I was so excited to see Laura Dave had a new book out and that it was a thriller! The Night We Lost Him is a family saga about siblings who have to solve the mystery of their fathers death. The police say he "slipped" but the siblings know that's not possible. Liam loved his beach side cottage and knew the property like the back of his hand, he didn't get to close or slip. The problem is that the police don't have much evidence of any crime so siblings Nora and Sam must work together to solve the crime themselves. Liam was married several times and Nora is the product of his first marriage. Although he didn't leave her behind his visits were few and far between. When she finds out her father has left her the seaside cottage she is shocked. Nora and her father shared a special bond over the property so in theory it makes sense he'd want her to have it. As the siblings work together to find out what really happened to their father they learn secrets that have been buried for over 50 years. Although their father was every bit the man they knew he was also much more. Bringing the truth to light will help his family lay him to rest and be able to move forward.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! This book publishes 9/17.

What to expect in this book:

-Family drama
-Mysterious death
-Fast-pace
-Character-driven
-California and East Coast setting
-Compulsive read

Thoughts

Laura Dave's best seller, The Last Thing He Told Me, was a fast and beloved read for me a few years ago so I was eager to read her newest suspense novel. Let me start this review by saying that I would in no way categorize this as a thriller. It appears that most readers who have been let down by this book have been under the assumption that this is a thriller. While it is fast-paced and a fantastic book to get readers out of slump, I would categorize it more as a suspenseful family drama. Nora's father, Liam Noone, hotel magnate, mysteriously dies one evening on the grounds of his beloved cliffside cottage in California. Upon discovering the suspicious circumstances of his death, Nora reconnects with her estranged half-brother, Sam, to put together the pieces of who their father was to understand what exactly happened that night. Told through alternating timelines, this family story follows a mystery but also the making of a man and what he would do for love.

I can absolutely understand how this book is not for some people. There are no huge or shocking moments but more intrigue and interest in the characters themselves. After reading several long books with heavy themes, it was nice to read a book that felt lighter and more focused on relationships than trauma. While there are some deeper themes of grief and loss, this book ultimately shows that love and loss are not always so black and white. Sometimes we do things for love that do not make sense to others. And sometimes love makes us do things that do not need to be seen, but kept to ourselves.

I enjoyed the pacing of this book and found it to be an easy read overall! If you need a quick read that is entertaining and enjoyable, without really any trigger warnings at all, no graphic scenes, and one that you could recommend to anyone, this is it!

Just Meh on this book. Didn't really captivate me from the beginning and I didn't feel invested in any of the characters. I appreciated the romantic sub plots and how the novel accurately portrays the complexity and nuance of romantic relationships.

The Last book I read by this author was THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME. That book was a thriller and was very exciting so I expected the same from this book
This book is not a thriller..it is a domestic drama. It starts off very good and had me hooked at first but then it just kind of leveled out and I felt that not much new is going on. There is a twist at the end that adds to the story. This book is good but not as good as her prior one. I will give it 3 stars because it was a good read with a good ending

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

An interesting contemporary mystery story. Includes some drama and romance. Follow along as siblings get to the truth about what happened to their father.

I liked the story at first but started to feel like it was going nowhere fast. It was interesting reading the timelines and how the background of the fathers life explained his life. The plot felt forced at times and disconnected. All in all I think it was a good book but not great.

Family patriarch and hotel magnate Liam Noone plunges off a cliff at his beachfront cottage. Married multiple times, two of his grieving children have come together to look for answers: did he fall, or was he pushed to his death? Is it possible that he misjudged the distance at a property he knew so well and loved so much? This is the crux of the problem plaguing his daughter Nora, her grief is palpable and her normal life feels distant. What will looking into her father’s life really uncover?

Author Laura Dave set up a story that enveloped me like a warm hug. With beautiful prose that poked at the meaning of grieving and understanding what you’ve lost and what you never understood. The relationship between the characters in her father’s life had an epic quality that deeply resonates. 100% recommend.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

3.5 stars. The ending was fine but I was not satisfied with the full conclusion.
Nora and her half-brother, Sam, form an uneasy alliance in order to investigate the death of their father, hotel magnate, Liam Noone. Sam is convinced there was foul play involved and ropes Nora into his suspicions. Liam would not have taken his own life and its up tp Nora and Sam to unravel a 50-year mystery in the process.
Again, there was a definite ending but I just wasn't satisfied with it.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Marysue Rucci Books for this e-arc.*

My first read by this author & will definitely not be my last. The story kept me engrossed & intrigued. This author weaved a rich story that makes the imagination work overtime to figure out the ending. Spoiler you will not see it coming.

I just couldn’t get hooked into this book. I LOVED Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me, so I really wanted to love this one… but I struggled to finish it. The plot was boring. It didn’t pick up until the very end (the ending was actually very good IMO!) But it was just such a struggle to get there. This is also not a thriller… more of a romance mystery.

Nora and Sam, brother and sister who have only just recently gotten to know each other, try to solve the mystery of their father’s “death” of him falling off a cliff. There are many twists and turns with the characters in the story.

I’m also not sure if it’s just because I wasn’t paying attention much because I was trying to get through it, but I’m still confused how some of the characters tied into the story.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC, NetGalley!

this book was so good!!! I did not expect that twist and I would definitely recommend this to my friends! cant wait for the book to release so I can add it to my library!

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave was a book I couldn't put down! I'm usually able to figure out the twist or who-done-it but this one came as a complete surprise. I enjoyed the characters and the way they were developed throughout the story, the sense of mystery and the way flashbacks were used to tell part of the backstory and Liam's secrets. A solid read for me and one that I will recommend to friends and family. While not quite a thriller, it definitely was a mystery with family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the ARC.

