really good read! The author sets up an interesting premise, how the husband disappears, and the wife and fairly new stepmother is in charge of the teen daughter. Of course the teen dislikes the main character and this increases the tension. Loved the main character and how persistent and loving she was, despite her baggage and background. Another mystery/thriller that has some great twists. I am so tired of the same few plots ie unreliable narrators. This book is a fun read, and really refreshing in its plot twists.
I feel that avid readers of thrillers as well as perhaps newer readers will definitely enjoy this book.
I read the vineyard book by Laura Dave, loved that, enjoyed this, and look forward to more from this author.

Thanks for the chance to preview this book!

Love,loyalty,being a good step mom...Just a year into her marriage Hannah gets a note delivered to her from her husband. Just two words"PROTECT HER"
Thus begins this thriller, but so much more. Great read, couldn't put down.

The Last Thing He Told Me is a fast paced page turner with unpredictable twists throughout. Hannah’s new husband disappears as his company goes down, leaving her only a note, and unexpectedly left alone to take care of her teenage stepdaughter, Bailey. As we follow the mystery of what made him leave and who he is, we’re also asking who we can and cannot trust. These elements propel the story start to finish.

I was drawn to this book based on the NetGalley description, my familiarity and love of Sausalito as one of the locales, and the book cover itself. I am not familiar with the author and credit her with writing a very quick reading story. Although I think some of the supporting Sausalito characters could have been developed more fully to make their roles more worthwhile, the descriptions of the few main characters were excellent. I also loved that it changed venues to Austin, Texas as it unfolded. I could definitely envision this book as a movie I’d see (although now I would know how it ends!).

The Last Thing He Told Me is a novel that will certainly find its place in my top 10 reads of 2021.

The story follows Hannah, a newlywed to Owen and stepmother to 16-year-old Bailey. A cryptic, two-word note later, Owen is gone with hardly a trace, and Hannah finds herself responsible for a teenager who can barely stand to be in the same room as her.

Suspenseful, captivating and fast-paced - with turns I never saw coming - this is an electric read with a heartbreaking end. I highly recommend it to those who love mystery, suspense, or just a good, well-written book.

A big thank-you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Thing He Told Me is a boldly ambitious book. Not only does it have a story to tell, The Last Thing He Told Me has a stirring message. And it (mostly) succeeds in this grand plan. On the surface The Last Thing He Told Me is about a husband who disappears after leaving a cryptic note for his wife. But the bigger picture is even more elusive than the missing Owen, who abandons Hannah, his wife of barely a year, and his beloved daughter Bailey. Laura Dave weaves a tale that spins in mulitple directions. Is Owen simply running from the law after the firm he works for is accused of "fraudulent accounting," or is something even more sinister going on? The Last Thing He Told Me moves at a lightening pace with short chapters that often end with a "cliffhanger." It's the perfect format for a TV show, and what do you know-The Last Thing He Told Me will be a limited edition series on Apple TV+ starring Julia Roberts. The plot has several holes big enough for an 18 wheeler to fit through, but the message is clear-there's no limit to what we're willing to do, no sacrifice too large, to protect the ones we love.

Outstanding. Start to finish, this was a book I could not bring myself to put down.

Bailey, Hannah, and Owen are living a quiet life when Owen suddenly disappears with only one note left to his wife Hannah: "Protect Her." The her here referring to his daughter Bailey. Hannah and Bailey set off to uncover the truth behind his disappearance only to find some things they never anticipated. It quickly becomes Hannah's mission to exactly that and protect her step-daughter, who she doesn't particularly get off well with.

There wasn't a moment or lapse where I was disinterested or wanting the story to move quicker. Evert chapter was an excellent step in the way of solving the mystery. Every time something was revealed, or I thought I knew what was coming.... SURPRISE! I was wrong! The ending was perfect, gut-wrenching, and ultimately satisfying. I'm eager to read more of the author's work and I'm especially looking forward to recommending this to my friends!

OH and the AppleTV+ series adaption coming soon!!

The Last Thing He Told Me's premise is intriguing: Hannah's seemingly normal and loving husband, Owen, doesn't come home from work one day, leaving no explanation but a hastily scrawled note telling her to protect his teen daughter, Bailey. Hannah and Bailey soon see on the news that Owen's boss has been arrested, and the FBI wants to talk to Owen, but haven't been able to get in contact. No one has.
As Hannah and Bailey search for Owen and for answers, they must overcome their patchy stepmom-stepdaughter relationship and learn to trust each other. But could Hannah be walking right into a trap?
This was a fast-paced and unique read that explores the sacrifices people are willing to make for those they love.

Owen disappears just as his boss is arrested by the FBI, but before leaving, he has a student deliver to his wife Hannah, a note, which says just those two words.

Hannah knows that he is referring to his 16 year old daughter, Bailey, from a previous marriage,but from WHO or WHAT must she protect her from?

She thought she knew her husband pretty well, but he was hiding more than a few secrets, and she will need her uncooperative step daughter to help her unravel the clues if she is going to figure out exactly what Owen would want her to do.

Laura Dave writes well developed characters and she does real life, messy relationships well!

I adored her 2015 novel “Eight Hundred Grapes” 🍇 🍷, which was a 5 ⭐️ love story based in California wine country, so I was eager to read this one, since it involved some suspense!

But, this is definitely DOMESTIC SUSPENSE, not a thriller, so expect this to focus on the relationships between the characters as they reveal their true selves, as much as it does the mystery.

Hannah is likable, Bailey is 16 through and through, and Owen?

How can he leave his daughter when she already lost her mother when she was just a baby?

I was fully engaged and interested in finding out, but wanted to feel more angst from Hannah and Bailey as they contemplated their possible future without Owen.

Especially toward the end.

