Since discovering and loving 800 Hundred Grapes a few years ago I’ve been a huge fan of Laura Dave, so was super excited to get this ARC of her most recent novel. It did not disappoint! This book was a very engaging mystery/thriller that had me scouring the clues presented from both present day and flashbacks. The ending was not at all what I would have predicted, which made it all the more fun. It was certainly a departure from her typical romance novels, but she absolutely pulled it off. I really enjoyed this one and will continue to be a Dave fan regardless of what genre she chooses to write next!

I loved Hannah, the narrator of this domestic suspense. She's a strong independent woman who works as a wood turner, making highly sought after individual pieces of furniture for well-to-do people who are willing to pay for one-of-a-kind pieces that are actually works of art. Hannah loves her work and doesn't meet a man she wants to marry until, when she's thirty eight, Owen walks into her life. Hannah falls in love, leaves her East Coast life behind and starts a new life in Sausalito, California, as Owen's wife and stepmother to his teenage daughter. The news that changes everything comes when a 12 year old in a soccer uniform appears at her front door with a note scribbled in her husband's hand writing. Two words: Protect her. So begins Hannah's struggle to understand and to do what Owen has asked her to do. He's disappeared under questionable circumstances. His boss has been arrested and FBI agents are looking for Owen

I really enjoyed this book! Different than anything I've read before. Very well written and just the right amount of content and background information. Excellent with an unexpected ending to boot!

I think there should be an entire category for books like this - something along the lines of a character is in a tough situation and I see no clear solution and have no idea what I would do. This type of book makes me think and is one of my favorite types of books. And I found that Hannah made very smart decisions and handled a tough situation well. There are many twists in this book that I did not see coming. I would recommend this book!

This was such a great book to read! I enjoyed the gradual unwinding of the story and how Hannah gradually pieced together everything from seemingly innocuous comments until she finally figured out exactly what was going on.

Laura Dave’s best one yet. A thrilling suspense, written with heartbreaking emotion. It’s a wonderful combination of intrigue and mystery, with the emotion and depth of a good novel. Where is Owen and why did he leave? Finding my way to the answers was deeply satisfying. Highly recommend!

This is a mystery that really reads more as a contemporary fiction novel, with a very strong stepmother/daughter storyline. The book opens with Hannah receiving a single note from her husband, ‘Protect her,’ in regards to her stepdaughter Bailey. Her husband has gotten caught up in a huge corporate scandal and has had to flee and go completely off grid. The book follows Hannah and Bailey as they follow clues and travel across places in his life to piece together his story and discover if he’s actually the bad guy he is currently made out to be.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Hannah knows her husband. Until his company is under investigation and he runs. The only correspondence Hannah receives from Owen, her husband of two-ish years, is a handwritten note: "Protect her." Hannah knows what matters to Owen more than anything, his teenage daughter, Bailey. This book allowed the reader to guess alongside Hannah while she tried to discover Owen's past and why he fled without his teenage daughter. The main relationship presented is between Hannah and her step-daughter while they chase the past. I enjoyed that this book kept me both guessing and wanting to know what happened. However, I found as some secrets were easily discovered, and then wrapped up with a pretty bow, it made the story seem more unrealistic than necessary.

2.75 stars rounded up.

This was a well-paced domestic suspense/mystery/thriller type book! The story intrigued me from the start and it was a page-turner from there on out.

I really liked the short chapters that kept the pace up and love that the chapters had titles. Most books I read these days don’t, so that was a nice touch and sort of set up/helped my understanding of where the story was going—it definitely helped as some chapters went back in time to tell the backstory of the husband and wife.

I thought the characters were well-developed and kept thinking this could be a good movie...then I searched the book on Instagram and found out it’s going to be an Apple TV series produced by Hello Sunshine and starring Julia Roberts!! 👏🏼

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, although I’m undecided on how I feel about the ending. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I will definitely recommend it to others. This was my first Laura Dave book and I look forward to reading more from her!

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is an extremely well written suspense novel that grabbed by attention from the first words. Under incredibly odd circumstances, Hannah receives a two word note from her husband Owen. "Protect her" is all the note says. She immediately realizes that "her" refers to her 16 year old step-daughter Bailey. What she didn't realize is that this note would be the last communication she'd ever receive from her husband. Not knowing who to trust, Hannah and Bailey form a tentative bond to search out Owen's past while trying to forge their own future.

The story is told in both present tense and flashbacks. Hannah had only known Owen a couple years prior to his disappearance but she thought she knew him. As she tries to untangle his secrets, the flashbacks show instances where Hannah could have interpreted the situations in multiple ways. In hindsight, she realizes she chose the easy route - to accept Owen as he presented himself instead of digging deeper. Will she make the right decision and be able to protect Bailey? Guarantee you will enjoy finding out!

The domestic thriller sub-genre "my husband isn't who I thought he was" is the oldest and most popular thriller plot there is. So it's extraordinary to read one that actually delivers on its promise, that provides a pay-off that's bigger than its set-ups suggest. Kudos to Laura Dave! A compelling book from start to finish.

This was a great thriller! I loved the alternating timeline and the way that the author revealed information to the reader. This is a story about how well we know those around us and who we can trust when things get tough. When Hannah's husband leaves her alone with a note (and his teenage daughter) after the company he works for is involved in a Ponzi scheme, Hannah has to decide what her next step is is finding her missing husband and protecting his daughter, Bailey. This was a quick read and it kept my interest right from the start. I really enjoyed the way this story was written and I am looking forward to more from this author! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Where is Owen?

