I very much liked the idea of this book; however I just couldn’t get along with it.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. Other readers may enjoy it more, but I could not get into it and ultimately did not finish it.

I loved the premise of this book and was really looking forward to reading it.

Sadly, it just didn't grab me and I found myself wishing the book away.

The only reason that I didn't DNF it was because I literally put the book down for months on end before picking it up again.

A domestic thriller about a man going missing and leaving his daughter and her step mum to figure out what is going on as the FBI chase him and question them. It’s 3 1/2 for me so rounded up.

I bought this book as a paperback as I was into it from the first chapter and just needed the physical copy.
I got through this very quickly as it was very fast paced, however I feel like it could be more suspense. There was also an ‘is that it’ feeling when I finished as there was no massive plot twist.

Really enjoyed this book from start to finish. Not my usual read but I'd definitely recommend, so glad I read it. Great characters and plot. Will be looking out for other titles from this author.

Fabulous story that I could not put down. Would highly recommend to fans of this genre. Great writing, and I will look for more from this author.

I enjoyed reading this, and finished it in a day. It is a bit implausible at times, and I got quite confused towards the end as secrets were revealed, but it was very readable and I liked the mini-flashbacks which helped Hannah piece the story together. A good, twisty thriller!

From the opening paragraph I knew I was going to enjoy this book! The characters are likeable and realistic and the plot is woven with many twists & turns. Really looking forward to this being televised and will be following this author too

Hannah's husband disappears and she has promised to protect her step-daughter. She does not know from what, so she does some investigating and finds out that her husband is not who she thinks he is. It gets a bit complicated and I lost the thread of it towards the end. I am also watching a series on TV at the moment which has similar themes of corruption and lies, so I kept getting them mixed up. (Keeping Faith). I always feel cheated when the explanation of what happened comes by way of a retrospective conversation, and I did find the ending disappointing.

This book is told in two timelines. Past and Present. The characters in this book were easy to connect to. It has a spectacular ending. I would have to say this is a domestic thriller . Laura has created some interesting characters that you will fall in love with.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for a honest review!

Inspires an eager turn of pages. Great suspense and kept me guessing and wishing !!!
Inspires an eager turn of pages. Great suspense and kept me guessing and wishing!!!!

Hannah and Owen live a normal and perfect life. One day all that changes when Owen manages to smuggle a simple note to his wife reading “Protect her” – his 16 year old daughter from his first marriage.

This book has a very good plot, that keeps you guessing as Hannah sets out to unravel her husband’s past in the hope this will lead her to the truth about why he disappeared. We also watch the relationship between stepdaughter and stepmother grow as they discover more about each other, begin to trust, and learn to become a family, despite the heartache both are facing.

This book was just ok, didn't really grip me. The story started off ok but just got rather boring. None of the characters were very likable.

A gripping thriller with an intriguing mystery at its heart. Kept me hooked to the end. Memorable characters. Looking forward to the follow up - surely there must be one.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Serpent's Tail, Viper, Profile Books, and the author Laura Dave.
A pretty standard domestic drama/suspense novel, with some exciting parts (especially the time in Austin before the big reveal). Otherwise, it was a little slow and quite far-fetched at times which is why I can't give it more than three stars. Would be a good holiday/beach read!

Hannah is married to Owen. Then one day Owen disappears, and the only clue is a 2-word message Owen smuggles to Hannah saying "Protect her", meaning Bailey his teenage daughter. This won't be easy as Bailey wants nothing to do with her new stepmother.

It transpires that Owen's employers are caught up in fraud and as the police start asking questions, Hannah realises her husband isn't the man she believed him to be and that the answers lie somewhere in his previous life, when Bailey was much younger and her birth mother still alive.

Determined to find out what is going on, Hannah takes Bailey with her on a trip to discover just who her husband is running from and the past that he wants to remain hidden. What she discovers will force her to re-evaluate everything she ever thought she knew.

This book is incredibly well written and keeps you guessing what is going on, including who Owen really is and how much he is to blame for the present situation. I like how Bailey comes to realise Hannah has her best interests at heart, and the relationship between the two women improves significantly as they begin to fit the pieces of Owen's past life together.

