QUICK TAKE: A really unique concept (a person with multiple personalities is hired to be the caretaker of a derelict estate with a mysterious past that she may have connections to), though the execution is a bit familiar (the “hunting party” in the back half of the book is something I’ve seen a lot recently). Ultimately, I had fun with this one, though there were a LOT of characters/identities to keep track of, and I will say, Cole does a nice job introducing readers to a complicated character(s) and juggling a lot of moving pieces. Definitely an author who I will continue to keep an eye on, as I’ll take a big swing for the fences over a down-the-middle-the-husband-did-it thriller any day of the week!

When this book begins, Kenetria Nash comes to after six years of absence from her consciousness. While she's been MIA, her headmates Della, Solomon, Keke, Empress, Mesmer, and Lurk have been running their collective body, dealing with the pandemic and losing their job and home. When Ken comes back, however, she's heading toward a new job as caretaker of a historic castle on a remote island. It's a strange job to be sure, even more so when Ken arrives and discovers that the castle is exactly like the building she and her headmates share in their shared consciousness. Something is definitely wrong here, and Ken has no idea how to even begin figuring it out.

I'm always wary about books that use disassociative identity disorder (multiple personalities) as a primary plot device, as there's a long history of the disorder being sensationalized and it's tricky to get right in fiction. That wariness holds true with this one, as it's confusing (intentionally) and the diagnosis is what leads Ken and her headmates to be imperiled in the book. There are some who would find this fascinating, I'm sure, but I can't say this is one I'll be recommending widely.

If you enjoy a rollercoaster ride of a who’s done it coupled with suspense & a dash of psychology…trust me when I say this is the read for you. This book had me completely enamored from the very beginning. It will grab you & you’ll find yourself holding on tightly until the last word. This is a book that would make a great book club read because you will want to discuss it with everyone!
#oneofusknows #alyssacolelit

This book had a very slow start for me and there was a lot going on. It was a highly
anticipated book for me. This was
a very unique thriller in my opinion
with the disorder. The one thing that was confusing was the way that the personalities interacted. It went from italics to parentheses and some regular. Then
the constant switch from the regular world
to being in the inner world and it was a lot to keep up with Great storyl execution
could’ve been a bit better to hold the audience attention. Most of the characters didn’t have any substance to want to keep up with them

I started One of Us Knows fully confused. Once I realized the main character, Kenetria Nash, suffers from disassociate identity disorder, things became a little clearer. I obviously forgot what the book was about once I actually started it. Alyssa Cole does a good job intertwining the multiple persons within Kenetria's mind while also giving us gothic horror vibes with the backdrop of a creepy isolated mansion.
I enjoyed the unique and creative plot. It was a slow burn while we got acquainted with everyone; paying attention to the chapter header is a must to keep everyone straight. Once the pieces started falling in place, the story took off at lightning speed. Overall, it was a fun, creepy, and well put together thriller.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

Kenetria has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder and after being dormant for 6 years she wakes up to find one of her alters accepted a job at a castle on an isolated Hudson River Island. Not wanting to ruin anything she moves forward with the job but upon arrival to the island she quickly finds out the job isn’t what they were expecting.

I honestly had no idea what to expect from this book, I just knew I wanted to give a thriller a try but was low key scared at the same time because I hate thriller and horror movies especially with ghosts. But I then thought it won’t be that bad reading it. Well, I walked around jumpy for a few days and endured my husband making fun of me for it just to make it through this book, but it did not disappoint.

I listened to the audiobook while working and quickly determined this book needed my full attention because there was so much going on between Ken’s alters and the creepy remote castle on the island. When Celeste told Ken she needed to leave the island I found myself yelling at the book like I do any black person on a thriller movie…like get your black self back on that boat sis. I would of swam off that Island if I had to. But anyway, I enjoyed how the story unfolded and could not seem to stop listening despite how scared I was the entire time.

I have been putting off reading When No One Is Watching but quickly went to request the audiobook when I finished this one because Alyssa Cole has me hooked now. If you are in the mood for something a little different, I highly recommend this book. You will have to allow yourself to get lost in this book because it can get a little confusing with all of Ken’s alters. I quickly got used to all the characters and found myself being entertained while on edge trying to wait for the story to unfold.

Hmm, this one didn’t work for me, and I DNFd at 50% because I still had no idea what the main plot was. It all still felt like set up and really repeated things a lot. The vibes of the island were scary and interesting though. I’m not sure I could confidently recommend this one to most readers.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Woah! The second novel by Alyssa Cole, One of Knows, is unlike any thriller I have ever read. A highly addictive, twisty, psychological thriller set in a castle, told from multiple POV's, this book will have you overwhelmed in the best way. Imagine not knowing what has happened for the past six years, to reemerge in a job as the caretaker for a historic site on an island. That is what our main character Ken is dealing with. However, it is her other personalities, or headmates as she calls them, that have gotten her to this place. Ken has DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and is not only working out the mysteries of this island but also the mysteries within herself to survive? This was quite the wild ride! If you are looking for a unique, locked room, thriller with an eerie mystery within a mystery, then this one is for you! If you are familiar with Cole's first novel, When No One is Watching, you will thoroughly enjoy the writing style and mysterious feel!

Hmm… I don’t really know how to explain what I just read.
I feel like this book had so much potential and just fell flat for me. It was also hella difficult to keep track of the different personalities in her mind.
The story took a while to get moving and once it did I felt like I was in this chaos of a story.
Not my favorite read.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Years after being diagnosed with Disassociative Identity Disorder, Kenetria Nash and her “alters” are given a second chance at the historical preservation list career she always wanted. Being the caretaker and sole resident of an old historic home sounds perfect to Ken. But when the man who caused her breakdown years ago resurfaces, Ken understandably has a setback. Then that man winds up dead, and Ken is the prime suspect. Ken and her alters must work together to prove their innocence.

