becca_w_'s review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Moderate: Violence, Death, Car accident, and Cursing
Minor: Gaslighting and Child death
cherryrose's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Last Thing He Told Me is a story about a woman named Hannah Hall whose husband, Owen Michaels, goes missing under mysterious circumstances. Before he leaves he writes a note to her that simply says, “protect her.” Over the course of the story Hannah tries to protect his teenage daughter, Bailey, and find answers to his disappearance.
It starts out kind of slow. But, once we learn who the characters are, the plot kept me entertained. I loved the twists and I really didn’t know where the story was going.
However, the characters are lacking. Numerous times, Bailey’s purple hair is mentioned to make up for her lack of actual personality. Hannah desperately wants to be liked by her and talks highly of her but, I don’t understand why. I can’t think of anything in the story that made her feel this way especially, when Bailey is an asshole to her most of the book.
Spoiler
Owen’s goodness is forced and unconvincing. When it’s revealed that he helped his father-in-law pass messages about hits, Grady justifies it by saying he was loyal to fault. He was just convinced by his wife and her brother’s love for their father.Spoiler
When his FIL tells his side and points out that Owen was also complicit, Hannah says he only believes that because he was wronged. But it doesn’t matter to her because she loves him. I felt like the story was telling me because she loves him, he can’t be bad. You can’t even entertain that he’s bad because he is the love interest.Overall, this was a fun read but, it could have been better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Murder and Violence
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-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
2.75
I only read this for a Storygraph reading challenge, and almost didn't finish. It starts out alright, and the female protagonist is strong, but by 80% I hated it. I didn't like the unnecessary misdirect of there only being 2 (bad) reasons to change your name, found Hannah's conclusions made less and less sense, dislike obligatory one-dimensional angry teen characters, and don't understand how you don't notice the piggy bank isn't full of coins.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, and Grief
Minor: Gun violence
addyisnothere's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, Murder, Grief, Alcohol, and Car accident
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
sharebear431's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Minor: Murder, Bullying, and Grief
kelseygrachek's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Murder, Death of parent, and Grief
minibean24's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A fast paced mystery that follows the classic mystery trope, but with a bit more heart. Overall I found it to be a bit generic, but there are some lines of text that nocked me off my feet.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder
readbycarina's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Grief
Moderate: Car accident and Murder
Minor: Stalking
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.