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THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME

by Laura Dave ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021

Light on suspense but still a solid page-turner.

When a devoted husband and father disappears, his wife and daughter set out to find him.

Hannah Hall is deeply in love with her husband of one year, Owen Michaels. She’s also determined to win over his 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, who has made it very clear that she’s not thrilled with her new stepmother. Despite the drama, the family is mostly a happy one. They live in a lovely houseboat in Sausalito; Hannah is a woodturner whose handmade furniture brings in high-dollar clientele; and Owen works for The Shop, a successful tech firm. Their lives are shattered, however, when Hannah receives a note saying “ Protect her ” and can’t reach Owen by phone. Then there’s the bag full of cash Bailey finds in her school locker and the shocking news that The Shop’s CEO has been taken into custody. Hannah learns that the FBI has been investigating the firm for about a year regarding some hot new software they took to market before it was fully functional, falsifying their financial statements. Hannah refuses to believe her husband is involved in the fraud, and a U.S. marshal assigned to the case claims Owen isn’t a suspect. Hannah doesn’t know whom to trust, though, and she and Bailey resolve to root out the clues that might lead to Owen. They must also learn to trust one another. Hannah’s narrative alternates past and present, detailing her early days with Owen alongside her current hunt for him, and author Dave throws in a touch of danger and a few surprises. But what really drives the story is the evolving nature of Hannah and Bailey’s relationship, which is by turns poignant and frustrating but always realistic.

Pub Date: May 4, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-5011-7134-5

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021

SUSPENSE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | SUSPENSE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | GENERAL FICTION

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DEVOLUTION

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

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WORLD WAR Z

by Max Brooks

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HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE

by Jeneva Rose ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 30, 2024

Answers are hard to come by in this twisting tale designed to trick and delight.

Three siblings on very different paths learn that their family home may be haunted by secrets.

Eldest daughter Beth is alone with her fading mother as she takes her final breath and says something about Beth’s long-departed brother and sister, who may not have disappeared forever. Beth is still reeling from the loss of her mother when her estranged siblings show up. Michael, the youngest, hasn’t been home since their father’s disappearance seven years ago. In the meantime, he’s outgrown his siblings, trading his share of the family troubles for a high-paying job in San Jose. Nicole, the middle child, has been overpowered by addiction and prioritized tuning out reality over any sense of responsibility, much to Beth’s disgust. Though their mother’s death marks an ending for the family, it’s also a beginning, as the three siblings realize when they find a disturbing videotape among their parents’ belongings. The video, from 1999, sheds suspicion on their father’s disappearance, linking it to a long-unsolved neighborhood mystery. Was it just a series of unfortunate circumstances that broke the family apart, or does something more sinister underlie the sadness they’ve all found in life? In chapters that rotate among the family’s first-person narratives, the siblings take turns digging up stories and secrets in their search for solace.

Pub Date: April 30, 2024

ISBN: 9798212182843

Page Count: 270

Publisher: Blackstone

Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024

SUSPENSE | THRILLER | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | SUSPENSE | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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book review for the last thing he told me

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Inside the Best-Seller List

Laura Dave Turned the Scorned Wife Into a ‘Hero’

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book review for the last thing he told me

By Lauren Christensen

  • July 22, 2021

LOST AND FOUND In an NBC interview in 2002, soon after Enron filed for bankruptcy, Linda Lay insisted that its founder and C.E.O. — her husband — was innocent in the accounting scandal. Glued to the trial, Laura Dave watched Lay on TV and got to thinking: What if you believed your husband was one person, until the world told you he was someone else? As she put it: “Can we ever know the people we love the most?”

Nearly two decades later, that question drives Dave’s sixth novel, “The Last Thing He Told Me,” No. 3 in its 11th week on the hardcover fiction list. “I wanted the answer to be yes,” she said.

Like the Lays’ story, most fiction in this subgenre of marital secrets uncovered features a woman shamed by a husband’s deceptions. But Dave “wanted Hannah to be the hero” as she learns the truth behind the disappearance of her husband, an engineer at a fraudulent Bay Area tech company. (“How is this possible?” Hannah thinks in shock. “They aren’t Enron.”)

After five popular fiction books, this is Dave’s first thriller — and “I wanted it to be a thriller rooted in hope.” Meaning: Just because we’re betrayed doesn’t mean we never knew the person, or were wrong to have trusted them at all.

“The details might change,” she said. “But there can be something more central, more soulful, that you can know about somebody, beneath all of that.”

She started the book in 2012, stopping and starting, writing and rewriting until she finished it last year. (She wrote and published the best-selling “Eight Hundred Grapes” and “Hello, Sunshine” in the meantime.)

While writing, Dave listens to one song over and over, to keep herself “integrated” in the story. In eight years, she says, she played Bruce Springsteen’s “If I Should Fall Behind” 13,000 times.

And she never knows where she’s going before she gets there. “I was discovering what was happening while Hannah was,” she said. It was only after taking a break to write “Eight Hundred Grapes” that Dave saw the fix to a plot issue in “The Last Thing” that’d stymied her for years.

A Reese’s Book Club pick, “The Last Thing He Told Me” is fast-paced (“I never want to bore”) but heartfelt. One development between 2012 and now was the birth of Dave’s child, five years ago.

“That really turned it for me,” she said. “I realized this was the primal story of Hannah becoming a mother.” It may start with a lost husband, but this thriller is also an ode to found family.

The headline with an earlier version of this article misstated the author’s given name. She is Laura Dave, not Linda.

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Lauren Christensen is an editor at the Book Review.

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the last thing he told me by laura dave book review summary synopsis recap chapter summary

The Last Thing He Told Me (Review, Book Summary & Spoilers)

By laura dave.

Book review, full book summary and synopsis for The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, a page-turner about a woman whose husband has disappeared while being investigated for white-collar crime.

In The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, Hannah Michaels finds out that her husband Owen is being investigated for a crime and has now gone missing. She's left alone with her 16-year-old stepdaughter, Bailey, who dislikes her.

Together the two must work together to figure out the truth behind Owen's disappearance, leading down a path that reveals old family secrets and tests Hannah and Bailey's relationship.