Mental health representation is always important to me in books. I felt like this author did a great job at showing that, but for me, this story was hard to follow and I was very confused through out most of it. I think it just was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC! This book is out now.

Putting the psychological in psychological thriller, One of Us Knows follows a protagonist with Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka multiple personalities) as she takes on a new job at a creepy old house on a remote island.

My knowledge of DID comes from pop culture, so I can’t speak to how accurate this portrayal is, but from a reading perspective, it was a fun device and a clever take on the unreliable narrator trope. As with Cole’s last thriller, When No One Was Watching, this novel is heavy on social commentary as it is on the creepy vibes and tense, page-turning action.

The pacing towards the end felt a little rushed, but overall it was a fun, satisfying read.

The first half was slow but then it puts up so quickly! In the beginning, especially if you are like and don't read book descriptions, you will be somewhat lost because of the number of characters, but once it gets in the groove I couldn't put it down. Cole does something very unique by present a character that has dissociative identity disorder along with all their other identities. I wish she would have set that up more in the beginning. Nonetheless, the writing is witty and the pacing is great. I also wish we would have gotten more of Lottie and Celeste's story. I can definitely see this being a great limited series.

Wow. This story was such a twisted ride. As far as emotions, it had me all over the place. Although the main character has multiple personalities, (AKA Dissiocative Identity Disorder, which is referred to head mates in the story) It did take me a minute to make sure I kept them straight, but once I did, I could not put it down, especially once it hooked me. As far as thrillers go, it kept me guessing right until the very end, especially once the action started. The story was twisted, but in such a good and enjoyable way.

One of Us Knows confirms that Alyssa Cole is a genius at thrillers! Childhood trauma, a haunted castle, white privilege, mistreated women all add up to a scary and satisfying story! It took me a bit of time to untangle the headmates and stories, but I enjoyed every minute and I never guessed some of the twists that came up.

One of Us Knows is a fascinating thriller unlike any I’ve read before. Our main character, Ken, has dissociative identity disorder, and she and her various identities form the majority of this story’s cast of characters and narrators.

The story begins when Ken wakes up after SIX YEARS of being dormant while her headmates have been in control of her body and at the front of consciousness. She is a stranger in a strange land, and apparently she’s come to just in time to start a new job as caretaker of the castle on Kavanaugh Island, which just so happens to look exactly like the castle where her headmates live in her inner world. Something about this is seriously OFF, and Ken is doing everything she can to get to the bottom of it while trying to survive in horrific circumstances.

While I’m not entirely sure I understood everything going on in this story, I mostly enjoyed reading it and found myself deeply invested in what was going on in Ken’s inner and outer worlds. I cared about everyone in Ken’s system and wanted what was best for each of them.

Full review posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892011504

We meet Kenetria Nash when she comes to after lying dormant in her own mind after 6 years. She has dissociative identity disorder (known in most mainstream media as a split personality). One of her other personalities has been running the show while she was "away," and now Ken is starting a new job as caretaker of a castle on a remote island. But this new job isn't what it seems. She finds herself trapped, accused of murder, and not knowing who she can trust.

This one fell flat for me a bit. I really liked the premise. I enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of the main character's experiences with DID. I was excited by the locked door thriller concept, too. However, I felt like it didn't quite deliver on either... The book overall was muddled, not very "thrilling," and left some loose ends untied.

Thanks to Net Galley for an early copy of this!

I’m getting into my thriller suspense era and this on did not disappoint. Kenetria ”Ken" Nash was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder following past trauma. After being offered a chance to be a resident caretaker of a historic home, Ken and her ”Headmates” can’t refuse this opportunity to pursue this opportunity to jumpstart her career back. A storm comes stranding strangers in the home Ken comes face to face with the person who sparked her diagnosis. When someone is murdered and Ken is found bloody she is the prime suspect. It is up to Ken and her headmates to figure out who really did it.

Whew let me tell you this was so unique. We get the POV of the “headmates” and the world they live in while we also get to read what’s happening outside of Ken’s head. This was one of those books when you have to pay attention throughout or you will miss something. I was on edge with this one. I love that I found another new to me author that I can see myself reading more of.

So back in the days when Netflix had just started doing streaming my sister and I had a fixation on watching really bad horror movies. There was a movie called The Ward and I don’t remember much of it except for the fact that the woman was in a mental hospital with a bunch of other patients and at the end you find out that they’re all her alternate personas. I already said the movie was bad, but this book took that concept and did it so right. I mean first and foremost were introduced to the whole system from the get go rather than it being a “twist” and each alter gets to be in the drivers seat and provide their own points of view. Ken finds out she’s accepted a job when her alter Della is fronting as caretaker of a decrepit crumbling castle on the Hudson on a private island. (I was picturing a cross between Bannerman Castle near Beacon mixed with Big Brother Island on the east river). When she arrives in the middle of a storm she realizes that the house inside her head containing her alters is the mirror image of the one on the island. Creepiness ensues and lots of things happen. I wish we’d gotten a bit more context about her previous encounter with Pearson, and I’m wildly angry about the last reveal at the very end, but overall this was a fun creative imaginative read.

This was a unique and twisted story. Gothic mansion on a cliff on an island in the middle of a storm. Take. My. Money. Adding the DID to it, absolute genius. I really enjoyed the prose and storytelling and will surely be reading more of this author’s works. So well done!

this one was kind of all over the place, it was a cool concept and well executed but I couldn’t get j to this one overall. It was a complicated plot