3.5 stars, rounded up because I love the continued collaboration with Karissa Vacker (with bonus Helen Laser).

This was a solid popcorn thriller mystery. Very entertaining, pretty quickly paced and with some decent twists. I went back to check and I've rated all of this author's books four stars, so her work is pretty consistently enjoyable to me. If I was ranking them, this one would be just behind A Flicker In The Dark.

My enjoyment does require ignoring three key things: (1) the plot holes, (2) the "slow read a diary with important information" trope, and (3) that the MC is kinda dumb (like maybe Ryan really did deserve that job, sorry).

Karissa Vacker was fabulous, as always. Helen Laser plays a more supporting narrator role in this, but always nice to hear her tell a story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC. This comes out August 26, 2025.

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.

Something weird is happening at this little island farm, and Claire is going to get to the bottom of it.

This wasn’t bad, but I did find it a little drawn out and predictable.

I listened to the audiobook and both narrators were great. I know when I see Karissa Vacker and Helen Laser listed, I’m going to enjoy the listen. They were the perfect combo, switching between two characters and timelines. I’d give them five stars.

As for the story: Claire returns to her hometown for the first time in years. When she was younger, her sister went missing and is presumed dead. On a whim, Claire visits a spot her sister used to frequent and ends up taking a job there. It doesn’t take long before she realizes something is off.

There are a lot of familiar thriller elements here, spotty cell service, everyone’s a suspect, dual timelines, etc. The twists at the end weren’t all that surprising. There’s a very specific word I’d use to describe the vibe, but it might spoil things, so I’ll hold off.

I’d give this one 3.5 stars. There were a few loose ends that could’ve been tied up more cleanly. Still, I like Stacy Willingham and will keep diving into her audiobooks whenever I get the chance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listen!

Rounding up to five stars on this audiobook. Love this narrator. Great story. I really enjoyed Flicker in the Dark, but couldn’t get into her last book, this one pulled me in quickly. Interesting, unseen twists, I enjoyed the ride. Thank you SW, publisher, & NetGalley for the ALC. Recommended!

Nothing pulls me out of a reading burnout better than a really compelling mystery thriller. Sometimes you just want a book where you can't stop turning the pages, and for me, Forget Me Not, Stacy Willingham's newest release, was exactly that.

After her sister disappeared as a teenager, Claire left home and never went back, eager to escape the weight of the memories. Now as an adult she's an investigative reporter and she gets a call from her father that her mom needs some help. She feels like she has to go home, despite their difficult relationship. She only lasts a day or two under the same roof before she's desperate to find an alternative temporary residence. When she visits a local muscadine vineyard and they have an opening, she agrees immediately. Her sister worked there before her disappearance, and they have a live in cabin for her to stay in - a perfect setup for her to do some digging into her sister's case. But something is a little bit strange at Galloway, she just can't quite put her finger on it.

I thought this book played perfectly between is Claire just on edge and looking for things to be suspicious when it's really just a quirky little farm, or is there actually something else going on here? There's a secret journal, homemade teas, complete seclusion, and lots of room for tension between these pages, and the author uses all of them.

This is a perfect book for an escape. A creepy escape, perhaps, but certainly transportive. I recommend the audiobook. It definitely pulled me in and made the experience quite atmospheric.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

This was REALLY good. I read A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham a few years ago and loved it, so I was super excited to listen to Forget Me Not. The beginning was a little slow, but once Claire found the diary, I was SAT.

I love a good ole cold case as well as cult-esque stories, so I genuinely think this book was written for me. My only qualm is that Claire is dumb af. There were times where I was like, Claire, my girl, do we not value our life today?!?! However, I will admit that her being a journalist does help explain some of her curiosity.

I loved the implementation of diary entries as well to help unravel the past. The diary entries being in third person was interesting, but I feel like it helped tell the story a little better since it was essentially another timeline being written vs outright journal entries (again, I listened to this, so unsure what the text/font/formatting looked like in the print version). I really liked how there were 2 narrators for Claire’s story and the diary entries- it helped separate the audiobook up very nicely.

