How well do you really know the people that you are closest to? Forget You Know Me will have you questioning that for long after you finish the last page. Jessica Strawser created this engrossing thriller with complex characters and a juicy storyline that is impossible to put down.

I found this to be an enjoyable book. Not as much suspense as I usually enjoy in a book, but as a slow read I would recommend it.

Molly and Liza have always been enviably close. Even after Molly married Daniel, the couple considered Liza an honorary family member. But after Liza moved away, things grew more strained than anyone wanted to admit―in the friendship and the marriage.

When Daniel goes away on business, Molly and Liza plan to reconnect with a nice long video chat after the kids are in bed. But then Molly leaves the room to check on a crying child.

What Liza sees next will change everything.

Only one thing is certain: Molly needs her. Liza drives all night to be at Molly’s side―but when she arrives, the reception is icy, leaving Liza baffled and hurt. She knows there’s no denying what she saw.

Or is there?

In disbelief that their friendship could really be over, Liza is unaware she’s about to have a near miss of her own.

And Molly, refusing to deal with what’s happened, won’t turn to Daniel, either.

But none of them can go on pretending. Not after this.

My Thoughts: The twists and turns of Forget You Know Me kept me fully engaged throughout, although it would take a while to sort out events. To figure out what, if anything, was left of the relationships between friends and between husband and wife.

Alternating narratives take us through the story, and I couldn’t help but be more drawn to Liza and her situation. Her friend Molly, who had done something truly confusing on the strange night of the video chat, seemed flaky and a little unreliable. What was really going on with her, and would she confess to her old friend, or even her husband, about what was happening?

Many events felt a little too unbelievable, but I did keep reading, because I was curious and wanted to know the meaning of it all. There were explanations by the characters at the end, leaving me with some hope for them all. 4 stars.

***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.

I had previously read "Almost Missed You" by Jessica Strawser and it broke my heart! I was hoping this latest novel could evoke such intensity of emotion and it came very close even if nothing here drove me to tears. Molly and Liza were the best of friends, and although they tried to remain that way after Liza moved, the distance between them made it impossible. Meanwhile Molly has been suffering debilitating pain, and she and her husband have drifted apart. When Liza and Molly try to rekindle their friendship over a video chat Liza witnesses something she wasn't meant to see. Fearing for Molly and her children Liza drives all night to get to her, and is treated as an unwelcome and unwanted nuisance when she arrives. She is shocked when Molly turns her away. but there's an even bigger shock waiting for Liza when she gets home, and there is just no telling if their friendship or Molly's marriage will survive

Thank you to St.Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for fair review.


Liza and Molly have finally sat down to a skype call and too catch up. When Molly steps away for a minute to take care of one her children. Liza is shocked when sees something on the video. Then everything descends into chaos as they all try to figure out the next steps to fixing their lives.


So this is like super vague, but after kind of looking at the synopsis I just didn't want to give anything away. Which I kind of always say so just count on me to so vague you can't stand it, but hopefully it pulls you in and makes you want to read this. I am not always sure how to feel after I read a novel by Jessica. This is my 3rd one and I think I have always felt the same way when I am done. I often go into the story expecting one thing and it turns out completely different from what I thought it would be.


This was true of this novel as well. I was thinking more of a mystery but it wasn't really that. It was so much and something different. Deeper and that is true of the other two books I have read by this author. For me it doesn't translate into something bad, although I can always get why others rate it lower. One thing that always strikes me is the characters are completely relatable.They are just regular people who sometimes make stupid or horrible choices, or make great choices and that is what appeals to me about her stories. It is something that could happen to you or to someone you know. In the ordinary we find the extraordinary.

My first novel by Strawser, and definitely will not be my last. I love her characters. I loved the character of Lisa. Thank you to Net Galley.

Although I did not love this book as much as other books by this author it was still a really good book and I am glad that I requested it. She is an excellent author who writes a very complex story and always brings it all together in the end with a very unique twist. Was able to read this in a day. Enjoy the book !

