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Thank you so much to NetGalley for an ARC of Forget Me Not!

While the writing was beautiful and the atmosphere of the book was creepy and perfect for a thriller book, Forget Me Not was just okay for me. It didn’t do anything new and I didn’t find myself waiting to finding out what was going to happen next because we kinda already know. Which I don’t mind sometimes. But with a story where you are already kinda know what’s going on I need for the story go deeper and I feel we were really kept on the surface of this story. We could’ve delved so much deeper into the characters and their motivations, especially our villains of the story. I feel things happened, but we don’t really know why. Very surface type of thriller.

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Forget Me Not is a gripping psychological thriller that dives deep into the fragility of memory, the weight of guilt, and the secrets we try to forget but can’t. The story follows a woman whose carefully constructed world begins to unravel when a tragedy from her past reemerges, bringing with it eerie coincidences and haunting doubts.

From the very first chapter, the book pulls readers into a world filled with paranoia, emotional depth, and unsettling tension. The pacing is sharp, the writing atmospheric, and the twists are perfectly timed. It’s the kind of book that keeps you questioning every character and second guessing every truth.

The main character’s journey is raw and emotional, making the reader feel the weight of her uncertainty and fear. Short, punchy chapters and strong psychological tension make this a fast-paced yet thought provoking read.

This thriller is perfect for fans of dark, twisty, character-driven stories. It doesn’t just deliver shocks it also explores grief, trauma, and the complex ways people cope with pain.

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In Forget Me Not, journalist Claire Campbell returns to her coastal South Carolina hometown years after her sister Natalie vanished without a trace. Hoping for a quiet summer, she takes a job at a nearby vineyard, only to discover a hidden diary filled with chilling details about unsolved crimes. As Claire unravels the entries, she begins to suspect a connection to her sister’s disappearance. What was meant to be a peaceful escape quickly becomes a gripping search for answers buried in the past.

I was given an advance copy of this audiobook to review, and I found it completely engaging and enjoyable. Lately, I’ve been feeling fatigued by thrillers that recycle the same tired plots or rely on protagonists who make frustratingly poor decisions. But not this one. This story is smart, layered, and perfectly paced, with a mystery that unfolds in such a satisfying way. Claire is a thoughtful and capable protagonist who pieces together the truth bit by bit, and I loved following her logic as the tension steadily built.

Nothing about the plot felt obvious, and I truly appreciated being kept in the dark, allowed to experience the reveals without the pressure to constantly guess what was coming. That’s what I crave in a great thriller, trusting the story to lead me somewhere worth waiting for.

The audiobook narration was also a standout. Karissa Vacker and Helen Laser each gave distinct, expressive voices to the female characters, adding another layer of depth to the experience. It’s refreshing to see more audiobooks using multiple narrators to fully bring the story to life, and I really hope this trend continues.

This was such an enjoyable listen and exactly what I hope for when picking up a thriller. It’s atmospheric, smart, and filled with the kind of slow-burn tension that keeps you hooked from start to finish. I highly recommend this to anyone who’s been craving a well-crafted mystery with heart and substance. A solid 4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance listening copy. All opinions are my own.

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This book was crazy in the way that all good thrillers are. Claire Campbell has never fully recovered from the death of her sister Natalie. Although the case was closed long ago, Claire has never felt resolution and still has questions about the events that led up to her sisters death. She decides to visit a farm where Claire worked, and when an impromptu job offer is made Claire decides to stay, thinking it will let her feel closer to her sister.
The discovery of a diary hidden under the floorboards of her lodgings throws Claire into the center of a decades old missing persons case.

There were a lot of moving parts to this story, but the author, Stacy Willingham, pulled it all together. I was kept guessing until the very end. I love a story where just when you think you are beginning to understand what is happening, you realize you don't!

I rate this book 4 stars.

I was provided this book by Netgalley in exchange for my review.

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Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book!

Any book based in South Carolina automatically gets my attention and add in a thriller and it's a perfect read. Lots of twists and turns along the way which keep the reader guessing. Highly recommended!

