Member Reviews
Forget My Name started out like it was going to be a great thriller that I could really get lost in. Unfortunately for me it didn't keep going in the same vein and I lost interest. There seemed to be too many characters and theories being tossed around that were so far fetched. I worked out the 'who' almost immediately which made me lose interest. Also, there seems to have been a lot of books about people turning up thinking the house they lived in has been inhabited by strangers, I've read at least three or four of these books recently and I felt it had been done before and a little bit overworked in terms of plot and suspense.
Although this is a novel and we should suspend belief, I found it odd that a couple living in a house would react int eh way they did she a stranger turns up and says it's her house. Wouldn't you just call the police and leave her to it?
Overall, a very disappointing, same-old-same-old- book that didn't keep me turning the pages. As this was in return for a review, I forced myself to continue but normally book take me a couple of days to finish, this took me two weeks!
It's a shame because I have enjoyed this authors books before. If I'm honest, this one felt a little rushed and as if it has been written quickly with no real thought for the reader. Also due to the amount of psychological thrillers currently, readers like me are looking for that X-Factor, something that makes the novel different. This one didn't succeed in that.
Sorry I can't be more positive.
Forget My Name follows “Jemma”, a young woman who is suffering from Amnesia and finds herself at the front door of a cottage in a rural village, having felt compelled to go there. The couple living there are shocked when the woman claims that it is her home but vow to help her as she has lost her handbag containing all her identity and is clearly distressed. This mission to help Jemma soon drives a wedge between the couple when the wife, Laura, becomes afraid of who Jemma might really be.
What follows is an intriguing tale focusing on the memory; memories we have made and lost and those we are still to make. What if you could not make any more memories and had to start anew every single day?
This novel is most definitely a page turner and one I enjoyed reading. The negative for me was simply that the story itself is so unbelievable. That said you can suspend your disbelief to a point and I did relish reading it. The plot twists more and more as you make your way through and I was genuinely intrigued to discover the outcome. I would certainly recommend it if you enjoy a dark psychological thriller.
My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of #ForgetMyName in exchange for an honest review.
This is one of the creepiest books I've read in a long while. It's unnerving and from the outset, I had no idea whose narrative was trustworthy. It's a story of secrets and lies, but oh so plausible. I found the memory loss, confusion and fragmented recall totally plausible. So, as a reader, having bought in to the idea that there's a truth, how to reconcile the increasingly glaring conflicts. But who's lying and why.
The characters are strong, the plotting is twisted but plausible and it kept me guessing. It's tense, unsettling and an excellent psychological thriller.
My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.
A good, clever read. Would recommend this thriller. A good, clever read. Would recommend this thriller.
This was a good mystery with lots of twists and turns. It was well written and kept me intrigued.
Thanks to NetGalley for my free copy.
A woman arrives at a Wiltshire train station after a difficult week at work. Her bag has been stolen, and with it, her identity – passport, wallet, house key. She tries to report the theft, but can't remember her own name. All she can recall is her own address. Now she's outside the front door. She says she lives in this house, however the current owners say they have never met her before. Who is this mystery woman standing on their door and why does she know so much about their home?
Overall I enjoyed the story but felt frustrated at the unnecessary police political references and putting things in brackets; its a pet hate of mine that writers use to explain things instead if weaving it into the novel.
There were lots of characters that overlapped so occasionally it made it difficult to follow who was who. I'm not sure if the references to being a Russian spy was a spin on this years events in Salisbury, but it felt silly.
I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.
An unusual and complex novel. Twisting and turning in lots of directions before becoming clear. An interesting read.
The story is based around the area of the brain associated with laying down new memories, the hippocampus. The book is loosely based on the case study of HM who had his hippocampi destroyed in an experimental procedure by his surgeon and subsequently found much of his memory was destroyed and he couldn't lay down new memories.. The book begins when a woman turns up at the house of Tony and Laura insisting that she lives in their house. Tony believes she looks like a 'Jemma', and by coincidence, a psychopathic killer named Jemma had actually lived in the house in the past - could the mystery visitor and Jemma really be one and the same person?.
It was an interesting premise, but for me was unfortunately full of jarring plot holes. When I find myself thinking, 'oh, what's the chances'? more than once, or wondering why on earth a character would make that choice, then the plot loses its grip for me.
A woman turns up at the door of a cottage in a small village claiming to live there; the cottage is occupied by a happily married couple, who take her in. This is the first thing I found a bit of a stretch. I men – would you? Really?
