This book is a very compelling read. I liked the character Hannah, she’s strong, smart and brave. Life gets very complicated suddenly when Hannah’s husband Owen disappears. It’s a complicated mystery sorting out what is happening and how to protect herself and her step-daughter. Hard to put this one down.

Owen and Hannah have been married just a couple of years when a teen shows up at the door of their houseboat in Sausalito, CA, with a note from Owen. He's paid the girl $20 to deliver it--supposedly his phone is broken.

The note reads "Protect her." Huh? Owen must mean his teenaged daughter Bailey but protect her from what? Why didn't he find a way to call? She tries calling him and leaves several increasingly-frustrated messages on his cell phone.

Later that evening while picking her step-daughter up from school, she hears a news report on NPR that Owen's tech firm, The Shop, has been raided by the SEC and FBI and they've taken the CEO into custody. Has Owen gone into hiding to avoid arrest? When Bailey gets into the car, she's carrying a duffle bag that her dad apparently left in her locker that contains thousands of dollars. What in the world is going on?

Hannah and Bailey have a difficult relationship at best but find it necessary now to team up to try to find Owen. Hannah soon learns from an investigator that Owen is NOT who he says he is. What would drive him to lie about his past? Hannah and Bailey begin following up on some clues that Owen let slip in unguarded moments but where will this lead and will it put them in danger too?

Very intriguing! Laura Dave has a good, easy-reading style that keeps the reader turning pages till the end. What Hannah knows about Owen is revealed in flashbacks to the early days of their relationship. Can we ever really know another person? We tend to trust those we love, but that trust can be utterly destroyed when a devastating secret is revealed. I liked and cared about both Hannah and Bailey and cheered them on to the satisfying ending.

I received an arc of this new suspense novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity. Laura Dave is quickly becoming a favorite suspense author of mine!

I really enjoyed this. I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to end but I think it wrapped up nicely. The overall story was a different take on a thriller and it kept my attention. I liked the writing style and the characters didn't seem to annoy me even though they could have. Def recommend.

Ugghhh......that ending gutted me! What a deliciously fast read. Fast because I would not put it down. Laura Dave has written an incredibly good mystery, fast paced from the get-go! I don’t want to give anything away about Hannah, Owen, Bailey, and even Ethan. Just read this book!

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a captivating and thrilling read. Hannah receives a note from her husband, Owen, to “protect her” before he disappears. She knows he is talking about his daughter, but why? It’s not like they have a good relationship. Who is Owen and what is he hiding? As their world begins to crumble around them, Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, but at what costs? I enjoyed the story and will definitely be checking out Laura Dave again!

Happy reading!

I read this book in about 24 hours! It was very good.
I enjoy books that are easy reads, and this fit that description. I liked the back and forth storytelling and how the story played out. I enjoyed the characters and thought the main characters were relatable. I have recommended this book to many friends!

The perfect read for a beach getaway, or for anywhere, I didn’t want to put this read down. Suspenseful, full of family drama and angst, with very realistic characters, The Last Thing He Told Me tells the story of Hannah, a recently married woman trying to make a connection with her teenaged stepdaughter, Bailey, when the bottom literally falls out from under them leaving their lives changed forever. I loved the non linear timeline and trying to piece everything together. Definitely was not able to with this well thought out twist. I also loved the evolving relationship between Hannah and Bailey. I would love to read a sequel to this book as I grew to love the characters. The chapter titles captured the story perfectly and were very unique. The ending was perfection. Many many thanks to Laura Dave, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read an arc of this book, just published on May 4th.

What would you do to ensure the safety of your child? Hannah Hall is settling into married life with the West Coast man of her dreams and his 16-year-old daughter. When he sends her a note that says, “Protect her,” and disappears, Hannah is left with the mystery of his disappearance as well as how to deal with the volatile Bailey. As the US Marshals and the FBI swoop into their lives, Hannah is overwhelmed with grief at her own loss but the roller coaster ride of trying to keep Bailey safe from unknown forces.

The Last Thing He Told Me is the perfect summer book! It's a page-turning domestic drama revolving around Hannah after her husband disappears. Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey try to uncover the truth behind the disappearance and mystery, secrets, hidden identities, and more ensue. A fast and fun read; you'll be turning the pages until you reach the surprising ending.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is the perfect summer read. A suspenseful family drama with underlying secrets. I loved the charcters, the drama and the many secrets the author reveled.. This is one of my favorite reads of 2021. A Net Galley author I look forward to reading again .


Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher. My review opinions are my own, Review cross posted.

Omg I loved this book so much!!! I was soo excited to see that it was a Reese book club pick!!! It’s a must summer read!!

Hannah has just been married to Owen for about a year and has started to settle into her new life in Sausalito, with Owen and his teenage daughter, Bailey. One day, her life changes drastically when Owen disappears at the same time the head of his company is indicted for a variety of financial misdeeds. Owen leaves Hannah and Bailey, along with a note saying to protect her, and a bag of cash.
Hannah’s determined to find Owen and she and Bailey head to Austin, Texas, simply based on Bailey’s vague memory of attending a wedding there when she was very young, and Hannah’s recollection of Owen’s reaction to her suggestion of a trip to the city.
The story takes off from there. While a little far fetched in terms of how easily the pieces fit into the puzzle, the story was interesting and I enjoyed the “visit” to Austin.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read The Last Thing He Told Me in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely FLEW through this book in less than 24 hours! The short chapters, frenetic pacing just kept me turning pages as I raced to figure out that mystery and ultimate identity of missing husband Owen Micheals. A word of caution, once you start this book, you will ignore everything else in your life until the reach the satisfying conclusion.