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

The one-paragraph version: Hannah finds out one day that her husband Owen has run away after the company he works for has been indicted for various white collar crimes, leaving her alone with her teenage stepdaughter Bailey who dislikes her. As Hannah and Bailey investigate, they learn that Owen had a previous life he was running from (and he was worried the new scandal will result in his current identity being compromised), where Owen's father-in-law Nicholas had been a lawyer for a crime syndicate and where he and Bailey had different names and lived in Austin. By the end, Hannah brokers a deal with Nicholas for her and Bailey to be safe from the syndicate, even if it means Owen can't be in their lives. It's what Owen would have wanted, and it brings Hannah and Bailey closer.

Part I opens with Hannah learning that Owen , her husband, has left on the same day that the company he works for, The Shop , is being raided as part of an FBI and SEC investigation into fraud and embezzlement charges. The CEO, Avett , has been arrested, and other high-level employees such as Owen are expected to be indicted as well. Bailey , Owen's 16-year-old daughter and Hannah's stepdaughter, also finds a duffle bag filled with cash that Owen left in her school locker.

In a series of flashbacks, we learn that Hannah and Owen met around two years ago through Avett who was a client of her interior design and woodturning business. She moved to the Bay Area to be with him and has tried unsuccessfully to form a relationship with Bailey.

As Hannah tries to learn what has happened, Hannah contacts her ex fiancé Jake to serve as her attorney. Soon, Grady Bradford , a U.S. Marshall shows up at her door looking for Owen. Later, two FBI agents show up as well. However, Grady seems to be working separately from the FBI, and Hannah finds it odd that Grady is based out of the U.S. Marshall's office in Austin, Texas. And as Hannah recalls her conversations with Owen, it becomes clear that he seemed to have some connection to the city of Austin and Bailey vaguely recalls being there once when she was very young.

In Part II , Hannah and Bailey head to Austin to try to understand Owen's connection to the city. Bailey remembers attending a wedding in Austin, and they remember the name of a Professor Tobias Cookman that Owen used to talk about, who turns out to be a UT Austin mathematics professor. Tobias's help leads them to a yearbook where they find a photo of the woman Bailey remembers as her mother, Olivia , except her name is listed as Katherine Smith .

They end up at Katherine Smith's family bar, The Never Dry , where they meet her brother Charlie Smith . Research reveals that Katherine was married to an Ethan Young, which is Owen's real name. Katherine was killed in a hit and run crossing the street when Bailey (real name is Kristin) was a toddler. Owen blamed the incident on his father-in-law Nicholas Bell who was the lawyer for a major crime syndicate, because Owen believed Katherine was killed in retribution for Nicholas losing an important case. Owen/Ethan then provided evidence to put Nicholas and many syndicate members behind bars, and then he took Bailey/Kristin and disappeared. (When news broke of The Shop scandal, Owen went on the run again because he feared his new identity would be compromised.)

After learning all of this, Hannah realizes she needs to get Bailey out of there, but before she has a chance to tell Bailey all of this, she sees that Bailey has run off by herself.

In Part III , Grady shows up again and admits that he was the one who helped Owen disappear a decade before. Owen was supposed to enter WITSEC, but a leak of his new identity made him distrust the program so he didn't. Grady aslo sends people looking for Bailey, and they are able to locate her. Grady tries to pressure Hannah into entering WITSEC with Bailey, but she refuses knowing that Owen didn't trust it.

Instead, Hannah goes to Charlie and asks him to arrange a meeting with Nicholas. She brokers a deal with him to keep her and Bailey safe in exchange for him being able to have a relationship with Bailey. However, Owen can't be part of the deal. Hannah hopes he will someday relent on that point, but for now she accepts. She knows that Owen would want what's best for Bailey, and Bailey would not want to live her life in hiding.

The book concludes by jumping forward many years to Hannah getting ready for an exhibition of her work. Then, Owen (who is still in hiding) briefly walks in to discreetly say hello before he leaves. Afterwards, Bailey comes in with her new boyfriend and refers to Hannah as "mom".

For more detail, see the full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary .

If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ( $2 , $3 , or $5 ) or joining the Patreon !

Book Review

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is Reese Witherspoon’s latest book club pick. Reese’s Book Club picks tend to be faster paced, breezier reads, which I was in the mood for, so I thought I’d give this a read, and I’m happy to report that this book didn’t disappoint.

The Last Thing He Told Me is an up-tempo page-turner that’s an easy quick read with some elements of a family drama dealing with self-sacrifice and the relationship between a stepmother, Hannah, and her stepdaughter, Bailey. I feel like stepmothers in books are often not at the forefront or are bad (à la the evil stepmother trope), so it was nice to see a positive stepmother-stepdaughter relationship for a change.

In The Last Thing He Told Me , Hannah’s husband Owen (Bailey’s father) goes missing, and the investigation into his disappearance leads into a web of unanswered questions and reveals secrets about his past.

The book is described as a mystery, but I think it’s more of a thriller, since it’s not really planting clues for you to figure out. Instead, you’re following along as the suspense in the novel plays out.

That said, the thriller aspects of The Last Thing He Told Me are really well done. It’s paced perfectly, offering up just enough suspense and information at the right times to for really satisfying build ups of tension and resolution. It never drags, since you’re continually finding out new things and having other questions build up.

Because of this, this was a very speedy and engaging read for me. The book is plotted carefully, without glaring plot holes or dangling narrative threads. Instead, everything in this thriller fits together neatly, with just enough complications to keep you on your toes.

Some Criticisms

Overall, I liked the snappy page-turner-y feel of the book, and as mentioned above, I think the thriller aspects of it are very well done.

However, the family drama parts of it are what fell a little short for me. The protagonist is essentially a perfect, self-sacrificing stepmother and while perfect characters are easy to root for, it also means there’s no room for the character to grow.

Also, perfect people in my opinion make uninteresting family dramas since a lot of the difficulty in those situations come from the fact that people aren’t ever entirely perfect in real life. Figuring out how to navigate people’s imperfections is what substantive family dramas are about.

In essence, there’s a bit of a Hallmark quality to the family drama in this book. It’s definitely a component of the book, but I had mixed feelings about whether I really got anything out of it. I guess you could see it as a story about parental sacrifice, but it just felt flat to me. I’m actually really curious if others felt the same way, so if you have thoughts on how this relationship was handled, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

The good news is, if you’re not really in it for the family drama anyway, it didn’t detract from the rest of the book for me, so you could easily enjoy this book either way.

Read it or Skip it?

If you’re looking for a quick and snappy thriller, The Last Thing He Told Me is an easy read that will fly by. The thriller components are well-constructed and intriguing enough to keep you drawn into the story.

The family drama aspects of it felt a little overly neat and generic to me, but I imagine some will feel differently. It does deal with a positive stepmother-stepdaughter relationship, which is something I don’t see very often in books, so that was a plus.

Overall, I think most people will like it, and I was very pleased with the tidy and satisfying plotting of the story. I’m not sure there’s quite enough substance there for this to be a great book club pick. Instead, I’d recommend this as a solo read if you’re looking for something engaging to try to kill some time.

Have you read this or are you planning on reading this, what did you think? Let me know your thoughts below! See The Last Thing He Told Me on Amazon.

The Last Thing He Told Me Audiobook Review

Narrated by : Rebecca Lowman Length : 8 hours 49 minutes

I think this book is a solid option for audiobook listening. The narration is very listen-able and the voice actress is a good fit for the narrator of our story.

It’s also a story that well-suiting for audiobook-ing in general, since it’s easy to follow.

Hear a sample of The Last Thing He Told Me audiobook on Libro.fm.

Discussion Questions

  • Did you think this story was engaging, and if so, what aspects of this story drew you in?
  • What did you think of the character of Hannah? Did you empathize with her?
  • How does Hannah and Bailey’s relationship change throughout the course of the book? And why do you think it changed?
  • What did you think of the way Hannah handles Bailey in terms of trying to serve as a parent to her? Do you think if you were in her situation, would you handle things the same way? Do you think she was understanding of her? Was she strict enough?
  • What did you think of Owen and his moral compass? He’s involved in two situations both of which involving moral turpitude. How guilty or innocent do you think he is in these situation?
  • Why do you think Nicholas Bell was drawn into the crime syndicate, and what do you think of his justification of the work he did? Do you think Hannah was right to trust him?
  • What does Hannah’s upbringing teach her about the situation she has to navigate in this book, or how does it inform her decision-making?
  • Were you satisfied with the ending of the book or what did you think of how the story ended?
  • Do you think Owen is ever able to re-enter their lives?

Book Excerpt

Read the first pages of The Last Thing He Told Me

Movie / TV Show Adaptation

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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.

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book review for the last thing he told me

11 comments

Share your thoughts cancel reply.

What happened to the broken pink piggy bank? It held a steel safe but what was that about…did I miss something?

The piggy bank has the words Lady Paul printed on the side, which is a hint because conservator of the will was listed as L. Paul.

When they get it open, inside, is Owen/Ethan’s final will.

Hope this helps! Jenn

Hannah and Bailey are getting on an elevator In Austin hotel when a tatttoed man gets on so Hannah gets off for safety reasons. Is the man her husband?

Ooo well-spotted (especially considering at the end we learn he eventually gets a bunch of tattoos and is nearly unrecognizable) — but I actually don’t think so since I’m not sure he would go to austin if he was trying to stay hidden from his ex father in law? But I could be wrong. It’s certainly an interesting theory!

Did Hannah and Bailey get to keep the money in the under sink cabinet.?

So confusing!

I thought Hanna was unrealistically loyal to the man who abandoned her and his own daughter. It wasn’t shown why she loved him so much. It didn’t seem realistic to me. She had known him a short while before they married. Bailey didn’t seem that upset either-her father abandons her with this new stepmother…and unbelievable she’d had her name changed and Bailey had no memory of that? It’s like you just have to accept everything and not question.

Spoiler alerts Some plots holes I didn’t see resolved (admittedly I may have missed them): Who did Lady Paul end up being? If Katherine (Kate) Smith was Nicholas Bell’s daughter why do they have different last names? It was never explained. The piggy bank had a safe, but why? I didn’t see why this was significant or I read too quickly past why this was relevant.

– Lady Paul is not a person. It was a hint to refer to the piggy bank, which is where Owen’s final will was hidden – Kate’s mother’s name was Meredith Smith. It sounds like she took her mother’s name for whatever reason (maybe because her father was connected to a crime syndicate). I don’t think it’s explained, but it doesn’t seem like too big of a plot hole to me. – The piggy bank/safe contained Owen’s final will which names Hannah as Bailey’s guardian and everyone else he would trust to take care of Bailey if he weren’t around (I assume he hid it that way to ensure that only someone he trusted could get to it because a lot of those people on the list have connections to his previous identity)

Hope this helps to clear things up!

The book was okay, but I was put off by the incredibly unlikable Bailey. What a spoiled, entitled character. Rude to everyone, constantly. And, by the way, made the most self serving decision at the end — to force her father to remain in hiding so she could “be Bailey.” I would have chosen witness protection to be with my parent, even if there was a small risk of being caught.

It was not believable. Poor Hannah He could hsve asKed if she would keep the girl for him . She was a saintvwith her .totally phoney .I would bet she would hwve peeferred thwt thonhecwas still afraid of the mob after they offed his wife. And whyvdidn’tvhe discussvit with them before he disappeared? Aftervhe called the daughter I was so put off I speed read the rest. Hated the narrator .

Review: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

book review for the last thing he told me

Editorial note: I received a copy of The Last Thing He Told Me in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a compelling mystery about one woman’s search for her missing husband.

I’ve read all the Reese picks for 2021 up until May and I have enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me the most by far! This one has been on my radar for a while (I even selected it for a May 2021 book club pick ) and I was so pumped to see Reese select this novel.

And in case you missed it, the book is already being prepared for a  TV series with Julia Roberts  in the lead role and Reese serving as executive producer. I have to say, after reading the novel I don’t so much envision Julia in the lead role but I could have totally seen Reese. Or even someone like Mila Kunis who I believe is the same age as the protagonist. But I’m sure it will still be great with Julia!

This story is SO good. Such a page turner and kept me guessing until the end. But it’s not your typical thriller or mystery by any means.

What’s the Story About

We follow the story from the perspective of Hannah. She’s a woman happily in love with her husband Owen and trying to develop some type of connection with her stepdaughter, Bailey. Except Bailey can barely tolerate her. Thinking this was going to be the worst of her problems, Hannah is hit with a huge curveball when Owen goes missing. And not only that, the FBI arrests his boss and soon a US marshal and federal agents are coming to Hannah’s house to gauge Owen’s involvement and maybe even more.

Hannah quickly learns that Owen is not who she thought he was. But she’s determined to find out the truth, while holding on to hope that her husband is still a good man. Hannah and Bailey take it upon themselves to find out the truth about Owen. They’ll discover so much more too.

This is a slow burn mystery with a dash of a character study as well. I really like mysteries that take a big examination of a character’s motivations. That kind of writing really makes these stories stand out. This novel is told in two timelines—one in the present where Hannah and Bailey are trying to figure out what is happening and the second consists of flashbacks when Hannah and Owen fall in love. Each of the flashbacks provide more context and even some clues behind Owen’s disappearance and also choices he’s made.

I really went along for the ride with this story and didn’t try to guess the ending. Although, I couldn’t have solved it if I tried—didn’t have any idea of where it was going. I thought the reveals were absolutely fascinating.

Heart of the Story

This one is an examination of found family. Hannah was raised by her grandfather after being abandoned by her parents. After he passed away, she lost her family—until she met Owen. However, Bailey wants nothing to do with her.

But once Owen is gone, the two are forced to work together to find out what’s happening. They both discover that they need each other and Bailey starts to see a different side to Hannah. I’ve read a lot of moody teenager/adult stories lately but I thought this one was handled quite well. I understood why Bailey acted the way she did (felt that her relationship with her dad would change) but I really liked how her and Hannah eventually come together. Very well done!

The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting and thought-provoking mystery. It’s one of those books I did not want to put down. Highly recommend you check it out! If your book club is reading this one, check out my discussion questions here .

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The Last Thing He Told Me

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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.

With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting mystery, certain to shock you with its final, heartbreaking turn.

“Dave’s neat trick is to unveil revelations at a brisk clip that does not overwhelm character development. The novel’s richness comes from the way Hannah and Bailey realize they need each other in the face of staggering loss; the mutual trust that grows between them is genuinely moving. As both daughter and stepmother come to realize, ‘That’s how you fill in the blanks — with stories and memories from the people who love you.’” The New York Times Book Review
“Interweaving the complex family relationships of Little Fires Everywhere with the suspenseful twists of Big Little Lies, The Last Thing He Told Me will trigger goosebumps and tears as you flip pages like mad to see how Hannah will handle the bombshells lurking in Bailey’s past.” Adrian Liang, Amazon Book Review
“Dave pulls off something that feels both new and familiar: a novel of domestic suspense that unnerves, then reassures. This is the antithesis of the way novels like Gone Girl or My Lovely Wife are constructed; in The Last Thing He Told Me, the surface is ugly, the situation disturbing, but almost everyone involved is basically good underneath it all. Dave has given readers what many people crave right now—a thoroughly engrossing yet comforting distraction.” BookPage
“The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a fast-moving, heartfelt thriller about the sacrifices we make for the people we love most.” Real Simple
“Page-turning, exhilarating, and unforgettable.” PopSugar

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Jen Ryland Reviews

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Review of The Last Thing He Told Me

04.28.2021 by Jen Ryland // 1 Comment

Do you like books that are suspenseful, but not too plot-driven? More relationship-focused than a thriller? Then check out my review of The Last Thing He Told Me.

Review of The Last Thing He Told Me

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Review of the Last Thing He Told Me

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. To be published on May 4, 2021 by Simon & Schuster. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.

Synopsis: Before Owen Michaels disappeared, he managed to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. 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, 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, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.

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What Other Books Has Laura Dave Written?

I will go through her books and her longtime association with Reese Witherspoon!

Her first book, London is the Best City in America , was published in 2006 and optioned as a movie for Reese Witherspoon. It was a bit of a chick-lit, girl figuring herself out kind of thing. But it doesn’t seem like that movie was ever made. (If I’m wrong and it went straight to TV or something, let me know!)

She followed that with women’s fiction: The Divorce Party (2007), The First Husband (2011) Eight Hundred Grapes (2015), and Hello Sunshine (2017). Was the title another Reese connection? I don’t know!

Then came The Last Thing He Told Me, in (2021) which IS being made into a movie. Details in my spoiler post for The Last Thing He Told Me !

book review for the last thing he told me

If you’ve read this and are looking for a spoiler discussion, you can find my Spoiler Discussion of The Last Thing He Told Me here!

The Last Thing He Told Me was interesting and page-turning without really being a thriller. It’s more one of those a “how well do you really know someone” books that is focused on Hannah’s relationship with her new-ish husband, Owen.

The book seemed like an interesting hybrid between women’s fiction and a domestic thriller. Yes, there were twists and turns, but the level of peril was relatively low.

Hannah’s husband abruptly disappears, leaving her a mysterious note asking Hannah to “protect her.” Hannah quickly realizes that her husband is asking her to protect Hannah’s stepdaughter, Bailey.

At first Hannah thinks Owen’s disappearance is linked to the fact that the software firm where he works has just been charged with defrauding investors.

But the truth is more complicated than that, and Hannah will have to mine her memories and those of her stepdaughter to figure out who her husband really was and what made him disappear. Given what she finds out, can Hannah carry out his wish?

I found the ending of this a little weird. But okay. And touching in a way.

In the end, this read more like women’s fiction than domestic thriller. I did enjoy reading The Last Thing He Told Me and think it would make a good choice for those who are looking for something a little less thrilling than a rollercoaster. More like a house of mirrors.

Have you read this? What do you think? I just found out it’s this month’s pick for Reese’s Book Club (I’m on a roll with those!) Check out my thoughts on other Reese picks: Review of The Sanatorium here, my review of The Guest List here, my review of Firekeeper’s Daughter here.