Although I expected this book to be more of a thriller because of the blurb from the publisher, I still was not disappointed when I read it. It starts with a huge bang in that Liza is in Chicago, trying to touch base with her best friend in Cincinnati via a video call, when she sees an intruder come into Molly’s house. She can’t get in touch with Molly again, so concerned for Molly’s safety, Liza rushes to find out what happened. Molly denied that the event ever occurred and therein lies the mystery, not the thrill. I was definitely drawn to keep reading to find out why Molly would lie and who the masked intruder was. The book is not really about the masked man, however. It is about how people grow away from each other as they mature: spouses, siblings, and friends. The pace was slow and methodical as the author revealed what was happening in each of the main character’s lives. I was not able to identify with any of the characters, but I found Liza to be the most likable since she was willing to rush to her friend’s rescue and upend her life to try to help Molly. All of the characters were flawed and needy, so none drew a lot of sympathy from me since their problems were of their own making. I enjoyed the book and think readers of domestic suspense will like it, also, but I must say readers need to be prepared to stay the course because the book is definitely worth finishing.

I wanted to like this, but I just could not get into it. It started off exciting, but just lost speed, in my opinion. I only got to 46 percent, and I just can't get further. I will not be reviewing this anywhere else except here, since I could not finish. 3 stars simply because the author clearly can write well, which I appreciate, even if I didn't enjoy the book.

A wonderful plot with great characters, but I felt like I was plodding through it. Could have been half the length, and a little more zippy. The beginning started with such a bang, and the plot progressed nicely though. Solid 3 stars from me.

Liza and Molly were the best of friends- almost sisters- until Molly marries Daniel. But as their friendship starts to fizzle, the girls attempt to rebuild what they once had through long-distance Skype calls. But one night, their regular catch-up is suddenly interrupted by an masked intruder when Molly steps away from her laptop.

I was immediately drawn into the novel as a suspenseful mystery with a focus on female friendships. With emotions running high and distrustful characters abound, "Forget You Know Me" starts off really strong. And though the action slows considerably in the middle, the spark is back for the last few chapters.

It's a shame that the novel is being marketed as a thriller because that's not really what it is at all. If I had known going into it that it would focus more on marriage, children and relationships, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Well written and easy to read ,this book has a lot to offer. Suspense, a little bit of thriller and a lot of back and forth between a husband and wife and the work it takes to make a marriage last. Secrets abound in this story and I really enjoyed reading.

Jessica Strawser has created an engrossing read in Forget You Know Me. Look forward to more from this author!

This book is about relationships, friendships, and the realities of adulthood. Despite an amazing "thriller" opening chapter, the rest of the book is a slow burn and is not in the thriller genre, with a few suspenseful moments. Molly and Liza are childhood friends who have drifted apart over the years. I don’t want to give away plot details, but know that the opening incident changes both of their lives, and drives the rest of the book.

This book devotes a lot of time to character development and makes me think about what it takes to keep a friendship going as well as sustaining a marriage. There are also plotlines about keeping secrets, the lengths we go to keep them, and how it can eat away at your well-being.

Liza has moved away from home to make her way in the big city of Chicago and I completely related to her sense of failure to coming home again and that feeling of not being able to make it a new city. It’s the pull of the familiarity of home versus being successful.

I think this would make an interesting book club book and lead to some interesting discussions!

*will update my Goodreads review to the full review close to publication date

Molly and Liza have always been best friends, even after Molly got married. But after Liza moved away for a job, their friendship started to fall apart. While Molly’s husband, Daniel is away on a work trip; the women decide to have video chat to catch up on one another’s lives after the kids are in bed. But when Molly leaves to sooth a crying child, Liza sees something that will change everything. This terrifies Liza and when she can’t get ahold of Molly, she drives all night to check on her and ends up with a door slammed in her face. Is their friendship really over?

I really enjoyed the writing in this novel and how you are dropped into these people’s lives seeming like you actually know them. The characters were well developed and thought out and I really enjoyed the insight into both of their very different lives and how they fit together. This book had me hooked right from the first chapter and I couldn’t see how this was going to pan out at all. I enjoyed how different the characters are for one another and how some people will do anything to save their relationships. I enjoyed reading about the strong female relationships in this novel and how some secrets are just too terrible to want to share with the people we trust the most. I did find the mid section of the book dragged a little, but it picked up quickly and I really enjoyed the last half of the book and I’m excited to read more by Jessica.

