Livvy loves being a mom and feels like she has a fairytale relationship with Dominic. However, when his estranged mom shows up, she starts to get suspicious that maybe Dominic is hiding things from her. Meanwhile, in London, Anna has lost her memory following a car accident. She relies on her husband Stephen, but she feels like he is hiding something from her. As these two women try to piece together their own mysteries, their stories start to overlap.

Overall, a decent thriller. I thought the end was a bit obvious, but I do read a lot, so that could have just been me.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

wonderful read full of mystery and suspense ,when a woman loses her memory after a car crash somethings just dont sit right with her home life .One to read for sure !!

This book had so much potential! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it but the ending could have been so much more. I was disappointed in the character development and felt there was no real climax.

I love Hannah Beckerman's writing and so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review The Forgetting.
In London, Anna wakes up in a hospital bed and has no memories of her life with her husband Stephen. In Bristol, Livvy is on maternity leave, looking forward to her return to work and experiencing the increasingly controlling behaviour of her husband Dominic.
I raced through this novel over the course of 24 hours, the author writes so well, her words just flow off the page and I became completely immersed in the lives of the two women. Beckerman skilfully portrays the insidious coercive control within a relationship and I felt so much empathy towards the two women. It's a suspenseful read, and I was waiting throughout to find out how the women's lives were connected. Another brilliant novel by the author that I would highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

"The Forgetting" by Hannah Beckerman is a thought-provoking and emotionally complex novel that explores the nature of memory, identity, and family relationships.

The story follows a family over several decades as they struggle to cope with the impact of a tragic event that changes their lives forever. The novel's main protagonist is a young woman named Marianne who, as she reaches her thirties, begins to experience memory lapses that threaten to unravel her sense of self and her relationships with those closest to her.

Beckerman's writing is evocative and immersive, capturing the nuances of human emotion with sensitivity and skill. The novel raises important questions about what it means to remember and forget, and how our memories shape our identities and relationships with others.

Overall, "The Forgetting" is a powerful and engaging novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction that delves into complex human experiences. While it deals with some heavy subject matter, it is ultimately a story of resilience, love, and the human capacity for healing.

This is a clever and well written thriller. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it.
I didn’t guess the twist which is rare.
A great book and has a plot that will stick with me.

The Forgetting was a well written mystery that kept me on my toes. The plot was unique, and I haven't read a mystery quite like it. I enjoyed all the twists and turns. There was good build up, and the ending wrapped everything up pretty nicely without dragging.

A genre (psychological thrillers) I have been going slow on in the recent months. This book has some solid aspects to its credit– good character development & very good coverage of how modern-day abuse can look like.

The story is told in two separate threads involving Anna Bradshaw, her husband Stephen in London and Livvy Nicholson, her husband Dominic and young child Leo in Bristol. Anna finds herself in a hospital in London and is not able to recognize Stephen who claims to be her husband. They were in a car crash, and Stephen blames himself as he was driving. Anna is soon discharged and feels disoriented at their home as nothing seems familiar, though Stephen tells her they have been living there for a year. He mentions that Anna worked as a librarian but lost her job and they have been married 12 years. He is very concerned about her and tells her to take it easy. Livvy has been married to Dominic for about a year and they have a young son Leo in Bristol. Dominic is frequently away on building projects. Livvy is looking forward to getting back to work, especially since she has been offered a promotion. She is concerned about caring for Leo, though her parents and sister Bea have offered to help. Livvy is also confused when Dominic’s mother Imogen makes an appearance, as Dominic confides that he has had a difficult childhood.

The guess I made regarding how the stories would converge was only partly correct, and there was a good surprise in the last 20% of the book. As happens in such stories, the author uses literary devices to keep you guessing. The pace is quite slow, but the character development is very good. The story covers aspects of coercion & control – a modern form of bad abuse very well.

Overall, a worthwhile read; among the better written stories in this genre in recent months.

