I loved Laura Dave’s the last thing he told us. It is the thriller with emotions other than terror. This is the same. The emotion that is another character in this book is grief. I loved this book.

This book was a slow burn but gave enough to keep me wanting more. I liked the storyline of the siblings investigating the mystery and thought it was a good follow up to the first book. The ending twist had me feeling all the emotions. Well done, another must read that I’ll be recommending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Audio, and Mary Sue Rucci Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book and audiobook for free in exchange for my review!
All opinions are my own.

Laura Dave is BACK! I fell in love with Laura's writing when I read The Last Thing He Told Me (which was a Reese's Book Club Pick) about two years ago. So, I was super excited when I was approved to read her next novel. This book does draw some parallels in my opinion to The Last Thing He Told Me, but it is also a unique book in its own right (and not a sequel). I thought this story was just as addicting as The Last Thing He Told Me and I wouldn't be surprised if this book is also adapted into a movie or TV series.

Instead of Rebecca Lowman (who has narrated at least 2 or 3 of Laura's books), this Laura Dave book is narrated by Julia Whelan. Julia happens to be one of my favorite narrators because her voice is very calming and easy to listen to. With that being said, I almost missed Rebecca Lowman's voice because of her narrating more than one of Rebecca's books. But I also think it is good for books by the same author to be narrated by a unique audiobook narrator each time as this helps differentiate the book. I thought Julia was a wonderful pick to narrate this novel nonetheless and I think she should definitely be considered to narrate another Laura Dave novel in the future. Perhaps Julia and Rebecca could narrate an audiobook together if Rebecca ever decides to write a book with a multi-character POV. That would be pretty cool.

This book was easily one of the best reads of 2024 and I can't wait for Laura's next book!

Thank you again to NetGalley, Simon Audio and Mary Sue Rucci Books for the ALC and ARC!

Folks, Laura Dave does it again! Another riveting emotional thriller in the books! I love Laura’s craft and her style of writing. Laura has the most unique way of writing that revolves around a main character, yet still gives us deep views into the other characters in the cast of this book. I love her juxtapositioning of past and present and that we never lose the thrill no matter what timeframe we are in.

This book had everything, it had emotional turmoil, mystery and intrigue, love. It kept me on the edge of my seat and so many teasers to whodunit. The whodunit is also so multifaceted. Yes there’s a death. Yes Nora and Adam are on a quest to find out who. BUT, there’s also the mystery around who was their father really?

If you loved The Last Thing He Told Me, then The Night We Lost Him is a must read! I’d argue that you’ll love it even more!

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Dave and Simon & Schuster for providing me this advanced readers copy for my review! This book releases September 17th!

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave is another well-written and twisty novel.
This was such a well written book. I loved the characters. The writing. The setting.
I absolutely loved this book! Once I started, I couldn’t stop! I thought the premise was really interesting and I loved the way that the plot unfolded.
Dave grabbed my attention from the start; this became a book that I just could not put down.
The twists blew me away, the ending was brilliant!

The story follows Nora, the daughter of Liam Noone’s first marriage. Liam is a rich hotel mogul. We find out Nora has been through an emotional rollercoaster recently losing both her parents.

Her stepbrother who was not in her life suddenly reaches out to her, asking for help about their father's death. He believe Liam’s death was not an accident.

We learn about Liam’s past, going back to high school. We bounce back and forth between the past and present as Nora is digging into as much information as possible on her father. This is where she learns she inherited Windbreak House, one of her father's favorite places. This is also where he tragically was found dead at the bottom of the cliff.

This book is more of a slow-burn family drama than it is a thriller but it does have some good suspense while trying to figure out more about Liam's death.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. I was so excited to pick up Dave's newest, but this one just didn't compare to The Last Thing He Told Me. I liked the idea of 2 half siblings who are not that close trying to get to the bottom of their father's death, but the relationship just never felt fully developed, and the remaining brother was more of a footnote than anything (like really.....what was his purpose?). Although some of our main characters were fairly well developed, most of the secondary characters were fairly lackluster, and none of the relationships among different characters drew me in. The overall pacing is pretty slow, and I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. Maybe I should round down rather than up, but I loved Dave's last book so much and I want to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Liame Noone, self-made hotel magnate, and three times divorced father of three grown children, falls to his death from the cliff of the property he owns on the California coast. The police rule it an accident, but two of his children aren't so sure. As Nora and her estranged brother Sam form an uneasy alliance to unravel the mystery, they start putting together the pieces of their father’s past and uncover a family secret that changes everything.

