The Last Thing He Told Me audiobook

Great news! This book won Goodreads Choice Awards in thriller category! Well deserved! In my opinion each book at the category was amazing! It was the most competitive category! I still ask myself why I didn’t give this book five stars! Especially the ending… I think I may start crying at each time I remember the ending!🥺🥺🥺Good news! This amazing book will be adapted into mini series on Apple TV. Semi good news is Jennifer Garner replaced Julia Roberts for leading role.🤗Another gripping, unputdownable, whirlwind, fast ride you easily attach yourself at the high tension, mysterious story! An interesting fact about this action packed, mind numbing suspense story: is it made me cry so hard when I finished the last page! Because this is also a heart wrenching love story between an introverted, unique , artsy woman who never believed true love till she meets with her husband but later she realizes she does not know anything about his true identity! Meet Hannah, in her early forties, earning her living by carving woods, a true artist raised by her grandpa, suffering from the absence of her mom in her entire life, finally settles in her suburban life in Sausalito, married with Owen who works in tech company, trying to be a mother to his 16 years old girl Bailey even though she makes everything in her power to make things harder for her! Her husband teases her to be absentminded. She loses everything like cellphones, sunglasses, baseball hats, socks, lightbulbs, mittens, parking ticket etc. And one day she loses her husband! Wait! She doesn’t lose him! He just sends her a note via 12 years old girl who bumped into his daughter’s school. The note says: “Protect her!” Protect who? From whom? What’s going on? Why the hell her husband doesn’t open his phone? On the news she finds out FBI arrested Owen’s boss because of scandalous tech scheme! Is his husband involved with the scheme? He was stressed because of the work lately. And why FBI is sniffing around their house and why U. S. Marshall from Texas insists to help her even though this case is out of his jurisdiction! And after calling his ex to defend her as their family lawyer, the investigator her ex hired finds out the ugly truth: her husband’s name is not Owen! He was not graduated from Princeton! He was not from Massachusetts! Who was her husband? Who was after him? Was it about the company’s fall out or was it something shadier than that which would force them to run away throughout their entire lives? It was fast pacing, engaging reading I devoured in a few hours! The writing style was riveting! Bailey and Hannah is survival quest, chasing the truth, defining their own dysfunctional step mother-daughter relationship were most powerful elements of the book. And thankfully the story wrapped up satisfyingly. This one is of my best, exciting, intense thriller reads of the year earned my four heart pounding, saddened, doing everything to protect your child stars! I heard so many great things about author’s previous works which I already added a few of them including Eight Hundred Grapes on my chubby tbr. Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon&Schuster for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.bloginstagramfacebooktwitter

Check out my 1 minute spoiler free video review here: https://youtu.be/d9P7Ky3XDIEThe book features a newly married Hannah who discovers that her husband, Owen Michaels, has disappeared. He leaves her a note, “Protect her.” What could it mean? One thing. His daughter, Bailey. Bailey, the 16 year old, who is high on attitude and likes her stepmother as much as the typical 16 year old. What happened to Owen? How will things turn out for Bailey and Hannah? Clear your schedule because you will need to read this book non-stop! It wasn’t boring at all – this book was definitely thrilling! The book would focus on the present and then would cut to a flashback where Hannah is trying to comb through her memories looking for clues. This give the book such a realistic feel as when something goes wrong you try to think back on could you see this coming, what did you miss? The particular manner in which this book was written, it always felt as if you were going to make a big discovery eminently and would learn a little more, a little more along the way. The ending was also unexpected!It has been a long time since I read a thriller this good! Enjoy!*Thank you, NetGalley, for the free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion!2023 Reading ScheduleJan Alice in WonderlandFeb Notes from a Small IslandMar Cloud AtlasApr On the RoadMay The Color PurpleJun Bleak HouseJul Bridget Jones’s DiaryAug Anna KareninaSep The Secret HistoryOct Brave New WorldNov A Confederacy of DuncesDec The Count of Monte CristoConnect With Me!Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta

