Member Reviews
One of the tricky reviews this one…how to discuss Forget Her Name without letting slip any spoilers? It should be easy (in theory) but I really wanted to talk about the bits of the story I particularly enjoyed. Or the “shock” bits which I didn’t see coming and which at times were a wee bit icky. You see it was those bits of the story which made it such fun to read – that reader dilemma of needing to stop but just wanting one more page. Or maybe two more pages.
Forget Her Name is about Catherine, she hails from a nice family seems to have had a comfortable upbringing and is now engaged to the hard-working, love of her life, Dominic. But in her past there is a memory which she is keeping secret from Dominic but which may now be threatening her idyllic life.
When she was a child Catherine had a sister, Rachel, who was a thoroughly unpleasant child and made Catherine’s life Hell. However, Rachel died Catherine was suddenly free of her tormentor. Spin forward to present day and Catherine finds that unusual incidents are happening and someone has sent her one of Rachel’s most treasured possessions but with an additional nasty twist.
Nasty twists are very much in keeping with Forget Her Name. It is a tense read, well paced out and I enjoyed it a lot. If you like a thriller which will keep you turning those pages then look no further.
I couldn't imagine volunteering at a food bank and receiving a package holding my dead sister's snow globe... with a not quite so pleasant surprise held within. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what got me hooked. I actually even remember getting a little smile on my face and questioning my taste in loving the macabre. (Just kidding, I never question my love for that! 😉)
This book is a PAGE TURNER! Read in one sitting, I consistently needed to know what was going to happen. Now, as someone who reads psychological thrillers all the time, I figured out the big twist early on. What I love? Is that it's revealed with about a quarter of the book left! WHAT?! I liked that it wasn't just about the twist and done. Oh no, readers... Jane Holland took you even further and then made a lingering thought in my head come to life. For that, I give her the tip of my hat.
I am having a little bit of a love/dislike relationship with the ending, however. I love that it's unexpected in it's own right... and I dislike that it went there too! I may need to amend this review once my feelings decide on which way to go. 🤣 Quite frankly, if an author can make me question myself, well then I give full props!
This gritty and deceptive page turner will keep lovers of psychological thrillers highly entertained. Join Catherine in her quest to figure out if her sister is really alive. Can you figure it out before she does? 😈
Oh my word! I mean......OH my word.
This has gone into my top reads for 2018 already.
My socks were blown off reading this one, and by the time I read the last page I was OH MY GOODNESS.
If I could give this book more credit than a measley 5* then I would. The only other way I can credit this book is to boost it on social media and urge anyone that trusts my reviews to “read it”.
From the opening chapters to the end, you just don’t take a breath. It’s easy to read, good on the eye flicking pages but keeps your mind buzzing.
I’m really not going to give spoilers.
Apart from, as soon as Catherine found that book in the cellar I felt like I wanted to read it myself. When she hid it then went to look for it in the hidden place she left it I felt sure I knew who must have moved it.
I was wrong.
With Catherine’s sister dead, and Catherine now married to Dom, it was only right to think What happened to Rachel? How did she die?
I was not expecting what I got from this book.
It left me eager to read more from this author for sure.
What a fabulous time I’ve had reading this.
Thank you to the author, Thomas&Mercer and Net Galley for my advanced copy.
You never know how you’re going to take to a thriller. I quite happily went to bed planning to read a chapter or two before an early night. Next thing I know it’s the early hours of the morning and I have devoured the whole thing. Jane Holland very cleverly ends each chapter at a point which means you just have to keep reading… just one more chapter right?
Forget Her Name is full of twist and turns, and just when you think you know what’s going on everything gets turned on its head. Some bits I figured out, others jumped out and took me by surprise. This will completely mess with your head, just as a great psychological thriller should.
If you’re a fan of the genre, this is a must read.
FORGET HER NAME by Jane Holland is a twisted, gripping, novel that will have you on the edge of your seat, doubting yourself throughout, and it will also give you a cramp in your hand as I am telling you now, you will not be able to put it down until you reach the very end.
It is a wonderful time in Catherine's life as she is planning her dream wedding and future with the man of her dreams, Dominic. But when she receives a package in the post related to her sister, Rachel, who died years ago, it threatens everything that Catherine holds dear. As the torment continues, Catherine needs to know who is doing this to her, and why. Could Rachel still be alive?
I do not want to say too much about this riveting plot as you really must read it for yourself but suffice to say I LOVED this story. With so many twists and turns, I was sure I had it figured out when suddenly something would happen and I was back to square one again. This psychological thriller is perfectly paced and I became deeply invested in what was happening and was desperate to uncover the truth.
FORGET HER NAME by Jane Holland is a must-read for thriller fans and I cannot wait to read more from this talented author.
A very different psych thriller. Lots of twists and surprises as to who is good and sho is evil and lots of grey!