This book was very interesting - a story of 2 women and following along within a certain timeframe/line. Each woman's story was interesting in it's own right and really peaked my interest to keep reading to move along with the story. don't want to give anything away but based on the synopsis of the book the women may have something in common and I spent a good 2/3rds of the book running through different scenarios of how their paths might have crossed/will cross, if they had something in common. This author took me on a good ride and kept my attention

I’ve read a few of Hannah’s books and really enjoyed them. This one though - wow!
The story is told from the point of view of two female characters, alternating chapters as the story pans out.
Livvy is married to Dominic with whom she shares a baby boy. Their marriage is quite new after they fell in love quickly and had their son. Living in Bristol, surrounded by her living family, Livvy is happy with her life choices….at the monent.
Anna wakes up in a London hospital following a car crash. The man in her room comes over as she awakes, but she doesn’t recognise him. Even when he tells her his name is Stephen and he is her husband. What else has Anna forgotten?

This book was riveting, so well written and with a brilliant twist. I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

Anna wakes up in the hospital with amnesia. She doesn't even remember her husband, Stephen. In a second story line, Livvy is confronted with her MIL who is a pain in the butt, to put it lightly.

This kept me guessing to the very end. I had ideas of how these two women's stories could be connected but the ending was totally unpredictable and shocking.

From the bestselling author of If Only I Could Tell You comes the story of two women feeling trapped and powerless. Can they find their way back to life?

When Anna Bradshaw wakes up in a hospital bed in London, she remembers nothing, not even her loving husband, Stephen. The doctors say her amnesia is to be expected, but Anna feels cut adrift from her entire life.

In Bristol, Livvy Nicholson is newly married to Dominic and eager to get back to work after six months’ maternity leave. But when Dominic’s estranged mother appears, making a series of unnerving claims, Livvy is sucked into a version of herself she doesn’t recognise.

A hundred miles apart, both women feel trapped and disorientated, and their stories are about to collide. Can they uncover the secret that connects them and reconstruct their fractured lives?

Intriguing and fantastical. I really think that this story was amazing. I will recommend to others.

2.5* --> 3*
Two women. Two stories that are about to collide. But how?

Anna lives in London. The victim of a car accident, she wakes up in hospital not remembering a single thing about her life. Not even her husband, Stephen. But it’s him she will have to trust, to guide her through this new life, until maybe one day she will remember everything again.

In Bristol, the reader meets Livvy. After six months maternity leave, she is looking forward to going back to work but the universe seems to have other ideas and keeps putting hindrances in her path. These mostly seem to come from her husband, Dominic.

Both of these women are feeling trapped and utterly powerless in their marriages. ‘The Forgetting‘ is very much a story about domestic abuse and I must admit I became incredibly frustrated at the fact that these women didn’t realise they were being manipulated. Livvy, especially, as an independent woman with the support of her family, could have walked out any minute. While the things Dominic does are often supposed to come across as subtle guidances, to me they looked as obvious as the nose on my face, and I became increasingly annoyed at Livvy for not seeing what I was seeing. For Anna, things are very different. She has nobody but her husband. With no family and no friends, she finds herself completely isolated in a house she doesn’t even remember and with no choice but to trust this stranger, because where would she be without him? That scenario is immensely unsettling.

It’s hard not to become quite angry at times. Because we know these things happen, because we know there are women out there who find themselves in situations like these, who can’t see a way out, who maybe don’t even quite understand what’s happening to them. Like Livvy, I suppose, who is slowly but surely turning into a version of herself nobody recognises. If I could have reached into this book and strangled a character or two, I totally would have.

At some point, these two stories will collide. Unfortunately for me, the whole plot turned out to be extremely predictable and I figured things out way too soon. It’s very much a case of been-there-done-that, especially for people who read a lot in this psychological thriller genre. Despite that, and the amount of eye-rolling I did at Livvy’s chapters, ‘The Forgetting‘ is, at times, rather a compelling and absorbing read. There’s absolutely no way that you can’t become totally invested in the lives of these women, that you don’t root for them, that you hope Livvy gets away, and that Anna remembers.

