Forget You Know Me is a story about secrets and misunderstandings. Liza and Molly are best friends. when Liza thinks she sees something scary when she is on the phone with Molly instead of being grateful Molly cuts her out of her life. Meanwhile, Liza is not the only one Molly is keeping secrets from. She hasn't told her husband anything about the enormous debt she is in due to the various medical treatments she has been seeking to attempt t0 take care of the constant pain that her husband seems to think is all in her mind. Her husband. Daniel is keeping secrets of his own regarding some illegal doings in his office that he has been dealing with. If you read the descriptiion from the publisher of this book, it sounds like a thriller. It is not that at all which is a little disappointing if that is what your expecting. It is more of a character study of these three people Molly., Daniel, and Liza and how their relationships drift apart and whether they can be repaired and if so how. The story is interesting. The characters are relatable and full drawn, and the story is mostly hopeful, but there were some aspects of the resolution that bothered me particulary the treatment of some of the minor characters who deserved better . Also, if you like stories with complete closure., you may be disappointed or if you were expecting a thriller as I previously mentioned.

I received an ARC of this book. It is a suspense novel with a lot of twists that kept me guessing right until the end. The characters were compelling and well-developed. The plot was unusual but had many aspects that were easy to identify with. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a story that grabs you and doesn't let go until the end!

Molly and Liza have been best friends since childhood. They grew up together, attended college together; and when Molly marries Daniel, Liza stays close. Then Liza takes a job in Chicago, far away from Molly and Danial in southern Ohio, and the friendship starts to fray. With this in mind, the two friends attempt an online 'Girl's Night' video chat. But then Liza sees something on the monitor she isn't supposed to see, and it may spell the end of their friendship for good.

I thought the writing was excellent but it turns from Thriller to more contemporary fiction halfway through; and I didn't feel like the 'thriller' part was concluded satisfactorily enough. Jessica Strawser does an excellent job with her characters, however. Molly has chronic pain and is hiding the debt that comes with trying everything under the sun to get rid of it. Daniel is hiding some shady business deals at work, and can't say anything to Molly about it for fear of her being ashamed of him. And Liza has her own problems, she hates Chicago and doesn't want to admit it for fear of failure. Each main character is dealing with their own problems and doesn't realize the others are hiding their own from everyone.

Overall, I was hoping for more of the thriller that was advertised, but still enjoyed the book.

When I sat down to read this, I thought I was opening a suburban thriller, when in fact, I was actually reading more of a relationship thriller—marriage, friendship in several different modes, siblings, and coworkers.

I have to admit I wasn’t sure about this book to begin with and it took me a while to adjust, but soon I was turning the pages at a rapid clip.

The complexities of these relationships was the glue that bound this book together. I rooted for some, frustrated by others, and charmed by one particular fella. For me, the resolution and ending moved this from three-star review to four-star.

I received an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

Molly and Liza have been friends since they were young girls but distance has put a dent in their once strong bond. It’s not only physical but emotionally on both sides. This all changes one night when Liza sees a man creep into Molly’s house while they are video chatting when Molly goes to check on the kids.

What happens next is a web of lies that threaten Molly’s marriage and her friendship with Liza. The book does have a shoe dropping moment that blind sided me which definitely added to the novel.

For those fans of mysteries or thrillers, this is for you.

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I devoured her book Not That I Could Tell so I had high expectations for this book. I thought it was going to be a great thriller but turned out to be more of a drama book.

This book is about Liza and Molly who have been best friends forever but now live in different states. They try to catch up as much as possible and one night while they're on Skype Liza sees a masked man in Molly's house while she's upstairs with the children. She calls the police but when she confronts Molly about it, Molly blows it off and pretends that nothing happened. Liza can't figure out why her best friend is acting like nothing happened and she starts to wonder what secrets her friend is keeping from her.

The beginning was so intriguing for me and instantly hooked me and then the further I got into it the more bleh it became. I feel like the book peaked at the beginning and then nothing but drama for the rest of it. I was so confused because it started out as a good thriller at the beginning and then the genres started jumping around so I got a little lost. I'm not sure how this was categorized as a suspense thriller because it honestly was anything but. I'm only giving it three stars because I do love the author and her writing style and this book won't stop me from reading anything else by her but this was a big flop for me.

