Forget Me Not: A Novel

A pulse-pounding new Southern thriller from the author of the runaway bestseller A Flicker in the Dark.

Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist... until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew.

With the entire summer now looming ahead—a summer spent with nothing to do in her childhood home, with her estranged mother—Claire decides on a whim to accept a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard in coastal South Carolina less than an hour away from where she grew up. At first glance, Galloway is an idyllic escape for Claire. A scenic retreat full of slow-paced nostalgia, as well as a place where her sister seemed truly happy in that last summer before she vanished, it feels like the perfect plan to pass the time. However, as soon as Claire starts to settle in, she stumbles across an old diary written by one of the vineyard's owners, and what at first seems like a story of young rebellion and love turns into something much more sinister as it begins to describe details of various unsolved crimes. As the days stretch on, Claire finds herself becoming more and more secluded as she starts to obsess over the diary's contents… as well as the lingering feeling that her own sister's disappearance may be somehow tied to it all.

Galloway was supposed to be a place to help her move forward, but instead, Claire quickly finds herself immersed in her own dark and dangerous past.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Aug 26, 2025

336 pages

Average rating: 7.19

204 RATINGS

|

These clubs recently read this book...

Books & Bubbles Lodi

Welcome to Books & Bubbles! We read all genres, sip our favorite drinks, and enjoy good books and even better company—join us!

Sterling Street Book Club

Books & Beer. (Is there a better combo?)

South Shore Page Turners

Suspense, Mystery and Thriller book discussion group meeting on the second Wednesday of the month on the South Shore.

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Forget Me Not* by Stacy Willingham offers intense psychological suspense with emotionally complex characters and a gripping rural setting...

fromlizaslibrary
Oct 13, 2025
7/10 stars
I liked this! It was a slow building thriller so it took a little bit for the action to happen but I felt the suspense building the entire time. I had an overall idea of what was going to happen but there was still enough to be shocked about which made the build up we got, worth it. Although I love a good thriller, there’s something so annoying about how stupid people can be and even though I know we wouldn’t have a story without some of those pieces, I was screaming at Claire or another character for 90% of this book. In the end, I was entertained and satisfied by the outcome we end up seeing so I’d say that was a success.
Sheryl Bagwell
Jan 25, 2026
8/10 stars
A very slow beginning which builds to an interesting twisted ending. Still not a big fan of this author's writing style. The constant use of similes kind of threw me off, but the story flowed easily and the timelines of the different events juxtaposed nicely. Overall I did enjoy this book. Not one I'd read again and again, but a nice little mystery/thriller.
Lrenae
Dec 22, 2025
8/10 stars
Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham was an intriguing read with a strong storyline that kept me invested once it really got going. The mystery was well thought out and the twists were satisfying, but I felt the first half dragged quite a bit and took a while to build momentum. Once the pace picked up, though, it was hard to put down and definitely worth sticking with. A solid read for fans of psychological thrillers who don’t mind a slower start.
Hazen18
Dec 01, 2025
7/10 stars
Suspense that was well rounded. 2 twists that left closed the circle but also made me gasp. This one kept me turning the page and wanting more.
JShrestha
Oct 01, 2025
2/10 stars
This was a book club read and not something our club would suggest moving forward. The plot and writing felt scattered and broken. It was hard to keep track of the twists as the author had inconsistent naming and relationships in the base establishment of the chapters. I had to reread chapters thinking I am losing the plot but it was just the author's poor planning. By the time the end comes, it is so overwhelming that it becomes confusing, thrown together for clot, and too much. There is also parts you will never understand the background to. Not worth reading or finishing.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.