Like much of the author’s previous work, this story unfolds at a deliberate pace—something I personally enjoy, though it might not suit readers who crave nonstop action or constant plot twists. The narrator delivered an exceptional performance, really enhancing the experience. The plot builds gradually but lands with a conclusion that’s both unexpected and deeply rewarding.

I just love a good thriller that leaves me guessing, even up to the very last chapter, and this book delivered. The story had myriad twists and turns and while I did guess some of the plot points, even the ones I guessed "correctly" still managed to throw me off guard.

The main character doesnt suffer from a lot of thriller main character issues, like being completely situationally unaware. I was nervous for her at times, the peril she got herself into felt dangerous and real.

The plot really got going the last ~1/3 of the book and that's what pushed my rating from 3.5 to 4, as the different threads started connecting it made the story all the more interesting and I didn't want to stop listening once I got to the last ~3 hours of the audiobook.

The audiobook narrators did a great job, especially the narrator for the main character, her voice changes for different characters was so well done.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When her mother's health draws her back to her hometown, Claire Campbell finds herself exploring the farm where her sister, Natalie, disappeared more than twenty years ago. An investigative journalist by trade, Claire is determined to learn as much as she can about the property, its owners, and the local disappearances that might be linked.

I absolutely loved this one. I love Stacy Willingham and I would listen to Karissa Vacker narrate the phone book so this was right up my alley and did not disappoint! The main character felt real and relatable and does some investigating but never did anything so reckless or stupid that it makes it unrealistic. Structurally I really loved the way the story was coming together from two different angles-- Claire, now, and one of the girls from decades ago via a journal that was left behind. It gave the story a lot of depth and kept it interesting and set up a good twist I didn't see coming. Overall just a really good read, as per usual with this author & narrator :)

I got an advanced audio copy of this from Netgalley. I love a book that goes through someone elses diary, so that for me was a bonus. It didn't really grab me until about the halfway point, and was pretty predictable, how ever I did find this readable and had some entertaining stretches. I did root for the main character from the very begining she is likable. I dont know if I would recommend this as a must read but I will continue to give this author a chance.

Small town vibes, secrets, enemies.

Truly 2.5 stars. I was very bored and the plot was not exciting. There was so little mention of the sister’s disappearance and I just didn’t care about what was happening. Ryan was pointless

I’m a bit of an outlier with this one. The audiobook drew me in at times, but lagged at other times.
Claire hasn’t been back to her hometown in years. Her older sister disappeared a long time ago and is assumed dead. Claire, lacking in the job department, decides to go back home. She isn’t there long before she’s stir crazy and decides to look into her sister’s life before she disappeared. This seems to lead her to a local vineyard where her sister worked for a short time.

I wanted to be more invested in this story, but I just wasn’t. It was a little too slow for me and a little anticlimactic.

The narrator was interesting to listen to and the book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t amazing.

I do appreciate the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite of hers. I had a feeling I knew where this one was going early on. For the most part, I was correct, so it lost a bit of its appeal. This is definitely a thriller filled with family drama. I found the setting more compelling than the characters.

Read if you enjoy…
▪️southern thrillers
▪️family dramas
▪️isolated settings
▪️alternating timelines
▪️cult-ish trope

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress, and @macmillanaudio. 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 publishes August 26th.

The beginning of Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham is like sitting on the front porch of a southern home sipping iced-tea; it is slow, layered with contemplation, and meandering through a forgotten history waiting to be remembered, to be told. I wasn't sure that I would finish this audiobook, but I was enjoying the narrators, Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker, and Willingham's prose, which was unfolded like a movie shown at a night in the park. Claire Campbell (FMC1), at the urging of her father, returns home to help her injured, divorced mother recover from a fall. Her mother does not truly want Claire to help her, and Claire doesn't want to be in her childhood home where she is confronted with memories of her sister who was murdered 22 years ago.

Claire and her mother agree that Claire will leave and return to New York. But, Claire can't return to New York because she sublet her place for three months. She decides to take on a summer job at Galloway Farms where she receives free room and board, $2000 in pay, and an idyllic view of a 50-acre muscadine vineyard and farm. She thinks that this will permit her time to look for freelance investigative work, via the Internet, while earning some money.

While Claire stays in the employee's summer house, she discovers an old diary hidden in an air conditioning vent. She reads the diary and learns the stories of Mitchell, Marsha, Lily, and Annie. Two of these people are the current owners of Galloway Farm. Claire grows concerned for Marsha's safety because the diary reveals crimes committed and Mitchell's psychological grooming of young girls. Can Claire save Marsha? Find additional proof that Mitchell committed these crimes? Convince the sheriff to arrest Mitchell?

I enjoyed the multiple POVs told through the diary. This lent well to the nonlinear timeline. Many of the twists I didn't expect. This psychological suspense story increased in pacing and tension after the first quarter of the narrative. I would definitely listen to another audiobook by Willingham. The narrators were phenomenal.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #MacmillanAudio, #StacyWillingham, #Helen Laser, and #Karissa Vacker for my ALC. This review is my honest opinion.

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publication Date: August 26, 2025

Stacy Willingham is an automatic read for me! Forget Me Not was the type of audiobook that I devoured. I finished the whole thing in 2 days. As an avid thriller reader, I felt the twists and turns of this book were unique or at least not overdone. I needed to keep reading.
This story was haunting, the characters had me hooked, and the overall story brought to life by the narration-- oh so good!

