2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.

Pages: 487 pages

Length: 1 month (August)

Participants: SarahKat, D.L., Allison

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Looking forward to this one :)

I'll join :)

Got my copy from the library this past weekend but will wait until actual August. Have plenty of books to keep me going until then.

I have a hold on a few different versions of this so not sure when I'll be starting yet.

I always enjoy Moriarty but some of hers have been disappointing. hope this is a good one!

I read a book where the MC was reading this book and raved about it...I have been curious since then so will join in to see if it lives up to expectations.

Elaine wrote: "I read a book where the MC was reading this book and raved about it...I have been curious since then so will join in to see if it lives up to expectations."

Welcome!!

Elaine wrote: "I read a book where the MC was reading this book and raved about it...I have been curious since then so will join in to see if it lives up to expectations."

Oh, that’s cool!

SarahKat wrote: "I have a hold on a few different versions of this so not sure when I'll be starting yet.

I always enjoy Moriarty but some of hers have been disappointing. hope this is a good one!"

Moriarty's books have been a mixed experience for me, but this is one of hers I quite liked. My favourite, hands down, is Big Little Lies. However, it's surprising that I like any of them based on my main reading tastes.

^Me too. I thought she was “chick lit”…..I can’t even remember why I read but I read it in 2 days. The other one of hers I read, I didn’t particularly like.

Allison wrote: "^Me too. I thought she was “chick lit”…..I can’t even remember why I read but I read it in 2 days. The other one of hers I read, [bookcover:The Husband's Secret..."

I DNF The Husband's Secret--I couldn't stand it.

Started this today and just over 60 pages in (Chapter 7). This, like her other works, is very readable. Just started and already feels like I’m flying through it.

Karin, I agree I'm surprised I like an author who is "chick lit." I read Big Little Lies for the group read years ago and thought I'd suffer through it but it's probably one of my favorite books ever.

I started this one last night and I just started chapter 5. Allison, yes it's very readable and I'm already invested!

(view spoiler)[It's crazy she remembers those 10-year-old memories so well though as if they just happened yesterday. You would think they would be somewhat blurry because her brain would have made room for new memories over the last 10 years.

I keep trying to think how I would feel if I woke up today missing 10 years of memories. The worst thing for me would be missing 10 years of my kids' lives. Oof and I've lost like 5 family members in the last 10 years too... (hide spoiler)]

SarahKat wrote: "Karin, I agree I'm surprised I like an author who is "chick lit." I read Big Little Lies for the group read years ago and thought I'd suffer through it but it's probably one of my favorite books ev..."

Re: your spoiler (view spoiler)[Memory loss is an odd thing and sometimes older memories are preserved and only newer ones lost--once newer ones are gone some of those older ones can be more clear. I'm not an expert, but have read that this can happen. (hide spoiler)]

Re: your spoiler (view spoiler)[Yes, I’ve always mostly heard of people losing their recent memories but years and years ago is crystal clear. Take in point, that movie with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, The Vow?? That was based on a true story. She had left her parents home because of her dad cheating on her mom and squabbles over her career choice. Met a guy and married him, was even thinking about having a baby. Boom, they get in a car accident and she wakes up having no idea who her husband is and went back to living with her parents because that’s the last thing she could remember….and being in love with a former partner! Brains are crazy! (hide spoiler)]

Allison wrote: "Re: your spoiler [spoilers removed]"

Yes, I saw that film you mentioned, plus I have seen TV epsiodes of a couple of shows like that, but of course film is not a bastion of medical accuracy or accuracy in general so I've checked elsewhere.

Allison wrote: "Re: your spoiler [spoilers removed]"

Yeah my grandfather had Alzheimer's and he remembered his parents and childhood better than he remembered his children and grandchildren. I just think it's crazy those tiny details come back too, not just names and places, but like a specific day. Brains ARE crazy! I have a degree in brain-things and that's my takeaway.

SarahKat wrote: "I have a degree in brain-things and that's my takeaway."

Thanks for the chuckle! There are various and sundry degrees in "brain-things"--what's your area?

Karin wrote: "SarahKat wrote: "I have a degree in brain-things and that's my takeaway."

Thanks for the chuckle! There are various and sundry degrees in "brain-things"--what's your area?"

Just a BS in general psychology

Now that the Team Readathon is over I can finally tackle this book lol Looking forward to reading & discussing it.

SarahKat wrote: "Just a BS in general psychology.."

Okay. Even after all these years of living in the States I can't understand why it's not a BSc here the way it is in Canada, because when I read BS I think b.s.--My daughter has a BS in math.

I will not say what my biology professors used to say (before you were born but in that decade) about psychology, but given that back when they went to school, etc, it was common to cite studies of animal behaviour re people it was justified. One can never, ever extrapolate behaviour from one species to another and hope to be accurate.

Psychology has come a long way since back then!

I think of b***s*** with that degree too haha.

Through Chapter 16: (view spoiler)[I am really enjoying this. I like the slow revealing of Alice's life. It's what I like so much in some of Moriarty's other books.
It's very sad she doesn't like who she has turned into, though she hasn't exactly figured out who that is yet.
I have a feeling Nick didn't cheat on Alice with Gina. I don't know what happened. Maybe Alice cheated on Nick with her... Or just got too obsessed with what she'd think or feel about her. Infidelity on Nick's part just seems too predictable.

I feel horrible for Elisabeth as well. She reminds me of me a little bit though I've never struggled with infertility. She talked about how she's always worried about something. As if by worrying about it will stop it from happening. Very me. I'm a worrier.

And now she's met her boyfriend of a month. He seems nice. (hide spoiler)]

Through Chapter 32: (view spoiler)[Almost done but I figured I'd update as she just got a flood of memories back at the Mega Meringue thing. She's already annoyed with herself for kissing Nick and giving the ring.

I hope after she has time to think about things she'll realize she needs to change some things about how her life is going. It makes me sad she's too busy to spend time with anyone really. Madison crying because Alice and Nick just wanted to talk about what happened with Chloe's hair instead of just automatically punishing her was heartbreaking. (hide spoiler)]

I agree with your second spoiler as well as much of your first one.

Finished! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Very quick review. Definitely top 3 Moriarty. I didn't get much out of the grandmother's POV letters, but I loved the book as a whole.

This is my review and I can't believe when I read it since I remember it so well that I always knew what you were talking about in your spoilers and I remember a fair bit of the book. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I started out liking it but then I really had to push myself to continue. I gave up for a week or more and then read 200+ pages yesterday and finished it. I think it could have been paired down. It felt like one of those books where a lot is happening but also, nothing is happening? We get it, she doesn’t have her memory back yet and Elizabeth is sad and worried. Not sure I liked the ending of (view spoiler)[Wrapping everything up in a neat little bow of Elisabeth giving birth finally and Alice and Nick back together. Also, Olivia was my favorite and she just went downhill for no reason (hide spoiler)].

Allison wrote: "I started out liking it but then I really had to push myself to continue. I gave up for a week or more and then read 200+ pages yesterday and finished it. I think it could have been paired down. It..."

I have had mixed reactions to her books, from DNF to a range of star ratings (none one.) This is one of the better ones, but my favourite is Big Little Lies even though none of my reading friends thought I'd like it. But now and then a book can surprise me :)