SOMEONE KNOWS by Vi Keeland
This is an addictive, suspenseful, well written read that is impossible to guess how it will end. It is full of twists and turns and is an excellent psychological thriller. Ms. Keeland has a definite gift for thrillers, and I really hope she continues to come up with more! I couldn’t put it down after starting it. This is 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley, author and Atria Books for the ARC
Elizabeth, an English professor who thrives on critiquing creative writing, stumbles upon a chilling assignment—one that doesn’t just sound familiar…it is familiar. The story mirrors a dark chapter from her own past, involving her best friend Jocelyn and a professor who ended up dead. But someone else knows that secret too—and they're using the story to taunt her. Now Elizabeth must confront her past before it unravels her present—and possibly her sanity.
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After loving The Unraveling, Keeland’s debut thriller, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her latest—and she delivers once again. Told mostly through Elizabeth’s perspective, she’s sharp, unapologetic, and determined to keep her skeletons buried. But with each new “assignment” exposing more of her secrets, suspicion falls on everyone around her.

The short, snappy chapters with cliffhanger endings made this impossible to put down. It's gossipy, juicy, and dripping in suspense. I felt so smug solving the twists—until Keeland pulled an UNO reverse with the final chapter that had me shouting Noooo! It was that wild.

It's a 4.5 ⭐read for me.

Yes, there were a few repetitive parts, but the binge-worthy plot more than made up for it. Some trigger topics are woven in, so tread carefully. But if you’re stuck in a reading slump and craving a popcorn thriller that reads like a late-night drama—you’ve found your next fix!

🗣️:
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩! 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬, 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.

📖:
I read Someone Knows on audio switching to my physical copy in the evenings. It’s hard to say which format I liked better, usually I prefer one over the other.
𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩!

📕:
I had no idea the turn this read would take in the end, and d@mn did it surprise me! 🤯 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 2!

𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔:
-𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧
-𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 & 𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚
-𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙
-𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙮𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙨
-𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙣 🧅
-𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩
-𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 😶

💭:
I love when a book has depth, an actual storyline that comes together nicely, isn’t rushed in the end, and leaves me wanting more (psst still talking about Someone Knows).

🎙️:
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘐’𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵.

Elizabeth is an English professor teaching a course on writing a book chapter by chapter. Each student sends in a chapter of a book they want to write. As she is reading and grading these chapters, she comes across one student who has written a detailed account of her deepest darkest secret. Who is this? How can they possibly know these details?

A twisy pshychological mystery of what is going on that did catch me by surprise a couple of times. However, and this is a big one for me, I just did not enjoy the graphic descriptions of the "sex-capades". It was just a bit over the top for me. The mystery was quite well-written and I enjoy a good mystery that surprises me.

My thanks to Net Galley and Atria/ Emily Bestler Books for an advanced copy of this e-book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the early copy for review!

The beginning of this book really drew me in as the mystery at the core of the story began to take hold.

The story itself is extremely unsettling, which added dread and tension to the pacing.

A combination of how the story ultimately unfolded and it being described as "sexy" (most of this book is about a predatory relationship between a teacher and their teenaged student) left me feeling like I might have missed the early hype that this book has received.

While it may not be my all-time favorite of hers (nothing has topped The Rivals or The Invitation for me yet), it still delivered everything I come to her books for: escapism, spice, and heart. Definitely worth the read if you’re a fan of her style

Thank you Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the gifted copy!

Someone Knows
Vi Keeland
Publishing Date: June 17, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Narrator: Leslie Howard & Aiden Snow 🎧

This was my first book by this author and overall it did not disappoint. Elizabeth is a creative writing professor in NYC. When she received an assignment from a student that seems to be an exact retelling of something from her last, Elizabeth is shook. Someone know.

This book is a dark and disturbing psychological thriller that is also at times sexy. This is a hard balance to strike considering the overall content of the book. I think the author does it well, I’m just not personally a fan of darker romances. This is a me problem. ❗️Check trigger warnings re: child abuse, grooming, teacher/student

This book was so bingeable, I finished it within a 24 hour period. The beginning had me so intrigued, at times the romance had me wanting to look away, but then the second half was twist after twist and had me sucked right back in until the end!

I enjoyed the dual timeline and how it was executed using the book within a book style. I only like unreliable narrators when done certain ways and this book does it well! The ending is definitely going to be polarizing and is not typically the style of ending that I would like… BUT I actually kinda loved it.

🎧 I read this one 90% with my ears thanks to Spotify. The narration was good!

Vi Keeland has created a new place for herself amongst angsty mysteries. She filled this thriller with loss, heartbreak and grief while surprising her readers with characters that almost seem like your next door neighbors. Some friendly, others inquisitive and finally the relationships between children and their parents that run deep and disturbing.

