Forget Me Not is a haunting and evocative mystery filled with deep emotional layers. This thriller truly comes alive in the audiobook version, featuring dual narration by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker.

Twenty-two years after her sister Natalie vanished, investigative journalist Claire Campbell returns to her South Carolina hometown to help her mother. Looking for escape and answers, she takes a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, the beautiful vineyard where Natalie worked the summer she went missing. What Claire expects to be a nostalgic summer quickly turns ominous when she finds a faded, chilling diary belonging to one of the vineyard owners. What starts as a story of youthful misjudgment soon hints at a series of unsolved crimes and offers clues connected to her sister’s time at the sunlit vineyard.

Willingham crafts a slow-burning story filled with humidity and unease. Helen Laser delivers a realistic and emotionally powerful performance as Claire. Her tone conveys grief, guilt, and suspicion without overacting. She maintains a steady voice that feels genuine and intimate, especially during the reflective and haunting scenes. Karissa Vacker handles the diary entries and past-tense narration, adding a wistful, eerie tension that contrasts nicely with Laser’s current-day realism. The dynamic between their voices enhances the mystery and ensures smooth, engaging timeline transitions.

If you enjoy Southern settings, gradual tension buildup, and character-focused stories, this will satisfy readers seeking meaningful suspense. For those new to audiobooks, I strongly recommend this one, as it offers an engaging audio experience with well-paced suspense and emotionally nuanced narration. Don’t forget to preorder your copy, it releases on August 26th!

Narrated by: Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker
Length: ~11 hours

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC!
Posted initially on BookshelfbyTori on Instagram!

A slow-burn Southern thriller featuring a woman still haunted by her older sister's disappearance twenty-two years in the past. Claire, a freelance journalist in NYC, returns to her childhood home in coastal South Carolina to help take care of her estranged mother. After one night with her mother, Claire escapes the strained home environment to take a live-in job as hired help on a vineyard, the same vineyard her sister was working at all those years ago when she disappeared. The story slowly unfolds, with a growing sense of dread and wrongness, and there are plenty of intriguing twists along the way. Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker do an excellent job narrating the audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook review copy.

Claire is back in her hometown in South Carolina, after her mother's accident and becomes a freelance writer.

Her sister Natalie disappeared 22 years ago.
Natalie's bedroom hasn't been touched in those 22 years and Claire sees a picture of Natalie at the vineyard that she worked at summer before her death.

Claire visits the winery and takes a job as a seasonal worker with room and board since here mom doesn't need her. She thinks spending time there will being her closer to her sister. When she find a diary with what seems to be details of unsolved crimes, she wonders if she is being watching and waiting for the opportune time to become a victim.

I've read a few of Stacy Willingham and this story was a slower start than I care for, but it picked up and was a good story after all. I would recommend it to my mystery/ thriller loving friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the audio ARC.

3 stars!⭐️ Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the advanced audiobook copy of Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham.

🗓️Pub date: August 26th

In Forget Me Not, Claire Campbell is drawn back to her hometown decades after the disappearance of her sister, Natalie. Though the case was officially closed, Claire has never stopped carrying the weight of what remained unresolved.

Now an investigative journalist, she returns to the South Carolina Lowcountry for the summer and impulsively takes a job at a nearby vineyard, one closely tied to Natalie’s final days. There, she stumbles upon a decades-old diary whose cryptic entries begin to unravel a darker, more disturbing thread than she anticipated.

Willingham is known for her richly atmospheric writing, and this novel is no exception. The heat hangs thick in the air, the vineyard pulses with memory, and each page simmers with the slow, creeping unease of a small town Southern summer. The audiobook, narrated by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker, perfectly complements the tone and adds another layer to the experience.

Despite the evocative setting and strong opening, Forget Me Not was ultimately my least favorite of Willingham’s novels to date. The plot follows a familiar structure, and while engaging enough to finish, the mystery lacked the narrative tension and psychological depth l’ve come to expect from her work. I saw several of the major twists coming early, and the ending required more suspension of disbelief than I was willing to give. Claire’s choices often felt inexplicable or forced
-has no one truly looked through Natalie’s room in over two decades?-and her delayed reactions to key revelations stretched credibility.

The decision to present the diary entries in the third person was particularly puzzling. It diminished their emotional immediacy and occasionally disrupted the immersion. A few unresolved plot threads also left the final chapters feeling somewhat incomplete.

That said, fans of Willingham’s earlier work will still enjoy the moody tone and emotionally driven storytelling. While this wasn’t a standout for me, it’s a readable, atmospheric mystery, and I’m still eager to see what she writes next.

Claire is going through a difficult time dealing with the loss of her older sister years ago. Claire leaves Manhattan behind to visit her mother in her home town and finds herself engrossed in a mystery surrounding her sister's murder, family secrets and lies. This book kept me engrossed from beginning to end and wanting to know more after each chapter ended.

