3.5, rounded up. This was a fun read with twists I didn’t see coming, and others I did. I thought there were parts where I had to suspend some belief, especially pertaining to our FMC but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this bingeable story. I’m not sure how to feel about the ending- did I like it? I’m not sure yet, But I know I will be checking out other books by this author to see how they compare, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

someone knows.. and it wasnt me until the very end.

I felt like I was the MC just lost in a sea of chaos, downward spiral and fear. Vi Keeland really sold that fear and untrustworthiness that I was doubting everything!

Solid thriller in my eyes.

While my ARC was kindle I also bought the audiobook and it was also 5/5!

This story really surprised me in a good way. It’s emotional, layered, and pulls you in with characters who feel genuinely human flawed, struggling, and trying to heal. The connection between them builds slowly and believably, which made the romance feel real.

The mix of past trauma and present choices added depth, even if a couple of the twists were a bit predictable. There were small pacing dips, but overall, it kept me hooked. A strong 4 stars

I zipped through this psychological thriller in no time, anxious to find out who the murderer was. Loved the crazy twists! This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it will not be the last! Great ending!

Vi Keeland’s foray into thrillers might be my new favorite thing! I loved The Unraveling so much so when Someone Knows showed up on NetGalley as a Read Now, it was an immediate snag! I will say, I am not a connoisseur of thrillers as they frequently freak me out but when Vi Keeland does it, I always have a good time! I enjoy that they have a sexy edge and always give a little pop at the end that has me almost re-questioning everything I thought I just found out and Someone Knows was no different.

Elizabeth is a college English professor with a hidden past. That is until her past collides with her present when one of her students turns in a rough draft of their story…or, rather HER story. Chapter one of The Reckoning put all of Elizabeth’s past on display in the form of someone else’s fiction. She doesn’t have a clue who it is but they know all about her part in the murder of the high school teacher who had an affair with her best friend. To figure out who is doing this to her, Elizabeth returns to her hometown where everyone is a suspect.

This was one sordid and twisted tale. The story within a story, mimicking the life of the FMC had me intrigued and creeped out from the start. Keeland does a fantastic job of creating paranoia in her characters. Watching them spiral as they find more and more suspects, questioning everyone's motivation, and even their own sanity at times always keeps me hooked, wanting to know fact from fiction right alongside them. She does a great job of incorporating love interests without making the plot romantic. Instead it adds a sexy, edgy vibe to the story that only adds to the intensity of the plot. Due to the nature of one character's past, some of the content was troubling to get through but, all the other aspects kept me reeled in and plowing forward to figure out the ending. Spoiler Alert: I didn’t figure out the ending because Keeland always gets the last word and, so far, she’s 2 for 2 in making my jaw drop.

If you’re a romance reader who wants to try something with a little edge, suspense, and thrill, you should definitely pick up one of Vi Keeland’s books! You can’t go wrong with either!

Wow, I have no words right now. Vi Keeland has a way of creating a story that just hooks you from the start and before you know do your lost in the story devouring every page to find out the answers that you’re dying to know. I could not out this book down. There were so many twists and turns and when you think you figured things out, you were only thrown another curveball and left trying to figure out what’s really going on. I am still left in shock by the ending. This was a fantastic thriller that you don’t want to miss.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wanted to Love It, But the Story Fell a Bit Flat

I was really looking forward to Someone Knows because I usually enjoy Vi Keeland’s books, but this one didn’t fully land for me. The premise had so much potential, and I was ready for a gripping, emotional ride—but somewhere along the way, the storyline lost momentum.

The characters had their moments, and there were definitely a few scenes that pulled me in, but overall, it felt a little predictable and lacked the emotional depth I was hoping for. I kept waiting for something big to happen, and when it finally did, it just didn’t have the impact I expected.

It’s not a bad read, and I’m sure others will enjoy it more than I did—but for me, it just didn’t hit the mark like some of her other books have.

At no point did I know where this was going! It grabbed me quickly and left me wanting more. Elizabeth Davis is an English professor with a shady secret past - or is it? Obviously, her secret is out? But who knows what she did 20 years ago? And why are they messing with her now? Elizabeth is a flawed character with so many layers and I while I started the book unsure if I liked her, was invested in her and her well being by the end. Keeland does an amazing job of getting the reader to see through Elizabeth's perspective, leaving everyone a suspect all the way to the end. Keeland also paints the scenery perfectly through Elizabeth's eyes and you can almost feel the heat and despair she feels in her Louisiana hometown. The twists kept coming and I could not put this book down.

