I thought this was a good suspense/mystery that is likely to be a popular summer read. There were a lot of elements to discuss with this one that would make it a good book club choice. A promising debut.
Thanks to Forge Books and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I struggled a bit to get into this, but once I got past the beginning pages the story was certainly intriguing. Allie Ross has a history she wants no one to know about. Unfortunately, she’s been thrust into the middle of a murder she’s been accused of committing. Everything about her life is twisted and misconstrued. In the age of social media, it seems anyone can highjack your life and someone certainly has taken over her’s. The thought that it can so easily happen is scary. Doubt and suspicion is cast everywhere. Great pacing, definitely a page turner and had me guessing until the end. I’m just a bit reserved on the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of I Don't Forgive You.

Allie Ross, mother and photographer, has just moved to a wealthy DC suburb, and she's not comfortable. She doesn't have many friends, her mother is suffering from dementia, and she's struggling to make a name for herself in the photography industry.

When a man who assaults her at a party is found dead the next day, Allie discovers she is being framed for his murder. And it might lead back to a secret from her past.

This was a standard trope-y thriller; an unreliable, weak, female protagonist, a husband who doesn't believe her paranoia and seeks to institutionalize her, a mentally ill mother whose ravings are also dismissed, multiple suspects and poorly developed characters.

Allie is incredibly unsympathetic; things happen to her and not the other way around. Despite having a transient childhood and an unstable mother, she lacks street smarts of any kind.

She does things that don't make sense or takes too much time to figure things out.

When she discovers she's been hacked and enlists the aid of a son of a neighbor, he advises to turn her laptop and phone to him to check but she's unable to part with her phone. Really? A hacker is destroying your life but you can't bother to turn over the device that is ruining your life?

Also, who doesn't change their locks when they move into a new home?

I don't care if you live on a remote island in the middle of Timbuktu and your nearest neighbor is two islands over. You change your locks.

The identity behind the chaos is not shocking and this woman's reasoning is just as upsetting as what happened to Allie as a teenager; a woman blaming a teenager for her husband's predatory behavior.

To top it all off, the women meet due to a coincidence, which I don't believe in, in real life or in books.

This makes the reasoning behind the revenge look contrived, forced. If the bad guy sought out Allie, taken time to be diabolical and vengeful, I might have liked her. I would have liked, at least, one character.

The writing flowed but the premise was not original and the characters unmemorable. Some readers would enjoy this but this was just an average read for me.

This was a good page turner! I wanted to know who had targeted Allie, and none of my guesses were right. However, I did find Allie to be a difficult character to sympathize with - her attitude and the way that she told half truths, hiding a past that becomes relevant does not help her. It is more than a little scary to see how social media can be manipulated against someone, and this is something that I felt added to this story.

Allie, her husband and their young son have recently moved to an affluent neighborhood in DC. While meeting the new neighbors, Allie is assaulted in the bathroom. When her attacker is later found dead, Allie immediately becomes a suspect in the case when evidence comes out linking her to the dead man. Allie is hiding devastating secrets, but murder is something she knows she’d never do. But if not, who’s trying to frame her, and why? A fun and interesting thriller with a great premise, perfect if you’re looking for a quick, entertaining summer read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this one especially after the premise and cover. However, I hated the main character Allie, just hated her! I do not think we would be friends because she is too self-centered and selfish AF. The actual story? A few good twists but predictable. Disappointing AF, I skim read most of this to see if it would improve, it did not.

Cannot recommend it to read. Possibly use this book as coaster is a better use for those who buy at publishing. I do not enjoy giving unfavorable reviews.

Thanks to Netgalley, Aggie Blum Thompson and McMillan Tor Forge Forge Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/8/21

A few things don't add up in this suspenseful thriller. It draws you in and keeps you guessing.
Had no idea it would turn out as it did it kept me thinking thats for sure. Great characters and a fulfilling read.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

**SPOILER ALERT**

From the very first chapter, I connected with Allie. And throughout the story, I thought "If this was me, I'd be having a psychotic break or something." because of the INTENSE amount of stress Allie was put under!!!! I can't even imagine!!! Reading this book had me STRESSED. OUT.

I found two small plot holes:
1 - If she found the fake account logged in on her phone, why didn't she delete it herself?
2 - If a kid from Florida was hired to create those accounts, then how did Dustin find out that the accounts were created using Susan's WiFi?

