Someone Knows by Vi Keeland is a captivating blend of romance and suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Keeland’s writing is sharp and engaging, effortlessly weaving tension and chemistry into every scene. The characters are complex and multidimensional, particularly the leads, whose slow-burn connection is both steamy and emotionally charged. I appreciated how the book delves into deeper themes of guilt, redemption, and trust while keeping the plot twisty and unpredictable. Keeland strikes a perfect balance between heartfelt moments and pulse-pounding suspense, making this a gripping read that’s hard to put down. If you’re looking for a thrilling yet romantic page-turner, this one’s a winner.

This book sunk its claws in from chapter one and didn’t let go. I mean, when your past murder shows up in the form of a student’s creative writing assignment? Hook. Line. Obsession.

Someone Knows is twisty, sexy, unsettling, and pure popcorn-level addictive. I tore through the pages muttering, "no way... she’s not going to do that—wait—is she—OH yep, she did it." Vi Keeland doesn’t hold back, and the psychological tension is sharp all the way through.

But… here’s the thing. I personally struggle with overly unreliable narrators, and Elizabeth? She had me second-guessing everything. Which is part of the thrill, sure, but also left me slightly disconnected at times. And then there’s the ending. Listen—some people love an open-ended finale that leaves things haunting and up for interpretation. I am not one of those people. I need closure, not question marks and side-eyeing my bookshelf afterward.

That said, if you love twisty, layered thrillers with dark academia undertones, a dose of slow-burning dread, and secrets that refuse to stay buried—this one is going to be right up your alley. Just be ready to yell “WHAT?!” at least twice and possibly throw your Kindle at the last page.

Someone Knows by Vi Keeland is a dark psychological thriller that had me flipping pages late into the night. It’s fast-paced, binge-worthy, and sure to be a perfect summer read.

Elizabeth is a creative writing professor, which means her job is to wrangle metaphors, inspire future novelists, and gently suggest that maybe not everyone needs to write about sentient fruit or coffee mugs. But one day, a student's paper lands on her desk—and it feels a little too real. As in, suspiciously real. It might be less “fictional masterpiece” and more “confessional memoir with a plot twist.”

The student, Hannah, turns in chapter after chapter that eerily mirrors Elizabeth's life from 20 years ago—a past she’s tried to keep buried. Now Elizabeth is on a mission to find out who Hannah is and how she knows everything. The list of people who could’ve spilled her secret isn’t long, so we hit the road with Elizabeth as she hunts down the truth.

Along the way, she meets Noah, a charming younger man who unexpectedly worms his way into her life. What Elizabeth doesn’t know at first is that Noah is the son of the man she killed two decades ago. She knows getting involved with him is a terrible idea—but she can’t help being drawn to his dangerous allure. Her attraction might just lead her down a path she can’t escape.

This book moves fast and pulls you in quick, even if a few things feel a little too easy to guess. I clocked who was behind everything pretty early on, and Elizabeth’s thing with Noah? It’s got some serious heat but also made me go, girl, are we sure about this? The story leans more into romantic suspense than full-on thriller, with a handful of men circling around Elizabeth like it’s a competition. There are definitely some darker, almost erotic-thriller elements that give it a twisty edge. The final reveal didn’t totally blow my mind, but it was clever and wrapped things up in a way that felt earned. This one totally reminded me of a cross between Frieda McFadden and Mary Kubica with the type of twists it gave.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely fantastic read, thoroughly enjoyed this book and it gripped me right from the start, very engaging and made me not want to put it down. Will definitely keep an eye out for this author xx

I wanted to love this, and I want to start by saying that Vi Keeland 100% knows how to write a thriller that totally sucks you in. This story of a teacher bamboozled by a student paper that seems to know all about a crime she was involved with 20 years ago starts with great premise: An anonymous threat, a detached protagonist, a little steam, and a return home to a town full of secrets. Where this one got lost for me was on the big reveal, which seems to have been added to explain a piece of the set-up but not investigated anywhere else in the novel. Add to the mix that the ending of this one feels VERY familiar to readers of her last thriller, The Unravelling, and you have a book with a lot of promise but needed another pass in the details, filling some of the unanswered gaps at the end that the protagonist too easily puts to rest without closure.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Twenty years ago Elizabeth was involved with the killing of a professor who took advantage of her dear friend Jocelyn. After all this time, Elizabeth thought that no one would find out about this incident, but now, as an English professor herself, someone is writing out her story with details too specific for it to be a coincidence. Someone knows what Elizabeth did all those years ago.

This was a fun mystery/thriller. The plot was juicy and fast-paced. It had me wanting to binge it as quickly as possible. I would call this a “popcorn thriller”. The writing is solid and the character development was good for a thriller. The characters had decent depth, considering the plot really carried the story. It does rely on a memory-loss trope, which can be divisive. Tropes like these I have to set my limitations differently and prepare myself for a fun time, not a believable time. The twists were a little predictable, but that seems to be the case in popcorn thrillers. You enjoy the ride and then you move on to something else. I highly recommend this if you want a quick-paced palate cleanser.

Elizabeth is struggling with both her past and present. I usually don’t enjoy the memory loss trope, and unfortunately, this book didn’t change my mind. It felt predictable and at times frustrating. The protagonist made baffling choices—like throwing away her dead mother’s letter without reading it, or not questioning why her mother would send her those mysterious chapters. These moments made it hard to connect with her or take her seriously.

The premise had potential: a creative writing professor receives a chilling story submission that mirrors a dark secret from her past. But the execution just didn’t work for me. The plot dragged, and the twists weren’t surprising.

That said, the very end was somewhat redeeming, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. Overall, though, this one fell flat.

