This book was so twisty and fun and interesting and is great for anyone who likes true crime. It was the perfect intersection of mystery and thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Laura Dave, best known for her novels EIGHT HUNDRED GRAPES and HELLO, SUNSHINE, makes her first foray into domestic suspense with THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME.

When Hannah Hall receives a note from her husband that says “Protect her,” she is puzzled, to say the least. She and Owen have not been married for long, but being older and more established, their partnership has always been based on honesty. They undoubtedly have chemistry, but as two dedicated professionals parenting Bailey, Owen’s 16-year-old daughter from his first marriage, they’ve had to face their fair share of tough conversations. Still, “protecting her” has never come up before. Hannah immediately intuits that the message refers to Bailey, but what could she need protecting from? She’s a good kid in a less-than-ideal situation, but she’s the light of her father’s life --- and with Owen’s job at a software startup, the family has never struggled with anything alarming or dangerous before.

But when Owen doesn’t answer Hannah’s calls about what's going on, and then doesn’t show up for dinner that night, she knows something is wrong. It’s not long before a news broadcast provides the answer: the company where Owen works, The Shop, has been raided by the SEC and the FBI, and CEO Avett Thompson has been arrested for embezzlement and fraud. Hannah soon finds out that The Shop --- a company dedicated to building technology that allows users to take control of their online privacy --- has been struggling for months. The technology that they promised would make their investors millions has taken longer than planned to finalize, and Thompson lied to them about it, costing them entire fortunes.

Hannah is adamant that Owen must have had no idea and is in hiding for a good reason. But how could he, the company’s coder, not know that the technology was not ready? When Bailey finds a duffel bag full of cash in her locker, Hannah is certain that her husband is on the run for one reason: danger is coming to Bailey.

With a US Marshal on her doorstep and the FBI tracking her every move, Hannah starts to realize that Owen --- a Princeton graduate, the perfect dad and a loving husband --- is not who he says he is. A mysterious note left for Bailey that claims “You know what matters about me” suggests to Hannah that somewhere deep in Bailey’s memories about her beloved father lies the truth about his identity.

With nowhere left to turn, and some serious stepmother-stepdaughter resentment ramping up the tension, Hannah and Bailey set off to discover the truth about Owen Michaels. In alternating chapters that chronicle their investigation into his real identity and whereabouts, and Hannah’s romance with him, the novel explores just how easy it is to reinvent yourself and what happens when the mask begins to slip.

I've been wanting to read Laura Dave's work for years, but it wasn’t until THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME was announced that I knew it was time to bump her up on my TBR list. Thanks to her contemporary fiction background, she is adept at writing difficult human interactions and emotions, and making her characters truly resonate with you. But even more impressively, she can write a perfect mystery. When you combine the two genres, you get something truly spectacular. Dave hooked me from the first chapter; her writing is immediate and commanding, and her characters feel authentic right from the start.

Hannah in particular is perfectly layered. Having been abandoned by her mother as a child, she can relate to her stepdaughter’s resentment, but she also struggles with accepting love herself, which makes Owen’s betrayal sting even more. But Hannah is no victim --- she’s quick-thinking, resourceful and nearly unflappable, and though Dave thrusts her into some unthinkable situations, her responses are gritty, real and never over the top.

With a ripped-from-the-headlines mystery at its heart, it’s easy to see why THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME is instantly gripping. But Dave uses the budding relationship between Hannah and Bailey to elevate it into something far more than just a solid suspense novel. Motherhood comes in many forms, and though I've read about the stepmother figure numerous times, I’ve never seen one quite as fleshed out and explored as it is here. Hannah understands Bailey in ways that her husband doesn’t, and though she tries hard, she also acknowledges and respects Bailey’s resentment. At the same time, the 16-year-old --- and all her adolescent eye rolls, mood swings and sarcastic comebacks --- is no stereotype. Even when she’s at her bratty, hormonal, teenage worst, Dave approaches her with respect and care.

