This was a story of friendship. Friendship that endures long distance, mistrust, lies and a long road to forgiveness.

Liza and Molly were once attached at the hip. They did everything together. Then Molly met Daniel and while Liza was still included a great deal, the dynamic between the two friends was slowly changing.

When offered the opportunity to move away and start over, Liza takes the chance, knowing that even though she might be miserable, it's what's best for her friend and her new marriage.

Then one night everything changes. Liza witnesses an attempted crime while Skyping with Molly. The reaction after puzzles Liza, pushing her to pursue the reason behind her friend's sketchy actions.

Not knowing what is truly going to happen, Liza opens a Pandora's box that will slowly bring to light secrets that others would rather remain hidden.

This one started out with a BANG! Liza and Molly are childhood friends who are finally getting the chance to video chat, catch up and down a glass or two of wine. Right as the conversation starts flowing, Molly's young child calls, pulling Molly away. While Liza waits for her to return, she sees something through the screen. Something that utterly terrifies her. When Molly finally gets back to her, she assures her that everything is fine and they'll talk later. What? WHAT?! Liza is frantic to find out what happened and know that everything is ok, while at the same time, Molly pulls farther and farther away.

I loved how this book switches perspectives, especially because EVERYONE here has secrets and issues. I really did enjoy this book, I just wish it had been edited down a bit. There were points where I felt like I was just skimming through parts that dragged to find out what happens next. But I really enjoyed the characters, even if I spent half the book yelling at them to communicate. I will definitely be looking for more from Jessica Strawser.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start out by saying I was soooo excited for Forget You Know Me to be released. I watched Jessica Strawser discuss her latest creation on the Tall Poppies Facebook page and was gripped! How could I ever wait till March 2019??? Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley I did not have to.

The first chapter was soooooo good! I mean really REALLY good. I could not wait to discover who the masked man was that entered Molly’s house. Why was she not freaking the heck out?

I really appreciated some of the subplots as I could find them relatable. I felt overwhelmed with emotion at times and found myself crying.

The ending fell a little flat for me, it may have been my own fault, I had come up with a lot of ideas and felt let down....that’s it?

Jessica Strawser is an excellent author and really knows how to write so that you can feel the characters and their emotions. She impresses me! I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my advanced copy of Forget You Know Me in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book sounded great. I settled in for a good read. Sad to say, that did not happen. For me, this was a boring read. The characters were not the best as well as the storyline. Just a boring read. I did not care for this book at all. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it in no way had any bearing on my review.

I thought it was a good read, but at times I felt it was super slow. Didn’t dislike the characters but didn’t love them.

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great book about the ups and downs of relationships with a shocking twist! I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was a great mix between women’s fiction and suspense/thriller. This book had mystery, strained relationships, romance, and a ton of characters having some tough choices to make. I would definitely recommend this book!

This was a wonderful story of the strength that comes in repairing & rebuilding relationships. It was nice to read about people who worked to fix relationships instead of abandoning ship even when it would be warranted. I enjoyed the characters immensely regardless of how flawed most of them were, especially Liza and Henry. I thought the ending was beautifully crafted & tied up almost all the loose ends although I would have loved to read that Luke & Steph had a healthy baby. This was my second Jessica Strawser novel and am happy to have had the chance to read it.

Liza and Molly have been friends since they were children. They have drifted apart in recent years because well, basically life happens. Liza now lives in Chicago and Molly lives in Cincinnati. These two decide to try and rekindle their friendship over a Skype call and a glass of wine. When Molly leaves the call for a few minutes to check on the children, Liza sees a masked intruder enter Molly’s home. After a 911 call and a long drive to Cincinnati, Molly is rude to Liza and this leaves Liza to question exactly what is going on.

This story starts with a bang. Then it begins a slow paced tale about family and friends relationships. Not only is Molly’s relationship with Liza on the brink, so is her relationship with her husband, Daniel. Their marriage has its share of past hurts and damages. I will be honest, I am not a huge fan of Molly. I did not like how she treated Liza at the beginning.

The story itself is much slower than I like. Plus, I felt the characters could have been more in-depth. After the scene with the mask intruder, that is pretty much it for thriller section. This is more about friendship and family.

I received this novel from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley for a honest review.

