Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for this ARC.

It’s hard to not compare this with Not That I Could Tell, which was the first book I read from the author. Both took me a substantial amount of time to read because I could not get invested in the characters. In Forget You Know Me, I would often forget what I was reading about because I was intially so pulled in to the masked intruder that makes an entrance into the beginning of the book. I was hooked! But that excitement quickly leveled out, and that was the last time I was hooked. I am all for books delving into deep rooted problems; done right they can be poignant and touching and I often learn something from another’s struggles. That’s one of the best parts of reading, living other people’s lives, for worse and for better. When I read a thriller that made a ripple or a splash, I like to stay loyal and continue reading future works from the author, but I think maybe this author is not for me. I do hope whoever reads this finds something in it and enjoys it more than me, because the author really has a talent for writing.

Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser is a women's fiction novel with a hint of suspense... not a thriller at all.

Before starting this book, I kept seeing reviews about the disappointment with this not being a thriller. What you find behind this pages is more of a character driven novel about relationships, challenges of life, marriage, and friendships.

What I love about Strawser's story here is how relatable it can be to anyone. Strawser dives deep into the depths of relationships in this one. How relationships can change over time or as two individuals grow apart from one another. It takes effort to maintain that bond between one another and sometimes as we don't like to see that relationships can fade in time.

Molly and Liza have been friends since they were young. The plot is mainly focused on the relationship of these two women and how the strain/distance of their relationship occurred over time. "Forget you Know Me" is a significant title to the book and makes you think about what it truly means as we all grow/change over the years. Are we meant to have the same people in our lives forever?

Strawser is such a talented author but I struggled with this novel. It was very very slow and I wasn't particularly entertained. I was hoping for more action and this was a bit of a disappointment for me.

Overall, I will definitely be checking more out from this author. She's become an author I definitely watch out for! :)

This was a solid 3 stars for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 2/5/19
Published to GR: 11/14/18

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Strawser and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed the story, but didn't fancy the ending. I thought it was going to end one way, and it went in the complete opposite direction. Molly's character started to get a bit stale towards the end, and I wish there was more written about Liza.

Overall, a good story.

Estranged friends attempt to catch up on a video chat. The “mom” friend goes to check on a child and the friend sees a prowler enter the house. This sets the scene for this thriller. A marriage hanging on by a thread; best friends or past friends? Well developed characters, but the storyline falters. Are the “bill collectors” coming? A great start, but the end is lacking.

Forget You Know Me#NetGally
Jessica Strawser

Liza and Molly have been friends forever, it seems. Since Junior High into adulthood, they had been there for each other. But, Molly had married and had children and Liza had remained a professional business woman. With different agendas in their lives, they struggled to remain close. When Liza takes a job in Chicago and moves away, they become dependent on keeping up via webcam. One night while chatting, Molly has to see to a crying child and Liza, still on webcam, sees a masked man enter her house. Concerned when she can’t get Molly, she drives 4 hours to check on her friend. She finds Molly safe but unreceptive to her concerns and cold and icy toward her. Puzzled, Liza drives home without a clue as to what is going on in her friend’s life. Can their friendship survive? They clearly have wounds in their relationship and refuse to deal with them. If this storyline catches your attention, you'll have to read the book to see how it all turns out. Happy Reading.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGally for an advance read copy for a fair and honest review.

FORGET YOU KNOW ME reminds us that old friends still know us, even when we want to deny that they do and that sometimes, old friends can bring us back to our true selves. Such is the case with Liza and Molly, old friends replete with fond memories and buried resentments. When Liz sees something odd scene during facetime with Molly, she seeks to help her friend. But Molly doesn't want her help - she denies what Liza saw. But Liza knows what she saw and goes to help Molly, even if Molly doesn't want her help. Good read, good characters.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. The story of failed relationships, marriages and friendships was very interesting. The main characters were well developed . Once the plot evolved, the story became very gripping and hard to put down. The plots(s) involve a broken marriage, mistrust , many lies and coverups . When a friend witnesses an intruder in her girlfriend ‘s home ,via the commputer screen, the cover ups and lies begin. Relationships and a marriage are at stake. I didn’t like the extra information and stories the author inserted into each chapter. I wanted to read what was happening, not extra information. I think that took away from the story.

I very much enjoyed this book! I felt that the characters were well rounded, and I cared what happened to them. They were all very sympathetic. I will be recommending this to my book club and students.

