The Last Thing He Told Me

This book was ok. I did not love it. Especially the ending. I really did not like how it ended. The protagonist had lots of internal turmoil about the stepdaughter's treatment of her and that got tedious. The story is interesting and I I wanted to know what was going to happen but I'm not sure why this book is still on the bestseller list. It's just ok.

Merged review:

This book was ok. I did not love it. Especially the ending. I really did not like how it ended. The protagonist had lots of internal turmoil about the stepdaughter's treatment of her and that got tedious. The story is interesting and I I wanted to know what was going to happen but I'm not sure why this book is still on the bestseller list. It's just ok.

I have heard so many good things about this book and it's been on my to read list for a very long time. I am so happy I finally decided to take the leap and read it.

This had me hooked from the very first page. I haven't read a book like this in a long time and it got me so excited about reading again.

The characters, the plot... everything was so enticing to me. This is a book that I could absolutely see being a successful movie or tv series.

I loved reading about the relationship between Hannah and Bailey. Seeing them grow closer together was such a highlight for me. I'm not afraid to say that I cried reading this. Everything about it was so real and raw. I really appreciated every aspect of this book.

This is a comfort read. It's a reread. I will definitely be coming back to read this again in the near future.

You know how your husband goes missing when his boss gets arrested in a high-profile business bust and within a matter of days you fly to a random city based on your rude stepdaughter's random 4-year-old recollections and successfully talk a mob lawyer into letting you live your life without the fear of being capped by a mob lackey all in exchange for completely writing off said husband? No? Me neither. What. Even. Was. This. Story.

And they're going to make it into a television program of some sort?! Unbelievable. (Just like the plot.)

Gelezen via audioboek.

Toen ik zag dat deze de Goodreads Choice Awards had gewonnen in de categorie Mystery/Thriller en deze ook beschikbaar was in Storytel, heb ik hem meteen opgezet, want dat moest toch fantastisch zijn, niet?
Niet, dus. Ik moet zeggen dat ik hem niet helemaal snap, de hype. Het was geen slecht boek persé, maar het was nu ook niet echt bijzonder goed. Het mysterie begon intrigerend, maar ik vond het na een tijdje saai worden en de onthulling en de daaropvolgende afronding varieerden van ongeloofwaardig tot saai.

Het ganse verloop van het verhaal steunt op een 16-jarige die op gepaste momenten zeer plots vrij cruciale en gedetailleerde herinneringen terug vindt van toen ze 4 à 5 jaar was. Op zich kan ik ongeloofwaardige elementen in mysteries/thrillers vrij goed aanvaarden, maar hier was dit specifieke herinneringsproces de enige manier waarop de plot vooruit werd gedreven en het was er voor mij gewoon over.

This book by an author I had not previously heard of turned out to be one of the best thrillers I have read this year. I really enjoyed it. The plot and characters are both engaging, and the ending is satisfying.

This book tells the story of Hannah and Bailey. Hannah's husband, Owen, disappears one day leaving her a note that says simply, “Protect her.” Hannah realizes immediately he means for her protect his daughter Bailey. Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey do not have the best relationship, but Hannah does everything in her power to do what Owen askes of her even though she learns some upsetting things about Owen's past. In order to protect Bailey, Hannah has to search for answers to questions that may be better left alone.

The pacing of this book is perfect. It reads at a fast pace with short chapters and interesting events. The book is hard to put down. The author unfolds the story in such a way to keep the reader guessing and constantly wanting answers. Every event and detail in the story adds suspense. As a reader, I enjoyed trying to solve the puzzle of Owen's past along side the characters.

As for the characters, they are well-developed without being overdone. The reader learns just enough about each one to get an idea of their motivations and to understand their choices. Hannah is a very likable character who strives to do what is best for her stepdaughter. Bailey is portrayed as a typical, moody teenager. Her character feels very authentic. It is easy to understand why she feels as she does when her father leaves. It is nice to see the relationship between the two of them grow stronger as the book progresses.

This is solid thriller that came out of nowhere for me. I am so glad it was a Book of the Month choice and that I decided to give a new author a try. I am definitely interested to read more by this author.

I thought this novel was a fascinating look at how little we can sometimes know about people and whether those assumptions are based solely on what they tell us, or also on what we know about their character. It also delves into a mother's love and how that doesn't have to be a bond by blood. I loved the relationships in this book and the story itself. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I found there were times I was “told” the information in a way where I would rather have “discovered” it through the plot. Overall, a good read and one that has the reader imagining “What would I do in that situation?”

This book was fun to read and I enjoyed reading it a lot, but the story itself is just not as impressive as I thought it would be, which I really didn't mind. I love that this is less like a thriller, since there's barely any suspense or tension, but it's more like a story about how much a father loves his daughter.

Entertaining but so dumb. It didn't really make anymore sense by the end. The idea was interesting but the execution only left things to be desired. Why was it worse for Bailey to move and start over vs never see her father again? Because of the “leak”? I just don't really understand why that pay off would be worth it? I was half expecting Bailey to be like no I want to give up what I have to see my father again, but she was just like... okay :(. Dafuq????? Idk I felt like the writing didn't bother me as much as some readers because I was listening to the book rather than reading, and the characters had pretty distinctive voices. But I can imagine if I had read the physical book it would have annoyed me.