The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is an interesting mystery/thriller that I really enjoyed. Hannah Hall's husband, Owen, disappears one day, after leaving her a note telling her to protect her. Owen is talking about his sixteen-year-old daughter Bailey, who dislikes Hannah. Bailey's mother died when she was small. This book has so many twists and turns, as Hannah and Bailey try to find Owen. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more books by this author. I highly recommend this book, if you enjoy a twisty mystery/thriller.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“PROTECT HER”
 
This book is broken into 3 parts and is told from the perspective of Hannah (swipe for book description). I found myself very invested in this story and wanting to keep reading more. I really enjoyed all of the characters and watching their growth and development throughout the book, particularly Hannah and Bailey. I was very emotionally invested in the relationship between Bailey and Hannah. This book kept me guessing until the very end. I found myself feeling all different emotions while reading. All I can say about the ending is WOW. It had me all in my feels. While I always like a picture-perfect ending, that isn’t always realistic. I really enjoyed the way this book ended. This was my first book by Laura Dave and definitely won’t be my last. Overall, I recommend this book for anyone that likes page-turning mysteries.
 
Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and Laura Dave for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me interested from the first page! A mystery that I could not guess the ending of on page 10! Hannah Hall finds a note from her husband, Owen, that says Protect Her - speaking of his teenage daughter Bailey. When Bailey and Hannah can’t find Owen, and the company he works for is all over the news, they find themselves struggling to figure out who Owen really is and why he disappeared. The relationship growth between Bailey and Hannah is the highlight of the book - a really well written and mysterious story!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy!

Hannah's husband disappears when it seems like he may be implicated in a scandal involving his company. Then, Hannah finds out her husband is not who she thought he was and everything she thought she knew about him is false. However, it's her stepdaughter, Bailey's life that really may be blown apart by the revelations unless Hannah can protect her. This is another deeply moving story. It is fast-paced and exciting and is all about the extreme lengths a parent will go to for their child. It will break your heart but its truly selfless heroine will inspire you.

Owen is late coming home. Instead of coming home, a teenage girl from his daughters school brings Hannah, his wife, a note. This note confuses Hannah and even makes her angry. She just wants Owen to come home to explain himself. Owens company has been raided and the boss has been arrested. Can Hannah keep Owen's daughter, Bailey, safe? Hannah does all she can think of to help Bailey with Owen's disappearance. Definitely give this book a shot. It has many twists and turns you don't see coming.

The Last Thing He Told Me is a page turner. The story unfolds with so many twists and turns I couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters and how their relationship grew throughout the story. Laura Dave writes a suspenseful story that will lead all readers satisfied.

I devoured this thriller in a few hours. A well-written and emotional real. Hannah finds a note from her husband after he disappears asking her to protect his daughter, Bailey. From there, the novel twists and turns all the while Hannah and Bailey are developing a deeper relationship and friendship. Secrets are revealed and the ending is wonderful.

Hannah and Owen have been married for less than a year when Owen goes missing and leaves a final message to his wife “protect her” referring to his teenage daughter Bailey. Hannah tries uncovers secrets about Owen and the man he used to be in hopes of finding answers on why he’s disappeared. This was an intriguing read and very well done. The characters were well developed and the story moved quickly but didn’t lack detail.

I kept telling myself just one more chapter and suddenly it’s 2 am and I’ve finished The Last Thing He Told Me in one night.

The story follows along with Owen, his daughter Bailey and his new wife Hannah. When the company Owen works for is raided by the FBI and Hannah cannot reach her husband, she becomes a slightly panicked. And then she receives a cryptic note with the words “protect her” what does Owen’s note mean? Who does she need to protect Bailey from? And WHERE is Owen?

Hannah throws herself into the search for her husband but in doing so, she uncovers some ugly truths. Maybe Owen is not who he has claimed to be and maybe Bailey is in much more danger than she could have ever imagined.