Gripping, heartbreaking and suspenseful! A well written story of twists and turns filled with secrets and deception. Bold story of trust broken, trying to heal and finding surprises around every corner. It left me reeling in the end. An emotional who-dun-it.

Amazing book and so many twists! I really enjoyed this and couldn’t put it. I’ve already recommended it to everyone I know that loves to read

Someone Knows
Someone knows what Elizabeth, a college professor, did twenty years ago and her haunting secrets are about to be exposed. But who is it and why now?
Elizabeth returns back to her hometown in Louisiana to find out that she cannot escape her past.
Very intense with an unsettling twist at the end! 4 stars

A wild ride that had me hooked until the very end. Vi Keeland delivered a fast-paced psychological thriller that kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured out, she hit me with another twist. This was a quick read (at less than 300 pages) that helped get me out of a reading slump.

This is the second book by this author that I read. I’ve previously read her other thriller (The Unraveling) and look forward to reading any other thrillers she releases in the future.

This story does touch on some topics that may be tough for some readers. Check your trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

ThThank you NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Someone Knows is a gripping blend of psychological thriller, slow-burning mystery, and emotional drama, all wrapped up in Vi Keeland’s signature style. It’s the kind of story that pulls you in with a chilling premise and keeps you turning pages with steady suspense and sharp emotional undercurrents.

The story centers on Elizabeth, a college English professor whose life is suddenly upended when a student in her writing seminar begins submitting chapters of a novel that sound uncomfortably familiar. The fictional story mirrors a real and very dark chapter of Elizabeth’s past—one she has spent the last twenty years trying to forget. But the worst part? She knows exactly how the story ends, because she was there. And she was the one who made sure the ending happened.

What really worked for me in this book was how layered Elizabeth’s character is. She is successful and composed on the surface, but the further you get into the story, the more you realize just how much she’s been holding together. Her internal conflict is just as compelling as the mystery itself. You feel the weight of her guilt, the tension of living with a secret for so long, and the fear of being exposed by someone who clearly knows more than they should.

The pacing is strong throughout. It’s not a high-octane thriller, but more of a slow, simmering unraveling of the past and present. Keeland does a great job balancing the unfolding mystery with emotional depth. As Elizabeth returns to her hometown in Louisiana to try and figure out who is behind the manuscript, the narrative weaves between past and present in a way that adds weight and context to her choices. The Southern small-town setting adds atmosphere too, and you can feel the quiet menace of a place full of history and buried secrets.

There’s also a romantic element that feels well-placed. It doesn’t overpower the plot but offers a sense of hope and warmth that balances out the darker themes. It helps show a softer side of Elizabeth, and adds to the overall emotional arc of the story.

If I had to point out one drawback, it’s that the ending comes together a bit too cleanly. Given how messy and emotionally complex the buildup was, I expected maybe a few more loose ends or gray areas. But at the same time, it’s satisfying in its own way, and it doesn’t take away from how strong the rest of the book is.

Overall, Someone Knows is a smart, suspenseful read that delivers on both plot and character. If you enjoy thrillers that focus on morally complex women, long-buried secrets, and the emotional cost of past choices, this one is well worth your time. Vi Keeland steps slightly outside her usual romance territory here and absolutely makes it work.

4.25 Stars!

#NetGalley, #AtriaBooks. #SomeoneKnows, #ViKeeland, #Suspense/ThrillerBooksank you to NetGalley and @AtriaBooks

Wow! This book is wild. It has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. It’s basically about a woman who ran away from her home in Louisiana 20 years before to NYC because she killed the man abusing her best friend. She and their other best friend covered it up and they swore to never get in touch again and never talk about it again. The woman, Elizabeth, is now an English professor at a University. She receives a bunch of online papers to grade. One of the papers sounds very familiar, it sounds like her friends life leading up to the murder of the man. The rest of the book is a wild ride of Elizabeth trying to figure out what is going on as she receives more papers from the student. (the papers read like chapters from a book, which is a great way to tell us the back story) She ends up going home and seeing old friends, her alcoholic mother and a whole bunch of other people she does not want to see. I don’t want to tell much more, it gets very twisty. Let’s just say this book really gets you good! Excellent read! This is my first from the author and it won’t be the last.

Someone Knows is a slow-burn, suspenseful story about trauma, identity, and survival.

Up front - this story dragged for me in places and felt a bit repetitive, which made it hard to stay engaged. Despite Keeland’s strong writing, the plot and character arcs felt scattered, and the emotional payoff didn’t quite land.

Having said that, this story had a strong premise that pulled me in early. I really enjoyed the vivid feel of Louisiana and New York, the writing overall felt very immersive and really placed me in the scene. The claustrophobic vibe added tension and even though the ending felt a bit predictable, the writing made it worth sticking with. To note - there’s some heavy content, so make sure to check trigger warnings if concerned.

