3.5/5

This author always has some really interesting ideas and stories, so I was super excited to read this one.

I did find this one's pacing to be a bit different and strange, some things were revealed at times that I didn't really understand (should've held those in for a little longer, like the main suspect). This is definitely a faster paced thriller, but not in the way you think. It worked at times and didn't work at others.

Some of these characters drove me nuts! (Don't worry, they were supposed to!) I wanna scream whenever characters ask the main character "are you sure? Maybe you're just crazy." I wanna smack them! And that was the point of those characters, to bring doubt and confusion and an added layer of difficulty.

This also has flashbacks, so if you like those in a thriller, here ya go! I'm hit or miss on flashbacks, I just wish there was always an indicator as to what timeline we're in.

This book has family drama, spooky cult vibes, mysterious deaths and mysterious findings.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and think so many others will too.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up,

Stacy Willingham is quickly becoming one of top must read authors and totally kills it again with Forget Me Not. With masterfully built tension, Willingham blends emotional depth with chilling suspense. Perfect for fans of twisty, character-driven thrillers—Forget Me Not will keep you guessing until the final page. Highly recommend for a book club read because it’ll leave you wanting to discuss.

I have enjoyed other thrillers by this author, unfortunately this one was not my favorite. It was making me cringe while reading. I the flashbacks didn’t work for me. They seemed disjointed and confusing at times. It would have been helpful to the flow to label the chapters with whether it was a flashback or not.

Willingham's latest mystery did not disappoint!

This novel is set in South Carolina and is told from the point of view of Claire Campbell, a young woman who returns home after quitting her job in New York. Claire returns home and quickly realizes that she cannot face the devastation that left after the death of her older sister Natalie.

In attempt to avoid facing her past, Claire takes a temporary job on Galloway Farm, a vineyard that her sister worked at for one summer. What begins as an idyllic escape, quickly turns into an eerie place. Claire stumbles upon an old diary and slowly realizes that Galloway is not what it seems.

I loved how Willingham slowly unravels the mystery and keeps the reader engaged looking for more. I read this thriller in one sitting and enjoyed the multiple twists at the end of the book. I enjoyed how the story was told in Claire's point of view, but included diary entries of a victim, Marcia. I often get frustrated with the main characters in thrillers and find them unbelievable, but that did not happen in this case.

I think Forget Me Not is Willingham's best yet.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.25/5
This book follows investigative journalist Claire Campbell as she returns to her hometown decades after her sister Natalie vanished. Hoping to escape the past, Claire takes a summer job at a nearby vineyard, Galloway Farm, where her sister once spent her final days. But when she discovers a chilling diary that hints at unsolved crimes, Claire is pulled into a web of secrets that may be tied to Natalie’s disappearance, forcing her to confront the dark truths she’s tried to forget.

I really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the beginning. As a true crime fan, I really loved the eerie, cult like undertones that (for me) gave off Charles Manson “The Family” vibes. This was actually the first book I’ve read by this author but it definitely won’t be the last. The writing pulled me in, and the vivid imagery made it easy to picture everything that was happening.

One thing that did throw me off a bit was the way the diary entries were written. Instead of feeling like personal reflections, they were written in third person, which didn’t quite make sense for something Claire found and read as a diary. It did help move the story along with richer descriptions but it still threw me off a bit.

That said, overall, I’d absolutely recommend this. Thank you for the ARC!

Stacy Willingham is an autobuy author for me! This book did not disappoint! What a great southern thriller with lots of twists and turns along the way. You will want to grab this as soon as possible! Thank you netgalley for this e-arc!

Twisty and turn-y, this book kept me super engaged and engrossed and I did not guess many of the revelations. I think much of this was perhaps NOT completely believable (there were quite a few coincidences in this book), but 100% believability is not the reason I read books like this. Stacy Willingham remains an easy 4 star author for me, and someone whose books I will regularly reach for.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Follow along with Claire’s journey as she looks for some closer to her sister’s disappearance two decades ago. But she may have gotten herself in too deep.
This one definitely kept me on my toes with the twists and turns! There were several times my jaw dropped because I did not see them coming. Parts of the story were certainly not completely believable but I still felt sucked into the story, wanting to keep reading to see how it ended and I was definitely satisfied with how it did. It certainly has some true crime vibes and I found myself with goosebumps and feeling very anxious for Claire several times throughout the story. I definitely recommend this book, especially if you’re a fan of Stacy’s other novels.

I did not like Ryan! He seemed so overbearing and controlling and yet she ends up with him. Ugh.

Otherwise loved it!

22 years ago, Claire Campbells sister disappeared, and is presumed dead. Running from her past, Claire moved from her home town to New York. When she loses her job, an opportunity to go home arises and she takes it, accepting a seasonal job at the local Galloway Farm. As Claire starts working at a farm her sister frequented in her youth, she sees reminders of her and starts to dig deeper, realizing that maybe there’s more to her sisters disappearance than she thought.

