3.5 stars

I have read and liked all of Jessica Strawser’s books, with my favorite being “Not That I Could Tell.” “Forget You Know Me” is advertised as a psychological thriller, and it certainly fulfilled that description at the beginning. After that, the book changed course and focused primarily on the relationship between Molly and Liza. The suspense took a back seat to the issues in their friendship and resulted in what seemed to be a somewhat disjointed novel, or at least not the thriller I was expecting. It was an enjoyable read but I wish the two genre styles could have been more integrated or that the book had been advertised as women’s fiction with an edge. Not a bad book, just not what I was expecting based on the book blurb and on Strawser’s previous books.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 2/10/19.

This book had great characters and a good plot, but it fell short in the reading. I felt like it dragged on and on and took more time than it deserved. I wish it had been better, I was looking forward to reading it, but it was just not my style of writing I guess.

I'm a little mixed on this story. I enjoyed it well enough, I was certainly captivated as you'd expect when a mysterious and potentially traumatic event occurred early on, eager to uncover the who , what, why. But then the story seemed to slow to a snails pace as we get to know the characters. I liked Liz but found Molly tiresome, creating her own drama in her disregard for her family. The story shakes out in an unexpected way and when all the secrets come out, there are no clear cut victims. In that sense, it's reflective of real life. I'd like to try another book by Strawser but I just couldn't connect with these characters.

Liza and Molly have been friends for many years and live about an hour apart. Molly is married to Daniel and is the mother of two children. Since Liza and Molly have not seen one another in quite some time, they decide to have a Skype chat one night when Daniel is out of town on business. When Molly is interrupted to check on one of the children, Liza is shocked to see a man come in the back door. He is dressed in black and wearing a mask. Then, he sees Lisa on the computer screen and closes it. Terrified for her friend, she calls the police and calls her friend, Max, to go with her to check on her friend because Molly is not answering the phone and the police won’t tell her anything. When she gets there, Molly acts very standoffish to Liza and denies that anyone came into the house. Hurt and worried, Liza returns home only to find her building has been burned down.

Having lost everything in the fire, Liza decides to move in with her brother and sister-in-law for a short time while she finds a job and a place to live.

The story continues with…nonsense. I don’t know if I have read so many thrillers that I have become jaded, but this book offered me nothing. The beginning scene made me think that I was going to read a really good thriller. Nope. The rest of the book was just chatter. Nothing to see here, Folks, so just move along.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Molly and Liza are childhood friends. But they haven't been as close since Liza moved to Chicago, while Molly, her husband Daniel, and their two children have remained in Concinnati.
So when Daniel is away on business, they have a girl's night on Skype to catch up on each other's lives and recapture their bond.
When Molly leaves for a moment to go check on her young daughter, Liza suddenly sees a masked man on the screen, then it goes black.
Liza panics. She calls the police, and when Molly doesn't answer her calls, she drives to her friends house. Molly is curt and abrupt about what happened, dismissing the incident.
The story follows them both, through their problems and adversities, trying to solve their separate issues and get back to the closeness they have lost.
This book certainly grabbed my attention at the beginning! While it lost a little steam in the middle, it still kept me entertained with the compelling characters and the intriguing storyline. Recommend to those who like slow burn thrillers and women's fiction.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts off with a bang but then fizzles almost as quickly. Liza and Molly are FaceTiming - a virtual “girl’s night out” of sorts. It’s been a very long time since they’ve had a chance to catch up. Molly’s husband is out of town and her daughter wakes up as they begin their chat. While Molly is upstairs dealing with her daughter, Liza sees a masked intruder enter Molly’s home and he shuts the computer. Freaked out and terrified for her friend, she calls police only to be then brushed off by Molly after police have cleared the home. Molly’s unexpected reaction is odd. Why is her behaviour so strange? Shouldn’t she be relieved and thankful? To add fuel to the fire, when Daniel returns home early from his trip the next day, Molly doesn’t bother to tell him about the intruder. Okay....what is going on? I guess with this lead up, I was expecting a thriller rather than a drama, I kept waiting for the original premise to kick back in....page after page...but it didn’t. As other reviewers have noted, it is about relationships, love and lies. If you are looking for a heart pounding thriller or clever twists, look elsewhere.