I think I only have one Stacy Willingham left to read, and she will continue to be an autobuy thriller author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF 50% This one unfortunately didn't work for me for many reasons. I am not a fan of dual timelines, this isn't really a dual timeline because there's only a few chapters that are set in a different time, but like most dual timelines I ended up caring more about one timeline than the other. So there are chunks of the book I just didn't have as much interest in. I honestly wish we would have just gotten the journalist entries as is and not as separate chapters in that character's perspective.

By the 30% there really had been no actual mystery introduced at this point; she's just reading the journal and ignoring all her problems. I really can't imagine finding some random journal in someone's home and just reading it. To me that's such a wild invasion of privacy and I also can't imagine a stranger caring this much about these random people to insert themselves into their private lives.

We do finally get some of the mystery and connection to her sister by the 40% mark of the book. But something I don't personally like that I see in a lot of thrillers is the main character will investigate something that has already been "solved" and give no actual reason as to why they are now looking more into it. If your sister's killer was already arrested then why do you think you need to investigate this vineyard? What made you think the police got it wrong? What makes you think the evidence is wrong? Her just up and deciding to go to this vineyard and start nosing around didn't make sense to me, what was driving her to do all of this?

At the 50% percent mark nothing substantial has actually happened in regard to the mystery, I don't mind a slower read but I need something that actually feels like we're investigating a mystery. Are weird things happening? Sure, but this book to me reads more general fiction at this point in the novel.

I did originally pick this up because one of my favorite mystery/thriller tropes is missing person. I love finding clues, and piecing together what someone was doing/involved in before they went missing. But unfortunately we didn't really get any of that in this book. All that the main character has done so far to investigate is read a few of the journal entries and do a google search.

However, if you like a slow burn mystery that isn't too much on the thriller side, I think this book could potentially work for you. And the narrator for the audiobook was very good, that was one thing that definitely kept me listening when I started getting to a point of wanting to stop. I do clearly seem to have the unpopular opinion so I think if you are a fan of this author's previous work this book could appeal to you, so definitely give it a shot if you are interested and if what I stated above doesn't sound like a deal breaker.

I received an audio ARC of this book from the publisher (Macmillan Audio) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Forget-Me-Not by Stacy Willingham is a beautifully written, emotionally heavy thriller with layers of psychological suspense and grief woven throughout. The tone is undeniably sad, which added more weight to the story than I expected—but in a way that really worked.

The narrator was engaging and I liked the subtle differences she added to each character. I would listen to this book again for sure.

The main character was flawed and fascinating, and the plot kept me on edge. My favorite part was how many twists came at the end in such a short span of time—it made the final chapters impossible to put down.

One small thing I noticed: the early mentions of the main character’s nightmares seemed to taper off about halfway through the book. It made me wonder if that was intentional—possibly tied to her being drugged into a deeper sleep—but I would’ve liked to see that thread explored a little more.

Overall, this was a gripping and well-crafted read. Highly recommend it to fans of twisty psychological thrillers with a somber, emotional undertone.

Stacy Willingham does not miss when it comes to thrillers, and Forget Me Not is no exception! Claire Campbell has spent decades trying to forget the night her sister disappeared, but when a call from her father drags her back home, the past refuses to stay buried. She stumbles across a diary that just might be linked to her sister’s case. And let’s just say, once Claire starts digging, she realizes some secrets were meant to stay hidden. This book is creepy in the best way, and is one of those thrillers that will have you second guessing everyone. I also really enjoyed the narrator for the audio version!

Today’s listen: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham. I found it more mystery than thriller, but it definitely held my attention the entire time.

The story follows Claire, who returns to her hometown for the first time in 22 years—the same town where her sister Natalie disappeared. Though Natalie’s body was never found, the case was ruled a murder and the person accused of her murder is behind bars.

With her own career on pause, Claire takes a job at a vineyard, the same one her sister worked at as a teen. There, she discovers a diary which draws her into the past and a search for the truth about what really happened all those years ago with Natalie.

