I enjoyed the story and performances in Forget Me Not, but I do have a plot hangup.

When Claire's mother has an accident, her father calls her and tells her she should come home to help. Claire hasn't been home in 15 years, as it serves as a reminder of the loss of her older sister. When her mother isn't interested in receiving much help, Claire stumbles upon a farm on her way out of town and decides to take a job there for the summer, since she recently quit her job as a journalist. Things seem off from the beginning, and the longer she stays, the more she realizes she may have stumbled into the answers she's been looking for since her sister disappeared.

The farm feels off from the beginning, Claire loses Internet access and general access to the world outside the farm, and when more suspicious things happen, she decides to stay working at the farm. It felt a little odd to me that her father called her home for her mother, her mother didn't want help, and then Claire ends up at a farm instead. I also have such a hangup with smart main characters ignoring super red flags for the sake of the plot, and some of her time on the farm had me feeling like someone as smart as Claire wouldn't stay there, or at least wouldn't investigate without Internet access.

That being said, Willingham's prose is beautiful and atmospheric, and I almost felt like I was sweating alongside Claire as she worked. A LOT of people love this one, so take my review with a grain of salt.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audibook.

Ah... unfortunately, Stacy Willingham's newest novel was not for me. Maybe it was the audiobook, but the first 1/3 of the book had so many lines describing things as comparisons to other things (what terrible language I am using) and I found myself rolling my eyes. I could hardly get through it.

By the time the story picked up and the mystery kicked off, I was already kind of checked out. I will try this as a book vs. an audiobook and see i I have better luck.

Julie Whelan though - superb, always.

An entertaining thriller that certainly had Stacy Willingham charm. This book was more of a slow burn thriller, which I didn’t mind, mainly because I listened to the majority of this in one sitting. By the time I got towards the end of the audiobook, I felt like so much happened in such a short amount of time. The ending really packed a punch. If you enjoyed Willingham’s previous novels, add this one to your list. The narration was well done.

Loved it! Another great thriller from Stacy Willingham. Maybe even my favorite so far--definitely in the running. Small town vibes, revisited childhood trauma and layers of mystery. The diary entries are woven in so seamlessly--love the choice to have Helen Laser read the diary and Karissa Vacker as the main narrator. I enjoyed the revelations as they allowed me to match then with what I already knew from the story; they weren't just big twists out of nowhere. Look for this one in late August--a perfect way to shake off the sandy beach season and get ready for the fall. Highly recommend. Rounding up from 4.5. Thank you to Minotaur Books, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy and the opportunity to share my review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars (Outstanding)
Setting: A coastal Southern small town, specifically centered around Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard in coastal South Carolina
Genre: Southern Gothic Thriller; Southern Psychological Thriller

Just finished Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham, and I’m still reeling — in the best possible way. If you love a Southern thriller dripping with atmosphere, secrets, and page-turning suspense, this one is for you.

Claire’s return to her hometown to face her sister’s decades-old disappearance is haunting, raw, and so well told. Willingham weaves past and present together with just the right amount of tension — I was hooked from the first page and genuinely could not stop reading. The muscadine vineyard setting was beautifully eerie, and the diary twist? Chills!

I loved how this story explores memory, family, and what happens when the truth you think you know starts to crack wide open. The ending had me holding my breath — and I can’t stop thinking about it.

If you want a summer read that will grab you, keep you guessing, and give you a good scare, Forget Me Not is it. Well done, Stacy Willingham — you’ve done it again! 👏📚✨ #netgalley #forgetmenot #booked_this_weekend

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four Stars- Almost 5!

Forget Me Not is another strong psychological thriller from Stacy Willingham. The writing is immersive and moody, pulling you into the narrator's unraveling world from the very first chapter. The alternating of Claire's POV to "flashbacks" with Marsha's diary and POV were great and even more distinct with two different narrators. The pacing kept me listening late into the night, and the blend of memory, trauma, and suspense was well executed.

Willingham does a great job building tension and planting just enough doubt to keep you guessing. While I figured out part of the twist before the reveal, it didn’t take away from the journey — the atmosphere and emotional undercurrents were just as satisfying as the plot.

A dark, twisty ride that stays with you. Can't wait to see what Willingham writes next.

*ARC review*

Forget Me Not explores the dark complexities of memory, grief, and obsession. The story follows a woman whose sister disappeared a year ago under mysterious circumstances. As new evidence surfaces, long-buried secrets begin to unravel, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew.
The plot moves at a steady pace, and the novel delivers a satisfying and unsettling ride. Fantastic read!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Stacy Willingham for the advanced listener copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Forget Me Not follows Claire, a reporter who is haunted by the decades old disappearance and presumed murder of her older sister. A trip back home to help her mother after an injury leads Claire to uncover some new information about her sister’s disappearance. Is the right man behind bars?

Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker brought the story to life with their narration. Tense moments were conveyed well, and you could feel the mood of the character through their changes in pitch and tone.

