The blurb describes this book as "riveting" and I could not agree more. I love the structure of the novel, flipping back and forth between present day Nora and a chronological history of Liam. This book fascinated me and I could not put it down. I did figure out the twist relatively early, but I still enjoyed the journey. If I had to nitpick one thing, I'd say that I felt there was more to Tommy's story that the author held back, and I would have liked that thought to be a little more fleshed out. But overall, a great book that you should put in your beach bag.
I will be recommending this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the ARC!

Thank you to Simon Element and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was excited to get a book by Dave as I've really enjoyed the other books I have read by this author. In all honesty, I didn't even read the blurb because I know I like her writing and figured whatever it was I'd enjoy it. I was expecting a mystery perhaps with a little bit of thrill to it, but that's not really what I got. Is it a mystery, for sure. But not in the most common sense of the genre. This one is filled with a lot of family dynamics that the characters worked through and I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the story. There is a lot of heart-wrenching family drama which the characters work through.
Dave has a way of writing characters that are deep and emotional. I get sucked into them and their development. I loved watching the ones in this book morph and change a bit while still maintaining who they are. I find them very relatable and it's easy to feel their emotions through the words on the page. The characters come together through tragedy. Despite being family, they have never truly been connected. But their father's death brings them into each other's paths and they find they have more in common than they thought. It was nice watching Nora build a relationship with her brother.
The timeline alternates between present and past giving us a glimpse at the character who is no longer with us during the present chapters. Nora narrates the present chapters while the past chapters are seen through her father Liam's eyes. The past progresses towards the present as the author slowly builds the characters towards what they are in the present.
The writing is really great in this book. It grabbed me right from the starts. I was eager to turn the pages and learn what would happen in the next chapter. I would say this was definitely fast paced as I finished it in two days.
If you're looking for what Dave gave you in her book prior to this one, you're not going to get quite as much mystery. It's there, but this book really is more about the family and how they learn about each other through their pasts and their presents. This is a slow burn mystery with family drama. Dave will continue to be an auto-buy/read author for me in the future.

I enjoyed this book. I can’t say it’s a super taut thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, but I was engaged with the story and the characters. The major twist I was able to predict pretty early on, but still landed nicely. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for someone seeking anything fast paced, but if you are looking for an easy read this is great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element books for the ARC.

In Laura Dave's follow-up to her highly successful The Last Thing He Told Me, she aims to serve up a "soulful suspense and evocative family drama." The story centers around Nora, whose wealthy and successful father died under mysterious circumstances. Desperate to get to the bottom of what truly happened, Nora works to uncover her father's past with the help of her brother and a small cast of characters who provide snippets of context into the man their father truly was.

While I didn't obsess over Dave's first big hit, I was sufficiently entertained enough to be excited about receiving this book as an ARC. However, I found that I enjoyed it even less. Perhaps it was the title, or the marketing, or my own expectations that Dave would be serving up another thriller ripe for your mom's next book club, but I found that this fell totally flat for me. Don't get my three-star rating wrong--the characters are well-developed and well-written, the settings are mysterious, and it seems like we are trying to pick up puzzle pieces throughout to figure out what truly happened to the narrator's father. Despite this, I found this book to not be thrilling in the slightest. In fact, I don't think Dave meant for it to be a solvable mystery at all, but rather a family drama fraught with money, conflict, and romance. While someone else may enjoy this at first read, I was preparing myself for a fast-paced thriller, which could not be further to this book's actual content. It was incredibly slow-paced and took me much longer than anticipated to finish.

That is not to say that I might not recommend this book. If someone is looking for a family drama taking place across multiple timelines with a somewhat dark ending, then this will certainly fit the bill. But if you are looking for something autumnal and spooky to keep you on the edge of your seat this fall, I would look elsewhere.

This was a great family drama. Lies, secrets, and mystery! Characters were well developed as Laura always does a good job with. This wasn’t my favorite books of hers but was still an interesting premise. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was a win for me! Not so much a thriller as it was a mystery surrounding the sudden death of a millionaire father at his private retreat which didn't sit well with his son or daughter. Was he pushed? Or did he jump when he went off the cliff to his death? Or was it an accident? The police have ruled it as unsuspicious yet Sam, his son does not agree so he brings his reluctant half-sister Nora into helping in solve the mystery. Estranged though they be, each discover that they are more alike than different. Together they set off to California to uncover the secrets of their father's past. Great character development, and I admit that I totally had it wrong about one character which surprised me at the end. Fast paced, this story had me glued as it unfolded until the end. Some may say it is a cross between a family drama and a mystery, but either take, I throughly enjoyed it. 4.5 stars. Many thanks to #netgalley #thenightwelosthim #lauradave #simonandshuster for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Laura Dave is always a good read with another thriller with great characters and plot. I enjoy her writing style that leads the reader to keep turning pages until conclusion. This was a exciting family drama with a thriller mystery aspect that was interesting to conclusion. Well done to the author. I look forward to her further works.

Thank you to the publisher, to Net Galley and to the author for the opportunity My review opinon is my own.

Liam Noone was seen in various lights: to the public, he was a meticulous hotel magnate fleeing his past, while to his three ex-wives, he was a distant yet loving family man who kept his wealth and families separate. To his daughter Nora, he was a distant father who loved her from afar, notably from a cliffside cottage where he fell to his death. Although authorities ruled the death accidental, Nora and her estranged brother Sam suspect foul play and reluctantly team up to uncover the truth.

