Hannah's husband Owen goes suddenly missing, leaving only a note behind ''protect her'. At first it seems he is suspected of involvement in a financial scandal, but the mystery of his background and his whereabouts only deepens. Through flashbacks we, and Hannah, gradually realise that Owen was hiding much more. Together with Owen's daughter Bailey, Hannah tries to unravel the mystery and find Owen again.

This was a really thrilling page-turner until about two-thirds through. At that point I felt it ran out of steam a little, the mystery of Owen unravelled too quickly and the final chapters felt a little flat. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable read with two strong female leads. I look forward to more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book - I thought the plot was tight and the conclusion totally made sense with the character development that we saw throughout the novel. I can see why it's a Reese Witherspoon pick! I really liked Hannah as a character and I liked the flashback method to introduce you to her relationship with Owen. Definite Gone Girl vibes but with a more positive spin.

The Last Thing He Told Me is a fast-paced gripping mystery skilfully woven within a beautiful love story, which unfolds from artisan woodworker Hannah's perspective as she meets and falls deeply in love with computer programmer Owen. Struggling to find common ground with his teenage daughter, Hannah suddenly finds herself forced to protect her alone whilst trying to untangle the secrets of Owen's past. I fell in love with the characters, their connection, and the author's beautifully evocative style. This is my first novel by Laura Dave and I would love to read more.

A brilliant book. Full of twists and you might get some of them but others you definitely won’t. Laura Dave is a new author for me but she can certainly keep the tension going. Events take place over a short timespan which you do have to remind yourself. That’s always a tricky thing to pull off and keep the tension going but pull it off she certainly does. Highly recommended.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- A most enjoyable read!

<b>PRO</b>
-- Well written.
-- Fast paced.
-- Engaging plot (I actually finished this book in one day).
-- Kept me guessing until the end.
-- Interesting characters.
-- 90% satisfying ending.

<b>CONS</b>
-- The ending. I was satisfied with the ending the author gave us, however I couldn't help but wish for a different one.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I loved this book! I was hooked by Hannah's efforts to piece together the mysterious secrets surrounding her husband's past, and her growing relationship with her stepdaughter was lovely. The warm, effortless writing style had me flying through the pages. Very excited to see there's going to be a TV version!

The Last Thing He Told Me is an easy fast read. I didn't love it but neither did I hate it, it kind of just fell in the middle.

The theme "how well do you REALLY know your spouse" never gets old for me in a mystery. There are so many endless possibilities: your partner is a serial killer, a spy, an undercover agent, an alien life form from another planet, a person in witness protection, an undercover agent, a robot, a polygamist who has another three wives in different states. The skill lies a) in hooking the reader and getting them emotionally invested; and b) in the gradual unveiling of the mystery, like the unwrapping of a pass-the-parcel where the final product is something the reader has coveted all along. It's been done so many times before that it's not easy to come up with a premise a diehard thriller fan won't work out in the first few chapters. And whilst THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME didn’t reinvent the wheel, the gradual offering up of clues was intriguing and kept me eagerly reading on!

It's exactly in this very predicament Hannah finds herself in when her husband Owen fails to come home one night, leaving her only with a short cryptic note delivered to her door: “Protect her.” “Her” meaning his beloved teenage daughter Bailey. Hannah knows that he would never willingly leave Bailey unless something was terribly wrong. The more she looks into Owen's past in the hope of finding him, the more Hannah realises that she doesn't know her husband at all. Was everything he has told her about himself a lie?

Laura Dave knows all the tricks of hooking her readers and taking them along for the ride. I loved the sense of danger and suspense as Hannah's life unravelled and the gradual unveiling of clues that had me questioning everything. As Hannah's search for the truth put her own life in danger, the atmosphere became more claustrophobic and I constantly questioned what I would do if I was in her situation, even if I thought that Hannah remained surprisingly calm considering the circumstances. Which was probably my only little quibble with the story and the one thing that stood in my way of bonding emotionally with Hannah - maybe I'm just more emotionally unstable? I think I would have believed her predicament a bit better if she'd shown more vulnerability in an impossibly difficult situation. I also wasn’t totally convinced with Owen’s motives and thinking processes, but without his POV of the mess he got himself in it was tough to judge!

That said, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME held plenty of surprises in store and entertained from beginning to end. It will appeal to readers who enjoy a slower, character driven mystery with a slow unravelling of clues rather than an action packed, suspenseful read. It relies on the unspoken secrets in a marriage that can turn our lives upside down in an instant, and the relationship dynamics in step families. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from this author in future.

This is my first novel by the author, Laura Dave. I love her style of writing and hope to read more novels by her in the future.

This story is a mystery and a really good one at that. The story follows Hannah - a brilliant artistic lady who marries the widower and who is single father, Owen. Hannah receives a note from Owen stating to "protect her". This opens up the main story and they mysteries that surround Hannah's husband. Hannah and her step daughter desperately try to figure out where Owen is and why he has disappeared.

The way that Laura writes about her characters is extremely strong and draws you even more into the novel. If you love a good mystery then this is a great read.

Thanks to Laura Dave, NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The fact that this novel is being made in into a TV series piqued my interest. Set in America, Hannah's wife Owen disappears but leaves a note asking her to 'protect her' - 'her' meaning his sixteen-year-old daughter Bailey who doesn't want a relationship wit her stepmother. There are lots of twists and turns, with a theme of how well do you really know your loved one? Flashbacks tell the story of how Owen and Hannah fell in live. It's a well-written thriller but personally I find some Americanisms off-putting.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Viper and Laura Dave for the advance review copy of The Last Thing He Told Me.

