The Last Best Story audiobook

Rating: 3.5 Stars For almost four years Rose had been Grant's "person", but then she abruptly walked away from the paper, journalism, and Grant too. The search for the truth about the gunman was their last chance to work on a story together, and maybe their last shot at friendship as well.• Pro: The parts, which focused on the journalistic aspects were very interesting. I really enjoyed getting to see their whole process. • Pro: I keep seeing a lot of reviewers saying they hated Grant. I didn't hate grant. He was flawed, and his singular focus was sometimes frustrating, but I didn't hate him. As a matter of fact, I was sort of awed by his passion for finding the truth. • Pro: Both Rose and Grant were struggling with things. We get to see some of their hardships via flashbacks and in present time. The issues steering the plot, Grant's reticence to start a relationship or maintain the friendship, as well as Rose's realization that maybe everything she had been hyper-focused on wasn't what she wanted, felt very authentic, and I think many could relate to these quandaries. • Pro: The mystery of the gun kept me quite interested in the present day story, and I liked the searching for the missing pieces of the puzzle. • Pro: Though the book tackled some serious issues - gun violence, divorce, sexual assault, it was not too serious. There were quite a few hilarious moments and some heartfelt ones too. I definitely sensed that end of an era nostalgia as well. • Pro: I thought the ending was really good, and it's always great to end on a high note. Overall: An interesting evening spent searching the story, the truth, and one's purpose.*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

Rose and Grant have been best friends since the start of high school and have worked side by side on their high school newspaper, the Gazette. In Maggie Lehrman’s THE LAST BEST STORY, the two are now at their senior year prom and Rose and Grant are no longer communicating. For some inexplicable reason, Rose quit the Gazette two months prior and left behind Grant, the editor-in-chief, and their future together as star journalists in college.Now, Rose is at prom with a new guy, trying to forget about her old life and have a normal few months before college. Grant, being completely blindsided when Rose abandoned the Gazette and their friendship, is determined to win her back as a reporter, friend and maybe something more. Meanwhile, at the prom, a security alarm is set off and the high school goes on a lockdown due to someone being loose inside the building with a gun. Forgetting their past, Rose and Grant team up for one last story for the Gazette that could save their friendship and the safety of their classmates.At first, Lehrman’s novel appeared to be a quintessential fun summer beach read. However, there is much depth to the novel, the storyline revolves around a potential school shooting and the character’s responses to that all within a few hours. Lehrman’s depictions of the situation were raw and realistic which I appreciated, as some YA novels seem to tackle serious pressing issues in a more superficial way. Also, the novel briefly discusses how race and sexuality impact the events at hand for Rose and Grant’s friends. Indeed, her writing was flawless; the reader could truly envision themselves in the character’s shoes and felt attached to the decisions they were making.Even though the plot took place within a few hours, there were numerous flashbacks woven in throughout the novel so the reader could truly grasp the meaningful friendship of Grant and Rose and other anecdotes that provide a glimpse into their background. In addition, the two character’s perspectives alternated, which I found interesting as the reader could fully understand both of their thoughts and feelings as they reflected upon the situation. Lehrman crafted the characters beautifully, providing just the right amount of detail to understand them, but also kept the mystery palpable.Just like Rose and Grant learned by the conclusion of the novel, readers can take away the message that appearances are deceiving. Indeed, as they place all of the pieces together, we learn that it is easy to jump to wrong conclusions without accurate facts. In a setting of high school, where gossip thrives, the characters are led down an incorrect slippery slope punctuated with preconceived notions. Due to the mysterious element of the novel, I was unable to put it down. I finished the book in one sitting, trying to decode all of the evidence and figure out who the shooter was, what motivated them to do it and if the information at hand was truly accurate. Personally, I was surprised with the end results and was in awe of the tactics Lehrman used to keep the reader engaged and guessing.Reviewed by Ryan H., Teen Board Member

This is more of a 3.5 than a solid 4 for me. As someone who used to work in journalism I really appreciated the story, what I struggled with, was the characters. I had a hard time relating to the main characters and related more to characters that were only very barely featured. Which is a problem for me. Good or bad, I want to be able to root for the main characters in some way. I just felt that the characters fell a little flat for me. The showcasing of journalism was brilliant though. And again, the story itself was compelling, I just wish I could have liked the main characters.