“Don’t Ask a Question You Don’t Want the Answer To.”The Last Thing He Told Me is a mystery/domestic suspense about a man living a lie and his wife and daughter who struggle to discover who he really is When Hannah Hall receives a note from her husband stating nothing more than “Protect her,” one random afternoon, her whole world shatters. Her husband Owen has disappeared without a trace, and she soon learns that he was not the man she thought he was. Charged with taking care of her contentious stepdaughter, Bailey, she and Bailey slowly begin to investigate Owen leading them to danger and a startling revelation.This was my first Laura Dave book, and she hooked me right from the start. Her writing style, the characters, the plot, and the pacing felt authentic. Hannah narrates events in the present moment, but we also get flashbacks to her marriage to Owen. It helped that Hannah doesn’t feel sorry for herself. Her emotions are subtle, real, and honest. While the mystery of Owen’s past is intriguing, the strength of this book lies in the characters. This is not as much about Hannah's relationship with Owen, but more about her relationship with Bailey. I didn’t love the epilogue, but it does offer some closure. Overall, I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more by Laura Dave!I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

i like mysteries more than thrillers and i'm not afraid to say it

ive seen mixed reviews for this one, so i was a little nervous going into it. but i had literally zero expectations, which is probably why i enjoyed it so much.i was immediately hooked from the beginning. i think the pacing is spot on, the flashbacks are effective, the characters are relatable, and the plot is very straightforward. i really, really enjoyed how even though the mystery of the missing husband is at the forefront of the story, the growing bond between hannah and bailey is really worth reading. the only blip would be the general ending - i dont think its very strong and i can understand why many readers are let down by it. its not really a thrilling ending, but suitable, if that makes sense. it fits the overall vibe of the story, so i personally dont mind it. i also loved the epilogue, so that helped me overlook it, as well.overall, i enjoyed this much more than i thought i would and it definitely has me interested in picking up the authors other books!↠ 4 stars

The thing is, I like mysteries that aren’t about someone being murdered or sexually assaulted once in awhile. Unraveling the “what happened” thread in a novel doesn’t always have to be tied to figuring out who did the stabbing or the grabbing. In The Last Thing He Told Me, Hannah’s new husband vanishes right after he has a note delivered to her asking that she protect his teenage daughter, Bailey. Here the “what happened” questions are: Where did he go? Protect her from what? Will he come back? Why has a US Marshal shown up on her doorstep if the FBI says that agency isn’t involved? Over the course of the next 300 pages, we follow Hanna as she and her semi-hostile stepdaughter band together to find the answers. I liked their relationship and thought it felt very authentic. I found Hannah’s choices to be fairly reasonable under the extreme circumstances she was facing. I enjoyed the Sausalito, CA and Austin, TX settings. I found the ending to be plausible if not 100% satisfying. Reese Witherspoon picked this as the May 2021 selection for her book club. You should pick it for yours. Ms. Witherspoon is already working on an limited series adaptation for Apple TV that will star Julia Roberts, and you know you want to read the book beforehand. Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/

Published Today! (4th May 2021) A suspenseful, addictive and surprisingly emotional mystery about family and loveHannah Hall receives a note from her husband Owen, saying only 'protect her' before he disappears, leaving Hannah to take care of his 16 year old daughter Bailey. What is going on? Where is Owen? Who can Hannah trust? And does she really know her husband?I really enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me, and flew through the pages, needing to know what would happen to Hannah, Bailey and Owen! I always know I'm enjoying a book when I tell my husband about it, and when I think about it when I'm not reading, which was definitely the case here!I hadn't heard of Laura Dave before I saw a glowing review by my friend Ceecee, but decided to request it, and now I want to read more of this author's work because this hooked me in from the start, and kept me entertained until the end! I loved the writing style, it was really engaging, pulling me in fast, and keeping me on my toes, as I discovered all was not what it seemed.The story was told from Hannah's first person POV in the present tense. Present tense doesn't always work for me, but this one did, perhaps because it also had flashbacks into Hannah's past. It was a character driven story, and really focussed on their relationships. I loved Hannah, she was strong, independent, resourceful and real. I felt for her as she tried to muddle through such a stressful and worrying time, whilst still trying to win over her stepdaughter. Bailey was very well written as a teenager! Their relationship was so well written, and I enjoyed seeing the bond between them blossom. Motherhood comes in many forms, and you could feel Hannah's love for Bailey throughout the story. Owen had disappeared right from the start of the book, but I still felt like I knew him, due to the flashbacks, and from Hannah and Bailey's love for him. I also liked hearing about Hannah's grandfather, and his effect on her life.I've seen that some reviewers didn't like the bittersweet ending, but I cannot see how it could've ended any other way. I was satisfied with it, even though I couldn't see the writing at points because my tears blurred the words! I saw earlier that this is being adapted, which I am pleased about because this would transfer so well to the screen I think!This would be a great book to read to get you out of a slump, or if you want a quick, gripping, character driven story!Many thanks to NetGalley and Serpent's tail/Viper/Profile Books for my ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 Stars Upgraded to 5 Stars......because even though I said below that I hated the ending...the ending also made this book really stick with me. I still think about it months and months later. So five big ones. Original ReviewI haven't been in a reviewing mood lately at ALL, but I wanted to get something down here before I completely forgot...I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed Dave's writing and I liked how things were slowly revealed to us. I don't want to say too much as I obviously don't want to include spoilers, but I did enjoy how the relationship between Bailey and Hannah transformed over time, especially as revealed at the ending. Which brings me to just that: the ending...I didn't love it. At ALL. But I also wonder if I would have enjoyed the book as much without it. In fact, much of the book's power for me resided in the final "epilogue" scene, which wouldn't have been possible without the ending it had. So...definitely a conundrum. Very bittersweet, I guess. Anyway, I'll read more from this author.

