Member Reviews

The Night We Lost Him is a compelling story about a woman who connects with her brother after the loss of their father, and together they try to discover secrets surrounding their father’s death.

This story is a dual timeline that is intriguing and will keep you turning pages to discover the answers to the mystery.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing is well done and the story is intricate and interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon Element for this advanced readers copy.

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I wasn’t as much of a fan of this book by this author. It is advertised as a thriller and I don’t feel like it meets the mark. It is more of a drama. This didn’t keep me guessing or what I normally like in a thriller.

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Estranged siblings, Nora and Sam, discover their father, Liam, has been keeping a secret for over fifty years that may have led to his fatal fall off a cliff. Together, they uncover hidden family secrets and unravel the mystery surrounding their father's past in a riveting page-turner with a surprising and heartbreaking twist.

Although this book started off a bit slow, it read more like a captivating blend of mystery and family drama. Despite the initial pace, I found myself staying engaged in order to uncover the culprit. The character development, while gradual, was well-executed. As the story unfolds, you can't help but feel a sense of empathy for the characters, hoping for a positive resolution to their life situations. The timeline shifts back and forth, providing a deeper understanding of the plot. It's almost as if someone is personally narrating the story, occasionally meandering along.

If you appreciate poignant, melancholic tales, this book may be a perfect fit for you. While reviews may vary, it's important for each individual to form their own opinion and give this book a chance.

Thank you, Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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I was really looking forward to this book as Laura's 2021 novel, The Last Thing He Told Me, was a giant literary hit. I was fortunate enough to get an ALC of the audiobook thanks to Libro.fm and was thrilled when I saw that Julia Whelan narrates it.

This book is being touted as a thriller/suspense and it is absolutely not. If you go in with that expectation I think you will be really disappointed. Is it a family drama with a slightly mysterious element? Yes. The story does move rather quickly so it's easy reading. It was a good novel but I was hoping for more.

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The Night We Lost Him is a family drama/mystery about siblings, Nora and Sam. The estranged siblings that set out to find answers to what really happened to their father on the night he died. The brother and sister are not close and have entirely different ideas on how to solve or even if to solve the mysterious death of their father.
I felt the book moved a little slow at times but the plot twists kept me reading.
This is the second book I have read by Laura Dave. I enjoyed the first one more, but will continue to give this author a read on further works.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon Element for my ARC in exchange for my opinion.

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Another edge of your seat mystery thriller by Laura Dave!

Okay. This guy! All the families? Loves? Children? and just hopping between them? Weird to me. It couldn't be me. And the fact that all the families just kind of went with it?

But of all the characters Sam was my favorite. I don’t know he just hooked me in. I wanted to give him a hug or something constantly.

Cory was not for me. Like at all.

Did I think I figured everything out a million times? Yes. Was I ever right? No. Wouldn’t have guessed the end. At all.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

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The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave had potential with an intriguing premise, but ultimately fell short in execution. While the storyline started strong, it became predictable and lacked the emotional depth that would have made the characters more compelling. The pacing felt uneven, with some parts dragging while others were rushed. The ending, though meant to be suspenseful, left too many loose ends, making it feel unsatisfying. Overall, it wasn’t as gripping or memorable as expected, and it didn’t quite live up to its initial promise.

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Estranged siblings Nora and Sam are reunited by tragedy when their father Liam is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Originally thought to be an accidental fall, their questions around his death lead them to a realization that their dad had a lot of secrets…and as they continue to unravel, one of those secrets was likely enough to kill over.
A mix of family dynamics and suspense, this novel is a quick read that’s hard to put down. I appreciated Laura Dave’s slow burn mystery style with a few extra surprises (and resolutions) before the end.
Thank you to Simon Element for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Laura Dave is turning into an instant read author for me. "The Night We Lost Him" is a domestic drama told through converging timelines as two of the characters investigate the suspicious death of their father. The mystery did not keep me on the edge of my seat, but it was beautifully written, and I recommend everyone give this book a try.

Thank you to Simon Element and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

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I was excited to get an eARC of this one after loving her last book! However, this one fell flat for me. I found it slow and slightly boring. There was way too much architecture and decoration talk and very little action or even talk of mystery. I just needed more plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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At times I was a bit confused about the timeline until I figured out what was happening, but I absolutely loved this book.. Nora's mother, whom she was very close to, died. Then her father died, and though her parents were divorced, Nora was very close to her father. Then her estranged half brother contacts her to say he thinks her father was murdered. The two of them begin an investigation into Dad's past to discover what really happened. In the process the two of them become reconciled, they discover past secrets, and begin to understand themselves. The mystery is a good one with an unexpected twist. I highly recommend. Thanks to NetGallry for an arc with no pressure for a positive review.

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This book does not have the same magic as ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’, but it’s pretty darn close.
My biggest issue that it’s more of a family drama than a thriller, so the marketing is a bit off on this one.
Enjoyable, but not the same as her prior blockbuster.

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Thank you so much for this ARC!

An interesting mystery being investigated by two disconnected siblings. Readers will enjoy two mysteries - what really happened to Liam Noone? And who is the mystery woman from the past flashbacks and how does it impact his death?

I enjoyed traveling the country with Nora and Sam as they looked for answers. For Nora, I really hated the way she treated her love interest, very unlikeable.

I did not fly through this book. It is by no means an edge of your seat suspense but it was a great book to explore family issues and truths.

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Liam Noone as a hotel magnate with three ex-wives. to Nora he was a distant father. When he fell to his death from his cliffside cottage, his death is ruled accidental. But Nora and her estranged brother Sam form an uneasy alliance to find out the true cause of his death. In doing so they uncover family secrets. and gives you a final twist that you didn't see coming.

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Disconnected siblings come together to try to solve a mystery hidden by their father for the last 50 years.

While there were a lot of mysterious aspects, I struggled to get into this one at first. It did get better as far as keeping my interest but I had high hopes for this after The Last Thing He Told Me and this was a bit of a letdown to me personally.

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I enjoyed the reconnection between siblings. It brought depth to the story and the character's grief.

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How well do you really know your family members? That is the question asked in this one. You will be surprised at the things it makes you think about.

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Liam Noone was incredibly successful in his professional life but from the outset would seem unsuccessful in love. Three failed marriages with children from two, he managed his love and family life like one would schedule meetings. Or did he?

Nora and Sam have formed an unlikely alliance to investigate seemingly suspicious circumstances surrounding their father, Liam’s, death. Both have their own reasons for doing so. Along the way they discover their father didn’t compartmentalize his personal life the way they thought. Liam had a secret love affair that spanned decades. Was he killed because of this or because of a lucrative business dealing?

The ending was a surprise, I’ll have to admit. There were parts that dragged a bit with Nora and Adam’s personal lives, but overall it was a good light thriller.

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Just as with The Last Thing He told Me, this was a slow burn mystery. It’s a slower paced novel about two siblings investigating what happened to their father when he passed unexpectedly. I enjoyed this book because it truly kept me guessing until the very end. Each character was layered and complicated in their own way. It’s told through alternating timelines and POVs and by the end each storyline wraps up satisfyingly. Definitely recommend giving this one a read!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and The Simon Element & Marysue Rucci Books for the arc!

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Although I gave this book a 4 star review, I’m going to round down and call it a 3.5. An entertaining read, but I found it more of a fictional novel than a mystery because there really wasn’t a resolution at the end of the book.

The beginning of the story opens with Nora’s father’s recent death, which is deemed to be accidental or suicide by authorities. Knowing her successful businessman father, Nora isn’t satisfied with this explanation and begins her own quest for answers. How did her father fall to his death from that steep cliff on the property he was so familiar, or was he pushed?

Nora pairs up with her mostly estranged half brother Sam, as they question family and close business associates about their father’s private life and his mysterious death. They inquire about some important personal family secrets and mysteries surrounding their father’s life and uncover the truth of what really happened that night.

Firstly for me, the mystery was not how Liam died, but why their father remained in love with the same woman for over fifty years and never completely consummated that relationship. We really never learn why Grace didn’t want to marry Liam. She chose to be intimate with him over a life time (even though she married someone else) through Liam’s multiple marriages and divorces, and she chose to be business partners embroiled in some of his most important life decisions, but she would never honor their love enough to call him husband! Why? In all intents and purposes the book portrays them as soul mates, but we never learn why Grace always said “no” to his proposals. I really needed this answered!

Secondly, why would children of a murdered man let the murderer confess to them and then not go to the authorities? I just don’t believe children of a slain man could be that accepting of a murderer’s confession, or be that empathetic to a murderer’s plight.

Although I had some serious issues with the storyline, it was an entertaining book and I look forward to what Laura Dave writes next!

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