Laura Dave’s “The Night We Lost Him” is a beautifully written and emotionally charged novel that showcases the author’s exceptional storytelling prowess. From the opening lines, Dave captures the reader’s attention with a poignant and gripping narrative that delves into themes of love, loss, and the complexities of family relationships.

The novel follows the aftermath of a sudden disappearance that shakes a close-knit community and a family to its core. Dave’s characters are richly developed, each with their own unique struggles and perspectives, making them incredibly relatable and compelling. The emotional depth and authenticity with which Dave portrays their experiences make for a truly immersive reading experience.

Dave’s writing is both elegant and evocative, painting vivid scenes that bring the story to life. Her ability to convey the raw emotions of her characters draws readers in, making them feel every moment of joy, sorrow, and uncertainty alongside the protagonists. The narrative is expertly paced, with revelations and plot twists that keep the reader engaged and invested in the outcome.

One of the standout aspects of “The Night We Lost Him” is Dave’s exploration of the ways in which grief and loss can impact relationships. She deftly navigates the intricate dynamics between family members and friends, illustrating how each person copes with tragedy in their own way. This nuanced portrayal adds layers of complexity to the story, making it both thought-provoking and heart-wrenching.

“The Night We Lost Him” is a testament to Laura Dave’s talent for crafting stories that resonate on a deeply emotional level. With its compelling characters, intricate plot, and beautiful prose, this novel is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a well-told, emotionally rich story. Dave has once again delivered a masterpiece that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page.

The pace was pretty slow and I didn't make a connection with any of the characters. I did enjoy the twist at the end which I did not see coming, but overall I was disappointed.

The first thing I need to adress here is this: THIS IS NOT A THRILLER! Even though this book is being marketed as a mystery thriller, this is NOT a thriller! DO NOT go into this book expecting a thriller story, action packed or full of twists and turns. NOPE.
The Night We Lost Him is a family drama, character-driven, slow-paced, much more of a literary fiction novel. Also, there is a lot of romance here. Not silly or immature or cheesy romance, not porn romance (as most contemporary romance novels are these days...). The synopsis sell this book as ".a mystery with an epic love story", and that is true. There is a beautiful love story in here, mostly being told in the background, in flashbacks.
Obviously, there is some mystery - the siblings are on a mission to finding out if their father died due to an unfortunate accident or if he was murdered.
Personally, I loved this book. I loved the characters, I thought they were very realistic and relatable (especially to readers who are or have been grieving someone). The writer took her time with this book, I'd say. She made sure all characters introduced here had their own purposes. There are no loose ends, no pointless sub-plots or characters thrown unnecessarily to the main plot. Everything and everyone is connected somehow.
This story talks A LOT about true love, loss, grief, companionship, the complexity of family relationships and how, sometimes, secrets are NOT toxic.
What, maybe, I most love about this book is that there are no hateful, despicable, unlikable characters. No one has a hidden nasty vengeful agenda. Nothing is over the top or melodramatic. I thought it was refreshing, really. Especially when it comes to mystery novels these days...
I just loved this book. I felt completely immersed in the story. I even shed a tear or two in the last two chapters. haha
This was the third book I read by this author, and it is now easily my favourite. Actually, I believe Laura Dave has been increasingly improving her writing.
Anyway, I genuinely loved this book. And I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys slow burn mystery novels with realistic characters and a great love story behind it all. Readers who have read and enjoyed this author's previous book, The Last Thing He Told Me, might be disappointed. The only thing in common with these 2 books is the author's writing style. Other than that, very different books.

A huge Thank You to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a free eARC of this book.

This book presented a moderate reading experience. While it harbored potential for a stellar rating, it failed to fully engage me for several reasons. Primarily categorized as a love story/drama centered on themes of loss and grief, it diverged from the suspenseful tone of the author's previous work. While the narrative structure and progression were commendable, the emotional resonance fell short of expectations. The prose occasionally veered into unnecessary complexity, compounded by excessive internal dialogue, detracting from the intended impact. Despite personal resonance with themes of paternal loss, the emotional connection remained elusive. The alternating perspectives, particularly Liam's, lacked clarity, leading to confusion regarding the narrative voice. Additionally, character distinctions were occasionally blurred, further complicating the reading experience. It appears the author aimed for a more literary approach, though simplicity might have served the narrative better. In summary, while a satisfactory read, there remains room for improvement. I extend gratitude to Simon Element and NetGalley for providing digital access in exchange for an honest critique.

I thought the premise of this book sounded really interesting, and I have liked Laura Dave’s books in the past so I assumed I would really like it. There was nothing about this book that was bad but nothing good stood out about it either. I felt like a lot of the story was incredibly drawn out and anti-climactic.

