This book really had me hooked! It is dark, heavy at times and comes with a ton of trigger warnings, but it is also twisty, cat-and-mouse-like and begs to be discussed after. I mean – THE LAST CHAPTER?!?

The story centers around English professor Elizabeth, who reads a chapter about a high school senior who has an affair with their teacher – a story that is so familiar to her. She unravels a bit as chapter by chapter unveils more details and she suspects everyone. When she returns home, things really escalate.

As a character, Elizabeth makes some terrible decisions, and she’s blind to some things, but overall, I found this book pretty well-paced and engaging. There was one point I swear I was sweating reading this (and I’m not from Louisiana!) but the ending really sealed it for me.

If you can get through the tough subject matter, I think this would make for a great book club pick because it leaves the reader wanting to discuss their theories as they read and, of course, when it ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read a copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Someone Knows follows Elizabeth, an English college professor who has a hidden past. Is there truth to the assignment or is it fiction? When Elizabeth receives an assignment from Hannah, one of her students, the story described is eerily similar to 20 years earlier, and events that she told no one. As she continues to get more chapters she decides to go home to Louisiana to get answers. I enjoyed the story. I thought I knew what happened, but I was wrong.

Welp! She does it again folks! Not only can Keeland write contemporary romance (she has a lot) but she has now written her second banger of a thriller. You know I don’t usually like spice but ….ya girl nails it with just the right amount of naughty in this one as well.

There are multiple twists, its extremely fast paced and all of the characters are done extremely well. You are sucked in from the beginning and you literally cannot stop reading until the end. I loved the way this unfolded, and I especially loved the ending. I can’t wait for another Keeland thriller. She knows exactly what shes doing!

Keeland's first venture into thriller territory left me feeling a little so so but this time around she knocked me off my feet!

I wouldn't recommend this to sensitive readers due to content but most avid thriller readers should be able to handle.

I was LOCKED into the story from the beginning, binged it in two days and was surprised multiple times.

This was an entertaining and satisfying read.

Someone Knows
A Novel
by Vi Keeland

This was such a gripping, fast paced thriller! I was hooked from the very first chapter when Elizabeth, a college professor, reads a student’s writing and realizes it’s about a dark secret from her own past. The story is filled with twists and suspense, and I kept turning the pages, needing to know who was behind the mysterious chapters.
I liked how the story blended the past and present, and how Elizabeth had to face what happened twenty years ago. There were some parts that didn’t fully work for me, certain plot points felt a bit unrealistic, but the book was still super engaging overall. The writing was smooth, and I liked the mix of mystery, drama, and even a little romance.
This book is perfect if you love twisty thrillers with secrets, guilt, and second chances.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

3.5-4⭐️ I am purposely choosing to exclude a synopsis here because this is the type of book that’s best to go into completely blind (minus the gorgeous cover). While I normally do like to get a hinting as to what the book is about, I choose not to for this, and I am so glad I did.

There is just something about a Vi Keeland thriller that makes it absolutely impossible to put down. The MC is usually a bit unhinged, the plot fast-moving with twists flying, and they are the perfect length to read in one(ish) sitting. This story is darker than her last, with some very heavy triggers, but no less action-packed with what I would call thrilling chaos (if you’ve read either this or Unraveled, you will know exactly what I mean). I absolutely love how well she combines an element of romance into her thrillers without turning them into romantic suspense - these are definitely thrillers.

Read if you like:
▪️romantic thrillers
▪️domestic suspense
▪️dark academia
▪️bingy reads
▪️dual perspectives
▪️Louisiana setting

CW: Very heavy trigger warnings for this one. Please research prior to reading if you are sensitive to them.

Thank you Atria Books for the advanced copies.

This book was full of suspense with lots of twist and turns! I may not have been surprised by all the twists, but it certainly kept me guessing the entire time. When everybody is a suspect, it’s hard not to be surprised. And don’t even get me started on the ending!

There were just a few things that me that kept me from giving it five stars. Please don’t view the spoilers if you haven’t read the book. I just needed to comment on a few things, and there is no way to do it without giving things away.

<BEGIN SPOILER>

* In the submitted chapters, Mr. Sawyer called her Jocelyn a few times before she asked him what name she should use to check into the hotel.

* When Elizabeth went back to Louisiana and she spoke with Ivy in person, she never asked her about Jocelyn, such as how to finder her. I found that very odd which is why finding out Jocelyn’s identity didn’t come as a surprise for me.

* Did Elizabeth really think it was her mother sending the chapters? With the condition her mother was in, that just didn’t seem likely to me, but perhaps she just needed to believe it to allow her to sleep at night.

<END SPOILER>

Despite the things mentioned in the hidden spoilers, this was still a really good story. There was a lot of suspense that kept me guessing, and I was surprised more than once, especially with that ending!

I think this would be a great book club read so you could discuss it with other people.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! The ending had me shook!!!! My jaw was on the floor for at least 5 minutes!!!! What a ride!!!!!!! So good!!!

10 second review: Someone Knows by Vi Keeland. This book had me from the first chapter, it’s such a twisty premise. Elizabeth is an English professor. She is reading over one of her students work, and realises she already knows the story, because it happened to her, it’s HER story, and it’s revealing her biggest secret.
I absolutely couldn’t put this down, it was addictive but an easy read at the same time.
Absolutely loved it so definitely keep an eye out for it if you love a thriller!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thankyou NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book was really not for me. I was not prepared for some of the really dark moments and perhaps I should have known better based on the synopsis. But there is really triggering language and the plot was wild! It just left me feeling really gross throughout. The overall concept was interesting, the story being sent and how that unravels, but just the content was quite off putting for me. I’m sure if you’re not sensitive this would be an enjoyable wild read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

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

The beginning is a little slow but once the story picks up, its full speed ahead and I couldn't put it down. I thought the plot was very unique and the main character is definitely complex. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a fast-paced read!

Thank you so much for the chance to read this netgalley!
I really adored this. A twist filled, book-driven 'whodunnit' with an epistolary theme: we meet Elizabeth, a college professor who reads a manuscript with an eerie similarity to a sexual assault she witness and a murder she committed. We follow her back to her small hometown, a romance with the dead man's son, heated interactions with her alcoholic mother, and a trip through her troubled past. There's SO much here and an early twist that caught me off guard sends the book in a million directions. It's smart, slightly spicy, and full of questions. Small town politics play a large role in understanding the dynamic of Elizabeth's homelife and I adore how epistolary passages are used to describe the sexual and physical assault sections.
Overall, just really well written. The ending is intentionally vague: this is NOT always my favorite, but it does work here. You won't come out of this really knowing 'who' knows, and I liked that!

Elizabeth is an English professor, and her online yearlong fiction-writing seminar has just begun. She picks up The Reckoning, an assignment written by a student named Hannah whom she’s never met. The first chapter recounts the story of a girl named Jocelyn navigating her senior year of high school, along with her friend Ivy, and the torrid affair Jocelyn had with her English teacher. The thing is, this student’s work isn’t fiction. Jocelyn is real, and that teacher is dead. Elizabeth killed him 20 years ago.

Someone knows, but who, and why are they coming back to haunt her 20 years later?

2.5 😭
I have to be honest, I was in a slump reading this one. Sad to say it didn’t hit for me. I was invested for the first half of the book, and then a big twist pulled me out of it. Sorta wanted to throw the book across the room. I finished it, and the ending just... wasn’t for me. Aside from my personal reading experience, the book gives 90’s thriller. I would pair it with movies like The Crush and Basic Instinct.

Someone Knows is out on June 17th. Thank you so much to @atriabooks and @netgalley for sending me the ARC!

Vi Keeland is one of my favorite authors! After reading The Unraveling last year, I dove into her backlist and quickly consumed many of her romance novels. When her second thriller, Someone Knows, was announced, it made my list of most anticipated reads for 2025. Unfortunately, it was a book that I could not finish. This has nothing to do with the writing. This author is one I'll recommend again and again. But the subject matter of this particular book was something that made me severely uncomfortable. I didn't realize this before diving in just how I would feel, but the student/teacher relationship with a minor and the controlling dynamic was just something I couldn't handle. If this is a particular trigger for you, I'd recommend skipping this read. If I could go without putting a star rating on NG, I would, but I felt it was important to voice how these triggers affected my reading experience. I appreciate the author and Atria greatly for giving me the chance to read this book.

“Precious memories fade like whispers in the wind while the worthless ones stay anchored.”

I FLEW through this book. I could not put it down. I’ve been a Vi Keeland reader for over a decade and have to say…I’m so happy she tried her hand at psychological thrillers because she has nailed it both times! This book is addictive and haunting.

Elizabeth Davis is an English professor who lives in New York City after leaving her small town in Louisiana right after high school. Elizabeth had a rough childhood with an alcoholic mother who was barely ever home. After a harrowing incident in her senior year, Elizabeth makes a pact with her best friends to never speak about it and they all go their separate ways.

Twenty years later, Elizabeth has given a book writing assignment to her class and starts receiving chapters via email for her review. One particular student sends a chapter that eerily describes the incident that happened 20 years prior. This sends Elizabeth into a tailspin as she tries to figure out how someone knows what happened. As each chapter arrives, it is evident that someone knows every detail that Elizabeth has painstakingly tried to forget.

As the story unfolds and Elizabeth needs to return to Louisiana to check on her ill mother, her past will collide with her present and nothing is making sense. There are so many surprising twists and turns. I was actually floored by the first major twist and it just got crazier and crazier. It was so well done and completely gripping. It was fast paced, dark and steamy and full of unexpected turns. The ending gave me the chills!

