Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

Liza and Molly have always been close, even through moves and marriage.  While video chatting one evening, Liza sees an intruder in Molly's house.  Liza panics, calls the police, and then the screen goes black.  When she finally reaches Molly, Molly is icy and reassures her that everything is fine...

I was expecting one type of story and was completely surprised in a good way what this turned into.  This book dives deep into the relationships that everyone has with each other.  Best friends, spouses, mothers, fathers - things are strained and people need to quit pretending.  I appreciated how this was not a typical thriller but a story with great character development and how relationships go through different phases.  A good and solid read.

“Forget You Know Me” by Jessica Strawser”

I picked this up as its description sounded like it would be a very interesting psychological thriller. It was an interesting read, did have a slight psychological thriller aspect to it, but mainly it was about two long term friends who have slowly grown apart, a marriage that was struggling, and the personal issues of all the main characters.

This was not a novel that I read straight through without stopping. In fact, I only read it in the evening before bed. Mainly because it held my attention for only an hour or so at a time. For me, the ending was rather anti climatic, although for many other readers this may not be the case.

As an avid reader and one who reads a variety of novels, a great many of which are thrillers, psychological mysteries or thrillers, and this just didn’t hold up to a good majority of them. This is a novel I would recommend for those who don’t often read this genre. You will appreciate this book.

The writing and storyline are clear, while some sections need a bit more expanding for full understanding. The characters have their positive and negatives and are generally well written.

For me, this novel is a 3 star read, yet please understand many would classify this as a four star read.

Rating: 3.4
⭐️⭐️⭐️


** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. What a page turner! This story between two best friends will keep you guessing right up til the very end. Highly recommend!

What an intriguing great premise! Childhood best friends Liza and Molly decide to catch up over a Skype call and some wine. But when Molly goes upstairs to check on her daughter, Liza sees a masked intruder enter her house. This one incident sets off a chain reaction of intriguing events that kept me guessing.

Guys, this is not a thriller, it is a domestic suspense novel, and as such there is less tension and suspense, and more character development and thoughtful themes. No, the plot doesn’t veer wildly from one plot point to the next, but you will get to know these intricately crafted characters and understand each of their motivations.

This book is about friendship, honesty and deception. It is emotionally complex and thoughtful. It asks if a debt can ever be paid and if forgiveness can ever entirely be given. With thoughtful themes and well-drawn characters, Forget You Know Me is a lovely book to read over a glass of wine and chat with your girlfriends about.

This book takes the classic BFFs-Growing-Apart and adds some twisty mystery. Liza and Molly live far apart, and are talking on Skype, when Liza sees an intruder in Molly's house. Exciting, right? What is happening? Why won't Molly return her calls? Liza, of course, panics, and drives with her maybe-gay friend Max to find out what's going on.

I couldn't buy into this one. I just couldn't, though I tried, and I really was curious about what was happening. But ultimately the characters lost me. I didn't like them much. The sister in law who snaps during stressful moments, the brother who is obliviously optimistic, the maybe-gay friend who talks to Liza like he's stepped out of a romance novel. Henry, the pilot, who apparently bakes cinnamon rolls for himself every morning... It just wasn't believable for me. I kept waiting for one of them to say, "Wait, seriously? You're a pilot, you travel all the time and yet, you bake cinnamon rolls every morning for one person? Like, you make the dough, let it rise, roll it out.....all of that? You know you can buy them in the pop cans, right?" When no one in the tale questioned these things, I found myself doing it for them, and they just...lost credibility I guess.

Solidly OK, if you can tamp down your disbelief and just ride the roller coaster.

The story line grabbed me right away. Two friends, Molly & Liza, are trying to return to their days of closeness with an online video chat, when Molly gets called away to tend to a child. While Liza waits for her to return, she sees an intruder enter the house. How can that not grab you?

Sadly, that was the best part of the book. The remaining story lines were interesting, but seemed pretty far fetched to me. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was a first read for me by Jessica Strawser. I am looking forward to looking into some of her other novels even though I cannot say that I loved this one. The story line is well put together leaving no questions at the ending, but the characters were selfish, paranoid and psychotic and it made me dislike them. It took me a longer time than usual to get through this book. While I was reading it, I was into it, but the desire to continue reading it after I put it down just wasn't there.

Forget You Know Me is an excellent novel! I was racing though the pages to figure out all the little mysteries that were peppered through the novel. I very much enjoyed reading this one and am excited to grab a finished copy when the book is officially published in February! This is the perfect example of a book that must be shared with friends!

** 4.5 Stars **

It started out strong, meandered for the next third or half of the book and then picked up again. I liked it but not as much as her previous novel I’ve read. I was expecting more suspense and excitement, and this was a little soft for me.

An exciting mystery keeps the pages turning and the nuanced and layered characters and relationships are strikingly real and leave a lot to reflect on.

Also welcome was inclusion of a woman with chronic pain of unknown causes portrayed in a believable, sympathetic, and strong manner.

Two best friends lose touch and begin to question their relationship. One of the pair is a hypochondriac whose marriage is falling apart. End of plot. Slogging through the main characters' internal thought processes made for a tedious read. There was an uninteresting mystery involved, and an "all's well that ends well" final chapter. I didn't care about the "ending well" as much as I did that it was ended for me. (And, by the way, how did the title of the book relate to the story? No idea.)

Thanks to NetGalley for this free read.

Molly and Liza are childhood friends who have grown apart as they grew older. Living in different towns, Liza is single and Molly married with children. They finally get in touch again and start skyping every week with each other when one night during the skype Liza sees a masked man enter Molly's house while Molly is putting her kids to bed. What follows is a lot of up and downs as Liza drives all night to see if Molly is okay only to have the door closed in her face. This may have been an interesting book but most of the characters are un-likeable and the reason the masked man was in the house was silly.

Lots to like about this novel. The first three quarters of the book are tightly written, so much so that I read every word. The characters are dynamic and their problems are real.

However, they aren't very likable. And that made the writing drag a bit. For me it was kind of like visiting people that I really didn't want to visit but I had to visit anyway. I finished it, because, like I said, the writing is good but it was hard to do.

Also, I wouldn't call this a thriller. I'd compare it more to "Little Fires Everywhere," it's a domestic drama for sure, but not a thriller. 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed Strawser's last novel Not That I Could Tell. I am a fan of domestic/neighborhood thrillers and I looked forward to this one because it was following a similar kind of premise. With a plot following the relationship of two girlfriends and what happened after a video chat goes wrong I was hoping for a dramatic read. This ended up being much less of a thriller and more of a mystery that wasn't very fast paced. I was very interested in what was going on for the first half of the book but after that it kind of fell flat for me. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Forget You Know Me – Jessica Strawser
I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.
Liza and Molly were best friends all through childhood, and well into adulthood. But marriage, children and a move all have a way of creating distance, so the girls have arranged a girl’s night out via computer. When Molly goes to check on a crying child, Liza, through her webcam, sees a masked assailant enter Molly’s home. Frightened, she yells at him to stop, and he closes the computer.
Liza, terrified for her friend’s safety, drives several hours to check on Molly personally. When she arrives at her home, she finds Molly, cold and aloof, and denying that anything took place. Hurt, and puzzled, Liza returns home only to find her apartment building has been destroyed by fire, throwing her into a mental debate about fate and chance.
This novel, told in the third person, chronicles the friendship of the girls, as well as the ups and downs of Molly’s marriage to her husband Daniel. As each relationship has grown apart, and each individual has developed what seem like insurmountable personal obstacles, they find hope and strength in the bonds of friendship and love to overcome, flourish, and re-discover the true meaning of love, commitment and second chances.
This is my second read by author Jessica Strawser, and it will not be my last. Filled with love, regrets, a touch of drama and second chances, this a book that women readers can take to heart. A sweet, heart-warming story!!

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

Jessica Strawser’s newest novel, Forget You Know Me is about two friends and a thread of mystery as to what happened to one of them. In the beginning chapters, the two women, separated by distance, are having a chat over webcam, hoping for a fun conversation and a chance to bond again. But when Molly steps away for a minute, Liza sees something scary and immediately calls the police. Worried about her friend, Liza drives for hours to make sure she’s okay.

But Liza is shocked when a very cold and not friendly Molly tells her everything is fine and not to worry. In fact, Molly is distant and Liza feels their friendship is over.

Did something happen or is Liza imagining things?



Here’s the full synopsis:

Liza and Molly are life-long best friends—or at least they used to be. Ever since Liza moved to Chicago to pursue her career, leaving Molly behind in Cincinnati with a husband and two kids, the distance between their two lives has grown more and more insurmountable. In a last-ditch effort to save their friendship, they arrange a “girls night” over webcam, wine in hand, catching up like they used to. But when Molly runs upstairs to check on a crying toddler, Liza watches, horror-struck, as a masked man enters the home of her best friend.

After calling the police, Liza frantically tries to reach Molly, but when she finally responds, her message is icy and terse, insisting that everything is fine. Liza is still convinced something is wrong—that her friend is in danger. But after an all-night drive to rescue her ends in a brutal confrontation, Liza is sure their friendship is over.

Meanwhile, Molly finds herself wondering whether she’s dodged one ruinous mistake only to make another in its place. Did she sacrifice her oldest friendship to save her marriage? Or has she inadvertently sacrificed both?

Liza and Molly can’t avoid each other forever, and soon, they’ll face a reckoning that will force them to decide just how much weight a shared history can carry.



I am only in the first half of this novel and I look forward to seeing how everything plays out.

This was a good story. It kept me guessing. I look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I received this book "Forget You Know Me" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I didn't think the words were flowing in this book. I had to re-read some to try to understand the story. I felt bored at times and the book seemed to drag on. I struggled to finish the last page.

At first, the book had me lying in bed putting the clues together to figure out "who it was"...and I was right but not for the right reason. First half of the book kept me intrigued and thinking oh no maybe I'm wrong; maybe this is what is happening. Then it lost momentum for me. It's more of a book about a relationsihp falling apart and can it be put back together, and at what lengths, and also a long term friendship that needs the same. I enjoyed the read and thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.