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2.93 AVERAGE
2.93 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One evening, while on a video chat with her friend, Liza sees a masked man enter Molly's house. After driving through the night to check on her, she receives an icy reception. Confused as to what is happening, she drives home only to find out that she has had her own near miss.
I definitely wouldn't classify this as a thriller, more of a family drama/ relationship drama. I thought it was a really interesting premise and had a lot of potential, but I just wasn't really drawn into the story or captivated by the characters. The characters were kind of bland and boring, and there really wasn't much growth to them. All these relationships are toxic, nobody's, honest with each other and nobody trusts each other.
The whole premise of this book is that everybody is lying to everyone and everybody's keeping secrets. You can't really trust what anybody says.
Molly has been in pain ever since giving birth to her son and has tried everything possible to help herself, but nothing is worked. In order to pay off some of the debt she's accumulated, she takes out a sketchy loan and doesn't tell her husband.
Her husband, Daniel, catches somebody stealing at work. Only the thief has leverage over Daniel knowing that he has taken a few " work trips" that aren't quite on the up and up. AKA he's probably having an affair. So the thief uses this to try to blackmail Daniel.
Molly has grown close to a male neighbour and their daughter are friends. Molly feels like their relationship is teetering on the edge of inappropriate. One day she makes an off-handed comment to him about him "breaking into her" house.
After the break-in we are given three possible suspects : the neighbor, The lone sharks, or the thieving coworker. All of them are plausible. From the beginning I suspected it was Daniel. So I wasn't surprised when it was revealed to have been him who had broken into the house.
All the while we have a subplot with Liza and her drama. After leaving Molly's house that first night she comes home to find that her apartment building had burnt down and that everybody on her floor had died. So essentially her seeing Daniel break in saved her life.
There's almost too much going on. Well nothing's going on.
I definitely wouldn't classify this as a thriller, more of a family drama/ relationship drama. I thought it was a really interesting premise and had a lot of potential, but I just wasn't really drawn into the story or captivated by the characters. The characters were kind of bland and boring, and there really wasn't much growth to them. All these relationships are toxic, nobody's, honest with each other and nobody trusts each other.
The whole premise of this book is that everybody is lying to everyone and everybody's keeping secrets. You can't really trust what anybody says.
Molly has been in pain ever since giving birth to her son and has tried everything possible to help herself, but nothing is worked. In order to pay off some of the debt she's accumulated, she takes out a sketchy loan and doesn't tell her husband.
Her husband, Daniel, catches somebody stealing at work. Only the thief has leverage over Daniel knowing that he has taken a few " work trips" that aren't quite on the up and up. AKA he's probably having an affair. So the thief uses this to try to blackmail Daniel.
Molly has grown close to a male neighbour and their daughter are friends. Molly feels like their relationship is teetering on the edge of inappropriate. One day she makes an off-handed comment to him about him "breaking into her" house.
After the break-in we are given three possible suspects : the neighbor, The lone sharks, or the thieving coworker. All of them are plausible.
All the while we have a subplot with Liza and her drama. After leaving Molly's house that first night she comes home to find that
There's almost too much going on. Well nothing's going on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Jessica Strawser once again brings a story with twists and turns. Forget You Know Me is a story that will keep you guessing and once you think you know what is going on, guess again.
A husband and a wife. All the secrets they can keep. Will they find their way back to one another? Or is it too late? I found that I didn't want to put this book because I wanted to know the answers to these questions.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
A husband and a wife. All the secrets they can keep. Will they find their way back to one another? Or is it too late? I found that I didn't want to put this book because I wanted to know the answers to these questions.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
I would say this is more like a domestic drama than a thriller. It was kind of a slow burn about different aspects of relationships with a tad hint of a thriller thrown in. JS creates wonderful characters that you can connect with.
Thanks to St. Martins Press for this early copy:)
Thanks to St. Martins Press for this early copy:)
DNF - quit about 60% through. No desire to find out the fact of these unlikeable and dull characters who are all in inane conflicts of their own making for unclear or stupid reasons.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Jessica Strawser, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I so really, really wanted to like this book. It had a GREAT premise and just fizzled out on me. I was so excited to finish the book and learn the ending only to be a little disappointed. I also had the wrong impression that this book was a THRILLER when it really was about relationships between friends, family, and lovers. The book really started out great and progressively got less great.
I think that the writer has great promise in the future - I half-heartedly recommend.
I so really, really wanted to like this book. It had a GREAT premise and just fizzled out on me. I was so excited to finish the book and learn the ending only to be a little disappointed. I also had the wrong impression that this book was a THRILLER when it really was about relationships between friends, family, and lovers. The book really started out great and progressively got less great.
I think that the writer has great promise in the future - I half-heartedly recommend.
I really wanted to like this book more - I enjoyed Jessica Strawser's last book, Not That I Could Tell and was looking forward to reading this one. But it was just so slow moving - I kept waiting for something exciting to happen. Molly was a particularly unlikable character and Daniel wasn't much better. It seemed like there were a lot of unnecessary plot points, like the complications with Steph's pregnancy and even Liza's apartment building burning down was just a way to get her back to Cincinnati. Molly's money issues weren't really resolved by the end of the book and her mindset just made her seem mean and selfish. Definitely a disappointing book. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.
I loved the last book I read by her. This one just, no. I didn't like any character, which does not keep me from liking a book if the story is good. The premise of this book and the resulting story are not the same thing. Free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A real, raw, and riveting story about the good, the bad, and the ugly side of life and love!
