
Member Reviews

Vi Keeland's "Someone Knows" is a fast-paced, unputdownable thriller brimming with twists that will have readers guessing from the first page to the last.
Elizabeth Davis is a university English professor residing in New York City. A student in her online class submits chapters for a creative writing assignment that closely mirrors Elizabeth's past and a crime she helped cover up twenty years earlier. Feeling like her carefully constructed life is beginning to fall apart, she is forced to return to her small Louisiana hometown to try and figure out who knows her secret and what they want. The story moves quickly, with short chapters and shifting perspectives that help to build tension. Suspense is strong throughout the entirety of the novel, alternating the narrative between the present-day mystery and unsettling glimpses of the past.
Elizabeth is a flawed but compelling main character. Her struggles with guilt, addiction, and family trauma make her feel real. While there is a romance subplot that adds a bit of heat, it's minor and doesn’t overshadow the thriller at the core. While there are some truly surprising twists, experienced thriller readers may find some parts to feel predictable, although the journey is still gripping.
Overall, "Someone Knows" is a binge-worthy read full of secrets, suspense, and emotional depth. Fans of sharp psychological thrillers will find this one hard to put down.

This book was like a kinkier version of The Plot that I never knew I needed. A professor of writing is shocked to get an online assignment submitted by a student. The scene that the student describes seems VERY familiar to her: it's a murder she committed. She needs to find out who this mysterious student is and how they know all her secrets!?!?!?
Someone Knows is a CRAZY ride. If you are looking for a book with twists and turns that will surprise and shock you, then Someone Knows is the book for you.
My website review goes live on JUNE 17!

If you love Vi Keeland’s signature romance, prepare to be shocked—in the best way. Someone Knows is a gripping and unexpected twist into suspense that I couldn’t put down. Keeland keeps you guessing from start to finish, blending mystery and emotion in a way that totally hooked me.
The story follows Elizabeth, a college English professor whose past comes back to haunt her when a student's writing begins to mirror a deadly secret she's kept buried for twenty years. What begins as a creative writing assignment quickly turns into a chilling unraveling of a murder she thought was long behind her. The suspense builds as Elizabeth returns to her Louisiana hometown, facing old ghosts and uncovering new dangers.
Keeland absolutely nails the psychological twists and turns in this one—it's smart, sexy, and full of surprises. A must-read if you enjoy thrillers with a side of scandal and heart.

This is my 2nd thriller by Vi Keeland and you can tell her style and plot lines have improved with experience. Known for her bodice ripper romance series, this is her 2nd foray into the thriller genre and I'm looking forward to seeing what she does next.
Elizabeth is a college English professor teaching a creative writing class in NY when she starts getting chapter submissions that eerily mimic her past, with excrutiating detail. Who could know what happened in high school, and about her involvement with a certain teachers death in the small Louisiana town she grew up in? Only herself, and her friend Ivy were there.
As she becomes more and more tortured with each submission, she decides to go back to her childhood home and find out what's really going on. Upon arriving, she finds her mom dying, and starts hooking up with the son of a former teacher. There are 2 surprising twists in the book, the first was a big surprise, but the second I saw coming. This kept me interested even though there were not that many likeable characters in the book, and the pacing, especially in the middle, could have used some tightening up. There are long sections of the book of her just being hyped up on caffeine and paranoid that her stalker is always around the corner. There are detailed descriptions of abuse, and grooming by older men, which clearly affect the outcome and actions of the main character, so some may be disturbed or triggered by this. I also was a bit unsure about the perpetrator's motive, so that could have been clearer. The end does leave you wanting more, and I could easily see a sequel being spun up from this.