The Last Thing He Told Me has now been listed as No 1 in the NTY Bestseller list and a Reese's Book Club Pick - it is also soon to be a major TV series starring Julia Roberts - something I am super excited about!

Hannah is happily married and living with her husband and his 16 year old daughter Bailey, who's mother died tragically when she was a child. One morning, there is a knock on the door, and a hastily delivered hand written note from her husband Owen saying two words - "Protect her'". Owen then doesn't return home - and Hannah knows that he must be talking about Bailey.

Shortly after, Owen's boss is arrested for fraud and it appears Owen may have been mixed up in some criminal activity. When the police get in touch, Hannah discovers that Owen may not even be who he says he is, and that Bailey is the only person who holds the key to revealing his true identity.

With a frayed step mother and daughter relationship, the two must work together to reveal the truth. With flashbacks to Hannah and Owen's relationships and breadcrumb trails to reveal the truth, this was a super easy read that I couldn't put down.

Mysterious, fast paced and heartbreaking in equal measure, this book begs the question - how far would you go to protect the ones you love?

4/5

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave 

Everyone has a few secrets but what would you do if you found out that your husband is not who you think he is? Nearly everything he told you about his past is lies? He has disappeared and left a bag full of money and a note saying “protect her.” His daughter? The step daughter that wants nothing to do with you?

Newly married Hannah is left shell shocked when her husband Owen suddenly disappears. She is left to protect his sixteen year old daughter Bailey, who tragically lost her mother when she was a young child. What is she to protect Bailey from or from whom?

Not getting any answers from the authorities, Hannah and Bailey take matters into their own hands and go in search of answers and Owen.

Past paced and full of twists, this is an addictive roller coaster read!


Thanks to NetGalley and Viper books for the review copy

Wow I was hooked from the start! Hannah Hall and Owen Micheals met at her NYC workplace two years ago, now they’re married and living in California with his teenage daughter Bailey. Life as they know it changes in an instant when Owen doesn’t come home when it’s announced that his employer is convicted of fraud. There’s a bunch of signs and stories that Owen told that didn’t make sense at the time, but it’s like he left clues. Hannah and Bailey’s relationship is not the strongest, but they love Owen and will do anything to find him even if that means letting him go. Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

I absolutely loved this!

The flashbacks of scenes between Hannah and Owen, showing their loving relationship and hints of Owens secret past make this a gripping read. I loved how Bailey and Hannah’s relationship blossomed through their shared suffering and desperation to find Owen.

IIt’s the first book in a long time I have not been able to put down.


Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy.

The first fifty percent of this book is quite slow and not much happens, but the second half is gripping and I am glad I stuck with it. Once the story ramps up it's extremely hard to put down, the character of Bailey and Hannah is so true to life and Hannah has got guts to do what she had to do to keep Bailey safe, Bailey is a typical teenager with attitude but she slowly comes to learn that she can trust Hannah. The plot is amazing and the twists are awesome. Overall I'd give it four stars and it's worth a read.

The thriller market in books is saturated so it takes something quite special to stand out from the crowd. I think The Last Thing He Told Me manages to pull this off. It's dramatic and pacy, without straying too far from being believable.

Hannah is married to Owen, and stepmom to Bailey, a surly sixteen year old determined to keep Hannah at arms length. But when Owen goes missing, Hannah and Bailey are forced to work together to try to piece together the mystery that has been revealed by his disappearance.

I found this an easy and quick read, I engaged with the characters and liked the writing style. An enjoyable thriller.

Hannah receives a knock at her front door and there stands an unknown girl with a letter in her hands. This letter is from her husband and contains just two words: protect her. The 'her' in question must refer to her husband's teenage daughter, Bailey. But what does she need to protect her from? And why isn't her father going to be there to do so?

This was such a twisted read. Concerns over the missing husband and father, Owen, made up much of the first portion of the novel but as the two women he left behind begin their own search discrepancies in his past began to be uncovered.

As each chapter passed by I had about ten more questions forming. I had no idea in which direction this novel was heading and this remained so until the very end. Thrills and twists dominated, which is exactly what I desired from this read, and ensured that Laura Dave is an author I will look forward to reading from again.

Comes under the thriller genre but it’s really just an easy read relationship story with a bit of a mystery thrown in.

This was a very quick read.
The beginning drew me in instantly and I was immediately intrigued. The plot goes heavy straight away, and we find out Owen is somehow involved in fraud/embezzlement at his company.
Add to the drama a moody teenager in Bailey and I was in! This reminded me a little of my relationship with my stepmum too and definitely gave me an affinity with her!
The plot concerning the embezzlement was a little complicated at times, and felt a little like Dave had thrown a lot of the excitement of the book in the first few chapters, but then it went up a gear again!
An enjoyable thriller.

I have mixed feelings about this book. In some ways I really enjoyed it, especially the second half of the book (and the very last line!), but in other ways I found it slightly predictable and some holes in the plot like there were some missing details.

Based around Hannah and her stepdaughter, Bailey, and what they do when their husband/dad goes missing, this is a slow burn thriller that gets better as it goes on.

If you’re looking for an easy read thriller that you can read quickly, this one’s for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.