Great read. Great character development and the plot kept me hooked until the end.
When Hannah’s husband sends her a note saying “protect her” and disappears, Hannah is left struggling to balance her need for answers and her need to keep Bailey safe. The Last Thing He Told Me examines the lengths one will go for love.
Highly recommended for all.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah's idyllic life is shattered when a strange messenger shows up at her door to deliver a message from her husband saying, "Protect her", before disappearing. It is clear to Hannah that her husband, Owen, is referring to his 16-year-old daughter Bailey, but the rest is a mystery that eludes her. The events that unfold leave Hannah questioning whether her husband is the man she thought he was and whether she can be the guardian Bailey needs right now.

Although the premise of a missing husband intrigued me, I didn't find this novel as gripping as other thrillers. I was not very compelled to keep reading the book and often didn't have any trouble putting it down. I found the novel spent more time giving depth to the characters and their evolving relationships than the unfolding mystery. I felt that the book gave a plausible reason for Owen to have vanished too quickly, which left me a little disinterested in the rest of the book.

I enjoyed the overall tone of the book, the initial premise, writing style and cover art. However, I didn't find it to be the compelling thriller that I had hoped. As a personal preference, this book fell a little flat for me, but someone looking for a "domestic thriller", with a greater emphasis on the relationships between characters may really enjoy this read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my copy of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Dave

Thank you @simonschusterca for the gifted copy in exchange of an honest review!

After her husband Owen disappears suddenly, leaving behind only a note saying “protect her”, his wife Hannah is determined to figure out where he went, while maintaining the safety of her step daughter Bailey. As she gets closer to the truth, Hannah realizes she may not have known Owen as well as she thought.

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The Last Thing He Told me is a well written, fast paced mystery that is easy to fly through in a single sitting. I enjoyed the classic mystery vibes that this book gives off, however I found myself wanting more! (More action, more character development, just a little more of everything!).

Overall, if you enjoy classic mysteries you’ll definitely love The Last Thing He Told Me!

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The Last Thing He Told Me was a really captivating suspense/mystery with fantastic characters. It focuses on trust, loyalty and secrets and what they can do to a family. I loved the relationship between Hannah and her step-daughter Bailey.

When Owen disappears right before his boss is arrested for some pretty major crimes, his wife Hannah and daughter Bailey's lives are thrown into a major tailspin. They quickly discover the man they both love so dearly is not who they thought he was.

This story had a very steady pace with new information about Owen and his past being learnt every step of the way. Hannah was left to make some pretty serious choices and it was interesting to try and put myself in her shoes and decide if I would have. made the same.

Definitely recommend!

The Last Thing He Told Me grabs your undivided attention from page one to the very last page.

The book is suspenseful as the reader tries to figure out why did Owen run without warning and what does he mean Protect Her.

Hannah thought she knew Owen but he was hiding many secrets from her and his daughter.

I could not put the book down: I cried with Hannah and Bailey and I cheered on Hannah and Bailey.

The ending was perfect.

Put The Last Thing He Told Me to the top of your TBR pile.

Thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster Canada, Simon and Schuster for a great read.

The Last Thing He Told Me is not what I expected it to be, and that is as very good thing.
Hannah worked with wood - it was what she knew and what she did, and she was very good at it. She wasn't expecting to meet anyone - those traditional dreams of a spouse and children had never really been her thing. She didn't have a traditional childhood, and had never aspired to try and create a life that she knew nothing of.
What she did know is that Owen Michaels changed things - a life with him, with a loving caring partner was not something she had ever expected to have. Owen had a teenage daughter, Bailey, and they somehow started to make a life.
As with all stories, as much as this is a tale of family, of love, and of choices, it is more than that.
One day, Owen disappears. The company he works for is being investigated, with implications on their way for Owen. So why would the US Marshalls be involved in a case that's being investigated by the SEC? What doesn't Hannah know? And what does Bailey know/ half-remember from years past?
What could cause Owen to up and leave his wife and daughter with his last words being "protect her"?

Intriguing, exciting, and unexpected.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for sharing this book with me for an honest review.

This book starts strong and is hard to put down. The mystery is riveting and wasn’t predictable. Hannah, a woodworker, marries Owen who has a teenage daughter, Bailey. Hannah and Bailey’s relationship is strained due to Bailey having her dad to herself since she was very young. When her dad goes missing Bailey has to decide whether or not to trust Hannah. This relationship dynamic is interesting to see grow.

These two go on a journey to solve this mystery with Hannah trying to protect Owen’s daughter. There a few twists and turns and the ending wasn’t disappointing. It’s a quick read that I would recommend.

I had seen quite a few positive reviews of this book so I was pretty excited to get approved for an ARC. I also went in blind to this one (which I recommend doing).

I liked this one a lot! It kept me captivated and guessing too. I’m not sure I would categorize this as a thriller. I would call more of a mystery, family drama. But that’s not to take away from how good it was. There was a lot of character growth in this one and you definitely root for them.

I didn’t exactly love the ending. I felt like I still had some unanswered questions. But I loved the rest of the book and the writing. I definitely need to check out more of Laura Dave’s backlist!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Great book, kept me from making dinner one night... it wasn’t what I was expecting but great story line! Suspenseful enough with a little touch of sadness.

Well I could hardly put this book down. I sped through it in less than 24 hours and the whole time I kept thinking what a good movie this would make. Turns out it is going to be a limited series starring Julia Roberts, so I can't wait for that!

I found the characters to be likeable and real and the mystery to be engaging and plausible. I really liked the anticipation throughout the book as well as the ending. Definitely recommend.

