> At a Glance
> – Laura Dave’s sequel The First Time I Saw Him released January 6
> – Follow-up to The Last Thing He Told Me, now an Apple TV series starring Jennifer Garner
> – Dave shares her favorite books and reading turn-offs in a new interview
> – Why it matters: Fans of the bestselling phenomenon can now dive deeper into the story’s origins
Laura Dave’s literary universe just expanded. The author behind the Jennifer Garner-led Apple TV sensation The Last Thing He Told Me has officially released its prequel, The First Time I Saw Him, giving readers a fresh entry point into the characters’ backstory.
Inside the New Release
The book landed on January 6, continuing the story that turned Dave into a household name among thriller and romance readers. While the original novel became a streaming hit, this new installment explores what happened before the events that captivated millions.
What Dave Reads-and Rejects
In a candid conversation with the Daily Mail, Dave pulled back the curtain on the books that shaped her as a writer and reader.
Current obsession: Ian McEwan’s What Can We Know
> “A love story and a detective story and genre-bending in the best way.”
Desert-island pick: Nora Ephron’s Heartburn
> “For such a heartbreaker of a subject, it’s a real comfort read.”
Classic must-have: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Childhood gateway: Esther Allen Peterson’s Penelope Gets Wheels, the out-of-print gem a fan tracked down and mailed to her after a tour stop.
Deal-Breakers and Red Flags
Dave admits she rarely abandons a novel, but one teenage reading experience still haunts her:
> “If it turns out all the characters are bad or villainous, I tend to feel a bit of a disconnect when I get to the last page.”
The culprit? Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, a book her 16-year-old self “really didn’t like” yet might revisit with older eyes.
Key Takeaways
- The First Time I Saw Him is available now in bookstores and online
- Dave’s reading life spans literary fiction, memoirs, poetry, and non-fiction
- McEwan’s Atonement holds “a special place” in her heart
- She re-reads Heartburn annually for its recipes and emotional honesty
The novel’s release caps a whirlwind journey from page to screen and back again, proving Dave’s storytelling resonates far beyond the bestseller list.
