There was a lot going on in this book. Ultimately it was too much for me and I was not invested by the end. The twists were shocking, but a bit overdone. It was a good read, but not great. I was ready for it to be over by the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Rea Frey and I jumped at the chance to read her newest book early!

Just like all her other books -- I was immediately addicted to the story. The neighborhood crime group and their usernames had me cracking up.
I loved the back and forth between past and present Ruby. So many twists and turns and we get to see Ruby for who she really is. The ending had a crazy reveal that I didn't see coming!!

I HIGHLY recommend this very addictive and fast-paced book!

Don’t Forget Me is the sixth novel by award-winning, best-selling American author, Rea Frey. Three months after her husband, Tom Winslow left their Cottage Grove home, Ruby Knight is enjoying a quiet early morning row on the lake when a man’s body pops to the surface. She calls 911 and retreats to her friend and neighbour’s cottage.

Detective Katherine Ellis canvasses the neighbourhood, and the body, which is without teeth or hair, with fingerprints scrubbed and throat slit, is identified as Tom. But Ruby doesn’t recognise it as her husband. With formal ID to be established via DNA, Ruby tells Ellis “You think if the man is Tom that I killed him? And what? I was able to drag him toward the lake with nobody watching, then somehow sink and secure his body to the bottom? And then, when he magically resurfaced, I called the cops to report it? That seems completely rational.”

In the months since Ruby left her job as a trauma nurse in a busy city hospital, sold her beloved little East Nashville bungalow (for a surprisingly good price), and uprooted their seventeen-year-old daughter, Lily to move to Tom’s dream home, Ruby has tried to fit into this new life. She lacks the enthusiasm to decorate, but has posed for a local artist, resumes her own painting hobby, and joins Murderlings, the neighbourhood true-crime club run by a popular podcaster who lives next door.

There’s a lot that Ruby doesn’t reveal when interrogated by Detective Ellis: that Lily is inexplicably missing; the parlous state of her marriage; and the childhood she’d rather forget. But she vehemently denies any guilt over the body in the lake, whether or not it’s Tom. And if it is Tom, who killed him? Someone to do with his work as a criminal defence attorney? Or someone in Cottage Grove?

Discussion on Cottage Grove’s online forum gets quite heated when the body surfaces, lots of opinions about suspects and guilt. This addition to the dual timeline narrative provides an extra layer of intrigue as the reader tries to guess which alias belongs to whom. And as more townspeople are picked off, the discussion gets all the more frenzied.

Her dissociation, her repressed memories and her selective honesty all tell the reader that Ruby might be a not-entirely-reliable narrator, while the less-than-accurate blurb is a little misleading, but this is such a gripping thriller with so many twists that it might be wise to pre-book a chiropractic appointment before starting. Definitely a page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

WOW! I loved this book!!

Ruby and her husband, Tom, relocated with their daughter, Lily, to a small community outside of Nashville. However, things quickly take a dark turn. Tom and Lily disappear without a trace. A body suddenly floats to the surface in a nearby lake. The body is suspected to be Tom's. And of course, Ruby quickly becomes the police's number one suspect. Ruby is determined to figure out what actually happened. As she does, she learns that everyone, including her family and neighbours, are hiding secrets. I won't give away anything else, as it is best going in blind.

What a crazy and twisted novel! The suspense starts from the very beginning. There is no lull or slow start at all. And it just keeps going from there with no slow or boring spots throughout the remainder of the novel. This was one I could not put down at all. The suspense kept building and I HAD to know what was going on. When I say there were a lot of twists, I truly mean there was twist after TWIST.

I also liked that there were so many different characters - it made it difficult to know who to trust, which helped keep up the high level of suspense. The story was told in a dual timeline, alternating between Ruby's past and the present. Sometimes I do not like dual timelines, but this one was done extremely well and contributed to the overall success of the novel.

Everything about this book was brilliant. A must read for any thriller fan!