This story was really captivating right from the very beginning. Hannah's husband, Owen, is caught up in fraud and on the run. Hus boss has been arrested. He has someone deliver a message to his wife, Hannah. PROTECT HER! That can only mean his 16 year old daughter, Bailey, whom Hannah doesn't really get along with. Not from lack of trying.
Both Hannah and Bailey learn things about their husband/ Dad that neither were aware of. Like what his name really was. So many puzzling things. Dangerous things came to light. Was Owen Michaels a criminal? Did he commit fraud? Who exactly was Bailey's mother? I really enjoyed this book. I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this before publication. I would give this book 4 out of 5.

A quick page turner that keeps you asking what happened to Owen? Three characters were well built, I felt like a bit of the plot was a bit unrealistic though.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were written well, and I felt the differences between angsty-teenager and step-mom were realistic. I enjoyed the journey of learning more about Owen along with Savannah. Would recommend for people who enjoy mysteries - but not police or crime stories.

What happens when you're husband unexpectedly leaves you one day with your step-daughter with a note saying protect her. Well, you try to find the truth about you're husband in a mysterious adventure that will leave the reader rooting for you and your family. This story was intriguing and very family orientated, it demonstrates the importance of family but most importantly the growing love between a step-mother and her newly acquired daughter.

I had a wonderful time reading this story and I will be looking out for more of Laura Dave's works in the future.

This book was fantastic and a definite page turner! It was an action packed mystery book that followed the bond between stepmother and daughter as they encounter a situation that no one wishes to be in.

Hannah was happily living with her husband Owen and stepdaughter Bailey until she receives a mysterious note with the words "protect her" on it. Hannah, obviously confused, doesn't think anything about it until she hears about the company her husband works for is in some serious trouble with the law. Owen mysteriously goes missing and it is up to Hannah and Bailey to track him down. On their hunt for Owen they discover layers and layers of secrets that begin to come undone as Bailey remembers bits and pieces of their past.

Can Hannah track down Owen? Will the family be reunited? Or will the true story of Owen drive Hannah and Bailey away?

I really liked the way Laura Dave wrote this story. I was so interested in knowing what was going to happen and I did not predict the ending. I enjoyed watching Hannah and Bailey's relationship evolve and I am looking forward to reading more from Laura Dave in the future.

This book was so good. It was an quick, easy read that I read in one sitting. This book follows Hannah as she tries to piece together the disaster that is her life. Her husband has gone missing, his company is under investigation and he has left behind his 16 year old attitude laden teenager. Where has Owen, Hannah’s husband gone? The problem is Owen isn’t really Owen. Lots of twists and turns I really enjoyed this one.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. This book was a suspenseful page-turner that made me want to keep reading to solve the mystery of Owen and find out what happens next. I finished this book in about a day and found it hard to put down. The reason for my lower rating is that I didn't find the story particularly original and I was a bit disappointed in the ending. While I didn't expect a happy ending, I think the built up that was done well led to an ending that was a bit flat for me.
Hannah and Bailey's relationship was one I enjoyed reading because I think it was accurate to what a daughter-step-mother relationship would be like, even when Owen could have been in danger, their relationship and learning to trust one another was another thing they were working on together. These were some of my favourite parts, when they were in Austin together and looking for clues about who Owen was and where he could have gone.
There were some loose ends I felt at the end of the novel. Some things were brought up in the story that weren't really brought up again or wrapped up like the neighbours Carl and his wife, or the FBI and their involvement, or even the case against The Shop itself. There were a lot of leads and predictions made when Hannah and Bailey were searching and I didn't feel like all of them were addressed when we find out the real story of Owen. Overall an exciting and easy read but the end left me a bit unsatisfied.

A fast-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable read! Read if you like fraught relationships, houseboats, family secrets, and woodworking.

Wow, I really liked this. It took me a little bit to get into it, but I read the last 80% in a day. I liked the suspense/thriller aspect of it, but I could also tell that wasn't all this book is. This is a really lovely, tough, sad and heartwarming story with characters that you can really get attached to. It is a really well done suspense novel with lots of twists and turns and is also a really beautiful look at love - romantic, familial and in friendships. This was my first Laura Dave novel and definitely wont be my last - going to pick up one of her earlier ones ASAP!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Thing He Told Me

I was fortunate to receive an ARC from Netgalley for this book by Laura Dave and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I do love a good domestic suspense story because for me, the deeper story of human interaction and emotional responses to life’s events is ultimately most interesting.

In this story Owen Michael’s simply does not come home one day, leaving a cryptic note for his wife and a hand delivered bag of “goodies” for his teenage daughter. With a crime developing, an official investigation ensues but non of it making sense to the people who know Owen the best. His wife Hannah and his daughter Bailey set out to find some answers of their own. The delicate relationship between daughter and step-mother builds slowly and in a very believable way. Laura Dave has treated this special dynamic respectfully and convincingly.

The story develops with criminal complexities. I had trouble believing that the memory of a four-year old would be clear enough to lead the pair toward finding the answers they sought but it was intriguing nevertheless. Hannah is forced out of her comfort zone when dealing with people in Owen’s past who might very well be dangerous. How far will a person go to protect their charge? What life altering decisions does one take at the expense of their own marriage. These are questions that drove me to turn pages, as human behaviour is immensely interesting.

The ending wrapped up incredibly quickly. In fact, I read the last chapter twice, thinking I had missed something! This book is begging for a sequel! Perhaps Laura Dave will oblige.

Thank you for the opportunity to have read this story in advance.