The writing is good but it was challenging to engage with the characters. The third person perspective created a wedge in my ability to connect. I need strong characters who make me feel something, however, Molly and Daniel were just not that interesting. The story was slow paced and seemed tangential, heading in directions that didn’t make sense and left me scratching my head.

I think this is a book in which the description misled me and I was expecting something different than what I got. It was a story that ultimately just didn’t work for me. If one were to go in with different expectations, I think they would have a better experience than I did. I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Incredibly relatable characters and situations, paired with shifting viewpoints, makes for a very full and intriguing reading experience! The eagle eye of the author on the vagaries of the various relationships leads to a very satisfying and interesting read for those of us that enjoy character studies instead of the next Big Twist in a thriller.

This book proves that expectations and first impressions are everything. From the synopsis and other readers' characterizations, I thought this was going to be a chilling, suspenseful thriller, and the first few chapters seemed to confirm that feeling. However, as the book went on, I realized that this, like Strawser's previous two novels, was a wrongly characterized domestic drama, not a thriller. I still enjoyed the book, but the sudden forced shift in my expectations definitely put a temporary bitter taste in my mouth.

This heavily character-driven story of two formerly best friends , Molly and Liza, attempting to repair their damaged relationship started off with a suspenseful, dramatic incident interrupting their awkward reunion video chat. There is also a side plot of Molly's failing marriage with Daniel, and the two sullied relationships interweave throughout the story. Most of the characters were difficult to relate to; I thought Molly was an idiot, Daniel was a coward, and Rick was just odd. However, I loved most of the side characters connected to Liza, and I found myself sympathizing with her anxiety for much of the book.

While the pace of this story felt very slow, the writing was excellent and made the story flow well. I had mixed feelings at the end; there was an overwhelmingly positive feeling, yet I felt as though many things were left unfinished that should not have been. I also disliked the anticlimactic reveal of the intruder, and I felt that their true identity and motive were a bit ridiculous.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but did not love it as much as Strawser's first two novels. I would recommend it to any readers who enjoy character-driven domestic dramas and don't mind an unresolved ending.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After what appears to be an emergency occurs, why would a friend ask another to Forget You Know Me?

Liza and Molly are best friends since childhood. But when Liza moves to Chicago and Molly marries and has two children, they slowly drift apart. They finally get together through Facetime for a girl’s night. When Molly steps away to quiet her daughter, Liza sees a masked man come into Molly’s home. When she tries to warn Molly, the man abruptly closes Molly’s laptop. Liza calls the local police who find no hint of an intruder. But why is Molly acting so strangely?

Forget You Know Me is about the lies people tell themselves and each other. It is a slow simmer of a tale. While I enjoyed it, the book moved a bit too slow for me especially in the middle. However, if pacing isn’t a concern for you, the plot is well worth reading. 3 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderfully thought out story full of characters that develop beautifully and show us the importance of being there for each other in the good times and the bad.

It is rare to find a friend you can stay close to through thick and thin. Molly and Liza have always thought their relationship could withstand anything. After Molly married Daniel, Liza became an honorary member of the family with no one thinking twice about it. When Liza moved, the relationship became more awkward and strained than either of them wanted to admit. Their friendship may not be able to withstand all they thought, and Molly and Daniel’s marriage may not be as rock solid either. Trying to hang on to the last strands of their relationship, Molly and Liza plan a video chat to reconnect. Just when things are starting to warm up between them, Molly must leave the room to attend to a crying child. Liza waits for her to return, leading to the moment things change forever. Liza sees something on the camera that scares her for her friend. She calls the police and then gets in the car and drives all night to be where she thinks she is needed. When she arrives, she is turned away by an icy Molly, and left wondering what she actually saw and what has come over her friend. None of them can pretend things are ok and they might never be again.

