Almost 6 full months into 2024 and this is my first 5 star novel of the year.

Laura Dave paints a compelling and complex picture, not only about a mysterious death (maybe murder), but also of connection, love, and grief.

For fans of suspense and mystery, romance, and literary fiction, I highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgallery and Simon Element for sharing this ARC with me. All opinions shared are honest and my own.

I wanted to love this but it was soooooo slow. I’d say it picked up around the 70% mark but still fell a bit flat. Definitely more of a love story/family drama than suspense thriller. I’ll still read whatever Laura Dave publishes next!

My summary:
Nora's father, a wealthy hotelier from New York, dies from a fall off of coastal cliffs at his house in California. Nora had a complicated relationship with her father and she has been trying to move on with her life while coping with the grief of losing him--all too soon after also losing her mother. Sam, her estranged half-brother, reaches out to Nora with concerns that their father's death was not an accident. As Nora and Sam form a tentative alliance to look into the circumstances surrounding their father's death, they begin to unravel pieces of their father's life that he had always kept hidden.

My thoughts:
This is a slow building mystery that delves into relationships, family drama, and coping with grief. It was not at all what I was expecting and feels very different from Laura Dave's other books that I have read. It makes me pause and wonder a bit about what she has experienced in her personal life to make such a marked change in writing styles.

I absolutely adored The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave and devoured it in a day. I loved it so much that I went on to read some of her back list books. When this book was announced, I was so excited. I preordered it and then was thrilled to receive an ARC copy. All of this led up to me having very high expectations for this upcoming book and, unfortunately, it fell pretty flat for me.

This book has a very melancholy tone. Overall, my feelings for this book seem to be as complicated as the point that Laura Dave seems to be trying to make with it. It is hard to grasp all of the characters and how they fit together. The points of contention between the characters is not well explained or developed so it makes the entire plot hard to follow since the strife between the characters is the bulk of the plot. Once I finished it, the whole thing felt like a very long justification of infidelity, and of that, I am not a fan.

What does it have going for it? I did not see the plot twist coming. It is enough that it makes me want to reread this when it is released to see how the pieces fit together now knowing the ending. I think that Laura Dave also makes some very poignant observations about grief and coping with loss. She captures that life is messy and it's a somewhat unwelcome reminder that we often don't really understand those people closest to us in life. If you go into this book expecting a story of grief and loss and exploring relationships of family and loved ones, instead of expecting a mystery or thriller, then it will likely increase your enjoyment of reading it.

I want to express my appreciation to Simon Element and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book!
I have really enjoyed a couple of Laura Dave’s previous books, but this one did not hold my interest. I did not connect with any of the characters, nor did I care what was happening to them or even what the “mystery” was about. There were so many characters that seemed randomly added only to give us a small clue to the answer to the mystery. I read this during a busy time and when I would come back to it, I didn’t remember character names or sometime what had happened in the previous chapter. The writing was easy to read, but this is not a thriller, solve-the-mystery story, but more of a family saga. I really wanted to give it 2 stars, but decided to bump it up:.

As someone who has loved Laura Dave’s previous novel, “The Night We Lost Him” just did not read the same for me. It is marketed as a suspense novel but I found that the plot was lacking and it was missing the fast pacing we’ve come to expect and appreciate from a suspense/thriller. The reveal at the end lacked a sense of development.

Marketed as a mystery/ thriller but so much more than that. It is about family, relationships, siblings and sibling rivalry, love and longing and lifelong romance, and finally dealing with loss and how that influences future relationships. The conclusion will be I suspect a surprise for most readers, but when you dit back and point all of the characters in perspective it makes perfect sense. Well written, characters well defined-in short a “good read”.

Laura Dave is another author who decided to eschew women's fiction in favor of thrillers (see also Lisa Jewell and Luanne Rice). Her first foray into the genre, The Last Thing He Told Me, sold a zillion copies and was turned into a Jennifer Garner-helmed miniseries. I don't think this book will match those accomplishments, mostly because the plot revolves around a selfish jerk who is inexplicably loved by everyone.

Liam Noone was a hotel magnate with a rags-to-riches success story. When he fell to his death near his central California coastal dream house, he left behind three ex-wives and three children. Nora, the only child from his first marriage, is surprised when Sam, one of her twin half-brothers from the second marriage, urgently reaches out to her. He is convinced that their father's death was not accidental. Although the siblings have never been close, Nora reluctantly agrees to help Sam, if only to convince him that his suspicions are baseless.

I won't spoil the mystery of Liam's death, but I do have to discuss one of the major plot developments to explain why this novel didn't work for me. Through flashback chapters, we see the evolution of Liam's relationship with a woman named Cory. They become lovers in college, but over the years Cory resists Liam's attempts to deepen the relationship because he's a workaholic and she has her own professional dreams. We don't learn Cory's true identity, or how she fits into Nora and Sam's lives, until late in the novel. So basically we're asked to care about the fate of a guy who cheated on all of his wives, and a woman who slept with a married man for decades. But it's okay, because Reasons.

Liam's promiscuity wouldn't have bothered me so much if it hadn't overshadowed the novel's other relationship arcs. Nora is unable to let go of an old flame and fully connect with her perfect fiancé. An injury forced Sam to give up a promising baseball career and he's struggled to find fulfillment ever since. Nora and Sam try to develop a more genuine sibling bond despite resentment and mistrust. Unfortunately, Laura Dave tries to cram all of this plus several mysteries into 300 pages, and Liam sucks all the air out of the room.

