My last two recommendations to my fellow moms have been, admittedly, a little dark. MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER and IN COLD BLOOD are not exactly light and fluffy in their subject matter. So I decided that I needed to reward myself with a comedy. I wanted something clever, unexpected, and fresh that would make me laugh out loud. I started a few different books over the last few weeks, but I put each one aside. Nothing was grabbing me! And I simply refuse to recommend a book that I don’t actually love.
However, I did have THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave sitting on my bedside table. Disappointed with my comedy choices, I picked up this thriller, eager to get lost in the pages of a book. Boy, did this one deliver the goods. If you’re getting ready for a plane ride, a beach getaway, or a cozy weekend on the couch, this book would be a great choice for you. It is effortless to read and paced like a Kentucky Derby thoroughbred. It’s just a whole bunch of fun.
The jacket copy reads,
“Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle 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…Hanna 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.”
The stepmother/teenage stepdaughter dynamic felt very authentically rendered. Forcing these two characters onto the same desperate team, despite the natural tension in their relationship, added a heightened sense of drama and stakes to the story. But because the mystery was unfolding so quickly and the characters were working against a clock to puzzle it all out, I don’t know that I really had time to connect emotionally with the story. Did I care about these characters? Not so much. Did I feel invested in the outcome? Nah. But I really did enjoy spending time inside this story. I felt my eyeballs skimming through the paragraphs when I knew a particularly exciting revelation was about to surface. Like I said, it’s a whole bunch of fun.
So snag a copy for the beach weekend you’re planning this summer. This book was made for seaside reading with a colorful cocktail in hand. Cheers!
