This is not a mystery. I repeat, not a mystery.
Not a single part of me wondered, or frankly even cared, where Owen had gone. I felt as if this was more just a drama about Hannah's life. The struggles of raising her new step daughter and dealing with her own personal struggles of Owen's betrayal. Which was okay to read about, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's what the Author set out to do.
Most of the storyline I could see happening - the embezzlement and fraud, but everything else seemed a little far fetch and the storyline was predictable.

I think I might have been the only person who thought this, and I recognize I am most likely being too hard on this book. It was decent, just not what I was wanting or expecting.

This book was so good. The twist at the end was bittersweet, it will stay with me.
What if you knew your husband couldn't have done the things he's being accused of, but you can't prove it and of course, you question everything you know.

Excellent addition to the domestic thriller genre. With its cinematic pace of secrets constantly unfolding, this story is a perfect summer pageturner.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just okay to me. I liked the two main characters. They felt real and relatable. The story moved at an okay pace but I didn't think there was that much surprise. It seemed pretty predictable for the most part. Some of it seemed sort of implausible.

Great read. Strong female character. She had a man that she never really knew and had to deal with his choices he made to protect his daughter. Great story about a woman finding her way.

Definitely would recommend this book to those who like thrillers .

Suspense is the name of the game here! Here's one book that will keep you reading until you are completely finished.! What made this book stand out from other "no way to put down" books is the relationship between family members who didn't start out as a family. The determination by the main character to forge a bond with her stepdaughter was so sweet and convincingly written. The plot was riveting and the end twist unexpected. Fun read!

Hannah Hall has an almost perfect life- she loves her work as a woodturner, she's happily married, and she's the stepmom to a talented teenager, who doesn't quite care for Hannah. This life is shattered when Hannah is handed a note that comes from her husband- protect her. Owen has disappeared and a lot of people are looking for him. Who was her husband and why would he abandon them? I've long been a fan of Laura Dave and her previous contemporary fiction novels. I wasn't sure whether I would like a mystery from her, but let me tell you- I couldn't put it down. It's fast-paced and has twists and turns that I didn't anticipate (which I loved). If you haven't picked this one up yet, you really should!

Ohhhh I adored this one!! I have read all of Laura Dave's books and each one is completely different from the one before-but all are equally amazing! When Owen Michaels disappears, all his wife has to go on in a note that says, "Protect her." The "her" is Owen's 16 year old daughter, Bailey. This sets into motion a mystery that Hannah and Bailey must unravel together in order to fulfill Owen's wishes and also get to the bottom of the mystery that is Hannah's husband, Owen. This was a complicated, fast-paced story with an ending that belongs in movies! I just loved this one!

Excellent book! I was reading 3 other books, while reading this one. I would read a chapter or two of the others, but would keep coming back to this one. It was a read that didn’t have too many characters to get confused by. The brief words that would keep you interested in what was going to happen to the characters was also keeping me reading. (Protect her). The decisions the characters needed to make and how they would affect the outcome of their lives if they went a different route. How quickly they had to make those decisions. The ending was a bit of hope, yet didn’t keep you wondering. The author did a great job writing this book,

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for an ARC.
All opinions are my own.

Laura Dave became a favorite author after I read Eight Hundred Grapes. Her ability to paint a setting is phenomenal! The plot and characters fell in perfectly, and I began to feel as if I knew these people.

The Last Thing He Said, lives up to Dave's mastery in writing. It was a wonderful novel and I felt like I had visited the places she described in the book and also felt like Hannah was a friend of mine.

This is a wonderful read that will keep you invested as it bounces between past and present revealing little nuggets as you go along. Stay for the adventure and you'll be recommending it to everyone as their next read! I know I have!