*The Night We Lost Him* by Laura Dave is a gripping, emotionally charged mystery that pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let go. The story revolves around Liame Noone, a complex and enigmatic hotel magnate who, despite his success, has left a trail of broken relationships and hidden secrets. When he falls to his death from a cliffside cottage in California, the incident is quickly ruled an accident. However, his children, Nora and Sam, suspect there's more to the story.

Dave masterfully weaves together a tale of family dynamics and suspense, as Nora and Sam, who have been estranged for years, reluctantly join forces to dig into their father’s mysterious past. As they uncover hidden truths about Liame’s life, including a shocking family secret, the novel delves into themes of trust, betrayal, and the complicated bonds between family members.

The novel's pacing is expertly managed, with the tension building steadily as more layers of Liame’s life are revealed. Dave's writing shines in her ability to create vivid settings, particularly the atmospheric California coast, which almost becomes a character in its own right. The emotional depth of the characters adds weight to the mystery, making the reader care as much about the resolution of the family drama as the solving of the mystery itself.

What sets *The Night We Lost Him* apart is its ability to blend a suspenseful plot with poignant moments of reflection on family and identity. The final twist, as promised, is both shocking and heartbreaking, leaving a lasting impact on the reader.

For fans of domestic thrillers with a strong emotional core, Laura Dave's *The Night We Lost Him* is a must-read. It's a story that lingers long after the final page, a testament to Dave’s skill in crafting both suspense and heart.

This one hooked me in right away, as Laura Dave tends to do! And the story had my attention for sure, but I believe this is marked as a thriller. It certainly is not. It read more like a family drama. So in that sense, my expectations were high, and it fell a little flat for me. I did really enjoy Nora’s character and the way that she got on with her brother while they tried to figure out what happened to their dad. I am not sure that all the flashbacks of Cory and Liam were absolutely necessary. There was a major plot twist that I was a little annoyed by, but I wont say anything because I don’t want to give away the whole book. Overall I enjoyed this one while reading it, but looking at it as a whole, it wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be.

Bottom Line: Read it, but lower expectations. This is not a thriller type read.

**I received a copy of The Night We Lost Him from Netgalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**

When Nora’s semi-estranged brother, Sam, visits her to share his concerns about their father’s death, she’s not convinced, but after a little investigative work, she finds her brother’s fears might not be completely unfounded. As their investigation continues and Nora is drawn deeper into unraveling her father’s last weeks, her own relationship begins to fall apart. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to their dad without losing too much of herself—and her way of life.

Great character development and storytelling. Highly recommend!

Huge thank you to Simon Element for the ARC!

THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave was my favorite book of the year the year it came out as well as one of my most recommended books for a general audience! Needless to say, I was so excited for this!

In this story, two estranged siblings are brought together over the (seemingly) accidental death of their father. The more they learn, the more they become exceedingly convinced that there is more to the story!

While I overall enjoyed the experience of reading this one, when I got to the end I just felt as though something were missing. It wasn't that it was hard or boring to read, but rather that I wanted MORE. It wasn't just the fact that it was a slow burn either, as I rather enjoy literary heavy slow burns typically. I just feel like that OOMPH was missing that I felt in her previous book.

I still think many will find this enjoyable and I'm glad I read it even though it won't stick out in my memory.

I look forward to reading whatever she puts out next!

3.5 rounded up

I am a big fan of Laura Dave so I knew basically what to expect in terms of the novel vibes. While this is marketed as a thriller, it's definitely a family story with a SLOW thriller vibe. This book does NOT go fast but I really enjoyed reading in dual timelines, as well as the fact that the chapters weren't terribly long.

In "The Night We Lost Him," we get a love story AND a mystery in one. While not the coziest mystery and many novels have done the same type of plot before, this book felt different.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy to read in exchange for an honest review!

The Night We Lost Him is a book full of family secrets that are unraveled due to the untimely death of a father who was known as a hotel mogul.

I've only read Laura Dave's previous book which I thoroughly enjoyed as well as the Apple TV adaption of the same novel. I went into this book, The Night We Lost Him, blind and was pleasantly surprised by the story. The pacing was great. I loved the feuding dynamic between the two main characters are also brother and sister. I did feel like some parts of the story drug on for way too long especially the sister's love triangle and the messiness of it all. I understand why this was done since the father's backstory had similar themes of relationship woes as well. But other than that, the story was enjoyable as well switched back and forth between the father's past and the siblings current timeline. The story itself wraps up nicely but I felt like the ending felt abrupt. All in all, The Night We Lost Him was enjoyable and I would definitely recommend the book just for the family drama and mystery.

After their father’s untimely death, Nora and her brother, Sam, set out to determine if it was truly the accident it was claimed to be.

This book started with an enticing premise but the story a lackluster execution. The plot dragged a little for me and the characters weren’t particularly engaging. The twist at the end was somewhat unexpected but still felt a little anticlimactic. On a more positive note, the exploration of grief excellent as was Davis’ writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the ARC provided in exchange for my honest review.

A boutique hotel mogul suffers a tragic fate after falling off of a cliff outside one of his homes. His son, Sam, to think that it wasn’t as much of an “accident” as the police report says, and he tries to convince his older half-sister, Nora, to look into that theory with him. They have not been very close, so him reaching out to her for help is a bit of a surprise. However, when they decide to dig into it deeper, no one seems willing to give them any straightforward answers. What are they all hiding? What was their father hiding? Nora and Sam are determined to find out …

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but want to let you know that this story is not just a mystery/thriller (as I initially thought), but there is also a tragic love story intertwined throughout. A little irritated that I ended up bawling my eyes out, when I just thought I was going to read a twisty/turny plot, but I would absolutely recommend it.