FORGET YOU KNOW ME by Jessica Strawser is a fast-paced novel of domestic drama with plenty of twists and turns that kept me engrossed from beginning to end. It tells the story of two close friends, Molly and Liza, whose once-strong friendship is fading away before their eyes, but they seem powerless to repair it. At the same time, Molly’s marriage to Daniel has reached a breaking point, with both of them harboring dangerous secrets that threaten their relationship, family and friends. The story alternates between the voices of Liza and Molly and slowly reveals the layers of their emotionally complex lives. The characters are interesting and well-portrayed even though they are not necessarily very likable. I like the pace and style of the author’s writing and that kept me flipping the pages to get to the surprising conclusion that I did not see coming at all. I enjoyed this book for its unique and suspenseful plot and I now look forward to reading Jessica Strawser’s previous novels. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I love all of Jessica's books - she is truly one of my favorites!! This book was surpassed my expectations. This is definitely her best one yet - she just keeps getting better and better!! I love how she wove Eleanor Roosevelt quotes throughout the book. I loved the on again and off again relationship between Liz and Molly. I loved the first chapter as much as the last!!

I enjoyed the story even though parts of it seemed a bit contrived. There were several stories operating which helped to hold my attention. Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC!

This book is a bit of a bait and switch. The author pulls you in with a terrific start for a thriller, then decides to write a book about secrets and lies instead. It's still a very good book, but it may be a letdown for anyone wanting a true thriller.

Molly and Liza were long time friends who were catching up via a video chat. When Molly stepped away from her computer to help her child, Liza was shocked to see over the computer that a man dressed all in black had broken into Molly's house. Who was it? Where did he go? And why wasn't Molly more concerned about the events that happened?

I was hoping for a heart-pounding, high-paced thrilled from this point on, but the story never quite reached that level for me. There are several different story lines that provide plenty of mystery and questions and contemplation, and it draws the reader in to try to figure out what is really going on in both Liza and Molly's lives.

I thought this book was going to be a thriller but the more I read the less is felt like a thriller and the more it seemed like a study of a marriage going wrong. I might have enjoyed it more had I not had high expectations of it being suspenseful and thrilling. It was so exciting in the first few chapters but quickly turned pretty dull. I was disappointed.

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is not a psychological thriller, it is maudlin women's fiction , although I DID want to die the entire time I was reading it. A solid two.

Jessica Strawser has written a contemporary story that rings true. A vivid portrait of how lives change with time and stress. Throw in a little mystery, some complications and a race to a finish line that moves along very nicely and you have a solid bestseller!

Forget You Know Me is story of friendship and love, strength and weakness. It's the story of Liza and her best friend, Molly, and Molly's husband, Daniel. Jessica Strawser has woven for us a tale of what happens when human souls "bottom out" and decisions must be made if relationships are going to survive.

This book was well written, and captivating! I was compelled to read it quickly, and found that the story was not at all predictable. There are a minimum number of well defined main characters so I didn't have to turn back pages to refresh my memory on who was who. The story proceeds in an interesting fashion, and I loved the way Strawser draws it to a satisfying and wonderful conclusion.

I highly recommend Forget You Know Me to my fellow woman readers!

What started out a bit of suspense with Liza freaking out when she is on a Skype call with Molly and seeing an intruder enter the house leads in a whole different direction then I thought the story was headed. That was basically all the suspense in the book. This was more of a story of a life long friendship changing and a marriage between two people that seem to be going in different directions and choosing to stay married or get divorced. All in all was a decent book but not really a thriller or mystery like I usually read.. Decent book the story flows nicely . I would recommend reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Kindle ARC of Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser. As soon as I read the description of the book, I knew it would be exactly the type of book I would enjoy reading. Very grounded in real-life situations, the story is of Liza and Molly, who have been friends since grade school. Molly settles down with a husband and kids in her hometown of Cincinnati, and Liza, after much decision making, decides to follow a career in Chicago, where she knows no one and feels isolated. Liza and Molly set up a "girls night" over webcam and when Molly leaves the computer to check on one of her children, Liza witnesses something so alarming that she calls the Cincinnati police to report what she has seen. She also convinces her one friend in Chicago, Max, to drive with her to her hometown and check on her friend when she is not able to reach her. Molly's husband, Daniel, is out of town when the incident occurs and only finds out what happened upon his return the next day. Molly's reaction to Liza's decision to call the police is not what the reader would expect and they become estranged. Jessica Strawser's writing and backstory of why Molly behaves the way she does is gripping and terse. She weaves a tale of lies by omission, insecurity, and physical pain in Molly that keep the read involved in the story. I read the book in one day, wanting to find out the resolution - if Molly and Liza could reconcile their friendship, if Molly could stop lying/hiding things from her husband and reconcile their relationship and just wanting to know the outcome. I highly recommend this book for readers of literary fiction with a suspenseful plot and interesting characters.