If you’ve read this and want to talk spoilers, check out my Spoiler Discussion of The Last Thing He Told Me here.

About Jen Ryland

Over 12 years of book blogging and reviewing, I have read over 1500 books. A fair and honest reviewer who loves book discussions, I'm here to help you find a book you'll love to read AND give you a place to talk about it and ask questions. Find me on Instagram and Pinterest as @jenryland!

I’m a fan of mystery reads that revolves around the identity of a character. So this sounds like up my alley. I read something similar, but the character committed suicide only his body wasn’t recovered. His boyfriend didn’t give up and in the end, it was a lovely twist. Thanks for the recc, Jen!

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  • Entertainment

Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, and Bestselling Author Are Making This Thriller Into a Show

book review for the last thing he told me

How well do you really know a person? You might know where they're from, what their job title is, or how often they order Uber Eats, but do you ever really know someone? Bestselling author Laura Dave challenges that question to its very core with The Last Thing He Told Me (out May 4). A riveting, suspenseful, and hopeful novel, this book delves into what it means to know someone even if their whole life is a lie. The much-anticipated novel is in the works to become a limited series on Apple TV+ starring and coproduced by Julia Roberts as well as Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine company.

In this page-turner, the two words "protect her" are the last thing Hannah Hall's husband, Owen Michaels, tells her before he disappears. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, Hannah knows Owen is referring to his 16-year-old daughter, Bailey. When Owen's company gets into trouble with the law and his boss is plastered across the news after being arrested by the FBI, Owen is already gone, leaving behind a duffel bag of cash for Bailey as well as two words that will haunt Hannah for the rest of her life. Even though Hannah's mom left her when she was a young girl, her maternal instincts take over, and she knows exactly what she has to do: protect Bailey. But from what, she must find out.

As the two start deciphering the lies from the truth of Owen's past, they soon realize they are creating a new future, whether they want to not.

As Hannah works to figure out where her husband is and if he's ever coming back, she finds out that there is no Owen Michaels at all. Her search for answers leads her to a bustling college town in Texas, far from her Sausalito home on the water. While looking for her husband, Hannah learns what it means to be a mother and just how important her connection is with Bailey. As the two start deciphering the lies from the truth of Owen's past, they soon realize they are creating a new future, whether they want to or not. Page-turning, exhilarating, and unforgettable, The Last Thing He Told Me unpacks what it means to truly know the people closest to you and just how far you're willing to go for them.

POPSUGAR got the opportunity to talk with author Dave about her sixth book, the show that's in the works, and what family means to her.

POPSUGAR: Where did your inspiration for the book come from? Laura Dave: I've always been fascinated by true crime, particularly cases that involve fraud and embezzlement. In the early 2000s, I was quite intrigued by what occurred at Enron. I remember watching the CEO's wife give an interview proclaiming that her husband did nothing wrong. I started to imagine, then, the story of a woman who felt certain of her husband's innocence despite mounting evidence to the contrary. I didn't put pen to paper for The Last Thing He Told Me , though, until almost a decade later.

And when I did, I knew I wanted to do it a little differently than I'd seen domestic suspense done before. I wanted to write a thriller rooted in hope. What I mean by that is I didn't want the smoking gun to be that the husband turns out to be evil, or that the main character was wrong to trust herself, or that the story would hinge on betrayal. Considering the nature of the genre, I knew this was signing up to do a hard thing. But as my main character (Hannah Hall) navigated the twists and turns of her dilemma, I wanted her to find her way to somewhere unexpected, somewhere better than she imagined for herself.

PS: Would you consider writing a sequel to this book? LD: Absolutely. I know exactly where I would pick up with Hannah, Owen, and Bailey — and I love the idea of imagining their next chapter.

PS: Did you ever expect to have a show come out of one of your books? Starring and coproduced by Julia Roberts, nonetheless? LD: No, absolutely not — and it's really a dream come true! Red Om Films (Julia Roberts's company) and Hello Sunshine (Reese Witherspoon's company) are producing the series for Apple TV, and they're truly the most amazing partners. It's been so great to get to be a part of creating a second life for these characters that mean so much to me.

PS: Who is your dream cast for the show? LD: Julia Roberts is already such a dream, and I can't wait to see who will be realizing Owen and Bailey (and all of the supporting characters!), too.

PS: What does motherhood mean to you? LD: Enduring, active, unconditional love.

PS: Do you have more books in the works? LD: Yes, I'm writing a new novel now. It is a big, messy, evocative family drama, which is also domestic suspense.

book review for the last thing he told me

Standout Quote

"She bites her lip, like she believes me, or at least like she is starting to believe me — which is more than I could hope for in this moment. Because you can't tell people to trust you . You have to show them that they can."

The characters are worth investing in, but be prepared that circumstances here kind of go from bad to worse. Be ready to dive into what it means to love someone and to ultimately give up your life to protect them. Since this book has a lot of twists and turns, go in with an open mindset for all the characters, because you'll never believe what happens.

Read This If You Like . . .

Similar, yet not similar at all to the movie Mamma Mia! , The Last Thing He Told Me tells the story of a mother (or stepmother) and a daughter who are just looking for answers. With all the pieces in front of them, they must put them together to ultimately find out what the truth is, no matter what they wish it really is. These two works of entertainment take the audience on a heartfelt and moving journey that'll stick with them long after it's over.

POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt(s)

This novel can check off more than one 2021 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge prompt; just pick the one that fits best for you.

  • A book that's published in 2021
  • A book about do overs or fresh starts

How Long It Takes to Read

Since this book is really good, it won't take you longer than a week to get through it (or just one weekend, if you're a binge reader!). It's 303 pages, but thanks to the rich story and compelling writing style, you'll breeze through it in no time.

Give This Book to . . .

If you're part of a book club , add Dave's novel to the queue ASAP. With a complex plot, easy-to-love characters, and the fact of what it means to love someone at the heart of it, there are many great opportunities for discussions that can center on everything from relationships with parents and siblings to what starting over really means.

The Sweet Spot Summary

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave ($20) is a compelling, page-turning, and heartfelt novel that will make you appreciate those who love you even when it's hard. With every page you turn, you'll see just how powerful unconditional love really is.

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The “page-turning, exhilarating” ( PopSugar ) and “heartfelt thriller” ( Real Simple ) about a woman who thinks she has found the love of her life --- until he disappears.

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 16-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.

With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists and evocative family drama, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME is a “page-turning, exhilarating, and unforgettable” ( PopSugar ) suspense novel.

Audiobook available, read by Rebecca Lowman

book review for the last thing he told me

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

  • Publication Date: March 21, 2023
  • Genres: Domestic Thriller , Fiction , Mystery , Suspense , Thriller
  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: S&S/Marysue Rucci Books
  • ISBN-10: 1501171356
  • ISBN-13: 9781501171352
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book review for the last thing he told me

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About The Author

Laura Dave

Laura Dave is the #1  New York Times  bestselling author of  The Last Thing He Told Me ,  Eight Hundred Grapes , and other novels. Her work has been published in thirty-eight countries.  The Last Thing He Told Me  has sold three million copies and is now a limited series on Apple TV+. She resides in Santa Monica, California.

Product Details

  • Publisher: S&S/Marysue Rucci Books (March 21, 2023)
  • Length: 336 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781501171352

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Raves and Reviews

#1 New York Times Bestseller

“What starts as an intimate meditation on found families deftly turns into a heart-pounding mystery reminiscent of the best true crime stories. But both work so beautifully in this gripping, perfectly-paced novel. I dare you to stop reading.” — Susie Yang, New York Times bestselling author of White Ivy

“Laura Dave is a master story-teller. Gripping, big-hearted and twisty, The Last Thing He Told Me grabs readers from the very first page and never lets go.” — Greer Hendricks , New York Times best-selling co-author of The Wife Between Us and You Are Not Alone

"With dizzying suspense and gorgeous prose, The Last Thing He Told Me tackles tough questions about trust, marriage and what it means to be a family. A page-turner of the highest order." — Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark

“Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me is a thrilling roller coaster of a novel. This smart, intimate exploration of love and family is the foundation of a beautifully constructed mystery filled with twists and turns. A must-read.” — Jean Kwok , New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee

“Dave pulls off something that feels both new and familiar: a novel of domestic suspense that unnerves, then reassures. This is the antithesis of the way novels like Gone Girl or My Lovely Wife are constructed; in The Last Thing He Told Me , the surface is ugly, the situation disturbing, but almost everyone involved is basically good underneath it all. Dave has given readers what many people crave right now—a thoroughly engrossing yet comforting distraction.” — BookPage

“A page turner.” — Associated Press

“ The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a fast-moving, heartfelt thriller about the sacrifices we make for the people we love most.” — Real Simple

“Light and bright, despite its edgy plot.” — Vogue

“Gripping.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Page-turning, exhilarating, and unforgettable.” — PopSugar

"Dave’s neat trick is to unveil revelations at a brisk clip that does not overwhelm character development. The novel’s richness comes from the way Hannah and Bailey realize they need each other in the face of staggering loss; the mutual trust that grows between them is genuinely moving. As both daughter and stepmother come to realize, “That’s how you fill in the blanks — with stories and memories from the people who love you.” — The New York Times Book Review

"You will not think that this is Laura’s first suspense novel as it's so sharp and well done." — Book Reporter

“Mysteries unspool at a steady pace… riveting.” — Publisher’s Weekly

"A stunner with a heart and an ending you'll never see coming." — AARP Bulletin

“Fast-paced ...but heartfelt." — The New York Times, "Inside the Best-Seller List"

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the last thing he told me.

book review for the last thing he told me

When the numbingly dull first episode of “The Last Thing He Told Me” ended, I wrote a simple note: “Five minutes of plot. Maybe six.” That’s about the pace kept by the following six episodes, too, for this thriller with no thrills. And it’s not like it makes up for its failure to entertain with rich characters. On the contrary, these are non-people (at least until the more emotionally charged finale); they're plot devices pushed down a track predetermined by a bestselling novel. It becomes depressing to watch talented performers wasted on such dry, dull material, another limited series that wants to be “ Big Little Lies ” but ends up being so incredibly small.

Like a lot of great books sold in airports and read on beaches, “The Last Thing He Told Me” opens with a disappearance. Owen Michaels ( Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ) has fled his Sausalito home after the FBI raided the company he worked for. Is he just on the run because of the potential charges related to his current job, or is something else going on? His relatively new wife Hannah ( Jennifer Garner ) suspects there’s more to this than a traditional white-collar fugitive, not just because he left a note with two words: “Protect her.” The her in question is Owen’s daughter Bailey ( Angourie Rice ), whom he has raised independently since her mother’s death over a decade ago. Even though Bailey resents Hannah in a teenager-on-TV way, she will have to partner with her to figure out the truth about her past with Owen to have a safe future.

While the authorities, including a suspicious cop named Grady ( Augusto Aguilera , easily the best thing about this production), investigate what Hannah and Bailey may have known about their missing loved one, the two try to piece together where Owen might have gone. The incredibly slow plotting forces Garner to play confused or threatened repeatedly, while poor Rice, a talented young actress, gets a playbook filled with the most clichéd teen girl tropes the writers could imagine. Everything about these characters is frustratingly lazy. Garner has almost no room to develop anything outside of how she responds to the latest thing she’s learned about her husband or stepdaughter. And I’m convinced that no one involved in this production has actually met a teen girl going through severe trauma and crisis—they’re capable of leaving their issues behind when the world is falling apart.

Hannah and Bailey quickly end up in Austin, Texas, trying to track down a memory that Bailey had of a Texas Longhorns game when she was young. How this unfolds and how the pair get closer to the truth about Owen doesn’t unfold in a way that’s either believable or captivating, falling into a strange valley in between reality and what this show should be. Viewers of a thriller like this are willing to put up with insane coincidences— look at the success of Netflix's  “The Night Agent,” for example—but “The Last Thing He Told Me” doesn’t bother to be escapist fun. It’s plodding to the extreme, wasting the talents of almost everyone involved—the one exception being that I would watch Aguilera in a cop show. He’s effective and engaged with what’s happening around him like no one else is.

