A haunting tale of girls making one wrong move, Forget Me Not takes the reader into a southern style story of a family. Not all families stay connected and not all families have happy memories, and Stacy makes sure the reader stays for the winding story of relationships that should have never been.
Being a huge supporter of Willingham’s books, I was so happy to be a part of another advanced copy. The way she writes mysteries helps keep the readers connected without showing all her cards. I did enjoy the story of Galloway Farms, and the weaving of this harrowing tale, but I didn’t feel the pacing could have been set differently. Most of the action or heavier plot scenes happen after 65% of the story. If I wasn’t as involved in her work, I don’t know if it would have held my interest.
Otherwise, I would recommend this story as a slow but effective mystery of girls that need to be careful when knowing who to trust.

this book had a lot of twist and turns at the end and I enjoyed every minute of it! I liked that the entire book was building up to Claire finding out what happened to her sister Natalie. the journal entries being read in third person instead of first was interesting but still was able to relay the information needed to me as the reader.

This book absolutely hooked me from the first chapter. Forget Me Not is exactly the kind of thriller I crave: dark, twisty, and impossible to put down. Stacy Willingham has such a gift for creating atmosphere. I felt like I was right there, holding my breath with the characters as the mystery unfolded.

I loved how the story kept me guessing the entire time. Just when I thought I had it figured out, something would happen to completely throw me off. The pacing was perfect, tense but never rushed. By the end, I was racing through the pages, desperate to see how it all came together, and it did not disappoint.

Highly recommend this one if you love thrillers that are smart, atmospheric, and keep you guessing until the very end. Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for letting me read an early copy!

The premise of this book is about a journalist named Claire and her sister who was murdered 22 years ago. The case was open/ shut and the killer is behind bars, but was it really just that simple? After being in-between jobs and her mom needing help, Claire decides to spend some time back at home and sub-lease her apartment in the city. Once home, she starts working for a secluded vineyard where her sister worked shortly before her disappearance. After finding an old diary in the cabin on the property, she begins to wonder if this diary is really as innocent as she firs thought.

Willingham is a phenomenal writer and I have throughougly enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things (4.5/5 stars). However, Forget Me Not fell a little flat. I found Claire to be not the brightest and I really dislike when authors put their female characters in dangerous situations time and time again. I did find myself reading it quickly and enjoyed the secluded and eerie premise of the vineyard.

3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions are my own.

Twenty-two years after her sister disappeared and was assumed murdered, Claire is a journalist in NYC investigating crimes and trying to forget her family's history. After losing her job and finding out her estranged mother needs her help, she moves back to South Carolina for the summer. Once there, she decides to pick up seasonal work at a nearby vineyard/farm, where her sister worked as a teenager. While there, she discovers a diary that reveals secrets and mysteries about the vineyard that make her believe that her sister's disappearance is related to her work there.
This isn't out until the end of August but I couldn't wait to read it, because Stacy Willingham has quickly become an auto-read author for me! As always with her books, it is very atmospheric, you really feel like you're on a farm in South Carolina. I loved Stacy's writing as always, although truthfully one of the biggest twists was also glaringly obvious (and something a journalist should've been able to spot). That aside, this book feels a lot like her first two books, with a hint of cults. I'd recommend picking this one up when it comes out in August, if you enjoyed her previous books!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist... until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew.

This is my 4th book by this author. Her debut and sophomore books were amazing, but her third "Only If You're Lucky" and this one were disappointing. Claire annoyed me for several reasons and I felt the story just took too long to get to the point. Willingham is amazing at setting the scene, describing the emotions and atmosphere, and I know she can write based on her first two novels. This story almost felt like it was written by someone else at times. It was missing the flow that made me follow her early on. This will not deter me "All The Dangerous Things" is still one of my favorite books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur, and the author for the ARC.

