Review of The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik

Title/Author: The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, April 22 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Anna Eliot is tired of worrying about what other people think. After all, that was how she lost the only guy she ever really liked, Finn Westbrook.

Now, three years after she broke his heart, the one who got away is back in her life.

All Anna wants is a chance to relive their last kiss again (and again and again). But Finn obviously hasn’t forgotten how she treated him, and he’s made it clear he has no interest in having anything to do with her.

Anna keeps trying to persuade herself that she doesn’t care about Finn either, but even though they’ve both changed since they first met, deep down she knows he’s the guy for her. Now if only she can get him to believe that, too...

Guys, I like Claire LaZebnik's writing style. I love how she takes the books I love by Jane Austen and turns them into a cute contemporary that makes me smile. And I adore Persuasion, so obviously I needed to read The Last Best Kiss!
Side note: I read this book while I was sick and perhaps still had a fever, but it managed to get my mind of puking and feeling sick, so definite bonus points for that.

I really liked Anna. Obviously she didn't handle things with Finn well (which would have made the whole plot non-existent if she had), but she's been doing some growing up and has learned from her mistakes. I liked that she cares a lot about her friends, even if she cares a bit too much what they think. But let's get real: isn't this SO recognizable? I mean, I remember being a 15-year-old girl and caring about what other people thought of me and maybe doing things not entirely my way because of that. So Anna was pretty easy for me to relate to, I could imagine how things went down even if I cringed while I read the scenes in her and Finn's past. And I really liked the girl she became over the years and how she kept her cool in a crisis. That was awesome.

And obviously Finn triggered all my nerd-crush feelings! I have a thing for smart guys and I loved his passion for all things nature! I even looked up the monkey orchid that was mentioned and it is SO COOL! Seriously, look it up, it is awesome. I didn't know stuff like that existed. I did want to shake him and tell him that there's a difference between not caring what people think and being an obnoxious attention-seeker, because UGH! I just wanted him to snap out of his liking Lily who was hella annoying and irresponsible and just UGH! I really don't like girls like that. They get on my nerves.

And oh man did I love the tension between these two! Chemistry and guilt and anger and SPARKS! YES! It was light and fluffy and just what I needed at a time when my brain was still in sick mode and just wanted a sweet romance to cheer me up. The Last Best Kiss was a great retelling of one my favourite stories and I'm already looking forward to what Claire LaZebnik will do next!

My rating: 4,5 stars