This book had aomw good twists and turns. There were some moments that had our character making a choice that seemed a bit of a stretch. These moments did help the secrets stretch out, however I found myself wishing the FMC’s sharp investigative reporting skills had been portrayed more consistently.

Overall an interesting read that made our road trip more entertaining.

A solid mystery thriller. I enjoyed the flashbacks elements via the journal and the change of narration during the audiobook for those parts was also a good choice. There were some twists I did not expect!

Whenever I read a thriller like this I find myself constantly screaming … Run… run!! They never run! Aside from her poor judgement this book instantly hooked me. It did make sense that she wouldn’t leave well enough alone because of her personal connection to the danger as well as her journalist background. Broken people wreaking havoc all over! The book def picks up toward the end so be prepared to not put the book down once the truth comes out. Thoroughly enjoyed the ending and how it all was tied up in a near bow. I still don’t understand why the catatonic tea but author didn’t either… Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC.

Claire Campbell is still searching for answers 22 years after the disappearance of her sister. She winds up working at a farm in South Carolina near her hometown while retracing her sister’s last steps. What she finds is evidence of another disappearance. Determined to put the pieces together, Claire realizes things are not quite as they seem. I enjoyed the mystery, twists and turns, and resolution in this latest thriller from Stacy Willingham! She has a way of story building and suspense that keeps me coming back for more.

Thank you, Stacy Willingham, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this audiobook! The sound quality was excellent. The narrators, Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker, did a great job bringing the characters to life! I appreciated the different narrators for the separate timeline. It helped keep track of the characters and setting.

After Flicker in the Dark, I was excited to listen to this book by Stacy Willingham. It is about Claire Campbell, whose sister disappeared, was murdered (no body found), and an older man was convicted of the crime. She has not been having a very good go at life lately, and decides to change things up. Claire receives a phone call from her father, letting her know that her mom may need some assistance after breaking her leg. It has been super painful for her since her parents split and her sister disappeared. Reluctantly, she goes back to see her mom, but that visit only lasts a day. After seeing some of her sister's belongings, she decides to visit a vineyard that her sister used to work at. This sets up a series of events that is a non-stop suspense ride to find the truth. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I am not sure where to begin except to say that Stacy Willingham has done it again! This book will take you on a gripping adventure you will not believe.

Claire’s sister Natalie was in a car accident shortly after her 18th birthday and her body was never found. Devastated by the loss of her sister, Claire could not wait to get out of her small town and away from the memories. After she graduated, she moved to New York where she became an investigative journalist. When passed over for a promotion, Claire resigns from the journal so when she receives a call letting her know that her mom was in an accident and could use some help at home, she packs her things and heads back.

While in South Carolina, Claire comes across Galloway Farm which is where Natalie was working as a seasonal employee when she disappeared. When things get too intense with her mom, Claire decides to take a job at Galloway Farm herself. In the guest house where she is staying, she comes across a diary written by one of the vineyard’s owners. As the pieces start to come together, Claire starts to realize that something is not right on the farm and has the sneaking suspicion that she is being watched. Will Claire be able to uncover the mystery of her sister’s disappearance and learn more about the owner of the diary before it is too late? Or will she too become the unwitting victim of something sinister?

While the book does have some slow parts, it is worth sticking with it. The end of this book is one you will be left thinking about long after you read the final page and close the cover.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book. Read by Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker, the production and presentation of this book was very well done.

"Forget Me Not", Stacy Willingham delivers another moody, Southern set psychological thriller steeped in long-buried secrets, family trauma, and an atmosphere thick with tension. With the same emotionally driven suspense that made "A Flicker in the Dark" a bestseller, Willingham crafts a story that blends the past and present in chilling, evocative detail.

At the heart of the novel is Claire Campbell, an investigative journalist who has spent decades trying to escape the shadow of her sister Natalie’s disappearance. When a call from her estranged father brings her back to her hometown, Claire impulsively takes a summer job at the scenic Galloway Farm, hoping for peace, but finding a disturbing link to her past. The discovery of an old diary with eerie parallels to Natalie’s case pulls Claire into a dangerous web of hidden truths and local legends.

Willingham’s story is immersive, her pacing methodical and simmering, gradually building dread with each new revelation. The setting, a vineyard in coastal South Carolina, adds a lush, almost gothic quality to the story, contrasting with the dark undercurrents that unravel as Claire digs deeper.

Some readers may find the middle of the novel slower as the mystery unfolds in layers, and Claire’s increasing paranoia occasionally borders on repetitive. Still, the payoff is worth the wait. The final twists are smartly executed, tying past and present together in a way that feels earned.

I actually read this book, and wanted to check out the audiobook. I'm glad I didn't. I didn't mind diving into this story all over again. I loved "A Flicker In The Dark," so I was excited to read Stacy Willingham’s newest novel, and the listen was just as good. The story follows Claire Campbell, a journalist, who lost her sister to what she thinks is a closed murder case 22 years ago. Everyone believes that Clarie's sister, Natalie, was killed by her secret older boyfriend. And everyone assumes the case is closed.