I also thought that the initial assault in the bathroom took it just a step too far - that really should have been reported to the police. And Allie really doesn't tell her husband anything does she? No wonder he's suspicious.

Overall a great read, and people REALLY need to mind their own business and not publicly berate others!!

Allie moves to a brand-new town with her husband and son. She is looking forward to making new friends and having a nice fresh start in new surroundings. One of the neighborhood parties brings about interesting developments when a local man starts hitting on her in a manner that suggests he knows her. The next day he is found dead.

Suddenly she is being accused of having an affair with this man she swears she never met prior to that night. Text messages and a Tinder profile seem to prove otherwise.

The book has that classic mystery draw, holding your attention in the effort to figure out who did what. Just when you think you know, you realize you don’t know anything. There are some aspects when she should have just come clean about things from her past that just seemed common sense. What’s the point in being married if you don’t feel you can trust your spouse to hear you out?
It does make you a lot more conscious of just how easy it is to have your entire life manipulated thanks to social media and the internet. Almost makes you want to get offline completely. Almost.

Based on the cover of this book, I expected an intense thriller/mystery. Instead what I got was a book centered on the main character - Allie Ross - who was incredibly self-centered, focused purely on herself and how her current circumstances affected her, regardless of the husband, son, sister, and mother that we all also affected. I found myself strongly disliking Allie, which made it hard to get into the story.

This story was light on the thrills. I had to force myself to push through to finish the story. I hadn't figured out the ending before it happened, but I suspected something similar to what happened.

The dialogue was clunky in places, the characters two dimensional, and discriptions were lacking. Not sure I'd read another book by this author.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. This review is my own, honest opinion.

I Can't Forgive You by Aggie Blum Thompson is a superb read with a well defined plot and characters. Well worth the read!

Crazy, Creepy, and Atmospheric!

Allie and her husband, Mark, along with their young son, have recently moved to DC- settling in an affluent neighborhood. Things go horribly awry after the couple attends a neighborhood party. Allie is assaulted in the restroom, which is bad enough- but when her attacker is later found dead, Allie finds herself a person of interest in the case after a fake Tinder account is found in her name.

From there, one thing after another, points to a deliberate smear campaign against Allie- an attempt to not only ruin her life, but to frame her for murder. The question is… Why?

As it turns out, Allie is harboring secrets from her past- and it looks as though she's been found her out. Is someone from her past seeking revenge, or has someone closer to her discovered Allie's dark secrets- like her less than charming sister in law- or even Mark?

The setup for this novel is unnerving- seriously unsettling- and draws from current fears of identity theft, and deep fakes. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I read an article about a woman who made deep fake videos of her daughter’s cheerleading competitors, which depicted them exhibiting behavior that would get them kicked off the squad. Just goes to show how anyone with the right computer skills could easily make one look guilty of something they didn’t do.

With just the slightest bit of evidence that points to a person’s guilt, the cops might latch on to that theory and run with it. Happens all the time. This is what makes the plot so disturbingly plausible.

The author did a great job with Allie’s character. Thinking about the way the story develops, Allie is the one who carries most of the burden in the novel. The secondary characters do their part- and do it well- as there is not one person Allie can completely trust.

Yet, Allie’s behavior can look a lot like self-sabotage –such as consuming copious amounts of alcohol, which doesn’t help her reputation much. Her one -woman show is harrowing, tense, edgy and very suspenseful.

We could stop there, and I’d be satisfied, as the book delivered what I was expecting it to. Yet, this one stands out just a bit more because although the author stuck to the format's requisite rules, she broke form by taking the genre into deeper, darker, and more emotional territory than your garden variety psych thriller. I do hope readers will pick up on the more meaningful messages in the story, beyond the surface chills and thrills.

While one does experience the usual relief as the roller coaster ride coasts to a stop, the reader isn’t let completely off the hook, as the complexities and emotional aspects continue to linger after the last page is turned… as they should.

Firstly a huge thanks to Macmillian-Tor for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book tells the story of a successful photographer who is a wife and mom who has recently moved to an upscale suburb long sighh which is everyone’s dream right until one night she attends a neighbourhood party. One moment she is sipping wine with her neighbours and the next she is trying to prove she is INNOCENT because someone killed one of the dad’s . Hold on to your seat belt it’s one heck of a ride and you will love every second of it.