Forget You Know Me starts with a bang and doesn’t slow down until the last page is turned and the last question left is answered. Strawser did an amazing job of creating characters that are flawed but still clinging to that small hope that all they have done wrongs that can be righted and find their way back to that safe place they once knew and held dear. I had trouble following Molly’s motives at first, but as things play out it becomes clear why she is acting the way she is and by the last chapter we see the characters grow and develop in a way I didn’t really think possible at the beginning. I loved watching them learn what was happening and connect the dots to the bigger picture that was being played out. Molly, Liza, and Daniel are the main characters but even the secondary characters have enough material to flesh them out in a way I really started to care about them as if they were more involved than they were. Max may have been one of my favorite characters to be honest. This is the type of book that takes close concentration to see all that is happening and be able to connect all pieces, there was no skimming or skipping ahead to see what was going to happen and I loved that because I was engaged with the characters and didn’t want to miss anything that was going to happen. Molly might have had a lot going on in her life and felt no way out at times, which is something a lot of us probably feel in some form or fashion at some point in our lives, making her a very relatable character. I recommend this book to those that enjoy a great contemporary read with lots of mystery and a very satisfying conclusion. There is a bit of language making it more suitable for a mature reader.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Forget You Know Me is a compelling story about friendship and marriage. Liza and Molly have been best friends since childhood. Molly and Daniel are married with two young kids. One night during a video call, Liza sees a masked man enter Molly's house. Liza is understandably shaken by this, especially when she can't get Molly to answer any of her calls.
What follows are events that shake the foundation of Liza and Molly's life-long friendship. Molly's actions after the thwarted home invasion also put the strength of her marriage in question. Liza, Molly, and Daniel each have demons to fight and truths that must be told.
Can friendship and love survive when its limits are tested so seriously?
Forget You Know Me is fast-paced and fraught with tension. I found every moment I could to read this book because I needed to know what happened next.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and Jessica Strawser.
Interesting storyline with great characters. It makes you wonder how well you know people in your immediate circle of family and friends.
Enjoyed and recommend

Liza and Molly have been best friends for many years but when Liza witnesses a crime about to happen via webcam and rushes to Molly’s aid, she doesn’t receive the welcome she expected from her best friend.  The remainder of the story is unraveling the mystery surrounding this incident. It is a mystery but also covers friendship and those boundaries as well as marital difficulties.

The writing was well done on this book but I had trouble getting through it.  It is likely the difficulty concentrating was on my end rather than the fault of the book.  Overall I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel.

From the description, and even from the tone of the book itself, I had the impression that Jessica Strawser was going for a Liane Moriarty-esque domestic thriller. That's not quite the case. There's a touch of suspense here, but Forget You Know Me has neither the pacing nor the mysterious air of a thriller. I say this mostly to manage expectations—this is a good book, but it is not that specific kind of book. Instead, it's a richly detailed portrait of a waning friendship and a marriage strained by pain and resentment. Strawser is a lovely writer, and now that I've read Forget You Know Me and know what to expect from her work, I look forward to checking out her earlier novels.

A nicely-written novel about relationships. Don't be mislead to believe that this is a suspense thriller--it is not. And that can be a disappointment. Yes, it begins with a creepy botched break-in caught on Skype but that is just a lead-in to an examination of these characters and their relationship problems.

I couldn't connect with either of the main characters, Liza or Molly. How Molly acted at first was just bizarre. I'm not sure I could have forgiven her if I were her friend.

My favorite characters were some of the secondary ones, such as the sister-in-law Stephanie and male friends, Rick and Max.

The deep fears caused by secret debt was well depicted but I would have liked to have seen some resolution to the problem.

I received an arc of the book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. Many thanks!

In Forget You Know Me, Jessica Strawser proves once again how talented she is and what enjoyable reads she creates for us.

Wonderfully written, this is a rich, deep character based novel about adult relationships of all kinds, what it takes to maintain them (on both sides), how easy it is to come close to losing them, and the things we'll do to get them back again.

BFF's Liza and Molly were so close growing up that not a day went by without them speaking; they always knew what was going on with the other. But Molly married Dan and had two children, and Liza left Cincinnati and moved to Chicago, found a new everyday friend Max, and things changed over time. It grew easier not to make the effort to maintain the friendship.

During an often rescheduled Skype "girls night out" call, Molly has to momentarily step away from her laptop computer to take care of one of her children. In horror, Liza sees an intruder, dressed all in black, come into the home. Yelling out in alarm to alert Molly and scare the intruder off, the intruder walks up to the laptop and shuts the lid, disconnecting the call. After frantically notifying the local police, she repeatedly tries to call Molly to no avail. Desperate to be sure that her friend is safe and ok, she and Max take off in the middle of the night and drive to Cincinnati. When they arrive, Molly is very upset to find Liza on her front porch, and after telling her to stop overreacting and go home, literally shuts the door in her face! Whoa - way to further damage an already at risk friendship!!