Expected Pub: 26 Aug 25
Rating: 3.5 ⭐ rounded to 4⭐

I love a Stacy Willingham story. They’re usually a fairly straightforward mystery/thiller that has the ability to hold your attention and make you genuinely care for the female protagonist. In the case of Forget Me Not, readers follow Claire Campbell who has recently returned to her home town twenty-two years after the disappearance of her sister, and started a summer gig at Galloway Farm. While there, she finds an old diary belonging to one of the caretakers, whose entries quickly turn dark. Can the diary help her solve the disappearance of her sister?

This novel is a rather formulaic thriller so while it’s not the most original plot, it’s still a fun, quick read that will keep you guessing “who dun it”. Incredibly well-paced and thought out. One big thing I always enjoy about Willingham’s novels, this one being no exception, is the atmosphere. In Forget Me Not, you can see the sprawling vines, taste the muscadine grapes, and feel the suffocating heat of a summer spent in the South.

Though is wasn't my favorite story of hers, it is definitely one worth reading, especially if you have enjoyed the writing, characters, and stories from her previous novels. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Aug 26 2025

✨Book Review✨

📚 This is a must read for anyone who likes a mystery thriller with a touch of suspense. Forget Me Not has a plotline that is perfectly crafted and executed. Every time I thought I knew what was coming I was wrong and surprised in the best ways. The aspects that felt predictable were in fact not what I was expecting. With the past and present point of view chapters I found this book easy to pick up and hard to put down. The chapters were short and the perfect length for devouring. This book was, “just one more chapter” until it’s 2am and I *must* go to bed.

🌟 You’re going to want to add this to your TBR immediately if you enjoy mysteries that are easy to feel sucked into, with a relatable lead female character, and a plotline that has the perfect amount of twists. Fans of Ruth Ware, Alice Feeney, and Lucy Foley are going to love this book.

A special thanks to @NetGalley @StacyVWillingham and @StMartinsPress for the opportunity to review this one early.

More about: Forget Me Not - Stacy Willingham

📖 Claire receives an unexpected call from her father, sending her back home to her estranged mother for the summer. When it becomes abundantly clear that she’s got an empty summer to fill, Claire decides to work at Galloway Farm, the same place her sister worked the summer she went missing twenty two years ago. Claire begins to settle into the scenic farm, and then finds a diary written by one of the owners, detailing how she came to the Farm. Claire becomes a bit obsessed with the history, suspecting that it might somehow tie to her sister's disappearance all those years ago. Her dark past and increasingly secluded present seem to be colliding as her summer progresses.

|| Book Review, Chapter Slap, Forget Me Not, Southern Thriller Queen, Stacy Willingham, Mystery, Suspense ||

Stars: 5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Claire returns to her hometown decades after her sister’s disappearance—not to investigate, but to run from her own problems. But when she takes a job at a local vineyard and discovers a decades-old diary filled with secrets and strange details about unsolved crimes, the past starts closing in fast. What was supposed to be an escape becomes something much more dangerous.

What I liked:
– The Southern vineyard setting was rich and atmospheric.
– The mystery kept me guessing for a long time—I loved that ride.
– Twists hit hard (more than once!).
– Loved the layered family dynamics and the way grief shaped the story.
– Did an immersive read (eARC + audio) and thought the audio version added great depth.
– Subtle foreshadowing and breadcrumb clues really worked.

What didn’t quite work for me:
– The core mystery doesn’t really kick off until later in the book.
– A few small threads were left hanging—nothing huge, just things my nosy brain wanted answers to.
– The “undercover journalist” angle felt a bit tired, though it served the story.

Overall, this is a slow-burn, character-driven mystery with a strong emotional core and some seriously chilling moments. Willingham’s storytelling pulled me in and didn’t let go—definitely recommend if you like mysteries with family secrets and slow-building suspense.

I recently found myself reading two similar stories around the same time. This new work by Stacy Willingham bears some resemblance to a recently published piece by Ashley Flowers. However, aside from the aspect of a sister’s disappearance, the plots diverge significantly. While "The Missing Half" lacks in plot development and execution, "Forget Me Not" effectively fulfills its purpose.

