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kelly_e's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Title: The Last Thing He Told Me
Author: Laura Dave
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: May 4, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Captivating • Mysterious • Original
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When the CEO of the company he works for comes under fire, Owen disappears but he has one final message for his wife, Hannah "protect her". Hannah knows the note refers to his daughter, Bailey, who is his pride and joy. With very few clues to work with, Hannah and Bailey are determined to find him by and know they must take matters into their own hands.
When a U.S. Marshall appears at their home, suggesting Owen isn't who he says he is, they find themselves attempting to piece together a puzzle. A story of unconditional parental love and found family, of ultimate trust and the sacrifices of marriage.
💭 T H O U G H T S
As soon as I read the first few pages of The Last Thing He Told Me, I knew I was going to enjoy it. Although not overly suspenseful, I was instantly engaged by the quiet mystery, and somehow still managed to take me for a roller coaster ride.
Laura Dave combines great characters and great writing in this perfectly paced novel that keeps you guessing. She did a fabulous job weaving together the two timelines and the characters had depth. I really grew to care about them, and the relationship that developed between Hannah and Bailey was heartwarming.
The Last Thing He Told Me is definitely more of a domestic mystery than a thriller, yet it was one of those books I just couldn't put down. It didn't have the ending I was expecting, which I appreciated as it felt truer to life. Just a solid, quick and refreshing read worth my time.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• family drama enthusiasts
• fans of Sally Hepworth
• readers looking for a beach or cottage read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"This is the terrible thing about a tragedy. It isn't with you every minute. You forget it, and then you remember it again. And you see it with a stark quality: This is what is required of you now, just to get along."
"It was a little bit of all of that and something far bigger than all of that. How do you explain it when you find in someone what you've been waiting for your whole life? Do you call it fate? It feels lazy to call it fate. It's more like finding your way home - where home is a place you secretly hoped for, a place you imagined, but where you'd never before been."
Author: Laura Dave
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: May 4, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Captivating • Mysterious • Original
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When the CEO of the company he works for comes under fire, Owen disappears but he has one final message for his wife, Hannah "protect her". Hannah knows the note refers to his daughter, Bailey, who is his pride and joy. With very few clues to work with, Hannah and Bailey are determined to find him by and know they must take matters into their own hands.
When a U.S. Marshall appears at their home, suggesting Owen isn't who he says he is, they find themselves attempting to piece together a puzzle. A story of unconditional parental love and found family, of ultimate trust and the sacrifices of marriage.
💭 T H O U G H T S
As soon as I read the first few pages of The Last Thing He Told Me, I knew I was going to enjoy it. Although not overly suspenseful, I was instantly engaged by the quiet mystery, and somehow still managed to take me for a roller coaster ride.
Laura Dave combines great characters and great writing in this perfectly paced novel that keeps you guessing. She did a fabulous job weaving together the two timelines and the characters had depth. I really grew to care about them, and the relationship that developed between Hannah and Bailey was heartwarming.
The Last Thing He Told Me is definitely more of a domestic mystery than a thriller, yet it was one of those books I just couldn't put down. It didn't have the ending I was expecting, which I appreciated as it felt truer to life. Just a solid, quick and refreshing read worth my time.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• family drama enthusiasts
• fans of Sally Hepworth
• readers looking for a beach or cottage read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"This is the terrible thing about a tragedy. It isn't with you every minute. You forget it, and then you remember it again. And you see it with a stark quality: This is what is required of you now, just to get along."
