The Last Thing He Told Me

I read “The Last Thing He Told Me” simply because it kept coming up on my recommendations list from GoodReads and from my local library. I had to wait a few weeks to get it because the waiting list was so long, but it was worth it. This was a really good book! I think I liked it so much because the characters were so well developed. The author made me actually care about the main characters: a wife and her 16-year-old stepdaughter. I even cared about the missing husband/father and his backstory. This book kept me interested and coming back to it until I turned the final page, and then I was sorry to see it end. This book tells the story of Hannah, a stepmother who is far from evil. She genuinely cares about her stepdaughter Bailey and loves her husband Owen. Until one day, Owen just disappears, leaving nothing but the cryptic message instructing Hannah to “protect her” (it was the last thing he told Hannah, hence the book’s title). From there, Hannah and Bailey set off on a path of discovery, ultimately learning everything they thought they knew about each other was mistaken except for their love and commitment to family. Like I said, I really liked this book, mostly because author Laura Dave developed Hannah and Bailey so well and took the readers through how their relationship grew from stepmother vs. resentful-teen-girl to something deeper and more mature. If you like female relationships with a hint of mystery, suspense, and intrigue, check this one out!