When I read that Julia Roberts is starring in Laura Dave’s first crack at a thriller, I knew this novel could read like a screenplay. It does but it is not overdone; instead there are enough twists and surprises to keep me turning the pages.

It’s about Hannah Hill, a young woman who is a woodturner. I was not completely sure of the definition. It is a person who shapes wood with a lathe. Hannah creates rustic, beautiful pieces of furniture and other products. She learned it from her grandfather who raised her; her mother abandoned Hannah. The reader is introduced to her discipline, artistry and love for a grandparent.

Hannah meets Owen when he visits her workshop. He is a sharp, clever man who pursues and charms her and they marry. He has one daughter, Bailey, that he adores and his purpose in life is to protect her. Hannah works hard to endear Bailey to her; it is not easy.

And then all hell breaks loose. Bailey finds a satchel in her school locker filled with money but her father is gone. Hannah and Bailey are devastated. The plot comes alive with the introduction of a cadre of people, some good, some bad, who are looking for Owen. Neither Hannah or Bailey know where he is, which does protect them to a point. Although Hannah’s heart is breaking, she is determined to help sixteen-year-old Bailey and find her husband. The two are both sorrowful and frantic as they search, I’m not sure if they felt they were also victims. It is a circumspect mystery with many secondary characters. Some are extraneous and others drive the plot.

The plot became somewhat complicated and I didn’t believe some pieces of the novel were connected. There was high emotion in almost every scene and stimulating the story was a company called The Shop, that is accused of fraud and larceny. There were many accusations but Hannah and Bailey always felt that Owen loved them. Despite the deep tragedies in this novel., superb characterization of the stepmother and stepdaughter is Dave’s strongest technique. The dialogue is finely tuned, Hannah is depicted as an overwrought stepmother trying very hard, and Bailey is a tough, beautiful, angry teen-ager that loves and misses her father.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for pre-published copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Dave, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah has been happily married to Owen for about a year when he suddenly disappears. Owen has left her to take care of Bailey, his sixteen year old daughter, with whom Hannah has a challenging relationship. She constantly strives for Bailey's approval and affection, but can't seem to ever garner her trust. Shortly after his disappearance, a messenger arrives for Hannah with a note from Owen: 'Protect her'. Hannah sets out on a quest for understanding and brings Bailey along for the ride, as they journey away from their hometown to figure out exactly why Owen went into hiding.

The premise of this book drew me in immediately- I love twisty domestic thrillers, and thought this could be a kind of unique crossover between a thriller and contemporary lit, given Hannah's quest to understand Owen. I really enjoyed how detailed all of Dave's main characters are. It was easy to imagine the dynamic that existed among Owen, Hannah, and Bailey. Their respective personalities really shine through.

It did take me about half of the book (three days!) to 'settle in'. The pacing seemed a little bit off to me for this one being marketed as a thriller. While I was hooked by the premise, I feel like it took a long time for this one to get going. Once I crossed the halfway point, I finished the book in a single evening. I would have appreciated more of an atmosphere of tension throughout, as it was a strange contrast to have not much going on in the first half to squeezing most of the rising action and climax into the second half. I was expecting a more power from this one, and I unfortunately couldn't make much of a connection to the characters or the storyline at all.

On the plus side, I thought the plot of this book was really unique. I loved the strong female leads in both Bailey and Hannah. I also enjoyed that the book kept me wondering what Owen's motivations were and whether he was a good person or a bad one. The ending wasn't wrapped up perfectly in a neat bow, which also gets this one some brownie points from me, because I usually don't enjoy when that happens at the end of a thriller.

Overall, this was a solid offering from Dave. I think I may be a harsher critic than most/in the minority because the reviews I've seen for this one are all glowing.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for letting me read this one early. This lovely book will be published May 4. It’s also already slated to be adapted into a series starring Julia Roberts!

This story is not only full of excitement and uncertainty, it’s also a love story. Family dynamics, a mystery and unlikely friends feature prominently in this book and I really loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Yes, 5 stars! I devoured this book. It’s fast paced, beautifully written and you won’t want to put it down! This will be an excellent tv series, that’s for sure.

While some parts of this book were kind of predictable, I still really enjoyed it. The story was interesting and held my attention and the sense of suspense was well done. I'd definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed it. It definitely pulls you in from the beginning and you want to know what is going to happen. Like others, I wasn’t crazy about the ending. It just fell kind of flat for me.

I would definitely recommend this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.
3.5/5

Thank you #netgalley and #simon&schuster for the eARC.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Just ok- she’s much better writing smart chick-lit than dumbthrillers

There is a mystery at the heart of this book, but I think it falls more into the domestic suspense rather than thriller category. A woman’s husband has left her a note that says, “Protect her.” and has disappeared. The woman and the step-daughter who despises her work to figure out the secrets of the man they thought they knew. The book was a quick, intriguing read as I was eager to know the story behind the husband’s disappearance.

I could not put this book down! The suspense and tension kept building. An impossible situation...who can be trusted? And underlying it all, holding the whole story together, is the unbreakable bond of love a father has for a daughter, and the instant and lasting connection between two people that makes an unbearable decision possible, I loved this book!