Molly and Liza are childhood friends who have grown apart as they grew older. Living in different towns, Liza is single and Molly married with children. They finally get in touch again and start skyping every week with each other when one night during the skype Liza sees a masked man enter Molly's house while Molly is putting her kids to bed. What follows is a lot of up and downs as Liza drives all night to see if Molly is okay only to have the door closed in her face. This may have been an interesting book but most of the characters are un-likeable and the reason the masked man was in the house was silly.

Lots to like about this novel. The first three quarters of the book are tightly written, so much so that I read every word. The characters are dynamic and their problems are real.

However, they aren't very likable. And that made the writing drag a bit. For me it was kind of like visiting people that I really didn't want to visit but I had to visit anyway. I finished it, because, like I said, the writing is good but it was hard to do.

Also, I wouldn't call this a thriller. I'd compare it more to "Little Fires Everywhere," it's a domestic drama for sure, but not a thriller. 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed Strawser's last novel Not That I Could Tell. I am a fan of domestic/neighborhood thrillers and I looked forward to this one because it was following a similar kind of premise. With a plot following the relationship of two girlfriends and what happened after a video chat goes wrong I was hoping for a dramatic read. This ended up being much less of a thriller and more of a mystery that wasn't very fast paced. I was very interested in what was going on for the first half of the book but after that it kind of fell flat for me. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Forget You Know Me – Jessica Strawser
I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.
Liza and Molly were best friends all through childhood, and well into adulthood. But marriage, children and a move all have a way of creating distance, so the girls have arranged a girl’s night out via computer. When Molly goes to check on a crying child, Liza, through her webcam, sees a masked assailant enter Molly’s home. Frightened, she yells at him to stop, and he closes the computer.
Liza, terrified for her friend’s safety, drives several hours to check on Molly personally. When she arrives at her home, she finds Molly, cold and aloof, and denying that anything took place. Hurt, and puzzled, Liza returns home only to find her apartment building has been destroyed by fire, throwing her into a mental debate about fate and chance.
This novel, told in the third person, chronicles the friendship of the girls, as well as the ups and downs of Molly’s marriage to her husband Daniel. As each relationship has grown apart, and each individual has developed what seem like insurmountable personal obstacles, they find hope and strength in the bonds of friendship and love to overcome, flourish, and re-discover the true meaning of love, commitment and second chances.
This is my second read by author Jessica Strawser, and it will not be my last. Filled with love, regrets, a touch of drama and second chances, this a book that women readers can take to heart. A sweet, heart-warming story!!

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

Jessica Strawser’s newest novel, Forget You Know Me is about two friends and a thread of mystery as to what happened to one of them. In the beginning chapters, the two women, separated by distance, are having a chat over webcam, hoping for a fun conversation and a chance to bond again. But when Molly steps away for a minute, Liza sees something scary and immediately calls the police. Worried about her friend, Liza drives for hours to make sure she’s okay.

But Liza is shocked when a very cold and not friendly Molly tells her everything is fine and not to worry. In fact, Molly is distant and Liza feels their friendship is over.

Did something happen or is Liza imagining things?



Here’s the full synopsis:

Liza and Molly are life-long best friends—or at least they used to be. Ever since Liza moved to Chicago to pursue her career, leaving Molly behind in Cincinnati with a husband and two kids, the distance between their two lives has grown more and more insurmountable. In a last-ditch effort to save their friendship, they arrange a “girls night” over webcam, wine in hand, catching up like they used to. But when Molly runs upstairs to check on a crying toddler, Liza watches, horror-struck, as a masked man enters the home of her best friend.

After calling the police, Liza frantically tries to reach Molly, but when she finally responds, her message is icy and terse, insisting that everything is fine. Liza is still convinced something is wrong—that her friend is in danger. But after an all-night drive to rescue her ends in a brutal confrontation, Liza is sure their friendship is over.

Meanwhile, Molly finds herself wondering whether she’s dodged one ruinous mistake only to make another in its place. Did she sacrifice her oldest friendship to save her marriage? Or has she inadvertently sacrificed both?

Liza and Molly can’t avoid each other forever, and soon, they’ll face a reckoning that will force them to decide just how much weight a shared history can carry.



I am only in the first half of this novel and I look forward to seeing how everything plays out.

This was a good story. It kept me guessing. I look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I received this book "Forget You Know Me" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I didn't think the words were flowing in this book. I had to re-read some to try to understand the story. I felt bored at times and the book seemed to drag on. I struggled to finish the last page.