This is the first book I’ve read by Jessica Strawser but I know it won’t be my last. Forget You Know Me is truly a book that’s hard to put down. The characters are well-developed and the plot is outstanding – suspenseful, intense, fast-paced and totally engrossing. It’s also a story about friendship and evolving relationships. And, until the very end, the author keeps the reader guessing.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a well-written mystery with interesting characters. Forget You Know Me is well-worth your attention.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This book was an enjoyable read. It starts with a mystery but is more women’s fiction than a thriller. It raises the questions about friendships and growing apart from people you once were close with. Things are not always as they seem and sometimes it hurts to realize you aren’t told things that are important to your friends. This book has heart but is not as light as “chick-lit” books. I look forward to reading future work from Jessica Strawser.

Two friends separated geographically and by one friend being a new parent.  They finally find time to connect via Skype.  The conversation is awkward then interrupted by a waking child.  

One friend is left waiting, the other struggling with pain to get to the now-wailing child. 

One friend sees an intruder break-in but has no way of alerting the other friend.

What happens next?



Gripping, right?  That’s not only the premise of the story but it is also the very first chapter in summation.  I have to say: the first two chapters were very riveting!  It felt like the plot was moving quickly and I kept being surprised.  Then the resulting chapters I was either confused at the characters’ reactions or bored with the inner monologues and kept skimming.  The inner ramblings of the narrating characters ended up being the downfall for the book for me.  It showed that the characters are as awful internally as their actions have shown.  Their secrets that they kept from one another appears to have been intended to contribute towards the idea that this book is a psychological thriller.  However, in my opinion, it was just a boring novel about entitled suburban strife.  However aversive the adult characters may have been, the children were redeeming in that they were adorable and pure. 2 stars: One for Nori and One for Rosie.

Back to the inner monologues: there were many diatribes in narration, mostly justifying how horribly they are treating the other characters, that I kept finding myself skimming.  They were so lengthy at times that I was relieved when the chapter was finally over so I could put the book down for awhile.  Or I would keep putting the book down because it was a series of the worst things that could happen to a character, happening to each character, more than once.  I am not sure if the author was going with the idea that “bad things happen to good people” because these characters were not exactly great people.  Which is drilled into the readers’ head repeatedly.    Or maybe the author was trying to use catastrophic events to help build character.  But at the point that I stopped, halfway through, that still did not appear to have happened.  Instead, the characters all seem to be self-absorbed and blaming the other for one bad event or another. 

There were so many bad things happening with each character that I stopped being surprised at any new element thrown in.  OF COURSE! I kept screaming at my Kindle.  OF COURSE the HR guy’s name is Toby, just like in The Office.  OF COURSE they’re going to mention that his name is like the guy in The Office.  OF COURSE Toby isn’t that great, no one in the book is.  OF COURSE there’s a shady neighbor.  OF COURSE the intruder is not who they originally thought.  OF COURSE there are money issues involved.  OF COURSE their life fell apart, everyone in this book is falling apart! You get the idea. 

In conclusion: I would not recommend this book at all.  I would especially not recommend it for younger than adult audiences.  Lastly, I would not recommend this book for those who may be triggered or offended by: foul language, infidelity, intruders/break-ins, stalkers, addiction, marital strife, or arson.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found it somewhat of a thriller. There was also an iota of romance. I never knew what to expect from one chapter to the next. But, overall, it was entertaining. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review

Liza and Molly have been friends forever. As they've grown older, they've grown farther apart. So this video chat between them is long overdue. Molly gets up to check on her kids during their conversation and Liza sees an intruder. When Molly vaguely responds to Liza's texts and phone calls, she becomes very worried about Molly and along with her male best friend, Max, she drives all night from Chicago to Cincinnati to check on Molly. But Molly is still acting like nothing has happened and shuts the door in Liza's face. When Liza returns home, her whole world is turned upside down, so she decides to move back home. With issues with her brother and this thing going on with Molly, she's not sure where she is going to stay or what she is going to do with her life.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was very intrigued by this book at the start, it grabbed my attention from the start. Somewhere about half way through though, it started to fall off and I just wanted to know what was going to happen. It was missing the twists and turns I was looking for to keep coming around every corner.

What would you do if you saw an intruder in your best friends house, but she was very nonchalant about it? You'd want to do all you could to help her, right? Molly doesn't want the help Liza is offering, but why? Is is because Molly has a whole host of secrets she is keeping herself? I wanted so much to happen in this book, but there was no big OMG or WOW factor. I enjoy Jessica Strawser's books and I will probably read whatever is next from her.

Summary:

Liza and Molly are best friends, but they have grown apart over the years since Liza has moved away and Molly has started her own family. One evening, the two decide to video chat and catch up while Molly's husband is away. As Molly leaves the room to check on one of her children, Liza sees a masked man in the background in Molly's home!

Liza drives all night to check on Molly, but when she arrives Molly blows her off. Liza can't understand what's going on and why Molly is behaving this way.