'The Last Best Story' by Maggie Lehrman is provocative and intriguing, bringing a shadow of a doubt to the truth-finding process and how life throws curveballs that can throw one's life completely off-kilter.Rose and Grant have been friends and newspaper buddies since freshman year. Over their time on the paper together, their relationship has stayed pretty constant, and they are generally found co-conspiring about how to work the story to their mutual benefit and present the best piece of writing possible. They also have gone from platonic friends to two people who seemingly have feelings for one another since they have kissed (albeit once) and spent so much of their free time together. Though they have dated separate people and Rose is at prom with another guy while Grant deals with his feelings over his ex-girlfriend while he attends prom solo, they find themselves drawn to each other through the draw of finding the truth.When someone who has been banned from prom makes his way in, he is escorted out by the vice-principal, only to be accused later on of causing the lockdown due to his having a gun on site. The prom is then waylaid, of course due to the imminent danger everyone presumes is just outside the gym doors. When Rose finds herself in the thick of the story, she can't stop herself from getting involved, despite her every desire to quit the school paper (and, by extension, her friendship/relationship with Grant) and never look back. What she finds as she searches for answers is that nothing is as it seems, and other people may be involved that she wouldn't have considered in the first place.In 'The Last Best Story,' Maggie Lehrman teaches readers to question anything and everything about the subject at hand. Appearances can be deceiving, and without all of the facts and hearing everyone's side of the story, the wrong conclusions can be jumped to and then bandied about, allowing further gossip to thrive, and causing the truth to become an uncertainty even when presented with evidence. Lehrman's ability to tell the story by searching for the facts rather than letting opinions take over the storyline speaks to the beauty of how this story is written. It brings up issues of race and sexuality among Rose's and Grant's friends and how those issues shape what is going on, but it doesn't fixate on them, and that is a hard line to balance oneself on. However, it speaks to the idea of newspaper stories working to state the facts and steering clear of editorial tendencies that are best used elsewhere.A scintillating and impressive novel about the excitement of knowing one's calling and the search for the real story that brings about other lingering truths, 'The Last Best Story' should be on anyone's must-read list. Once you start it, it will be hard to put it down.Beth Rodgers, Author of 'Freshman Fourteen' and 'Sweet Fifteen,' Young Adult Novels*Review originally posted at YABooksCentral.com*

A DRC was provided for a fair and honest review by Edelweiss.Would a high school junior really say to his vice-principal and future writer of college recommendation letters, "Mr. Hackenstratt, this is a super fun fight, but are you going to censor the paper or what?" If you can suspend disbelief and accept that Reporter Rose and Editor Grant are that sassy and confident, then you'll love this whip-smart romantic YA romp. So what if it hurtles between screwball sleuthing, and an uneasy nod to some of the threats facing today's youth - gun violence, sexual assault, divorce? Rose and Grant try to balance their self appointed roles as Crusadors for Truth with their competitive ambitions, and their growing mutual attraction, and Lehrman does a great job of slowly peeling away the layers of their history to relieve their motivation - or lack of - for getting involved. Their dialogue is straight out of the Veronica Mars 'verse, but not remotely adolescent and their hang ups are equally suited to older protagonists. Rose has a gnawing feeling she is "too grabby, too ambitious," but mostly she is upset that Grant doesn't appear to "like" her that way after years of co-managing their shared passion project. Then Grant is made editor instead of her, because "who would write all the articles if you're busy managing the staff?" Rose seethes and realizes she's following Grant's master plan for their lives, not her own. So she changes her entire life plans in the last few months of senior year in an effort to forget him. Clueless, narcissistic Grant still wants her to be his star reporter and is vaguely aware that if he expressed any romantic interest, she'd be his forevermore. But somehow he can't bring himself to commit. Ugh. Quitting the paper doesn't make Rose happier but she's trying, until at prom the school goes on lockdown with an apparent shooter on the loose. Grant is stuck inside the gym, but Rose is at large in the school, and there's a story to follow. Guess what Rose (with Grant egging her on) decides to do? Lehrman succeeds in making Rose appealing enough to root for, and Grant finally grows up a little, but the other characters fade into the background and the threat of tragedy looming throws a shadow over the otherwise bright tone of the book. Pair it with a viewing of Lehrman's favorite film, His Girl Friday, and see which one has legs.