So, I wanted to like this book, but I had a hard time connecting with Allie, and the storyline seemed to drag a bit too much for this genre. The overall flow of the story just felt a bit off. Too many predictable "twists" and overused tropes to rate this book higher.

Excellent debut novel! Being an elementary librarian, sometimes I realize months pass between reading books intended for audiences my own age, so I was intentional about reading a few adult thrillers during spring break. I Don’t Forgive You was my favorite.

Allie reluctantly attends a social gathering in her new neighborhood. While her husband talks sports with the gentlemen, Allie finds herself in the kitchen flirting innocently enough, she believes, with a man there. But he crosses a line and attempts to violate her. She leaves abruptly, he’s found dead the next morning, and she becomes a suspect in his murder. The book doesn’t slow down from that point. As things become increasingly complicated and confusing, her own husband isn’t sure who or what to believe. And the secrets Allie has kept from him for years that begin to surface certainly won’t help.

It could have gone in a number of directions which is fun for those who enjoy making predictions although I try to avoid that and just flow with the story. That said, recognizing so many possible plot directions prevented me from taking many breathers—I had to keep reading to discover who was causing such destruction in Allie’s life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forge for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of I Don't Forgive You by Aggie Blum Thompson.

Allie, and her husband and young son are new to an upscale neighborhood where everyone is highly scrutinized, especially when it comes to their parenting. Allie is at a neighborhood party, desperate to impress when she is hit on by a fellow neighbor. But what starts as an innocent flirtation turns chilling when he calls her by a nickname that she has long since buried.

But things get even creepier when he turns up dead the next day, an obvious homicide. When people start pointing fingers at Allie for their tense interaction, it becomes clear that someone is trying to frame her. But why? And what is in her past that could come back to haunt her?

Great premise, excellent development. And it was just the right amount of gossipy goodness, without making too much fun of itself. This was a lot of fun, it would be great for a captivating beach read.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

What a RIDE!

Aggie Blum Thompson’s debut novel I Don’t Forgive You is an exhilarating and enthralling experience, something akin to river rafting.

The thrill, the excitement, the shock, the gasp, everything gets rolled into one as the reader gets absorbed into Allie and her life. It was just harmless flirting at a neighborhood party but she had to pay a price of unspeakable horror, like most women who do not want the fuss of attention, Allie also decides to ignore the blatant disregard of decency. The decision backfires spectacularly with Allie not knowing the direction of destruction that is happening in her life. Her dementia-affected mother, her irresponsible sister, her career going down the drain, her neighbors opting to isolate her, the police suspicious of her, suddenly everything that she has held sacred is nose-diving at an alarming rate and nothing makes sense.

Aggie Blum Thompson has worked wonders in capturing the nightmare that follows Allie. The horror of having someone impersonating you on social media is utterly terrifying and the helplessness of the unsettling trauma has been described brilliantly. It was easy to picture the powerlessness of the situation.

I Don’t Forgive You is an edge-of-the-seat revenge thriller that one would be hard-pressed to put down. It is a fast-paced read, the events in Allie’s life happening one after another without a break so much that I advise that the reading also be done in one sitting to enjoy it thoroughly.

Outstanding debut!

This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Meduim.com, and Twitter.

This is a ridiculously tension-filled novel. It’s actually a stressful read.

Photographer Allie Ross has moved to an upscale suburb of DC with her husband and five-year-old son. She’s having a difficult time making female friends here, but she forces herself to go to a party with her husband, Mark. The only person who pays attention to her is a man who pours her wine. She thinks it’s harmless flirting until he’s found dead the next day, and police and her neighbors are convinced she’s the one who poisoned him.

As she tries to live her life while also clearing her name, whoever is framing her for the murder is systematically destroying her life by creating fake social media accounts making her look like a lush and a terrible mother. Mark’s family has no love lost for Allie, who doesn’t enjoy going to their strict, old-school church. The fact that Mark keeps pushing her to go to rehab because she has started to drink more than half a bottle of wine a night is infuriating. It’s not hard to drink three glasses of wine while making and eating dinner with friends, let alone trying to deal with being investigated for murder while people believe the awful things being posted under fake identities. It was too easy to identify with how social media can be abused. Obviously in most cases its abused for revenge or to extort money from people, but anyone who has any presence on social media knows how easily things can be misconstrued and manipulated and abused.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, which RELEASES JUNE 8, 2021.

