The unraveling review
⭐️⭐️⭐️

An interesting premise of a Psychiatrist who treats a man whose wife and daughter were killed by her husband, with a romantic subplot that was well developed too. I didn’t see the twist of Rebecca Jordan coming and that was clever how that tied into everything else. Connor’s addiction and accident were built up to well so you could see how he could have gone from being a loving husband to someone who would be at risk of causing a crash like that. Gabriel wound up being a much more disturbing character than he initially appeared to be which was rather alarming in the end, especially with the reference to Thailand at the end of the book being intended as a reward for a job well done suggesting he may have been the orchestrator of Rebecca’s actions after all if I’m understanding right, which would make him truly evil. It’s also concerning that after claiming he never stalked Meredith, he is stalking her regularly in the final chapter as she tries to move on with her life and appears to be completely obsessed with the idea of some kind of romantic future with Meredith. This book was an interesting but really rather disturbing read and it felt a bit disjointed at times so as a result it’s a 3 star read for me.

The Unravelling by Vi Keeland

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[4.5]

The story explores Meredith's unhealthy obsession with Gabriel, driven by the desire to understand how he can seemingly thrive after their shared loss. This internal conflict between grief, envy, and a need for control fuels her actions. Meredith decides to treat Gabriel in her clinic. However, as a psychiatrist, she understands the ethical and moral implications, yet her obsession clouds her judgment. Treating this patient can make her lose her license and puts her mental health to the test. Is she strong enough to deal with him?

Perhaps Gabriel recognises Meredith, adding a layer of manipulation or revenge to the plot? Alternatively, Meredith's obsession can lead to a dangerous situation for herself or those around her.

This story made me gasp, laugh and addicted. I think I’m officially in my thriller Era ✨🧐


Thank you Vi Keeland, NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

It’s been a while since I’ve read a thriller and when I saw this pop up on Netgalley and having read the books by Vi Keeland before and enjoying them a lot, I knew I had to request this.
When I got the notification I got a chance to read the ARC I was excited, but also at the same time wondering what I was going to jump into.

I have read a LOT of thrillers and this one is really well put together and kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. This is great if you normally read romance and you want to dip your toes in trying thrillers. You keep wondering where the story is going to next and you get curveball after curveball thrown at you.

Did I guess the ‘plottwists’? Almost all of them.
Did they affect the enjoyment of the plot? Yes, but in a great way! The twists were all things that I kinda guessed, but also not quite!

The last few pages really made me grin because it really makes you secondguess EVERYTHING that happened and wonder who really was the bad guy in the whole story.
Is this a top of the line thriller? No, but like I mentioned earlier, it is great if you are starting out in the genre and want something that has a dark romance vibe without the HEA.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown/Piatkus for getting to read the ARC.

Clearly an unpopular opinion, but for me The Unraveling was dry and frustrating with unrelatable (and frankly unlikable) characters and a plot that I just couldn't bring myself to care about.

I found nothing sympathetic in the protagonist's behaviour - in fact I felt it would be fair for people to judge her as delusional given the state she got herself into. And her professional misconduct and outright stupidity was more than just one slip up or a toe over the line for dramatic effect, it was regular, calculated breaking of moral and ethical codes which made her a repugnant person in my eyes. Maybe that is what the author wanted. But then I think we were supposed to feel some sympathy for her with the various reveals at the end and I felt none. For me it's impossible to enjoy a book if I don't feel some sort of connection to the central character(s).

Had I not been ARC-reading I would have DNF'd in the first few chapters but I persevered due to the author's reputation and my previous experiences of her work. Was it entertaining? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Not so much.

Thanks to NetGalley/Little Brown Book Group for the ARC copy, this is my honest opinion.

Holy smokes. A thriller with twists upon twists upon twists. Every time a theory comes to mind, the book takes you somewhere else. Literally went through in a single sitting. Highly recommend.

What a read!

It's been a while since I read a murder/ thriller.....it certainly kept me on the edge of my seat! Lost concept of time....narrowly almost missed my stops to and from work multiple times...