Personally, I also enjoyed the local mentions of Austin (Texas) places that I know. Ultimately though, the novel was a lovely meditation on the importance of family and sacrifice. "What would you do to keep your children safe?"

I requested this book on Reese's recommendation. Sometimes her picks are great and sometimes they flop. I was so happy that this was a winner! I loved this book and how it made me really consider family dynamics and love how far we will really go for the ones we love. I would disagree with calling this a "thriller." I think it is more contemporary and domestic drama. The book started a little slow, but then picked up pace as it went, which was fine with me. As the blurb on the back says, Owen and Hannah have only been married a short time when he suddenly disappears. Owen's last message to Hannah was a note saying, "Protect her," and she immediately knows he's referring to his 16-year old daughter, Bailey, whose own mother died when she was very young. Hannah and her stepdaughter have a chilly relationship, with Bailey wanting nothing to do with her. However, their quest to figure out what happened to Owen and what he's been hiding begins to change. I enjoyed how their relationship evolved as they teamed up to seek out the truth. There are some surprisingly good twists and turns in the well paced plot as Hannah pieces together what small snippets of information she has and capitalizes on them. The anger, confusion and uncertainty of what to believe about Owen is palpable and Hannah’s ingenuity in piecing it together was fun to read and truly entertaining.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book- especially the demonstration of just how far people will go for love.

This book was gripping, fast-paced, and I devoured every page of it.

Brief synopsis: Hannah lives with her new-ish husband, Owen, and his sixteen year old daughter, Bailey, on a floating boat in Sausalito. Life as a new family is challenging as Bailey isn't too welcoming of her new stepmom and they are adjusting to one another. But that all changes when one day Hannah is given a note with two words "Protect her" and Owen disappears. Hannah learns that Owen may not be who he says he is and his past a mystery. Now Hannah and Bailey together must figure out that past by tracking down the few memories Bailey has of her early childhood in hopes of finding out who Owen really is and where he is.

I loved this book. It was such a fast thriller. Rumor has it that Julia Roberts will be playing the main character in an adaptation of this book and so it did not hurt that in my head was Julia Roberts' voice narrating this story.

Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars!!! This was so good. I had to know what happened next and the writing is beautiful. I can see why it's being made into a movie!

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a a mystery novel centered on Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey as they reel from the sudden disappearance of Bailey’s dad Owen. After receiving a short, cryptic note “Protect her” from a stranger, Hannah and Bailey’s lives are upended as they try and figure out where Owen is and why he hasn’t contacted them. However as things unravel Hannah and Bailey quickly learn Owen is not the man they thought he was. And they aren’t the only ones looking for Owen.

When I saw the synopsis of this novel I was pulled in right away! The plot of this novel is unique and provides a fresh take in mystery thrillers. I enjoyed watching the tense relationship develop between Hannah and Bailey as they bond over a chaotic circumstance and the realization their lives weren’t what they thought. Hannah was a relatable character wanting the approval of her stepdaughter and it was great to see how she changed throughout the novel.

The pacing of this book was initially fast paced then slowed a bit in the middle before ramping up quickly towards the end. I did find that there were many threads pulled and quickly dropped that could have been explored further. I think additional length may have benefited this novel to wrap up some of the supplementary plot lines since the novel ended a bit abruptly. However I found how the ending resolved realistic given the situation and I really liked the final chapter.

Overall this was a suspenseful read that left me curious what secrets Owen had and who he was. I recommend this book for those looking for a quick read that enjoy character dynamics developing alongside an intriguing plot!

Many thanks to the publisher Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was a different take on the domestic thriller which I really appreciated. I liked uncovering the mystery of Bailey and Owen and I liked the idea that the police didn't necessarily know best. The story wasn't as satisfying as a favorite book would be, but I wasn't disappointed in it either. I heard some people complain about the writing style of repeating sentences back to back but I actually like it.

I loved this book with all my heart. I kept putting it off for fear it would remind me of losing my parents but it wasn’t like that. It was fast paced and interesting with twists and mystery that got me reading really reading again. The book opens with Hannah getting a message from her newish husband “protect her” and then he doesn’t return home. The her is Bailey Owens daughter from a previous marriage. The problem is Bailey and Hannah have yet to have connected. More of the story why Owen has disappeared is broadcast all over the news creating more pressure and problems for both Hannah and Bailey. They try to remember clues from their interactions with Owen to piece together the mystery of where’s he’s gone and who is he really?

Title: The Last Thing He Told Me
Author: Laura Dave
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave

My Opinion:

How will this all turn out for Hannah after her husband's disappearance leaving a message with one instruction to 'Protect Her' in which he was relating to his daughter and her step-daughter Bailey? What will happen when Hannah and Bailey set out to determine why Owen left and where he had gone? What will happen when the wife finds out she didn't know anything about her husband and during their life together?

This is definitely one of those stories that you will have to pick up to see how this author will answer all the above questions to brings it all out to the reader with some likable and relatable characters.

Be ready for quite a story with many twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages to see what is coming next in this mystery thriller suspenseful story. In the end, one will find the novel 'The Last Thing He Told Me' was of 'love, forgiveness, and even found families.'

Thank you, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.