Thank you Atria Books @atriabooks and VI Keeland @vi_keeland for this free ebook!
“Someone Knows: A Novel” by VI Keeland⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Psychological Thriller. Location: New York City, NY and Louisiana, USA.
TRIGGERS: child abuse & neglect, child sexual abuse, mental health disorders, rough intimacy, psychological torture.
Elizabeth Davis (37) is a New York City English professor who teaches creative writing, including an online fiction writing class. On May 20 (anniversary of the day she’ll never forget) she reads chapter 1 of “The Reckoning”, a tale of a high school senior who has an abusive affair with her teacher. But Elizabeth lived this story 20 years ago. The girl in the story was her best friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth knows the story ends with the teacher dead. Because she killed him. She can’t escape her past so she returns to her Louisiana hometown to find out who knows, and which student is submitting the chapters.
Author Keeland has written a shocking book about ongoing trauma from abuse. Narrated by Elizabeth, with interspersed chapters telling Jocelyn’s 20 year old story, it’s full of intricate, emotional twists. Her writing is authentic: (“And my line of thinking is as erratic as my surroundings.”) And evocative:(“Damp soil and decaying leaves yield an earthy scent unique to the bayou.”) Keeland’s book is not for the faint of heart. As a retired child development specialist, I was taken to the edge of my comfort zone. If you like reading psychological terror verging on horror, this is your book. Keeland is known as a romance writer, so for her to make such a dramatic genre change is impressive! It’s 4 stars from me for highlighting the issue of child abuse trauma, and for the emotional, no-holding-back plot.📚👩🏼🦳#vikeeland#someoneknowsanovel

Very anticlimactic. I feel like every revelation was seen coming from a mile away and if you're into that, then this book is for you but if you don't like to be thrown answers before they get revealed to the characters then maybe not.
Even without all that, I keep telling myself that I'm reading for the vibes this year and the vibes were not all there.
The setting was good, the characters had no real depth and the plot was ok.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy.

The premise of this one was very much up my alley. And while it was very readable, it felt a bit predictable and flat. Unfortunately, not for me

5 stars!
Thank you Atria Books for the advanced reading copy!
I have now read three of Vi Keeland's books in the last year, and I have loved all of them. This and her last thriller -- THE UNRAVELING -- have been some of my favorites. I love the perspective that these books take, and the way that no one seems to be reliable or trustworthy. The erotic thriller is a genre that I haven’t really gotten in to much, but I have been enjoying these immensely.
This book had me absolutely hooked from the start, and up until the very end. I was so sure that I knew where this was going and was even thinking "what a letdown it's going to be if I’m right." WOW was I wrong! Keeland does a great job creating red herrings throughout the book, and had me strongly suspecting every single character at different points, including our main character.
AND THOSE TWISTS!
The way the twists in the story were revealed was perplexing to me while they were happening, and made so much sense as the information kept coming in. There were a few things revealed earlier in the book that had me confused as to why they weren’t held until later in the story. However, as more and more truth, chaos, and shock comes out, I realize that these just had to be early on to make space for the crazy things coming later.
I loved this book! Tore through it in a way I haven’t done in a while, and loved every second of it. So excited to see what she comes up with next!

Someone Knows by Vi Keeland ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This one was a short, fast-paced book that kept me on my toes. Keeland gave the readers just what they needed to get swept into this sexy, dark, and provocative thriller. I appreciated the short chapters, quick dialogue, and the lack of extraneous details. While some of the twists were predictable, I was intrigued enough to keep turning pages. And the ending made the book for me.
Check trigger warnings before diving into this one. Fans of short, punchy thrillers, intense romantic relationships in thrillers, and books that push boundaries will enjoy this one.

This was a sick, twisted, unhinged roller coaster. I was NOT expecting this from Vi!!!
The fact that she managed to pull off the most disturbing topics but also include all this SPICE was a perfect blend of everything I love. I didn’t see any of the twists coming & I finished the book wanting to read another by this author.

Wow, I can't even begin to tell you how stunned I am after reading this thrilling and steamy romance. I was so invested in Elizabeth, and how she was trying to find the person taunting her with her past. Elizabeth is an English Professor in New York when a mystery student starts sending her chapters of a story that included haunting details from her past that only she would know, and is desperate to keep hidden. She returns home to Louisiana hoping to find any clues on who it could be. But everyone could be a suspect, from her dying mother, to her best friend, to the mysteriously intriguing man she met at a bar and can't stay away from. I loved the way this story was told in flashback sequence kept me completely captivated and trying to figure out what was going to happen. This intriguing story had so many twists and turns that drew me in, making me feel all the extreme emotions, and kept me guessing what was happening and who you could trust. I was totally consumed by this breathtaking and addictive story with an ending I never saw coming!