This was my first read by Rea Frey and I am overwhelmingly impressed! Looking forward to reading more of Frey's novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a seriously breathtakingly suspenseful read. Wow.
Dual timelines, shifting back and forth between both. Fast-paced. Intense.
Ruby, the main character – wow, that was a confusing and wild ride, it has been quite some time since I came across a character that was written in such a cunning way. You read, you think you know what is going on, then you keep reading and you no longer understand anything at all. Is it just an unreliable narrator? Or, is she the most reliable narrator that has ever been written? What exactly is going on there?
And then… The last line of the book.

As most of you know by know I am readding more books in this type of genre and I can tell you I did enjoy readding this. I still read this slower than I would have liked because I only had time to read one chapter each night. I had to force myself to stop reading some nights because I just wanted to keep reading.

This story is about a woman named Ruby who found a dead body while she was doing her rowing. Everyone thought the one that has been found dead is Ruby’s husband except Ruby herself. Most of the neighbour’s and police start to suspect Ruby. Ruby would do anything to keep her secrets from the police. Especially her troubled daughter and her past.

This story was well written. I had to get used to the story jumping between then and now but it had to happen to understand the story more. For example, we found out how the relationship was like between Ruby and Tom. How Lilly was treated and why she was so troubled. I never guessed who the killer was but I had some suspicions. I mean who would not with all the killings going around. Most who are pointing to Ruby….

All in all, this was a fun read with all the twist and turns that kept my on the edge of my seat. I hope this book is start of a series especially with the last sentence of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing the eARC. I had fun reading this book.

Don’t Forget Me was a well-plotted, intense, suspenseful thriller read with shocking twists/reveals at the end which I didn’t see coming. And that last line…!!!!

I also liked that it was a fast-paced read that easily kept my attention. In addition, the use of two timelines - then and now - was an effective way to bring together the various threads of the story. Don’t miss this read!!

Thanks to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions and Thomas and Mercer for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review on my book IG, X and Threads on March 25 as part of the Thriller Book Lovers Promotion book tour for this novel.

New Beginnings! That’s what Ruby needs. Well actually, that’s what her husband Tom wants. So Ruby, Tom and daughter Lily move to a suburban neighborhood where everyone knows your business.

To say things didn’t exactly go as planned would be a vast understatement.
First…her daughter is missing.
Next…Tom vanishes.
Soon followed by…Ruby discovering a body in the community lake.

The neighborhood forum is on fire with standard–issue gossip and questions:
Who was killed and dumped in the lake?
Who’s responsible?
And of course, are we the residents in the community safe?

I enjoyed the feed from the neighborhood app. Reminded me a bit of my own.😂 (Thankfully, minus the discussion regarding a dead body!)
This was a fun, fast thriller with some great twists to keep you on your toes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer

Giving ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to Don’t forget me by Rea Frey! Loved this book. Was a quick read with short chapters which is my favorite! One POV, current and past timelines, who done it story with twists throughout that kept me reading!

Ruby, Tom, and their daughter Lily move to the suburbs in a nice neighborhood. When bodies start turning up, the neighborhood attempts to figure out if there is a serial killer in cottage grove! Things from Ruby’s past are brought to light when the neighbors start digging for answers

This was a quick and enjoyable thriller! It really kept me guessing throughout the entire book, especially because I could never figure out if Ruby was a reliable or unreliable character. I liked that the story was told in past and present, and I enjoyed all the twists and suspense! One of my favorite parts was when Ruby joined the neighborhood murder club - aka known as the Murderlings! I thought that added a fun aspect to the story. I didn't see the jaw-dropping ending coming! I highly recommend this one to my fellow thriller readers!

Thank you @thrillerbookloverspromotions, @netgalley, @amazonpublishing, and @reafreyauthor for the #gifted copy!

This was one I just HAD to know how it ended. What happened in between.

The timeline flips from MC, Ruby’s past to present beginning with the body of an unidentified male in the lake near her house. As she is new in town, of course, all fingers point to her. As the book goes on, the body count increases, making her the prime suspect. This left me literally saying WTF, in a good way.
The locals meet for fun, trying to solve made up murder cases. When multiple cases fall into their laps, why not solve them.