To be honest for most of the book I thought that Cory was going to turn out to be Cece and then when it turned out to be Grace I thought that was kind of silly. It seemed like a bit of a stretch and that the reader was trying to be led down the wrong path.

Overall, the story was okay and I did like Nora getting to know her brother and connect with him. To me seeing their relationship evolve was the height point of this book.

this story is about family, relationships, our pasts, and the secrets we keep from those we love. while there was a death/possible murder in this book - i would not categorize this at all as a mystery - this is a family drama. this book was very very slow. i kept waiting for something to happen or for there to be something to keep me in the edge of my seat but there was just nothing :( it’s also romanticizes lots of infidelity which i really did not love.

thanks to netgalley & publishers for an early ARC. its still a long while until this comes out but what i will tell you is definitely do not go into this thinking it a thriller/mystery or similar to her other book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
This was so good! The writing sucked me in and I read in one sitting. Very quick and easy read. Kept a fast pace, just enough was given of the “who” to keep my interest and reading more. There was also the side stories of each of the siblings in a way. Overall, I loved it and would recommend!

I LOVED The Last Thing He Told Me so I expected to love this one too, and sadly that was just not the case. I had a difficult time becoming invested in the story. I did not see the "twist" coming- so I respect a book where I'm unable to figure out the ending. Laura Dave will remain on my auto-read list, but I had hoped for more. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another solid story from Laura Dave. I thought I had it all figured out but by the end I was shocked, and pleased, I was wrong. I love when I don’t see it coming. This was definitely more of a family drama than mystery, it felt like I was reading succession, but if Logan Roy died. I would definitely recommend. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This had more of a family drama feel, than that of a riveting mystery, as advertised as such. An estranged sister and brother duo are trying to unravel the possibility of their father’s death being suspicious in nature. It wasn’t as much a gripping thriller as I had hoped, but it was kind of a slow burn of unraveling the dysfunction within a family.

I don’t know what to rate this one. I thought it would have a little suspense, but it’s zero suspense. In like an odd coming of age love story wrapped in a mystery. There is a little twist at the end that I was unable to figure out. I loved Laura Dave’s writing style in it, and was more interested in the storyline than I was when reading The Last Thing He Told Me.

Content considerations: affair, same sex couple side character. death

3.75⭐️

thank you to netgalley, simon element and laura dave for the chance to read this arc.

this is my second laura dave book and definitely not my last. her writing and story telling is so easy to get into and the stories seem to pull you in as soon as you start reading. while this is marketed as thriller i think it’s more mystery but also some romance and even deals with grief. the pacing with this one didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat like the last thing he told me did and the reveals in this one didn’t shock me as much. while i enjoyed reading it i don’t know that i’ll remember much 6 months from now. i could see this making for a great movie or tv series.

recommend? yes.

I absolutely loved The Last Thing He Told Me, so I was so excited to receive this! Here, Laura Dave weaves us through a story years in the making full of family drama, romance and mystery and once again, I was hooked. Just as I thought I had caught the twists, new secrets were uncovered and while the pacing wasn’t incredibly fast, I stayed locked in. This was more than just a mystery - covering grief, vulnerability, and the complexity of family and I ate it up on a travel day.


***thank you to NetGalley & Simon Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Not at all what I was expecting after reading “The Last Thing He Told Me” and reading that this was a thriller but it was still really good! Lots of twists in the plot and I felt emotionally attached to the characters fairly early on!

I really liked The Last Thing He Told Me, but this one just didn't hit for me for some reason. I don't know why it's hitting this way for me but in general I do like Laura Dave's writing style this plot just didn't hit for some reason.

Another really fantastic story by Laura Dave! This book had a lot of great elements:

Wealthy, successful family saga and the damage that often comes along with wealth
Adult step children learning to communicate and have relationships in spite of being mostly kept apart as kids
Multiple love stories and how timing and self awareness are so important in relationships
A mystery to be unravelled

Engaging from the very first page - I finished in a day! Thank you Laura Dave for another fantastic novel!

My first read by this author! It was okay, I thought it was a little slow at times but overall worth the read!

The last thing he told me was one of the first books I read when I started my reading journey and I loved it so so much. This book was no different. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

This was a very face read because a) it engrossed me and b) it was well paced. I felt like I was flying page by page through the mystery of the father's death while simultaneously pulling on several other strings to see what unraveled.

The story highlights the complications of families-and relationships, in general. The characters are likeable and relatively self-aware, which is refreshing. The generational divides make sense in terms of keeping secrets. The "twist" at the end was subtle, but believable.

Definitely worth the read!

Overall: 4.5 stars (It really liked it)

**Thank you to NetGalley & Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I enjoyed Lara Dave's last book and this one felt like a similar slow burn suspense novel too. It kept me intrigued and was a good, quick read.
Thank you to netgally for an ARC. My opinions are my own.