I’ve loved Vi Keeland’s romances for years, and after falling hard for her first psychological thriller The Unraveling last summer, I was beyond excited to get my hands on Someone Knows. I’m happy to say it did not disappoint.

This was a fast-paced, suspenseful, and action-packed thriller that had me hooked from the very first page. With gripping twists and turns I didn’t see coming, it kept me guessing the entire time. I’m not usually a big thriller reader, so the mystery element really pulled me in—I was never completely sure who was behind the chilling chapters being sent to Elizabeth. Every character felt suspicious, and that’s a credit to how well they were written. This book kept me questioning everything, right up until the jaw-dropping ending.

If you enjoy thrillers with a touch of romance and don’t mind some darker subject matter, this one’s for you. (Please note: this story contains themes of abuse and grooming, so be sure to check the trigger warnings.)

Someone Knows releases June 17th.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Vi Keeland sure is great at writing extremely propulsive thrillers that you can't put down... but that have really silly plot twists at the end that kinda make you frustrated with everything you just read lol

3.25-3.5 STARS

“Someone Knows” boasts a rather intriguing premise, one that had me quite eager to delve between the pages of this author’s latest psychological thriller. And while there’s definitely a thread of suspense throughout, it’s not the edge-of-your-seat thriller I was anticipating.

There’s little question that Vi Keeland’s writing style is usually right on point. Unfortunately, “Someone Knows” fell a bit short for me due to the book’s unlikeable characters and plot issues. Case in point: An unsympathetic protagonist who becomes a target of the anti-hero’s misdirected animus (aka, victim blaming). It’s a weak and unlikely motive, in my opinion, and certainly not the heart-stopping revelation that would’ve catapulted this book from good to great.

That said, I applaud this author’s efforts to step out of her comfort zone that is contemporary romance to venture into the genre of psychological thrillers. She has--and always will be--a one-click author for me; one slight miss certainly won’t change that fact moving forward.

A English professor's past start to come back when she receives a writing assignment from one of her students. It tells the story of an affair between a student and her teacher. What really happened ? How much is real? Elizabeth goes back to her Louisiana hometown to find answers. The end of this book will have you saying "what the heck just happened?"

Wow !! This thriller had me hooked right from the start. It was fast paced with lots of twists and turns. The ending left me gasping and unwell. What a mind fuck ! I need to know what happens next. Please make another book to follow ! I highly recommend giving this thriller a read.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded to 5 stars.

Chilling psychological thriller with oodles of suspense, twists & unsettling subject matter that will keep you on the edge of your seat. And that ending! Superb!!

The author does an amazing job incorporating unsettling subjects such as physical & mental abuse as well as subjects of Trauma Bonding & Dissociative Amnesia which are disturbing in themselves. Even though this is a work of fiction, it is all too real.

If you like books that are powerful & compelling with damaged characters, dark secrets, emotional, psychological & provocative subject matter, then this book is for you.

I’m waiting in anticipation for the author’s next release. Bring it on!

Favorite Lines:
“Pain and pleasure are like darkness is to light, one precedes the other.”
“Loneliness isn’t the absence of company. It’s a haunting void you feel inside…”

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria / Emily Bestler Books & the author for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
This is my first book by VI Keeland and it was a real rollercoaster ride. Elizabeth's well manicured life is turned upside down when she starts receiving chapters of a book that detail a terrible time in the teenage years of her life. As she investigates to try to figure out who is sending these to her (because no one can possibly know all these things) she comes across people from her past and they all make her think they're a possible suspect. As she digs things come to light that she doesn't expect and she starts to spiral. This is a fast paced, quick read that keeps you guessing up until the very last chapter.

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

You need to go into this one blind to enjoy it and I don't want to spoil the experience by giving anything away!

This is my second Vi Keeland and I think this one is even more enjoyable than Unraveled, which I loved. The main character is a bit unhinged, the plot fast-moving with twists flying, and the story is the perfect length to read in 1-2 sittings. This story is darker than the last one with some very heavy triggers. There is a bit of romance combined in this suspenseful thriller but not too much to change it into a romantic thriller. Definitely "a hold onto the seat of your pants" read!!