I am trying not to be all over the place, just read it, you won’t be disappointed.
Bonus, if you are from Wisconsin, one of the usernames will stick out.

A digital copy of this book was provided to me and the opinions are my own and freely given.

This is the story of Ruby who one day finds a body floating in the lake by her house. All the neighbors say it is Ruby's husband Tom who has been missing. But Ruby doesn't recognize him. That said, the police detective looks at Ruby as her prime suspect. This community that Tom has moved her into is riddled with secrets and she is beginning to wonder who to trust. All she wants is to clear her name and start over. But more bodies keep turning up and Ruby appears to be the common thread. I liked this book. First time reading this author (even though I have a few on my TBR). With all the dead bodies I was a little like, really? This is a bit unbelievable. But once the reasoning was explained, I was ok with it. I didn't guess who the killer was, I had my suspicions, but I was clearly wrong. And now I am wondering why it took me so long to read this author! Very good book, definitely recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an awesome read! Suspenseful throughout and totally shocked me with the twists. Looking forward to more from this author.
Highly recommend

It is a gripping domestic whodunnit thriller with an unexpected twist.

Enjoyed the pace, tense, and amount of things going on. Everyone around poor Ruby dies or missing and for sure she becomes the main suspect. But she didn't do anything, right? Or did she?

The ending was terrific, and the last twist after everything seemed settled was so unpredictable.

But timelines confused me, although I usually easily switch between past and current events. Also, the line with Ruby's memory loss troubles didn't lead to anything, so this part could easily be skipped. Ruby's actions (I mean her literally doing nothing) about her missing daughter felt unrealistic.

But I still liked it and will try other Rea Frey's books — solid three stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

Great domestic suspense. My first from this author,but won't be my last. I enjoyed the whole murdering portion as well.

This was so good best book I read in 2024 so far and I am up to 23.
This had the perfect amount of everything. I thought I knew the killer from the start then I kept doubting myself all the way to the end.
Run and go get this book

Told in alternating timelines of now and then by the characters.

It kept me guessing with the twists and wanting to continue reading.
I didn’t expect the killer. That was a shocker.

I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the chance to read this preview. I’ll be reading more by this author.

This twisted thriller starts off with a bang when Ruby finds a body, and the suspense builds as the bodies fall around her. Rea Frey does such an amazing job of combining internal conflict with Ruby's messed up marriage and the external conflict of the murders to create an amazing plot. I highly recommend this book for fans of twisted psychological, serial killer thrillers.

There were definitely dark moments to this novel and this kept me hooked to find out the truth about Ruby's missing husband.

Don't Forget Me by Rea Frey

This book was just published March 1, 2024, so I caught the tail end of the NetGalley permission to read and give an honest review.

Ruby Knight is living in a nice house all on her own, near a shared lake. She rows every day for her peace of mind, but one morning, discovers a body floating nearby. As she alerts authorities, the story begins to unravel with her possible connection to this body. Her college-aged daughter is not living at home, and her ex-husband is no longer in the picture. Is this body someone she knows from the community? Is this someone in Ruby's life, or could this be a total stranger that just happened to surface after some time in total coincidence of her daily rowing across the lake?

I feel like I was able to guess the outcome from almost mid-point of this story, but a few surprising twists showed up. While this did not hit my 5 star rating, I can say I was fully invested in the storyline and appreciated the modern references with elements like the community forum online. This was relevant to how life is with everyone online talking their opinions up and maybe saying too much in a public forum, and that held my attention to imagine this scenario in real life. Some of the characters were absolutely detestable, and some you really began to feel for as their stories unfolded. Some mothers will go to extremes to protect their children, while others breathe a sigh of relief to have unfair burdens lifted and to protect themselves.

I say give this book a chance, as I have really enjoyed others by this author. It is a good "whodunnit" mystery with a modern touch.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my chance to read and review this book.