The Last Thing He Told Me

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

*Featured Buddy Read*
This buddy read is featured on the homepage and is pinned to the top of the January Buddy Reads folder. Otherwise it works just like every other buddy read!

If you are new to Buddy Reads, check out the sign-up thread for instructions and to sign up for future buddy reads!

You can join in the discussion even if your name isn't on the list!

This thread is to discuss The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

Pages: 307 pages

Length: 1 months (January)

Participants: SarahKat, Dominique, Sophia, Beth, Temitayomiyoshiseun

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

[Jemma]

I’d love to join in!
I’ve not done a buddy read before but definitely interested in sharing thoughts and ideas!
Looking forward to starting this book in January x

[Temitayomiyoshiseun]

I would like to join in on this read. The author is new to me. I just picked up the book today. I look forward to reading and discussing the book.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Welcome both of you!!

I'm not sure when I'll start this one yet. Depends on what version of the book I can get from the library.

I haven't read this author either. This has been on my list for a long time.

[Carrie]

I didn't sign up for this but it is ready for me to borrow off of my wait list on Libby so I will be reading it and would like to join.

This is a new author for me so I am excited to see what everyone thinks of this one!

[Jemma]

I started the book this morning! Only read the prologue and the first chapter, can’t say I’m completely gripped but an interesting premise so far 🫣

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Welcome Carrie!

The audio of this just became available so I'll start today. I'll be listening pretty slowly for the next week though as I'm on staycation and I won't be driving or walking without kids as much (which is when I usually listen to books)

[melanie]

after reading the synopsis I'd love to join in on this one too! I guess that answers what prompted me to join lol I've never read this author before so I'm excited to expand my reading horizons.

[Shelley]

I read this book last summer. It wasn't as dark or suspenseful as I expected, but it was a good read. I probably will not reread it right now, but hope you all enjoy it.

[Jemma]

Ahh I’ve just finished the book, I didn’t mean to read it so quickly, I didn’t love it but also couldn’t put it down???

I’ll wait until everyone else has read it before I discuss as I don’t want to accidentally spoil it 🫣

[Sophia]

I haven't read this author before but I have had this title on my want to read for a bit so I'm excited! Just picked it up from my library today and will probably start tomorrow :) Good to see so many joining in for this.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Glad to see a bunch of people joining!

I've made it through Part 1. So far I agree with Shelley and Jemma. It's not super suspenseful but there's something compelling about it.
(view spoiler)[I like Hannah and how she is handling everything. I wonder if Owen has a whole other family in Austin? I think the note to Bailey has a second meaning and not just that he loves her. (hide spoiler)]

[Tanu]

What prompted you to join this buddy read? - the title just caught my attention. Never read this author before and not sure what to expect.

[Laura]

I haven’t read this author before but it sounds like something I would like. I’m going to pick it up this week at the library.

[Claire]

Ooh, I've been kind of MIA for a while, but I actually have this book in my Kindle already, so I'd love to join in.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Jemma you can put your end-of-book thoughts under spoilers so we can read them as we finish!

I just finished part 2. (view spoiler)[Definitely found out a lot of stuff, especially at the very end of this part. The unveiling of info was almost too fast. Apparently Owen was married to the daughter of a lawyer for a crime family or something? I'm unsure on that point. But that's why he ran and changed their names after the lawyer's daughter (Owen's first wife) died.
That would make Charlie Bailey's uncle. I'm not sure how Grady fits into this. He's obviously part of it somehow. (hide spoiler)]

I still relate to Hannah the most because, well, she's a mom and I'm a mom. She's much more... actionable than I think I would be though.

Favorite scene: (view spoiler)[Not sure about favorite but the one I can see most clearly in my head is the recent cocktail bar one where she meets Charlie. And we get a lot of answers (and more questions) there (hide spoiler)]

[Kiva]

Hey, I would like to join too.. This book has been on my TBR for a long time.. May I too late to join??

