The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

 
There's nothing better on a Sunday than a good read, the NYT Sunday crossword puzzle and some Beef Rendang from Simpang Asia, my favorite Indonesian restaurant in Los Angeles!

So, I loved this book and read it in 24 hours!

One sentence summary:
It took Hannah quite some time to finally find the love of her life, but once she found Owen and married him, he disappeared, leaving her to care for his very ‘teenage’ daughter Bailey - who has yet to accept her as a stepmother - while she seeks to find him and uncover the secrets that led him into hiding.

My thoughts on the book:

The narrative of this one alternates between past and present, interspersing the backstory of Hannah and Owen’s relationship - which is rather sweet, I must admit -- amidst the current search for him.
I wouldn’t categorize this as a thriller, as it’s rather light on the suspense and action compared to most in the genre. BUT I still devoured this in 24 hours and couldn’t put it down. I really DID enjoy it a lot, even though domestic suspense isn’t typically my go-to. I think what works best for this one are the relationships - between Owen, Hannah and Bailey - that seem touching and authentic, and Dave’s solid, easy-to-read writing.
As I said, I found the backstory of Owen and Hannah moving. But even more of note, Hannah and sixteen-year-old Bailey share an interesting and very realistic arc, and I thought it was refreshing to see an authentic portrayal of a difficult stepmother/stepdaughter relationship. This trauma of losing a husband and father, respectively, forces them to work together, and the depiction of that process seemed incredibly well done to me.
Dave’s writing just seems to flow so well. It’s like buttah, I swear. I’m not sure how she does it, but my hat is off. 
I can see this making an excellent streaming series, so I’m excited for the adaptation that’s being made with Julia Roberts!
For those who want a break from pulse-pounding thrillers or who enjoy domestic suspense, I highly recommend this one! It’s an easy yet moving summer read
It’s out now!