“Protect her” was the only instruction her husband left before he disappeared. Read my review of The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.
The Last Thing He Told Me starts as the worst day in Hannah Hall’s life unfolds. Not only has her husband Owen vanished, but he’s also left her with only one directive: protect his daughter Bailey. As Hannah and Bailey work together, they quickly realize that Owen may not be “Owen” at all. If they have any hope of locating him, they must find out who he really is.
There were aspects of this book I really enjoyed. I loved the idea of the story, and the narrator’s perspective felt fresh. This is the first book I’ve read by Laura Dave, but I would happily read more.
I enjoyed the first half of the novel, but as the story continued, I wondered if the author had an actual ending in mind. In the last third, the plot began to feel muddled and rushed, and I felt a bit let down by the ending. I’ll be very interested to see how the upcoming AppleTV+ series handles the back half of the story because the overall plot would make for a great page-to-screen adaptation, especially with Julia Roberts in the lead!
(Quick update on The Last Thing He Told Me series: Julia Roberts dropped out, and Jennifer Garner is starring.)
The Last Thing He Told Me started strong, and as I mentioned, I loved the overall idea of the book. I liked enough of it to say that you should do a bit of research and decide for yourself if this book is worth reading, but, in the end, it wasn’t one of my favorites.
Author Laura Dave discusses the book below: