Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Last Thing He Told Me

This was a Book Club read I didn’t have much of an idea about, as I hadn’t done much research for it. But I was glad I didn’t, because the story felt far more suspenseful than if I’d have read reviews and searched the plot 😊

The story starts with Hannah getting a note reading ‘Protect her’ from her husband ‘Owen’. It takes us through a journey of ‘good VS bad’, the murky world of tech startups and most importantly, motherhood. It was easy reading, I definitely felt gripped by most parts and I loved the way in which we got flashbacks in Hannah’s life that made her realise her husband was not who he said he was.

I especially liked when they saw a man at a market and he had gone on about Roosevelt High School in Texas, because up until then you only saw Owen, not Ethan! The drama felt exciting and took you into the plot further ✨

This was my favourite quote:

‘This is the thing about good and evil. They aren’t so far apart - and they often come from the same valiant place of wanting something to be different.’

This got me DEEP! It was so interesting, because we could have seen Owen be good VS Nicholas being bad, but that’s not how this world works 🫠

I’d recommend this book to someone who wants an easy-to-read thriller, with a good end 🥰

Content Warnings

huldasif's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I don't really know how to classify this story. It isn't a thriller or a mystery. Suspense maybe? There's this lady, Hannah, who's husband takes off and disappears and leaves her with his daughter, a big scandal at his job and a whole bunch of secrets unfold and she starts to wonder if she ever knew who he truly was. However, the book spends equal amount of time building the relationship between her and her beloved stepdaughter (who hates her back). That part of the story I thought was done quite well, for the most part, although I can't say I really enjoyed it, because who really enjoys the angry outburts of teenagers. However, it needed to be there or that part of the story wouldn't have been believable. With Hannah going through a lot also, it would have made more sense for her to feel upset at least once when Bailey lashed out at her, even if she managed to keep it inside. She was always so unbelievably understanding and patient and perfect and all she ever did "wrong" was when the leads she was following with Bailey didn't come through and Bailey would get upset. Because Hannah was likeable, it didn't bother me while I was reading the book, but more afterwards, when I was thinking about it. The mystery part was fine and unraveled nicely. I won't say too much about it because I don't want to give it away.

Content Warnings

hollymileham's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.25

ive just read this in one 3 hour sitting so it definitely grabbed my intention and kept it which is impressive for me lately, it was really good but i just feel like it could have benefited from a bit more shock (although maybe im just too desensitised) but one thing i did really enjoy was the growth between bailey and hannah
the bloody trauma for bailey in this book. poor girl

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