After these events, things begin to spiral out of control for both Liza and Molly in their personal lives.



My Thoughts:

In my opinion, this was labeled incorrectly as a thriller. I did like the book and always enjoy Jessica Strawser's books. I think it should be labeled as domestic fiction or women's fiction. It explores issues with friendships, marriage, and relationships. The very first scene is captivating and was suspenseful but after that scene, the book explores relationships between the characters.

If you go into the book with that in mind, then you will enjoy it much more!

It was about 3.5-4 stars for me out of 5 stars.

Forget You Know Me is the first book I've read by Jessica Strawser and I really enjoyed it, but fair warning - this book is a domestic drama! I would not call this a mystery per say, and definitely not a thriller.

What it's about: Molly and Liza used to be the best of friends but have grown apart since Liza moved away to Chicago. They decide to catch up on a video chat one night, and Liza sees something disturbing after Molly goes to check on her daughter... She ends up driving through the night to check on Molly, only to receive a not-so-warm welcome and basically gets the door slammed in her face. But Liza is troubled by what she saw, and even though the friendship seems to now quite possibly be over, she still wants to help. There is more going on with Molly than Liza knows, and everything will eventually come to a head in this sizzling domestic drama!

I felt like I read Forget You Know Me really quickly, but when I looked at my stats on the Bookly app, I found out that it actually took me 6.5 hours! I don't know why it took me so long because I really do think this book is a fast read. Strawser's writing flows really well, and I was completely invested in the story. Luckily for me, I had not read the synopsis recently and went in blind. I had kind of thought the book would be more of a mystery, but domestic drama is a much better category for this one.

The book made me tear up at the end and I loved how Strawser pulled everything together. She leaves you with a nice ending that is hopeful and sweet.

Final Thought: I really enjoyed Forget You Know Me and I'm pretty surprised by the low average on Goodreads. I think it might have something to do with people thinking this is going to be a mystery, but it really isn't. I would recommend this to fans of domestic dramas and general adult fiction. I loved Strawser's writing and I can't wait to check out more from her!

Childhood best-friends Molly and Liza try to catch up during a video chat, during the video chat when Molly steps away, Liza sees a masked intruder who entered the house. Liza rushes to Molly's driving several hours to get ignored by Molly. This opens up how Molly has been living a secret life and isolating herself from everyone. It is about friendship and forgiveness.

I struggled with this book going into it thinking it was a thriller.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an EARC in exchange for an honest review.

O.M.G Make sure that you have plenty of time to dedicate to this book because once you pick it up you won't put it down. It's a wild rollercoaster of a ride. Pick this up now and buckle in for a wild ride. Happy reading!

I always hate to age myself in my reviews, but sometimes an author leaves me without a choice. Forget You Know Me started off like Barney’s mixtape (How I Met Your Mother) – it started off with a BAM! I was left wondering where this story was going. I love it when an author starts their story like this. Strawser grabbed my attention – I was not going to be distracted.

Except that Barney’s mixtape is not supposed to let the energy level go down. After the initial shock and awe, Forget You Know Me seemed to take a different path. The initial “thriller” moment was bogged down in the day-to-day lives of the characters. The mystery/who-done-it was overshadowed by the troubled lives of Strawser’s cast. The urgency just wasn’t there.

I have to give credit to Strawser’s characters. My wife has always said that a story that is about the normal daily lives of people would be boring; some crazy drama is necessary. Despite the fact that Forget You Know Me was just that: a snapshot of the lives of Molly and Liza, their messed-up dysfunctional lives kept me going. I felt a connection to the characters, I wanted to know where their decisions would lead them.

My take on Forget You Know Me is that it was more of a dysfunctional relationship story than the mystery/thriller that I was looking for. The characters were my saving grace for this one. Good, just not a top read for me.

*3.5 Stars

Everyone has had a best friend that was like family. At some point during the relationship distance may separate y’all and things change. For Molly and Liza their friendship was feeling the strain of living in two different states and walking different paths. Molly in Cincinnati (with her husband, Daniel, and their two kids) and Liza in Chicago, single and dating. Their friendship is pushed to its limits and tested in Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser.
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One night Liza and Molly are having a girls night via video chat, trying their best to continue to stay friends despite distance ... and well, life. After a little while Molly gets called upstairs, one of her kids is up out of bed calling her name. While she is gone, Liza witnesses a masked man enter Molly’s home. She is able to startle him, say she is calling the police, but then he closes the computer screen before she can see anything else. Liza freaks out (rightfully so) and tries to no end to get ahold of Molly and the police to find out what happened. After awhile she receives a vague text from Molly saying she is okay. Liza, unsatisfied, decides to drive all night to ensure the safety of Molly and her children. But she is unsure what she will find when she gets to Cincinnati, and even more unsure of what awaits her when she returns to Chicago after.
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I liked this book, I did want to keep reading to see if my hunch was in fact true (which it was). But my initial thought was that this book wasn’t really a thriller, which I thought it would be (not sure why). I would call it more of a mystery. Every character had some sort of secret they were keeping or half truth they were willing to tell others. Just like with anything those can only be kept a short amount of time and eventually they will come out in the open.
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I was lucky enough to receive the ARC from netgalley. If you are looking for a little mystery, some best friend drama, and a little who done it then Forget You Know Me is the book for you. Thank you St Martins Press for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