FORGET HER NAME is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. It's definitely one that grips you from start to finish. This was the first book I've ever read by Jane Holland, and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Catherine is preparing for her wedding to Dominick and is blissfully happy. Everything is perfect, or so she thinks. When Catherine starts receiving gifts and messages from her disturbed sister Rachel, her life starts to spiral out of control. Family and friends are very concerned. You see, Rachel died many years ago. She can't be doing this, can she? When incidents start to escalate Catherine is determined to find out what is going on. Is Rachel really dead? Is Catherine crazy or is something far more sinister going on? The twists and turns of this book rival a roller coaster ride and will keep you guessing to the end,
I found FORGET HER NAME to be incredibly well written and clever. Highly recommended
Catherine lost her sister Rachel in a skiing accident many years ago. With her approaching marriage, Catherine has been having odd encounters and receiving strange packages leading up to her upcoming wedding, all things that remind her of her dead sister, Rachel. Catherine’s parents are no help, since they refuse to talk about Rachel, and Catherine hasn’t been entirely forthcoming about her sister to her fiancée.
This book had many twists. I thought I had it figured out from the beginning, but I was very wrong! This was a quick, fun read, but I did not like the ending. It felt a bit unbelievable to me.
Oh my goodness! I've just finished reading this and I'm still reeling from the shocks and twists.
What a fantastic read, I was totally and utterly absorbed in this game of cat and mouse, as Catherine's life is turned upside down as terrible tricks are played on her, when she receives her dead sister's old snow globe at her place of work, together with other strange incidents.
Her family seem to disbelieve her, she thinks her father holds her responsible for Rachel's death, she always thought Rachel was his favourite daughter. Her parents have never, ever spoken about Rachel or how she died. She feels that the truth of who's doing this is somehow tied up with the family's secrets but what are they?
It was gripping and puzzling and the suspense never lets up.
I had all sorts of theories whilst reading this book, my mind was totally bewildered and just when I thought I sort of knew what was going on something else happened to blow that theory out of the water.
A brilliant story with complex and well-developed characters, the writing was so full of intensity that I could not put it down until I found out the truth.
My first impressions after reading the blurb for this story was that it had to be a twisty kind of story. However it's safe to say that I wasn't prepared for how many surprises this story would actually throw at me. It's always fun to try and work out what's going on in a book but I'm sure most people myself including love to be caught off guard. This was definitely the case with Forget Her Name.
There is tension throughout as more and more details are revealed, I found myself reading even faster at certain parts as I couldn't wait to see where the story would go next. I was questioning everything and I loved the fact that I felt I couldn't trust anyone as my opinion kept changing with each revelation.
The pace of the story is strong throughout and managed to easily capture my attention and keep it all the way through. I read this book in one evening reading pretty late into the night as I just had to know what the truth was especially the last part of the story I was like a woman on a mission.
Forget Her Name has an addictive, dark and sinister storyline and I was hooked!
Five stars from me!
With thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
This is one book where I felt I was Sherlock Holmes, or rather the female, diluted version, of less brilliant and less intelligent one, minus the cheekbones of Benedict Cumberbatch too. I looked at all the characters with doubt and suspicion, holding a magnifying glass to minutely check their words… And I doubted the main character too… She didn’t appear intelligent… Could be a foil to divert my attention.
Ten years ago, Cat’s sister Rachel died in a skiing accident in Switzerland, or so she was told. Close to her wedding day, in the present time, Catherine received Rachel’s snow globe with a cow’s eyeball in it , her wedding dress was sniped into pieces with splashes of pig’s blood, and plenty of other incidences. The story unfolded further
Is Rachel alive?? What were the parents hiding?? Was Rachel’s husband Dominic guilty?? But guilty of what?? Murder, suspicion, infidelity??
This is my first book by Jane Holland, and I must agree that the author blew me away with the air of suspicion in the entire book. I loved the way she made me hate all the characters. There was this spooky wind of doubt which blew through the pages; was Rachel alive? It kept the interest in the book burning bright till the last page.
The only niggle for me was the main character, Cat was not too bright or street smart, she was also too dependent on her parents for money, she volunteered at a food bank, without supplementing her income with a job. She also was pretty illogical in all her decisions. But soon I realized the electric, breathtaking strategy behind this insecure main character.
Jane Holland has raised the book to a fevered pitch in the last 30% which is nothing short of amazing. The twists in the psyche, the turn of the pace, the play of characters had me viewing Jane Holland in awe…
I had a faint inkling of the end, but the words of the author made me forget that and just go on to enjoying the book till the last page. A highly enjoyable read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Thomas & Mercer, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Thanks a million Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book. I dare you to read this book!! It's absolutely brilliant! From the very first page where Cat or Catherine is preparing for her wedding and receives a mysterious gift in the post! She's also remembering her dead sister.....Or is she???? I read it in a day and it has left me not knowing what to read next....A first!!!!!
It’s not often that a book leaves me speechless, but this is one of them!
I sat in a trance, blocking out everything. My mind flitted between theories, suspicions and just when I thought I’d worked it out…..wham, another twist!
The writing is clear, concise and rather graphic at times.The story is intriguing and grips you from the first page, and just gets better.
