OMG. I can't remember the last time I stayed up until 3AM reading... what are responsibilities? Don't have them! All I could think about was this book, and now that it's over, I still can't stop. I'M OBSESSED. A stalker triangle!? How refreshing for a Lifetime-esque thriller! And that ending... will there be a sequel!? It could go either way, and both ways I'd be more than happy. All I want is for Meredith to be happy, and as it stands, she is. If this doesn't win best thriller of 2024, I'm going to be shocked.

Thanks to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for the ARC.

Vi Keeland is a prolific author of romance novels and with this book ventures into the thriller genre. This book is a quick read and there is enough spice to heat things up.
But, If you read psychological thrillers regularly, this book doesnt offer much of change. The 'twists' are easy to guess. I couldnt sympatize with the MC Meridith, when she took regrettable decisions, knowing very well the consequences. Gabriel's character was just attractive and nothing else.
I don't understand why writers of psychological thrillers find it mandatory to write in first person and in alternating timelines.
The first 13 chapters alternate between then and now, which is unnecessary. It was not revealing any mystery as we can easily guess what happened 'Then' right from the first chapter. All the other chapters till the end are in the present.

Recommended for readers of romantic thrillers.

Overall Take:
Engaging psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Synopsis:

After experiencing a terrible loss, New York City psychiatrist Meredith feels painfully adrift. When she crosses paths with Gabriel. Someone should have no business being near.

But when Gab walks into her office as a patient, seemingly unaware of who she is. Despite the ethics, Meredith can’t seem to turn him away and things get entangled.

Things can’t get any worse, until they do.

Thoughts:
I loved psychological thrillers, and I absolutely love them when they involve therapists and relationships with their patients. I feel that this is a really narrow niche, but oh boy is it one that I enjoy. I feel that every book I’ve read is written about this type of relationship I have had a lot of fun with. But funnily enough, forbidden romance in most other settings is not my favorite.

The characters were great. I enjoyed Meredith’s character. Her grief came through the page, and a lot of her story felt very relatable. I feel that I too would have blamed myself if I was in her shoes and things happened to me like they happened to her. This book kept me guessing and engaged until the last page, oh and on that last page was a jaw dropping reveal! I did not see that coming and it was amazing. I thought things had wrapped up nicely before that, but the true ending was amazing and what made this a five-star read for me!
I always struggle writing reviews more for five-star reads because there are just so many things I loved but all I can think of is “I loved this”.

Thank you to:
Thank you to Atria /Emily Bestler @atriathrillers, @vi_keeland and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

Wow wow wow, that ending, just wow! Anyone can read the synopsis and know that Meredith's world has come crashing down. Her husband, a famous hockey player, was drunk and ran over a woman and her child. Meredith saw the woman's husband sometime later and it seemed he was healing and moving on. Unlike her. How? How can he do that? So Meredith has become a little obsessed with following Gabriel and watching him.

When Meredith attempts to get her career back, she can't believe it when Gabriel comes to her as a patient. Is this a coincidence? There is so much intrigue and danger in this story. Enter a third party. I can't say much about that person but things are not what they always seem. Just when you think that things are settled and the horrible truth comes out, keep reading. Believe me, your eyeballs are going to fall out.

QUICK TAKE: this was...not great. A solid twist ending does not make up for the paint-by-number domestic suspense melodrama slog that is the other 300 pages. However, I'm seeing a LOT of positive reviews for this one, so maybe I wasn't the audience. Wasn't for me.

Twisted and filled with suspense!

I really enjoyed this book! I went in to this not knowing much about the author or the story and ended up tearing through until the end. A New York City psychiatrist, Dr. Meredith McCall, suffers a traumatic loss and feels adrift in life. When she bumps into a man she has a tragic connection with, Gabriel Wright, it sparks an unhealthy obsession that leads her down a dark path.

This book didn’t disappoint. The author’s writing style was easy to read and her voice was engaging. Considering she usually writes romance, this story was definitely on the darker side. I was hooked from the beginning, learning about the tragedy that bound Meredith and Gabriel. None of the characters were perfect, but Gabriel changed the most over the course of the story. The pace was steady throughout, picking up in the third act, and I was gripped until the end. That twist on the final page was shocking!

4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For readers who enjoy suspense, twists, and compelling female protagonists.

Not sure how I feel about this one. Meredith was kind of ridiculous, saying the wrong things and just made a lot of really dumb choices.
I was invested in the story I knew something twisty was going to come up. I will say after awhile I did start to suspect Rebecca and Gabriel of being together. The end one year later was a nice touch.

