I don’t read a ton of mysteries, and every time I come across a book like this I wonder why.
This had me in suspense from cover to cover.
It’s obviously about a missing husband and father, but it’s really about relationships. Including a precarious relationship between a daughter and her step mother.

It was unexpectedly moving while still managing to keep you on your toes. I very much enjoyed it.

Also, I loved the inclusion of Austin, one of the best cities!

This book hooked me from the beginning! It was a well thought out story that kept me guessing. The theme of loyalty and family is spread throughout the book.

I love finding “new to me” authors and after reading one of their books, immediately adding their backlist to my TBR. Yep, now I need to read all the @lauradaveauthor books stat! ⁣
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In The Last Thing He Told Me, Hannah finds Owen, the man of her dreams, but along with him comes a stepdaughter, Bailey, that wants nothing to do with her new mom. One day, her husband doesn’t come home but he sends her a note with just two words: PROTECT HER. Hannah knows exactly what he means. She must do whatever she can to protect her stepdaughter. The same stepdaughter who won’t give her the time of day and goes out of the way to make Hannah feel unwanted and unaccepted. ⁣
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Hannah and Bailey go on a quest to figure out where Owen has disappeared to and why. As they dig deep and start following the clues, they quickly learn that the man they both love has a deep dark secret - he’s not who he says he is at all. ⁣
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The suspense is palpable through every single word on every single page. It keeps building and building throughout the story. I really loved coming up with theories about who Owen was and why he had to run to protect his family. The outcome was satisfying and I grew to love Hannah, Bailey and their ever evolving relationship. ⁣
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The Last Thing He Told Her will be released May 4, 2021 and is a fantastic suspense novel. I flew through it so quickly because I had to know how it would all play out. But, even more than that, it’s a story about a family and their struggles. It will break your heart and then just maybe put some of the pieces back together. ⁣

The first two words I said to myself at the end of the book were, “Oh, wow.” The novel has great writing, a great story, and excellent threads to weave a compelling tale.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was so good! There was so much mystery and suspense packed into this one that I just needed to get to the end! This was my first book from this author and I am hooked. I loved how unpredictable it was and it forced you to try to connect some of the dots yourself. If you have an idea of how it is going to play out you are probably wrong and that’s what I love about mysteries! I liked the format of the back and forth between the past and present because it gave all the extra details you needed to help solve the mystery of it all. Overall it was a big hit for me!

Thank you to both NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance copy of Laura Dave’s highly anticipated novel, The Last Thing He Told Me, in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Thing He Told Me is a fast-paced and entertaining read. I loved Dave’s Eight Hundred Grapes, but this felt more like a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel.

The story is told through alternating timelines by Hannah (i.e., the protagonist) and immediately opens with the central focus of the novel: Where is Hannah’s husband Owen Michaels? As Hannah and Bailey embark on a journey to find Owen, who is also Bailey’s father, their search leads them to Austin, Texas, where the “where” question quickly becomes a “who is Owen Michaels?”

The chapters are short and the plot speeds by in an instant, so I cannot say too much else without giving away all of the twists and turns. I will say that I wish we had gotten to know more about Jules and Jake. Although they were introduced as supporting characters, they ultimately became devices to move the plot along and I found myself wondering why we were even introduced to them in the first place.

Other than that and the ending, I would recommend reading this book; especially, if you want to get ahead of the Apple TV+ limited series, which is being adapted by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine, and will star Julia Roberts. Though I guess you will have some time before that happens since the book does not come out until May. Enjoy!

Oh you guys 😍 #thelastthinghetoldme #lauradave the author who I definitely want to see if she has more 📚. #netgalley #netgalleyreads we meet Hannah. She’s a wood turner. Falls madly in love with a single father named Owen. Owens daughter, Bailey, is your regular teenage a-hole 😂 one day Owen disappears in to the nothing leaving Hannah a note that only says “protect her”. The mystery that Hannah and Bailey unravel throughout this book is one you won’t be putting down. From start to finish I loved every about this book. She even had a killer ending. I love when it isn’t rushed or thrown together. This will be on shelves May 4, 2021. Definitely add this to that #tbrpile you will NOT regret it. #bookstagram #booklover #bookgoals #booksbooksbooks #netgalleyreview #netgalleyreviewer #weekendvibes #readingisfun #readingaddict #readingismyhappyplace

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This fast-paced thriller is the engrossing story of Hannah, a woodturner currently living in Sausalito with her step-daughter, Bailey. Discovering and unraveling the circumstances that led to the disappearance of Bailey's father, Owen, is at the center of this story. Hannah navigates Federal Marshals, the FBI and her husband's shady former father-in-law in order to unearth Owen's backstory, Hannah has to decide who to trust and how much she is willing to give up to protect Bailey.

Author Laura Dave has given us a great thriller with a compelling, unique storyline and gripping plot twists. I highly recommend.

This cover and premise caught my eye, and I was thrilled to be approved.