**Thank you NetGalley, Simon Element and Laura Dave for an eARC of The Night We Lost Him.

I love Laura Dave’s writing style. She draws you into a good story with well developed characters so that you don’t want to put the book down. When I did put it down, I was thinking about it. Great family drama with a mystery thrown into the mix!

3.5 stars! Family drama, check. Lies, check. I went into this book thinking it was going to have a little thriller aspect to it but it’s definitely more mystery! I love how Laura Dave tells a story. This was the perfect book to dive into after a heavy read. It was a little slow at times but I’m glad I powered through! It was a great story and I really became invested in the characters and their lives!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 ☆
I love a family drama and I love a good mystery. The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave was the perfect mix of both these genres. I love the strong character development that Dave includes into her mystery/thriller novels - at some points I even forgot there was a potential murder to be solved because I was so invested in the characters. I highly recommend The Night We lost Him!

Laura Dave has a way of creating a story that captivates you and keeps you there for the entirety of her book. I’m not often a fan of thriller, suspense or mystery but Laura Dave makes the exception. I read “the last thing he told me” and was such a fan of her writing that I knew when I saw this book I would love it too and I did. The story follows 2 siblings trying to uncover the truth about their father’s sudden death. He was a loving father but it seems he had his own secrets he kept and everyone around them aren’t willing to divulge on what they know therefore leading the siblings to dig till they get to the truth. Somehow wrapped up into this mystery story about dining out how he really died, a beautiful love story unravels. I can’t say I loved the female character in that romance subplot because she seemed kind of mean and I found the male romance character very charming and sweet. But the story ends with a sweet ending where the main character finds answers she didn’t really know she was looking for. Would highly recommend!

I found "The Night We Lost Him" to be more of a love story/family drama than a mystery. There was a mystery, but I felt it wasn't the book's main story. That said, I enjoyed the book and the style of writing. It wasn't "The Last Thing He Told Me, " which was perfectly alright. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Nora and Sam change and grow, and how that change affected their lives in the future.

I received an ARC for free and gave my honest opinion voluntarily.

The first half was exciting and the twists were palpable, but I must admit for me, that this thriller became more romance as the second half took over. I’m a huge fan of Dave’s writing, and ability to understand the complexities of human emotion, but the end was rather bland for me. A total fan, but hoping the next one is more suspenseful.

The Night We Lost Him
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I flew through this story! If you need a fast thriller/mystery this is definitely one to pick up, especially if you liked The Last Thing He Told Me.

Nora and her estranged brother Sam are forced closer when their father’s death comes with some mysterious circumstances. While it unfolds, we also get glimpses into their father’s love over the last fifty years.

This book was such a fast read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It felt a little more mystery than thriller, but still didn’t detract!

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

2.5 stars rounded up.
Honestly, what a disappointment. Everyone seemed to love Laura Dave's previous novel, including myself, so my expectations for this one were high. But, man, this fell short. This novel doesn't seem to be either plot or character driven...not a ton happens and the character arcs are pretty weak (and we don't learn much about the characters except in relation to their father). There were some strong themes, but they were fairly blatantly stated instead of woven into the plot. Overall, it felt amateur. I'm wondering if this is an early novel that she never published?

Meh

The Night We Lost Him is a mystery about two siblings investigating what happened to their father when he died unexpectedly.

Nora isn’t close with her stepbrother, Sam, so she is surprised when he shows up out of the blue with a request to travel to the site where their father, Liam, died. Their journey results in them exploring not only what happened to their father the night that he died but also causes them to dig into his past, unearthing a long-hidden secret.

The timeline alternates from the present to the past. Nora narrates the present, and the past is shared through her father, Liam’s, eyes. Nora, a quiet character, was relatable, and her grief in the end was palpable. Liam’s chapters focus on a romance that felt underdeveloped and unconvincing to me. Liam's chapters add a confusing dynamic to the narrative. I can't say much without giving away a spoiler, but many elements were unclear.

This is an extremely slow-paced novel--I had to force myself to keep picking it up. The plot is flat, and the characters are boring. However, there is a decent twist towards the end when Nora's journey comes full circle. Her character was the saving grace of this novel.

Overall, I didn't hate this one--I just didn't fully connect.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon Element in exchange for an honest review.

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave: Shortly after his death from a fall (or was he pushed) at his California cliffside property, wealthy developer Liam’s son Sm convinces his stepsister Nora to fly to the property because he suspects foul play. Nora and Sam don't trust the police investigation or the lack of information from others in liding their uncle and their father’s attorney. In this character-driven tale love supersedes the intrigue, but tension and secrets make it compelling.

3.5 stars

Like most readers who will be drawn to this book, I really enjoyed _The Last Thing He Told Me_, and my expectations were that this book would have a similarly mysterious, well-paced, intriguing series of characters and events.

While this is a worthy read, for me, it does not match the draw of its predecessor. There are some intriguing family dynamics, and while these are interesting to read about, I had a bit of a tough time getting particularly invested in really any of the characters. For obvious reasons, this made it challenging to stay focused on their outcomes, too.

The first moments of the book are absolutely gripping, but then the bulk of the book, which centers on the missing details of that first event, moves along without anything (or anyone) overly remarkable coming through. While I won't scream it from the rooftops, I'll recommend this one to those who enjoy family drama and who can manage a slower (NOT THRILLER) plot.

Laura Dave is the queen of weaving past and present together in a seamless manner. This book expertly balances the two as she tells a story fraught with pain, longing, and reconciling the truth of family.