However, all in all, I’d say ‘The Forgetting‘, although well written, is unoriginal and lacks suspense. I often found myself considering calling it quits since I knew what was coming, maybe somehow expecting I’d be proven wrong. For the most part, an okay read but it doesn’t really stand out from the crowd, and I have a feeling I will have forgotten all about it by dinner time.

**SPOILERS**

I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing was great and the chapters were not too long. I found myself looking forward and enjoying myself while reading, which is why it got such a high rating! However, it did not get 5 stars because the ending was predictable.

This book follows two storylines, one of Anna, a woman who wakes up in a hospital and realizes that she has some form of amnesia, and Livvy, a new mom navigating her life with her young child and new husband. The women’s lives intersect at the end of the book. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Also, the character Dominic is so infuriating, you will want to throw your book! I read a lot of thrillers, so the only thing I didn’t love about this book was that I saw the plot twist from a mile a way. Nonetheless, a good 4-star read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free download. My first time reading this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great writing, great plot. Recommend.

The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman is a powerful and disturbing read that I think will appeal to many readers.
Anna Bradshaw wakes up in a London hospital bed following a car accident which has left her with amnesia. She doesn't remember who she is, how she got there or even her husband Stephen who is by her bedside wracked with guilt because he was the one driving. When she is cleared to return home, she hopes that being in familiar surroundings will help her to recover her lost memories , but as the days and weeks go by nothing seems to work and her discomfort worsens. It is not until she meets a young mum in the local park and tells her her story that she starts to really question what is going on, and if Stephen is being as honest and as helpful as she thought.
In Bristol we meet Livvy, a young newlywed mum who dotes on her son Leo but is keen to get back to work after her maternity leave. Dominic, her husband, is less keen on the idea, his troubled childhood means that he is keen for Leo to grow up in a loving home, ideally one where Livvy is at home caring for him. Livvy thinks she can make it work, especially since her parents and sister have offered to help with childcare , despite their misgivings about Dominic but he has other plans, which involve upping sticks and moving Livvy away from her family and support network to allow him to take up a new job in London. Obviously the stories of these two women will intersect, but the way they do is so wonderfully done that I am loath to say more in case it spoils anything for the reader.
This was a genuinely disturbing read, especially Livvy's story, as we see her being ground down and stripped of her independence and spirit. I found myself shaking my head and mentally begging her to listen to her family and realise what was going on. I was really rooting for her as a character. From the reader's perspective it was so obvious what Dominic was doing, and it was frustrating to see Livvy being ground down so callously and manipulatively but it was a powerful demonstration of how easily that can happen in real life.
This was a really memorable book and one that I will definitely be recommending.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The Forgetting is the first book that I've read by Hannah Beckerman and it certainly won't be my last. This is an unpredictable, twisty story about Anna, who has been in a car accident with her husband and is suffering from amnesia, and Livvy, a new mother with an adoring family and a promising career. As Anna struggles to remember her past without much help from her husband Stephen, Livvy is convinced to make a big move away from her family by her controlling husband Dominic. Their connection will have your heart racing and the ending is spectacular. This is a must read and you'll want to devour it in one sitting.

An addictive, unputdownable domestic page turner. This is a brilliant read. Wonderful writing, excellent story.

Three stars. I wanted to love this book based on the testimonies on the cover. It just fell a bit flat for me. I wanted to give up on it when it became long winded. I stuck it out and I can see the author tried hard with the idea and characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5* The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman is brilliantly tense. You’ll be reading it from behind a cushion and shouting at the characters … while forgetting to breathe.

Anna wakes up in a hospital bed, unsure as to how she got there and struggling with amnesia. Her husband Stephen tries to help her put the pieces together.

Livvy lives in Bristol with her husband and baby son. A shotgun marriage which her wider family have struggled with.

What binds these women together?

The characters are smartly created but the plot is so taut that you have to keep reading to see how it comes together and what will happen. It’s true heart in the mouth stuff. Thoroughly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union for an ARC.