I have loved every one of this author's books, and this was no exception. The book begins with Liame being pushed off the cliff, so you know it was foul play, but you have no idea who or why. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end. I love this combined the two things this author does best - family drama & suspense, and wrapped them up nicely to make a novel that will keep you on edge and captivated for the entire book. I highly recommend it!

A few years ago, I read and reviewed Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me, using words like “fun,” “twisty,” and “surprising.” I noted that I would read other books by her, so I was pleased to receive a copy of her latest, The Night We Lost Him, from W&S/Marysue Rucci and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was expecting more of a thriller (it was described as “riveting”), but this is a mystery/family drama/romance, and the pace is NOT fast, although it starts with a bang as a man (we learn it is Liam Noone) goes over a seaside cliff to his death. Was it an accident? Suicide? The police shing it was an accident, but two of his adult children, Nora and Sam, question that and begin a search to unravel the truth, along with whatever secrets he may have been hiding for decades.

I often have trouble with multiple timelines, and I kept thinking I had gotten lost, although it turned out the story was just unfolding in a non-linear way…and sometimes I wasn’t even clear whether it was Liam or someone else. He and his high school sweetheart, Cory, go their separate ways after college and each marries someone else. Liam has children by multiple women as he marries multiple times, and frankly I kept wondering as many readers have WTH? Why are they not together, they clearly have a deep mutual love. And who the heck is Cory? None of Liam’s wives are named Cory!

Nora and her half-brother Sam search for the key to their father’s secrets, and the investigation proceeds in the present time with multiple chronology jumps back and forth as they explore the clues they begin to uncover. Nora is engaged to a man named Jack, although there is clearly still something between her and Elliott, and it isn’t clear for awhile (ever?) what that is all about. I liked Nora, especially her way of saying things like “My mother had modeled for me early on that the quickest route to unhappiness was to pay too much attention to anyone’s disapproval…”. I didn’t really understand her field of neuroarchitecture, but I enjoyed the discussions of the family’s various hotel sites, especially those along the California coast, where I live. I also liked the lesson about loyalty, that it “…doesn’t trump love, not in the end.”

The mystery is solved off the page, which will likely bother some readers, I felt like it fit the story, and I will recommend it to others, particularly since I kept thinking any problems with the story as I went along were due to my own inattention rather than any lack of skill or storytelling by MsDave. Overall, a good read. Four stars.

The Night We Lost Him is an easy read, but doesn't hit the mark as a thriller or a romance as is billed. Too many relationships mentioned, but none delved into enough for an emotional attachment.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Mystery/Thriller/Contemporary Fiction

3.5# - Solid follow up to The Last Thing He Told Me

Nora is informed that her father appears to have committed suicide and left her the house and property where it happened. She has always loved the house and just cannot fathom that her father would kill himself. Her half-brother comes to her and expresses that there must be more to their father's death. It sets Sam and Nora on an investigation that causes issues in both their personal lives.

The POV hops timelines with snippets of Liam's (the father) life. He had a relationship with a woman named Cory for years. Could this relationship be the cause of his death?

The plot and story were interesting, and the novel was written well, but I felt like I didn't know enough. I didn't understand enough about all of the relationships and couldn't really understand the "why" of the characters. It made it hard to understand all the motivations and get to know the characters, which made the story feel muddy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

Laura Dave does it again in another slow burn thriller!

When estranged siblings discover their dad has died, they question whether he fell or was pushed off the cliff behind his home.
His daughter, Nora, knows he didn't have an accident, and she is compelled to uncover the truth. But the more she looks into his life and past, she and her brother begin to question if they knew their father as well as they thought they did.

This book is a love story, a murder mystery with a who done it vibe. I absolutely loved it. It was fast paced and left you wanting more. The Matriarch of the Noone family fell off a cliff and died. But did he really fall or was he pushed? That is what his son Sam wants to find out. He gets his sister Nora involved with the search. Through that search you will learn a lot about Liam, his three marriages and the love of his life. You will also learn about how he affected the lives of his children. There is a twist towards the end that I found a bit confusing but as I continued, it all made sense. Laura Dave has a great writing style and I can also see this book turned into a movie or a tv series.
Thanks to #netgally, #S&S/marysueruccibooks and @lauradaveauthor for an ARC of this great read.