[Sophia]

Well I finished it a lot sooner than I though I would! Overall was a good book, agree it was hard to put away for the first two parts but I feel like it lost its "slow burn" in the third part. (view spoiler)[I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I think Owen/Ethan wasn't really fleshed out enough from Hannah's perspective. What I mean is, we heard from Nicholas and Grady how Ethan was culpable for some bad things, but what things and how bad were they? We see that Hannah choses to stand by her husband's side, as of course many wives would... but I don't understand how after only knowing him for 2 years she could be so convinced. Sometimes I think as a reader I'm too critical of fiction for not being realistic enough, and this is probably one of those times. I just don't believe you can know someone well enough in 2 years to be that certain they're a good guy when you have others telling you they weren't. I mean, what if he aided "the organization" in murders? Also, I was irritated we went through all those Hannah/Nicholas negotiations only for the family to never be mentioned again. Did they end up getting to know Bailey? Did they attend her high school graduation? Send birthday and Christmas cards? A relationship of any sort? We went on the manhunt for them with Hannah and Bailey and yet we'll never actually know how that turned out. One last opinion - I was a little underwhelmed with Owen's real identity and story once revealed. I totally think it would've been way more wild and entertaining if we knew for sure that he did some really intensely bad things, where Hannah would have to grapple with her moral compass more. (hide spoiler)]

Fun read all said and done!

[Muhammad Adib]

New author for me, I think this book is interesting as the book being bestseller and nominated in goodreads

[Carrie]

I did mean to come in and discuss midway through the book but I moved through it a little faster than I though that I would and I am finished with it. It wasn't a great book but it was a good book. I think I rated it 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 for GR since it doesn't allow 1/2 ratings) which is a solid rating for me. What I liked the most about it was just how easy it was to read. Nothing mindblowing really happened but it was something that I never wanted to put down. Enjoyable books should not be work to get through and this one was not. The characters were written in a way that I felt like I knew them and could feel what they felt. I will read this author again for sure.

Now for the actual plot and story: (view spoiler)[

I liked how it kept me guessing and the surprise of why he was really running and who they really were was revealed in a way that was not really surprising at all (because she led us there so well) but also not completely predictable. I felt like I was starting to suspect everything in the exact same timeline as the main characters. I did feel like the ending was wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly after all of the build up but it still was very rewarding. I LOVED the way the relationship between Bailey and her stepmother, Hannah was revealed and grew. I LOVED how Hannah chose Bailey and her future and why she did it. The author did a great job of building that relationship and it was beautiful. (hide spoiler)]

Thank you for introducing this book to me. I don't know if I would have read it or this author if not for this buddy read. I look forward to reading everyone else's thoughts on it.

[Carrie]

I also noticed that almost everyone agrees that even though it is not super suspensful that it was hard to put down. That is a very good sign about the author. I will prioritze writing style and character developement over plot any day. Also not saying that the plot was not good, just that it was not the best part of the book.

[Rebecca]

Just finished my. I enjoyed that it was a quick read and kept me interested. I just liked the progression of the main character and her relationship to Bailey.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Finished!
The first 2/3 of this book were really interesting. All of the questions and half-answers that surface regarding Owen's past are compelling and I wanted to keep listening. However, once we sort of find out the situation, it suddenly got really uninteresting. It wasn't a slog, but it was just that I didn't really care much what happened because the threat that existed was sort of abstract. The ending seemed fast and a little too tidy considering all of the characters involved. Seems like a few of us had the same thoughts!

This book does really make you think about what you might do in that situation as a parent, as unlikely as that situation is. (view spoiler)[Would you be able to walk away from your family like this so they'd be safe? Probably, knowing that otherwise you are putting them in danger. But damn that would be hard. I'd much rather do a John Wick type thing and just bring down the entire organization so I could eventually be with them again. Not that I have the skills or abilities to do that. (hide spoiler)]

[Tanu]

Just finished and (view spoiler)[there were so many twists and turns (hide spoiler)]. I took it for what it was, but I agree with SarahKat that it became less interesting once we knew the solution. All in all, though, a good read. (view spoiler)[I'm not a parent but if it was me in that situation, I reckon I'd do it for my kids. (hide spoiler)]

Edit: forgot spoiler tags.