Hannah is happily married to Owen, and struggling with her relationship with his daughter, Bailey, who is barely civil to her. Hannah’s husband disappears and she finds only a note with two words: “Protect her”. She knows the note refers to her stepdaughter Bailey. But why? And protect her from what? When Hannah receives visits from the FBI and a U.S Marshal, and does some digging herself, she begins to understand that her husband Owen was not who she thought he was. Told in two timelines – one with brief flashbacks to the past, which gives us context and a fuller picture of Hannah and Owen’s life together, and the second is in the present when Hannah and Bailey are forced to work together to find out the truth about Owen. Hannah is smart and intuitive in how she deals with Bailey and their relationship was one of my favorite things about the story. Set in Sausalito and Austin, Texas, Hannah navigates the twists and turns using her intelligence combined with good instincts. She has to reconcile the husband she knows and loves with the new information she receives about him. As the novel progresses, Hannah must figure out what she needs to do to protect Bailey, and make a difficult choice on how to move forward. How she does so was completely unpredictable, yet perfect, which elevated this from a typical mystery/thriller. Many books in this genre disappoint me with the ending, but in this case, I loved it. So much to love about this one. I loved the relationship between Hannah and Bailey. I loved that the author didn't make Bailey precocious or annoying (as so many teens in fiction). I loved that the ending, the choice she made was completely unpredictable. I loved the epilogue, and I usually hate them. I loved that Hannah was smart and intelligent with good instincts not only in her search for Owen, and making her final decision, but in dealing with a difficult teenager and navigating the stepmother/stepdaughter relationship. My reading buddy, Marialyce, and I both chose this for our BOTM selection last month and we were not disappointed! I read and enjoyed a previous contemporary novel of the author’s but this is a new genre for the author. I hope there are more to come! Recommended for those who love character-driven domestic mysteries that are still strong on plot. If you enjoy smartly written, strong, intelligent women protagonists, you will love Hannah.

3.75 rounded up! “PROTECT HER” 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? 🎁I would like to thank the Publisher for my gifted copy! It was my pleasure to provide a candid review! Available May 4, 2021

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a 2021 Simon & Schuster publication. This book got lots of ‘buzz’ last year, was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, and an instant NYT bestseller. Naturally, I added it to my TBR list… but it took me over a year to finally get around to reading it, but boy was it worth the wait!! The story grabbed my attention immediately, but I couldn’t have guessed how engrossing, smart and well-plotted the book would be, or how emotional it would become… Hannah and her teenage stepdaughter, Bailey, are having trouble adjusting to one another, though Bailey’s father, Owen, insists his daughter will eventually come around. So far, though, Hannah's hasn't been able to win her over... But then, Owen, only barely manages to get a brief, simple message to Hannah, sending her a note which read ‘protect her’- obviously referring to Bailey. With that, he proceeds to vanish- seemingly because his employer runs afoul of the law. But his possible culpability is the least of their worries, and suddenly Hannah and Bailey must work together, whether Bailey likes it or not, if they hope to find Owen, battling unknown forces in their quest to uncover the truth… The suspense is palpable, the mystery deep and compelling. The plotting is tight, the pacing so pitch perfect it was impossible to put this book down. But the story reaches out further than the mystery/thriller elements to create a mother/daughter bond that beyond all else is the cornerstone of the story-And is ultimately the most rewarding pay- off. Overall, this book did indeed live up to the hype. As 2022, with one or two notable exceptions, has mainly served up stale, lukewarm offerings in the thriller category, thus far, I was relieved to discover I had an ace in the hole with this one. Highly recommend!! 5 stars