Thank you Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my gifted ARC!
Someone Knows made me want to throw it. Chuck it straight at the wall. It’s hard to tell if this is a good thing or not, because it was entirely bingeable; a fast paced thriller with lots of spice. My buddy and I were only supposed to read six chapters a day, and I think she and I finished it in two days. I’ll give this book that nod. Despite that, it was so frustrating at times. I found myself wanting to take our FMC, Elizabeth, firmly by the shoulders and say: Hey, you’re unraveling, friend. And rapidly.
Someone Knows was *so much darker* than I thought it would be. I go into 99.9% of my books blind, so this was no exception, but damn. I wish I had a trigger warning (that would be the synopsis, me, shame on you), because holy wow this was messed up. It made me physically recoil at times.
And yet, I had fun reading this with my friend. That’s where the conflict comes in. The plot was all over, the FMC was unreliable and also all over, but it was so hard to put down because I just needed to know what insane thing was going to happen next!
I would recommend this if you want something to read in one sitting, but I recommend you at least look into the content warnings because whew.

I have been trying to read more genres this year, so when I saw Vi Keeland, normally a contemporary author I have read before, wrote a thriller, I was all here for it. In Someone Knows, we get a psychological thriller about Elizabeth, a professor who is haunted by actions from her past. Elizabeth has been living her life as she wanted before the start of her next writing seminar. Then she receives the first chapter of a story that is eerily familiar, because she has lived it and knows how it ends. Why is someone sending this to her now, years later?
I was drawn into the story right from the start. I had my own ideas about what was going on, but I was wrong and I loved that. The author threw in a twist mid-way and I loved it. Then again I thought I had it all figured out and she threw us another twist. And then again. I did not see that final chapter coming and to me, that made me love the story even more so. I love being surprised and like Elizabeth, I wanted to know what was happening, who was tormenting her and why and that ending left me shocked.
Happy reading!

do very much love the way Vi Keeland writes spicy scenes in her thrillers, makes me want to read her romance backlist. The suspense kept me engaged and I loved the story within the story. The twist at the very end made my skin crawl in the way a good ending should but I knew “who it was” as soon as the character was introduced. I wished the FMC ended up with one of her three suitors that she didn’t choose but this is a thriller not a romance. Would recommend. Solid 4 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this domestic suspense very interesting from the beginning. I mostly listened to this one and loved the main narrator. She was so good at sounding unhinged and believable. The plot was fast moving and there were a lot of twists throughout. I actually had no idea how it was going to end! The author also threw in some spicy scenes.
This is narrated by Leslie Howard with Aiden Snow.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy. Thank you to Libro.fm for the advanced listener copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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What a great mystery/thriller for a summer read! Fast paced and a quick read will keep you guessing til the last page. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Someone Knows followed Elizabeth as she teaches a creative writing class and begins getting assignment submissions that are eerily similar to what happened to her during high school - similar to something that only a few people know about. This book has heavy and sensitive topics that I would recommend checking triggers for. With that noted, the plot kept me intrigued and wanting to continue reading! I thought it was decently easy to follow the change in POVs and timelines. I was not expecting the plot twist at all. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted eARC and physical ARC. All opinions are my own.
Instagram post will be live week of 11Jun25.

Elizabeth has been a New York City girl for awhile, but when she has a student turn in a story that mirrors her Louisiana past, she can’t help but be freaked out. No one should know what happened back then, certainly not with the detail that the student seems to know. However, someone knows.
This is my second book by this author. My first was a romance and this was a hard left turn into a mystery. Keeland pulls it off and I am hard on thrillers. I read this in one sitting. Highly recommend!

Vi Keeland has really found her stride in the suspense genre. Much like The Unraveling, this one had me guessing who the perp was until the very end. And without fail she includes that last chapter to really throw you for a loop. I honestly can't get enough, I NEED MORE IN THIS GENRE!!

3.5 stars* this was an entertaining and gripping read! it had me second guessing who the culprit was. i love books where i don't know who to trust. the ending left me a little confused and unsatisfied, but i still overall enjoyed the book and read most of it in one sitting! the small town Louisiana setting was also very vivid. i would recommend this if you don't mind some spice in your thrillers, like unreliable narrators, and want a fast-paced book where you don't know who to trust! big TW for grooming/sexual abuse (teacher/student dynamic).
Someone Knows is out June 17, 2025. Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.