Stacy Willingham has done it again! This was so suspenseful and twisty! I couldn't get enough and read this in one sitting! I thought I had it figured out, but leave it to Willingham to throw us for loop!

4.5 stars
This book shook me to my core! I couldn’t put it down, but had to stop reading at night because it gave me the creeps. The eerie atmosphere had me on edge from start to finish, and I absolutely loved the premise. The twists kept me guessing, and the setting really brought everything to life in a way that added to the tension.

It was everything I hoped for and more—definitely a highly anticipated read for me in 2025 and it delivered. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for others to experience the same thrill.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date: August 26, 2025

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year so to get to read it early was such a treat! Books set in the low country are special. I can taste and feel the air while I’m reading them. Stacy Willingham has become one of my favorite authors. I love her style and this didn’t stray. It was a fast paced and intriguing thriller. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5)
Stacy you’ve done it again 🫡
I’ve read all of Stacy’s other books and man this one was such a good one! Along with all her other books, Stacy knows how to get you hooked, line, and sinker. I could not put this down! It was such a page turner. I will say there were times that it was a tad bit slow but you need that information for everything to make sense in the end. And dang! I could not have guessed the ending!

“Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist... until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew”

There were moments of fear, shock, sadness, and if you want to say peace, peace at the end; all wrapped up in a nice bow. You’ll be in for a ride reading the last half of this book. 👏

Thank you again NetGalley for letting me read this book before it comes out. (PLEASE go order this or get it in person on Aug. 26th!!)

I’m going to start by saying that I didn’t like the authors last book. And yet loved her previous ones, so I was a little hesitant to pick this one up fearing that this might be a case of a “not for me “ author.
Happy to report that I couldn’t put this one down.
They classified it as southern thriller but I’ve never heard that sub genre before so I’m re-classifying it as bat-shit-crazy. My fav type of thrillers 😂

It was dark. Creepy. And even if I thought a little predictable with a few twists, the storyline was tight enough that I couldn’t stop reading.

It was a win for me!

"I guess I'll start with my name, Marcia, because most days, my name feels like the only thing that's mine."

The story begins with journalist Claire Campbell, who is still reeling from her sister's mysterious disappearance and suspected murder from 20+ years ago. When she is passed up for a promotion at her job in New York, she decided to quit and try to be a freelance journalist.

Her father calls saying that her mother is injured and in need of care, so she makes her way back to her hometown, a small town.

While back at home with her mother, she discovers an old roll of film in her sister's room. The photographs led her to a farm her sister worked at shortly before she went missing. Claire investigates the farm and decides she needs to spend more time there, so she accepts a job as a farm hand. She is completely out of her depth, but she is confident she can do the job and do her research on the side.

At the Galloway farm, she meets Liam, the lead farmhand, Mitchell, the creepy owner and man with crazy knowledge of all the herbs and plants on the farm, and Marcia, a shell of a woman and Mitchell's wife.

She is invited to stay in the guest cabin where she uncovers Marcia's old diary and many, many disturbing secrets about the people and the crazy situations at the farm.

Although I thought the beginning of the book was slightly slow, it picks up and is full of suspense, thrill, and uncovered secrets. 4 1/2 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press/Minotaur books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love Stacy Willingham and this deep south thriller was so good it was hard to put down! Easily 5 stars for me. Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Stacy does it again - I always love her books, but this one was one of the best! Her writing is so descriptive and just sucks you into the story, I couldn't put this book down! I enjoyed the plot and the pace of the novel as well. While I could definitely see some twists coming, I definitely was left guessing and shocked watching everything unfold. Definitely recommend to all thriller fans!

This is a thriller I will be recommending to everyone who is on the hunt for something they can devour in a day or two. I was enthralled into the story very quickly and could never put it down until it was over, it was that gripping! This was on the fast track to a 5 star thriller (a hard feat to come by for me these days) but I felt like there were a few parts that could have been stronger twists, but all in all this could very well go down as a top thriller of 2025 for me! I've read all of Stacy's thrillers so far and this locked itself into the number 2 position right behind A Flicker in the Dark!

This book is absolutely AMAZING!! One of my very favorite books I’ve read recently 😍 Be sure to grab this masterpiece when it’s released on August 26th! S/O to @netgalley for the ARC! Such a whirlwind of nothing but twists & turns that leave you guessing until the very end 👏🏼🤯

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Stacy Willingham, her publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC!

This is the third book I've read of Stacy's and this one had me in a complete chokehold - I could not put it down! The pacing was great; I really enjoyed the dual timelines in the story and getting to see the world through both Claire's and Marcia's eyes. As per usual, there's one twist right after another, and I'm constantly astounded by the intricate stories Stacy creates. Each of her books are different from one another and I find that refreshing. While I may figure one or two things out myself, I'm constantly on the edge of my seat, questioning my theories and what may happen next.

Her books are a must-read for mystery and thriller fans.

Lots of suspense. Small town & cult-y vibes. Complicated family dynamics.
Can't wait for the official release! 8.26.25.

I was given an opportunity to read and review this book before the release by the author and publishers. Thank you to them and NetGalley, here is my honest review.

