This is a haunting, slow burn mystery thriller with an immersive setting and great writing. Claire is an interesting protagonist, haunted by the death of her sister, who finds herself at the center of a 22-year-old mystery. It took a bit for me to get into the story, but once I did, it was very engaging.

I am a huge Stacy Willingham fan, her first book was 10/10 for me - this one.. was a bit slow, it wasn't exactly "thrilling" but more like a suspense? mystery? I didn't have the 10/10 feeling for this one, however - it was still a great read! Thank you soo much for the early copy!

This was supposed to be a thriller but for me it was just a mystery that I half figured it out in the middle of the book. It didn't make my adrenaline rush nor it made me on the edge of my seat. It's interesting just enough to complete it.

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I need a palate cleanser from romances and this thriller would be perfect. Thank you so much Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the early copy 💙💙

Willingham really sets the stage with magnetic writing and a very atmospheric backdrop. This is a gripping thriller and Willingham immediately draws the reader in and sets them down the path of a decades old mystery. The entire book ripples with feelings of unease and tension just below the surface. The prose is gorgeous and the writing is haunting. The characters are well developed and written so well, with the side characters being just an interesting and fleshed out as the main character. The story is complex, but easy to follow, as Willingham peels back later after layer. The ending is dynamic and the twist is just stunningly done. Not only did I never see it come but it just made so much sense and left me astounded. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year, Willingham absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one. With such a unique story, phenomenal and haunting writing, and an addictive blend of mystery, murder, and suspense this is an easy 5/5⭐️

The book started out really slow for me. I’m not into slow burners. But i was interested enough to finish. Unpopular opinion… not one of my favorites of her books.

This book stressed me out, I was on edge the whole time the main character was at Galloway, knowing this is where the twists, turns, and danger would lie and I was not wrong! Stacy writes such anxiety inducting thrillers!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Stacey Willingham does it again! I have read all her books, enjoyed all her books, and I think Forget Me Not just knocked every single one out of first place. It was so good!
This book actually gave me chills. I became so immersed in Claire's pseudo-investigation into Galloway Farm that I felt like I was investigating with her. I love an amateur detective novel, and this delivered.
What's interesting about Claire being at Galloway Farm is that it was sort of unplanned. Circumstances happened, she ended up at the farm, and she started digging up a bunch of old secrets pertaining to unsolved murders. It was so brilliantly written.
This book also delivers on all the southern thriller vibes. Imagine a remote place in a hot, humid South Carolina with no cell service - completely cut off from civilization. It was haunting and I loved it.
If you like thrillers, don't mind being slightly creeped out, and love an amateur investigation, you'll like this one!

Stacy Willingham has done it again! The mystery at the heart of the book - what happened to the older sister two decades ago - has plenty of twists and turns, several of which I did not see coming! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

This was described as pulse pounding but sadly this was one of the most boring thrillers I've ever read. At least it felt like a quick read.

Lost sister
A couple with secrets
Going back home

Captivating story that kept me hooked til the very end. Twists that I didn't anticipate and layers upon layers all connected together. I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Once I started I had no problem getting wrapped in reading it.

This is my second read from this author but both of her other two books are currently on my shelf waiting to be read.

Recommend this novel? Yes

Four star read

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the arc opportunity.

Fast paced, edge of the seat mystery/thriller. Just when I thought I had the mystery solved, another plot twist was revealed..
This is the fourth book that I've read by this author and I will continue to read her future books.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC

I love this suthors ability to craft a suspenseful but believable story with beautifully flawed characters but that had plots like Claire’s in this book that draw you into and engage in the story do you can’t put the book down .
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for letting me review this book

When I see Stacy Willingham has a new book coming out, you already know it’s immediately added to my list. And her latest—Forget Me Not—should be added to yours!

Told through multiple perspectives and timelines, this suspense is unlike many others; while it keeps you guessing (and on the edge of your seat) at times, it almost reads like a historic fiction at others. While this creative storytelling adds a depth to Willingham’s writing, it did make for a slightly slower thriller. If you’re looking for constant action, this may not be the read for you. But if you’re looking for suspense combined with artistic narration (and the classic Willingham touch of a Southern setting), then I recommend Forget Me Not.

Thank you to Stacy Willingham, St. Martin’s Press, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Go out and read this book now!

Claire's sister went missing 22 years ago, and Claire escaped from their hometown the moment she graduated. She hasn't been back for 15 years, but now she feels like she has no choice. She has no job, no money, and her mom is injured.

Reluctantly she returns, only to find herself drawn to a nearby vineyard. Claire immediately takes a job there, happy to have a temporary home and some cash. Then she finds the diary of one of the owners from 40 years earlier. Drawn in, she soon realizes that there is more going on than meets the eye. Her journalism instincts kick in, and off the book goes!!

The book is mostly from Claire's POV, but we get to the vineyard owner's POV from the diary's entries.

I got approved to read this book, started it, and finished it all in one day.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

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!