3.5! this was CRAZY!!!! i did predict one of the plot twists, but i read it within twenty four hours because Vi has a way with writing that just flows! this was my first thriller from her and definitely not my last. do check tw!

Vi can write romance AND she can write thrillers! I devoured this book. I finished it so quickly because I had to know what was going to happen and who was behind the emails. So blessed I got to read this one early. We have purchased a copy for the library and I will be recommending to those who need their next thriller idea.

This book was extremely bingeable and I read it all in one sitting. And while I did enjoy it, I think there were some issues that kept it from getting rated higher. I think the two big twists were both quite obvious and I left the book being disappointed that the end was what happened. I spent majority of the book wishing that the end twist would be something different.

Most of this story was very much so tell, don’t show and as such took me out of it in some instances. I also wish that it was longer and more plot points or characters were fleshed out better. I feel like the author would introduce a character or a plot point and then just never bring it up again or utilize it in any capacity. So while it was short and easy to read, it definitely felt lacking in some areas.

Overall, a good read that left me a bit disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy in exchange of my honest opinion!

So many questions after that ending, but in a good way!

English professor Elizabeth receives chapters of a students book that are eerily about something that happened in her past. All the details are exactly the same and she becomes paranoid someone knows what she did. When she travels home to figure out who may be sending her these chapters, she is even more confused and becomes suspicious of everyone.

This was really interesting. The ending was…WOW. Didn’t see it coming and I still have questions.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria books for this advanced e-copy in exchange for this honest review.

I devoured The Unraveling by Vi Keeland - so requesting her latest on Net Galley was a no brainer. This is my second read from the author, and like The Unraveling, it checks all the boxes I have in the domestic thriller genre. Loved the journey, but did have to go back now and then to keep the characters straight. Great writer and will continue to read her in this platform, as I'm not a follower in her more romance-based books. A solid 4 stars.

For the most part I am a romance reader, I am always there for a great love story. But sometimes I like to step out of my comfort zone, which I definitely did with reading Someone Knows. I didn’t just step out of my comfort zone I fell deep out of it and absolutely devoured it.

From the first chapter you are drawn into this story. From start to finished it captivated me with the rollercoaster ride this author took us on. So many shocking moments and surprises I thought I was going to get whiplash! And the ending O.M.G...!!!

W T H!!!! Ooooommmmmggggg!!!!! What a rollercoaster of who did what!!! This was one ride I was NOT expecting and the ending has me wanting more!!! Elizabeth past has come back to haunt her and there are so many dialects that she doesn’t know left from right and mistrusts everyone. You go on a ride and along the way you have an idea who’s the culprit but then you think it’s someone else but then you come back to the same person and start thinking there’s no way!!?! As the story progresses everyone is a suspect and then it takes a slight turn. Then yours so involved it’s hard to put the book down. Then as you continue and things start to unravel you’re suddenly hit with two “wth” moment and then you’re like ahhhhhhhhh I need more!!!! Great story and absolutely loved this thriller.

I went in blind, not knowing what to expect, and was absolutely hooked from the start. This book was a wild roller-coaster ride. This is not your usual Vi Keeland book. The ending is not something you see coming. Mind blown 🤯 I have read every Vi Keeland book there is and this is such a treat to watch her mind go dark and twisty! I couldn't put this book down, not even for work!

Was craving to give this author a try when I first saw their books in Barnes and noble. Thankfully, I was approved for this arc. This was fast paced and interesting. I liked how each chapter had a subtle cliffhanger that made me wanting to keep reading

3.5 overall!

I was super intrigued by the premise of this story; a professor getting sent chapters of something that happened in her past and trying to figure out who it is, sign me up. I was hooked from the beginning and wanted to see where it was going to go. The short chapters made me fly through it and I ended up finishing it in two days ope. I do have to say the big reveal was kind of obvious and a bit of a letdown and there were some plot lines that just didn’t go anywhere. I’m also not a huge fan of romance thrillers so the part of the book was meh to me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable popcorn thriller and the twists do make it a wild ride!

I think Vi Keeland just turned me into a Thriller enthusiast. I was for sure not the biggest fan os thriller books - romance girl all the way any day -, but having the opportunity to read Vi’s first thriller ‘The Unraveling’ and enjoying it the way I did made me take a chance on the genre and of course I couldn’t say no to Vi’s second book.

This story follows Elizabeth, a single, no kids, English professor, whom doesn’t see herself typed down to a man or a relationship anytime soon. She likes her life the way it is, simple and with no major complications, until a seemingly normal writing assignment for her English class brigs to light things she expected to keep hidden from the light for as long as possible. But the thing is, the student who submitted it now one know who it is.

Being forced to return to her hometown, and come face to face with her past, Elizabeth faces a new challenge, Noah. A man that she finds herself drawn to, not only ten year younger but also with a clear link to the past she didn’t want to come to light.

A full on psychological triller that is not only fast-paced, and that keeps you on your toes, but also so addictive that you do not want to put it down. Another amazing book from Vi Keeland, that you’ll regret not getting your hands on.

I never really got into psychological thrillers until recently and now I really love them. Vi Keeland is one of my favorite authors. She can write anything and I know I’ll devour each page! I kept thinking I had this one figured out, but I didn’t! This book takes you on a ride with Elizabeth who is a professor teaching a creative writing class. She starts receiving a story from one of her students….a story she knows very well. One she lived 20 years ago. A secret she’s kept all these years. It leads her back home. In the process, she meets Noah. Her mother is also dying. I couldn’t put this book down. I’m so sad it ended!

I could not put this book down!! From the first page, I was hooked. Apparently this author usually writes romances, but I’m here to say - she is a great psychological thriller writer! There were moments when I questioned everything, moments I audibly gasped, and moments I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Absolutely loved it!