Thank you Emily Bestler Books for the gifted ARC!

Wooooooo, nelly. Hold onto your hats for this one, it's a wild ride! As with Keeland's last thriller, the female MC is a tad unhinged but you can't help but root for her. The plot is very fast paced and there's some moderate spice sprinkled throughout as well.

While I feel like I maybe *should* have seen the ending coming, I definitely didn't, and the final chapter had my jaw on the floor. It was complete and utter chaos and I loved every bit of it.

Keeland has cemented herself as a force to be reckoned with in the thriller world, and we love a multi-threat author! If you're looking for a fast-paced, bingeable beach read, look no further.

Someone Knows pub date is June 17.

This book had me hooked from the start.
Addictive and fast-paced, Someone Knows kicks off with a gripping premise that instantly pulled me in.
That said, while the setup was great, the follow-through didn’t quite land for me. There were simply too much happening and at the end I was left me more confused than impressed.
I felt like at the end, there were quite a few loose ends and it seemed rush.
I did enjoy the author's writing so I will be on the lookout to see what's next!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

This is a fast-paced thriller that kept me guessing. With each chapter, I found myself suspecting someone new and forming different theories. The plot was packed with twists and turn which made it exciting, but at times, a bit overwhelming. There was a lot going on, which worked both for and against the story. Overall, it’s a decent thriller that fans of suspense will likely enjoy.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the eArc!

This entire book was shaping up to be a 4 star read. I surprisingly enjoyed it considering thriller/mysteries aren’t really my genre. But then that very last chapter? So disappointing. It knocked my rating back a full star. I liked the ending as it was originally playing out. That last final twist was too much and over the top and felt a bit desperate. Totally bummed.

Someone Knows delivers a gripping blend of mystery and suspense with just the right amount of emotional depth. Vi Keeland crafts a compelling story of secrets, betrayal, and the weight of a past that refuses to stay buried. Elizabeth’s journey back to her hometown and the unraveling of her deadly secret kept me hooked from start to finish. The writing is sharp and the tension builds steadily, although a few plot points felt a bit predictable. Still, the twisty narrative and the layered characters make this a page-turner worth picking up.

Let me start off with this: I couldn't put this book down. I read it in one day and stayed up waaay too late to finish it. I was hooked! I needed to know who knew her story that closely in detail to be able to mess with her like this, 20 years later. While Elizabeth isn't necessarily a likable main character, I liked her trajectory in this book. I think not liking her or questioning her as a narrator helped the story along. Her unreliability was addictive. There were a bunch of misdirections, but none of it felt overly forced or unrealistic. Overall this was a quick enjoyable fast paced thriller that I would definitely suggest picking up!

Now, my biggest pet peeve in a thriller or mystery book is when you find a resolution and then, in the epilogue, there is a hint or a turning point that questions the ending and throws you off. Sure, it's a big surprise moment, but it felt like there was no actual resolution with this ending. I found the ending before the prologue to be much more satisfying. Without this epilogue, it would have been a 5-star read. I wish I had never read this epilogue!

SPOILERS AHEAD. DONT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ PAST THIS POINT
Like, Noah's reason for torturing Elizabeth was in honor of his mother? WTF. Maybe I would understand that reasoning if he were torturing his dad for cheating on his mom, but why would he torture his father's past victims in honor of his mother? It just didn't make sense, and the plot device was used to provide shock when it, in fact, provided more unresolved answers. It left me angry after this whole book to see that this was the actual ending. In both of her thrillers, now the male POV has "won" the thriller, and for once I want to see a woman come out on top. Give a Jevena Rose style ending please!

This is a dark, smutty, thriller FULL of twists and turns. If you like dark romance that is on the taboo side then this will probably fit the bill. This book is well-written and I enjoyed the hidden past/return to origin part of the mystery. It is easy to read and, at under 300 pages, it fits the bill for a perfect book to take to the beach this summer. I appreciated the straightforward storytelling and the FMC is strong, empowered and written realistically. It's so refreshing to read female characters who aren't doormats.

Fans of Freida McFadden will enjoy this book - checking triggers might come with some spoilers but won't ruin the story and will not reveal the twists. It might be enough to know that this book comes with a substantial serving of spice/smut but it is integral to the story and is all very thoughtfully written. I think the cover blurb does a good job of alluding where the story will lead.