IDFU is a claustrophobic thriller that twisted me inside-out and had me flipping the pages like a speeding bullet. It is one of those books that absolutely drives me crazy – but in good way.

The loving Ross family, Allie (AKA Sexy Lexy), Mark, and their son Cole, have recently moved to a DC suburb where Mark has become a partner in a big law firm. Allie is a talented photographer who is successfully making her mark in one of the town’s top studios, but, other than professionally, she has always felt like an outsider. Allie reluctantly attends a parents’ party of her son’s class, in her attempt to become more involved with the other housewives/mothers in the neighborhood. From the start she is set apart from the mothers’ clique, and (horror) she has neglected to bring the sandwich buns which she volunteered (or was volunteered) to bring to the party – or so they claim. But that was the least of Allie’s worries! After a flirtatious tête-à-tête with one of the fathers, Allie has a second, more disturbing experience. She and her husband leave the party abruptly and an emotional Allie relates the experience to her husband. Mark is attentive and supportive.

When someone who attended the party is found toes up on the floor of his bedroom the next morning, the whole neighborhood is buzzing with rumors. From that point on, Allie’s life turns into a nightmare. She becomes a person of interest in the murder investigation as well as the object of speculation and neighborhood gossip. Furthermore, she has become the target of identity theft and a dangerously malicious smear campaign. Her “supportive” husband begins to doubt her, whilst the ID Thief (IDT), who has opened fake accounts on Tinder and the school’s Facebook internet sites in Allie’s name, is posting lewd photos and crude dialog on the fictitious accounts. The IDT is privy to, and posts, intimate details and mails from Allie’s past – including photos of a compromising and sexually specific nature (can you hear the cluck cluck cluck, of the neighborhood mothers?). Things go from bad to worse, the noose is tightening around her neck, the police are hounding her, the IDT is cranking up the pressure with professionally damaging posts and enough defamatory evidence to keep Allie firmly in the police crosshairs, and on the wagging tongues of the neighborhood gaggle. The IDT opened an Amazon account and ordered incriminating evidence delivered to Allie’s doorstep, her husband finds a condom that was planted under her car seat - he is no longer even pretending to be supportive. IDT also plants her High School T-shirt in her house (which ultimately confirms to Allie that her embarrassing past is playing a role in her predicament). In the meantime, someone has poisoned her mother, and framed her sister for mortgage fraud – no one is listening to the real Allie and no one cares. Allie learns that Mark has hired a private detective to follow her, she has passed out drunk on more than one occasion, and he is threatening her with filing for custody over Cole if she does not check herself into a rehab center.

So, what happens next in this claustrophobic mystery thriller? All I will say is that I solved the mystery early on, since the author had me pointing a finger in all directions, at nearly every character in the book (except at Allie’s demented mother and innocent son). So, of course, eventually I was right! One of the characters actually DID commit the crime/s!

Lest the reader forget and blame the victim, I liked the fact that at one point amidst all the madness, the author uses the character of Madeline to issue a sobering reminder relating to the capacity for consent (or rather lack thereof), and what standard is expected of a teacher, even if he or she feels that it is the student who is doing the pursuing. This was a solid 4 star for me, but considering that this was a debut novel and a really fun read, I bumped up to 5 stars – paying it forward because I will definitely be looking for more books by Aggie Blum Thompson.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Forge Books, for an ARC of this book. I LOVED IT!

When Allie, Mark and their new son move into an upscale neighborhood, they are happy. They attend a party in the neighborhood and while Mark seems like he fits in at first talking about sports with the guys Allie starts talking to a man. Now, this man knows a nickname that Allie thought was behind her in all regards and even tries to attack her in the bathroom. However not wanting to make a deal about it she doesn't tell Mark, which ends up being a huge mistake because this man ends up poisoned to death and the trail leads straight to Allie.
Allie now finds out that there is someone impersonating her online and having conversations with this man and everyone now thinks that she is having an affair with him. While the whole neighborhood is full of gossip and pointing the finger at Allie Mark starts to suspect her too. What will she do or how far will she go to prove her innocence?
Oh man this one was definitely a wild ride! I enjoyed it all too much! I hated any time that I had to set the book down even if it was just for a moment!
This book is definitely worth the read and you will sit on the edge of your seat the whole time!