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Rating: 4.5

Oh my, the twists and turns of this novel will have you off your seat! Someone Knows is my first Vi Keeland read, and it was excellent; I am now eager to read more of her work.

Professor Elizabeth Davis is successful as an English tutor to her students on campus daily. Although she has a busy daily schedule, she also teaches an online course for creative writing. In her personal life, Elizabeth is pretty much a loner.

Elizabeth loves New York, and she hardly thinks about the small town she came from. She starts to receive emails from one of her online students...in the form of chapters as part of an assignment. However, these chapters read too much like her teenage story 20 years ago.

These chapters bring back memories that Elizabeth had somehow buried deep inside, and also that she knows no one should have all these details. She makes the trip back home to try to figure out what is going on. There she realises that her mom, who is not close to her, is terminally ill.

Will Elizabeth get to the bottom of these emails and will she be able to have last moments with her mom?

Someone Knows is very well written, a multi-dimensional main character that you will cry and cheer for.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Tear-jerker, Twisted, Unpredictable

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of Someone Knows by Vi Keeland.
🌶️ There is definitely spice in this thriller so if that’s not your thing, be aware.
I thought the book was great- twists up until the very end and definitely unfolded at a good pace. I wish there had been a little more development and depth to the story of the relationship between Elizabeth and her mom.

Overview: Professor Elizabeth Davis is perturbed when a student’s story is an eerily accurate depiction of events from her dark past involving a high school English teacher.

Thoughts: I am loving Vi Keeland’s thrillers! From a romance reader perspective, I actually liked that some of the twists made sense and weren’t completely out of left field. The mystery surrounding Noah and how much he knew about Elizabeth’s past definitely kept me in suspense! The red herrings were plausible enough that it kept me guessing throughout the story. There were a few things that I didn’t quite understand the first time around, so will definitely need to go back and read again now that I know the ending. Also, did anyone else imagine Noah as Sawyer from the tv show Lost?! Dimples, Southern accent, and all…

Take home message: I loved this spicy psychological thriller set in Louisiana, where a college English professor gets entangled with her former high school teacher’s teacher’s son, while also trying to figure out who is taunting her with her mysterious past. As a heads up, there are discussions about domestic and physical abuse throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first Vi Keeland book I've read. I've had some of her romances on my TBR. Before seeing this book, I didn't realize that she wrote thrillers. This book has plenty of trigger warnings that may be important for some people to know before reading (ex. grooming, physical/sexual abuse of a minor, cancer and death of a parent). That being said, if you choose to read this book, I feel like it might be a good one to go in blindly. This book was on the shorter side and it was very fast paced. At the beginning of the story, I was wary of how things would go, mostly finding myself disturbed by the events shown in the 'flashbacks'. However once the first twist happened, I could not stop reading. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, I was proven wrong. Honestly, this is a dark and messy book. Between the morally flawed characters and the events of the past, there's a lot of dark and heavy topics discussed. There are a lot of graphic scenes as well. But there was just something about this book that I couldn't resist. I consumed this story so fast. But also...that ending?? I need more!

Well this was a trip!! I started this book not knowing what to expect and had a hard time putting it down. I guessed a few of the twists but there was one where the author had me guessing all the way until the end and I did not guess correctly! First book by this author and I’ll definitely have to read more.

Someone Knows exactly what Elizabeth Davis did. As a creative writing professor in NYC, Elizabeth receives a new student’s submission titled The Reckoning, which reflects Elizabeth’s hidden past – an illicit affair between her best friend Jocelyn and a teacher that has a tragic end to it – and a chilling implication that Elizabeth might be the one being exposed.

This tense, psychological thriller has you following Elizabeth back to her childhood home in Louisiana to uncover who is responsible and why. She meets up with her best friend Ivy to ensure she has never told a soul what happened but has no luck finding Jocelyn. Paranoid and feeling alone while being back in Louisiana, Elizabeth starts to have repressed memories creep back in, causing her to blur the lines between fiction and reality.