Forget Me Not is a story about a woman, whose sister was murdered 22 years ago. Having the murderer arrested and convicted the case was closed. Upon going to work on a farm where her sister worked as a teenager she finds clues that do not add up to how the police said things went down.
Having read “All the Dangerous things” and “A Flicker in the Dark” I was very excited for this ARC. I was very captivated by this story but ended up very confused. I felt it was fast paced and thrilling but found it challenging to follow and rushed at the end. I felt that Natalie’s case was closed and Claire didn’t have any reason not to believe the case was closed and the correct person was arrested. I thought the story was going to be more towards helping Marcia than re-solving her sisters case. Claire did have dreams about her sister but I just didn’t feel the connection to go search for something. I found it very strange for her to just decide as a career journalist to want to work on this farm for the summer. I also really did not understand sheriffs DiNellos connection to the murders and why he helped Lily and Mitchell by framing Jeffrey Slater. I thought the book was ok overall but the plot holes for me were just too much to add together.

Solid, with mild pacing issues. But, like, that's really all I have to say about it, which seems...is it me? Is it the book? Do other people think about this crap as though anyone gives one single solitary...

4.5 ⭐️

Claire's trip back home sets into motion a series of events that she never could have predicted. She's been avoiding her hometown ever since her sister went missing and was presumed dead. However, she discovers some items amongst her things, and she sets off to learn what happened. I went into this one totally blind, and I'm glad I did. It was a fun story, though the pacing was slightly off at times. I enjoyed how it all came together in the end.

4.5/5 stars!
After returning home, Claire gets sucked into the past trying to connect with her sister who was murdered 22 years previously.
I love mysteries with dual timelines and I loved that this book kept going back and forth between the present day and the 1980s. The characters were so interesting and you knew something wasn’t right from the very beginning.
I did manage to piece together a couple things that happened in the story but not the whole thing and there’s always something satisfying about coming up with a theory in the early chapters of a book and finding out you’re right even if you didn’t figure out the whole story.
Another gem from Stacy Willingham and I can’t wait to see what she delivers next!

Forget Me Not is a gripping psychological thriller following Claire, a journalist who returns to her hometown to care for her injured mother. As she uncovers dark secrets about her sister Natalie’s disappearance, the twists and turns keep the suspense high. From hidden diaries to shocking revelations, the story is packed with intrigue. Willingham delivers another masterful, fast-paced read full of surprises. Highly recommended for fans of thrilling, unpredictable plots.

Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham is a murder mystery and a cautionary tale about the danger of trusting the wrong person. After losing out on an expected promotion, the main character, Claire Campbell, quits her job as a newspaper journalist in New York, but finds herself unable to make a living as a freelancer. When she is called home to help her mother recover from an accident, Claire returns to rural South Carolina for the summer and, ultimately, Claire ends up delving into the 22-year-old unsolved murder of her sister.

Virtually from page one, the book has a creepy, foreboding tone that persists throughout. The plot is clever and the story is well-crafted, moving along at a fast pace without needless fillers. The author relies very heavily on the use of similes (a figure of speech comparing one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description emphatic or vivid). Used judiciously, similes heighten our sensory awareness. But used excessively, they become sensory overload, and at times I wished that the author had pulled back a bit.

There is no graphic violence, which I appreciate, but also no humor, no love, no emotional relief from the dark moodiness and sensory bombardment of this book. At the end, multiple murders were ultimately resolved, but many questions remained. The Epilogue, which attempted to sort everything out, felt rushed and brought up even more questions. It was as though the author was exhausted by the end, and just needed for it all to be over.

I'm giving this book four stars, because the story is intriguing and unique, and I believe it will appeal to murder-mystery lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy of this book to read and review.

@stacyvwillingham has done it again with Forget Me Not—another thrilling, mind-bending masterpiece that you won’t be able to put down. If you’re a fan of her work, you already know she’s one of those authors you don’t even have to think twice about purchasing. Her books are automatic buys, because you know from the first page that it’s going to be phenomenal. Forget Me Not is no exception. I was so happy to get this over spring break so I didn’t have to worry about lack of sleep at work from reading all night!

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter. It’s the kind of story that pulls you in so effortlessly, you find yourself devouring pages faster than you can blink. And just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, Willingham throws in a twist that makes you reconsider everything. The pace is relentless—so much so that it’s hard to tear yourself away, even for a second. You’ll finish this one in record time, and the characters, plot, and suspense will stick with you long after the last page.

What continues to amaze me about Willingham is how she constantly delivers unique, jaw-dropping storylines. I honestly don’t know how she comes up with these plots—they’re so intricate and cleverly crafted that it feels like you’re reading something entirely new, each time. You won’t find clichés or predictability here. She knows exactly how to keep you on the edge of your seat, guessing and second-guessing everything you thought you knew about the characters and the story.

Five stars aren’t enough to rate Forget Me Not. If you’re looking for a psychological thriller that’s impossible to put down, this is it. Willingham’s ability to weave complex, unpredictable narratives is unmatched, and this book proves once again why she’s an author who will always have a spot on my shelf.

Something about a thriller book set in the south. This book was creepy and mysterious in the best way possible.
This story follows Claire, who travels back to her home town where her sister disappeared 22 years prior.
While back, she discovers a diary that reveals so many new secrets.
This did have a slow start, but once it picked up I was completely sucked in.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Forget Me Not had slower pacing but it opens up a mystery that would have been harder to digest if it moved quickly. From the perspective of Claire, a journalist who lost her sister decades ago, the events kick off when Claire goes home for the first time in years. While home Claire discovers her sister, Natalie’s, last days were spent at Galloway Farms and she takes a job there in turn. While Natalie’s murderer was found and prosecuted years ago, Claire’s discovery of a diary (the book’s other point of view) and the eerie farm call the events around Natalie’s murder into question.

This has a mix of cult vibes to its mystery coupled with very real grief and baggage that would follow a family who had a loved one taken from them too soon. It will leave you unsettled but definitely intrigued throughout!