The First Time I Saw Him

If you open THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM by Laura Dave expecting a similar reading experience as THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM, prepare for disappointment. While providing a satisfactory conclusion, the story has a completely different tone, one that is less life-and-death and more Ocean's Eleven if the main heist happened entirely in the past. Even though it is the continuation of Hannah and Bailey's story, THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM is nowhere near as intense.

Most of THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM is an exploration of what Owen has been doing during his five years away from his family. This is the first time we get to see the story from Owen's point of view; understanding his perspective fills in some lingering gaps remaining from all we learned in show more the first book. It also provides a nice counterpoint to Hannah's emotional turmoil.

More surprising, however, is the chance to learn more about Nicholas and his complicated relationship with Frank. What follows is essentially a peeling back of each layer of the final gambit, the one designed to allow Owen to come out of hiding and Hannah and Bailey to stop running for good. Because Ms. Dave tells this part of the story using flashbacks, there is no sense of urgency. After all, everything has already occurred. We already know why Owen had to go into hiding, so the only questions left to answer are if or how they will get out of the situation they are in.

Sadly, even the final confrontation has flashbacks to provide context. The constant interruptions do not make for a tense scene. At no point did I feel that any character was in any danger. Neither did I ever doubt that Hannah would be anything but successful in her gamble.

Don't get me wrong. The flashbacks are interesting and provide a lot of detail that we were missing in the first book. It's just that the first book was such a crazy ride. Hannah's confusion and fear are palpable, made more intense because we are as clueless as she is. All of that is missing in THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM. While it provides the same satisfaction you get when you understand how a magic trick works, it's not a thriller.

Laura Dave became a favorite author long before she dipped her toe into writing thrillers, and she will remain so despite my lackluster feelings about THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM. I feel the expectations are too high because of how incredible the first Hannah Hall book is. Interesting but not nearly as thrilling, there was no way it could live up to those expectations. But we get some much-needed closure for Bailey, Hannah, and Owen, and that is satisfying in its own right. show less

I was looking for a pulse-pounding follow-up to the first book (The Last Thing He Told Me) but that wasn’t what I got with this sequel. In the end, it was a yawner.

It’s been a little over five years since Owen, Hannah’s husband and Bailey’s father, went on the run from the mob determined to punish him for turning them in. They’ve not seen or heard from him in all that time after settling in California where Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey (now a college graduate) have relaxed a bit and even formed a wary relationship with Bailey’s grandfather, Nicholas Bell, the former lawyer to the syndicate that Owen outed.

Now, however, Owen suddenly reappears and gives Hannah a signal that informs her that the deal Nicholas show more made to keep them safe has collapsed. When they hear that Nicholas has died, they realize that the crime family is coming after them and they need to go on the run —again.

Well, that should have been exciting and action packed with a lot of skillful maneuvers and contingency plans to evade capture and harm. It wasn’t. There was a huge amount of backstory explaining all the things that happened to bring them to this point and tons of characters. Hannah spent way too much of the book waxing philosophical about family and love and protection. Always reminding us what a great relationship she and her stepdaughter have. And how smart and clever she is to be taking on this protective role for Owen’s daughter. Their travel and evasion efforts sometimes were almost laughable, as when they leave a taxi after arriving at a hotel only to be running down the streets and in and out of shops. Umm where’s all your baggage including that laptop? Anyway, it was actually rather boring. I didn’t feel engaged nor did I really care about the characters except for Nicholas who actually seemed like the only one who understood this whole sorry mess and his responsibility for it. It wasn’t suspenseful. Ultimately, I was just disappointed but glad it’s over.

I was able to listen to the audiobook I obtained from my local library while also following along in the e-book ARC that was provided by the publisher. I’d like to say that the production enhanced my enjoyment of the book, but that wouldn’t be true. Despite a full cast of narrators, the voice of Rebecca Lowman was jarring. She sounded old and tired, not like a 43-year-old Hannah should be. The other narrators did OK with their speaking parts but since Hannah was the main character, even those changes in point of view didn’t help that much. Give it a pass. show less

I should say at the outset, I am not a big fan of the suspense genre. I read The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave some time ago. It had so much buzz I thought I would try it. And I must admit that I liked it. I think that besides the suspense, the aspect of the story involving the step-mother and her sixteen-year old step-daughter and their fraught relationship was compelling to me. So then I read The Night We Lost Him. I didn’t care very much for it, so I decided no more Laura Dave. But, aha, a sequel to the first. Sequels always get me. So I tried for a Goodreads early reviewer copy of The First Time I Saw Him when it was offered, and lo and behold, I was selected.