Molly and Liza have been close friends for a long time, but distance and life seemed to have gotten in the way. The two friends decide to have a video chat over wine to catch up and things are going great until Molly goes in the other room to check on her daughter. Liza, while waiting for Molly to return, notices a masked intruder walk across the room. Naturally Liza is concerned, she is more than concerned she is freaked out. Who wouldn't be? She makes attempts to contact her friend and calls the authorities. When she finally contacts her friend the next day, she is stunned by her friend’s icy reception which ends with anger and hostility.

The opening of the book is strong and instantly grabbed my attention. Molly's reaction to Liza being concerned had me scratching my head. Just what the heck is going on? When Liza returns home, she gets another shock. Then there is Daniel, Molly's husband who was away on a business trip and is concerned when his wife fails to mention an intruder being in their home. Ummm... that is huge, why not mention it? Sure, their relationship has been strained and over the years, they too have had some distance come into their relationship as hurt, resentment and lack of communication crept into their lives.

It is obvious that there is more going on than meets the eye. The opening scenes along with the book description may make this book look like a thriller but it is really a look at relationships and how relationships can become distant, lonely and lose their luster. It shows how lack of validation in a relationship can damage it. How people want to be acknowledged, heard and respected. It also shows the effects of secrets and how one act of bad judgement, once committed begins to snowball until one is making one poor decision after another. It's a look at what happens when you get in over your head and you don't ask for help.

Relationships. Love. Distance. Secrets. Resentment. Guilt. Intruder.

After the intense beginning, this book slows down and has a slower pace as it explores the relationships of the main characters. Strawser is a gifted writer but even with her great writing, this one just didn't blow me away. Having said that, I did enjoy this book -especially how the Author showed how sometimes life gets in the way and individuals need to make time for their relationships. Friendship is important. Making time for those in our lives is important. Communication is important. I enjoyed Liza but found that I never warmed to Molly or Daniel as I would have liked. I really enjoyed Strawser's other book "Not that I could tell" and had high hopes for this one. For me this was just a little too slow. I would advise everyone to keep in mind that this book is about friendships, marriage, relationships, choices, secrets and lies. It's a slow burn which is satisfying but if you are looking for a lot of action, you may be disappointed.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book started out really strong, and then went down hill from there. After the first couple of chapters I got too bored with it and didn’t finish. I did like the cover thought.

A captivating, 4 star, read that explores modern day marriages, friendship and the consequences of bad decisions. The story is gripping, the characters flawed, yet likable and endearing. I wish there was an epilogue included that tied up some of the loose ends or described how the characters developed after their experiences and questionable decisions.. An enjoyable read that kept me asking for more.

I found parts of this book very dry and slow paced but then I'd read another chapter and I wouldn't be able to put it down so I have a bit of mixed feelings for this story. Some books the reader gets lost in but this was one that required a lot of thought and understanding. The book started off slow but once it got to the plot it was off like a shot. It starts off with our two main characters Molly and Lisa talking over the computer. Both live their separate lives and can't be any more different, one is single other married with children, one lives at work the other lives for cartoons, that kind of thing. However it is a strained video call that changes everything. Both women realize they are drifting but try to stay connected Molly is talking over the computer to lisa who has to suddenly go check on on the crying child. That is when Lisa notices a masked man breaking into her friends house. Who is this man? Why is he breaking into her friends house? Is he coming back? The chilling part is that even when Lisa is informed of the intruder she seems annoyed and brushes it off. Molly is not that convinced though and decides she has to make sure her friend is alright any way she possibly knows how. What I wasn't expecting was the harsh almost cold reaction that Molly receives when she shows up to check on her friend. This book was like a roller coaster of intrigue. Every time I thought the book was going one way it would then switch and throw another curve ball at the reader. I found the characters very well written and while both of
them were very different I enjoyed the chemistry that they had between them. Really good book and I'm
glad I got the chance to check it out.

Childhood best friends Liza and Molly decide to catch up over a Skype call trying to bridge the gap of a friendship that has been strained by living apart . But when Molly goes upstairs to check on her daughter, Liza sees a masked intruder enter her house. This sets off quite a chain reaction of events that i was tearing through pages to find out what was going to happen next.

This is a fantastic domestic suspense . The character development and incredibly well crafted characters are outstanding. This book is about friendship, life , lies and how well we really know each other, even our husband or best friend.

This was a really interesting read. I was actually mentally preparing myself for a way more sinister and disturbing plot so I actually didn't see the twist coming even though looking back it was somewhat obvious.

