I enjoyed this well-written mystery about Hannah whose husband disappears leaving her to look after his 16 year old daughter, Bailey. There was plenty of intrigue to keep me turning the pages and I can see how it would make a great film. At first Hannah and Bailey don’t get on at all and I really enjoyed seeing how their friendship evolved. The characters are well-rounded and I cared about what happened to them. Hannah and Bailey are very brave, strong women, determined to find out the truth about Owen. I loved the setting of the houseboat! A very good read.

I enjoyed this book very much. It was a little different from my previous books and I will be looking for more by this author in the future. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The Last Thing He Told Me was advertised as a gripping thriller and it did not disappoint. It tells the story of Hannah, who was left to look after her stepdaughter Bailey after her husband leaves her with a note saying "protect her".
Unlike other novels of similar genres, I did not find this slow-paced. Whilst I was eager to find out what happened to Owen, each chapter provided more information in a way that made me not mind waiting to find out.
I can see how some people may not like the ending, but I understand how it had to end that way.
My only feedback would be that I would have loved to know extra information about the time jump chapter at the end, it was too brief. I wanted to know if Bailey had kept in contact with the same people she met in the last chapter, and what came of that.
Overall though I loved it!

This is definitely a book that you will need to clear your schedule for. I only intended to read the prologue to get an idea of what the story would be like and then couldn't put it down.

I can see exactly why it has been picked up for a TV series - it's the perfect thriller to adapt - modern, high intensity, non-stop revelations and intrigue.

In terms of the actual narrative, I thought it was really well thought out. I enjoyed all of the characters and thought that the way they reacted in different situations was very believable and real. There wasn't a single sentence that I thought was unnecessary, in fact, as I was getting towards the end of the book I was actually disappointed that it wasn't longer - I could have happily kept reading.

Thanks to Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Actual rating - 3.5 but I'm rounding it up because I stayed up super late to finish it.

The biggest drawback of this book is that it has a slow begining. Too slow imo. It's yet another book Ive read lately that I kept on reading just because it was a review copy. If it wasn't one I would have DNFed it. I'm glad I kept on reading because it got very interesting later on and it was a great, well written book.

Hannah is not the most compelling protagonist ever written but she started growing on me slowly and I understood and respected the choices she made. It's funny because few years ago I would have hated the ending, but now when I'm a mother I can completly ralate and my perspective changed. I don't know if i would have made the same choice as Hannah, but I hope I would have.

I enjoyed discovering Owen's past and how it was being uncovered bit by bit. Sometimes the "before" parts wer a bit boring and I admit I skimmed some of them (especially close to the end, when I just wanted to get to the end) but I admit they were very clever with giving us these small hints about Owen.

Overall it's a good, interesting book, I just wish the beginning wasn't so slow.

I raced through the first half of this novel. The suspense and storyline had me gripped but I felt the 2 nd half and the end were not as good. It was still a really great read and not too long so was not weighed down by unnecessary parts.
I felt the build up developed really well at the start got a bit unrealistic and the Owen’s secrets were discovered a bit too randomly. Overall though it was a great read and one I would recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

So... Owen Michaels has disappeared. But before he left, he managed to get a note to his wife. A note which contained just two words. "Protect Her" Words that Hannah know refer to his daughter Bailey. But Bailey and Hannah's relationship is a bit frail. Well, in a nutshell, Bailey pretty much despises her step-mum so, after repeated unanswered calls to Owen, Hannah watches in horror as a story starts to break. How Owen's boss is arrested, she is also visited by the FBI, it's something big that's happening and Hannah is determined to try and find out the truth. But as she starts to scratch the surface, it soon becomes apparent that Owen isn't who he said he was. As Hannah and Bailey retrace his steps, back to his childhood, they reel in shock at who Owen could be. And, in turn, the real reasons he has disappeared...
Oh my... this was a bit gripping and compulsive. There was enough truth divulged along the way to keep me entertained and satisfied but enough was held back to keep me reading and wanting more. The relationship between Hannah and Bailey was brilliantly worked out. How they started off as enemies but then began to unite in adversity and a shared goal of figuring it all out. Something I failed to do mostly as all my suppositions fell by the wayside as I was reading! But, that said, I whizzed through the book in pretty much only a couple of sittings as it did compel me to return every time I put it aside. I'd have probably gone straight through if, well you know, life!
Pacing was good and the story got on with itself very well with little superfluous padding or waffle. Tension ramping up all the way through, leading to a rather satisfying ending. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

4.5 stars

what a great story that got me right from the start!
honestly there is so much going on and all the characters are so lovable and authentic although the story might seem a bit over the top. but in the end it all works out fine!
coul not tip on to the next page fast enough!!

thx a lot #Netgalley #Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for this ARC

Excellent book - the plot, the clearly imaginable settings and realistic and relateable characters. The truth is out there somewhere and the reader is also drawn in to working out exactly what has happened in the past and which of many places it could end up in the future.

Wow this book had me hooked from the first page I loved the book so much and would recommend everyone to read it, with thanks to Netgalley & publishers for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review

I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. When her husband disappears, Hannah searches for the truth. Well written.

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Viper Books.

This was a very interesting book. It’s like a treasure hunt to find the clues to what has happened to Owen.