Although the novel is about Owen, it is Hannah and Bailey who take the lead. The mystery is always at the forefront, but there are so many elements simmering in the background that you’ll be hard-pressed to find one boring or forgettable page.

With all the taut pacing of writers like Carola Lovering and Julie Clark, and the astute emotional awareness of Sally Hepworth and J. Courtney Sullivan, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME is a thoroughly engaging, heart-pounding novel perfect for those who are desperate for their next “can’t put it down” read.

YES, this was so amazing to read. I honestly judged this book instantly by the cover which, I'll say it, you should never do. But look at the font on the cover... it is beautiful! So I had to request. The book was not what I expected but it blew me away and defied everything I expected! Amazing!

This. Book. This book was so frustratingly good. I wanted to hate Owen, but I also couldn’t. The ending made me insane, and if it wasn’t listening to an audio version, I probably would have thrown the book across the room.

Protect her....

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 comes from broken pieces. A mother who abandoned her, a grandfather who raised her and taught her a profession. When she married Owen, all she knew was that their relationship was effortless. That she didn't have to be someone else or fit in somebody else's mold. She witnessed also in Owen the father that she didn't have so when she received a note from Owen to protect her, she knew it was his daughter Bailey. A teenager trying to fit in her own shoes that didn't need a step mother to do it. Their relationship changed when Bailey's father disappeared. Hannah knew she had to answer the question protect her from what, who, and why.

Together they go on that journey which leads them from their houseboat in San Francisco to Texas. A vague memory that Bailey has which leads to a Pandora box that becomes deadly.

I loved the narration of this thriller. All on Hannah's perspective. It focused on the woman she was and how became to her loyalty to Owen and Bailey. What do you trust when the person you married is not who they say they are but you know the soul of what drives that person. How doubt and love drive to the unknown. Highly recommend.

A special thank you to Simon & Shuster and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest raview.

What would you do for the ones you love?
That’s the question asked and answered in The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

What an amazing book! I loved the plot, the characters, and the pacing of this book. And although I was certainly intrigued by the disappearance of Owen, it was the relationship between Hannah and Bailey that blew me away. It was so beautifully and authentically written and their connection, especially at the end, tugged at my heart strings. I loved the evolution of their relationship, the back story of Hannah and Owen, and how it all comes together at the end, it was so well done! I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Laura Dave, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for my advanced copy.
The Last Thing He Told Me publishes 5/4/21.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This was an interesting mystery/domestic thriller. Hannah's husband has vanished and all she has left is a note from him that says, "Protect her." The "her" in question, is Hannah's new step-daughter, Bailey, with whom she has a strained relationship. Bailey is a teenager who does not want anything to do with the new woman in the family.

We follow Hannah and Bailey as they try to unravel the mystery. Is Owen really the man Hannah thought he was?

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

tho predictable, this was a fun and quick read full of twists and turns. Looking forward to more by this author.

The Last Thing He Told Me begins like any other idyllic day, until it's not anymore. Hannah's husband has disappeared, leaving her with a surly teenager to care for and more questions than answers. To get those answers, she must start investigating a past that her husband would rather keep hidden from her.

I have to wonder if Hannah had not done what she had done in the novel, would things have turned out differently? Would the ending have been different? It's hard to say.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel. It was not entirely what I expected. While I felt some parts were a little long, there was a pull that kept me reading. I enjoyed learning about these characters, their lives, and watching the changes they underwent throughout the novel. I do wish there was a little more development of the characters.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the novel. All opinions are my own.

The Last Thing He Told Me is my second Laura Dave book and it was a good one. A little unbelievable toward the end but entertaining nonetheless. I enjoyed this one alot and would recommend giving it a chance.

Laura Dave weaves an un-put-downable thriller in The Last Thing He Told Me. When her husband vanishes and leaves a simple message, "protect her," Hannah Hall takes matters into her own hands. She knows her husband would never leave his daughter unless he absolutely had to, so it's Hannah's job to figure out why he vanished. Dave manages to keep the twists coming while also making you care about the well-being of the characters.