I’d recommend this read for anyone who is looking for an emotionally layered thriller with vivid settings, strong atmosphere, and character-driven tension.

I’m a huge fan of Vi Keeland’s, and I love me a psychological thriller that totally pulls you in from start to finish.

Someone Knows was intense, with twists I didn’t see coming. I kept thinking I had it figured out, and then it would throw me off again. Definitely kept me on edge the whole time, in a good way! Oh, and that ending! Definitely a must read!

This book grabs on and doesn’t let go for a single minute. I love the setup with Elizabeth’s past coming back to haunt her, combined with some spice—not too much, which I like—and some great twists. At the end, I was definitely left wanting more. Sequel please! 🤣

This book was good! There was a twist in the middle that I couldn’t have dreamed up if I tried. It also has a tiny bit of spice, which I didn’t mind. The end leaves you on a cliffhanger and I’m wondering if there will be a second book or if it just ends like that to leave it to your information.
Elizabeth is a college professor with a secret from when she was in high school. She thought she was able to escape her past until one of her students turns in a story about a high school teacher having an affair with a student. She thinks it’s just another story but when details start unfolding that matches her past — her friend Jocelyn having a relationship with a teacher. But Jocelyn’s affair in the death of the teacher and Elizabeth is the one who killed him. Someone knows about Elizabeth’s past and she’s frantic to find out who.
This ARC was provided by Atria Books via NetGalley.

Thank you to @atriabooks @atriathrillers + @simon.audio for the ARC & ALC! ♡

📖 Elizabeth is a writing professor with something to hide. She once committed murder to protect a childhood friend. [Please mind the trigger warnings noted at bottom.]

✍🏽 But now in present day, she starts receiving anonymously penned chapters of a manuscript that recreate the crime.

🤫 She and her friends told no one, but now…someone knows.

📝 Creatively, some of the chapters are interwoven chapters from the aforementioned manuscript, so we get a book within a book in flashback form.

🙉 I couldn’t stop listening. I was starting to suspect everyone! I did guess two of the twists but there were still plenty of surprises.

🌶️ You can see the influence of Vi’s roots as a romance author, so be prepared for several spicy open-door scenes and a wild ride.

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။‌‌‌‌‌|• 🎧 Primarily narrated by Leslie Howard (with cameo from Aiden Snow), I found this very hard to pause because I needed to know what would happen!

TW: Grooming, Child Abuse, Assault

I initially was introduced to the lovely Vi Keeland's novels through some of her fantastic rom-coms that I got through Netgalley. I was HOOKED on this author! When I saw that she had now written a thriller? Oh give me this one! I was NOT disappointed at all.

This novel was wonderful with the slow suspense and the sexy sexy romance scenes. There were a lot of twists and turns and kept me guessing. The end was PHENOMENAL!!! That was insane. The only negative thing I would say is I want to know what happened next! Otherwise, as a whole, this was so amazing and I have legitimately already recommended it to people. Vi Keeland, keep on writing and I am going to devour it ALL!

Vi Keeland’s Someone Knows is a gripping, cleverly layered mystery that blends suspense, buried secrets, and a touch of nostalgia into a compelling summer read. With a premise that hooks you right away—a creative writing professor receives a student’s manuscript that seems to recount a murder she was involved in twenty years earlier—the story wastes no time in pulling you into its dark undertow.

Elizabeth, now a respected college professor, is forced to relive a haunting chapter of her past when a student begins submitting eerily familiar excerpts in class. The manuscript tells the story of her best friend Jocelyn, a forbidden relationship with a teacher, and the death that ended it all—details that no one should know. The past refuses to stay buried, and Elizabeth is forced to return to her Louisiana hometown to uncover who’s behind the manuscript and what they really want.

What makes Someone Knows so enjoyable is its pacing and suspense. Keeland balances past and present with ease, weaving in just enough twists and revelations to keep readers guessing without getting overly complicated. The writing is sharp, and while the plot has its dramatic turns, it never veers too far into the implausible. This is a mystery that respects your time—engaging but not overly demanding, which makes it ideal for a beach chair or poolside afternoon.

Elizabeth is a strong lead—smart, layered, and grappling with guilt and fear—but it’s the creeping sense of paranoia and the question of who’s behind the manuscript that really drives the story forward. Keeland holds her cards close, and the reveal, when it comes, is both satisfying and well-earned.

If you're in the mood for a mystery that keeps you turning the pages without overloading your brain, Someone Knows delivers. It’s not trying to be a genre-defining thriller, but it’s a solid, entertaining read that hits all the right notes—perfect for fans of domestic suspense and secrets that just won’t stay buried.