Overall, a solid read!

✅ Great character development
✅ Thought provoking storyline
✅ Solid twists
✅ Everything ties together nicely at the end

The audiobook narrator was excellent. It was easy to listen to and the narrator did a great job distinguishing between characters.

Highly recommend if you enjoy slow burning mysteries with emotional depth.

This was a good one! Definitely not my favourite of this authors, but I did enjoy it. I did find it a bit confusing as an audiobook since there were so many characters and storylines. But overall I did really enjoy this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first Stacy Willingham book. Wow was it twisty and a little creepy. She has mastered the psychological thriller.

Claire Campbell’s older sister Natalie disappeared twenty-two years ago. Claire has tried to forget her past until her father calls and asks her to come home. And so begins the twisty thriller!! Well worth the read. Characters are excellent and the story is solid.

The audiobook production is top notch and the narrators find the perfect pitch.

FORGET ME NOT is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I really liked Claire and how determined she was throughout the book. Her family secrets were pretty surprising and the twists were perfectly executed. Overall, I'd say this is a winner. I've enjoyed all of Stacy Willingham’s books so far, so I knew this would be great one!

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the future.

I've read all her books and was anticipating this one! So well told, great lead character and a complex twisty tale you won't see coming.

I would consider this more of a mystery than a thriller and if you like the cult trope you will eat this up! It definitely is more of a slow burn and I was pretty bored the first 50% of it but the last 50% was nail biting with so many plot twists that i did not see coming!! I just feel like the storyline was okay- so many missing sister thriller books lately
The past/present chapters were done so well- loved the past chapters via diary entries.
Thave to say I think I enjoyed it more because the audiobook was SO well done- Helen Laser is one of my fav thriller narrators
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

The twists and turn of Forget Me Not made this a read that I was trying to sneak into each spare minute to keep listening.

Thank you to #MacmillanAudio and #NetGalley for the ALC of Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham.

Reader Summary :
Claire's older sister, Natalie, disappeared after her eighteenth birthday. Without any concrete answers in the following days after Claire’s disappearance, a local man was arrested for her murder based on evidence found in his car, and the case was considered closed.

As the years go on, Claire attempts to forget the unknown events of the past that haunt her, but after hearing her mom needs help, she reluctantly agrees to go back to her childhood home and attempt to help. Claire, now a journalist, who finds herself back in her childhood hometown decides to investigate for some answers of her own to try and solve the unknowns of the past and hopefully lead to answers of what happened to Natalie. But in seeking the answers of her sister’s past, she uncovers a lot more than what she hoped for by accepting an unexpected seasonal job at Galloway Farm, the vineyard less than an hour away from where she grew up and she knew her sister spent her summer working. And the past that she was hoping would help her find answers, led her to dark past secrets and danger.

Claire is an investigative journalist whose world turns upside down when she is called back to her hometown and drawn back into the mystery of her sister’s disappearance 22 years earlier.

This was a twisty tale that kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed our main character Claire and found her to be a good guide to the story. The supporting characters were interesting and shady, a good combo in a mystery thriller. Overall I really enjoyed this one! Recommend to all readers of the genre.

Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that delivers on every level. Razor-sharp writing, perfectly paced suspense, and emotional depth make it an unforgettable read. Highly recommended for fans of psychological suspense done right.

What a great read! Fast paced, kept me engaged, couldn’t put down! Such a well woven mystery. I finished it in a day. I can’t wait for more books by this author! Thank you to the author, net galley, and the publisher for this opportunity!

I have enjoyed books by this author, and really liked Flicker in the Dark, but unfortunately this one felt like a lot of other thriller books I've read in the past. There wasn't a ton of unique aspects in the storyline or the writing. Maybe I read too much of this genre and it takes a lot of creativity to impress me now? Idk. Portions were a little predictable, and I just felt like I struggled to want to pick it up and continue the story.

The narrator did a good job though, even if the story didn't capture me like I had hoped.