I have loved Laura Dave and her previous works. When I noticed that The Night we Lost Him was going to be published I was so excited! The Last Thing He Told Me and Eight Hundred Grapes were amazing, and The Night We Lost Him fits in between those two as works and still is written in the same style with settings and character depth.

This immediately pulled me in with Nora’s story line and figuring out Liam Noone’s (dad) death. Accidental and suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Liam’s fall made me excited to see where the story is going to go. Add in the dynamic with Nora and Sam reconnecting as siblings to develop and strengthen their relationship they searched for answers and cope with the loss of their dad.

Laura Dave did a wonderful job of creating depth in Liam’s character, Nora’s, and Sam’s in their lives. I appreciated the flashback and forward and it built depth to the plot and settings. I attempted to solve what really happened to Liam and who the character of Cory throughout the book, but I still was surprised by the reveal and identity.

It was a wonderful read and I think that if you want a mix of mystery, family dynamics, unpacking grief and processing it, then I suggest you read this one!

Thank you Simon Element, NetGalley, and Laura Dave for the advanced readers copy of this book. It was a great start to summer for me.

this book was fine. it’s less of a thriller and more of a story about family dynamics, which is fine, but not what I was looking for here. it also has an incredibly slow pace, and I just wasn’t all that interested. I might reduce the rating to 2 stars, but i’ll continue to think it over for a bit. much less interesting than the last thing he told me. I wish I had enjoyed it more.

thank you to netgalley and simon & schuster for the arc!

Nora’s father, owner of many famed hotels, falls to his death from a cliff at his favorite cottage in SoCal. Nora and her estranged brother Sam don’t believe it was an accident as the authorities have said so they set out to find out what actually happened.

I loved The Last Thing He Told Me also by Laura Dave so I was super excited to read this one as well and she did not disappoint again. It hooked me from the very beginning.

The different perspectives and different time periods helped me to be more invested in the who done it (which I did not see coming by the way).

Overall, a story of epic love intertwined with a gripping mystery. Will be recommending over and over again.

Nora and her stepbrother Sam are set on investigating their father Liam's sudden death which was initially thought to be an accident. But as they unravel the mystery that Liam's life has been, they find out more about their father and his relationships and life in general. We get a huge dose of family drama with a dysfunctional family and there is some suspense in it but it falls more in the romance realm with a messy family relationships angle on the background. It felt slow but it had me hooked enough to continue all the way. Even the suspense element in the book, due to the limited characters that were introduced, it was pretty easy to guess what happened.

I did not enjoy this book. I was annoyed with an aspect of the book. I do not want to share, because it might be a spoiler. I was somewhat engaged, and it kept me wondering. Also, there was a small twist near the end.
I think many will enjoy this book.

I thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is by the same author who wrote The Last Thing He Told Me. Like that book, there is a father that disappears (in this case, dies) and a daughter who is left to figure out who he really was. The daughter (Nora) teams up with her estranged brother (Sam) to unravel the mystery of their father’s death. Was it an accident, or something more sinister?

The familial relationships are written extremely well. They are relatable, realistic, and heartbreaking. I was riveted from the first page, all the way until the surprising twist at the end.

I love the entire book with my whole heart 🩷. The plot and character building was amazing. Although, I wish the author gave more time to Sam (and his bro 🙄) more background and story (wink wink book 0.5 or 2) because I am in desperate need of closure that Sam will be alright. Also another idea for a book 2 would be about Nora and Jack. They absolutely broke me at the end of the book, the author used the same pick up line 3 times and it hit so hard. Like a sense of belonging and hope for the both of them. Grahh Lauren Dave is definitely one of my favorite authors 😍

The Night We Lost Him kept me engaged while reading, and I really enjoying thinking about the concept of neuro-architecture, which delves into how we interact with our living spaces, and how buildings/homes can be built to enhance our wellbeing. This was a new concept to me, that I found fascinating. This concept was layered throughout the book with Nora and her father, Liam's businesses. This may be a strange takeaway from a mystery novel.

As interesting as neuro-architecture is, this book ultimately left a forgettable impression. While the storyline provided a quick and entertaining escape, I didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the characters. It’s a decent read for those looking for a swift and intriguing mystery, but it doesn’t stand out to me.

I was admittedly, one of the few who didn't love Dave's previous best seller, but I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this one much more! Knowing her writing style, I went into it without expecting a typical "popcorn thriller", because it's not- it is much more of a family drama with some romance undertones and a few good twists! I loved the dual timelines through which the story was told and overall I thought the story was well written with good character development. There were a lot of characters to keep straight but they kept me guessing!

I did want to read more about Jack and Nora's relationship & I am left with a few questions about the father's relationships-they were such a pivotal part of the story, I'd love to know more of the "why" behind them. Overall, I really enjoyed it and was surprised by the ending, I was just left wanting a little more, after enjoying the story! 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for providing digital ARC of the book to read and review.

When Liam Noone falls to his death, it is officially declared an accident. However, his son, Sam, and daughter, Nora, have doubts. As they begin searching for details of his final months more questions arise. They realize this man that was so much to so many people was in fact very private. He kept everything and everyone compartmentalized. As Sam and Nora learn more about their father and his death, they also learn more about the meaning of family and what they really want for their future. Thoroughly enjoyable mystery and lives up to the author's previous works.

