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A review by jasmindeanda
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
3.0
A riveting and heartfelt mystery..
The Last Thing He Told Me is not a story that I would usually find myself picking up, but I’m glad I did.
Our Main Characters…
The story begins with Hannah Hall, a happily married woodturner whose primary goal is to earn the approval of her sixteen-year-old step daughter, Bailey, who continues to respond to Hannah’s efforts with eye rolls and passive aggressive responses. With very little information, Hannah decides Bailey may be the only one capable of finding the answer as to where Owen is.
While the story focuses on the perspective of Hannah through a first person narrative, Dave does a wonderful job at keeping the reader immersed as Hannah is forced to face a range of emotions as she searches for Owen. Yet the narrative managed to keep Bailey involved every step of the way as she goes from annoyed teenager to a vulnerable child who only wants to see her father again.
As Hannah and Bailey are forced to question everything they know about Owen, the reader is able to get to know Owen through the eyes of Hannah in a series of flashbacks, while remaining relevant to the story’s plot.
A Naturally Progressing Story…
While many stories lose themselves in the standard plot line of beginning, middle, and end; I found it refreshing that The Last Thing He Told Me jumped right into the story and simply continued on. As Hannah and Bailey search for answers, every decision they make and action they take felt realistic and kept me invested in their journey to the point where I became as desperate for answers as they were and could not put down the book.
What I loved most…
Although I deeply enjoyed the mystery of Owen’s disappearance, what I enjoyed most was the relationship between Hannah and Bailey as they bonded over their shared conflict. Despite the short time span of the story, the character development of these two girls never felt rushed. Hannah and Bailey’s relationship was truly the heart of the story, the mystery acting as the catalyst for their transition to family.
The Last Thing He Told Me is not a story that I would usually find myself picking up, but I’m glad I did.
Our Main Characters…
The story begins with Hannah Hall, a happily married woodturner whose primary goal is to earn the approval of her sixteen-year-old step daughter, Bailey, who continues to respond to Hannah’s efforts with eye rolls and passive aggressive responses. With very little information, Hannah decides Bailey may be the only one capable of finding the answer as to where Owen is.
While the story focuses on the perspective of Hannah through a first person narrative, Dave does a wonderful job at keeping the reader immersed as Hannah is forced to face a range of emotions as she searches for Owen. Yet the narrative managed to keep Bailey involved every step of the way as she goes from annoyed teenager to a vulnerable child who only wants to see her father again.
As Hannah and Bailey are forced to question everything they know about Owen, the reader is able to get to know Owen through the eyes of Hannah in a series of flashbacks, while remaining relevant to the story’s plot.
A Naturally Progressing Story…
While many stories lose themselves in the standard plot line of beginning, middle, and end; I found it refreshing that The Last Thing He Told Me jumped right into the story and simply continued on. As Hannah and Bailey search for answers, every decision they make and action they take felt realistic and kept me invested in their journey to the point where I became as desperate for answers as they were and could not put down the book.
What I loved most…
Although I deeply enjoyed the mystery of Owen’s disappearance, what I enjoyed most was the relationship between Hannah and Bailey as they bonded over their shared conflict. Despite the short time span of the story, the character development of these two girls never felt rushed. Hannah and Bailey’s relationship was truly the heart of the story, the mystery acting as the catalyst for their transition to family.