Highly Recommend!
4.5-5 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217387937

Thank you Net Galley and MacMillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook prior to publication. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I thought this was the best Stacey Willingham book since A Flicker in the Dark. Great narration, too.

The audio was very good. Narrator did a great job delivering the story. The book kept me engaged and interested. I liked the story and I was glad that it was written well and it had a dark mystery side to it.

Forget Me Not
by Stacy Willingham
4/5⭐

Forget Me Not tells the story of Claire Campbell, a young woman still haunted by the disappearance of her sister Natalie, twenty-two years earlier. After leaving her job as an investigative journalist in the city, Claire returns to her coastal South Carolina hometown. There, she is supposed to stay with her mom, but instead finds herself taking a summer job at Galloway Farm, a peaceful and picturesque vineyard. However, when she stumbles upon an old diary, her plans for a quiet reset unravel.

The journal pulls Claire into a spiral of obsession. She becomes immersed in the past and all its secrets as they slowly resurface. Galloway quickly transforms from a tranquil place to the backdrop for a dark journey into deep trauma. Willingham creates a moody atmosphere in the book, given the setting, and outside with a beautiful yet eerie cover. The story leans more toward a slow-burning mystery than a thriller. That said, there are still some surprising twists that will keep you turning the pages. It's a solid pick for readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries with a chilling Southern setting.

Thank you to @Macmillan.Audio and @netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. All my opinions are my own.
Pub Date: August 26, 2025

Although this book starts off a bit slow, once it picks up, you will not want to put it down. Claire has been trying to avoid her past, but when she ends up unemployed and coming home to take care of her mother, she realizes she can't run from the memories of her sister, Natalie, who disappeared over 20 years ago. Claire stumbles upon the Galloway Farm, which was one of the last places Natalie was happy, and everything starts to unravel from there.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC.
Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham was everything I wished for! Love the back and forth between the different POVs, the several timelines and as always I did not see the twists coming!

Listening speed: 2x
Narrators: Helen Laser; Karissa Vacker
Feedback: I've enjoyed several audiobooks narrated by both of these talented narrators. They’re truly exceptional, drawing you into the story and taking you on a journey that makes it impossible to stop listening!

Audiobook Review: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
Narrated by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to learn about new authors and leave reviews.

Forget Me Not took a little time for me to get into, but once the story picked up, I was hooked. Stacy Willingham has a great way of slowly building suspense and layering in clues, and the ending was definitely shocking in the best way. I really appreciated how she tied everything together by the conclusion—it made for a satisfying and memorable finish.

The audiobook features two narrators, Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker, both of whom did a solid job. However, their voices were very similar to my ear, and I found it difficult to differentiate between the two. I barely noticed when the narration switched, which occasionally made it tricky to keep track of which character’s perspective I was hearing. That said, both narrators had strong delivery, good pacing, and carried the emotional tone well throughout the book.

Overall, Forget Me Not is a well-crafted psychological thriller that rewards your patience. It’s suspenseful, thoughtful, and full of twists, and I’m definitely interested in reading more from Stacy Willingham in the future. A great listen for fans of character-driven thrillers with dark, unexpected turns.

I really like that Stacy Willingham’s trillers have a very solid backbone of a story that the mystery aspect is anchored onto. I thought the interpersonal dynamics of this story were really well done, and I loved the setting and the imagery.

This story didn’t have a huge amount of tension throughout it - it was definitely more intriguing than tense, which I really enjoyed.

I will read anything Stacy Willingham writes!

However, after not super enjoying Only If You’re Lucky I was hesitant to start Forget Me Not. Happy to have my worries assuaged right from the start. I flew through this listen and had to make myself pause just to savor it.

This is my favorite kind of mystery/thriller. I love to have some parts figured out but still be shocked by the whole story and this was exactly that.

Karissa Vacker’s narration was excellent as always!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

Forget Me Not - Stacy Willingham
Pub Date - 8/26/25
Rating - 4/5
Thoughts - Thank you Netgalley, MacMillan Audio, and Stacy WIllingham for this gifted advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review. I could not WAIT to get my hands on this book! Willingham's writing style is incredible, and this book was no different. Set in the rural south, this new thriller follows journalist Claire Campbell, who comes to back to her hometown in South Carolina to take her of her injured mother. Claire's older sister Natalie was missing over 22 years ago, never found and presumed dead. Natalie's disappearance haunts Claire and after all these years, when she had a falling out with her mom, she stumbles upon Galloway Farms, one of the last places where Natalie was seen before she disappeared. Claire not only finds out what is going on at the farm, but also the key to where her sister has been all these years...

I really enjoyed this story! It was a slower pace, but I devoured the writing, the premise, and the overall storyline. If you like missing person, southern small towns, and a cult, this one is perfect for you! Can't wait to add this one to my shelfie.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked how the author used a diary as a secondary story and felt like it gave the story a mysterious aspect. Not super twisty, but I still enjoyed listening! I will recommend this book to friends.

Woman with a missing sister returns home to small town where things are not as they seem… you know the drill. The main character is supposed to be an investigative journalist but continues to make the dumbest decisions imaginable. Boring, predictable, probably shouldn’t have bothered finishing this one. And can we please stop using diary entries in mystery/thrillers, nobody writes full blown dialogue and play by play descriptions of events in their high school journal!?!!?!