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

A genre-bending gothic thriller centered around a woman with dissociative identity disorder serving as the caretaker at a gothic estate, when she finds herself trapped on the island with a murderer. Chilling!

What’s it about?

Kenetria Nash had a breakdown several years earlier that led to her losing her spot in the historical preservationist graduate program at Benson College. As a young child, Kenetria experienced trauma that led her to develop DID as a way to cope. This involves splitting into different selves who manage or take over different parts of her life. Kenetria and her other “headmates" keep a shared journal to update one another on what has been happening while the others have been away.

Ken (Kenetria, the host) has been away for some time and awakes on a dock, waiting for transportation to her new job as a caretaker on a remote estate on Hudson River Island. She’s unfamiliar with the island, her alter Della evidently applied for the job while Ken was away. When she arrives on Hudson River Island, she realizes that the house looks almost identical to the one she’s built in her mind to cohabitate with her other headmates. Has she been here before?

A surprise visit from the home’s conservationist catches Ken off guard. Meanwhile a strong weather formation is rolling in, making it impossible to leave the island. The conservationist isn’t the only surprise guest that will be staying on the island with Ken. When someone is found dead, Ken is the prime suspect. She must work together with her other headmates to find out what happened and clear her name.

What did I think?

This is a dark and addictive thriller with a unique premise and expert execution. The different identities all have their own clear personalities and roles, and seeing their thoughts about one another and what is happening in the shared journal offers surprising levity. I won’t lie that it is overwhelming at first as the reader is getting the hang of the various headmates that share Ken’s body. It quickly evens out, as it becomes clear that each plays a different role, has a unique personality, and even have different limitations.

The book is gripping from start to finish, the structure and plot are unique, and the setting was well-developed and unsettling. It’s a unique structure and narrative format that added layers to the story to wonderful effect. The dialogue among the headmates adds a lightness to a dark and twisted story. Themes of mental health are understandably present, but it also has a lot of subtext about race and class as well that can’t go unacknowledged.

Chilling, dark, addictive, and twist-filled—this is a must-read for those looking to expand their horizons!

An extremely different twist on a psychological thriller. I’m guessing this book is going to get low reviews because readers have to keep the identities straight.

Kenetria Nash (Ken) comes to the front after being away for six years. Ken is one of many identities in the host body that suffers from DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder. Ken has missed a lot over the last six years where she wasn’t even present as to what was going on. The body was mainly being fronted by Della at the time, who guided through COVID.

DID is interesting in the fact that everyone is aware of each other. The personalities in the family can have conversations with each other as well as co-front (though this is very difficult and doesn’t last long).

Ken “fronts” to a world she doesn’t recognize (where people wear masks) and also learns that they have been evicted from their apartment and are totally out of money. Belongings are packed and they are awaiting arrival of John, who is picking them up via boat for the job they’ve been offered.

Before Ken disappeared, she read an article about castle caretakers and applied to a variety of posted positions. An offer came through that was accepted by Della so that they wouldn’t have to live on the street. This position is a caretaker at Kavanaugh Castle, which has interesting history as well as being on an island in the middle of a river.

Disembarking off the boat, John warns Ken about three hazards of the island and transitions Ken to Celeste, the cleaning person. Celeste is gruff and convinced that Ken will not make it through one night - but there are no other options, this job *has* to work out.

What does Ken find on the island and do they call to shore via CB for emergency pickup or stay in the job for the long haul? Does Ken reveal DID to Celeste and how does that work out? Do the rumored goblins on the island make it difficult for Ken to do the job they were hired to do?

I really enjoyed this book and very similar to When No One is Watching it is packed with twist and turns. Alyssa has a unique way of writing a thriller that is also very thought provoking. In this novel alone she touches on mental health, ritualistic practices targeting the underprivileged, political/personal stance on vaccines and so much more. If you’re a fan of movies like Split or Sybil you will love this book!

Thank you NetGalley & William Morrow for this arc of One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole. This was highly anticipated and I was very excited to read again from this author, however, this just wasn’t for me. The storylines was so hard to follow and the DID representation which commend was just not for me. It was not as thrilling as I would have liked.

Kenetria Nash was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder and after being dormant for years, Ken 'wakes up' on a dock and learns that another alter has secured a job as a caretaker of a historic home on a isolated island. Specific details are hard to recall, but she knows this is a second chance opportunity.

But the island and it's inhabitants do not appear to be what they seem. And as a storm bears down on the island along with the members of the home's conservation trust, it's hard to know which may be more dangerous. When someone ends up dead and Ken is the immediate suspect, Ken must work with the alters in her inner world and tenuous allies in the physical world to discover the truth.

This was a really interesting read and it seems like a lot of research was done about DID and how those who have that diagnosis live. The chapters were set out really well to help keep track of who's perspective was providing the narrative to not get lost along the way. Thank you NetGalley for providing me access to a copy to read and review.

The classic locked-room whodunit and unreliable narrator tropes get turned on their head (or should I say, inside their head) in this newest release from the author of the Edgar Award-winning novel “When No One Is Watching.”

Channeling just as many Jordan Peele vibes as that 2020 debut thriller, “One of Us Knows” blends mystery and commentary on society and mental health for a riveting, gothic nail-biter. Kenetria “Ken” Nash, a “headmate” (yes, like a roommate of the head) of a woman with dissociative identity disorder, awakens after six years of inactivity, finding herself traveling to a new job as a caretaker for a castle located on an isolated island.

The tension begins building immediately with the disappearance of Della, the headmate who has been leading the system of personalities during Ken’s extended absence, and things become even more bizarre and unsettling upon arrival at the estate. The castle looks exactly like the one the headmates share inside Nash’s head. As intrigue and suspense swell internally and externally, “One of Us Knows” transcends a simple page-turner as Cole explores trauma, privilege and violence toward women — with a sprinkling of Cole’s specialty: romance.

I was so excited to pick this novel up. I have heard great things about another one of this author's thrillers, <i>When No One is Watching</i>, but unfortunately this one fell flat for me.

When I first started this one, I was super interested in the DID personalities and how the thriller aspect would play out. It was a very unique and uncommon premise for a thriller and I was excited to continue. As I continued reading, I didn't feel attached to any of the personalities and was bored a lot of the time. The format of the conversations between personalities was confusing and hard to always tell which personality was speaking.

Also, it is 2024, and I did not love how often the pandemic was referenced. I read to escape reality not be reminded about it over and over again. I can appreciate the reference but it added nothing to the storyline or character development.

I was invested enough to see how the story played out which is why I did not DNF the book but in the end, I kind of wish I had.

<i>Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.</i>

I really like this author and I thought that it was just an okay thriller. To me, this book started off very slow. I also felt like the ending felt very rushed. I don't think I will reread this book but I was entertained the whole time.