This is an excellent and quick-read domestic suspense. It's categorized as a mystery/thriller, but if you go in with the idea of it being a domestic suspense, you will enjoy it more! I absolutely love the way Hannah and Bailey's relationship grows throughout the book as the mystery unfolds. I honestly had no idea where this was going and loved the direction it took. The characters are fully developed and felt so real. Austin,TX is one of the key cities where this story took place, and as someone who lived there for 5 years, I was so happy with how thorough and accurate the descriptions of the city were. You can absolutely tell Laura Dave was familiar with the city and did her research! I've even been to the hotel Hannah and Bailey stay at and everything was SPOT ON. The ending of this book tugged at my heart strings and I loved the unexpected way everything wrapped.

Great fast paced page turner. Loved the strong female characters. The flashbacks dropped clues here and there but I didn’t see anything coming.

I have very mixed emotions for Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me. I loved the first half of the book. Hannah’s husband Owen disappears the day his boss, Avett, is arrested by the FBI for shady financial practices. Is Owen part of it? Owen left Hannah a note with two words, “Protect Her!” The “her” is Hannah’s teenage step-daughter who has had her father to herself until Hannah entered Owen’s life the previous year. Hannah’s mother was killed in a car accident when she was very little. I found the first half of the book to be fast paced in the present with flashbacks interspersed. The first morning after Owen disappears, she finds a U.S.Marshal, Grady on her back porch, and later FBI agents visit. Hannah decides to investigate what happened to Owen and takes Bailey to Austin to look for some answers about Owen’s past. Underneath this search, there is Hannah’s quest to gain Bailey’s trust in their relationship. I thought this part was good. I felt the book fell apart for me on the approach to the climax and the resolution. It just did not work for me. The epilogue was somewhat satisfying. I would rate the first half of the book 5 stars and the second half 3 stars, so I will settle in the middle.

I loved what a fast paced story this was and how it drew you right in from the beginning pages. A newly married woman has to unravel her new husband's past when he mysteriously disappears after leaving her with just a brief note "protect her". She assumes this means her teenaged stepdaughter. How they go about exploring the past and navigating a tricky relationship makes for a great read. The story is plausible with a very realistic ending. Highly recommend!

I enjoyed The Last Thing He told me, but i did not love it surprisingly. I really thought it had potential be a book I would adore but didn’t hit the mark and I can’t really put my finger on why.

Before Owen disappears, he gets a message to his wife, Hannah. Then poof, he's gone. Now Hannah and Owen's daughter, Bailey, are left to pick up the pieces. No one will tell them anything and they have to go on a hunt to find out what's going on. OMG the roller coaster this book takes you on is so fun. I liked learning about Owen's past and the things Bailey remembers. The ending of this book was so great. highly recommended.

Not knowing what to expect this was an enjoyable read. A huge mystery leading the reader down the path of uncovering what happened to Owen?

I can’t say that the story tied up lose ends as it felt detailed and too many characters involved, who can you trust and whether everything makes sense in the end.

The story feels more like the stepmother /stepdaughter relationship as they work toward figuring out the past life of her father. I didn’t understand why her family didn’t locate her if they were powerful people.

The writing style was easy to follow but left a lot of unanswered questions still for me.

4.5 Stars!

Your husband is missing and leaves you with these final words: "protect her". The style of this book, the writing, the settings, and the slow-burn mystery/family drama kept me engaged from start to finish. I loved the unfolding of the characters as more was revealed, and Hannah's tenacity to protect Bailey at all costs even if it means sacrificing her own wants and needs. Hannah's deep devotion to Owen's lasting words only demonstrated how deep and true her love was despite the information that she learns about him. I loved this book through the last page and felt deeply satisfied by the way it ended and the conclusion of their stories. I know this is being adapted with Julia Roberts as the star, and I can't wait to see this story come to life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!