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Forget You Know Me

Review

Forget You Know Me

Girls’ night! That night, it didn’t feel like it used to, though.

Molly and Liza, best friends forever, have grown apart. Not surprising, really. There in Cincinnati, Molly married Daniel and started a family; Liza moved away to Chicago. But they want to reconnect, to recapture what they once had, so they decide to at least try long-distance girls’ night by video chat. Daniel is away on business, the kids are in bed, and the girls have their glasses of wine topped off. They sit back, in comfortable clothes, and catch up with each other. Still, it feels forced. And then one of the kids starts screaming “Mom!” Molly wants to ignore it. Why can’t she even have this tiny bit of time for herself? She adores her children, but lately everything seems to be a burden. Seething, Molly excuses herself.

Liza waits, sipping her wine and absently staring at the screen. It just shows the empty room Molly just vacated. Then she looks closer. In the shadows, a door opens and a figure in a mask slips through. Wait, is Liza really seeing a hooded intruder break into her friend’s home? Panicking, she yells, trying to warn Molly or scare off the stranger, whatever she can think of. Suddenly, the computer screen goes blank. She frantically calls Molly, but it goes straight to voice mail. She alerts the police, then keeps trying to raise Molly. Should she call Daniel?

"Jessica Strawser is known for her slow-burn intrigue, and no more so than in FORGET YOU KNOW ME. The burning question is: Who was the masked intruder? Any number of plausible possibilities present themselves, but the answer will blindside you."

Instead, Liza chooses to phone her friend Max, dear Max. He always knows what to do. Max doesn’t disappoint this time, either. He picks up Liza and drives through the night to Molly’s house, the two of them worrying what they will find when they get there. What they discover certainly isn’t what either of them expected. When Liza knocks, Molly acts angry, all but slamming the door in her face. Stunned, Liza walks away, convinced that their friendship is over. After that icy reception, who would blame her? Not Max. He agrees with Liza on this.

But then Liza’s life takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself moving back to Cincinnati. Even so, she has no plans to contact Molly. As fate would have it, a chance meeting with Daniel forces a begrudging reunion with her old friend. Neither wants to discuss that night, but the subject can’t be avoided. Vulnerabilities leak out, secrets are uncovered, and they have to face what they have done.

Too many misunderstandings have nearly devastated their lives. Molly has been covering up for mistake after mistake. Daniel has tried to ignore dire shenanigans at work, opening himself up to possible termination or, worse, criminal consequences. The two have dug themselves a deep, deep hole and face a tough uphill struggle. If they want to save their marriage, they must climb out of the chasm they’ve fallen into. And they have to do it together. But does either of them have the strength? Or the desire anymore?

Author Jessica Strawser is known for her slow-burn intrigue, and no more so than in FORGET YOU KNOW ME. The burning question is: Who was the masked intruder? Any number of plausible possibilities present themselves, but the answer will blindside you.

This book is not just fiction, not just about a marriage crumbling and a friendship at risk. It’s about how life unfolds, the traps in which we find ourselves, and the choices we make. Molly can discover what Daniel is hiding and decide that divorce is her best way forward. Or she can look at how she fractured his trust and work toward rebuilding. Choices. Daniel has the same choice to make. You make one now: the choice to read FORGET YOU KNOW ME. You can’t go wrong.

Reviewed by Kate Ayers on February 15, 2019

Forget You Know Me
by Jessica Strawser