This book was a letdown for me. Most of the blurbs (both from the publisher and from other readers) led me to expect a thriller, a mystery with deeply complex characters and pulse-pounding, tight plotting, but that's not the story I encountered.

Aside from a shocking incident in the opening scene, this seemed like a domestic drama based on failure to communicate, lack of empathy and false assumptions all around.

Clearly, I'm the odd woman out, because other readers LOVED this book -- but I downloaded the NetGalley advance readers copy in September and made several abortive starts on reading it. Finally finished it more than four months later.

My first experience reading Jessica Strawser, and I can now understand the buzz in the book community over her work! I found Forget You Know Me to be decadent, raw, and emotionally gratifying. This is a book most women will connect with, especially as we transition out of youth and into adulthood. It touches on friendship, love, marriage, finding yourself, and coping with life in the best ways we can. And it has quite a tangled storyline to draw you in! I’m left feeling so fulfilled by this book—something that I don’t always feel leaving a reading experience. The perfect combination of closure and hope!

Reflection

I had the benefit of the book besties here, letting me know upfront that Jessica Strawser books are truly women’s fiction, though they often are placed in “mystery and thriller” categories. So going in I expected a fantastic domestic fiction novel with elements of suspense, and that is exactly what this book is. Think Sally Hepworth, for those of you who have read her. Or even Liane Moriarty. I make those comparisons purely in the genre, because I think Jessica Strawser’s voice is incredibly unique, and I don’t like to set readers up to expect a specific writer when they have their own characteristics.

Strawser’s writing style is so fluid and beautiful. I highlighted several passages to go back and read again, because there is a very poetic quality to the way she writes. Even the subtlest of reflections a character has on the weather, for instance, carry so much meaning for the story. This is a book to savor and read slowly. There is so much emotion and history and nuance packed into every single paragraph. Strawser is truly brilliant!

Molly and Liza’s friendship felt so familiar—I think so many women will connect to that storyline. As the book begins, both are trying to reconnect without admitting that’s what they are doing. They’ve lost touch. Molly got married and had kids, and Liza moved to Chicago for a job and is on the dating scene. Though they are a 6 hour drive apart, the emotional distance feels so much longer. They are in such different places, and they’ve lost their connection that they’ve had since childhood.

Then there is the relationship between Daniel and Molly, a marriage that is built on so much love, but now feels fraught with resentment. Chronic pain experienced for years by Molly, but not properly acknowledged by Daniel. A feeling from Daniel that Molly has slipped away. That she isn’t the person she was when they met. And that maybe, he is partially to blame for this. They both have secrets from each other, and they are too afraid to tell them. But they also love one another so deeply. They want to fight for each other, but they also don’t know how.

Lisa is lost as well, but in a different way. Liza hasn’t lost who she is the way Molly has, but she’s lost her purpose. She’s fighting a battle for something she isn’t even sure she wants. In the same way Molly retreats when she becomes anxious, Liza pushes even harder.

So when Liza and Molly are on their skype call for “girls night”, and Liza witnesses something she was never meant to see, she panics. She calls the police, and tries to call Molly back. But Molly brushes her off. Liza can’t shake the feeling something is wrong. Driving all night, Liza is worried. But when she arrives at Molly’s house, Molly turns her away. Her message is clear—forget what you saw; forget you know me.

I think more than anything this is a book about what goes unsaid. The things we bottle in until they are almost too much to let out. How we let things spiral out of control, and hide them from the world. How we struggle to acknowledge how bad they’ve gotten to ourselves. How sometimes being honest with those you love most is the hardest thing of all. And ultimately, how every burden is so much easier to carry when you finally do share it.

The entire book was so wonderful for me. I think fans of women’s fiction are going to be blown away by this story. It has just enough suspense to keep my mind whirling, but it really is ultimately about the relationships in the book and the characters. And I truly loved every single character! I can’t wait to read more from Jessica Strawser.