The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave

This one is so well reviewed I won’t summarize this as I usually do. I haven’t read Dave before, so I’m not sure if repeating sentences or parts of sentences is a known writing style of hers or if she wrote that way in this book for impact. Either way, I felt it was completely unnecessary and redundant. It wasn’t impactful, as it was done haphazardly and unrelating to sentences that would pack a punch.

“…it comes off as smug. He likes that it comes off as smug..” (yes, a whole lot of that)

Bailey is a typical teenager. I saw a lot of reviewers annoyed with her. While my teen didn’t act that way, the luck I’ve had raising my kid doesn’t extend to every parent. Especially Bailey, who’s had only her father, might resent suddenly having to share her time with him. Not only sharing time, but spending time with someone who seemingly doesn’t get kids at all.

Randomly, at the end of the book, five years later? Had it not also said eight or ten, I wouldn’t believe the update as it was a stretch. But keeping the timing vague works for the update.

Was this a thriller? No, it was definitely more mystery. Thrillers are supposed to be a race to the finish, reading on the edge of your seat experience, and that didn’t happen here. But, I gave this book 4 stars for a reason. Because even though Hannah is a bit of a bland, repetitive narrator, the story is enjoyable. There were several elements at play, and the author was always throwing in more layers to the story the deeper they dug. I enjoyed reading this one, and I think others will too.

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About the Book:
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.