My only criticism is that Molly's character was very thoroughly fleshed out, while Liza is still a mystery - her motives and apprehensions aren't relatable because I didn't know her well enough. I don't get why she wouldn't respond to Max when he clearly wanted her to or why she kept everything so bottled up throughout her trauma. It's tough because Liza is the more fun, intriguing character that you're ready to jump in with, but she's just kind of there moving Molly's story along instead.

4.75 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press.

Molly and Liza have been friends for most of their lives. They grew up together in Cincinnati but after Liza moves to Chicago and Molly gets married they begin to slowly drift apart. Trying desperately to reconnect the two woman plan a Skype date. Molly's husband is out of town so this is a perfect idea, until things start to go terrible wrong. For one thing the women struggle to find anything to really bond about. Liza finds Molly to be cold and distant. She doesn't seem to want to connect. As Molly gets up to tend to her daughter Nori Liza finds herself trying to figure out why she is even trying to salvage this relationship she sees something frightening pop up on screen. A masked man in black appears in the frame. As Liza tries calling Molly and screams her name the man walks calmly to the computer and closes the screen. Freaked out Liza calls 911 but still not feeling okay she decides to drive to Cincinnati. She knows that she will not rest until she sees Molly for herself. Molly is fine but her response to Liza however is not very nice. and in fact she is angry and sends Liza away!

Things don't get any better for Liza because after arriving home she finds that her apartment building had a fire and she is the only survivor. Dealing with survivor's guilt and anxiety Liza moves back to Cincinnati. Living with her brother and sister in law she finds herself becoming obsessed with death. While LIza is working through everything that has happened, including the end of her friendship Molly finds her life falling apart. In constant pain and desperate to find something to help she has gotten herself into trouble financially, emotionally and her marriage seems to be slipping away.

Told through the POV of Molly, Liza and Molly's husband Daniel this novel tells the story of desperation,anxiety and grief over the loss of relationships. I think that many people will come into this book thinking it is a thriller but it is more of a character study. Some of these topics hit home. I lost a lot of items in a house fire so I totally understood the feeling of anxiety and loss.

I would recommend this novel to just about everyone.

3.5 Stars for this ARC. This was my first time reading this author, even though I already have her other books on my kindle. I will say, I found the write-up of the book misleading from the content. Or, I just didn’t read it closely enough. I did enjoy her writing and her jacket covers can sell me alone.

Molly and Liza are bffs who have drifted apart and want to reconnect. They set up a ‘date’ to skype and get caught up....then there is a frightening turn....and the story is off from there. I somehow had it in my mind that this was a thriller, which it did display elements. More of a woman’s fiction book. Characters are flawed, not lovable; some more likeable than others. I found a lot of different scenarios going on at the same time, and the ending left me with quite a few questions...maybe more questions than answers. I enjoyed how the chapters were specific to a certain character.

Thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!

I loved his book! The friendship between Liza and Molly, and Molly and Daniel’s troubled marriage all drew me in to the story. Terrific story and characters.

Intense! Simply intense! What a fabulous, twisting, nerve wracking novel Forget You Know Me turned out to be. Secrets abound and fears mount for Molly, Daniel and Liza as they traverse rocky and treacherous ground. Each of them is dealing (poorly) with events that have happened to them separately. It all begins when Liza sees a stranger in Molly’s house while they are video chatting and goes downhill fast from there. The real question is whether any of them will face their dilemmas and seek solutions before it all gets too far out of hand.

I am in the middle of the road for this book by Jessica Strawser, it just did not enthrall me. That is not to say that I would discourage others from reading.. I just had a hard time getting into the story because the characters seemed off to me.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Molly and Liza have been friends for a long time.  After Liza moves away, things are strained between the two women.  While Molly's husband is away on business, the two women agree to Facetime each other one evening after Molly puts her kids to bed.  When Molly leaves the room to check on one of her kids, Liza sees a man in a mask enter the room where Molly is and then her screen goes black.  Liza drives all night to get to her friend to help her, but Molly is cold and unappreciative when Liza gets there.

This book explores a friendship that was close at one time, but has changed over time.  It also explores a marriage that has some issues.  This book explores the things that go unsaid in a relationship and how that can be isolating and effect what was once a close relationship.  I thought it was good, but it got weird in some parts in a way that I didn't find believable, which is why I am giving it 3 stars.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy in exchange for my honest review.