Thank you so incredibly much for the advanced copy! It was a great opportunity to read Stacy’s next novel prior to publication, and the novel did not disappoint. I will post my review to Goodreads, as well.

Forget Me Not is a Southern thriller following FMC Claire. We meet her in New York while she’s navigating unemployment as well as the lingering grief of losing her older sister. The latter occurred years ago but was more so relevant due to a similar news story, which explains that her sister disappeared under mysterious circumstances, was never found, and was declared dead despite there not being a body. An arrest was made, but Claire never found closure.

The novel shifts from New York to South Carolina once Claire makes a trip to visit her mother. That is short-lived, but her stay in South Carolina is not. She stays close to the area by spontaneously signing up for temporary work at a grape farm: Galloway. It was a farm her sister had worked at, and the situation was (albeit random) another way Claire thought she could find closure or at least a temporary break from her reality (and wifi).

Things quickly turn and become suspicious, once Claire uncovers a diary once belonging to one of the now-aged owners Marcia. Themes in the diary include disappearances, grooming and cults, and an overall unease about the autonomy of Marcia now in comparison to the other owner, Mitchell. Also living on the present day farm is a young man named Liam. As Claire continues to read and investigate, it’s clear there are dangerous connections to be made.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Forget Me Not. Some parts were a bit predictable, but it was well-written and paced. I appreciated the dual storyline with the diary, and I would recommend this to previous fans of Stacy’s work, to readers who enjoy multiple timelines in their thrillers, and to fans of novels like In Her Eyes or movies like The Skeleton Key.

Stacy Willingham does it again. I have loved her previous books, and had high expectations going into Forget Me Not. I loved the alternating timelines, and especially loved the diary excerpts. The only thing that maybe knocked one star off for me was just how slow the middle of the book was. Things kind of started dragging a bit, but the ending made up for it in the long run. If thrillers are your favorite genre like me, I highly recommend reading this. 4 stars!

Claire’s sister disappeared over twenty years ago. Her body was never found, but her boyfriend was convicted for her murder.
The trauma tore Claire’s family apart, and she moved to New York to escape (and pursue a writing career).
Years later, Claire returns home to help her mother. Unfortunately, the tension and memories become unbearable . Impulsively, Claire decides to work on the farm where her sister was last seen instead of heading home to New York.
Soon, the mystery of what happened to Claire's sister begins revealing itself. This story takes twists and turns you will not see coming! The pace moves quickly!
If you love a good mystery, you will love this book!

My reads earn a 5 star rating if it’s one that’s in my head when I’m not reading it and after I finish it and Forget Me Not was one of those for me.

After a job loss, Claire returns to her hometown to help out her injured mother and ends up with a summer job in the same vineyard her sister, Natalie worked at before her disappearance more than 20 years go. She soon finds a diary hidden in the vent of the guesthouse where she is staying. This diary leads her to some dangerous discoveries and answers questions she didn’t even know she had.

This was an up all night Willingham thriller for me as once I started it I couldn’t put it down. The characters were well developed and the plot kept me guessing. Definitely add this one to your TBR list.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this title!

This book was a wild ride! We start with Claire who is a recluse in her apartment in NYC. She gets a call that her mom needs help back home in South Carolina. And then the twists and turns begin! Claire finds herself in the middle of a cult like mystery that possibly includes her own sister’s disappearance. The way this story unfolded with the dual timelines was so interesting. I stayed up way too late trying to finish this one! An awesome thriller!

I listened to this one in just a couple sittings—it was so compelling. The narrator did a great job, and the story had that “can’t stop listening” vibe. Full of tension, but also really emotional.
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the chance to listen to this!

This was such a perfect Saturday read for me! Keeps you on edge and wanting more. Willingham is one of the authors I auto read!

Finding herself without employment, Claire’s life is in a tailspin. With nothing tethering her to her life in NYC, she decides to sublease her apartment and head back home to take care of her mom. Headed home is far more complicated than it sounds as she has been a bit estranged from her parents for years. Claires life has been in a tailspin ever since the disappearance of her sister over 20 years ago. Things get interesting when an opportunity presents itself that Claire can’t resist.

This is a classic who dunnit and there are a ton of twists at the end. There is a lot of story building and gets a bit slow until everything is revealed in the last 50 or so pages. There are a ton of ends that get tied up but almost to the point where it was too much - I found myself saying ‘how convenient’.

I would recommend this book as a quick read that will keep you guessing. I hate books where I can tell what the grand reveal will be. While there were some that were meant to be obvious, I did not see a lot of twists coming.

Thank you to #netgalley and #StaceyWillingham for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was okay. I really wanted to DNF it at first because it had the same gist as every other “I found a diary I shouldn’t be reading” thriller. But as I kept going I found myself wanting to know more, realizing the story wasn’t going where I thought it was.

Although this one has its own unique plot twist it was unexciting to me.

3 stars

4⭐️ from Erin for Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham! Claire is unexpectedly out of a job, and when a family member has a medical issue, she returns home to help and ends up spending her summer working at a vineyard. Memories of her sister and the circumstances surrounding her death come flooding back and has her questioning what really happened the summer her sister died. The author’s style of writing adds to the creepiness of the story, and makes you feel like you are there - almost too much! This is a great thriller and will be available to read at the end of August. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Forget Me Not is a convoluted thriller with so many twists and turns that it eventually becomes a bit predictable.

