This book was a quick read. Her first two books were five stars for me. This one just didn't come close.

4.8 stars (rounded up) - Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of ‘Forget Me Not’ by Stacy Willingham. This was my first book by Stacy Willingham (even though the rest of her titles have been sitting on my TBR for ages), and I can confidently say it won’t be my last—I’ll definitely be diving into the rest of her work.

Wow. Just… wow. This story completely pulled me in. Stacy’s writing is captivating—clean, emotionally rich, and incredibly readable. The chapters are short and well-paced, the character development is strong, and even with a fairly large cast, it never felt confusing or overwhelming.

The last 60% of the book? I devoured it. There were twists—some I saw coming, others genuinely shocking—but one in particular had me yelling "Oh my God" out loud at 12:30 a.m. (yes, I woke my husband up—oops haha). And just when I thought I was done being surprised, another jaw-dropper hit me around 88%.

The ending was beautifully executed, wrapping up most threads in a satisfying and thoughtful way. There was just one small detail that remained a bit ambiguous for me, but honestly, it didn’t detract from the overall impact.

All in all, 'Forget Me Not' is a gripping, twist-filled thriller that cements Stacy Willingham as an author I absolutely want more from.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Stacey always does it sooo good. I haven’t read a book by her I haven’t been sucked in from the beginning. She knows how to write a thriller and this one was no different!

What a gripping tale. From the very beginning of the story I was unable to put it down. After being passed over for a promotion, Claire, decides it’s time to quit her job and work freelance. Her dad calls her and lets her know she needs to come home to help her mom.

She hasn’t been back for almost twenty years. Twenty-two years ago her sister, Natalie, disappeared and was presumed murdered after a bloody shirt was found. Her murdered is sent to prison and that should be the end of the story. Right? Wrong.

Claire starts her quest to find out exactly what happened to Natalie. There are many twists, turns, and edge of your seat moments. Most of which I didn’t see coming.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Marten’s Press for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Willingham is usually a surefire 5 star for him- while the last 40% might have near d that territory, the first 30% was very nearly DNF for me: Too slow of a slow burn!

I’ve read all of this author’s books and this is her fourth novel I believe. I would say Flicker in the Dark has been my favorite and Only if You’re Lucky would be my least favorite. This one fell somewhere in the middle for me. I mostly enjoyed it, but the pacing was definitely on the slower side. I also found the final explanation to be a bit convoluted and it seemed like the main character could make connections that were totally random and found clues that were fairly obscure as well, particularly for the age of the case. I did suspect one of the twists, but some of the others really took me by surprise. The setting and atmosphere were excellent. This is a good book to read during the summer - the heat just jumped off the page. The story was well written as well. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this author’s next thriller.

I am very conflicted as to what to rate the book and what my review should be. On one hand I really enjoyed some parts, and on the other hand some parts of the book really ticked me off, and I ended up being disappointed.

Let me start off with what I liked and enjoyed:
- Book within a book trope
- Past and present timelines
- Parts that kept me in suspense

What I didn't like
- The story felt like it was going here there everywhere at some point
- The POV switches got really confusing at some point and it was hard to keep track


Based on all my thoughts and how I feel, I have decided to settle on a 3.25-star rating. If my thoughts change as time goes on, I'll update my rating.

22 years ago Claire’s sister Natalie went missing and was presumed dead. Now Claire’s forced to come back to her hometown and begins to face her sister’s disappearance. With the help of an old diary will Claire finally find out her sister’s fate?

Willingham’s best book yet! A slow start, but once this story gets going, it is truly unputdownable.

I have read all books written by Stacy and her writing just keeps getting better and better. I loved this one! Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire book and I found myself so eager to keep reading!

LOVE when a book reads like a true crime documentary, and this one delivered. The twists and reveals were amazing, and truly unexpected. The pace, plot, and characters just worked with this one, and I loved the structure of time jumps with the diary that just made this make so much sense. Knocking it down a star because for as heavy of a character Lily was, I feel like there wasn’t enough emphasis on her in the present parts of the book. This imbalance made it difficult to feel the impact of what happened to Natalie, Claire, and Liam. Overall, an excellent thriller!

