The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnick

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Publication date: 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 374
My rating: 3 stars
Ages: 14+

Three years ago, Anna and Finn were perfect for each other. But Anna let what her friends thought of Finn color their relationship, and she lost him--and more than just romantically. Finn and his parents moved away at the end of the year. Now seniors, Anna and Finn are reunited, but Anna isn't sure if they can ever be friends (or more) again. Not after what she did.

This is a retelling and modernization of Jane Austen's Persuasion. In a way, it was fun for me to try and figure out which characters were supposed to be which and what situations lined up with the original novel. And sometimes it was distracting. Those not familiar with Persuasion will be able to find the story as enjoyable as other YA romances.

This is a quick read--I read it within 24 hours of starting it. It was light, the characters were fun, and it was an easy read. It's definitely something that I see younger teens reading and enjoying at face value. I liked it at face value for some light reading, but I liked it more because of its connection to Austen.

There was some drug and alcohol use, one use of the F-word, and some sexual situations, but nothing too hot and heavy.

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