This book really draws you in and makes you keep turning pages to see what happens next. The story progresses beautifully and will have you holding your breath as the truth is uncovered.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s hard for thrillers to hold my attention and surprise me but this book does it. I really felt emotionally connected to the characters. Claire’s love for her sister and struggle to cope with her loss make you invested. Her ideology wanting to see the best in people and realizing she might be too quick to trust people is a great cautionary message for real life, and starts to make you question if you can trust the events she is learning about in the diary.

4/5 stars. If you like mystery and suspense, definitely add this book to your TBR.

I stayed up late. Then I woke up early. All because I simply could not put this book down! It isn't one particular thing that hooked me, but rather the combination of atmospheric setting, descriptive writing, complex characters and an integrated plot line all put together.

Claire Campbell is at a crossroads in her life when she received a call from home. After years of trying to escape the past, it all came rushing back to her as she returns to help her mom. Her sister, Natalie, went missing years ago and, although someone has been convicted of the crime, something isn't sitting right. When she discovers a new lead in her sister's room, she starts on a pathway that is eerily leading her down the same road as her sister. Hopefully, this time not with the same ending.

I was impressed at how well this story wove together - both past and present twisting and turning, at times connecting in unexpected ways. A few of the twists may have been predictable, but I was so engaged in reading that I was not even allowing time for my brain to come up with possibilities.

One thing that was a bit confusing - the diary from the past was written in third person. I get the feeling it was maybe summarized to move the story along? It took a minute to get used to, but ultimately did not take away from the story at all.

An excellent new mystery/suspense thriller, would definitely keep an eye out for this one in August! Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 Stars — A Haunting, Unputdownable Thriller

I was hooked the moment I found out I received an ARC of Forget-Me-Not, and it did not disappoint. Stacy Willingham has once again delivered a gripping, atmospheric thriller that kept me turning pages late into the night.

While it doesn’t quite top All the Dangerous Things—my personal favorite of hers—it comes incredibly close. This novel carries the same chilling undercurrent and emotional complexity, but what really struck me were the echoes of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, another favorite of mine. The psychological depth, the layered secrets, and the unsettling small-town vibe made this story feel both intimate and deeply unnerving.

Willingham’s writing is as sharp and evocative as ever, and this story will stick with me for a long time. Forget-Me-Not is a must-read for fans of twisted, emotionally rich thrillers that linger long after the final page.

This book was an "okay" read for me. It does keep the attention and is easy to follow. The characters are written well enough. I just miss that "wow" factor.
Thank you to the publishers for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my review. I will recommend it to those who like the thriller/mystery genre.

AMAZING! I think this was my favorite Stacy Willingham novel yet!

Twenty-Two years ago, Claire's sister disappeared. Days later, her bloody shirt was found, a man was arrested and the case was closed. But Claire was never convinced the killer was actually caught. Years later, Claire is unemployed, and feeling stuck in NYC. When her father calls her one day asking Claire to go visit her mom who recently fell and broke her leg, Claire goes back home to South Carolina, despite the dark memories of her sister's disappearance.

Mustering up the courage to go into her sister's bedroom, Claire finds a roll of undeveloped film and old pictures of her sister at a farm called Galloway. Taking this as a lead, Claire goes to Galloway to ask around about her sister's time there, but winds up taking a job as harvesting grapes at the farm. While the owners are strange, Claire feels closer than ever to her sister. As she settles into a routine, one night, she finds a diary hidden in her cottage. As she reads this diary, she begins to wonder what else went on on this farm, who the owners actually are, and what they know about her sister. But not everything is a simple as it seems. There are darker and more sinister secrets buried at Galloway.

Stacy Willingham is one of the authors I'll read anything she writes without even reading the summary. This may be my favorite so far! An out of work journalist goes back to her hometown to investigate her sister's death. Very entertaining! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I could not put this book down. It was so good! Very suspenseful and tense. The character development was very good and you really pulled for the protagonist and felt sympathy toward what she had been through. I literally read this book in one night. I did not see where this was going and it was not predictable at all. I highly recommend this book!

This book gave me all the same feels as "Flicker in the Dark" and I loved it. The end was a little bit predictable but not at the same time! The story follows Claire, who has reached a fork in the road with her career and life. She goes back home but finds herself trying to feel closer to her murdered sister. With that, she gets wrapped up in a mystery that she was not expecting! Overall, this was a great book, and Stacy Willingham is a one click buy author for me!! "Forget Me Not" is scheduled to be released in August and you will want to go ahead and preorder now! Trust me!

A great fast-paced Southern thriller! Finished it in two sittings as I had to know what was happening. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for my early copy to review. This review is unbiased & contains my own thoughts and feelings towards the story.

Claire Campbell ends up back in her hometown 22 years after her sister disappeared. This very fast paced story has a present day storyline & a glimpse into the past storyline once Claire finds a diary that may have answers to Natalie’s disappearance. I flew through this book & highly recommended checking it out in when it comes out in August.

Definitely my most favorite @stacyvwillingham book yet! If you are intrigued by cults and specifically Charles Manson, you will eat this book up!

There were multiple twists in this story, some I predicted and some made me gasp - which honestly, we love to see it! I loved the setting, and very much enjoyed the authors description of everything. It was so beautifully written. This comes out in August, and I already know it’s going to be THE book this fall.