Life... it is messy, it is uncomfortable, it is tough... Jessica Strawser Does an amazing job of making her characters pop off the pages, there is an authenticity to her characterization and storytelling... this is an exquisitely told domestic drama with a sprinkle of suspense... it is NOT A THRILLER ...and I think if you start this book with the expectation that this is a wonderful exploration of the darker and uglier side of relationships, rather than a edge of your seat thriller you will have a much better reading experience.... in my humble opinion this is a book that has been mislabeled as a mystery/thriller and that has not done the book any favors...
imagine you are on a video chat with your BFF, When she is upstairs checking on one of her kids someone breaks into her house dressed in all black including a face mask... what would you do? That is how this book starts up, Liza and Molly are on the chat, Molly checks on her kids, Liza sees the intruder.... after the intruder closes the laptop on Liza she calls the police and drives all night from Chicago to Cincinnati to check on her friend.... but when Liza reaches Molly‘s house she basically closes the door in her face, what in the world is going on? This one event leads to the unraveling of many secrets and relationships....
A book that takes an in-depth look at the breakdown of both marriage and friendship... how insecurities and fears can lead to lies and secrets that ultimately lead to hurt and betrayal.... all these characters were very real, flawed, and relatable, however not always likable... I have to admit I found Molly insufferable at times or chronic pain frustrated even made the reader, meanwhile I really liked Liza and enjoyed her entire storyline immensely... this is not to say I did not like Molly and her story, I just found that story much more frustrating, Daniel and she needed some serious marriage counseling.... but even my frustration with these characters added to the authenticity of the story, as I mentioned life is messy.... just so many things I loved about this book, I found it fascinating how Liza dealt with her survivors guilt... I enjoyed the bond between little Rosie and Nori... and the sweet romance between Liza and Henry put a big smile on my face, what a wonderful man he was!
A beautifully told story about the complexities of life and relationships, A real story about real people! Absolutely recommend!
🎧🎧🎧 The audio narration definitely added some texture and depth to this compelling story... Gabra Zackman did an impeccable job of making these characters come to life... she did a wonderful job of giving each character their own unique voice alleviating any confusion as to who was telling the story at any given time...
🎵🎵🎵 song running through my head! They brought up Tom Petty in this book so I thought I’d go with one of his songs...
Hey, hey
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
Whatever you're looking for
Hey, don't come around here no more
I've given up, stop
I've given up, stop
I've given up, stop, on waiting any longer
I've given up, on this love getting stronger
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
I don't feel you anymore
You darken my door
Whatever you're looking for
Hey, don't come around here no more
I've given up, stop
I've given up, stop
I've given up, (stop) you tangle my emotions
I've given up, honey please admit it's over...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h0JvF9vpqx8
*** many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for my copies of this book ***
Life... it is messy, it is uncomfortable, it is tough... Jessica Strawser Does an amazing job of making her characters pop off the pages, there is an authenticity to her characterization and storytelling... this is an exquisitely told domestic drama with a sprinkle of suspense... it is NOT A THRILLER ...and I think if you start this book with the expectation that this is a wonderful exploration of the darker and uglier side of relationships, rather than a edge of your seat thriller you will have a much better reading experience.... in my humble opinion this is a book that has been mislabeled as a mystery/thriller and that has not done the book any favors...
imagine you are on a video chat with your BFF, When she is upstairs checking on one of her kids someone breaks into her house dressed in all black including a face mask... what would you do? That is how this book starts up, Liza and Molly are on the chat, Molly checks on her kids, Liza sees the intruder.... after the intruder closes the laptop on Liza she calls the police and drives all night from Chicago to Cincinnati to check on her friend.... but when Liza reaches Molly‘s house she basically closes the door in her face, what in the world is going on? This one event leads to the unraveling of many secrets and relationships....
A book that takes an in-depth look at the breakdown of both marriage and friendship... how insecurities and fears can lead to lies and secrets that ultimately lead to hurt and betrayal.... all these characters were very real, flawed, and relatable, however not always likable... I have to admit I found Molly insufferable at times or chronic pain frustrated even made the reader, meanwhile I really liked Liza and enjoyed her entire storyline immensely... this is not to say I did not like Molly and her story, I just found that story much more frustrating, Daniel and she needed some serious marriage counseling.... but even my frustration with these characters added to the authenticity of the story, as I mentioned life is messy.... just so many things I loved about this book, I found it fascinating how Liza dealt with her survivors guilt... I enjoyed the bond between little Rosie and Nori... and the sweet romance between Liza and Henry put a big smile on my face, what a wonderful man he was!
A beautifully told story about the complexities of life and relationships, A real story about real people! Absolutely recommend!
🎧🎧🎧 The audio narration definitely added some texture and depth to this compelling story... Gabra Zackman did an impeccable job of making these characters come to life... she did a wonderful job of giving each character their own unique voice alleviating any confusion as to who was telling the story at any given time...
🎵🎵🎵 song running through my head! They brought up Tom Petty in this book so I thought I’d go with one of his songs...
Hey, hey
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
Whatever you're looking for
Hey, don't come around here no more
I've given up, stop
I've given up, stop
I've given up, stop, on waiting any longer
I've given up, on this love getting stronger
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
Don't come around here no more
I don't feel you anymore
You darken my door
Whatever you're looking for
Hey, don't come around here no more
I've given up, stop
I've given up, stop
I've given up, (stop) you tangle my emotions
I've given up, honey please admit it's over...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h0JvF9vpqx8
*** many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for my copies of this book ***
I thought this book was going to be a high suspense/thriller, but once I got through the first few chapters I realized it was more a book about relationships and the consequences of our choices with a little mystery thrown in. I liked the way the story was told - it switched perspectives between three different characters. As the story unfolds, we find out that things are not what they seem on the surface. Enjoyable read!
Ever had that one moment that you knew was going to change everything for you? And when secrets come out, no one is safe. Plenty of twists and turns in this book!