Out February 5th!

I started reading this book because I love mysteries and this had a unique premise. You should know though that this book is NOT a mystery. Sure there is the part mentioned in the blurb and that does color the events of the novel but it is not about that and not a suspense read. At its heart this novel is about relationships. Our main protagonists are old friends who have lost the closeness they once shared. Molly is the frazzled suburban mother who has lost herself and the spark she once had with her husband and best friend. Her best friend is Liza who is single in the city and feels like her friend is neglecting her. They are both very different with their own lives and challenges. While a mom myself I found Molly a it too whiny for my tastes and preferred Liza’s chapters. Liza has a great personality and a great love interest.

Most of the book is really about Molly’s secrets and what they have done to her relationships. The POV alternates between the women with occasional chapters from the husband’s POV. I think the book seems very real at its heart in spite of the outrageous choices made. I loved the beginning of the book when there was more going on. It did seem to drag a bit in the middle. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I’d known at its heart it was a drama and had not expected more. The characters are a nice contrast to each other. There are some great secondary characters who could have novels of their own. There are some threads that did not feel resolved. In fact they could have been left out altogether in my opinion. This novel would have been enough with the domestic issues without the extra bits that were trying too much for suspense. I do recommend this novel but think it will be more enjoyable if you know what it is than what the blurb makes it seem. I enjoyed this even more than the author’s last book and look forward to her next one.

Forget you know me is all about friendships and broken relationships. The story is about Molly and Liza, two friends who haven't been connecting and have lost touch with who they are and what there friendship means. An "incident" occurs while they are trying to connect that basically forces them to deal with there relationship issues and etc. I admit I read previous reviews prior to reading this, and all the reviews were accurate. The incident made me intrigued and made me follow down the path that this book was suspenseful. Indeed it was not. The story of marriage and friendship is not intriguing or interesting to me. I definitely can relate to some of this issues the main characters were dealing with, but the story was slow paced. The characters droned on and on about their broken relationships , but never really took action to change their life choices. I wanted so much more from this novel but sadly I did not enjoy it. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, the third time isn't the charm for this one. While I loved Jessica Stawser's previous two books, I didn't love this one as much. Perhaps its because I didn't love the characters, maybe its because I was overwhelmed by her annoying hypocondria and deceit. Maybe I was confused by how it all came together in the end.

I agree with a bunch of readers that the opening scene was great. It sucked me in and had me on the hook. I was ready to jump in with both feet for the rest of the story. This is where things went downhill for me. Yes, there is something bizarre and mysterious about Molly's attitude. If it was me and my friend had called the cops because they saw an intruder in my house, I would have been unnerved and thankful that nothing happened. Molly was cold towards the situation. Also, the way that her husband reacted was strange as well. First he was suppose to be out of town and then he comes home early. There were some unanswered questions that kept me reading; despite the fact that I shared no connection to any of the characters other than maybe Liza.

Yet, after reading half way into the story and still not getting any closer to the character as well as finding myself re-reading parts, I could no longer stick with this book. I did jump to the last few chapters to see how the story ended. Overall, this book missed the mark with me. This is sad as I do think that there could have been something there if I could have found that connection with the characters. Additionally, I felt like the pacing could have used a boost.

2.5*
I think we’ve all experienced a video chat/ FaceTime, where the other person is just a bit off camera...maybe you get a good shot of the top of their head, or their ear. Maybe even the ceiling! But what if in the middle of this particular chat you witnessed a crime! A burglar breaking into the house!

That’s what happened when Liza was finally video chatting with her friend Molly. While Molly leaves the room momentarily to tend to her children Liza watches, shocked as a masked man enters her friend’s house! Only Molly downplays it as though nothing happened. Not even bothering to mention it to her husband! Bit odd, don’t you think? There just has to be more to the break in....right!?

This is the second book I’ve read by Jessica Strawser. I thoroughly loved Not That I Could Tell and was hoping this would be equally gripping and riveting, but for me it wasn’t. From the start I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. And as the storyline unfolded I just wasn’t able to keep up. Just not a good fit for me. Of course that won’t stop me from looking for Ms. Strawser’s next release!

A buddy read with Susanne❄️

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Jessica Strawser for an ARC to read and review