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Atmospheric, dark, and perfectly southern Gothic. I think I will be adding this to my summer thriller rotation for years to come.

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Stacy Willingham has become a must read author for me ever since I read and loved A Flicker in the Dark. Her books always have so many layers, and characters that you have strong feeling about one way or another, Forget Me Not was a slower burn than her previous books but still had me hooked.

Claire Campbell returns to her hometown for the first time since leaving when her mother has a fall. But when she gets there, her mum clearly doesn’t want her around so she finds herself looking into her sister’s disappearance from 22 years ago. It leads her to a place Natalie used to work, Galloways Farm, where Claire finds an old diary and the journalist in her can’t help but investigate. The clues are there, and she soon discovers a connection to her sister.

This was a different kind of book for this author but it still had her usual intrigue and eeriness. The isolated farm, the mysterious diary and creepy landlords all built the tension and ai was there for it all.

A fantastic read once again from this author.

Thanks so much to St Martin’s Press for my early copy of this book to read. Published in August 26th.

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Forget Me Not is a masterclass in psychological suspense. From the moment Clare arrives at the eerieGalloway Farm, the tension ratchets up and doesn’t let go. Willingham creates a claustrophobic, anxiety-inducing atmosphere that makes it nearly impossible for me to put this book down. I was constantly on edge, afraid for Clare and desperate to know what would happen next. The pacing is tight and relentless, and the sense of dread builds with each chapter, making this one of the most emotionally intense thrillers I’ve read in a while.

I’ve read one of Willingham’s previous novels and enjoyed it, but Forget Me Not hit even harder. The rural setting, the psychological unravelling, the uncertainty of who to trust—all of it combined to keep me completely gripped. The twists are smart, the characters layered, and the writing sharp and immersive. If you're looking for a thriller that will get under your skin and make your heart race, this is it.

Highly recommended for fans of dark, twisty reads with an undercurrent of fear that doesn’t let up.


Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, for this ARC. This is my honest Review.

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I really enjoyed this book! The character development is thoughtful and well-executed, with just the right amount of detail woven throughout the story. I especially appreciated the depth of Claire’s character. Her struggles with job loss, relationship challenges, and complicated family dynamics made her feel real and relatable.

The suspense is gripping, with twists that keep you guessing. The flashback chapters are perfectly timed, adding layers of intrigue without slowing the pace. From start to finish, this one kept me hooked. Definitely worth checking out!

Publication day August 26th

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Perfectly well-paced thriller! Love a cult story. Love a complex book with family drama. I just eat these Willingham books up!

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Stacy Willingham strikes again in this suspenseful novel.

Claire Campbell is dealing with a lot right now as there is a story in the news, a young woman possibly killed by her boyfriend, that is hitting a bit too close to home as when she was younger, Claire's sister vanished and it was determined that her boyfriend was responsible. Now, Claire finds herself out a job and heading home to take care of her injured mother. However, while home in SC, Claire finds a hidden journal that gets her thinking about other missing young women and has her wondering if there is more to her sister's story than they originally assumed.

This read a bit different for me than Willingham's other novels with the back and forth between journal entries and the present. In fact, I would say the whole book had a different vibe, but that's not a bad thing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

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I picked this up on a whim and ended up flying through it—what a pleasantly twisty surprise! 😮‍💨📖

Claire Campbell is still haunted by her sister Natalie’s disappearance 22 years ago. With the case closed and her life in the city firmly established, she thought she had left the past behind. But when she’s called back home and takes a seasonal job at a quiet vineyard, she ends up uncovering far more than she bargained for—an old diary, buried secrets, and a chilling connection that might just reopen the mystery of her sister’s fate.

This book had everything I want in a psychological thriller: a layered protagonist, atmospheric setting (vineyard in South Carolina, yes please 🍇🌿), and a plot that steadily builds in tension and eeriness. The pacing was just right, with reveals that hit at the perfect moments and a satisfying sense of dread creeping in as Claire digs deeper.

