Julie's Review: Forget You Know Me

Author: Jessica Strawser
Series: None
Publication Date: February 5, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 352
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Solid mystery with an AHH moment
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Summary: 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. Forget You Know Me is a “twisty, emotionally complex, powder keg of a tale” (bestselling author Emily Carpenter) about the wounds of people who’ve grown apart. Best friends, separated by miles. Spouses, hardened by neglect. A mother, isolated by pain. One moment will change things for them all. ~amazon.com  


Review: Forget You Know Me can be a mystery/thriller/women's fiction depending on which part of the novel you are reading. Molly and Liza have been friends since they were young girls but distance has put a dent in their once strong bond; not only physical but emotionally. Molly has been dealing with debilitating pain for years since having her kids with no answers. She struggles with daily chores and tasks while getting little help from her husband, Daniel. Liza has been trying to adjust to Chicago and her life there. So it's understandable that maybe things aren't how they used to be when they were together all the time.

This all changes one night when Liza sees a man creep into Molly’s house while they are video chatting when Molly goes to check on the kids. Liza freaks out while Molly acts like it's no big deal. Meanwhile, Liza has to deal with her own tragedy that causes her to move back home and start her life from the ground up.

What is revealed is a web of lies that threaten Molly’s marriage and her friendship with Liza. What Ms. Strawser conveys through her writing is that friendships like marriage have peaks and valleys. Friendship takes work just like marriage but it often the thing that we put the least effort into during certain times in our lives. Neither Molly or Liza received more sympathy from me because their situations were very different. Molly was desperate for help that she felt she wasn't getting and it led her to make some stupid decisions. I felt that Daniel's subplot wasn't fully necessary but I understand why she wrote it in: to make Molly and him on even ground.

The book does have a shoe dropping moment that blind sided me which definitely added to the novel. I would definitely recommend this one to those who like a mystery woven in with contemporary/women's fiction.