"The Unraveling" is a triumph—a testament to the enduring power of love in the face of adversity. With its richly drawn characters, poignant prose, and unforgettable story, it's a novel that will stay with readers long after they've turned the final page. Vi Keeland has once again proven herself to be a master storyteller, and "The Unraveling" is sure to captivate readers from beginning to end.

This book left me speechless. From the scone I picked up this book, I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely gasped at the end.

This is a thriller that begins with Meredith, a psychiatrist that lost her license for a year. While taking on of her long walks, she sees the man who her former husband killed his family in an accident. She becomes obsessed with him following him.

Once she goes back to her practice, that man comes in for therapy. The story takes off from there full of twists. The characters are completely deranged, morally questionable, and fascinating. I love when a main character is morally gray but I can’t help but root for her. I really wanted Meredith to come out on top despite her questionable decision making. It honestly makes the book so much better.

The book is fantastic and engaging. The tension between the characters is amazing. You’ll find out so many secrets each chapter. It is tense at times with a little smut which was fun in a thriller. It moves between a “then” and “now” timeline allowing the reader to start pieces together the story.

The ending was absolutely amazing. Honestly, I thought about it for days. I was shocked. Themes of obsession, lust, and revenge.

The characters are definitely morally questionable, so if you don’t like that, this might not be the book for you. For me- it made the story even better. I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next. Do yourself a favor- buy this the second it comes out.

This book comes out June 9, 2024. Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a mysterious story about tragedy, deception, obsession, and failed boundaries that unravels gradually throughout the book. It kept me intrigued, invested, and still left me reeling when all was said and done.

It centers around Meredith McCall a psychiatrist whose life and career has irrevocably changed and unraveled. She is drowning under guilt and pain and going through the motions.

Gabriel Wright shares a tragic connection to her past And he becomes a catalyst for change whether it be a good thing or bad thing.

It becomes a case of cat and mouse with stalking, paranoia, fear, deception, and obsession. It is told in her point of view in past and present and the reader is given little details at a time to figure out the past situation while also following along with her questionable actions in the present.

It is mysterious, suspenseful, multi-layered, and full of twists and turns. I will admit that I found myself shaking my head at Meredith at times seeing such an intelligent and empathetic woman become such a hot mess and succumb to dumb female syndrome with some of her choices. And Gabriel is such a complex man with layers of secrets of his own.

Who is the prey and who is the predator? At times it is hard to tell.

It did keep my attention and kept me wondering and working to put all of the pieces together. And after it was over it had me rethinking everything. So it was intriguing and thought provoking.

“The Unraveling” is a suspense thriller by Vi Keeland. There were a number of things I liked about this book, but there were also a number I felt could have been stronger. Meredith seems to be intelligent, but as the book progressed she seemed to become less and less bright. It was bothersome, to me, to see this woman who at one time was strong basically start doing unethical things. I did like some of the twists, but I wish that the entire book had lived up to that fantastic sounding premise. I think that because this book was a fast read, it was enjoyable, but I wish I’d felt more connection to any of the main characters. However, I do believe that the title is fantastic for this book - it is an unraveling! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

4.5 stars rounded up! WOAH! WOW! I don’t think the characters in this book know what ethics and morals are… So many poor choices were made by the psychiatrist FMC, and I couldn’t look away! This psychological thriller was so entertaining and had me on the edge of my seat, mumbling “what the f*ck” a dozen times, I never knew what was coming next. It's so twisted and addictive that I read it in 24 hours.

And that ending. HOLY CRAP. I. Am. Speechless. Read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC!

I was so so disappointed by this book. There was so much potential but unfortunately, nothing really came together.

First and foremost, I just didn’t care about any of the characters in this book. The main character, Meredith, just keeps making the stupidest possible decisions at every turn. Not only was she a total train wreck, it was difficult to feel a ton of sympathy for her either, despite what she’s been through. The way that she behaves towards her patients (not Gabriel, just her regular normal patients) was so unprofessional and incompetent that I was actively rooting for her downfall.

The unwillingness to have Meredith face real consequences for her actions was just unbelievable. At the beginning of the novel, Meredith is returning to work as a psychiatrist after a one-year suspension. She’s lost half of her clients because of this and mentions having to put up online ads but really, her practice seems to return to normal upon her return. There’s never any real hardship (apart from what Meredith inflicts upon herself). And by the end of the novel, Meredith is thriving as a professor at Brooklyn College. How on earth would she be hired as a professor after having her license first suspended and then revoked for multiple ethics violations?

The man that Meredith becomes involved with, Gabriel, is so bland and uninteresting that I had a hard believing that anyone could be obsessed with him. It’s just constantly emphasized how attractive Gabriel is but we never see any real personality from him or any chemistry between him and Meredith.