What a ride! Exhilarating!

Full of suspense, multiple layers to uncover.

At times, Meredith was so frustrating to understand...why she chose to make choices that were self-destructive....Gabriel...is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma....obsession...stalking.....deceit....sex.....a gripping ending!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was fine. Quite middle-of-the-road for me. I was engaged and it was an easy read but it was missing true suspense and mystery. When the reveals were revealed, it lacked spunk and oomph.

I honestly thought Meredith's therapist would have a played a bigger role but he was 100% a supporting character.

The main reveal right at the end of the book - why? What is the reasoning and purpose? That part didn't feel fleshed out enough.

My first time reading a book by this author, I'd not even heard of her before. The cover grabbed my attention, as well as it being a thriller.

This is a story about how grief and trauma impacts our lives and how we choose different ways to cope with it. Meredith, the fmc, is trying to come to terms with losing her husband. When her life gets intertwined with Gabriel, they are connected through the same incident that shattered both their lives. Meredith has taken an unhealthy obsession with this man, and her ethics and business are now at stake.

So, I loved the idea of this story. A woman whose new patient is also her new obsession, where her ethics come onto question, and she has to choose between doing her job or crossing the line. The short chapters that change between past and present are easy to follow and help with the pace of the book. I read this in two sittings. It was so easy to lose myself in.

Unfortunately, for me, though the rest fell a bit flat. The plot was repetitive. There wasn't a lot of variation in what kept happening. The characters, all flawed, and lacked depth, I didn't care about the outcome of them. I wasn't bored reading it, just disappointed. The twists were obvious, the last one though I didn't see coming, even that was a little anti-climatic. There are some quite steamy scenes in this story that I did skip over because that's not what I'm looking for in a book.

This book was just not the right fit for me. I've seen lots of praise for this, though, and I know there will be a lot of readers out there who will lap this up.

The Unravelling is a fast-paced, bingeable popcorn thriller. If that's your thing, you will love this book.

Thank you, Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group Uk for my advanced copy.
My opinions are my own.

Vi Keeland writing a thriller? My heart can't take this. Somewhere, deep down, I know that means I won't get my usual happy ending from her books.

So with my mind prepared and my standard expectations aside, I went into this one with restrained trepidation.

All I have to say is this. It still possessed the easy flowing writing. Despite things moving at a slower rate than I wanted, it was not a slough to get through. The pacing could be better though.

Other than that, these characters were oh so flawed, something I need to be reminded of again and again while reading it. These people are shitty people, a fact that you barely notice when you're reading a black and white romance. So, keep that in mind when you're wishing for a good outcome for someone.

As for the thriller/psychological vibe, it's not the best example. I mean, if someone ask me to recommend something thrillery, this book won't even be in the top ten. I guess, it was decent.

However, for someone who wants a transition read between romance and a thriller, this would be it. Or something light, stalkery, multifaceted morally grey characters. Then, this would be it.

With that said. I didn't expect that ending. Wow. With that one line, it really sets the tone on what we can expect from Vi Keeland from now on.

This is a fast paced one, and its quite the ride.

I found this a bit of a tough one as it has some very strong similarities to the You series but with a little less believability. I really don't get on with the useless, stupid female trope and this book is soaked in it.

I should think that readers who have enjoyed You and those that enjoy romance would find this book is a perfect fit.

The Unravelling by VI Keeland
•••••••••••••••••○○○○
This book was soooooo good. The authors first psychological thriller, and it's a belter. Dark, unpredictable, and shocking at times, I raced through this. If you loved Verity and You, you would love this ❤️
Highly recommended xx

This book is very bingeable - I read it in two sittings and very much enjoyed it even though I wasn’t surprised by anything that happened. I’m a sucker for books involving psychiatrists especially when it involves obsession and characters making ridiculously bad decisions.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An exciting thriller read with twists that keep you guessing till the end! Thank you NetGalley
I really enjoyed this book

I have literally just finished this book and I'm still not sure what to feel about it.
The main Character, Meredith is struggling with a life changing loss and the repercussions keep echoing through her life. She makes a series of questionable decisions, but slowly begins to work through her grief. Then one of her questionable decisions walk into her office and things get even stranger.
I really enjoyed this book and I was very surprised by the reveals at the end, which I hadn't seen coming.
Definitely recommend

Wait!!! What?????? WHHHAAAAT?? I’m shooketh at the ending. I can’t stop thinking about it. That final sentence will plague me for all time.