“But the most dangerous lies are the kind an innocent person wants to be true.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Beware the plot as there are topics of abuse and other stuff that may be triggering to some people.**

Damn you, Vi Keeland! Why did I read this at work, now I'm all discombobulated?! Is there a book 2? I really REALLY like this a LOT. It's so twisty, even when I know how the villain is I was still second guessing myself. I love how the mystery was slowly unspooled, it took us deep into Elizabeth's mind, her trauma, how she dealt/dealing with it, all the angst, until she finally found a version of the truth she's been looking for.

As for the villain, idk how I feel about them. Part of me would like to think they're dealing with their own trauma so their perspective is skewed, while another part of me simply think they're batshit crazy and just as demented as Elizabeth's abuser.

Either way, do yourself a favor and read this. Gift it to your friends/family that like twisty tales. This is absolutely one of those books you'll need someone to talk to because it's a LOT to unpack.

This book has some difficult subjects so I would definitely look at the Trigger warnings before reading.

It follows the main protagonist Elizabeth, who is an English Professor, as she starts receiving chapters from an unknown writer in her class. To anyone else it would be the beginning of a great page-turner, but the girl in the story was her best friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth knows exactly how the story will end.

It took me a while to warm to Elizabeth, most people in her life she treats poorly, which you understand the more you learn about her, but it does make it harder to like her initially and it doesn’t always justify her actions.

This book was fast-paced and I found myself hooked to the story and wanting to see how it all unfolded. The multiple timelines were written in a clever way, with the chapters providing a unique take on the format. It also provided a fun mystery element as Elizabeth tries to figure out who is sending them. However, I felt like you had alot of build up to a pivotal moment in the story, and then it seemed to fall flat. I would have liked more details into what actually happened, as this seemed to be brushed over, which was disappointing.

There were some spicy scenes, which took me by surprise, as I wasn’t expecting them and the premise of the story did make them uncomfortable to read at times. However, the author was thoughtful in the way the more difficult topics were handled.

I was kept guessing throughout, but did feel a little disappointed when the ending was revealed. I felt like it raised more questions rather than providing the answers and there were a lot of loose ends which weren’t tied up. I felt like it was potentially lining up for a sequel, but I don’t know where the story would go from here.

Overall, it was a an enjoyable thriller which did keep me guessing, even if leaving me a little disappointed with the outcome. It does have a darker theme which can make it difficult to read at times.

Vi Keeland is truly a master at everything she writes - whether it be romance or romantic thriller, she knocks it out of the part. I first read Keeland's work when she released The Unraveling and then immediately jumped into her romance backlist, adoring everything I read. When she announced a second thriller, I was so excited to read it. Someone Knows blends the past and present perfectly, leading to quite a conclusion!

Professor Elizabeth Davis was spent years building a life and distancing herself from small town Louisiana where she grew up. As an English professor teaching creative writing she looks forward to helping her students sharpen their literary skills and become the writers they aspire to be. As the semester begins so do the chapters each student submits for review. One students writing stands out above the rest, not for its superior use of prose or foreshadowing but because the story sounds eerily familiar. Elizabeth thought she left her past behind but someone seems to know her deepest secrets and is turning it into a story that she is receiving one chapter at a time. Nothing could have brought her back to her hometown in Louisiana except for the mystery of Hannah Greer, the student who seems to be telling her story.

Elizabeth has complicated relationships with men which we see play out with Sam a police detective & Noah the son of the man she killed. What could possibly go wrong? It was disturbing and intriguing to see her relationship with Noah play out. There is instant chemistry and an undeniable attraction but once she learns who he is I found myself screaming at the pages for Elizabeth to make different decisions. She is blinded by her desperation to find out who knows and uses anyone in her path to try to unearth the truth.

This was a fast paced thriller that kept me at the edge of my seat. It deals with complicated characters that are deeply flawed. Just when you think the story is wrapping up the author drops another bomb. I loved seeing our main character Elizabeth who buried her trauma and leads a fairly productive life begin to unravel, have to deal with her past traumas and come out the other side. There were lots of great reveals, intriguing characters, and a great mystery to unravel. If you are looking for a faced paced thriller with a hint of romance then this is a great choice.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. All thoughts and feelings on Someone Knows are my own.

Someone Knows by Vi Keeland is a gripping, emotional ride full of secrets, suspense, and a slow-burning romance that hits hard. The story pulls you in right away with its intense setup and keeps you flipping pages to find out what really happened. I loved how the past and present timelines weaved together, slowly revealing the truth piece by piece.

If you enjoy romantic suspense with emotional depth and a few twists you won’t see coming, this one’s worth picking up.