Laura Dave is a fabulously talented writer, and I loved the premise of this book--a distant father, Liam, who had multiple renditions of families (3 wives, one after the other), dies, leaving his business and home on a cliff behind. Nora and Sam are half siblings who realize maybe their father's death wasn't an accident--maybe it was a murder. They must work together to sort things out. This book was just okay for me. I never felt super connected to the characters, so though this could have been a fascinating journey, it fell a little flat. Still, if you enjoyed her last book, you'll likely enjoy this one.

Laura Dave's "The Night We Lost Him" is an absolute masterpiece, delving deep into themes of grief, family, and the secrets we hold close. Nora's journey, fueled by her father's mysterious death, resonated with me on a personal level, evoking tears and reflection. The intricate plot weaves together love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships, while the evolving dynamic between Nora and her brother adds layers of depth. This emotional rollercoaster of a mystery kept me engaged until the very end, with the central question of what truly happened to their father lingering in my mind.

The Last Thing He Told Me is one of my favorite books and now mini TV series, so when I saw Laura Dave FINALLY had a new anticipated release I was so excited.

Now, I will preface and say I do not read alot of suspense thriller. I am more romantic comedy. Something about Laura's writing though really sucks me in and this was no different. The love story aspect of this story was icing on the cake and you really felt the emotional thriller ride of this story.

The Night We Lost Him surrounds the mysterious death of Liam, leaving his family with more questions then answers on what happened. His daughter sets out on a mission to find the truth and discovers some other truths along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for an ARC of The Night We Lost Him.

Dave has done it again! Since she is one of my favorite authors, I was excited to read this novel and so glad not to be disappointed! When Liam dies his son Sam calls upon his estranged sister to join him in a trip to California to learn what had happened. Sam suspects that the police report is inadequate and there is much more than an accident that caused his mogul father's fall. Nora is the center of the story, dealing with her insecurity after the loss of both her mother and father.

Reluctantly, Nora joins Sam in a search for the truth about her father's death and the missing pieces in the puzzle of his life. The siblings make several trips to their father's favorite residence. Nora's search is also for her own future.

Ultimately, Sam and Laura do figure out what happened and Nora is able to pursue her own future.
So I certainly enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it.
Lots to discuss in reading groups.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me another great Laura Dave novel.

Laura Dave does it again! What a masterpiece! THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM was truly a beautiful tale of grief, family, what we keep private, and as the blurb says, what it means to bear witness to someone’s life.

Nora’s father was a private family man who took care of all three of his kids and was a good albeit distant and private husband. Nora has kept her distance from her dad and siblings but after their father’s death, one of her brothers says he doesn’t think it was an accident which takes them down a rabbit hole of unraveling what was going on with their father before he died and who he really was.

This story really goes deep into Nora’s grief and the regrets she had, that we all have, when we lose someone. I cried and I DON’T cry with books, but I lost my father too so this hit me a little different. Nora has a fiance that she loves but she keeps him at a distance, doing the same thing her father did. This was a great plot that told the story of love, loss, what we do in the name of love and what we don’t. It was also beautiful to see the relationship with Nora and her brother Sam evolve. I can’t say enough good things about this book. Major bonus points for being an emotional read AND a mystery. Make no mistake, the heart of this book is about finding out what happened to their dad. If he didn’t fall, what happened? And why….

This was good. Not as good as The Last Thing He Told Me, but still good to keep me engaged until the end. A mystery trying to figure out the different lives of their dad. Well written, definitely need to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Laura Dave is the author of one of my favorite novels, The Last Thing He Told Me. I found that book riveting. This one, however, is a rather complicated family drama which didn’t hold my interest. Although the novel is well written, none of the characters moved me to actually care about their turmoil.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC. I loved ‘The last thing he told me’ and couldn’t put it down. This book was a little slow at times, but came together at the end for a good story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc

I loved ‘The last thing he told me’, I enjoyed this story as well, but not as well. I felt this plot was a bit boring at times and a little predictable, but an overall great read.

love it!! Such a good thriller and honestly just as good as the last thing he told me. Such a good author 10/10 recommend!!

Laura Dave is a literary genius. I am obsessed with this book. Highly recommend! 5/5 I refuse to say anything because I don't want to spoil a single moment or feeling. Go in blind if you can. This was so, so good.

Full review and link will be updated soon.

Another great story by Laura Dave. Like many others, I was first introduced to her books by, The Last Thing He Told Me. I have thoroughly enjoyed each book I have read by Dave, and The Night we Lost Him is no exception.

The Night We Lost Him was a great book that keeps you engaged the whole time, but it felt a little more like a family drama to find out who the mystery person was in the fathers life, instead of a mystery to find out if the father was killed, or if was an accident like the police said.

I love Laura Dave books as they grab you in the first few pages and don’t let go, and this did not disappoint in that regard.

Thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster, and Marysue Rucci Books for providing me with an ARC to review.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Simon Element, S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for providing me an advance copy of Laura Dave’s latest #mysterythriller, The Night We Lost Him, in exchange for an honest review.