I was excited to receive a copy of Jessica Strawsers newest book from Netgalley!
I loved her last book so much....
This book was a tough one for me to get through if I’m honest. I thought the idea of it was awesome, however I just couldn’t get pulled in. I found Molly’s issues to be so repetitive, and I struggled with this right through to the end.
I will definitely check out Jessica’s next book as I loved her last one so much.

A story of friendship and honesty.

We follow Liza's life in chapters that alternate with Molly's life. The ups & downs, the good days and bad days, all lending input to coming to terms with the past, the present while looking forward to a better future.

Single in Chicago, Lisa's attempt to reconnect with her BFF in Cincinnati, Molly, requires a Skype call. When Liza witnesses a masked man entering Molly's house while Molly is upstairs looking after her daughter, Liza phones the police. When Liza doesn't hear back from Molly she calls her Chicago BFF, Max, and they race off by car overnight only to have Molly close the door in Liza's face.

Molly is a chronic pain sufferer chasing any and all promised treatments to regain a pain-free life. Financially in trouble she hasn't told her accountant husband, Daniel, about the mess she is in.

The story got a bit bogged down in Molly's mess but it made Molly all it all that more a believable character. Liza's determination to cope with the terror from her situation had me cheering Henry to not give up on her.

I'm between 3 and 3.5 stars.

Liza and Molly have been best friends since childhood. Even when Molly was dating, and then married, Daniel, Liza was still a part of their lives, sharing stories of disastrous dates and her real lack of ambition. But when Liza moved from Cincinnati to Chicago for a job, it put a real strain on their friendship, and that strain began working its way into Molly and Daniel's marriage as well.

But one night while Daniel was on business travel, Molly and Liza are determined to remedy their lack of connection. Once Molly's kids are asleep the two settle down to a long Skype chat, complete with wine. For a few minutes, things seem like they used to—and then one of the kids begins crying for Molly. While she attends to her daughter, Liza finds herself staring at the blank computer screen...and then suddenly she sees a masked man, dressed all in black, come into the frame. Liza screams for Molly, tries calling her cell phone, but the intruder closes the computer screen.

Liza is at her wits' end. She is in a panic, constantly trying to reach Molly, and then eventually calling 911 to see if they can make sure everything is okay. But when Molly finally responds—via text, no less—her replies are curt, leaving Liza confused. Suspecting something more complicated is occurring, Liza decides to drive to Cincinnati to see Molly herself, but after driving all night, she is sent away following an angry confrontation that Liza doesn't understand at all.

Meanwhile, Daniel, who returned early from his business trip, doesn't understand why Molly didn't even call him about the intruder, nor can he figure out why Molly would have sent Liza away with such anger. What is she hiding from him? He's curious to know, although he isn't without secrets of his own, secrets which could upend all of their lives.

When Liza returns home and discovers she narrowly avoided a brush with disaster, it sends her into a tailspin when coupled with the apparent dissolution of her and Molly's friendship. She's still determined to find out what Molly is hiding from her, but she also needs to pull her own life together, as everything seems to be spinning out of control.

I had been under the impression that Forget You Know Me was a thriller, but while it has a tension-filled, pulse-pounding start, it becomes an exploration of the stresses, the secrets, and the lies that threaten to tear our relationships apart. It's a book about marriage and friendship, of fear and bravery, of giving voice to the things that threaten to destroy us.

While many of the problems facing the characters become obvious, the mystery of the masked man lingers, although many may figure out his identity. For me, it almost was a distraction once it became apparent that the book wasn't really focused on that incident as much as everyone's problems. At times I felt that the book wasn't quite sure what it wanted to be, and I wondered whether one incident in Liza's life would wind up coming back into the plot as well.

I like the way Jessica Strawser writes, and really enjoyed her last novel, Not That I Could Tell, which was released earlier this year. I didn't feel that this book was as strong, because the characters aren't all that likable, and because I really didn't know what to expect from the overall story. However, even though it was a tiny bit slow at times, I couldn't stop reading it, because I needed to know where she was going to take the story.

Once you understand this isn't a thriller, you may be able to enjoy the book for its storytelling, and for the twists and turns Strawser throws in. She's definitely a talented writer, one who can take ordinary situations and turn them into drama.

