THIS WAS SO GOOD! I haven’t read a book by her that I haven’t loved. I really liked the back and forth between the diary entries and current life. I also liked the way it all came back together in the end - all the pieces buttoned up perfectly. Perfect amount of suspense as well - I was hooked right away

Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for the early access read!! Can’t wait for everyone else to read this when it comes out

I enjoy her writing. Journalist goes home after a rough time at decides she will stay at her murdered sister's summer job. She wasn't too bright as a MC but l expected this twist earlier than the last two l have read from her. I enjoy her writing. I was thrown off my voice of the journal entries and wish it was written in first person. Also it was slow at some points and then wrapped up with not all the details. Solid 4 for the twists.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free read for an honest review!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, my thoughts are entirely my own.

I was really excited to pick this up because I recently read and loved another book written by the author, A Flicker in the Dark.

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. I don't think the book was bad by any means, I just think the book lacked the ability to create suspense. The beginning of the book was set up so well that I was excited to experience the typical emotional response I have to thriller and suspense novels. Instead of being emotionally triggered by the mysterious factors, I felt as if I was just reading a forward moving story. Thrillers and suspense novels typically take the readers emotions and spike them early on and drop pieces of suspense throughout the novel, this one just offered the story in a horizontal fashion instead of a linear one, if that makes sense. I felt like the book never became exciting nor did it offer any intense plot twists.

I have to give this 2.5 stars, rounding up to three.

When Claire Campbell, a journalist “between jobs,” returns to the south to check on her mother, she finds herself on a muscadine farm, following her sister’s footsteps and uncovers four decades worth of mystery. Told in two timelines, Claire navigates a web of missing persons, unseen relationships, and obstacles with the help of Marcia’s diary.

This was a slow-burn, but not a slow read! By far my new favorite Stacy Willingham book. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Minotaur for the advanced copy.

Stacy Willingham is becoming one of my favorite thriller authors! The twists and turns in this one were never what I expected, highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. Loved the twists. I loved the jumping back and forth in time. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I would highly recommend to others.

Okay this was really really good! There were a few things I called but that just comes with reading hundreds of thrillers and mysteries each year! I loved the feel of something off creeping in with each new page. I loved our MC and narrator because she actually acted how I like to believe a reasonable woman would act instead of dumb and ignorant as in some (read: most) thrillers. It was definitely a story I could see actually happening and that added to the feel for me. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for trusting me with an ARC of Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham. This book tells the story of Claire Campbell, an investigative journalist, whose sister has been missing and presumed dead for over twenty years. Claire is haunted by the loss of her sister and goes back home to South Carolina when her mother is hurt. Her mother is not happy to see her and Claire soon leaves her mom's house. She decides to go back to the farm where her sister was last seen. Claire takes a seasonal job at the farm and discovers a diary hidden in the guesthouse. The mystery begins to unfold as Claire reads the diary and pieces together family secrets.

This book is full of twists and turns, all unexpected. I give this book a solid four plus stars. It was a little slow to start but drew the reader into the story filled with suspense and family secrets.

Such a dark and twisty read!! It's a perfect thriller for the summer, especially during a summer storm! The characters are well written, the plot is super interesting and easy to follow, and the twists keep you hooked throughout!

3.75 ⭐️ This one was a slow burn—the short chapters helped, but it didn’t really hook me until about 60% in. Still, the breadcrumb trail kept me curious, and the creepy vineyard vibes pulled me in early. Willingham’s descriptive writing makes you feel like you’re inside the story, which not every author can pull off. I liked the dual timelines, though I wish the diary entries had been in first person. I had a few early suspicions that turned out to be kind of true, which was satisfying, and the ending was a total roller coaster. Worth the wait if you like atmosphere and slow builds!

I’m not sure why but it was so hard for me to get into this one! I have loved Stacy Willinghams books in the past but this was just a really slow start.

Thank you to Stacy Willingham, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy of Forget Me Not.

I went into this one without knowing much, and it completely exceeded my expectations. After reading A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things, I already knew Stacy Willingham was a strong voice in the thriller space—but Forget Me Not has solidified her as a favorite.

The structure of this book worked really well for me. The back-and-forth between past diary entries and the present-day storyline created a steady rhythm that kept me fully engaged. The setting was vivid and atmospheric, adding an extra layer of tension throughout.

And the twists—without giving anything away—were genuinely impressive. I didn’t see them coming, and each reveal added new complexity without feeling overdone. It’s rare for a thriller to surprise me like this, but Willingham pulled it off.

By the end, I was seriously impressed. This will be a standout for 2025, and I’ll definitely be picking up a finished copy when it’s released. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a smart, layered psychological thriller.

Recently unemployed and unable to move on from her sister's disappearance 22 years prior, Claire Campbell is near-broke and rudderless. When she gets a call from her father, Claire can't resist returning to the town she left as soon as she could. Though her sister Natalie's boyfriend has been in prison for Natalie's murder for decades, Claire still can't shake her guilt and the questions she's always had about what happened to her sister. She seeks out the farm where Natalie worked just before she disappeared and, before she knows it, she's accepted a job and a place to live. But, as she learns more about the farm and its enigmatic owners, Claire begins to feel Natalie's case may not have been as cut-and-dried as everyone thought...

