The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
A fast-paced sequel that gives Hannah and Bailey the closure I was hoping for.
At a Glance
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Find It on AmazonA Long-Awaited Return to Hannah and Bailey
I was very excited to read The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave. As the sequel to The Last Thing He Told Me, it had a lot to live up to, and I do think it was well worth the wait. Dave does a great job of wrapping up Hannah and Bailey’s story while keeping the same fast-paced mystery and thriller style that made the first book so easy to keep reading.
This story drops us five years into the future. Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey have settled into a new life in Southern California, and from the outside, it seems like they have finally built something steady after everything they went through. They have picked up the pieces, formed a real relationship with each other, and even developed a stronger connection with Bailey’s maternal grandfather, Nicholas, whose choices caused so much of the trouble in the first place.
What Worked for Me
One of the things I appreciated most in The Last Thing He Told Me was Hannah as a strong female character. She is a hero of sorts, left to solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearance while also caring for a stepdaughter who does not exactly want her there. In this sequel, I liked seeing how much Hannah and Bailey have grown together. Their relationship feels earned because the first book put them through so much.
The new trouble begins when Owen, Hannah’s husband and Bailey’s father, resurfaces briefly. Around the same time, reports begin circulating that Nicholas is dead. Those two events pull Hannah and Bailey back into danger and send the story into another one of Dave’s fast-paced adventures, with threats connected to Nicholas’s involvement with a powerful crime family.
This was not quite as strong as the first book for me, but it was still worth reading because I wanted closure for these characters.
Dave is especially good at exploring what family love means when the family itself is complicated. This book continues that thread. The story asks how far a father, grandfather, and stepmother will go to protect Bailey, and by extension Hannah, who has become such an important part of Bailey’s life. That emotional center is what made the sequel work for me.
Where It Fell Short
I did not think this book was quite as good as The Last Thing He Told Me. The first book had the advantage of discovery: the mystery of Owen’s disappearance, Hannah and Bailey learning how to trust each other, and the gradual reveal of what their family was really up against. This sequel is still quick and engaging, but it naturally has less surprise because we already know the world and the central danger.
There were moments when I wanted the book to slow down and sit a little longer with the emotional weight of Owen’s return. The pace is part of what makes the story readable, but it also means some of the biggest feelings move by quickly. For readers who loved the first book because of the tension and mystery, that may not be a problem. For me, the family dynamics were the strongest part, and I would have been happy with even more of them.
Who Should Read It
If you liked The Last Thing He Told Me and wanted to know what happened next for Hannah, Bailey, and Owen, I think The First Time I Saw Him is worth picking up. It gives the story a sense of completion while keeping the suspenseful, quick-read quality that Laura Dave does well.
I would especially recommend it if you enjoy fast-paced books with strong female characters, complicated family bonds, and a little danger woven through the emotional story. I also think it works well as a library eBook or weekend read because it moves quickly and is easy to stay with.
Final Thoughts
Overall, The First Time I Saw Him was a satisfying sequel for me. It did not quite reach the level of the first book, but it gave me the follow-up I wanted and reminded me why Hannah and Bailey were such memorable characters. The mystery and thriller elements kept the pages turning, but the heart of the book is still the bond between these women and the family they have fought to protect.
My rating is 3.9 stars. If you are already invested in this story, I think this is an easy yes. If you have not read The Last Thing He Told Me yet, I would start there first so the emotional stakes of this sequel land the way they should.