#TheNightWeLostHim is a grief-shrouded mystery about estranged half-siblings who attempt to uncover what really happened to their father, a famous hotelier, on the night of his death. Set between the past and present, with a bi-coastal backdrop of New York and California, the murky details emerge as the protagonists, Nora and Sam, meet with numerous family and friends from their father’s past.

TW: This short and entertaining read, while perfect for the beach due to its length, is anything, but breezy. For anyone unprepared to unpack feelings of grief or the death of a relationship, the novel is heavy on both subjects.

The Pros:

The prologue immediately establishes the hotelier was indeed murdered, banishing the notion that this is a grief-induced hallucination or desire, as is so often alluded to when Sam, and eventually Nora, propose the premise. The prologue also jumpstarts the action.

Although many reviewers appeared to have disliked this component, I appreciated the thoroughness of Nora’s inner monologue when rationalizing Liam’s actions or piecing together the evidence.

The writing style, tone, use of imagery, and pacing (at least until Part III). I particularly liked the elements of mystery woven throughout the plot, the concept of creating Windbreaker as a main character, and the background characters that helped bolster Liam’s past and overall character. For instance, the nighttime front desk manager at The Ranch. Those little snippets throughout made the reader feel as if they were uncovering these intricate details about Liam simultaneously with Nora.

Notwithstanding Part III being the weakest of the novel’s three parts, the final chapter neatly concluded the story, bringing the reader full circle to where it began.

The Cons:

Most of the characters were insufferable individuals and/or possessed insufferable motivations. For instance, Nora’s constant chiding of Sam despite being a mess herself. There were a few characters who were difficult to envision as well due to their actions and fickle personalities. For example, Sam’s emotions ranged from aloof to volatile. Sam was raised in #NYC and is an heir to a luxury hotel empire, making his public outbursts feel disingenuous.

A handful of characters seemed needless to the plot, such as Taylor, Ben, Tommy’s wife, Grace’s daughter, Jonathan, Jack, and Morgan, whereas others should have been fleshed out more, such as Tommy, Joe, CeCe, Eliot, and the Windbreak’s caretaker, Clark.

Detective O’Brien could have fallen into either category. On the one hand, a detective is an essential character to the #mystery genre, on the other, he did not serve much of a purpose. Any purpose he did serve was clarified by the second forensic pathologist’s phone call, which was also redundant.

As other reviewers mentioned, there were some confusing details surrounding CeCe and Cory that made it easy for readers to conflate the two with one another. This may have been intentional, but CeCe and Cory’s storylines are nearly parallel; plus, there is a passage where Cory mentions she no longer goes by that nickname, prompting that conclusion.

Final Thoughts

Having read and enjoyed two of Laura Dave’s previous novels, #EightHundredGrapes and #TheLastThingHeToldMe, I can definitively state that I am a fan of her writing her style. Although this novel was not quite as enticing as the other two for me personally, I am rounding 3.5 stars up to a 4-star rating given the heavy subject matter and the fact that it was a solid story, mystery or not.

"The Night We Lost Him" is a good read, but not as compelling as Laura Dave's other books. Thought the writing was good as always, the pace felt a bit slow and the characters and story were not as compelling for me as they could have been. I would recommend this for fans of Laura Dave, and readers who enjoy romance and/or books about family drama. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I couldn’t put this one down! I’ve been waiting for another book by this author and she truly delivered. I was very impressed with her writing style and found the plot to be super engaging.

The story was well written and I liked the characters. However, the plot was a bit boring a predictable. I anticipated a thriller but this should be described more as a story about the complexity of love. From complicated family relationships to long time lovers separated (by reasons unknown), this book weaves the tale of the many faces of love..

I just reviewed The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave. #NetGalley

This book was just ok. I feel like this story had the potential to be a 5-star read, but it fell flat for me in a few different ways. This was more of a love story/drama focusing on loss and grief and not a thriller like the author's last novel. I liked the storyline and how it played out; however, I did not experience the depth of emotion that one probably should have felt while reading this novel. The writing was overly complicated at times and there was too much internal monologue. It easily distracted me from the weight of any feelings I might have had. Having lost my own dad, I usually get choked up when I read stories that involve the loss of someone's father. I didn't experience that at all. Liam's POV chapters confused me because his inner monologue seemed to switch between his thoughts and Cory's, yet they were all his. I had to stop several times and wonder who was actually saying these things. I also kept confusing Cory with CeCe. I feel like the author may have been going for more of a literary work with this one. In my opinion, I think simple would have been the better way to go. Overall, it was a decent read, but could have been better.

Thank you to the author, Simon Element, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Oof. This was a DNF for me. I had to put it down about halfway through. Too much internal monologue, not enough plot. Incredibly slow paced and I wasn’t invested in any of the characters.

I adore Laura Dave's books and although this was a little harder to get into, I ended up enjoying it just as much as her others! Patriarch Liam falls from a cliff on his property, Windbreak one night and dies leaving his family to figure out what happened even though it is ruled an accident. Daughter Nora is determined to get to the bottom of it, suspecting foul play. So she sets off, leaving fiancee Jack home to fend for himself while she finds the truth. But the truth involves many family members, friends, lovers, money, and revenge! It's a wild ride that had me gasping in places as I was sure I'd figured it out...but of course I hadn't!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!