3 stars
My rating scale:
5☆ - I loved this book and it brought out true emotion in me (laughter, anger, a good cry, etc)
4☆ - I loved this book.
3☆ - I liked this book.
2☆ - I didn't really care for this book.
1☆ - I did not like this book at all and probably did not finish it.

Didn't love this, didn't hate it either. I had a lot of trouble getting into it, but the story was decent.

This was the first book I’ve read by Jessica Strawser. The plot line was unique and I was interested to see how the story would progress. To me it was a little slow to read. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but I didn’t feel invested in the characters. It wrapped up better than I anticipated so I was glad that I finished it. I am interested to read her first book because I’ve heard good reviews.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Molly and Liza have been friends forever--seeing each other through high school, college, and early adulthood. But they now find themselves drifting apart. Liza is single and recently moved from Cincinnati to Chicago. Molly still lives in Cincy, is married to Daniel and has two kids, ages three and five. One night they attempt to reconnect over video chat. But while Molly's upstairs putting one of the kids back to bed, Liza spots a black-clad figure sneaking in Molly's back door. Liza's shouting over the computer startles him, and he shuts the computer lid on her. Liza panics and calls the police. But she never hears from Molly again that night, beyond a few short texts. Convinced her friend is in real trouble, Liza drives from Chicago to check on her, only to have the door basically be shut in her face. Liza is baffled, wondering if their friendship is truly over. And Molly is unable to deal with what happened--and with the other issues going on her life. But the webcam incident has kicked off a series of events for both women that they soon will be unable to ignore.

I have to hand it to Jessica Strawser--not sure what's happened to her in her life (ha), but she can come up with some tangled plots. As always with her books, you have to go in expecting more women's fiction than suspense/thriller, and that helps set expectations up front. Still, I have to say, that there are a surprising number of suspects for the black-clad figure who pops up on Liza's web cam. For a suburban neighborhood, it sure is a tangled web of secrets and lies out there!

So I found the plot on this one kind of baffling at first: I think it could have done without Liza and Molly's fight, honestly. Their fighting was awkward and uncomfortable and didn't seem really necessary. But I quickly warmed to Molly and Liza, who were very real characters with flaws and genuine traits. For Liza, much of her life is ruled by her anxiety, while Molly's by her chronic pain. I felt for both of them. Despite being best friends, they are on separate tracks for most of the book, making you wonder where things are going to wind up.

With everyone keeping secrets, telling lies, and basically just being dishonest--both to others and themselves--the book really does keep you guessing about what happened that night. As it does, you're treated to a very realistic look at marriage and friendship. I felt parts of it were overblown and it was a very different sort of read, but I enjoyed it overall. The descriptions and portrayals of Molly and Liza are what really drew me in. 3.5+ stars.

The author wrote a twisty and enjoyable story that I didn't want to end! I thoroughly recommend this one!

Liza witnesses, via Skype, a masked man entering her friend’s home while her friend is upstairs tending to a child. She drives all night to make sure she’s okay after her friend doesn’t answer the phone, but Molly, the friend, dismisses the idea that a man came into her house, and she break’s Liza’s heart. Returning home to a life-changing event sends Liza back to her hometown, where no investigation is proceeding for the mystery man. Strawser digs deep into the fears of a married couple in multitudes of trouble, the evolution of friendship, and a reluctant return to one’s roots. She brilliantly intertwines the consequences of the characters’ actions as they rush headlong into premature conclusions. This novel is a great look into love resurrected and the ability to access romantic love after a trauma. Strawser is a talented storyteller. I was fortunate to receive a copy of this wonderful book from the publisher Macmillan through NetGalley.

I've posted this review to my blog and will share on social media and retailer sites.

I went into Jessica Strawser’s Forget You Know Me expecting to read a thriller. What I got, however, was something entirely different and not necessarily in a bad way. Instead of being a thriller, Forget You Know Me is a powerful and emotional exploration of the hurt we all experience when we drift apart from someone we care about, be it a spouse, sibling, or a close friend.

There is a small “thriller” element that takes place in the early chapters of Forget You Know Me, but it’s only central to the plot in the sense that it serves as a catalyst to show just how far apart former best friends Molly and Liza have drifted over the years, as well as how fractured Molly’s relationship with her husband, Daniel, has become after years of neglect and taking advantage of each other.