Hannah is trying to connect with her step daughter Bailey when they're thrust into an unthinkable situation. Her husband, Owen, is wanted for questioning in a fraud scheme and flees. Before he disappears, he leaves Hannah an ambiguous note, just two words: Protect her. What follows is a woman's quest to saving a husband with a past she knows nothing about and a journey into the complexities of blended families.

Oh, I loved this book.

I didn't expect to hit me the way it did, but the hope and resounding belief that love is possible outside of blood ties really struck a chord. Hannah's voice is compelling and fun in spite of the extenuating circumstances. She's self-aware and quietly respectful. Her budding relationship with Bailey is a carefully layered masterpiece in character building, and I loved seeing how each bit of mystery brought them closer or highlighted their differences.

This book is utterly un-put-downable. The plot is well structured, the pacing is spot on, and the characters are more than relatable. Yes, this is a suspense, but it's also a refreshing blast of optimism I didn't know I needed. It is possible to have a book with two characters who love each other. It is possible for a stepmother to not have her own biological children but love, nurture, and respect the relationship with her stepchild. What resonated most was Hannah's faith that she knew her husband. The trust and love they had for each other. The sacrifices they made. I can't remember the last time I read something without an automatic assumption of guilt or the overarching conclusion that one bad decision is enough to decide the entirety of their future.

Overall, The Last Thing He Told Me is a smart, electric, engrossing read with a big heart and reverberating consequences. I'd recommend to fans of Moriarty or quiet domestic suspense.

Big thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

"The Last Thing He Told Me" is an upcoming suspense novel by Laura Dave (set to release 5/4/2021.) The storyline revolves around the main character, Hannah and her step-daughter, Bailey. Hannah's husband, Owen, mysteriously disappears when the company he works for comes under an investigation by the FBI. The only thing Owen leaves behind is a duffle bag full of cash and a note stating, "Protect her," which Hannah rightly assumes refers to Bailey.

As Hannah and Bailey attempt to figure out what has happened to Owen, they find that he is not who he said he was. As they persue answers, they find that Bailey's memories from her childhood may be the key that leads them to Owen's true identity.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. In fact, I read the entire thing in two days because I just had to know how it ended. The writing is engaging, even if a tad bit repetitive at times. I appreciated the author's ability to write an engaging and suspenseful story without feeling the need to include an overwhelming amount of profanity or sex. The ending was not predictable, which helped keep me interested from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exganged for my non biased opinion and review.

I requested this particular book because I have read other titles by Laura Dave in the past, and I always enjoyed them greatly. I'm excited to say that I liked this book just as much- if not more- than the books I had read in the past! I honestly was expecting a little more of a "thriller-esque" aspect, but I think it definitely falls into more of a "family drama/mystery". The fact that I was expecting something different didn't diminish this novel's shine, regardless. It is well-written, and I found myself speeding through it to find out why a man who loved his teenage daughter so immensely could just, essentially, ABANDON her. (Even though he did leave her thousands upon thousands of dollars). I stayed up reading well into the night several nights, and was so invested in this book that I didn't even mind the lack of sleep. This is definitely one that I will recommend to our customers, and I will actively look for future books by Laura Dave. 4.75 stars of 5, EASILY!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I hadn't realized, when I requested this title that I'd read previous books by the author and loved them. This one not only didn't disappoint, but it came to me in a period where 2020 had me in a funk and I'd rejected so many books I'd started. It also was a little unique to the author's usual plots, and I loved it. The book drew me in, touched on so many different things (children losing parents, new stepparents stepping in, deception, etc). I loved this book.

This book was very different from Laura Hankin’s others, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I loved it! The story took some unexpected twists but was very well-written and flowed well. I couldn’t put it down!

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

The Last Thing He Told me had enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. But at its core it is a story about love, loss and motherhood. What would you sacrifice and do for the ones you love?

I received this book free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I zipped through this book. Laura Dave always writes well and this one connected with the mom in me. A mother’s love — never give up; two things in this book that are core values of mine. I am lucky enough to have a stepmother that put her step children’s needs before her own, and I realize the sacrifice that was made by Hannah so that Bailey could live her life without fear. Very good book. Minus 1 star because at times the story seemed a little far fetched but I rolled with it, and I am glad I did.

Hannah married the love of her life, and now she’s living with him and his 16 year-old daughter in sunny California. Things are pretty great, until the day her husband’s company is all over the news for suspicious/illegal activity, and he’s nowhere to be found. When Hannah gets a note that says, “Protect her,” she realizes it’s her husband’s way of asking her to protect his daughter, but do to so, Hannah decides to go on a hunt for information that will change her life forever. The last few books by Laura Dave haven’t been as good as her earlier work (in my opinion), but this one is really fantastic. Fast-paced with intriguing storytelling, I read it in about two days. If all of her books going forward are as good as this one, I think she’s going to garner an even bigger fan base.

5 Stars

NOTE: Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Suspenseful and sweet! This story took off and kept me up late to finish it! I loved the characters and cheered them on! I rate this book a 3.8

I loved this book. It was action packed, fast moving (finished it in one sitting!) and had a tidy ending.

This is my first book by this author. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Five enthusiastic stars.

I really enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. It was very suspenseful with lots of twists and turns, I couldn’t put it down. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.