Nora's father is dead after a fall from a cliff. When her brother Sam tells her he thinks someone pushed him to his death, they begin to search for answers. This read more like a family saga than a thriller. It was interesting but lacked the tension that I was expecting.

Ever read a book and you aren’t really sure how to feel about it? This is that book for me. I loved the beautiful writing. Dave knows how to set the scene and make me interested in the characters. But the pacing seemed a bit off for this one. I wish there had been more of the past timeline to make me more invested and to help push the present timeline a long. There is really no thrilling aspects to this and I struggle to even categorize it as a mystery. It feels more family drama. I enjoyed the premise and the writing but I just wanted a bit more action, angst, suspense, something. If you enjoy a character driven drama with a touch of mystery, then I think you will be a fan of this one.

Read if you like:
▫️slow burn
▫️family dramas
▫️dual timelines
▫️character driven

Don't go into this thinking it's a fast-paced thriller or you'll be disappointed. It's definitely more of a family drama/mystery with a more sedate pace. I enjoyed it, especially for the feeling it gave me. I enjoyed the lovely little Central CA coastal bungalow where Liam Samuel Noone spends most of his time, and the beautiful hotels that he has designed over his career. The views of the Pacific Ocean, and the quirky NYC neighborhoods. It also gets into some of the truths about love and life, grief and why people do the things they do. The twist and the ending did surprise me, and I was satisfied with the way it all turned out. I look forward to Laura Dave's next novel, as I've enjoyed everything that I've read by her. Thanks to Netgalley and Simon Element for the advance digital copy!

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Element/Marysue Rucci Book and the author for the gifted e-book.

I was expecting a thriller and turned out this was a heartbreaking family drama.

When their father falls to his death from the cliff at his home, Nora and her estranged brother Sam investigate Liam’s suspicious death. Secrets held by close family and friends fuel their search for answers, which also leads them to examine their own lives. The dual timeline revealing Liam's history, along with Nora's investigation, provides an intriguing narrative.

I was captivated by the mystery of Liam's death and its impact on the family. Nora and Sam’s evolving relationship added depth to the story. Although it is more centered on heartache and grief than being a typical thriller, the fluctuating pacing and smooth writing make it a compelling and brisk read.

If you enjoy mysteries with depth, I highly recommend this book, which is set to be released on September 17th.

3.5 stars rounded up

Like The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave's new novel starts with a bang, and follows up with the investigation into what really happened. In The Night We Lost Him, Liam Noone begins the novel by going over the edge of the cliff outside his beloved cottage. The police think it was accidental, and when two of his children question whether the authorities did an adequate job investigating it falls to them to figure out what secrets their father was hiding.

I enjoyed the dual timelines in the story, with Liam's life unfolding in snippets of time spent with Cory, his high school sweetheart and the love of his life. I am not sure I ever understood what kept them apart, as both loved each other deeply even as they met and married others. I don't think this relationship came as a surprise to either Sam or Nora; since their father had married three times an 'other woman' would not have been shocking even as they were unaware of her existence. I struggled to empathize with either Liam or Cory, as the infidelity to their spouses bothered me.

Sam and Nora's investigation during the present time was interesting, even as it dragged a bit, and the multiple characters and locations became a bit confusing at times. Nora's personal relationship with her fiance was troubled, mostly because of her lack of communication with Jack, which I found very frustrating--just talk to the man, for goodness sake!

The conclusion was a redeeming aspect of the mystery, in my opinion, though many may not like the author's way of presenting it (it happens off page). I thought it was perfect, and was an appropriate ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Element for the digital ARC of The Night We Lost him by Laura Dave. The opinions in this review are my own.

After the death of their father, a man who was still very much a mystery to his children, two estranged siblings begin to wonder if his death wasn't quite so accidental. Nora and Sam have never been close, their father like to keep his families separate, but they form a tenuous alliance to discover the family secret that no one wants to tell them. Along the way they begin to wonder, if they are doomed to repeat their father's mistakes, or if they find their way back to the lives they were meant to lead.

The story moves back and forth between the past and present, weaving together a tale that will keep you guessing right up the final page.

Unfortunately this one did not do it for me. Really slow and took me forever to get through. The backstory was boring and the characters were not super developed or likeable.