The writing was beautiful. From the first page alone you can tell this author is a master of words.

The suspense sequences did have me on the edge of my seat (and by that I mean sitting up in bed hugging my blanket because I was genuinely terrified) but unfortunately they were few and far between.

My biggest gripe with this novel is the main character. I found her grating and, though eventually justified in her decisions, she jumped to conclusions so quickly and it just felt unearned. For instance, she gets bit by a snake and then the owner of the vineyard helps her recover by fixing up the wound and giving her a medicinal remedy to “take the edge off” and the next day when she feels groggy and unwell she jumps to “he’s drugging me” and assumes the worst. Was he drugging her? Honestly, not sure, but it just felt undeserved and, considering the ending, it’s still not clear.

On that note, the ending felt very convoluted and all the ends tied up too easily. Also what’s up with Lily? Mitchell hovering over her throughout the book makes no sense now seeing as she was obviously very loyal to him and he had *no* reason to distrust her.

Everything that happened in this book could have been solved two chapters in if Claire had simply communicated with her mother about what was going on…and that drove me bonkers.

Anyways, all that said, I definitely plan on reading other works by this author, this one just wasn’t it for me.

This is a mystery/thriller following the main character, Claire, who goes back to her hometown after quitting her job in New York as a journalist. She is estranged from her parents and her sister disappeared years prior. During her visit back home Claire begins to unravel secrets she believes are similar to her sister's disappearance. The setting is eerie and there are some good twists in this story. It was a fun read overall

Stacy Willingham does it again! I absolutely love her writing style sharp, immersive, and emotionally tense in all the right ways. Forget Me Not is another gripping page-turner that kept me hooked from start to finish. While I was not completely shocked by the twists, I was definitely surprised, and that’s what makes her storytelling so addictive.

With layered characters, an eerie atmosphere, and just the right dose of psychological suspense, this is a must-read thriller of 2025. If you enjoy thrillers that keep you guessing (but never feel too far-fetched), do not miss this one!

Wow, what a ride. Loved the eerie Southern vibes and twisty plot. The setting at Galloway Farm was so vivid, it felt like I was right there with Claire, uncovering secrets and getting lost in the mystery.

Claire's journey to uncover the truth about her sister's disappearance was both heartbreaking and thrilling. The diary she finds adds a whole new layer of suspense, and I couldn't put the book down as the story unfolded. The twists were unexpected and kept me guessing until the very end.

However, the pacing was a bit slow at times, especially in the beginning. It took a while for the story to really pick up, but once it did, it was worth the wait. Also, some of the analogies used were a bit over the top and pulled me out of the story.

Overall, Forget Me Not is a compelling read that blends mystery, family drama, and a touch of Southern gothic. If you're into slow-burn thrillers with strong female leads, this one's for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

This book was fine. I did not find it nearly as gripping or intriguing as her first two books. I also did not enjoy her most recent release. This is disappointing to me because I really loved the first two. Maybe I will revisit when I am in a different season and try this one out again.

I thought it was entertaining enough to be a slow burn mystery, but if you’re expecting a thriller, you’ll be disappointed. The story had potential, but honestly, it wasn’t really enough for me all around.

*I have given this book 3.5 stars on the Fable app*

This was an average thriller but pretty good. There were one too many characters and sometimes I had to pause to remember who was who despite reading it in a day. The twists at the end were surprising but not particularly shocking, I wouldn’t call them twists but more so just revelations in the story.

I found it hard to connect with any of the characters, they felt quite one dimensional. It also started fairly slowly, I don’t think the first main scene in the book was relevant at all. It also got quite depressing at points.

All in all it was interesting enough and easy to fly through, a good read if you just need a quick thriller book.

to start off: stacy willingham is an author that beautifully captures everything that occured in this book. her writing is stunning, and i felt completely immersed in this book. the only negative in this book was that the pacing was a bit off in my opinion. at some moments, there was little to nothing going on, but at the end, it was revelation after revelation. i did enjoy the way that it came together at the end though, and i have to say i did see one plot twist coming, but the rest were truly mind-blowing. i really enjoyed how if you payed attention, you could see the story coming together, and if you're looking for a thrilling book that will make your heart pound, this is the one for you!!

thank you to netgalley and stacy willingham for this arc in exchange for an honest opinion! <3

4 stars-When I see a book by Stacy Willingham it is an automatic read for me. Claire is called home to help her mom after an accident. She feels drawn back into the case of her sister who was murdered years ago. In a total coincidence she finds work at the vineyard her sister was working at when she went missing. Claire finds a hidden journal written by the owners wife. The story is told in present and past which was very much a nod to the Manson family. She soon discovers that her sister is not the only missing girl. I found myself turning the pages as fast as I could to find out how it all would end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham is a beautifully written slow-burn thriller that lingers long after the final page. Centered on journalist Claire, who returns home and begins to uncover chilling secrets about her long-missing sister, this story is packed with emotional depth, mystery, and unexpected twists.

The pacing is deliberate but never dull—Willingham’s atmospheric writing and use of Marcia’s journal entries keep the tension building in subtle, powerful ways. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the story flipped again, and the twists hit hard.

A thoughtful, twisty, and impactful read—I highly recommend it for fans of character-driven thrillers with a dark edge.

(3.8 stars)