REBECCA HANOVER
REBECCA HANOVER is the New York Times bestselling author of The Similars duology. After graduating from Stanford University with a BA in English and drama, Rebecca joined the writing team of the CBS daytime drama Guiding Light, where she earned an Emmy Award. Still, she never lost her love of books. She now writes novels full-time from her home in San Francisco, where she enjoys matcha lattes and a complete lack of seasons. The Last Applicant (2023) is her adult debut. When she isn’t writing, she can be found in a yoga class or reading anything Dav Pilkey with her husband and three kiddos.
SEEMS PERFECT
Lake Union Publishing - February 25, 2025
Driven by past traumas and present hardships, two women face off over home turf in this twisty psychological thriller from Rebecca Hanover, author of The Last Applicant.
Emily Hawthorne lives in the well-heeled Noe Valley of San Francisco…but just barely. With less work than she would like at the yoga studio, a pile of debt, and a fraught past, she can no longer afford her tiny condo. When she meets the charming Penelope “Pip” Stone and her young daughter, also beset by financial woes, she agrees to take them in as roommates.
But Emily’s stroke of luck turns out to be another twist of the knife: Pip is a professional squatter who has no intention of paying rent. And Pip doesn’t want to share the condo.
She wants the whole thing.
Their domestic standoff only intensifies when a downstairs neighbor is murdered. Both women become suspects, not to mention each other’s mistrustful alibis.
Emily feels the walls closing in. Is she trapped with a vulnerable grifter―who, like her, may have good reasons for making bad decisions―or is Pip just a cold-blooded killer?
Praise for Seems Perfect
“A deftly crafted combination of psychological thriller and murder mystery, Seems Perfect by Rebecca Hanover is an original, fascinating and entertaining read from start to finish.” —Midwest Book Review
The Last Applicant
Lake Union Publishing - October 24, 2023
From award-winning author Rebecca Hanover comes an emotional thrill ride about two women whose lives take a dangerous turn in the high-stakes arena of private school admissions.
Audrey Singer revels in her position as the admissions director of an exclusive Manhattan private school. Parents cater to her whims and desires, desperate to give their children an edge. Audrey’s power is undeniable; privilege comes with the territory. Her perfect marriage completes the glossy picture of her life.
Until the arrival of the neurotic, vulnerable Sarah Price. Determined to get her son into the city’s most coveted kindergarten class, Sarah inserts herself into Audrey’s world, testing boundaries at every turn. For Sarah, everything Audrey has is a potential target: her job, her friends…even her marriage.
But what seems to be another ploy by an overachieving mother takes a dark and ominous turn. Sarah seems to be hiding secrets of her own. Are her designs on Audrey’s life purely about getting what she wants for her son?
Or is there something more sinister at play in this cutthroat game?
praise for THE lAST aPPLICANT
One of Zibby’s Most Anticipated Reads for October, November and December
“There’s a refreshing frankness about sex and attraction that drives the personal side of the drama, as well as a thoughtful recognition of how grief and loss break people down in different ways…Deliciously thrilling—and thrillingly extra.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Hanover’s book is dark, ominous, and oppressive from the very beginning, filled with heart-stopping, head- spinning twists, bizarre characters, and a spiraling sense of impending doom. For those who enjoy something very dark and very different.” —Booklist
“Fast paced, layered suspense with shocking reveals listeners won’t see coming.“ —Library Journal
“The Last Applicant is an engrossing novel about status, love, loss and fitting in.” —Toronto Star
“Fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries will lap up the tense moments created by the power imbalance between Audrey and Sarah; emotional ups and downs that stem from the women’s private lives add to the roller coaster effect. As the novel is episodic, cliffhangers will thrill readers at points, and there’s a completely unpredictable ending twist. Pick up this one if you enjoyed Chandler Baker’s Cutting Teeth or Sylvie Perry’s The Hawthorne School.” —Henrietta Verma, FirstCLUE
"Sharply written and deftly plotted, The Last Applicant is the best sort of psychological suspense. It hooked me from the first page and kept me guessing until its surprising, satisfying conclusion."—Cristina Alger, New York Times bestselling author of Girls Like Us