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The Last Thing He Told Me Review: Back-of-Book Description
The instant #1 New York Times bestselling mystery and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that’s captivated more than a million readers about a woman searching for the truth about her husband’s disappearance…at any cost.
“A fast-moving, heartfelt thriller about the sacrifices we make for the people we love most.” —Real Simple
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.
With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting mystery, certain to shock you with its final, heartbreaking turn.
The Last Thing He Told Me Review: My Thoughts
I was visiting my boyfriend’s family one weekend when his sister had just finished this book. She said she liked it and let me borrow it. I can’t remember now what all she said about it – which means she probably didn’t love it so much that she couldn’t stop talking about it, ya know?
And that’s also probably why I didn’t read it right away – I think I gave it about six months. But in June I wanted a short thriller to break up some of the LGBTQ+ books I was reading for Pride month (such as Getting Clean With Stevie Green or The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo). And while The Last Thing He Told Me was indeed short, I’m not sure I would call it a thriller…Perhaps more of a dramatic suspense mystery. With some family drama thrown in.
In any case, I liked it and I thought the story was interesting. But I also probably wouldn’t rave about it, either.
The Last Thing He Told Me was short and easy to read with a few great quotes. The author touches on topics of family, step-parenting, relationships, crime, and loss. These topics alone made for some quick reading. I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen. But the actual writing and plot points were a little …meh.
For example, several parts included actions or dialogue that seemed like unrealistic things people would do or say. And it seemed like a whole lot could have been resolved with proper communication. So that felt frustrating.
But the characters in general were pretty well rounded (some more than others). The settings were fine. The entire book is written in first-person present, which was interesting. It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve read a book like that.
One unique thing to note… The author used titles for her chapters, which is something you don’t see much of these days in fiction novels. I actually think I’ve seen a meme recently about people wanting to bring that back. But for me…I found it a little strange and distracting at the beginning of the chapters.
Favorite Quotes from The Last Thing He Told Me:
“There were certain things that you hit from different angles, but you never gave up on. You did the work that was needed, wherever that work took you.”
“He never understood that I wasn’t scared of someone leaving me. I was scared the wrong person would stay.”
“This is the terrible thing about tragedy. It isn’t with you every minute. You forget it, and then you remember it again. And you see it with a stark quality: This is what is required of you now, just to get along.”
“…most people don’t wat to hear the thing that will make it work better. They want to hear what will make it easier.”
“I keep working my way through things only I know: the anecdotes and stories that Owen has told me late at night. Just the two of us. The way you only do with the person you’ve chosen, the witness to your life.”
“It feels like a victory that we are moving closer to the truth. But when the truth is taking you somewhere you don’t want to go…you aren’t sure you want that win.”
“This is the thing about good and evil. They aren’t so far apart – and they often start from the same valiant place of wanting something to be different.”
The Last Thing He Told Me Review: In Conclusion
Overall, I thought this book was pretty enjoyable, though not super impressive. The Last Thing He Told Me gets 3.75 stars from me. I think it could have been longer to beef up certain aspects of what I think was supposed to be the major climax scene. I also think some of the choices made by the main character are a little unbelievable. But hey… for only 303 pages it was a decent quick, dramatic read.
I would recommend it to people looking for a vacation book or for those that like their thrillers more on the slow dramatic side. Based on my experience with this book, I would also probably read more from this author if I came across her books.
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