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

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Simon and Schuster, Jan 6, 2026 - Fiction - 288 pages
THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED SEASON 2 OF THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME STARRING JENNIFER GARNER

A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB SELECTION!

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

THE SEQUEL TO THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME

“Taut prose matches the story with moments of emotional poignancy...a tense story, but a surprisingly tender one.” —The Washington Post
“Action-packed and deeply felt, this sequel is every bit as incredible as The Last Thing He Told Me.” —Mary Kubica
“A novel worth your time.” —The New York Times

Laura Dave continues Hannah Hall’s pulse-pounding journey in the riveting and deeply moving sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Apple TV+ show, The Last Thing He Told Me.

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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About the author (2026)

Laura Dave was born in New York City on July 18, 1977. She grew up in Scarsdale, New York. Dave graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999, where she received a B.A. in English. She has an MFA from the University of Virginia's creative writing program. After graduating from graduate school, she worked a sa freelance journalist for ESPN. She is the author of London Is The Best City In America (2006) and The Divorce Party (2008). The First Husband (2011) and her current New York Times bestseller, Eight Hundred Grapes.

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