During a video chat with Molly, for example, Liza sees something terrifying on screen that makes her jump in the car and drive hours to Molly’s house to make sure Molly is okay. When she arrives, however, instead of being grateful that her friend has come all this way to make sure she’s okay, Molly is cold and aloof and pretty much kicks Liza out of her house with no explanation. The awkwardness continues when not only does Molly offer Liza no explanation, but she also hides what has happened from her husband, who probably should have been the first person she told. Why the awkwardness and the secrets with the two people she should be closest to?

Strawser’s novel highlights the idea that you only get as much out of a relationship as you’re willing to put into it and just how fragile and fractured relationships can become if neglected.

My favorite part of Forget You Know Me was how well drawn all of the central characters are. The book is filled with messy, complicated characters who are going through things we can all relate to, whether we want to or not. Strawser does a wonderful job of making the ups and downs of the friendship between Molly and Liza feel so authentic. We’ve all been in relationships where we’ve just simply drifted apart over the years, either because we’ve moved away and don’t make enough of an effort to stay in contact, or else because our interests just don’t coincide with one another anymore.

Strawser does an equally impressive job of fleshing out the marriage woes between Molly and Daniel, who have clearly fallen into a rut over the years. Again, if you’ve been in any kind of long-term relationship, their relationship issues are oh-so-relatable.

In addition to complicated characters in relatable situations, Strawser also does a nice job of building a bit of suspense by keeping that thriller element lurking in the background throughout the novel as she is exploring the relationship struggles of her characters. The tension created by all of these troubled relationships, in addition to wanting a resolution to the thriller element, kept me glued to the pages.

Strawser’s smooth writing style also kept me turning the pages. Everything just flowed so nicely and I really liked the way this whole story unfolded with its many twists and turns.

My only real disappointment with the novel was that the thriller element, although it had such a huge build up in the early part of the novel, just seemed to fizzle out and take a backseat to everything else that was going on. I really expected and hoped that it would be more central to the story than it ended up being.

I would recommend Forget You Know Me to anyone who is interested in a slightly suspenseful read that explores relationships and what happens to them if they aren’t properly nurtured. If you’re looking for a true thriller, I’d say to try a different book.

Author Jessica Strawser knows how to grab readers' attention immediately. As Forget You Know Me opens, two long-time friends, Molly and Liza, have finally carved out time for a "girls' night" while Molly's husband, David, is away on a business trip. But since Liza lives in Chicago, and Molly resides in Cincinnati, they are getting together via a video call, When Molly leaves the room to check on one of her children, the call captures a shocking and frightening incident that no one was supposed to see. And the ramifications forever change the lives of both women, whose friendship has been strained the past couple of years following Liza's move. Molly's marriage has also become strained almost to the point of breaking. Molly has ensured a series of physical ailments, and instead of those challenges bringing them closer, the emotional distance between has continued to grow.

In light of what she sees on the video call, Liza drives all night to be at Molly's side, only to be rebuffed when she arrives. She returns to Chicago convinced that their long friendship is really over. However, when she gets home, she is shocked to find that she has narrowly escaped calamity herself and that only exacerbates Liza's long battle with anxiety.

Female friendships are complicated during the best of times. But secrets and lies can signal their death knell, no matter how close and enduring the relationship has been up to that juncture. In Forget You Know Me, neither Liza nor Molly wants their strong bond and shared history to evaporate, but neither of them is sure whether they can regain the closeness they have enjoyed for so many years. What is clear is that they will never be able to carry on unless they are honest with each other.

Molly and David have secrets of their own. In Molly's case, her desperate search for healing and wellness has led her to try various alternative modalities that are costly and not covered by insurance. Rather than tell David the truth, she has attempted to negotiate a deal to pay off the bills she has amassed. A deal that has put her and her family in grave danger. David, meanwhile, has not been honest with Molly about his whereabouts, but he has confided in her about the financial malfeasance he has discovered in his workplace. And he has to decide whether he has the courage to stand up and do the right thing, even as he devises ways to save his marriage. David is worried that Molly has launched an extramarital affair with their neighbor, Rick, a widower raising a troubled young daughter with whom Molly and their daughter, Nori, have been spending a lot of time.