From page one, I felt connected to Claire and curious about what would unfold. Stacy Willingham is incredible at writing well-developed, flawed, and competent characters. I'm also impressed by the way the novel revealed information, and by the plot itself. Though the novel is full of twists, each one tracks well with the story. Mystery novels often ask us to suspend our disbelief in a way that can chafe when overdone, but Willingham is masterful in her execution. I usually loathe a book where a character finds a hidden diary and doesn't just... immediately read the whole thing or skip to the end to figure out what made the author stop reading/hide the diary (Verity, anyone???). However, Willingham handles this very well. Information is acquired realistically and the diary entries-cum-flashbacks feel both evenly distributed throughout the novel and revelatory.

Overall, this novel is incredibly suspenseful with a gripping plot, revealing shocking secrets which pull the reader through past and present.

First I want to say thank you Netgalley and Stacy Willingham for the opportunity to read this amazing story early!

I mean just 😱 . This book did not disappoint! Stacy’s writing is just incredible - Forget Me Not was a unputdownable page turner!

The story centers on a woman forced to confront long-buried trauma when a new disappearance mirrors the most painful chapter of her life. With sharp pacing and layered characters, the novel expertly balances psychological tension with emotional depth. Willingham’s prose is immersive and atmospheric, drawing you into a world where nothing—and no one—is quite what they seem.

I loved how she weaved between the past and present throughout this book. It was so perfectly put together!

If you pick this one up, hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

4.5.5 Stars!

I had high expectations going in, since I’ve really enjoyed a couple of Stacy Willingham’s previous books, but this one didn’t quite land for me. The pacing felt too slow, and the twists were easy to spot well in advance. The main character doesn’t do much beyond asking a few questions and reading a diary. Even the diary sections, told as flashbacks from another character’s perspective, mostly just serve to answer those questions—nothing particularly gripping or eventful happens until very late in the story. It leans more toward mystery than thriller, and unfortunately, I found the main character somewhat unlikeable. Her interactions often came across as overly pushy or awkwardly phrased, which made it hard to connect with her or care about her journey. The second half of the book did pick up and was more engaging, but still not especially thrilling. I know this author is capable of more compelling storytelling, so I’ll definitely give her another shot—but this one was just okay for me!

Absolutely incredible! The plot bombs were SO GOOD! This was my first Stacy Willingham book, and I will be reading everything she has published and will publish from here on out. Her writing style is unique and intriguing. Just when I’d think the book couldn’t get any better, *boom* plot bomb, it would explode into an even better book! Trust nothing and no one while reading this book. Your mind will be blown!

Claire (FMC) is an investigative journalist who is called home to help her mother after she is injured. Back in her hometown, she finds herself surrounded by memories of her sister’s murder and accepts a seasonal job at the farm where her sister worked prior to her death. She stumbles across an old diary that sparks her investigative spirit, and she unlocks secrets to the past that impact her own life more than she expected. No one is who they seem, and the truth is a danger to them all.

I am honored to have been chosen to receive an advance reader copy of this book and am proud to say I am now a huge Stacy Willingham fan. Forget Me Not is set to be released on August 26th, but you can pre-order now on Amazon! In the meantime, go read her other titles already published - I know I will!

Thank you @netgalley & @stacyvwillingham for sending me a copy of this awesome book!

The setting was a character itself, so Atmospheric.I loved the Manson cult like vibes. For me it was too much of a slow burn and I didn't feel invested until 70 percent in. If I could describe this book on one word it would be haunting.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected digital ARC of 'Forget Me Not' by Stacy Willingham - expected release date 08/26/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another great psychological thriller by Willingham - I was so stoked to get this ARC. Even though the premise was familiar (down-on-her luck writer, struggling to find work, returns home to her estranged family), it quickly went off the common course into mind-messing drama. She's so good at weaving together such strong characters and twists, turns, huge reveals I usually don't see coming. Her books are never a disappointment, this one included. This will be a top read for the summer! Also, I love that the book cover and book title were easter eggs that tied into part of the storyline!

Forget Me Not is a gripping Southern thriller that delves into the haunting disappearance of Claire Campbell's sister, Natalie, twenty-two years prior. As Claire returns to her hometown and takes a job at a vineyard, she uncovers a diary detailing unsolved crimes, reigniting suspicions about her sister's case. The novel masterfully intertwines themes of sisterhood, buried secrets, and the lingering shadows of the past. Willingham's atmospheric storytelling keeps readers on edge, making it a must-read for fans of suspenseful mysteries.

This is an intricate mystery. I had some of it figured out but for the most part it kept me guessing. Very descriptive prose and great premise. I almost felt like I needed a spreadsheet to keep everyone straight at the end but it was a good payoff.