I really enjoyed Maggie Lehrman's debut The Cost of All Things and was eager to see what she'd do next. The Last Best Story is a bit of a conundrum. It's kind of a crazy caper, and I absolutely loved that part of it. We have Rosie and Grant, serious about the newspaper (well, that is until Rosie quit), and when things go slantwise at the prom, their investigative instincts kick in. They have to get to the bottom of it all. Even Rosie, who has sworn off the paper and Grant. I also really loved the relationship between Rosie and Grant and how it's all a jumble right now. It was fun to see it work itself out. The thing I'm not that sure about in this story is that the reason the prom goes on lockdown is because someone has a gun in the building. This is (obviously) a serious concern these days. Maggie Lehrman treads this fine line between comedy and tragedy, and I'm not sure it was entirely satisfying. Still, I enjoyed this book, even if the treatment of gun violence made me a little uncomfortable, and I'll definitely read Maggie's next book. Review copy from Edelweiss.

** spoiler alert ** This was such a cute story! I didn't like it quite as much as I thought after reading the blurb, but it was still pretty darn good. The journalism aspect was particularly interesting to me as I went to journalism school. All the deadlines and newspaper work nights brought back lots of memories of my time working for my college paper, which I loved. Grant was a character I also identified with, with his obsession with the paper and desire to do everything to the absolute best of its ability. But Rose's character also spoke to me as well, with her wariness about whether or not she was doing the right thing or going down the right path.The story as a whole was a bit crazy and just a step away from unrealistic. However, I enjoyed it nevertheless. The whole misunderstanding with the active shooter/gun took a serious subject and almost made light of it? It could have been done a lot worse, which I'm glad it didn't and stuck its foot in its mouth, but it could have been handled a bit better as well. I more than anyone understands the journalistic desire to find the truth, but I'm worried the actions of the teenagers promoted bad practices when it comes to what to do when there's a lockdown situation.Anyway, overall, I really liked this story—maybe not the way the chapters were broken up or organized—but the story as a whole was can't-put-down, and thrilling.

Entertaining and exciting I read this book in one sitting. It was enthralling to say the least. While I have issues with Grant- so many issues- Rose was a relatable, likable, and well rounded character. I love her and would die for her. And even my issues with Grant were everything to do with the believability of his actions. Another fully formed character. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the amount of times I was proven wrong. I take notes while reading and a FEW times I’d note something like “but I’m sure it won’t get mentioned” but lo and behold. The author was two steps ahead. Black student gets sent back into a school during lockdown? Bet it won’t be mentioned how seriously dangerous that is- haha jokes on me because it does get mentioned. And handled with care and repercussions. (In my opinion Grant should have faced MORE repercussions for that move. But I digress) It was entertaining and exciting and I very much recommend it to those looking for a contemporary with higher than normal stakes. I also actually highly recommend this to ya readers who are actual teens.

As someone who worked on a high school publication, this book was so incredibly relatable and real to me. I was able to relate to the characters and the stress they felt regarding both their publication and deciding whether a publication was the most important part of high school. I don’t usually read YA, as I don’t usually find the character voices believable and the stories often melodramatic. But I didn’t find this story to be unbelievable, and I found the emotions expressed throughout to feel real and honest. While I never really found myself drawn to any of the characters, I didn’t feel pulled put of the story by my lack of care for the characters. I would recommend this book to any fan of realistic YA literature!

***A huge thanks to the author for sending this to me through an Instagram giveaway***This was definitely a “don’t judge a book by its cover” instance! The contemporary, sweet looking cover made me think of a wedding or prom book with a swoony romance, but it was actually a contemporary, mystery thriller. It was about uncovering a case of a potential school shooter during a inexpensive prom experience. I thought this book was a complete deceiving irony, but I loved it! I didn’t really like Grant because he was so ignorant, but I loved how strong Rose was. I liked how unexpected everything was and how it ended. This book is definitely one worth reading.

Maggie Lehrman writes with intelligence, humor, and heart. She has very cleverly updated a classic movie screwball comedy and made it relevant to today's teenagers and their families. Her wit and emotional intelligence shine through on page after page and make her book a joy to read. Looking forward to more from this talented author.

** spoiler alert ** A cute teenage love story, set in the last year of high school. Rose and Grant have been best friends and have almost gotten together, but their senior prom comes without any romance progress. The book tells the current and past story of their relationship, as well as the ways each has molded his/her life to avoid pain. A fun coming of age story.

I am grinning from ear to ear; I love rose and grant; I tried to read this book about 3 times and it was never the right moment; now with prom actually happening this year and getting into Michigan and waiting for other decisions; this was the perfect time, perfect read; friends to lovers at its best; high intensity plot; journalism; and a lot of character; so so so so good

HelloAs someone who used to work in journalism I really appreciated the story, what I struggled with, was the characters. I had a hard time relating to the main characters and related more to characters that were only very barely featured.Great book