Someone Knows is an atmospheric novel set in the oppressive, eerie backdrop of Louisiana using the humid bayous, creepy motels, and secrets nested within the small-town hush to evoke the sense of claustrophobia that mirrors Elizabeth’s mental unraveling. Keeland writes a fast-paced, emotionally rich novel full of chilling surprises – though some may bristle at the familiar tropes. The ending provides a powerful jolt and reframes the entire story.

For readers who relish psychological suspense laced with sensuality, this one keeps you guessing until the final page! Don’t forget to check the trigger warnings for this book before diving in.

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (rounded up)
Thank you Netgalley and Atria for my eARC!
Originally posted on BookshelfbyTori on Instagram!

I was enthralled! Vi Keeland sucked me in from the very first chapter and kept me entertained throughout! I don't want to give anything away but Chapter 25! 😱 My jaw was on the floor!

Every year Elizabeth, an English professor, reads the work of promising new writers in her creative writing class. She's stopped in her tracks when chapter one of "The Reckoning" is eerily similar to real life.

Someone Knows is a twisty, page-turner, perfect for a day at the beach or poolside!

Make sure to check trigger warnings because things get dark fast!

Read if you like:
• Thrillers
• Page-turners
• Small town secrets
• Mind games and manipulation
• Twists you won't see coming

Many thanks to @atriabooks @atriathrillers for the complimentary copy! My thoughts and opinions are voluntary.

Ok so surprisingly I’ve never read Vi’s romance book. I found her through reading Unraveling and really enjoyed it. So when I saw this book come up on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it.

Though I predicted 90% of all the twists I still really enjoyed this book. A solid 4✨ it was fun, sexy, and twisty!

Elizabeth is a professor in NYC and starts receiving chapters from a student that strangely mirror exact details of her past. She returns home to Louisiana to hunt down the real sender of the emails and ends up meeting someone super unexpected.

I love me a thriller with smut and a good unreliable narrator in a psychological thriller!

This one was super addictive and I really enjoyed it! Keep writing thrillers while I check out your romance!!

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

Ohhh I loved this one!! The pace, the character, the storyline and the back and forth are sooo good! My first thriller by Vi and you’re not disappoint!

This month I’m in a huge slump and this book helps a lot! I finished it so fast and I don’t want it to end. There’s no story that too long or unnecessary. This book is just good ride in so many ways!

Thankyou so much Netgalley, Vi Keeland and Simon&Schuster for this e-arc!!

Ok, at first I didn’t think I was going to like, but the more I read the more intriguing it was. Be aware there are triggers. When a college professor begins getting chapters to a story she recognizes from 20 years previously she begins a search to find who was sending.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review

In Someone Knows, college professor Elizabeth’s carefully controlled life begins to unravel when a student submits an assignment that reveals her darkest secret, one she thought was buried for good. Forced to confront a traumatic past, she must act quickly before the truth comes to light

The premise of this book was really promising but unfortunately it fell flat for me in a few key ways. While the setup drew me in, the story took a much darker turn than I expected. Definitely check trigger warnings before starting before diving in, there are some heavy themes here. My biggest issue was the ending, it just wasn’t satisfying. I can appreciate that the author left some things unsaid for us to figure out and there were quite a few twists and turns, I really felt let down by the last chapter. It was frustrating to see such a bleak outcome that will undoubtedly erase all of Elizabeths positive progress. The last chapter hints at some things that may happen from the antagonists point of view that make it kind of seem like there’s going to be another book about them where they got away with everything and are free to continue to retraumatize Elizabeth and others. This did have a lot of potential and I wanted to like it more than I did but resolution really took away from the impact of the story for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-ARC that I chose to read and review.

As a college English professor, Elizabeth looks forward to the start of each new semester teaching her creative writing seminar. At least until she reads chapter one of The Reckoning, a tale about a high school senior who has an affair with her teacher.

She knows this story. It’s all familiar because she lived it. The girl in the story was her best friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth knows exactly how the story will end—with the professor dead. Because she was the one who killed him.

I found this book intriguing from the beginning, liked how the suspense and mystery started early on and then kept growing throughout. I liked that it focused on the after effects of a student teacher affair instead of written while it was happening. There was a fun cat and mouse element where you’re not sure who you can trust or who is the real perpetrator.

Overall this is an entertaining psychological thriller with a fresh feel and interesting premise. Loved how it had a few surprises and kept me guessing. Would definitely recommend!