Claire loses her job in New York, and her mother is injured, so she decides to go home, help her mom, and save money. While at home,
Claire finds undeveloped film, which leads her to Galloway Farm—where her sister worked before her death.

Claire gets a job at the farm and begins to uncover a web of dangerous secrets. The more Claire digs, the more she is convinced that the farm and Natalie's death are related. There are many clever twists and turns in this book.

It was a quick, exciting read, and I consumed it eagerly. This novel delivers on every level. If you are already a fan of Stacy Willingham, you won't be disappointed. If you are new to her, this is a good place to start.

Claire's sister disappeared around her 18th birthday after sneaking out. Evidence pointed to a young man from the community and the case was closed even though her body was never discovered. Claire returns to her hometown to visit her mother over 20 years later. What happens next is a book that really kept my attention and twisted and turned until the ending. Many parts of this book left me breathless during the descriptions of the story. Before visiting her mother, she lost her job. So she intends to stay a few weeks with her mother to help her recuperate from an injury. After one night in her childhood home, she decides that it is just too much to relive her sister's disappearance, so she takes a seasonal job on a farm about an hour from her home. What starts out as an ideal break from reality, slowly turns into a mysterious and weird place to be. The farmers of the land do not seem to be ok and she has more questions than she has answers.

Since she is a reporter, she also starts to set out to find out what really happened to her sister after finding some things her sister left behind and a diary that is found on the property she where she is living. The way this author intermingles two seemingly unrelated stories into one is just breathtaking and I found myself getting very caught up in the story. Wow Just Wow. This is only the second book from this author that I have ready but it will not be the last. Thank you #NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC.

Like the other books I've read by Stacy Willingham, this one had me hooked. Claire is at a crossroads in her life when she loses her job and travels to check on her mother. When a seasonal job offer arises that comes with unplugging from the world, she quickly accepts it. Soon after, puzzle pieces of her past come together as she notices parallels between the lives of those on the farm and the life of her sister who went missing, presumed murdered, decades ago. While it took a bit for the suspense of this story line to totally hook me, I enjoyed the character development. Like many horror movies, there were moments where I wanted to yell at Claire to not put herself in danger. The ending wrapped up nicely in both a quick but thorough manner. The audiobook production was great. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This is the perfect slow burn, southern, summer thriller. The story unearths decades of deep, intertwined family drama and secrets. It is twisty, well written, very atmospheric, and has an unsettling, haunting tone throughout.

The book alternates between present and present chapters. In the present, we follow Claire. In the past, we get excerpts from an old diary that Claire found. I enjoyed this set up and the way the story was told, but I cannot understand why the diary chapters were told in 3rd person?? I figured this would be resolved/ addressed at the end, but it never was. It didn't make sense that we were reading someones written personal account, but in 3rd person. Not a big deal, but it was something that took me out of the story.

I didn't guess the twists or the ending (!) because the story felt very layered and complex. With that being said, I never found it confusing or hard to follow. It is definitely slower paced, with lots of explanation and detail, though the story is still gripping enough to hold your attention.

Audiobook Specific: I loved both narrators and really enjoyed my listening experience, especially. Claire and the diary entries are both voices by different people, which made it easier to differentiate and follow along.

Overall, this felt very well done and thoughtful. I enjoyed my time reading and definitely would recommend. I don't think this story will stick with me or is something I will continue to think about, but I enjoyed my time reading and would definitely recommend - especially if you've liked Stacy Willingham in the past.

This was an excellent southern gothic thriller full of suspense and mystery. I loved the lush southern setting and her descriptive and immersive writing. It was extremely atmospheric with a very eerie vibe. I really enjoyed the dual timelines and how the story came together. I did find the ending slightly predictable, but I was always engaged in the story and was still surprised by several elements. I absolutely LOVED the narrators. They both did such an amazing job and worked so well together. It was definitely a five-star performance.

For Forget Me Not being a generally short audiobook, I felt that it was dragging to get to the point of the plot and the twist. Unfortunately, no character was likeable, and the main character, Claire, was highly, highly annoying and frustrating. Her internal monologue was cringy and consumed so much of this plot that it kind of ruined the book for me. It would take her what felt like years to put two and two together or do the simple thing like look to the back of the photo when she suddenly is investigating the eerie mystery of the vineyard that her sister had worked on before she disappeared. I felt like we went from Claire being looked over for a promotion, to her life suddenly being upended over the grief of losing her sister 22 years before, and the disconnect for that was palpable.


Not to mention, the overuse of cheesy phrases within this read really had me side eyeing the quality. I caught 3 times Claire saying "I pushed my fingers into my eyes", which is such a strange and unnatural thing to do? And with this being Slipknot's most well known lyric, I could not understand why this was being used and multiple times.
I always enjoy a journal aspect in a book and piecing things together through writing, which is really the only positive thing I can say about this one.

Thank you to Stacy Willingham, Netgalley, and Macmilan Audio for this ALC in exchange for a review.