This book exceeded my expectations. Once I started reading, I was hooked! This page turner involves the disappearance of Hannah’s husband. As he vanished without a trace, Owen leaves a note with two words, “protect her.” With her stepdaughter in tow, Hannah works to unravel the mystery of his disappearance and along the way learns who she thought he was is not who he really is.

This fast paced mystery will have you staying up past your bedtime as you read “just one more chapter”. When Hannah receives a note from her husband, Owen, saying “protect her”, she’s not exactly sure what’s going on. Where is Owen and why did he run? That question is answered rather quickly, but where is he and why hasn’t he returned. As Hannah deals with her less than loving step daughter, Bailey, they unravel the full mystery little by little as they find out Owen isn’t exactly who they thought he was. Not a huge fan of the ending, but an overall great read!

Hannah Hall gets a note from her husband Owen- Protect her- in reference to his teenage daughter Bailey. Suddenly the startup company he worked for is under investigation, the FBI shows up, and he is nowhere to be seen. Hannah and Bailey realize that the revelations about his job are only the beginning of his secrets.
It can be nerve wracking to try something new. Even during the pandemic, I’ve seen a lot of side projects and hairstyles that were bold but not necessarily successful. When I heard Laura Dave was writing a thriller, I tried to keep my expectations in check. Lucky for me and all of her fans, this book is such a delight!
The pages flew by and I was able to read it within like a few hours! I was so interested in the evolving relationship between Bailey and Hannah. It really felt like we were watching them become a team in the best way.
One of the terrific things about this book is that it continues the greatness of Laura Dave’s writing style. I am a huge fan of Eight Hundred Grapes. I wanted to live inside of that book. Laura Dave Characters are the kind I always miss! The Last Thing He Told Me made me cheer Hannah and Bailey on, which is not an easy feat because Bailey could have easily slid into bratty teenager stereotypes. They are both just so complicated and fully realized that you cannot help but care about them. I would have read a hundred more pages at least about that story, and that is my only regret. I finished this dream of a summer read much too fast!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm a huge fan of Laura Dave's and although this book was much different from her previous ones, it was just as great.

THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME is a domestic drama/mystery. Hannah has been married to widower Owen for less than two years and is struggling to connect with his sixteen year old daughter, Bailey. One morning she receives a note from her husband that simply reads "Protect her." She finds out her his company has been raided, his boss has been arrested for securities fraud and not only has her husband has disappeared into thin air but that he may not have been who he said he was at all. Hannah realizes Bailey may be the only person who can figure out what's going on but first she has to get her stepdaughter to trust her enough to let her in.

The way Dave tells this story is really compelling. Owen is missing from the beginning so we only get to know him through Hannah's memories as she struggles to identify clues from their past that might reveal his secrets. I loved Hannah - she has a cool job as a woodturner (I mean....) and has been through a lot personally that made her a strong, independent woman. She's not one to play the victim (even if she is one in this case) and she doesn't feel sorry for herself - she knows Bailey has to be her priority and she will do anything she has to in order to fulfill the last thing Owen told her.

This book has already been optioned by Reese Witherspoon as an Apple TV series starring Julia Roberts and I can't imagine better casting. The mystery will keep you turning the pages but the relationship between Hannah and Bailey is what really resonated with me and I'm excited to revisit it again when it hits the screen.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a copy to review.

With THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, Laura Dave tells the story of newlywed Hannah, deeply in love with her husband and experiencing the difficulties in mothering Bailey, a teenaged stepdaughter who has no interest in a relationship with the woman she sees as invader of the perfect family of herself and her father Owen. When Owen fails to come home one day, the world and the man that Hannah counted on are destroyed and she finds herself in a desperate race to keep Bailey and herself alive. Ricocheting between California and Texas, Hannah is forced to question if she ever knew the man she considered her home, who can be trusted, and what life she wants to live with or without him. This thriller with a powerful heroine and a huge heart kept me up reading way too late, so involved and enjoying a smart, breathless time with a woman I'd like to know in real life. Highly recommended -- especially for those of us who do not typically enjoy thrillers. Once again, Dave has proven herself exceptionally adept in telling stories readers deeply enjoy and savor long after the last page is turned. I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.