Twists galore and right up to the very last few pages, this is a super fast-paced book that I enjoyed...even if some of it did make me uncomfortable. Vi Keeland is an author I will read again in the future.

Thanks so much to Atria Books for providing this great book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Okay, Vi Keeland… how do you keep doing this? Just when I thought I had my heart safely tucked away after the last emotional rollercoaster you put me through, Someone Knows comes along and yanks it right out with a perfectly timed mix of swoon, sass, and a few well-earned sniffles. The chemistry? Off. The. Charts. I’m talking sparks-flying, tension-so-thick-you-need-a-machete kind of stuff. The banter had me grinning like a fool, and the emotional depth snuck up on me in the best way—like, one minute I’m laughing at a snarky comment, and the next, I’m whispering, “Oh no, my feelings.” Without giving too much away (because you deserve to go in unspoiled!), this story has the kind of second-chance-meets-secret-past vibe that pulls you in fast and does not let go. The characters feel like real people—flawed, messy, lovable—and their growth felt natural, not forced. So why not the full 5 stars? Just a tiny bit of pacing near the end felt rushed, like the emotional payoff came a little too quickly. I wanted just a bit more time to bask in the glow of everything coming together. But honestly? Someone Knows is the kind of book that stays with you—in your chest, in your grin, and definitely in your “reread when life feels a little too boring” pile. Brava, Vi. You’ve done it again.

Elizabeth’s reading her student’s story, and suddenly it hits her—this story sounds exactly like something she’s been through. Someone knows the secret she thought was buried twenty years ago. And the twists? Totally unpredictable.

Vi Keeland nails suspense with clever surprises that keep you guessing. Her move from romance to thriller feels effortless, proving she can write across genres without missing a beat. If you want a fast-paced, twisty read that’ll keep you on edge, this one’s a no-brainer.

As a big fan of Keeland romance books, I was excited to see how she wrote a thriller. The story was a little slow, the back and forth, hot and cold of Elizabeth got to be redundant and a little frustrating. There was a “holy sh*t” moment that helped the plot line pickup. The ending … total shock, jaw hanging open, what did I just read (and read the last few pages again). Fans of Keeland should keep this on their radar, but I’m a bigger fan of her romance books.
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Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest 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. To anyone else it would be the beginning of a great page-turner, but to Elizabeth it is the beginning of the end. She knows this story. It’s all familiar because she lived it, and she knows exactly how the story will end—with the professor dead. Because she was the one who killed him. Someone knows what Elizabeth did twenty years ago and her secret is about to be exposed, but who is the mystery student submitting the chapters?

I just finished this book and my jaw is still on the floor. This book had me flying through the chapters, with just enough cliffhangers that I found myself unable to put it down because I had to know what was coming next. Quite a few twists, some of them a bit predictable, but the final one left me shocked. I very much enjoyed reading this book!

Also, please make sure to read the trigger warnings before starting this book!

Thank you to Atria, Vi Keeland and Simon & Schuster audio for the ARC/ALC!

“The most dangerous lies are the kind an innocent person wants to be true…”

Elizabeth, an English professor, enjoys her creative writing class where her students each submit chapters of their own stories. One day, a story hits way too close to home - the story of a high school senior having an affair with her professor. Elizabeth lived this story - or rather, she watched her best friend Jocelyn live it, and they vowed never to speak of it again. But clearly someone knows. In an attempt to get to the bottom of things, Elizabeth returns to her Louisiana hometown.

To say this book was a wild ride was an understatement! It grabbed my attention from the beginning and I even found myself thinking about it long after I finished reading. I enjoyed the dual setting of New York and Louisiana as Elizabeth travelled back and forth between the two parts of her life to try to figure out what the heck was going on. Keeland delivered twist after twist in a way that was not at all too much; in fact, she executed them brilliantly. The final twist had my jaw drop. SO good! If you enjoy psychological thrillers, you don't want to miss this!

The audiobook was narrated by Leslie Howard (one of my faves) and Aiden Snow; they really brought the story to life.

"Someone Knows" releases June 17, 2025. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)