Stacy Willingham knows how to keep the reader engaged! The middle did stretch out a little bit, but the book as a whole was a really good one!

I’m a big fan of Stacy’s books, and this was no exception! It was eerie, atmospheric, and a slow burn trail of bread crumbs that led to a great finale. I thoroughly enjoyed the creepy vibe of the vineyard, cold cases, and backlist of characters you don’t know who to trust. If Stacy writes it, I’m reading it! This was also a great production on audio!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Throughly enjoyable read! I found myself drawn in really early on and thought the last 20% or so was the strongest section by far. The middle got a little too slow-paced, but that’s just me being nit-picky. This one fits in nicely with a lot of the other popular thrillers right now and will be an easy one to recommend.

I would 100% recommend this one specifically on audio, as it helped me to stay focused during the slower paced sections..

🎧✨ 4 ⭐️ Audiobook ARC Review: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham ✨🎧
Thank you @macmillan.audio + @stacywillingham for the advanced listening copy!

This slow-burn psychological thriller had me hooked from the first chapter. The atmosphere? Creepy. The characters? Untrustworthy. The narration? Chef’s kiss—I was fully transported into the mind of a woman who’s either uncovering the truth… or unraveling completely. 👀

I loved the layered tension, the shifting timelines, and how the audiobook brought the emotional weight of the story to life. The voice acting was so good—you could feel the fear and doubt simmering beneath the surface.

One star off only because I wanted a slightly tighter pace in the middle and a bit more punch at the end—but still an addicting, haunting listen I’d totally recommend.

If you love:
🖤 Audiobooks that mess with your head
🖤 Sister stories + complex family trauma
🖤 That “wait… what’s actually real?” feeling
🖤 Smart, unsettling thrillers

Add this one to your TBR. It’ll get under your skin. 🔪✨

Stacy Willingham has done it again ! I love the way she writes her thrillers/suspense novels. I have read every single one of her books and she will always be an auto read/buy for me. The narrator Karissa Vacker did a phenomenal job. I love everything she narrates. This one was so atmospheric and eerie with the setting and I felt super connected with the main character and her journey to find out what happened to her sister. I could not stop reading this one. There were so many twists and turns that kept me hooked until the last page. Do yourself a favor and read/listen to this !

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Forget me Not By Stacy Willingham is a mystery thriller that follows Claire a journalist who has no job at the moment. She isn’t doing too good, so decides to go back home to help her mom. That results in her wanting to deep dive more into the disappearance of her sister 22 years ago. She gets a job at the vineyard her sister worked at when she was younger. She ends up finding a diary the leads to some clues on what really happened. There was a lot of twist and turns in the book, and it held my attentions the whole time. Not once did I know what was going to happen next. I received an Audio ARC and the audio was amazing! It was easy to follow, I was captivated the whole time. I give this book 4.5 stars! Can’t wait to pick up the physical copy when it comes out in August!

Claire Campbell has been living in the shadow of her sister Natalie’s disappearance for 22 years. The tragic event, the divorce of her parents and strained relationship with her mother, sends Claire away to New York for a chance at a normal life. When she loses out on a promotion as a journalist and her mother is injured at home, Claire travels back to her tiny town in South Carolina hoping to regroup for a couple months. Discovering an old undeveloped roll of film in her sister’s belongings and connections to other missing girls catapults Claire into looking deeper at the days leading up to Natalie’s disappearance.

I’ve had this book on my Netgalley shelf for a while and was just waiting for the audioboook to come along. I’m so glad I waited as the final version had a lot of final edits and revisions.

I am a fan of Stacy’s writing and the mysteries she’s able to create. The true crime aspect always seems to hit the right notes and I loved the investigation. There were so many clues and red herrings, I was surprised at many of the twists and how the story unfolded. Claire was a great character to follow, I really liked her. Showcased as the younger sister idolizing her sibling was very relatable. Her investigative journalist background complemented the story very well, she was smart and caring to a fault, it didn’t feel forced. The different characters and Marcia’s journal entries had me connecting the dots all over the place, just like a true crime junkie that I am!

Narration by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker blended so well and connected the two stories. Helen narrates Marcia’s journal chapters and I liked her delivery, bringing that character to life. Karissa Vacker does majority of the narration as part of Claire’s POV. Her voice work is one of the best and she just brings an awesome atmosphere to mystery thrillers - I know I’ll have a great time.

Definitely recommending this as a late summer mystery read!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Minotaur Books for the review copies.

Psychological and Predatory! This book preyed on me like a stealthy wolf, and I did not want it to let go.