The characters are multi-layered, quirky and fragile. As the plot thickens its difficult to work out who is trustworthy.
Sometimes less is more, and this is the one time I don’t want to say too much about the plot for fear of giving too much away. Don’t pick up this book unless you have a few hours to spare because you won’t want to put it down!
A highly recommended 5-star review.
Thank you to Rachel @rararesources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not quite sure when my expectations changed from excitement to disappointment when reading this novel, but I was aware of the last third beginning to drag and had to make an effort to finish – never a good sign.
I began this book with great hopes; until almost half-way through it made sense to me and the possibilities of where it was heading were boundless. I was really invested in this one, but the focus of the book changed several times .. I’m not sure I would call them ‘twists’ – and from then on I got the distinct feeling that the ending would be ambiguous. I wasn’t comfortable at all with how the book ended, not that it was unsettling but more that it was improbable.
I’m pretty sure that other readers will love this book, but for me it was more of a chore than a pleasure to read. A good enough read, just not a great one.
My thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and publishers Thomas & Mercer for approving my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.
This is a very good and interesting book. The characters are all quirky and have their own unique issues. Catherine is about to marry her fiance when she decides a snow globe through the mail that had belonged to her read sister. This was the beginning of a lot of strange things happening that were unexplainable. It seems that everyone has a secret, mom,dad, even the new husband. This author takes you on a wild ride at breakneck speed A great physiological thriller.
This is my first read by this author and it certainly won’t be my last as I loved this story.
Catherine’s happy. Her life is good and she’s about to get married. Everything changes when she receives a package, a snow globe that belonged to her deceased sister. More strange things happen. Is she going crazy? Is her sister really dead?
This is truly a gripping read. From start to finish I kept trying to work out what was happening. The twists and turns had me second guessing what I was thinking.
A fantastic page turner that had me gripped from start to finish. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the ARC. This review will be posted on https://vikbat.blogspot.com on 31st January as part of the blog tour.
Forget Her Name? Not a chance... there’s no way I’m going to forget this book in a hurry! It’s dark, full of secrets, questions and I found it deeply unsettling, perhaps because I can relate to it in a way.
Catherine – Cat - can’t remember much about the death of her sister Rachel, after all, she was only 12 years old at the time. She does remember they were on a family holiday in Switzerland, and remember her father telling her that her sister was gone.
No one in Cat's family ever talks about Rachel, which made me curious. Cat had told her fiancé, Dominic, that her sister died, but didn’t go into detail. Secretly Catherine feels guilty for feeling relieved that Rachel is no longer around – she made everyone’s life miserable.
Cat's relationship with her parents is strained; they are well-off and cannot understand why Cat would refuse their financial help and live in a grotty flat, volunteering at a good bank. But Cat is happy with her life; she has a gorgeous fiancé and cannot wait to marry him.
Then strange, truly disturbing things start happening and Cat needs answers. But with her family’s reluctance to even mention Rachel’s name, she sets out to find out the truth for herself.
Initially it’s hard to believe anyone could be as horrible and twisted as Cat remembers Rachel to be, but the writer soon draws the reader in. I did guess some of it early on, but I was still shocked in places.
The author plants suggestions in the reader's mind, and then leaves you reeling. Forget Her Name is a thoroughly engrossing and disconcerting psychological thriller.
Rachel is dead and gone. She can’t hurt you anymore.
Or can she?
Catherine’s sister Rachel died when they were children, but nobody has ever told her the details of what happened... and strangely, nobody has ever talked about her since. Catherine’s memories of Rachel are not good; Rachel’s behaviour was often extremely cruel and disturbed. But she’s gone, and Cat’s future with fiancé Dominic looks bright. Cat volunteers at a food bank, much to the mystification of her wealthy parents, and Dominic works as an A&E nurse. But as Cat prepares for her wedding, someone is tormenting her... in ways very reminiscent of Rachel.
Why does nobody seem to believe her, and who can Cat really trust... her husband? Her parents? Herself?
This is a very intriguing, thought-provoking and unpredictable read which kept me guessing throughout as to what was really going on... though my theories were constantly changing! Every time I thought I knew what was going on, the rug was pulled right out from under me... I guessed the first major twist, but only seconds before it was revealed. Particularly towards the end of the story, the twists and turns come thick and fast and the book is very hard to put down.
The plot is very ingenious and cleverly constructed. I did worry near the beginning, due to something that happens early on, whether the story was going to be too grisly for me. But thankfully that proved not to be the case.
Definitely a recommended read.
A psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes, twists and turns keeping you on edge and confusion like Catharine/Cat as she unravels the mystery surrounding her sister's Rachel death. You do not know which characters to trust, who knows the secret and who is a friend or foe. The pace is kept throughout with suspense building as the story progresses. There were so many directions the plot could go to I found it impossible to second guess what was going to happen next nor the end.
Recommend for those who love a good psychological read.
Well written novel. Twist and turns I did not anticipate. How far would you go to protect your child or avenge a loved one. A dark, gripping story that kept me on the edge of my seat.