For twenty-two years, Claire has distanced herself from her hometown and remaining family. She escaped to the big city to work as an investigative reporter, which allowed her to put the past—specifically her sister’s disappearance and presumed murder by an older boyfriend—behind her. However, as her life begins to unravel, culminating in her being overlooked for a promotion, she decides to freelance. When her mother suffers a fall, Claire feels guilty and returns home, where she starts to revisit the events surrounding her sister's disappearance.

Natalie was presumed murdered, and the suspected culprit was sent to prison. However, a body was never found, and he never admitted guilt. There are several gaps in the investigation, and while visiting a vineyard where Natalie worked in the months leading to her disappearance, Claire starts to draw some unsettling conclusions. Everything at Galloway Farm is not as it seems, and Claire begins to recall events from that time in a different light. Upon discovering a diary at the Farm, she realizes that Natalie may not have been the only girl to go missing with ties to the mysterious owner of the Farm. Can Claire piece everything together and uncover the truth about her sister before her own life is jeopardized?

I enjoyed this novel and found the mystery to be engaging and fast-paced. The twist was a pleasant surprise, and I appreciate that the author managed to keep it realistic rather than making it overly outrageous. An understated twist can provide a satisfying level of surprise without crossing into absurdity.

This is my first novel by Stacy Willingham and unfortunately I found it very predictable, forgettable, and trope-y. It's very well written and there is nothing technically wrong with it. It just felt like a tired story that I have seen done before many times. Just a very typical, generic thriller.

Inject anything Stacy writes into my veins! I stayed up all night binge reading this one - she always has a few twists and turns I never expect and writing is phenomenal as usual. She's an auto-buy for me.


Thank you to the publisher and author for this e-ARC.

This was such an atmospheric, eerie, slow burn thriller. Stacy is always the queen of those. There was a constant sense of unease throughout the book which I really enjoyed. It definitely kept me completely hooked. Even though the pace is slower it is quite impossible to put down. The story is great, the mystery is amazing and the ending is just stunning.

Please note that this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! There were many times when I wanted to ask Claire what the heck she was thinking - she dove straight into a dangerous situation and I just KNEW that it was going to catch up with her.

It was fairly obvious early on that Galloway was somehow related to what happened to Natalie, but there were some great surprises and twists in this book.

This author really knows how to write an ending. I am always left totally shocked & also satisfied. I really connected with the main character, but found myself frustrated with a lot of the decisions she made. It just felt like she was leaving clues right out in the open sometimes instead of investigating fully! Regardless this was an enjoyable read, I loved the setting & really felt like I was there. Super good as a summer read!

I loved this book.. different than previous books by Stacy Willingham but addicting and you can't put it down!

I read about 30% of this book and then lost interest. The characters didn't hook me and it seemed too similar to other books in this genre.

Claire Campbell's sister Natalie was murdered by her boyfriend but her body wasn't ever located. This intrigues Claire to become an investigative journalist. She returns home to help her mother after an accident and returns to the last place her sister worked. Galloway Farms. She uncovers a hidden diary and uncovers a decades old mystery.
Thank you to Minotaur Books, NetGalley and the author for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: August 26, 2025

I've looked forward to reading new releases by Stacy Willingham since I first found her books. This was a slow burn mystery as our main character sought out to find out the truth about her sister's disappearance. Led to a curious place that her sister had visited before she disappeared, Claire is drawn into a new mystery after finding a hidden diary. I loved the back and forth between present narrative and past diary entries. I had some theories - none of which panned out! - and each new reveal kept me guessing. Upon finishing, I gained a new appreciation for the title and cover of the book!

I typically love a suspenseful thriller with southern setting but… this one was slow to start, had uneven pacing, and was a tad longer than I felt it needed to be. Yes there were twists and turns, but some just seemed too obvious. While not my favorite of her books, this will make a great summer read.