[Beth]

Prior to starting
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
The synopsis caught my interest. I enjoy plots like this.

Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?
Never read Laura Dave before.

Started yesterday. Just finished chapter 9. So far, I'm enjoying the story. I'm quite interested to find out how Hannah copes with all that's going on and what is actually going on with Owen.

[TCampbell]

I read and enjoyed this book and recently watched the limited series on Hulu (or was it Apple TV?) Hannah is played by Jennifer Garner and it stayed pretty true to the book.

[Beth]

I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did. I thought (view spoiler)[it was going to be a murder mystery murder a la Lucy Foley. I was a bit disappointed that it was "just" the woman solving the mystery of what had happened to her husband. Also agree with Sarah that, once we knew the situation, the book became much less interesting. (hide spoiler)]

All that said, the writing was good and the plot kept moving. A 3 star for me.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

TCampbell wrote: "I read and enjoyed this book and recently watched the limited series on Hulu (or was it Apple TV?) Hannah is played by Jennifer Garner and it stayed pretty true to the book."

One of the few times I could see the television version being better than the book perhaps? The tension and emotion would be carried through the end I think.

[Claire]

I had planned to come in and give my thoughts on Part 1, but I couldn't wait to get into Part 2, so I just kept reading. Then I planned to come in when I finished Part 2, but you can probably guess where this is going.

At the moment, I'm a couple chapters into Part 3, and I can already see the pace slowing a bit. But so far, it's been a very good read.

[Anna Rachel]

What prompted you to join this buddy read? This has been sitting in my TBR and when I saw it was the buddy read I had already chosen a bunch of books to read in January & didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew. But of course I finished them all and January is only half through. The book was available at my library so I decided to join this buddy read late!

Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books? I have not read this author yet but the genre is right up my alley so I’m excited.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Anna Rachel wrote: "What prompted you to join this buddy read? This has been sitting in my TBR and when I saw it was the buddy read I had already chosen a bunch of books to read in January & didn’t want to bite off mo..."

Hope you like it!

[Dominique]

I finished.

That wasn't a thriller but more of a soft mystery in my opinion

(view spoiler)[ The story was interesting but the pace wasn't suspenseful enough for me to react with surprise. I was pretty obvious that he was running from something and when it was reveal it wasn't a wow factor.
The characters were ok. There wasn't a real bad guy in the book. I think that the author wanted more of a sentimental book than a suspense. It was more about Hannah and Bailey/Kristin's developing a relationship/bond.

I did like the ending when Owen still pops in and out in secret when he can. The calling her mom was nice but didn't since it was a fastfoward timeline, we don't know how it came about calling Hannah mom (hide spoiler)]

[Anna Rachel]

Just over halfway done and I feel like a whole lot of nothing has happened? I’m moving through it quickly and keep waiting for it to get better, which it might, but I don’t like the fact that I’m halfway through and there’s been no plot twists, major developments or a heart racing scene.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Anna Rachel wrote: "Just over halfway done and I feel like a whole lot of nothing has happened? I’m moving through it quickly and keep waiting for it to get better, which it might, but I don’t like the fact that I’m h..."

Definitely not thrilling enough to be labeled a thriller.

[Anna Rachel]

I didn’t like it 😭😭

[Jemma]

Has everyone read it now?

[Temitayomiyoshiseun]

I’ve read it and I’m not really impressed. It’s my first read from this author. I was expecting a little more. And the ending was disappointing to me. I give it ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Jemma wrote: "Has everyone read it now?"

I think so, but do put spoilers under the spoiler tags anyway in case people who haven't read it come across this thread