This book was so good that I had to keep pausing to say “Oh No!” to my dog, who just blinked at me in bewilderment. You know a book is good when you have to talk to your dog about it.

I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this. God bless NetGalley for the gifting me an early peak.
Seriously though… anyone need to chat about that ending DM me. I feel like I need therapy now too.

Meredith McCall was a respected psychiatrist until the accident where she lost her husband, her reputation, and almost her mind. She's still battling her grief almost 2 years later when she crosses paths with the one person who should also feel like she does, Gabriel Wright, but he looks happy his life doesn't look like its still in shambles like Merediths. So she takes it upon herself to follow him she needs to know if he's truly happy, leading her to become obsessive. When he enters her practice as a patient, she knows ethically she shouldn't treat him, but she can't resist it. Could treating Gabriel help her, or will it set off a spiralling chain of events that nobody can control.

Vi Keeland needs to write more thrillers! This was so good it had me gripped from the first page, and I couldn't put it down. This had twists, unreliable characters, and just a hint of spice. I really felt for Meredith, and it makes you think about how you'd react if you had to deal with the tragedy she had to. I highly recommend this.

Amazing book that kept me on my toes. The unravelling unravelled me! Every time I thought I'd figured it out of her another shock. Loved every bit of it!

Just think if Joe Goldberg met the female version of himself…

As a longtime reader of Vi Keeland’s romance books, when I came across this I was pleasantly surprised! A genre change to combine Vi’s expert love stories into this deliciously twisted, thrilling and mind bending novel was exactly what I needed! For a debut thriller, this had all of the ingredients needed for a successful plot. There was intrigue, suspense, tension and in typical Vi Keeland style there was a simmering heat which had me gasping for an explosion.

The Unravelling is the story of Meredith, who is a psychiatrist, and has experienced a tragedy which has led to her having a difficult time. A chance encounter in a coffee shop leads her to Gabriel, who she actually shares this tragedy with. But Gabriel seems to be doing great, unlike Meredith who is barely holding on and spiralling. But she starts to question if Gabriel’s smiles are just a facade… what better way than to follow him and find out for herself? When her therapist tells her to find a better outlet and to not stalk, Gabriel stalks into her practice for an appointment. Despite the advice from her therapist, Meredith takes the plunge and takes him on as her client.

Having finished this book last night, I am thought I would sleep on my thoughts and feelings before being able to produce a coherent review, yet still 24 hours later I’m left speechless. That last twist specifically had me rating this book another star higher.

Not only did Vi Keeland make me question every thing, but she made me want more. The words, the twists and turns drew me in, but it was the characters that made me stay. They are flawed, complicated, unhinged and very much damaged, but they have deep and unhealed trauma which they needed each-other to uncover.

I know this book will stay in my mind for days, and even weeks to come. What a stunning, and masterful thriller debut from Vi! I cannot wait to see where the future takes her, and I hope we can get many more romantic suspense/thrillers to come!

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the publishers, and Vi Keeland for my ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩷

I was excited to start reading this book, it definitely had me shocked at points and I had to keep reading!

Where do I even start with this book?

I genuinely don’t think I’ve exclaimed with shock so much while reading any other book. Every time I thought I was starting to piece things together something happened to completely throw me off course again. Half the time I had absolutely no idea what was happening or who was really insane. I think I got paranoid myself trying to figure out who in this story I could trust.

By the end I was still mildly confused, incredibly surprised and like a tad concerned for myself and my taste in men?

Thank you netgalley for the arc and wild ride