The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave

The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave follows a stepmother, Hannah, and her step daughter, Bailey, as they grapple with the sudden disappearance of their husband and father, Owen. Hannah is left with a single note from Owen: Protect her. The more they seek answers, the more they are haunted by the realization that Owen was not who he said he was. The mother-daughter pair must put old grievances aside in order to keep their family, and their reputation, safe.

This book definitely had a lot of potential to be a good book, but Dave included an incomplete and unsatisfactory ending. There was a ton of buildup, and as a fan of true-crime books and suspense, I was excited to see where the author would take us. However, Dave consistently chooses not to include a big climax. Instead, it felt like the storyline fizzled out into a happy ending that was not very satisfying. I would recommend this as a taste of suspense novels, but ultimately the book fell short of my expectations. My final rating of this book is a two out of five stars.

Review by AL, Grade 12

Glendale Central Library