The Last Applicant

A Novel

By: Rebecca Hanover

Narrated by: Samara Naeymi, Rebecca Mozo

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?

©2023 Rebecca Hanover (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Samara Naeymi and Rebecca Mozo provide tense narrations of Audrey and Sarah, two women who will do anything to achieve their goals. Even seasoned readers of psychological suspense may be surprised by the unexpected twist, which heartbreakingly reveals how far a parent might go to secure their child's success. Fast-paced, layered suspense with shocking reveals listeners won't see coming.”—Library Journal

“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

Decent story.

A decent story. A bit unbelievable. Unfortunately it’s true. What people do to get their kids into the correct school. I enjoyed this book. I listen to it on audible.

All over the place.

Going strong, then the author got lost, wandering aimlessly until thankfully the villain is chosen and the story ends.

Sex, lies, betrayal, and the unexpected. Great narration.

One of my favorite books on 2023. High society is a facade of rich, damaged people who have problems like everyone else. The difference is they resort to extremes, like murder, lies, and betrayal, to hide them. The story is one I’d like to see made into a movie. I can visualize the cast in my head.

Hmm

Well. That was an original story. The premise was interesting. It just went really fast all at once leaving no room for character or story progression. It was a quick read. The mystery was there, but I just don’t feel like the plot twist was built up enough.

A fascinating page turner

There were so many twists and turns that what I thought was going to happen turned out to be the complete opposite.. I felt like each of the characters were relatable dealing with the emotions we all have encountered at some point. The love of a mother can never be underestimated. The ending was a heart racing page turner. I would definitely recommend.

Exciting mystery

This book has some surprises, Good twists and turns.
Heartfelt and heartbreaking.
I enjoyed listening.

Yuck!

Waste of time, sorry! And everything I predicted happened including the ending. Just not good imo.

Started out great but fizzled

This book seemed like a great story at first. I loved the beginning and was anxious to hear how the plot was going to unfold. However, about half way through the book the author threw in a very strange twist that was not believable at all.

Truly despicable cast of characters

Somehow I got the impression from Goodreads that this was an excellent suspenseful psychological story, I disliked everything about it. The characters were so obsessed with getting their 4 year old kids into a prestigious kindergarten that they were willing to do anything to have that happen. I disliked every shallow character in this story and I am far from being a prude, but found the 3 way sexual situations extremely distasteful and unlikely.
I would absolutely NOT recommend this book and am so regretful of wasting a credit on this drivel.

I don’t get it

I really don’t understand why authors write books full of wholly unlike able characters. Adam is the only decent adult. The rest are just awful people