"It was a little bit of all of that and something far bigger than all of that. How do you explain it when you find in someone what you've been waiting for your whole life? Do you call it fate? It feels lazy to call it fate. It's more like finding your way home - where home is a place you secretly hoped for, a place you imagined, but where you'd never before been."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, and Death
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
taylorsevalia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There’s so much uncertainty surrounding this story especially surrounding the people from Owen’s past and what he meant to them and vice versa. (It brought me some confusion too about Owen’s choices surrounding Olivia and “Lady Paul”.) However, one thing is for sure. Hannah and Bailey were such strong characters and two of the best fictional characters, so despite the circumstances, their growing relationship was my favorite part of the book! It helped me push through the climax. Also, I can’t wait to see Jennifer Garner as Hannah in the upcoming show adaptation of this book! I was picturing Jennifer Garner as Patty before I knew the casting, but I’m even more excited! I see this is definitely the role for her now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion, Murder, Death, and Cursing
There’s so much uncertainty surrounding this story especially surrounding the people from Owen’s past and what he meant to them and vice versa. (It brought me some confusion too about Owen’s choices surrounding Olivia and “Lady Paul”.) However, one thing is for sure. Hannah and Bailey were such strong characters and two of the best fictional characters, so despite the circumstances, their growing relationship was my favorite part of the book! It helped me push through the climax. Also, I can’t wait to see Jennifer Garner as Hannah in the upcoming show adaptation of this book! I was picturing Jennifer Garner as Patty before I knew the casting, but I’m even more excited! I see this is definitely the role for her now.amgbac09's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Hannah met her husband Owen two years ago and even though she feels like she knows everything about him, she is completely and utterly wrong. One morning, news breaks that Owen's company is being investigated by the FBI & that the CEO -Owen's direct boss- has been arrested. Owen goes missing and Hannah doesn't hear from him, except for a note that is delivered by a 12 year old girl who says he paid her to deliver the note to Hannah and it says "Protect her". Hannah knows this means to protect Bailey, who is his 16 year old daughter and Hannah's stepdaughter. Their lives change in an instant, leaving them both broken and hurt and confused plus, their neighbors are mad at them, the FBI and a U.S. marshall come around.. It quickly becomes overwhelming and distressing.
Hannah met her husband Owen two years ago and even though she feels like she knows everything about him, she is completely and utterly wrong. One morning, news breaks that Owen's company is being investigated by the FBI & that the CEO -Owen's direct boss- has been arrested. Owen goes missing and Hannah doesn't hear from him, except for a note that is delivered by a 12 year old girl who says he paid her to deliver the note to Hannah and it says "Protect her". Hannah knows this means to protect Bailey, who is his 16 year old daughter and Hannah's stepdaughter. Their lives change in an instant, leaving them both broken and hurt and confused plus, their neighbors are mad at them, the FBI and a U.S. marshall come around.. It quickly becomes overwhelming and distressing.
Hannah & Bailey decide sitting around isn't going to do anyway so they take initiative and follow the clues. Bailey uses memories of her life before Northern California and it leads them to Austin, TX.
This book was made into a limited series on Apple TV, starring Jennifer Garner as Hannah, and I really enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence
candaceallison's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Death
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Car accident, Alcohol, Murder, and Grief
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Car accident, Abandonment, and Murder
alexbahgat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall, I’m not completely sure how I feel about this book. The writing doesn’t leave much room for interpretation (Laura Dave literally spells out every single thought and emotion Hannah is having) and quite frankly Hannah is almost too impressive of a person. She understands and reads people way too well, so while I don’t think the plot was all that outrageous, I did have to suspend my disbelief in her a bit. Also, for a thriller, it wasn’t all that thrilling (until maybe the last 1/3, but even then it wasn’t all that intense).
That being said, it was a quick and fun read. By the end I really loved the characters and their twisted, beautiful, tragic relationships. I appreciated that Laura Dave really showed that nobody is all good or all bad, but that in reality, we all live somewhere in the middle. The ending was abrupt, but it was A++.
That being said, it was a quick and fun read. By the end I really loved the characters and their twisted, beautiful, tragic relationships. I appreciated that Laura Dave really showed that nobody is all good or all bad, but that in reality, we all live somewhere in the middle. The ending was abrupt, but it was A++.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the formatting of this book genuinely annoyed me. there was extra pages after some chapters but not others for no real reason
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief