Published by Simon & Schuster on May 4, 2021
Genres/Lists: Fiction
Pages: 320
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)
Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. My last few books have been duds so I was nervous about continuing my “losing streak”, but this one hit the spot. On its face, the story is tried-and-true: girl meets boy, boy has secrets, girl seeks truth and surprises abound; but Dave infuses freshness into it by going in an unexpected direction. Her approach strikes a balance between the familiar and the unexpected and it pays off big time (Writers and Lovers by Lily King also does this).
Owen and Hannah are newly married and living on a houseboat with Bailey, Owen’s teenage daughter from his first marriage. Together they are navigating the murky waters of step-parenthood and the challenges of raising a teenager, generally. Unsurprisingly, things between Hannah and Bailey are tense, so while Owen is optimistic things are improving, Hannah is perched on the edge of hoping things are improving.
“This is the thing about good and evil. They aren’t so far apart—and they often start from the same valiant place of wanting something to be different.”
Regardless, their lives are good enough until one day Owen doesn’t come home from work, his boss is arrested, and the FBI starts asking uncomfortable questions. Plus, there’s that cryptic two-word message Hannah receives – Protect her – and the bizarre package left for Bailey. In other words, Hannah and Bailey’s lives as they know them are over and they set out to find answers. What comes next spans decades and cities as they uncover intimate details about the man they know as husband and father. More shockingly, however, is what they uncover about themselves along the way.
Fast-paced and hard to put down, The Last Thing He Told Me explores the lengths people will go to to hide their past and the devastating consequences that can have on the people around them. I admit, I don’t read a lot of suspense novels, but every time I read a good one I am reminded that it’s a genre I should get more into. This is one of those good ones, so even if this isn’t your go-to genre, it’s worthy of your time.
Recommended for: Readers looking for a fast-paced suspense novel that isn’t too heavy.