NetGalley and St. Martin's Press provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Relationships are complicated. Whether it's a marriage, a friendship between two women, or a friendship between a man and a woman, there are intricacies that defy expectations and often surprise--and sometimes hurt--those involved. I absolutely love novels that explore these dichotomies and Strawser does just that in her newest novel. Having loved Not That I Could Tell, I was anticipating the same poignant observations and depth, and I was not disappointed. Starting with a botched Skype conversation, the relationship between once-best-friends Liza and Molly begins to go off the rails and continues on a downward spiral as Molly is keeping secrets, and Liza's life is saved by coincidence. Compounding things are Molly and Daniel's floundering marriage and Molly's attraction to neighbor, Rick.
What I loved best about this book was the fact that I couldn't predict where any of it was going--which is of course, what happens in sticky relationships; one can never predict what the other will do or say--much less think! Strawser delves deep into the psyche of her characters and reiterates the fact that none of us is one-dimensional; we all have flaws, we all keep things buried, and as we grow up sometimes we grow apart from others--whether it's deliberate or not. Nothing is tied up in a neat little bow at the end, but I certainly enjoyed the look at these flawed characters who resemble each of us as we navigate this often-brutal existence with those we love and admire.

I cannot begin to even tell you how much I am loving Jessica Strawser's novels! I read this one in a day just like her first one! Write more please :) Honestly though, amazing book. She makes her characters come to life and you feel as if you know them. Amazing story plot. Highly recommend!

This book I wanted to love. It has to many descriptive words, unnecessary to the story. It didn't flow, and I just didn't feel for any of the characters. Loved her other book, but this didn't cut it.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Forget You Know Me reminded me of Jessica's last novel that I read, Not That I Could Tell. There was a lot of foreplay and excitement, but not much for a climax. Not a lot of bang, IMO. The story-line built up to so much with each page that you turned and it could have went so many ways but ultimately fell flat for me.

The plot was weak at best. Not to mention the many sub-plots that were just as weak. The author made it to where every character had something going on and then didn't give us time and reasoning to fully understand just what was going on. I know that may not make sense to you, but I promise in my head it does.

I do want to say that Jessica's writing is very easy to read (for me) but I can see where others may not enjoy it. I tend to flow through her stories effortlessly because her writing makes it so easy. But for some reason, her writing didn't work this go around in the sense of developing any kind of "connection" with these characters. It's almost hard for me to put into words how hard it was for me to understand what was going on with them or even why.

And then...it all just falls down. I didn't like the way the story was wrapped up. I wish I could give you the reasons why but I think we all know that I don't believe in spoilers. I can appreciate good writing when I see it and every time I pick up one of Jessica's books I know that her writing will be such a treat. For You Know Me was a book that held so much potential but once it was all said and done, I was left unsatisfied.

I thoroughly enjoyed Jessica Strawser’s first two novels so I was so excited to dive into Forget You Know Me! This novel centers around besties Molly and Liza, who have been as close as sisters for years, but have become a little distant as of late. Whether it’s the fact that Molly is married with kids and Liza is single or that Liza took a risk and uprooted her life from Cincinnati to Chicago while Molly stayed put in Cincinnati, the ladies started to drift. Feeling the distance Liza and Molly schedule a video chat “girls night” to reconnected. With Molly’s husband away and her kids in bed the two started talking when Molly’s daughter wakes up. Molly tells Liza to give her a quick minute to re-tuck in her daughter. In the meantime, Liza just hangs out and then she sees a masked man walk in Molly’s house and then slams Molly’s laptop close and disconnects their chat!!!!! Liza calls the police immediately, but after the police arrive they find everything fine and nothing seems amiss. Molly texts when the police leave telling Liza there must have been a computer glitch and that she’s safe and going to bed! What the what!?!?! Liza decide to jump in the car and drives hours to check-in, in person with Molly. From that point, I had to find out what the heck was going on!

Jessica Strawser really knows how to keep your attention! I enjoyed figuring out the who, what, where and how throughout this novel! The characters were well developed, I found myself daydreaming about them after I finished! I flew through this 4 star book in a day and half because I HAD to find out! I am looking forward to reading what Jessica Strawser comes out with next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This one was just "meh" to me. Liza and Molly are childhood friends that now live in different states. They connect one evening on video chat and when Molly leaves the computer for a second to check on her child, Liza sees an intruder. Liza is frantic and scares them away by yelling. Then the screen goes black.

Molly ends up unfazed and Lisa panics and goes to visit her friend. In the meantime, Liza suffers a tragedy back home.

Lisa and Molly have a falling out - Molly and her husband aren't on good terms - where does this masked intruder come into play?