Hannah is resourceful and determined to do what is best for her stepdaughter and doesn't hesitate when she thinks Bailey might be in any kind of danger. At the same time, she trusts her instincts and that places her at risk but she is proved right in the end.

As with any book of this type, it is not always easy to find the right balance in terms of where it ends up, but I felt the author got this spot on rather than have everything fall a little too predictably into place. Life doesn't always resolve like that and this ending felt more authentic than how others might have written it.

Laura Dave is an author that I very much look forward to reading again.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Serpent's Tail, in return for an honest appraisal.

I've said it before, but sometime you just need to sit down and read an easy page turning thriller. Laura Dave, 'The last thing he told me' is just that.

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his new wife, Hannah: protect her. Hannah knows exactly who Owen needs her to protect - his sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. And who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. But who is Owen, and why has he disappeared? The boss of the company he works for has just been arrested for fraud and there’s a bag full of cash that has been left in Bailey's school locker. Throw in a U.S. marshal who may or may not be on their side, and then put step mother and step daughter in a place where they are the only people each other can trust, and we get a fun ride. Indeed, it is probably the light touch on this growing relationship, and its believability, that helps propel the story along when other cliched aspect creep in.

This isn't really edge of the seat stuff, but it is well constructed and executed and it did what was required – I got through it is a few sittings.

A great book
A stepmother and stepdaughter brought together
They need to find out why their husband and father Owen has disappeared .
Plenty twists and turns.
A very good plot
Thanks NetGalley

If you’re after an easy read with a bit of a thriller edge, this book will probably be for you. The Last Thing He Told Me was suggested to me as one to read on Netgalley and the blurb made it sound really interesting. However, the story took quite a while to get started and didn’t really grab my attention until a third of the way through or so.

It follows Hannah, a wood turner, who lives in a small harbour town near San Fransisco, when she discovers her husband has gone missing. Leaving her on her own with her 16-year old step-daughter, Bailey, a bag full of cash and a note that simply says “Protect her,” Hannah - now turned sleuth - goes on a hunt to Austin, Texas to find Owen, dragging Bailey along with her, with only the latter’s vague childhood memories to go on. After embarking on a bit of a wild goose chase, they uncover a deeply rooted secret from Owen and Bailey’s past that will upend all of their lives.

I wanted to like Hannah as a lead character. She’s generally likeable, but spends much of her time in her head, narrating what’s going on up there much more than what’s happening around her. She’s a little feisty, but seemed younger than I imagined, and I felt she really needed to take charge more than she does. She’s also absolutely devoted to her husband, who’s just abandoned her and her step-daughter; I mean, I guess you would be to someone you love that much, but I think she could’ve questioned the whole situation so much more.

It would’ve been great to have seen more character development for the others in her story (and an increase in pace for the plot, particularly at the beginning). There were some interesting relationships that could’ve been built upon over the course of the book, e.g. her best friend, Jules - who sounded much more interesting than Hannah, IMHO - and Owen’s somewhat cocky, yet suspicious contact in the DoJ, Grady. I also really think that Avett, Owen’s boss, should’ve been way more involved. The main catalyst for the start of the book is ‘The Shop’ founder being arrested and the company going under, but in reality, it felt like a bit of a plot device to give intrigue and a reason for Owen to go into hiding.

There’s somewhat of a twist in the last quarter, which I didn’t necessarily see coming, and also didn’t really care for. I’d hoped for a more conclusive ending. The mob ties were also a little contrived, if I’m being honest. There were lots of loose threads that were left hanging, which (when I got near the end of the book) I thought they might’ve done purposely for a sequel, but after the last chapter, I guess not!

All in all, it was an okay story - a book you might pick up in an airport to read on holiday, but nothing that’s going to particularly stay with you. I’ll be interested to see what the TV show is like and how closely it’s adapted from the book, especially as it’s going to be a Hello Sunshine production, and Julia Roberts is linked to play Hannah. Hopefully, she’ll give the character a bit more gravitas.

Disclaimer: I was provided with an advanced copy to read via Netgalley

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3925378128

This was a really interesting and unusual read. It did feel slightly like reading a story that had been written to transfer on to screen but I think it will do that well. The story unfolds in a realistic way and builds a depth to the characters throughout the story. I thought that the end section of the book was especially interesting, definitely playing to a sequel but also without suddenly rushing to a conclusion which I appreciated.