After losing her job and learning that her mother will need assistance following a severe fall, Claire Campbell decides to return home. It has been many years since her return, following the unresolved disappearance of her older sister, Natalie. Yet, upon arriving, her mother makes it clear that she shouldn't be there and doesn't need her help. A photograph from Natalie's old room compels Claire to drive to Galloway Farm, where Natalie was employed. With no other options and an offer she can't refuse, Claire takes a job there for the summer. And just when it begins to feel like an idyllic retreat, she happens upon a mysterious diary, once belonging to Marcia, the woman who lives there. In it, she finds the story of how Marcia and the property owner, Mitchell, met and fell in love. After several entries, Claire begins to realize that Galloway Farms is hiding something. The more time she spends working at Galloway and reading Marcia's diary, the deeper her sinking feeling that somehow this is all tied to Natalie's disappearance.

This was an easy binge read. The story of Marcia and Mitchell is the force that drives the originality of this dramatic arc. It is what kept me captivated, knowing it was a means to an end. I realized I need to read more of Stacy Willingham's books. She understands pacing, timing, and momentum in writing a thriller. What an arresting puzzle! The voices of Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker move this storytelling to a new level! Their believeable characterizations and voice timbres were perfect for this thriller. I can always count on these two for a solid audio read.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham, and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was pulled instantly into the setting and mystery of this story. Go in blind if you can, just expect a wild twisty ride we have come to love with Stacy Willgham’s writing. If you want to know a little about the book: Claire Campbell is a journalist and has spent years trying to overcome her sister’s disappearance. Natalie disappeared when she was eighteen. She is called back home after her dad calls to come help her mom recover from a fall. The journey back home brings back memories and secrets that were buried many years ago. A story with great characters and page turning mystery.

The audiobook is narrated by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker. These two brought this story to life. It was a thrill to listen too and felt captivated by their voices. This story is told in multiple point of view including journal entries from the past so the different voices really helped make the book easy to follow.

3.5 stars!

This was an entertaining audiobook, lots of twists and turns webbed into it. I was engaged throughout and it kept me wanting more! I liked Claire as a character and it was enjoyable to go between the diary and the present timeline.
Some of the twists and turns seemed a little far fetched, but it was still entertaining!

I always enjoy listening to this narrator! She is definitely one of my favorites! I listened at 1.75x

I’d listen to/read more books by this author!

Wow!! I love when a mystery/thriller keeps me on the edge of my seat and this one did not disappoint. Every time I thought I had it figured out, there was a new twist that had me sitting here with my jaw hanging open!!!


Definitely add this one to your list! I listened to the audio and it’s 10/10 worth it.

This book is INTENSE. I’ve loved all the author’s books so far and this one was no exception. I could not put the book down and was stressing up until the very end.

There are also so many twists and turns and lots of things I didn’t see coming. If you’re into thrillers with runaways/kidnapping, possible murder, and some cultish vibes then this is the book for you! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. I will read any book that Stacy Willingham puts out, I just enjoy her writing style and I know I’m going to get a solid thriller. I would place this title right in the middle of the pack as far as her books go, not at the top with A Flicker in the Dark but enjoyable and fast-paced.

What I enjoyed: I love the multiple POVs when one of them is in the form of a diary from the past (so mysterious!), the main character was someone I could root for, I’ve said it before and I’ll never stop: I.Love.Cult.Shit so when the book opened with a Manson quote I knew it was going to get a bit culty, the central mystery was fun and interesting.

What I didn’t love: I wish the diary POV gave a bit more, I needed more details and I wish it went a bit darker than it did, and I felt the ending was a bit rushed, I prefer twists and turns to be sprinkled throughout a book and this one seemed to have them all jammed in at the end.

Overall, a fun enjoyable summer thriller that was engaging and a great audiobook to sit and listen to in the sun!

Claire has recently quit her journalist job and is working freelance. She has come for the summer to help her Mom after she had an accident. Her mom is not happy to see her. There are so many ghosts and unanswered questions at home. She finds a shoe box with photos and an undeveloped roll of film from her sister. Claire goes into town to see if the film can answer her questions about her sister. She goes to Galway Island to see where her sister worked before she disappeared. She finds a lot more.

I went into this book blind I had no idea what this book was about and what I was in for. I think I'll be thinking and trying to piece together what I just read for awhile. I'm still scratching my head. The narrator and the writing was great. I got a tad confused with the many different characters and who is whom. A twisty thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

This book is everything I want in a mystery—gripping, smart, and impossible to put down. From page one, I was hooked. Stacy Willingham masterfully leads the reader through twists and turns, always staying one step ahead, yet offering just enough answers along the way to keep you racing forward. Every question that popped into my head was addressed seamlessly, making the pacing feel pitch-perfect.

The characters were rich, layered, and incredibly relatable. Their emotions and decisions felt real, making the stakes of the story even more intense. The entire plot was believable in the best and most chilling way—like this could actually happen.

I had the pleasure of also experiencing the audiobook, and WOW. Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker brought an extra dimension to the story. They breathed life into each character with such depth and nuance, it felt like I was right there with them. The narration added emotional weight and tension, making an already fantastic book even better.

If you're looking for a suspenseful, well-written, and addictively clever read, Forget Me Not should be at the top of your list!