"Protect her."

Hannah receives this note from her husband who basically vanishes one afternoon, leaving her confused and with her teenage daughter. His company is under investigation, arrests are happening, and Hannah is convinced her husband is innocent... but why did he run? From the first page, this book is griping and suspenseful. As Hannah remembers tiny moment in her short marriage, little things that seemed out of the ordinary but now, on reflection, may be a clue closer to where her husband is and why. Hannah decides to try to solve this before the police or anyone else, trying to outrun and save her husband from something far more sinister. Loved this book! Could. not. put. it. down! Mystery, love, relationships and really peels back the layers of what we tell our loves one and how much we let them in on our past, to ultimately protect them.

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller from Laura Dave. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. It was entertaining and intriguing. I had never read one of her books before but I look forward to reading more by her. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

What would you do? Your semi-perfect life is turned upside down when you receive a cryptic message from your husband to protect his sullen teenager daughter, and he goes missing. Then you learn that everything you knew or thought you knew is a lie, no one is who they think they are. Confusing yes, but Hannah is determined to find out who Owen really is, while protecting Bailey but putting them both in harms way, and ultimately hoping to her family put back together.

Original storyline. Great characters, and development. Realistic relationship between stepdaughter and stepmother. Fast paced read. Had no idea where the story was going at the beginning which really pulled me into the story. Ending was appropriate, satisfying but not. Read the book to find out!

Thanks to Ms. Dave, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I was assuming it would be a typical novel where a husband disappears and the wife throws her self a pity party throughout the book.

I picked this up and was not able to put it down. I think I finished within about 30 hours. I immediately became very interested in the relationship between Hannah and Bailey once Owen's letter was handed to Hannah with the message: Protect Her. I continued to question what Hannah was supposed to protect Bailey from throughout the story and really appreciated the way Hannah handled the situation she was facing while not feeling sorry for herself, especially given her past issues with her own parents. The chapters were very to the point and even the titles of each chapter kept me wanting to keep going as they give a slight hint into what the chapters were going to be about. Although I can see people not enjoying how the story ends, I don't see how it could've ended any other way. A fantastic read!

The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave, was a thriller from the beginning. It quickly grabbed my attention and kept it until the last page. I was not familiar with the author but requested the book after seeing several others suggesting it as a must-read. I am glad I did!

“This is the thing about good and evil. They aren’t so far apart—and they often start from the same valiant place of wanting something to be different.”

Hannah Hall receives a note from her husband Owen with two words on it: 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. The note refers to his daughter Bailey, the love of his life. Owen has disappeared amongst the federal take down of a Ponzi scheme at his company. But when Hannah starts digging into his past to get some answers that may lead to his return, she finds much, much more than she bargained for and she is forced to ask the question, is anyone what they seem?

For starters, each chapter has a heading! When did we stop naming chapters?! Did we ever or have they always just been numerical? 🤔 I don’t know but I LOVED that little detail. I looked forward to it with every new chapter. Such a small thing but it really added to my reading enjoyment. It kind of reminds me of the Friends episodes “The One Where...”.

This was a slowww burn and not really what I would consider a conventional thriller. The writing was great and I really enjoyed the story, which was more of a character driven one. The beginning hooked me from the first page..but then it started to stall about halfway through. The story just wasn’t really going anywhere. And once you get to the why of it I didn’t really find it plausible. To the very last page I was waiting for a bombshell to blow my mind and warrant the amazing reviews. Alas, there wasn’t one. It felt a little anticlimactic if I am being honest. But overall, a good and enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for this earc in exchange for an honest review.