Book Review: The First Time I Saw Him
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I just finished reading “The First Time I Saw Him” by Laura Dave, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection. And this is my review of the book.
This is book two in the Hannah Hall series. The first book was “The Last Thing He Told Me.”
What It’s About:
Book 1 – The Last Thing He Told Me
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.
Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered. The FBI arrests Owen’s boss. A US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, and 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.
My Thoughts
This was an engaging read. I had already read the first book, The Last Thing He Told Me. This second book is an interesting story, but I can’t say it was a favorite read. The author had a habit of writing a sentence, then sort of repeating it in the next sentence.
I thought that this was distracting. There was a lot of repetition. The character would note something, then sort of reiterate it again. I thought that was unnecessary.
If, in a movie or TV show, a character might say something, then repeat part of what they said. And sometimes it’s done for emphasis, drama, or clarity.
About the Author
Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me, Eight Hundred Grapes, and other novels.
Her books have been published in thirty-nine languages and have been chosen by Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club, Indie Next, Book of the Month Club, The Richard and Judy Book Club, Best of Amazon, and Best of Apple Books.
The Last Thing He Told Me was chosen as the Goodreads Mystery & Thriller of the Year for 2021. The Last Thing He Told Me is now a series on Apple TV+, co-created by Laura.
She resides in Santa Monica, California.