I had similar complaints about Barbara O'Neal's 2022 release This Place of Wonder that excused the MC's philandering father because he was a larger-than-life chef who was never (intentionally) cruel to anybody. I don't need my characters to be perfect or even likeable, but rich philandering men who get a pass from the women in their lives are not worth my time and effort.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

Nora's father, Liam Noone supposedly dies accidentally, however some things just don't sit right with Nora and her brother Sam. This was a great family drama with many layers. I really enjoyed it!

My second book by Lara Dave and she’s an auto read for me now!! This book started out strong with mystery. Sam and Nora, Liam’s children, getting together to find out what really happened to him.

About halfway through, it started to stall for me then picked WAY back up! Couldn’t put it down towards the end. I loved the mystery but mostly the heart of the story. How it all came back towards love and devotion. Sam and Nora go to great lengths to find out who their father was truly devoted to!

Laura Dave delivers again with The Night We Lost Him! This gripping story follows Nora and Sam, estranged siblings reunited by their father's sudden death. Ruled an accident, they suspect foul play and delve into a captivating mystery. It’s dual pov with each sibling and explored their complex relationship. It’s very fast paced throughout.

This is a perfect pick for readers who enjoy mysteries with a dash of family drama. You won't be disappointed!

Thanks to NetGalley for this digital ARC!!!!

I was thrilled to discover that Laura Dave is publishing another book. *The Last Thing He Told Me* was outstanding, and her new novel, *The Night We Lost Him*, did not disappoint. While I didn’t love it quite as much as *The Last Thing He Told Me*, it was still a compelling family drama. Once again, the twist caught me completely off guard—I thought I had it figured out at 20%, but I was so wrong. I went back to reread sections to make sure I didn't miss anything that would have alluded to the ending.

Admittedly, I found the beginning a bit slow, but once I got into the story, I couldn’t put it down. My only critique is that some sections were overly descriptive, to the point where I ended up skipping paragraphs. The detailed design descriptions were a bit much, though they were relevant to the main character’s profession.

Overall, I can easily see this novel becoming a major book club pick this year.

I have some major mixed feelings on this book. On the one hand, I really liked the premise and the way the story unfolded. On the other hand, I think the pacing was off and I wish there had been more of a focus on the past chapters and laying the foundation for the love story so I was more invested. I do feel like this had the potential to be a 5-star book, but it just fell short for me in execution. The writing was really solid and it kept me interested, but I think the characters fell a bit flat and could have been fleshed out more. Overall, it was a really interesting concept and kept me engaged, but I think it had the potential to be much better with just a few tweaks.

Thank you t0 Netgalley and Simon Element for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Night We Lost Him follows half brother and sister, Nora and Sam, as they try to piece together the night their father died at his beloved beach house. They were told it was an accident, but things aren't adding up. Was Liam Noone's death really an accident or did someone push him over the edge?

As a huge fan of The Last Thing He Told Me, I was so excited to read this book.

The Night We Lost is a mystery, but it isn't a high-octane, thrill-ride. Dave has always excelled at the mystery elements of a story, but they aren't the heartbeat of her books. Her books are about love, hope, and real family. Which I find refreshing.

The book felt a little slow in some spots, but Dave's writing style still made it engaging enough to keep me interested.

Overall, The Night We Lost Him is a beautiful homage to what it means to love and to be a family.

Liam Noone was a distant family man with three ex-wives and three children – Nora, and twins Sam and Tommy. When Liam falls from the cliff behind his beloved Windbreak, Nora allies with Sam to investigate. The police say he slipped, but Nora and Sam think someone pushed him. Are the police right, or will Nora and Sam find out they are correct and it wasn’t an accident.
I loved The Last Thing He Told Me and was hoping this would be as good and was not disappointed. I was worried that an entire book of two people trying to find out whether a fall was an accident or a murder would be boring, but not so with The Night We Lost Him. There were many more characters brought in, a few love stories, and lots of surprises. I loved this one – I definitely recommend it!

I really enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me, so I was very excited to read this new book! I thought this was a well constructed, family drama/mystery/suspense novel. I enjoyed the past and present timelines that this book was told in. The characters were all very well thought out. I liked the slow burn of this book. I thought the ending tied everything up really nicely. It wasn't something that I predicted so I was happy with how everything came together in the end.

Part mystery, part love story, part family drama, Laura Dave’s latest book is a page-turner. As Nora joins forces with her half-brother Sam to uncover the truth about her father’s mysterious accident, they begin to uncover layers of who he really was and how deeply he was capable of loving.

This book is not like a the previous book I read by this author. The Last Thing He Told Me was fast paced and kept my interest the whole time I was reading it. This one is slower paced and not very thriller-y. It's more of a mystery and it tells a story about two siblings whose father suddenly dies while falling off a cliff behind his home. We get to know the father's story from the flashbacks and how it relates to his death. The brother and sister also discover that maybe he didn't just fall, maybe he was pushed. So that brings another level to this mystery.

I liked the book enough. It was easy to read and it kept my attention. I didn't mind the slow pace, I kind of like that in my books. I don't necessarily like how it was wrapped up. I felt more connected to the present story then to the flashbacks.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC copy of this book.

Wow! What a read. I had to know the ending so badly that I stayed up all night reading. This book kept me on the edge of my seat.

Another wonderful book by Laura Dave. This was different than my favorite one by her- The Last Thing He Told Me, but it was still so good. I loved the plot with all of the family secrets and love wrapped up in a neat little bow. It had a bit of mystery to it that shocked me.

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.