At first, the book had me lying in bed putting the clues together to figure out "who it was"...and I was right but not for the right reason. First half of the book kept me intrigued and thinking oh no maybe I'm wrong; maybe this is what is happening. Then it lost momentum for me. It's more of a book about a relationsihp falling apart and can it be put back together, and at what lengths, and also a long term friendship that needs the same. I enjoyed the read and thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

FORGET YOU KNOW ME by Jessica Strawser is a fast-paced novel of domestic drama with plenty of twists and turns that kept me engrossed from beginning to end. It tells the story of two close friends, Molly and Liza, whose once-strong friendship is fading away before their eyes, but they seem powerless to repair it. At the same time, Molly’s marriage to Daniel has reached a breaking point, with both of them harboring dangerous secrets that threaten their relationship, family and friends. The story alternates between the voices of Liza and Molly and slowly reveals the layers of their emotionally complex lives. The characters are interesting and well-portrayed even though they are not necessarily very likable. I like the pace and style of the author’s writing and that kept me flipping the pages to get to the surprising conclusion that I did not see coming at all. I enjoyed this book for its unique and suspenseful plot and I now look forward to reading Jessica Strawser’s previous novels. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I love all of Jessica's books - she is truly one of my favorites!! This book was surpassed my expectations. This is definitely her best one yet - she just keeps getting better and better!! I love how she wove Eleanor Roosevelt quotes throughout the book. I loved the on again and off again relationship between Liz and Molly. I loved the first chapter as much as the last!!

I enjoyed the story even though parts of it seemed a bit contrived. There were several stories operating which helped to hold my attention. Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC!

This book is a bit of a bait and switch. The author pulls you in with a terrific start for a thriller, then decides to write a book about secrets and lies instead. It's still a very good book, but it may be a letdown for anyone wanting a true thriller.

Molly and Liza were long time friends who were catching up via a video chat. When Molly stepped away from her computer to help her child, Liza was shocked to see over the computer that a man dressed all in black had broken into Molly's house. Who was it? Where did he go? And why wasn't Molly more concerned about the events that happened?

I was hoping for a heart-pounding, high-paced thrilled from this point on, but the story never quite reached that level for me. There are several different story lines that provide plenty of mystery and questions and contemplation, and it draws the reader in to try to figure out what is really going on in both Liza and Molly's lives.

I thought this book was going to be a thriller but the more I read the less is felt like a thriller and the more it seemed like a study of a marriage going wrong. I might have enjoyed it more had I not had high expectations of it being suspenseful and thrilling. It was so exciting in the first few chapters but quickly turned pretty dull. I was disappointed.

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is not a psychological thriller, it is maudlin women's fiction , although I DID want to die the entire time I was reading it. A solid two.

Jessica Strawser has written a contemporary story that rings true. A vivid portrait of how lives change with time and stress. Throw in a little mystery, some complications and a race to a finish line that moves along very nicely and you have a solid bestseller!

Forget You Know Me is story of friendship and love, strength and weakness. It's the story of Liza and her best friend, Molly, and Molly's husband, Daniel. Jessica Strawser has woven for us a tale of what happens when human souls "bottom out" and decisions must be made if relationships are going to survive.

This book was well written, and captivating! I was compelled to read it quickly, and found that the story was not at all predictable. There are a minimum number of well defined main characters so I didn't have to turn back pages to refresh my memory on who was who. The story proceeds in an interesting fashion, and I loved the way Strawser draws it to a satisfying and wonderful conclusion.

I highly recommend Forget You Know Me to my fellow woman readers!

What started out a bit of suspense with Liza freaking out when she is on a Skype call with Molly and seeing an intruder enter the house leads in a whole different direction then I thought the story was headed. That was basically all the suspense in the book. This was more of a story of a life long friendship changing and a marriage between two people that seem to be going in different directions and choosing to stay married or get divorced. All in all was a decent book but not really a thriller or mystery like I usually read.. Decent book the story flows nicely . I would recommend reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Kindle ARC of Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser. As soon as I read the description of the book, I knew it would be exactly the type of book I would enjoy reading. Very grounded in real-life situations, the story is of Liza and Molly, who have been friends since grade school. Molly settles down with a husband and kids in her hometown of Cincinnati, and Liza, after much decision making, decides to follow a career in Chicago, where she knows no one and feels isolated. Liza and Molly set up a "girls night" over webcam and when Molly leaves the computer to check on one of her children, Liza witnesses something so alarming that she calls the Cincinnati police to report what she has seen. She also convinces her one friend in Chicago, Max, to drive with her to her hometown and check on her friend when she is not able to reach her. Molly's husband, Daniel, is out of town when the incident occurs and only finds out what happened upon his return the next day. Molly's reaction to Liza's decision to call the police is not what the reader would expect and they become estranged. Jessica Strawser's writing and backstory of why Molly behaves the way she does is gripping and terse. She weaves a tale of lies by omission, insecurity, and physical pain in Molly that keep the read involved in the story. I read the book in one day, wanting to find out the resolution - if Molly and Liza could reconcile their friendship, if Molly could stop lying/hiding things from her husband and reconcile their relationship and just wanting to know the outcome. I highly recommend this book for readers of literary fiction with a suspenseful plot and interesting characters.