Forget You Know Me

Author: Jessica Strawser
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mild Suspense
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: St Martin's Press
First Published: February 5, 2019
Opening Lines: "Liz could tell right away that Molly's smile was fake - and not fake in that courageous way that tired moms of young children sometimes muster a grin, either."

Book Description from GoodReads: When a video call between friends captures a shocking incident no one was supposed to see, the secrets it exposes threaten to change their lives forver.

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 Rating: 3 stars

My Review: The story begins with a suspenseful feel when one friend, via a video chat, witnesses a man breaking into her best friend's home a couple of states away. But if you go into this book expecting a suspenseful thriller based on its blurb and opening scene, you may come away from this book underwhelmed. While it starts off with a strong thriller vibe and the mystery surrounding the identity of the home invader lingers, this is very much a Contemporary Fiction read that will give readers food for thought about the changing nature and struggles of different relationships.

While the story starts off strong, the remainder of the book slowly meanders through the lives of the main characters, Liza and Molly. Readers witness their daily lives and try to get at the heart of their motivations and their many flaws. Unfortunately, this meandering style took its toll on the plot which is slow in a few spots. I also struggled to like the characters (other than Max and Rick - them I liked). Part of my issue stemmed from not enjoying how Liza, and especially Molly, overreacted to a few situations. Their overthinking and overreacting takes too much page time and I found it frustrating.

I liked that Strawser introduces issues that impact friendships and marriages - topics that are always timely - but unfortunately, the lulls in the story and character development resulted in this book not being as entertaining as I had hoped. But readers who enjoy domestic fiction (with a small side of suspense), that touches on the messy parts of different relationships, may want to give this one a try.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Press for providing me with a complimentary digital copy (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.