Massive thanks to NetGalley and SMP for the ARC!

Stacy Willingham continues to prove she’s the queen of Southern gothic suspense with Forget Me Not—a slow-burning, atmosphere-drenched thriller that wraps grief, obsession, and long-buried secrets in the scent of muscadine vines and summer sweat. This is Willingham at her best: razor-sharp prose, simmering tension, and a protagonist whose unraveling feels both inevitable and utterly gripping. Perfect for fans of Tana French and Riley Sager, Forget Me Not will leave you questioning every character, every memory, and every motive. A haunting summer thriller you won’t forget.

Claire Campbell is a grown adult, living in New York City. Recently, Claire has gone “freelance”, leaving her job as a writer with the New York Times. Claire receives a call from her father, indicating that her Mom has recently had an accident at home and isn’t super mobile, and could use some help. Claire’s parents are divorced, and Claire is “it” in terms of family, to help her mother.

After being home for not even a day, Claire realizes that her mother doesn’t want her there (she overhears a phone call between her parents). Being home is a different kind of challenge for Claire; her older sister went missing and is suspected to have been killed by a man she was familiar with (Jeffrey). Claire and Natalie were extremely close and Claire has harbored feelings since Natalie went missing that there was something she should have done before the event to have stopped it from happening.

As she makes her way down memory lane, Claire makes the decision to leave her mother’s house. On the drive, she detours to a “nearby” farm where Natalie worked for part of a summer. Upon arrival, she meets Liam, who is expecting a summer-help arrival, and mistakes Claire for that person. In the conversation, Claire decides to offer herself as their summer-help, as it not only offers a connection to Natalie, but also as a way to make some much needed money.

Claire quickly realizes that the owners of the farm - Mitchell and Marcia have an odd relationship. Additionally, she’s unable to connect Liam’s involvement with them as a farmhand helper. Can Claire strengthen her connection to Natalie or will she regret having offered her hands in grape harvesting for the summer?

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC! Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. The story is fast-paced and full of twists, following a woman unraveling the truth behind her mother's mysterious disappearance. Willingham’s writing is sharp and atmospheric, drawing you into the emotional and suspenseful journey. The characters are layered and complex, especially the protagonist, whose inner turmoil adds depth to the mystery.

Wow what a great read!
Another win for Stacy!

This might be a slower paced book but it kept me interested and engaged - with lots of twist and turns.
I wouldn't necessary call this is a thriller - it is more so a mystery that keeps you guessing as you try and put the pieces together.
I loved the haunting atmosphere of the story as well as the development of the main character Claire.
Absolutely would recommend.

I finished this book in one day, such an easy read, and it kept me interested the whole time! The story was definitely more slow-burn, slow to build thriller as opposed to shocking twists and turns. I felt myself urging the story along as we got close to the end. I enjoyed the character development and the unique storyline. I will always read her books, and this one was a great weekend read!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

4 stars! Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

Claire Campbell hasn't been home in years. Her sister disappeared nearly 20 years ago and Claire left as soon as she could. When she receives a call she needs to come home, she reluctantly returns.

In a random turn of events, she ends up at Galloway Farms. The last place her sister worked all those years ago. When she's offered a job working around the farm, she takes it. But something is right and the more Claire digs, the more she finds.

I was very excited to receive this ARC because Stacy Willingham is an amazing author and I always enjoy her stories. I was so intrigued from the beginning of this book and I was sucked in! The setting was so descriptive I felt as though I was there! The twists and turns, I truly did not know what to expect. However, I did not expect that ending! There was mystery, danger, intrigue and family drama. Such a great book!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This book was a quick read and I throughly enjoyed it. I thought I had it all figured out, but the twists were unpredictable! Definitely recommend!

I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. Claire’s inner journalist honestly drove me a little crazy at times - like girl, you're doing too much! But somewhere around the halfway point, I was completely hooked and I couldn’t put it down. What surprised me most was how invested I was in both timelines, that's rare for me. Usually, one grabs me more than the other. I needed everything - every reveal, every detail, I was hanging on to every page. It hit the perfect mix of tension, emotion, and mystery that I was craving! I also love the title and cover of this book.