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Book Summary and Reviews of The First Time I Saw Him (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick) by Laura Dave

The First Time I Saw Him (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick) by Laura Dave

The First Time I Saw Him (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick)

by Laura Dave

  • Published:
  • Jan 2026, 288 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

How far would you go for a second chance?

Five years after her husband, Owen, disappeared, Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have settled into a new life in Southern California. Together, they've forged 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 danger again.

Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up with them. As a thrilling drama unfolds, Hannah risks everything to get Bailey to safety—and finds there just might be a way back to Owen and their long-awaited second chance.

A gripping, rich, and deeply moving novel about the power of forgiveness, The First Time I Saw Him picks up right where the epilogue for the "genuinely moving" (The New York Times) The Last Thing He Told Me left off, giving readers the eagerly awaited and absolutely exhilarating sequel to Dave's global blockbuster.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Twists and turns will keep readers guessing throughout the novel at how it will all end. The characters' love and concern for each other show through their thoughts and actions… This sequel is sure to be a hit." —Library Journal

"[The First Time I Saw Him] dives deeper into Hannah's character and the grit she needs to survive. Readers can use what they learned from the first book, a best-seller, to jump right in." —Booklist

"[A] heart-pounding sequel… The pacing is brisk from the very first page, with Dave nimbly juggling multiple perspectives and timelines en route to a finale that provides readers with satisfying answers to their questions." —Publishers Weekly

"An essential sequel that ties up loose threads while providing a thrilling ride across continents." —Kirkus Reviews

This information about The First Time I Saw Him (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick) was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Laura Dave

Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Last Thing He Told Me and Eight Hundred Grapes. Her novels have sold more than six million copies and have been translated into forty languages. The Last Thing He Told Me was the Goodreads Mystery & Thriller of the Year for 2021 and is now a series on Apple TV+, cocreated by Laura. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their son.

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