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.
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
“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