I was pretty disappointed. I struggled with who all the show more characters were, their relationships and history. Perhaps I was not made to care enough about keeping careful track. I had to review the details of the earlier book, and by the last fifty pages, I mostly had things figured out. The novel is pretty short too, at 268 pages.

The book starts where the last one ended. Hannah and Bailey have an excellent relationship now. But after five years they are no longer safe. It is always rather vague and somewhat unclear as to the crimes that were committed and exactly what Owen must run from. Nicholas Bell, his ex-father-in-law, plays a large roll in getting everything resolved. He has a complex past. The deal he made to protect his family is falling apart. Geographically the book covers escapades and adventures in California, Hawaii, Florida, Texas, New Zealand and several places in France. The last fifth of the book did heighten my interest a bit. Assuming no more sequels, this time I am really (probably) done with Laura Dave. show less

I loved The Last Time I Saw Him (read this one before starting The First Time) except for the open end. But that was before I knew there was a sequel. I was so excited when this one came out, although worried because a lot of sequels don’t add up. This story picks up a few years after Owen goes missing and answers all the questions I had. Same wonderful characters, different POVs. I didn’t reread the first book and was pleased with how the author reintroduced characters without being redundant. The ending came together nicely and left me satisfied. Laura Dave is a must read author for me.

I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed the full cast narration.

The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave is a recommended thriller and the sequel to The Last Thing He Told Me (2021), which you will want to read first, or watch the TV show which has apparently been made based on The Last Thing He Told Me.

Almost 6 year ago (5 years, 10 months, 24 days) Hannah Hall's husband and her stepdaughter, Bailey's father Owen disappeared, leaving them with a bag of money and a note to keep her safe. Now it seems they may be in danger again. Owen shows up almost unrecognizable at Hannah's new exhibition and secretly slips her a flash drive. Almost immediately after that Hannah receives a message to get out of there now and she and Bailey are on the run again. They are following an intricate plan they have in show more place to keep them safe.

The pace is fast and the tension is high throughout this sequel about the power of forgiveness. The crime family of Frank Campano Pointe from the Organization are after Hannah and Bailey again. It also appears the Nicholas, Bailey's grandfather, has passed away, but that is later proven to be untrue and he has a plan. Between present day action are multiple points-of-view following the backstory of where Owen went along with other explanatory background information/stories.

Hannah and Bailey get along in this outing, which is a nice change from the teen with an attitude from the first book. All the interpersonal relationships between Hannah, Bailey and Nicholas are well done. This sequel is well written, but predictable and, again, uneven in parts. It also requires you to set a huge dose of disbelief aside. While I enjoyed this book, the first book was stronger, based on my review, and after all this time I clearly never felt a sequel was needed.

The First Time I Saw Him is recommended for those who have read The Last Thing He Told Me and have been waiting for a sequel. Thanks to Scribner for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/11/the-first-time-i-saw-him.html show less

I can usually count on the editors at a certain online retail site to make good book recommendations. Not always but usually. In the case of THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM, while their recommendation agreed with many others, I'm not as impressed as they are.

It's not a bad book. But it depends too heavily on THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, the first book in this series. I'm sure that THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM would have bored me if I hadn't already read THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME.

Every book in a series ought to be able to stand on its own. THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM too often lacks reminders of what happened in the previous book.

Plus, there are contradictions. Or maybe I misunderstood the first book in the series. For example, in THE LAST THING HE TOLD show more ME, I thought I was not supposed to like the head of the crime family. But in THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM, he becomes a nice guy.

This book is short. I was glad.

THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME is a very good book of mysteries. I would suggest that you read this first book in the series before you read THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM. See if you don't agree with my, apparently, minority opinion. show less

While not quite as good as the first book, The Last Thing He Told Me, I still enjoyed reading this book. It takes place five years after the first book ended with the disappearance of Owen, Hannah's husband and Bailey's father. Hannah and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have settled into a new life in Southern California. They now have a relationship with Bailey's grandfather, Nicholas, and are putting the past behind them. But, when Owen shows up at Hannah's new exhibition, she knows that she and Bailey are in trouble. Enjoyable read!