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.

I want to say thank you to both netgalley and Stacy for this arc read. I loved this thriller and could not put it down once I started will definitely end up buying a copy to read again.

When Claire returns to her small South Carolina hometown for the first time in 15 years (she left not long after her older sister went missing and never looked back), she has two goals: to help her estranged mother recover from an injury and to attempt to save some money in the wake of leaving her job at a newspaper in NYC. But shortly after arriving back in SC, she decides to take a job at a local vineyard that seems like an idyllic escape from the real world for the summer. But her outlook changes when she discovers an old diary written by one of the vineyard’s owners…

Another thrilling story by Stacy Willingham! I will continue to read everything she writes - she does not miss!

Classic Stacy Willingham-- an extremely lucky FMC, a haunting setting, a slow build up and a twisty end.

Claire is disheartened when she misses out on a promotion to her best friend Ryan. She leaves NYC and her journalism career somewhat impulsively to return to her Southern small town to spend time with her mom. We learn early on that her older sister Natalie was killed years ago as a high school senior by her secret older boyfriend and that Claire carries guilt about this. Claire doesn't have a lot of responsibilities and no health care, so she fortuitously goes to work at a grape farm 45 minutes away with no cell service or WiFi.

Ryan and Claire's mom work as good plot devices to advance the plot and help Claire solve this mystery. The setting is great and well paced, I really enjoyed the setting, the side characters are creepy and the reveals are surprising. If you suspend disbelief at some of the "right place at the right time" moments and give in to the thriller, you will enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC. Book to be published August 26, 2025.

Claire is still haunted after 22 years of her sister, Natalie, disappearance. While the case has been closed and a suspect put in jail, Claire still feels like there is more to the story.

On a trip home to visit her mother, Claire visits the old farm where her sister used to work. She takes up a job there and discovers more than just what attracted her sister to Galloway farm.

Thoughts:
The book started a little slow but as the plot progressed I became invested! The descriptive detail that slowed the plot was definitely a needed factor.

Once the story picked up, I couldn’t stop reading! I loved all the surprises throughout the story! Each new piece of the journal revealed kept me intrigued and wanting more!

If you love Manson cult-ish vibes, make sure you pick this up!!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for another fantastic arc!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first novel by the author, though I do own two of her other books on my TBR shelf! As for this one, it wasn’t the type of thriller I expected. The potential suspect is revealed within the first 20% of the book, which was a bit disappointing. Personally, I enjoy thrillers more when the mystery starts to unfold around 75% of the way through. I found the characters a bit off-putting. The officer and her boyfriend, Rhy, especially annoyed me. They constantly said things like, "You're acting strange... Are you sure? I think you're the one who's going crazy... Everything will be okay." I just can’t stand unsupportive characters who make the protagonist feel like the delusional one, with no one offering help or understanding.

The pacing of the story was quick, but the flashbacks really threw me off. They felt abrupt and disrupted the flow, making it hard to follow the timeline. It would have been helpful if the chapters indicated which timeline we were in, as it left me confused at times.

STACY DOES IT AGAIN. Loved this southern thriller, literally could not put it down!!! I will buy anything she writes!

Forget Me Not exceeded my expectations as a thriller and every time I felt like I knew where the story was headed, I was wrong! I enjoyed solving this mystery and I felt that switching point of views from Claire to Marcia worked really well with this book. I typically don't reach for past and present settings within books but I was surprised to find out that I loved it with this one. The author created a very mysterious and unsettling story and there were many twists that I never would have guessed.

I'll start by saying this is my favorite book Stacy Willingham has written. I loved the dual timelines, the main character, and storyline.

Twenty-two years after her older sister Natalie vanished shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Claire Campbell has built a life far from her traumatic past as an investigative journalist. But an unexpected call from her father pulls her back to her hometown, forcing her to confront the unresolved pain.
Seeking distraction, Claire takes a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard in coastal South Carolina, where her sister had spent her last summer. At first, the vineyard seems like a peaceful retreat, but her discovery of an old diary belonging to one of the owners unravels a chilling mystery tied to unsolved crimes. As Claire delves deeper into the diary, her obsession grows—and she begins to suspect that her sister’s disappearance might be connected to the secrets of Galloway Farm.
What was meant to be an escape turns into a journey into the dark corners of her past, as Claire finds herself ensnared in a dangerous web of clues and memories.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I am going to say this at the start: this is not a thriller. At least not in the traditional sense. There are twists and turns, your heart will race, but if you’re expecting a pulse pounding, action packed thriller, you’ll likely be disappointed. And that would break my heart because this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.

The prose is stunning. The setting is perfect. The characters are well written. I felt like I was in this story as opposed to just reading it. I read this book slowly on purpose. I wanted to savor every single sentence. I don’t often re-read books, but when I finally get my hands on a physical copy, it’s likely I’ll read it again.

The release date for this book is August 26th and it should definitely be on your list.

Thank you @stacyvwillingham for another beautiful book, and thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC.

Stacy Willingham is one of my go-to thriller authors and this book captures everything I love about her writing: nuanced protagonists, gorgeous (and eerie) settings, and emotionally charged mysteries. Forget Me Not is dangerously close to being my favorite of her books. I loved how the different clues layered together in a way where by the end of the story, it felt like everything should have been so obvious. (But, because Willingham is so good at hiding things in plain sight, it wasn't.)

tl;dr add this book to your list asap.

"Forget Me Not" by Stacy Willingham is a captivating psychological thriller that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the shocking conclusion. Willingham masterfully weaves elements of suspense and intrigue throughout the narrative, expertly unraveling a complex plot filled with unexpected twists and turns.

The protagonist is both relatable and compelling, facing a series of challenges that keep readers invested in her journey. Willingham’s writing is sharp and evocative, creating a vivid sense of atmosphere that pulls you deeper into the story. The exploration of themes such as memory and identity adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, inviting reflection while maintaining relentless pacing.

Overall, "Forget Me Not" is an engaging read that showcases Stacy Willingham's talent for storytelling. This book is a must-read for fans of thrillers and psychological dramas. A big thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

At first, it feels like the story is being told in the same way more than once and I really thought we were headed into a paper thin, predictable plot. But oh, dear reader, how wrong I was. The number of times I muttered “WTF” or sat there with my jaw on the floor? Too many to count.
The last 20% of this book is absolutely phenomenal. Everything comes together quickly, maybe a little too quickly, but it’s still deeply satisfying. The twisty payoff is worth the ride.

I landed on 4 stars because the first half could’ve been tighter, and I would’ve loved a bit more depth in the final chapters. With a little editing, some trimming up front and a beefier ending, this would be an easy 5 star read for me.