The synopsis pretty much sums up the story - the only thing missing is the ‘mystery’ of Owen’s past. Which I didn’t find that shocking or surprising tbh.

Honestly, my favourite part was the very last line. It showed the development in Bailey and Hannah’s relationship compared to the start of the book.

It was a good book, but I was very underwhelmed. I probably wouldn’t recommend this book.

This is a very slow paced thriller. Hannah wakes up to find that her husband has left but leaves a note “protect her”. The story details the developing relationship between mother and step daughter but was not really a thriller more a family saga and I found it a trial to finish. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

IT WAS THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME: PROTECT HER. 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. As her increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, his boss is arrested for fraud and the police start questioning her, Hannah realises that her husband isn't who he said he was. And that Bailey might hold the key to discovering Owen's true identity, and why he disappeared. Together they set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen's past, they soon realise that their lives will never be the same again...

This was a great read, a good solid thriller with lots of family drama and a mystery to unravel. Whilst the story jumped backwards in time and then to the present, this was always clear and helped things unfold. The characters were well drawn and it was indeed a great plot. The central relationsips were realistic and believable, I liked the way Hannah and her stepdaughter steadily found out more abut each other, and what they meant to each other.. I would certainly reccommend this book!

Hannah has finally found the love of her life and they are now married, and living in Sausalito with Owens sixteen year old stepdaughter Bailey who is not overjoyed to have a stepmother after having her Dad all to herself since her mother died early in her childhood.
Then after two years he disappears, all that he leaves Hannah is a note “Protect Her” Protect her how ? from who ?
Hannah has to find the answers and quickly as there lives fall apart.
You will not put this book down!
#NetGalley #TheLastThingHeToldMe #LauraDave

I motored through this book and couldn't put it down until I had enjoyed the very last of it! Hannah, wife of succesful, hard-working Owen, is shocked and bewildered by his sudden and very out of character disappearance. She finds herself entrusted to keep Bailey, her step daughter safe. Now it is down to Hannah to uncover what has befallen her husband and unravel the reason for his departure.
The narrative is fast paced with a plot that twists and turns. As a reader you sway between pointing the finger of blame and then not at Owen, when it transpires the firm he worked for is masterminded to deceive people financially.
The main characters are well thought through and feel real and the development of Bailey's acceptance of Hannah is a lovely sideline.
Not to give the game away, this is a fabulous read and I am sure it will make a great thriller when it hits the big screen.

Hannah has only been married to Owen for a year and has not yet managed to build a relationship with his teenage daughter Bailey. She suddenly finds herself bewildered when Owen just disappears one day with no more than a note sent to her saying ‘Protect her’ leaving Hannah and Bailey floundering trying to understand the reason behinds his disappearance and trying to locate him.

This is an easy page turning read, more of a mystery than thriller but well thought out and certainly kept me guessing. The flashbacks added useful bits of information to the story but there weren’t so many that you felt you were constantly flicking back and forth. Hannah was a solid character, kindhearted and empathetic but also strong and capable. This isn’t a particularly long book but it tells the story perfectly.

I really enjoyed this book - I read it in two sittings! Owen disappears and leaves his wife, Hannah, with a message - Protect Her. Hannah finds that everything she thought she knew about her husband is not true. She seeks the truth and has to bargain for her step- daughter’s life.

A gripping thriller.

One highly recommended.

This was different to other thrillers in that it was much slower paced in places and the financial fraud initial plotline isn't what you'd usually expect from a thriller.
I enjoyed this book overall but in places some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy, especially Hannah and some of the conversations didn't always seem believable. A good read though and a bit different.

I was gifted this book by @netgalley in return for a honest review.

Brief description of plot: (I’m terrible at writing these sorry!!)
Hannah wakes up one morning to find her husband gone & left with one simple message ‘Protect her’. Hannah knows the message refers to her 16 year old stepdaughter Bailey. The story follows Hannah as she navigates a new world of unanswered questions where things with her husband were not as expected...

Genre: Fiction, Mystery & Family drama
TW: Spousal death, abandonment, grief.

Things I loved about this book:
💛The growing relationship between step mother & step daughter. Not a theme I’ve read much on previously so it made a great change!
💛The storyline & initial mystery
💛The flashbacks - great way to give you more info about Owen, his past & his relationship with Hannah. Also great for reminding you how far Hannah & Bailey’s relationship has come along
💛There are a lot of questions that you get answers to & they weren’t all predictable!
💛I found the ending satisfying & again not something I expected. It felt bittersweet & definitely wouldn’t have been the easy ending some writers would be tempted to pick!

Things I struggled with or felt could be better:
💛The pace of the book. I’m not really sure what kept me reading but it wasn’t the pace!
💛It would have been good to give a tiny bit more away earlier in the book. I reached 70%, knew very little & it worried me the ending would be rushed.
💛It’s marketed as thriller book but I honestly don’t think it was. It felt more like family fiction/drama
💛Totally random side note & not one that stopped me reading or dislike the book at all...but it makes me uncomfortable how similar the title & cover of the book is to Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng. I’ve not read that book yet but I kept getting muddled due to how similar the title & cover were. I also kept forgetting the title of the book!

I would recommend this book if you are looking for a fairly low key mystery, it’s more about knowledge than an action packed thriller book. I’ll definitely be looking up other books by Laura Dave in future. 💛