I received a free advanced reader copy from Net Galley. Thanks to the author and publisher for the enjoyable novel.
“ The last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave is a well done thriller in the “ My husband Is not who I thought he was “ genre of novel. Hannah an artisan in woodworking , meets Owen when he visits her studios workshop in a NYC loft. She soon falls in love with the handsome software engineer from California .They are soon married and Hannah moves there to live with Owen. and his daughter Bailey..
Then one day their idyllic life collapses. Owen disappears on the day that the company he works for is shut down and all the execs are arrested for stock fraud. It is at this point that Hannah learns that her husband , and all she thought she knew about him, was a lie. Most of the novel is about Hannah and Bailey searching for Owen trying to find the truth about who and where he is. Author Laura Dave keeps tight control of her story line and keeps the plot zinging along. She never allows her character, Hannah, to go into shrieking hysterics, even as she deals with the news cycle that blares of a Maddox - like fraud on investors, a pouty and petulant stepdaughter and Federal lawmen seeking her husband.
This is a short, snappy book. The pages seemed to flip themselves as I raced to the finish.
I found no reason to raise caution Ford sensitive readers as there is no sexual content or violence ..

How much do you really know someone?

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he sends a cyptic note to his new wife: Protect her. Instantly, Hannah knows that the "her" means Bailey, Hannah's sixteen year old stepdaughter. The problem is, how do you protect someone who would prefer you not be around them?

When the FBI come around with questions for which Hannah knows nothing, will she be able to keep her promise?

I like the dyfunctional family dynamic between Hannah and Bailey, as well as the search for the truth, but the reality is that The Last Thing He Told Me has too many side plots and twists to be really compelling. With a past such as Owen has, I find it to be unrealistic that he would allow himself any involvement in what transpires in the beginning of the book. The author does a good job of concluding the novel in a way that seems more true to life, but it is not enough to elevate the book for me. For these reasons, I am not sure I would recommend The Last Thing He Told Me to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an advanced reader's copy of The Last Thing He Told Me by NetGalley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster. The decision to review this book was entirely my own.

That is Hannah's husband's final message to her in The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. He means his daughter, but from what could she possibly need protection? Where has he gone? These questions have no answers unless Hannah is brave enough to go out and find them herself. Guided only by the fuzzy childhood memories of a sullen teenager, Hannah and Bailey begin their search. What they find will require the greatest of sacrifices.

Despite cheesy chapter titles and the voice of a teenager that doesn't really sound like a teenager, this book was good. The action and the questions were interesting enough that I kept turning pages. Hannah is a likable character, but perhaps not well-developed enough. I couldn't even remember her name until I looked it up to do this review. There were also loose ends at the close of the story that I felt could have been more neatly tied up. Otherwise, this was a quick read that didn't require too much, making it a great vacation read.

This book hooked me right from the first page. The story was great and i did not figure out the end. I couldnt put this book down.

A very enticing fast paced story and quick read. The story opens with Hannah, a newly married woman that has a 16 year old step daughter named Bailey, that is not very happy to have Hannah in her life. A teenager appears at Hannah's door with a note in Hannah's husband, Owens, handwriting that says "Protect Her" From that point forward you are taken on a chase/mystery/experience of watching Hannah not only protect Bailey but figure out exactly what she is protecting her from. This is a great book that grabs you from the first page.

Loved this book! Took a bit for me too get into, I think the action started a little too fast for me, and it took me a bit to get my bearings with the characters. I loved it once I was about 30% in though. Perfect summer read!!

I read this book in one day. It wasn’t quite 5 stars for me, but definitely 4 1/2. The story and characters are compelling and really kept me turning the pages. This is the first Laura Dave book for me, I really enjoyed her writing and now I will look into the other books she’s written. The main character Hannah learns that her husband Owen isn’t really who she thinks he is when the company he works for is investigated by the FBI and he disappears. He leaves Hannah a note that just says “protect her” meaning his 16 year-old daughter Bailey whose mother had died in a car accident when she was very young. Hannah and Bailey have a difficult stepmother/stepdaughter relationship, bu they bond as they search for Owen and learn all the complicated reasons why he left. Thanks to #netgalley and #simonandschuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic book! I was immediately drawn in and read this in one day. This was my first book by Laura Dave but will not be my last. I loved how the relationship between Hannah and Bailey ended up. It was a great story!

Loved every page! Each chapter was filled with suspense and mystery and story pacing was fast and and to the point keeping the pages turning.

The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave
Pub. Date May 4, 2021

I found this mystery totally riveting. I loved the relationships in the story and I give this book a very high rating.
I am new to the writing of Laura Dave and Now I am on the waiting list for her next book.
I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it.

4star