Apple TV+ has some of the best shows on any streaming service, and I admire the big swings they take with large budgets, giving creators room to expand on interesting ideas with A-list casts. But they’ve recently developed a bad habit of taking books that were hits on the page and failing to find the same success in a different form. (“Surface” and “Liaison” weren’t books but similarly reached for escapism and only found flat storytelling.) This one is particularly frustrating because it eventually lands in an unpredictable place as a family drama with a surprisingly effective final episode that’s easily its best. The producers here never quite figured out the strengths of the story they were trying to tell, and they certainly didn’t bother considering the right length for it.

Whole season was screened for review . "The Last Thing He Told Me" is now playing on Apple TV+. 

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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The Last Thing He Told Me movie poster

The Last Thing He Told Me (2023)

245 minutes

Jennifer Garner as Hannah

Angourie Rice as Bailey

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Owen

Aisha Tyler as Jules

Augusto Aguilera as Grady

John Harlan Kim as Bobby

  • Josh Singer

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'The Last Thing He Told Me' Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV+

"The Last Thing He Told Me" will return for a second season on Apple TV+.

Season 2 of the thriller series will be based on the forthcoming sequel to Laura Dave's novel "The Last Thing He Told Me," which is slated for publication in 2025. The book will be released ahead of the premiere of the Apple TV+'s series' second season.

Stars Jennifer Garner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Angourie Rice and David Morse are set to reprise their roles in the next season, expanding the events of Season 1, which plunged audiences the relationship fostered by Hannah Hall (Garner) with her 16-year-old stepdaughter Bailey (Rice) in order to find the truth about her husband's mysterious disappearance. 

Aaron Zelman will join the show as co-showrunner with Josh Singer, with both Zelman and Singer serving as executive producers. The renewal comes nearly a year after the Apple TV+ series first premiered in April 2023.

"Like so many people, I fell for Hannah on page one of Laura Dave's gripping novel," said Garner, who stars in and executive produces the series. "The move to actor and producer from reader and super fan was delicious--and made even sweeter by collaborating with Laura, Josh, Reese, and everyone at Hello Sunshine, as well as the amazing teams at Apple and 20th. Being part of this group, not to mention part of such a stellar cast, was a career highlight for me. I'm thrilled to get to tell more of Hannah's story - I couldn't have said yes more quickly to season two! These characters and their story mean so much to me, as I know they do to the many who have championed our show; we're excited to give audiences even more with this next chapter."

"The Last Thing He Told Me" is produced by 20th Television and Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, which is a part of Candle Media. Dave's No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel was also a Reese's Book Club pick. Hello Sunshine first optioned "The Last Thing He Told Me," while 20th Television optioned the upcoming sequel. 

"We are thrilled to be bringing this incredible team back together for another season of 'The Last Thing He Told Me' on Apple TV+," Witherspoon said. "The audience response to Laura Dave's gorgeous novel and Jen Garner's stunning performance in the series was so gratifying for all of us at Hello Sunshine. We can't wait to dive in and see what's in store for Hannah Hall in season two."

"'The Last Thing He Told Me' quickly became so beloved by global audiences and we're incredibly excited to expand the world of Laura's bestselling novel, alongside this amazing creative team led by Reese and Jennifer," Apple TV+ head of programming Matt Cherniss added. "Season two will take viewers on an even more exhilarating ride with more mysteries, twists and turns around every corner, and we can't wait to explore the next chapter for these captivating characters."

Laura Dave created and adapted "The Last Thing He Told Me" alongside Josh Singer, who both serve as executive producers alongside Garner, Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter.

"I'm over the moon to continue telling the story of Hannah and Bailey," Dave said. "The response to 'The Last Thing He Told Me' has been truly extraordinary, and I'm grateful to everyone who read and shared the book and made this possible."

"Working with Jennifer Garner, Angourie Rice and Nickolaj Coster-Waldau has been fantastic in every way, and Laura and I are thrilled to reunite with them as well as Reese, Lauren and the incredible teams at Hello Sunshine, 20th Television, Apple TV+, and the entire cast and crew," Singer said. "We're thrilled Aaron Zelman is joining us to help lead our show as we dive into the exciting new season."

Garner is repped by CAA, Linden Entertainment, The Lede Company and Sloane Offer, while Witherspoon is repped by CAA, LBI Entertainment, The Lede Company and Gretchen Rush of Hansen Jacobsen. Hello Sunshine is represented by CAA, The Lede Company and Gretchen Rush of Hansen Jacobsen.

The post 'The Last Thing He Told Me' Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV+ appeared first on TheWrap .

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The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel Hardcover – May 4, 2021

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  • Print length 320 pages
  • Language English
  • Publisher S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
  • Publication date May 4, 2021
  • Dimensions 6 x 1 x 9 inches
  • ISBN-10 1501171348
  • ISBN-13 978-1501171345
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  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books; First Edition, 21st printing (May 4, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501171348
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501171345
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.07 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches
  • #365 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
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  • #1,479 in Suspense Thrillers

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Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me, Eight Hundred Grapes and other novels. Her work has been published in thirty-eight countries and The Last Thing He Told Me is now a series on Apple TV+. She resides in Santa Monica.

You can follow her on Instagram @lauradaveauthor

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IMAGES

  1. Review of The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

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  2. Book Review

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  3. A review of The Last Thing He Told Me

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  4. Review: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

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  5. The last thing he told me, by Laura Dave [Review]

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  6. The Last Thing He Told Me, a review by Cat

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COMMENTS

  1. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

    Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me, Eight Hundred Grapes and other novels. Her work has been published in thirty-eight countries, and The Last Thing He Told Me is now a series on Apple TV plus. She resides in Santa Monica, California. Her new novel, The Night We Lost Him, will be released in 2024

  2. THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME

    THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME. Light on suspense but still a solid page-turner. When a devoted husband and father disappears, his wife and daughter set out to find him. Hannah Hall is deeply in love with her husband of one year, Owen Michaels. She's also determined to win over his 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, who has made it very clear that she ...

