The Last Applicant
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?
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"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, headspinning twists, bizarre characters, and a spiraling sense of impending doom. This book is for those who enjoy something very dark and very different." --Booklist
"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
Praise for Rebecca Hanover
"A fast-paced thriller about identity and love." --Publishers Weekly
"Episodic and fast moving with plenty of twists and one very big turn that will delight mystery readers." --Booklist
"An engaging ride...the novel calls attention to larger questions of identity, selfhood, and what it means to be human." --Kirkus Reviews
"Fascinating. I was captivated." --Francine Pascal, bestselling author of the Sweet Valley High and Fearless series
"As immersive and fast paced as it is shrewd, compelling, and heartbreaking." --Ray Kurzweil, inventor, futurist, and New York Times bestselling author
"A page-turner that more than delivers on its premise." --Allison Raskin, New York Times bestselling author of I Hate Everyone but You