An epilogue fills you in on what transpires, necessary or it would end without any resolution, and it was touching, but maybe just a little TOO easy? 🎁

Really enjoyed. Loved it- the ending was a gut punch but for fans of psychological suspense, this is a must-read

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to have an e-arc of this domestic thriller in exchange for an honest review. Although it's not coming out until May you might want to put this outstanding story on your TBR.
Hannah's husband has disappeared. Her last message from him is a scrap of paper that say's "Protect her". She knows he means her 16 year old stepdaughter Bailey. This dual time-line story shares their journey as they desperately try to find out what happened. It is fast paced with characters that you feel drawn to. It's a story of love, forgiveness, and found families. I did not see the ending coming.

How much do I love Laura Dave? Let me count the ways....

1. Her characters always pull you into their story. Hannah is such a strong character. The way she fights to protect Bailey and still put herself into situations that might harm her, you immediately care for this strong woman.

2. She writes where there is no complete right or complete wrong. There is a gray area around each character. Are they completely bad? What are their motivations? As the story unfolds, you find yourself feeling for all of them.

3. I have never read a book by Laura Dave and not been completely satisfied as I closed the last page.

This book pulls you in from the start when Hannah's husband Owen disappears after the company he is working for is raided. She is left with his daughter Bailey, their relationship is a tough one, and a note that says "Protect her". Secrets abound, secrets unfold, and you are totally rapt.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advance copy of this fantastic book. It comes out May 4. Grab it.

I received this book "The Last Thing He Told Me" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I really liked this book. It was so interesting and suspenseful. I could not put it down! Great amazing story! Read this one.

When Hannah met Owen she wouldn't have any reason to think he was hiding a secret. They had a good marriage and while it was a challenge to get his daughter Bailey to warm up to her, life was good. Then a young girl from Owen's school arrives at Hannah's home with a note from Owen which simply stated, Protect Her. A mysterious note and big bag of cash for Bailey sets us off on a mystery of sorts.

Hannah and Bailey find common ground while searching for Owen. They both love him but it's clear he kept a part of his life a secret from them both.

This story has multiple timelines which adds to slowly revealing the story. There is an FBI investigation, tensions and a slow develpment of the main characters.

This is more of domestic suspense, not an action thriller. I don't read reviews until I have finished a book but I see now most readers were very positive and seemed to love the storyline. While it was interesting to me I did not find myself all that engaged with the characters and would lose my train of thought. Clearly I am in the minority here.

Publication date is 4 May 2021; the genre is women's fiction. Much thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I was not compensated for my review and opinions are mine.

It's easy to see how this book was optioned for film - from start to finish it was a suspenseful and twisting ride and I never knew quite what to expect next. The drama of it was most of the fun and I'll absolutely be watching when it hits screens!

This is my kind of mystery—no blood and guts, no kids getting kidnapped, nothing to give me nightmares, but still engrossing and fast-paced. Hannah is recently married to Owen and a new step-mother to teenaged Bailey. Owen’s high-flying Silicon Valley company is raided and his boss arrested, but honest, upstanding Owen the coder just disappears. Hannah and Bailey are left some clues and quickly figure out how to work together to decipher the whole, much more complicated story.
The characters are a little one-dimensional sometimes—Hannah is sometimes too patient and understanding to be a real step-mom, Bailey fits the moody teenager stereotype a little too well—but I really liked those two. They make a good team as they figure out how to trust each other and work together. There were some interesting twists and surprises in the plot, and some fun supporting characters, but mostly it’s a story of these two women making the most of a bad situation and becoming a real family.

The ride that this story takes you on is AMAZING! I couldn't put it down. Laura Dave did a fantastic job of world and character building in a way that let me see this play out as a movie as I read it. Watching these characters make the choices they did as they saw how far they would go for those they love, and themselves.

The twists and mystery behind why Owen ran leaving you not only guessing but as truths come to light show how you really never know why a person makes the choices they make. I also really enjoyed seeing Hannah and Bailey's relationship evolve as they truly had to count on each other.

If you love a good mystery that moves at the perfect pace then this is for you!

3.5⭐!! This was my first book by this author. I thought it sounded really interesting so I was happy to get to read it early. Hannah's husband Owen, whom she's been married to for a year, disappears. But before he does, he manages to smuggle her a note that simply says "protect her", and nothing more. She knows that the note means his 16 yr old daughter Bailey who's mother passed away when she was young, and she also wants nothing to do with Hannah. The FBI is interested in Owen! Hannah and Bailey set out to find out who owen truly is. This was not a thriller, but a domestic suspense. You see the relationship between Hannah and Bailey develop through the story, and how they become closer realizing that they may have to live a life without Owen. I feel this was more of a character driven story. It was a quick read, and although it was a bit slow at times, I enjoyed the story.
Thank you netgalley and publisher for the gifted copy!

Protect her

That was the last communication Hannah received from her husband, Owen, before he disappeared. The note was delivered by a 12 year old stranger. Hannah knew that Bailey, Owen's 16 year old daughter, was the person she was supposed to protect. But how? From what?

Told in present day, with periodic flashbacks, we follow Hannah and Bailey on their quest to find the truth. As secrets are uncovered, Hannah questions if she really knew Owen at all.

This is a gripping story from the beginning and it never let's up. The pages fly by until the very end. I didn't want to put it down.

I found this to be a thrilling mystery as well as an emotional story. I enjoyed the relationship between Hannah and her step daughter. I can't wait to read more by Laura Dave!

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this book down! I heard that it's going to be a TV series, and I could visualize it the entire time I was reading it - it will 100% be a great show filled with dimensional, lifelike characters because that's what the book was! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!!

I certainly enjoyed this book. I started reading it last night, and simply couldn’t put it down. Just when you think you know where the plot is headed- it twists again