Even stranger, when Molly's husband, Dan, arrives home early from a business trip, he learns of the break-in from the police on the scene. Molly never mentions it to him and he doesn't bring it up either. There are plenty of secrets on both sides of this disconnected couple.

When Liza returns to her warehouse apartment building, she finds that it has been totally destroyed in an overnight fire. She is the sole survivor. If she hadn't gone to check on Molly, she would most likely have been a casualty of the blaze like the other tenants. Since she has to start over with nothing, she decides to go back home to Cincinnati, and temporarily moves in with her brother and his pregnant wife.

There is plenty of domestic drama within these pages. Strawser does an excellent job of fleshing out each of the characters as well as each of the relationships. The dialogue and emotions ring true. I found myself entirely engrossed with the book, not wanting it to end. A very good read indeed!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Liza and Molly have been best friends forever and while their lives are very different now they try to keep their friendship alive. A Skype call one evening while Molly's husband is away and her kids are in bed seems like the perfect moment to catch up. Her son interrupting them would be no big deal, except a man in a mask enters the room as Liza is watching on. She calls the police, but they don't find any proof and Molly believes it is connect to a secret she is keeping. While Liza tries to be a good friend, Molly is anything but. As their relationship takes on this new strain Molly finds herself having to face all the other secrets she has kept as well and not just from her best friend, but her husband too. Liza, on the other hand, learns how to let others into her life, especially when her entire world is rearranged.

More domestic (read: friendship) drama than thriller, Forget You Know Me follows two friends whose lives no longer intertwine. Molly has more secrets than she knows what to do with and Liza is learning to adjust to a world where she is afraid of the what-ifs. Liza's story was far more interesting for me than Molly's. Molly is self-centered, she does very little for others and takes advantage where she can, she also comes across as very dim-witted, which doesn't align with how her partner and friend think of her. Liza, on the other hand, is caring, altruistic, and going through something many people will be able to connect with. Her experience is jarring; the loss of her home and the acquaintances there and the loss of a friend at the same time impacting her greatly. While she is present, her emotions are all over the place and her brain is caught up in fear. Their relationship, though I'm sure was sincere at one point, comes across as forced and like something neither really wanted.

As individual stories I think they might have been very interesting, who can deny a story about a wife who lies herself into the deepest hole, but combined it was very easy to become detached from the stories. I do so enjoy Jessica Strawser's storytelling abilities and think this is a case of its not the book, it's me. I'll be looking forward to future releases.

FORGET YOU KNOW ME by Jessica Strawser is a lovely exploration of friendships and all of the different types of love. It is a novel that takes an in-depth look at the breakdown of marriage and friendship. The book was intriguing and difficult to put down. Another winner for Jessica Strawser. Her books keep getting better and better! Highly recommended!

I read this book and then had to just sit quietly for a minute to reflect on everything that happened in it. Liza and Molly have been best friends their whole lives and find themselves gradually drifting apart as adults. Liza moves to Chicago while Molly marries and has 2 kids. They try to keep the friendship going but over time they realize it's more about going through the motions than the actual relationship. Liza has reached a point where she is trying to figure out what she wants in life and what her next step is going to be. Molly has become a shell of her former self bogged down by guilt and chronic pain. One chance web chat that revealed an intruder in Molly's home changes everything for both women and their relationship. The story that unfolds is one of lies, pain, secrets, and leaves you wondering how well you can really know someone. I found this to be a fantastic read with the exception of Molly being slightly annoying in the way she handles things.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the ARC and the chance to leave my honest review here.

At first, I decided I might not finish this book. It started out similar to a thriller but then it morphed into more of a character study about relationships and the friendship between Molly and Liza and what makes them fall apart, Or stay together whether it's a friendship or a marriage.

But I’m not one to give up on anything without a fight and Forget You Know Me is a really more of a drama about friendships that have changed and people who have moved on from one another over the course of their lives, sometimes through no fault of their own. Things happen, people change, spouses grow apart, life intervenes in ways we can’t even imagine. This book is resonating with me on a personal level so I’m glad I gave it another chance.