Nice read. The best part about this one is the authors great skill level, the voice, the characters.This is a Reese Whitherspoon book club choice. I have yet to have a bad read with her books. She always makes excellent choices. Some, of course are better than others. This one is a short read. The way the book is constructed with the extra pages at chapter breaks, the font, spacing, it makes it seem longer. This one is 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. The story didn’t have enough depth of story and the meager info was meted out a little too slowly. When a well-used premise is utilized I prefer to have a lot more depth in the story design, details and twists coming fast and furious, but that’s just me. This is a great beach read, or an afternoon with a hot cup of tea sitting by the sliding glass door with a view of the world. I do recommend this book.

The last thing Owen Michaels told his wife Hannah Hall before disappearing is ‘Protect Her’. He must be referring to his sixteen year old daughter Bailey with whom step-mum Hannah has a tricky relationship. After receiving the note Hannah and Bailey’s lives change in ways they could never have foreseen. The story is told by Hannah in the present and with flashbacks from her first meeting Owen which works really well. I couldn’t put this down!! This is how you write a domestic thriller novel! There’s nothing unnecessary, it’s not overlong, the chapters are short, crisp and to the point but the author skilfully creates a real feeling of authenticity. The writing isn’t flashy or over the top, it’s just darned good storytelling I engage with immediately. I love the chapter headings which have a good dose of wit about them. The settings are really good as is the characterisation. Hannah is clever, resourceful, an independent thinker and brave as she’s prepared to do whatever it takes. The portrait of teenager Bailey is very strong, you feel her confused and torn emotions. I like how their relationship changes, develops and morphs as they unite in their attempts to seek out the truth. There are some really good twists and turns in the well paced plot as Hannah pieces together what small snippets of information she has and maximises them. Their anger, confusion and uncertainty of what to believe about Owen comes across well and you admire Hannah’s ingenuity in piecing it together. There’s nail biting suspense as the very unpretty tale emerges which keeps me gripped throughout. The ending is maybe a bit too neatly tied in a bow but that’s not to say I don’t like it - I do!! Overall, I love this book, finding it a well written and very entertaining, enjoyable thriller demonstrating just how far people will go for love. With thanks to NetGalley and Serpents Tail/Viper/Profile Books. I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest unedited review.

3.5 A terrible thing has happened to Hannah. Her husband of just over a year, Owen, has run away leaving behind a note that says "Protect Her". Owen's boss has been accused by the SEC of fraud and he has been taken by the police. Hannah has been left with her stepdaughter, Bailey, who has never warmed up to Hannah despite multiple attempts to engage her.Hannah can't relate to her new situation. The husband she knows would never leave her or his daughter behind. Something is terribly wrong. Hannah doesn't know much about his past but she knows Owen was married before. His first wife died in an accident and he became a widower with a small baby. Now, Bailey is sixteen and giving her a hard time.A day after his disappearance, a US Marshal stops by her home and tells her, Owen is not the man she thinks he is. Later on, the FBI comes knocking on her door wanting to know where Owen is and how much he knew about what his boss was doing. This pushes Hannah to begin her own investigation and embark on a journey to learn who her husband really is. What she discovers is a trail of lies and deceit.The Last Thing He Told Me was well-written and quite addicting. The pages flew by. I liked Hannah almost instantly. She was trying hard to help Bailey and was ready to do everything to protect her and find the answers they needed. I wasn't happy with the resolution but other than that, I thought the story was a good one.Cliffhanger: No3.5/5 FangsA complimentary copy was provided by Simon & Schuster via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram