A provocative psychological thriller that's fast-paced and twisty...perfect for reading by the beach or pool!

Elizabeth is a college professor who receives a writing assignment from a virtual student who knows a deadly secret she's kept for 20 years. Who is this and exactly how do they know what she did?

If you enjoy your thrillers with dark, sexy themes, buckle up because you're about to go for a wild ride. The pacing and suspense makes this such a page-turner. I was living for the chapters with the writing assignment from the student that details all the secrets in Elizabeth's past. All the characters are suspicious and when that first twist hits, I didn't see it coming and didn't know how I felt about it. But I went with it and continued to enjoy the story. Just when you think the ending is here, she drops another shocking bombshell. This was a juicy, addictive and clever thriller!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the advance copy in exchange for review!

This one was a bit of a roller coaster for me. The premise was so intriguing I was immediately sucked in, but it became a bit predictable.
Elizabeth is a college professor with a whole lot going on. One of her students submits a creative writing assignment that’s too close to home to be a coincidence, and everything unravels from there sending her down a 20 year-old rabbit hole. I felt like she kept changing course too soon in her investigations, but I still remained hooked!
Honestly, the end ruined it for me. I saw it coming from a mile away, and it left way too much unanswered to provide much satisfaction.

Be sure to check your trigger warnings before starting this one!

Vi Keeland’s Someone Knows plunges readers into a gripping psychological thriller where past secrets threaten to upend a carefully constructed life. English professor Elizabeth leads a quiet existence, teaching an online creative writing seminar—until one chilling submission disrupts her sense of security. The anonymous story recounts an incident from twenty years ago, an event she never expected to resurface. As fear grips her, Elizabeth wrestles with the uncertainty of who might know her past and whether her hidden truth is on the verge of exposure.

Keeland expertly weaves tension into the narrative, exploring the weight of secrets and the unpredictable consequences of buried histories. The novel doesn’t shy away from difficult themes, challenging readers with moments that can be emotionally intense. While the suspense remains compelling throughout, the conclusion may leave some wishing for a more satisfying resolution. Despite that, it’s a solid and engaging read worthy of four stars.

I love sexy thrillers. In fact, I want all my thrillers to be sexy. This definitely delivered in that aspect. I don't think it was super twisty, and I wish the investigative parts had been a little more exciting, but I enjoyed reading this. The ending was pretty chilling.

Mind Blown. Devoured this book in one night, couldn’t put it down. Such a riveting story that takes a hold of you. Bonus… you don’t see the end coming.
Oh my goodness I loved this book.

I'm somewhere between a 3 and a 4 so I'll round up. I really struggled with the subject matter of the book - teacher/student, especially the way the teacher treated the student during these encounters. I didn't understand the infatuation with Mr. Sawyer because the guy just seemed like a d***. I give it a higher rating because of Keeland's writing style and the couple twists - one of which has me thinking that maybe there will be a second book?

Thank you to NetGalley, Keeland, and the publisher for this ARC.

I don’t even know where to begin with, so let’s be direct: READ THIS BOOK!!!
I’m shook! Vi Keeland, I will read all the thrillers you write!
This is fast paced, intriguing.. I couldn’t stop reading it!
Imagine you are a creative writing professor and one day you receive an email with a story for you to review.. but the story is about your life and your deep dark secrets, that nobody knows! What a wild ride! When I tell you that this surprised me until the last sentence!!!! 5 stars + favorite without a doubt!
Thank you to Atria Books via Netgalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! This book took a dark, ugly turn and I couldn’t help myself but to see it through. Vi Keeland can definitely write. This has some trigger warnings attached to it, I’m sure. The twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very last line of the book is read. Thank you for the advanced copy to read, Netgalley!!

Vi Keeland is two for two on writing absolute bangers for thrillers. Always with a batshit shocking epilogue too. 🤯 I absolutely loved The Unraveling so my expectations were high for our second thriller and they were definitely met.

It really takes a lot to shock me in a thriller any more and two of the twists in this one rocked me. So so goooood!

4.5 ✨rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you Atria Books for an ARC of this book.

This was a really great read that follows Elizabeth Davis who is an English professor that receives a students writing assessment that is simialr to what happened in Elizabeth's past. The shocks and surprises throughout this book was great. I highly recommend listening to this book as well as following along.

Vi Keeland does it again! SO GOOD. Thrilling, exciting. Fast paced. I couldn't stop reading this and wanting to know what happened next. I will definitely be reading more from this author

I finished this book last night, and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it. It was definitely a page turner that was hard to put down, but I something about it makes me feel uneasy. There was a big twist about midway through and from there it was a wild ride. The ending left me with a lot of questions that I wish had been addressed in a more complete way.

Reading Someone Knows felt like peeling back the layers of a very well-kept secret. I went into it expecting a thriller with some romance, but what I got was something much more layered—a tense psychological journey wrapped in guilt, survival, and the kind of emotional rawness that lingers after the last page.

Vi Keeland’s writing is compelling and cinematic. From the moment Elizabeth receives that eerie writing assignment from her student, I was hooked. It’s not just the suspense of uncovering the truth that kept me turning pages—it was watching her grapple with what that truth meant for her identity, her past, and the people she left behind. The story walks that fine line between right and wrong, justice and protection, and forces you to ask yourself what you would have done in her shoes.

The romance with Noah? Complicated, and in some ways, a bit disturbing—especially considering his link to her past. But that tension added another layer to the story, and while I wasn’t always comfortable with it, I think that was kind of the point. This book doesn’t give you a clean resolution. It gives you consequences.

If you like your thrillers with emotional weight, a strong but haunted lead, and twists that come with a punch of reality, this book delivers. It’s not just about who knows the truth—it’s about what you do once you finally admit it to yourself.

It's a quick read and kept me invested, but make sure to check trigger warnings before reading.

Someone Knows by Vi Keeland is the kind of book that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go. From the very first chapter, I was hooked. I didn’t want to put it down for a second.

I thought I had it all figured out early on. I kept guessing, second-guessing, and then thinking, "This has to be it..." but nope—Vi Keeland had other plans. The twists were so unexpected and so well done. I was worried the ending might disappoint me, but it ended up being one of the most shocking and satisfying conclusions I’ve read in a long time. I literally sat there thinking, "Wait, WHAT just happened?"

The characters are magnetic. They pull you into their world, and suddenly you’re just flying through the pages without realizing how much time has passed. I’m already planning to read it again—partly because it was that good, and partly to go hunting for all the little breadcrumbs she left along the way.

If you're into twisty psychological thrillers and love authors like Freida McFadden, run to get this book. It delivers all the suspense, the mind games, and the “OMG” moments you’re looking for.

I am so hoping for a sequel to this book and for it to be released soon.

I don’t know how you right a review about a thriller and not give anything away. Much like The Unraveling, so so good. Twisted… but good. lol

Elizabeth is an English professor and one night while reading her student’s submissions, one story catches her attention. It’s titled, The Reckoning, and it’s a story about a teacher and a high school student that have an affair. As she reads on, it becomes more and more familiar. It’s familiar because she lived it. Her best friend Jocelyn was the student and she already knows how the story ends..the professor dies, by the hands of the best friend…her.

Someone Knows what happened that night and Elizabeth needs to find out who. Now in NY, she goes back home to Louisiana in hopes of finding some answers.

Yes, I gave you the blurb but that’s pretty much all that can be said. lol
This is so good. I will note, things rarely get past me and I figure out 99% of the things I watch or read early, and this was no different. That’s not to say I still didn’t enjoy it, because I did, very much. Definitely recommend this thriller. And..if I was in Vi Keeland’s circle, I would maybe start to worry where her mind goes. So just kidding. It’s amazing to go from romance to thrillers and be great at both!
Thank you NetGalley and Atria.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A pedophile was murdered 20 years previously and clues are now surfacing.

Keeland’s second thriller is another hit! This story was a rollercoaster of emotions - confusion, suspicion, anger, and yearning. I was drawn into Elizabeth’s plight from the start, wondering who and why someone was out to expose her past. There’s so much depth to her secrets that kept me eagerly turning the pages. I basically binged this story in one sitting.

I am quickly falling in love with Keeland’s brand of unreliable lovers, and her tense atmospheres full of mistrust. I always love a thriller with unexpected twists and boy does Someone Knows deliver!. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a fast-paced, engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much fun! I’m so glad Vi published another thriller; I really loved The Unraveling last year. She is an extremely talented author & I look forward to reading more of her books.

Vi Keeland’s thriller Someone Knows is a true masterpiece filled with many twist and turns. This book takes you on Elizabeth’s story of her tragic childhood. When you think you understand what is happening there is another amazing twisted to the story. A true page turner!

My synopsis: Professor Elizabeth David is teaching a summer fiction writing seminar at Pace University in New York. Elizabeth receives chapters from her students on the course, a significant one being from Hannah Greer. Hannah’s submission is called ‘The Reckoning’ which is a story about a girl called Jocelyn who is groomed by her teacher. This makes Elizabeth panic as 20 years ago on May 20th, Elizabeth killed a man called Mr Sawyer, who was a teacher that abused and groomed her school friend Jocelyn.
“Someone knows. Someone besides us.” Elizabeth has only told her other school friend Ivy that she killed Mr Sawyer in a motel. So who is Hannah Greer, how does she know exactly what happened to Jocelyn 20 years ago? To find out, Elizabeth returns to her childhood home in Louisiana.

My review: This book was well written and set the scene out clearly. It didn’t have too many characters where it gets confusing and had an unexpectedly good spice level. I enjoyed the chapters swapping between Hannah Greer’s submitted chapters and Elizabeth investigating.
I’m normally not a massive fan of shorter books, as I feel there’s not enough writing for great description and storytelling. However, I think there was a great balance of both. Some description did feel slightly repetitive, but not enough that it was annoying. The themes of the complicated relationship with her alcoholic mother, abuse, religion and a small gossip town were done well.
I didn’t really connect with Elizabeth but I did hope she would find out who Hannah Greer was. There were great twists that I didn’t see coming in the last 1/3 of the book! I would recommend this book if you enjoy thrillers. The reason I didn’t rate it 4⭐️ is that I feel the plot was missing something. Especially with the ending you find out the initial motive but then as to why the person is continuing I don’t quite understand, and I felt it was rushed.