Laura Dave is a GENIUS for all of her twists. I LOVED this book just as much as I loved "The Last Thing He Told Me". In fact, this is now my favorite of her work. I went through 90% of the book convinced I had figured out the answers, but of course she comes in with a twist. I highly recommend this for any reader.

While I initially thought this was a thriller/mystery it reads more contemporary. We get death, secret lives, family drama and the works. We also have dual POVs and alternating timelines. The story was gripping and the relationships we see are all complicated. Overall this was a good book but again I would classify it as a family drama and not a mystery. You should definitely get a copy for yourself and read it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I’ve enjoyed previous books by Laura Dave such as The Last Thing He Told Me and Eight Hundred Grapes so I was excited to see another book from this author. I’d categorize this one somewhere between the two I mentioned — part mystery, part family-oriented drama.

Liam Noone’s death is ruled accidental, but his daughter Nora is skeptical. Her stepbrother Sam shows up, and soon Nora finds herself pulled into uncovering her father’s illusive past. The story narrates in and out from past to present as we learn about Liam’s past.

Sadly I wasn’t as into this story as I was with Laura Dave’s previous books. It was enjoyable, but I think my reading tastes have changed in the couple of years since I’ve last read her work. I would have liked this to lean more on the side of thriller rather than romance/drama. Either way, the story itself was enjoyable, just not what I’d expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Element for providing a free digital ARC of the book to read and review!

‘When the patriarch of a famed hotel empire dies under suspicious circumstances, his daughter and her estranged brother join forces to find out what happened, unraveling a larger mystery about who their father really was.’

With so many mixed reviews & ratings for The Night We Lost Him, I was hesitant to start reading. But thankfully, my wavering was all for naught, because I really enjoyed it.

It didn’t necessarily feel like a thriller, but that didn’t take away from the overall story for me.

Told from dual POV’s alternating timelines, estranged siblings come together in search of the truth about their father’s death. But what they discover is so much more.

Love flounders, secrets unfold, bonds tested, relationships mended, losses grieved with the pain ever present.

It’s all here & the narrative felt tangible, emotional & truly authentic. I found myself completely invested in Dave’s latest.

Big thanks to NetGalley & Simon Element/S&S/MarySue Rucci Books for this arc in exchange for a review.

Pub date: 9.17.24

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the opportunity to preview The NIght We lost him, in exchange for my honest review. I was excited to be selected for this one since I have read a few other Laura Dave books and loved them. With that, I went into this book with high expectations for a great read! I enjoyed this one, it grabbed my interest and i quickly wanted to learn about what happened to Liam Noone. I felt like the beginning dragged a bit. Long descriptions of complex family relationships, which were necessary to the story line, but made the book feel more like a family drama than the thriller I had come to expect from this author. It does redeem itself by the end and is worth plugging through.

I don't know what to say about this book except that I loved, loved, loved it. I have read Laura Dave's previous books (Hello Sunshine, 800 Grapes, and especially The First Husband among others). I thought that The Last Thing He Told Me was a departure from her previous writings, but I liked it, even though it kept me at the edge of my seat. In a way The Night We Lost Him had the mystery element of "Last Thing" but the the gentleness (?) of her previous books. Even as you read about Nora's father's life, you can sense the lessons that he was trying to pass on to his daughter. The relationship between Nora and her brothers is all too real in many families , and a perfect resolution (unless you really loved Morgan...) And not to give anything away, but the ending was perfect--exactly what I wanted. My only complaint is that this book is not coming out until September--when can we expect another??

Thank you to netgalley and Simon element for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read another book by this author, and it was just ok for me.

This is a dual POV and a dual timeline that centers around their father’s potentially suspicious death. There’s a lot of complexities about family, love and pasts. I think it’s a good storyline but the build up to what unfolds left me wanting a little bit more.

I'm torn on this book as I really enjoyed the second half of it, but the first half seemed to drag on. The family drama combined with the suspense of multiple plot points made this a really interesting book. I like books where everything gets wrapped up nicely in the end, and this fit the bill. The one downside to the book was the amount of infidelity which made it hard to feel sorry for one of the characters.

Thank you Simon Element for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A beautiful, original and heartbreaking story about what it means to truly love and truly grieve. I applaud Dave’s writing and character development, I truly felt as if I was meeting the characters in person, trying to figure out what really happened that night on the cliff,

I really enjoyed it! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read.

When Liam Noone dies, it’s ruled an accident but two of his children aren’t convinced. Nora and Sam are estranged but decide to join forces to find out if their dad’s death really was accidental or something more sinister. Along the way they’ll realize just how many versions of their father there were and discover deep family secrets. Did Liam Noone have secrets worth dying for? I guess we’ll find out.

I really enjoyed Laura Dave’s other book so I was very excited when I received this one as an ARC! I was in a giant reading slump (2 under 2 life is exhausting 😅) so I just had to push myself to open the Kindle App and I’m so glad I finally did! This book is a lot more than a thriller with a love story told along the way that really adds more to the story. You really find yourself just itching to read one more chapter. The ending was beautifully written and tied up very nicely with no loose ends hanging. I will say there were points where the architectural descriptions were a bit much and maybe overly descriptive. Only other issue I had was the Nora relationship issue was aggravating and could’ve been solved with simple communication but it was a very minor story so overall I’m rating this a 4/5⭐️ and definitely worth checking out when it releases in September!