  3. Laura Dave Turned the Scorned Wife Into a 'Hero'

    Nearly two decades later, that question drives Dave's sixth novel, "The Last Thing He Told Me," No. 3 in its 11th week on the hardcover fiction list. "I wanted the answer to be yes," she ...

  4. The Last Thing He Told Me

    See The Last Thing He Told Me on Amazon. The Last Thing He Told Me Audiobook Review. Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman Length: 8 hours 49 minutes. I think this book is a solid option for audiobook listening. The narration is very listen-able and the voice actress is a good fit for the narrator of our story.

  5. Review: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

    The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a compelling mystery about one woman's search for her missing husband. Join the Book Club Chat Newsletter. I've read all the Reese picks for 2021 up until May and I have enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me the most by far! This one has been on my radar for a while (I even selected it for a May 2021 ...

  6. Book review of The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

    In this era of domestic thrillers, a novel about a functional, loving family can feel refreshing and downright unexpected. Extraordinary circumstances severely test the bonds of one such family in Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me.. Hannah Hall's adoring husband, coding genius Owen Michaels, vanishes on the same day that his company is raided by the FBI for massive securities fraud.

  7. Review of "The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave"

    Book's Title: The Last Thing He Told Me Written By: Laura Dave Published On: May 4th 2021 Published by: Allen & Unwin (Profile Books) Pages: 320 Genres: Crime, Fiction, Contemporary RRP: $29.99 Rating: 4 stars What "The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave" is about. Ladybird was written in such an engaging way that I could not put it down until the end.

  8. Book Review: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

    Owen's note to Hannah - the last thing he said to her - simply said, "Protect her," meaning he wanted Hannah to protect the awful Bailey. But when the trail leads them to Austin, Texas, Hannah unwittingly drags Bailey into the danger Owen wanted her to avoid. I really liked The Last Thing He Told Me up until the last 10-15% of the story.

  9. The Last Thing He Told Me

    ISBN-13: 9781501171352. 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 16-year-old daughter, Bailey. As Hannah's increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen's boss, as ...

  10. The Last Thing He Told Me

    The New York Times Book Review "Interweaving the complex family relationships of Little Fires Everywhere with the suspenseful twists of Big Little Lies, The Last Thing He Told Me will trigger goosebumps and tears as you flip pages like mad to see how Hannah will handle the bombshells lurking in Bailey's past." Adrian Liang, Amazon Book Review

  11. Review of The Last Thing He Told Me

    The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. To be published on May 4, 2021 by Simon & Schuster. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review. Synopsis: Before Owen Michaels disappeared, he managed to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen's sixteen ...

  12. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave Interview and Review

    In this page-turner, the two words "protect her" are the last thing Hannah Hall's husband, Owen Michaels, tells her before he disappears. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, Hannah knows Owen ...

  13. Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Last Thing He Told Me: Now a major

    "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave is an absolute masterpiece that deserves every bit of its five-star rating. From start to finish, this gripping tale expertly weaves together suspense, love, and resilience, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Dave's writing style is captivating, drawing you into the story with every turn of the ...

  14. Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel

    Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product ... Moreover, there's a polished delicacy to Dave's writing and a warm voice that appealed to me. It's a popcorn book, not literature. A movie is already in the works, starring Julia Roberts. 3.5 (even if 2.75 ...

  15. The Last Thing He Told Me

    ISBN. 9781501171345. The Last Thing He Told Me is a mystery-thriller novel written by Laura Dave, published May 4, 2021 by Simon & Schuster. The book became an instant #1 New York Times Bestseller and spent 82 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. [1] [2]

  16. The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel Kindle Edition

    — Associated Press " The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a fast-moving, heartfelt thriller about the sacrifices we make for the people we love most." — Real Simple "Light and bright, despite its edgy plot." — Vogue "Gripping." — Entertainment Weekly "Page-turning, exhilarating, and unforgettable."

  17. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

    ISBN-13: 9781501171352. 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 16-year-old daughter, Bailey. As Hannah's increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen's boss, as ...

  18. The Last Thing He Told Me

    Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me, Eight Hundred Grapes, and other novels. Her work has been published in thirty-eight countries. The Last Thing He Told Me has sold three million copies and is now a limited series on Apple TV+. She resides in Santa Monica, California.

  19. The Last Thing He Told Me movie review (2023)

    Brian Tallerico April 14, 2023. Tweet. When the numbingly dull first episode of "The Last Thing He Told Me" ended, I wrote a simple note: "Five minutes of plot. Maybe six.". That's about the pace kept by the following six episodes, too, for this thriller with no thrills. And it's not like it makes up for its failure to entertain ...

  20. The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel

    The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel. Paperback - March 21, 2023. Don't miss the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick that's sold 3 million copies strong—now an Apple TV+ limited series starring Jennifer Garner! The "page-turning, exhilarating" (PopSugar) and "heartfelt thriller" (Real ...

  21. 'The Last Thing He Told Me' Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV+

    ShowrunnerShawn Ryan. "The Last Thing He Told Me" will return for a second season on Apple TV+. Season 2 of the thriller series will be based on the forthcoming sequel to Laura Dave's novel "The ...

  22. ‎The Daily Sample on Apple Podcasts

    The Push, by Ashley Audrain, is a book about a mom who thinks her kid is a psycho. Filled with all the usual tropes and reminiscent of books already written and written better. ... JUN 1, 2021; 15. Spoiler Review: People Like Her/The Last Thing He Told Me 15. Spoiler Review: People Like Her/The Last Thing He Told Me. All the spoilers! Reviews ...

  23. The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel

    Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me, Eight Hundred Grapes and other novels. Her work has been published in thirty-eight countries and The Last Thing He Told Me is now a series on Apple TV+. She resides in Santa Monica. You can follow her on Instagram @lauradaveauthor.

  24. Stay in the know about shows with Music Network of Maine on Facebook

    A recent post on the Music Network of Maine Facebook page by singer-songwriter Anni Clark about an upcoming show. Maine music fan and guitarist John Perry started the Music Network of Maine ...