Forget You Know Me is a contemporary tale of best friends, spouses, and a mother who has become increasingly isolated by pain and her own unwise choices. Strawser has given her characters multiple challenges and complications with which to deal, but expertly pulls the various unpredictable threads of her story lines together in a cohesive, plausible manner. That video call sets in motion a series of actions that, at long last, mean secrets must come to light and relationships must be explored. The characters have each -- in his/her own way -- reached a crisis point individually and collectively. Strawser's portrait of three lead characters under immense pressure unfolds from each one's unique perspective.

The result is a compelling and emotionally rich story about the ways in which neglect, indifference, and harbored resentments eat away at relationships. Strawser demonstrates, through her characters' actions, how fear == of judgment, of consequences, of abandonment -- feeds that erosion. She also illustrates how truth and honesty can heal. Each of Strawser's characters is endearing in his/her own right, but deeply flawed in ways with which readers will readily empathize.

Ultimately, Forget You Know Me is entertaining, thought-provoking, and will leave readers feeling hopeful and resolute.

Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

Brief Summary: Molly and Liza are lifelong friends who have grown apart. One night while trying to Skype an incident occurs that will impact both of their lives. This women’s fiction story is my first by Jessica Strawser.

Highlights: The state of Molly and Liza’s relationship is very relatable; friends who have grown apart but trying to reconnect. I found her depiction of Molly’s chronic pain incredibly realistic and a very important issue rarely found in fiction. I also found her husband Daniel’s struggle with the invisibility of her condition very realistic. Molly’s focus on a cure but also coping and survival with her condition is something I see in clinical work often. Of course I loved seeing her emphasis on behavioral remedies and trying not to let her pain interfere with important family events like the race. Ironically, I found the debt collection aspect interesting. I was also interested in Max’s role in Liza’s life. I also loved the Cincinnati connections and will visit Lunken Airport and the Nature Center on future visits there.

Explanation of Rating: 3.5 stars This book was slow paced and at times I struggled to put pieces together.

I am definitely going back to read other works by this author and will be on the lookout for her future work.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I thought it was going to be a suspenseful story, which it was not. It was more of a woman’s fiction novel. In that genre I would say it would have done better, but I never knew which way this story was going. It was frustrating.
Even what should have grabbed me at the beginning of the story just did not; I got exciting for a few pages, but it did not last long.
I was disappointed to say the least. Liza and Molly were not characters that drew me in even as I kept reading.
By the end of the book I was given a lesson on relationships, and I guess that was not what I was looking for. But I do not want to say the book was bad, because Strawser is a talented writer, as far as writing skills go. She really made me connect to the scenes.
It is truly the story of friendship, love and loyalty.
It just was not for me, because it was not what I was expecting.

This book is marketed as a mystery/thriller, it is neither. Started out good, with an intruder caught on webcam. Downhill from there. No character development, and I didn’t like the characters at all, except for maybe the 3 year old. Two children in the story, seems as if Ms Strawser really doesn’t know children, or the ones she does are extremely advanced. Author also was overly descriptive and rambled, the book could have been 100 pages shorter. Maybe this would have been better as a short story/novella? I did finish the book, but only because I’m stubborn. I doubt that I would read another book from this author. Good try, just was not my cup of tea.

3 stars

As I sit here having just finished Forget You Know Me, I find myself struggling to write this review. This is my 2nd book by Strawser and this one just didn’t QUITE do it for me. Without getting too far ahead of myself, the last 30% or so is what saved this book for me and earned its 3 star rating.

The blurb sounded great and the beginning started off with a bang with what we find out the Liza witnessed, but in the end, that event really didn’t have much to do with the story. This is a story about a broken marriage, love and friendship- all the makings of a great women’s fiction novel. But I felt that there was too much disconnect as to what this book is being marketed as and what this book is really about.

I found it a bit draggy and there is just SO much going on here, with Liza, Molly and Daniel. Maybe a little too much going on. It was slow and confusing at times, and I often wasn’t sure who the narrator was at the beginning of each chapter until I was a few sentences in.

However, once all of the issues started to pick up steam on resolutions, the book started to pick up the pace and I found I that I quite liked the ending. I will definitely be keeping my open for more to come from Strawser, because she can definitely tell a story.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for my copy of this book via NetGalley