I loved how the vineyard setting contrasted so sharply with the darkness that slowly unfolds—it made for such an immersive read. Willingham really knows how to weave family trauma and suspense into a compelling narrative.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the e-ARC! ✨

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♡ thank you to St. Martins Press and Stacy Willingham for an ARC of this book! ♡

4.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up)

📖 plot & pace: this was a super interesting and mysterious book. i felt super engaged almost the entire book. this is like 2 mysteries wrapped into one, there are SO MANY layers that keep you on your toes the entire time! this story is definitely a fast paced one with all of the suspense!!

👥 characters: there are a lot of key players in this book, but i never found myself getting confused with their stories. this is a dual POV, mostly from claire's perspective but there's also some excerpts from 40 years prior. honestly... most of the characters are SO unlikable but they mask it in a mysterious kind of way. it really has you doing on a double take on everyone, every chapter

🤩 tropes: murder mystery, cult vibes, amateur sleuth

this was a great book (and the first i've read by this author... but i'll definitely be reading more!) the writing style is chefs kiss & the plot twist/suspense incorporated into this book is PERFECT.

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Claire Campbell returns home after losing her job, she is reluctant to return home as it hasn’t felt like home since her sister went missing 22 years ago.
Her relationship with her parents is very strained and pretty much non existent.
for some reason, she finds something in her sister’s room which has been untouched for the last 22 years, which leads her to Galloway Farms, and from that the secrets just kept being exposed!

A great page turner, my first book by this author of, but definitely not my last!

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Thank you Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC, and St. Martins Press for my gifted ARC!

Stacy Willingham is an auto read author for me. Her books are always written like velvet. Her characters well-developed, raw, and relatable. And her plot lines are *chef’s kiss.*

Forget Me Not was not of her caliber. It was good - don’t get me wrong. But there were times when I was ready to get to the point. There was a lot of round about information that didn’t feel necessary, that felt more like filler. And the twist ended up seeming unbelievable.

That said, Willingham will always be an auto read for me, this one just wasn’t for me.

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I actually really enjoyed this. I liked this so much more than her last book. I think the plot was really interesting. I really am a sucker for a sibling searching for their other sibling. I'm not going to say some of it wasn't predictable but the story was still really interesting and some still surprised me!

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Claire, a woman still grappling with her sister’s unsolved murder, as she’s drawn back into the mystery when another girl goes missing—with eerie similarities to her sister’s case. Through journal entries and flashbacks, the story slowly unravels layers of grief, trauma, and suspicion. It’s part introspective literary fiction, part psychological thriller.

I liked the premise a lot and thought the flashbacks were really well done & they were actually my favorite part of the book. But I just never quite connected with Claire. The book felt like it was telling two different stories: the first half was a slow, reflective journey through grief, and the second half suddenly flipped into a twisty thriller. That mismatch threw me off a bit, and some plot points felt way too convenient to land. The journal entries pulled me in way more than Claire’s chapters, and overall… it just didn’t work for me the way I hoped.

I still really enjoy Stacy Willingham’s writing style, but this one’s my least favorite of hers though I think I might be in the minority on that!

Forget Me Not comes out August 26, 2025. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
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Website: SPEAKINGOF.ORG

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This book was gripping and enjoyable! I liked the story and overall enjoyed my experience reading it.

I am grateful to NetGalley, the Author, and the Publisher for the ARC. Thank you!

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Many thanks to NetGalley and st Martin’s press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest feedback.

Claire,a journalist, is having problems at work. She quits and returns home to help her mom who suffered a fall. Claire’s sister disappeared years ago and her boyfriend was put in prison for the crime. Claire has not been home since leaving after high school due to the family issues.

When it’s clear Claire’s mom does not want her at home, Claire takes a job the secluded Galloway farm, the place her sister worked before she disappeared.

This is a well written, faced paced domestic drama. The characters are multilayered and well developed. despite figuring out the ending, i really enjoyed this book. Highly recommend!!!!

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Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham is a suspenseful rollercoaster filled with jaw-dropping twists and richly drawn characters. Willingham’s pacing is impeccable, and her emotional payoff is both satisfying and haunting. A must-read for fans of domestic thrillers.

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