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.

Nora and her brother Sam look into the death of their father after Sam convinces Nora that the circumstances were suspicious. While the initial “evidence” Sam gave was flimsy, they did build a case and found that the people closest to their dad were keeping secrets, but they didn’t know if they were to protect their dad, or themselves.

On the surface, this was a murder mystery but it was actually a love story and a story of loss and grief.
4.5⭐️

Laura Dave is one of my favorite authors so I was excited for a chance to read and review “The Night We Lost Him.” Like “The Last Thing He Ever Told Me,” this novel also centers around a mystery—Nora and her estranged brother, Sam, try to determine what happened to their father, Liam, after his mysterious death.

Readers from all types of genres will enjoy this story as it is one-third family saga, one-third mystery and one-third love story. Laura Dave takes time to develop her characters and their relationships—the dynamics of the siblings and how they react to their father’s demise is especially intriguing.

Four stars

Thanks go to Laura Dave, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to give “The Night We Lost Him” an early read.

This was not the mystery/thriller I expected. It is more of a family drama with mystery on the side. It is well written and hard to put fine. I found it to be a strong mixture of several genres and many emotions.

Overall Grade: B+
Plot: B
Characters: B+
Pacing: B+
Setting: A-
Writing: A-
Best Aspect: Enjoyable to read and makes you want to keep reading to see what will happen.
Worst Aspect: The drama wasn’t as exciting as I expected after loving this author’s other book, The Last Thing He Told Me.
Recommend: Yes.

After finishing this book, I found myself thinking, "Can we make another show out of this?" It was so raw and beautiful, capturing an incredible love story amidst tragedy. From the outside looking in, the romance was breathtaking, though I can understand how the wife’s perspective might paint a different picture.

Even with the darker aspects of the story, and not just the tragedy, Liam’s presence loomed large, influencing the narrative profoundly even in his absence. Interestingly, Sam and Nora felt more like supporting characters rather than leads, adding depth and nuance to the plot. The layers of this story are so intricate and compelling that I just can't get enough of it. This book is a rich tapestry of emotions and relationships, and I’m left craving more.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley for the early copy. This is a quick read that I enjoyed and although the characters weren’t really fleshed out, we learn about them enough along the way. I liked the renewed relationship with extended family, a mystery and a love story all in one but truly this is more of a story centered around loss and grief and the loved ones left behind trying to figure it all out.!

Thank you for this advance copy. I really enjoyed this book. It kept me up all night reading, I just could not stop!

This was my first read for this author and will not be my last. Very well written book.
The death of their father brings Nora and Sam together to investigate the true cause of their father’s death. They do not believe that it was an accident that he fell from the bluff to his death. Many secrets are revealed along the way. Wounds are healed, wrongs are righted, relationships are strengthened. Highly recommend this well written book. I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Such a good book about family secrets and love! I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I found this book to be a bit slow. The middle really slowed down. I liked the family characters because they were so snarky to each other. The story is not very engaging in my opinion. I didn't really care what happened to them or their father. This book is not one I would recommend to my friends or our reading group.

First off, thank you NetGalley, Laura Dave, and Simon & Schuster publishing for this ARC. I loved The Last Thing He Told Me so I was very excited to be approved for this book.

Liam Noone has spend the last 4 decades building his luxury hotel empire, and one day he suddenly falls to his death at his California beach house. While the police have ruled it an accident his son Sam is not convinced. Wanting to get the bottom of what happened, Sam enlists the help of his sister Nora.

Nora is Liam’s daughter from his first marriage, and she never wanted anything to do with the company. She loves her father, but his life was always something she wasn’t a part of. She reluctantly agrees to help Sam, and sets off in a journey of grief, discovery, and ultimately understanding.

I really enjoyed this book! I love Laura’s writing and the way she crafts a story. She weaves both past and present in this story and leaves you guessing after every chapter. I really felt like I was walking this road with Nora. At every turn Nora finds another piece of the puzzle, but then has more questions. I think Laura beautifully crafter her a character and while she was far from perfect, I definitely related to her in ways.

While this book is technically a thriller, I think it was really a story of grief. Nora is grieving the loss of her father but also the loss of the person she thought he was and the fear of losing people who she’s close to. There were so many heartbreaking moments in the book that were beautifully written and handled with such care.

Again, this was such a wonderful book and I really loved it. Thank you again NetGalley, Laura Dave, and the publisher for this book.

This is a very generous 3 star rating...it's much more like a 2 or 2.5 star, but I like the author's previous work and I was intrigued by the mystery of the story. The problem for me was this book was just boring. I didn't enjoy the going back and forth in timelines and how it would be 50 years ago, then 49 years ago, and so on. I was confused with who some of the characters were and the whole "love triangle" was just unnecessary to the plot. Overall I think this book needs a lot more editing and maybe some more suspense to make it worth the read.
2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book will be a huge hit for most readers. I found it a little too slow for me personally. I also could not connect with any of the characters. But I do think this will be a hit for some many readers who will love the plot and the twists it just wasn’t one for me personally.

I thought this was a great family drama. Nora gets roped into visiting the site where her father died with her estranged brother to figure out his death. It was a good read and I enjoyed it!

Star rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I fell in love with Laura Dave’s writing after reading The Last Thing He Told Me. This thriller did not disappoint. I will agree with other reviews that the pace is more of a slow burn. Even so, I was on the edge of my seat trying to guess the ending before it happened but wasn’t able to (which I truly liked not being able to guess the ending).

I appreciated the way the story was told, the present being the search for answers in the death of a father & the past being a peek into a decades-long romance of sorts. There is even mystery in this because we have no idea who the mystery woman is until the end of the book.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the writing of the book & the story itself. If you like slow burns & suspenseful family thrillers, you will not be disappointed with this book.

Short synopsis for reference 👇🏼
When the patriarch of a famed hotel empire dies under suspicious circumstances, his daughter and her estranged brother join forces to find out what happened, unraveling a larger mystery about who their father really was.

Laura Dave is back with another twisty, edge-of-your-seat intelligent thriller that asks the question - how can we ever truly know someone? This is the best thriller I have read this year so far - what a ride! I couldn't put it down! Piece by piece, layer by layer, we slowly uncover who Liam Noone was, and why someone would want to kill him. All I will say is that once you open this superb novel, you won't be able to stop reading! I can't wait to see what Laura Dave will come up with next! All the stars!!!

4 ⭐️

Thank you Simon & Schuster / Marysue Rucci Books and NetGalley for my ARC copy of this book!

I was so very excited to read the next page turner from Laura Dave, The Last Thing He Told Me author. I will start by saying I think it’s impossible for any book to live up to that one, and it remains my favorite of hers.

I enjoyed a lot about this book — the mystery, the relationships, the different portrayals of love. I found the mystery itself to be less intense and therefore the final unveiling to be a bit of a letdown (I will say, I was able to predict the ending at a certain point, which I never am usually right about!). And I didn’t love the main character’s love life mess — it felt a bit unnecessary, though the ending payoff was satisfying.

I read this in one go, really wanting to see where it panned out. I enjoyed it but think it’s tough to follow The Last Thing He Told Me. Either way, Laura Dave has a talent for writing page turners with great heart, and that’s an amazing gift.