Next thing, this woman announces that not only has she lost all forms of identification – passport, handbag, keys – she cannot remember her own name. Now wouldn't alarm bells be ringing? Instead of directing her to the nearest police station or hotel, Our lovely happily-married-couple, Laura and Tony, welcome her in, provide her with a room for the night, feed her and even take her to their local GP! Later that evening Tony takes her – oh, by now they're calling her Jemma because as Tony says she “looks like a Jemma with a J” - so anyway, he takes “Jemma” to the local pub because it's Quiz Night! And she might not only recognise some of the patrons, but remember some of the answers in the quiz!
There is only so far my imagination will stretch, and it has now reached its limit. I don't care if Jemma really is Jemma, and I don't care if she's an escapee from the local mental health institution. I've had enough already and have now deleted my download, kindly provided by NetGalley.
A brilliant crime thriller with a great twist in the middle. Characters were believable and well created. I feel like this market is very crowded at the moment although this book could definately compete.
How do you know who to trust.........when you don't even know who you are?
You are outside your front door.
There are strangers in your house.
Then you realise. You can't remember your name....
I really enjoyed this, great story and was satisfied with the ending. Rated it a 4 due to some s were unbelievable - you wouldn't invite a stranger to stay in your house would you????
Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for a honest review.
The twist in the middle of this book completely shocked me! I love that just when I thought the book was finished, something else happened that really surprised me! A couple of parts were a little bit predictable, but not enough that the book was ruined for me. The writing was amazing and I was addicted to this one, reading in all of my spare time! One thing that I didn’t like about this book is that some parts happened without any build up, and without enough explanation. Although I didn’t like that, it wasn’t a huge problem for me. The main thing that I didn’t like was Tony. I just think that his character was really annoying and I didn’t enjoy reading about him. A lot of things happened with his character that weren’t explained enough or justified, and I found some of his actions very random and sometimes irrelevant. I think that some of the events in this book simply happened at the wrong time in the story. Overall I really enjoyed this story and will definitely be reading another book from J. S. Monroe very soon!
A woman arrives at Tony and Laura house claiming to have no memory of who she is. The only thing she is sure of is that she lived in their house. They take her in and try to get to the bottom of who she is but when Laura starts digging she doesn’t like what she finds.
I read this in 2 sittings because I was so desperate to get answers. I spent the whole book not really knowing who to believe. Some parts were a tad confusing but as a whole it is a great psychological thriller that kept me hooked. There were some great characters and it was so well written that I could feel the fear and confusion of not knowing who you are.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A good pyschological thriller with lots of of twists and turns . It could be a little far fetched in places. There was alot of unanswered questions .
A woman arrives at Tony and Laura's house with no memory of past events, just the knowledge that she used to live in the house, People in the small village begin to think they know who she is and from here a serious of strange events take place!
Firstly, how many acronyms?! It's like the author really wanted the reader to know they were knowledgeable on police departments and neuroscience!
Despite this and despite the far fetched coincidences that happen throughout the book I enjoyed it. It's a little slow in some places and was sometimes a little confusing (for me) but a few tense moments and good writing helped the plot.
When a woman turns up on Tomy and Laura’s doorstep claiming to have forgotten everything but the house they live in was her childhood home they invite her in to stay with them. Laura takes the woman to see the local doctor where it s believed the woman is a psychologically distressed murderer that grew up in Tony and Laura’s house, the police are called in and Tony helps the woman to escape.
A great psychological thriller, with great teists and turns.
If you can cast aside realism and accept loads of coincidences, this is a really good story! I read it quickly cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Really enjoyed this thriller! I was caught quickly and read it in two sittings though I did feel it could be a bit far fetched at times.
A mystery woman turns up in the village with little memory of who she is or where she came from. The tattoo on her arm may be the only clue to her identity.
Tony and Laura are newlyweds living in the house the woman claims to have sort of connection with. To give her some sort of identity and in the absence of any other name he calls her Jemima. They generously offer a bed for the night and Tony ominously says “Welcome home”.
There are plenty of secrets in this story but you have to be good to work out the answers. I couldn’t help thinking the attic held the answer to at least one of them. There also seem to be a lot of people with issues which I felt made it harder to spot the culprit.
One of my favorite characters was Silas the police officer with a very human feel to him
This is an amazing story full of suspicion, incredible twists and an ending leaving you with questions and answers. At one stage the writer even had me imagining Jemima as some sort of terrorist. You will learn that forgiveness is a luxury not everyone can afford.
This is a must read for anyone who loves a good crime mystery psychological thriller.
A bit thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a few digital copy in return for an honest review.
The opening to this book draws the reader straight into a really gripping story which continues to move along at a steady pace. Later the plot becomes more sinister and the characters more complex. There are many unexpected twists and turns and one is left reeling until the absolute end. A great book which I would not hesitate to recommend.