The mystery and tension in the first half of this book also felt incredibly forced. Characters would constantly think or say things along the lines of “everything changed when *that* happened” or “after *the tragedy* you endured several months ago.” The way that information was deliberately withheld and dangled in front of the reader was so annoying and unnatural.

All in all, this was a book that had some good moments but overall, failed to deliver on an interesting premise.

I devoured this one! Absolutely loved it. Psychological thriller centered around a psychiatrist. It was twisted, spicy, and fast paced. Stalking, obsession, it had me hooked. Pub date 7.9.24, and this will be a perfect summer thriller. Highly recommend!

Dark. Suspenseful. Twisted. Would be the 3 words I used to describe The Unraveling. It was fast-paced and easy to read as the plot moved quickly from start to finish, I was so hooked that there were surprise twists and turns that caught me off guard and made me realized how absorbed into this book I was since I was questioning everything and that ending left me think WOW, I realized then that this book was a 5 stars so I'm not going to give anything more away than that. I'm not a typical thriller reader as I can probably count on 1 hand how many thrillers I have read in the past decade (I think the last one was Verity) but I absolutely love VI Keeland and her writing style as she knows how to drawn you in as a reader so I was excited to read a somehting new from her. I will say this book didn't disappoint and definitely should be added to your TBR list, everyone needs a good thriller read during the summer.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the characters and the narrative structure were very interesting. I would recommend this book to those interested in this genre. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Unraveling By Vi Keeland
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Publisher: Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

📚MY REVIEW:

I kept hearing so many great things about this book, so I requested an advanced reader's e-copy from NetGalley... And I am so happy I did! What a fantastic read!

The Unraveling was a page-turning thriller for sure! As the unreliable female MC narrator shared her story in two timelines of Then and Now, I felt like I was watching a dumpster fire that someone just kept throwing more gasoline on. I wanted to pop a bowl of popcorn, sit back, and watch to see what craziness happened next.

This wild ride kept piling on layer after layer of unbelievable twists and turns, as the reader watched the MC's life unravel around her. I genuinely had no idea what she was going to do next. So many times, I wanted to yell at her not to do what she was contemplating...while I secretly hoped she'd do it so I could watch the explosive aftermath. There was even some gratuitous scandalous sex thrown into the book that was kinda unexpected, but not unwelcome. It just worked with the rest of the chaos of this story.

And the chaos continued - literally - until the very end of the book. As in the last couple paragraphs of the book -- so the VERY END. I had to even re-read the last page twice to be sure I read what I read. I absolutely LOVE a thriller that throws in one last unexpected twist as the story ends.

If you're looking for a fun and twisted psychological thriller, I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR list. And if you're not, you should probably add this book to your TBR list anyway. You can thank me later. 😉 A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for gifting me this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

#TheUnraveling #ViKeeland #NetGalley #ARC #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #bookcommunity #thrillerreads #thrilleraddicts #thrillerlover #psychologicalthriller

Meredith McCall, an NYC psychiatrist, is married to great hockey player Connor Fitzgerald, who became injured during a game. This injury caused his addiction to pain medication and his unfortunate demise. Feeling amiss, adrift, and grieving her loss, she comes into contact with another, Gabriel Wright, with whom she shares a tragic connection.

Things turn around when Gabriel Wright walks into her office as a patient. The Unraveling is an addictive psychological thriller that will make you wonder if you read it correctly and re-read that final chapter.

This is the first book I've read by Vi Keeland but it won't be my last. I was immediately engrossed in the novel and needed to find out what happened to Dr. Meredith McCall's husband and Professor Gabriel Wright's wife and daughter. I was invested in all of the characters. I will admit that at times I had to suspend reality. As a psychiatrist, Meredith should have been receiving therapy herself prior to the mandating. I am also extremely curious how much she drank prior to the issues in her life. I would not want her treating me or anyone I know. It was sexy and a fast read. I enjoyed it for what it is and it has all the makings for a great movie.

⭐️⭐️½

I'm a big Vi Keeland fan, so I was curious to see how she would do with a thriller. Unfortunately, this missed the mark for me.

I was bored for most of the book. The reveal of what the Meredith had experienced wasn't revealed until 25% in, and up until that point, not much happen. There were snippets of interesting things happening, but again, there wasn't much in between.

I felt like this story was not flushed out enough. There were thriller elements thrown into the story that felt like they were thrown in to make it a thriller. There were scene jumps that left me wondering what happened and some of things weren't ever really flushed out. And I saw some of the revelations from a mile away.

I am a mental health professional, so I found some of the things Meredith did cringey. There were points where I asked "really??? that's where you are drawing the line???".

I'm curious what thriller fans will think of this book.

One good thing - the sex scenes were really good!