I genuinely do not expect to love this book so much. It was just a perfect concoction of humour and tension. This is like the hating game but 1000 times better. The enemies to lovers tension layered with a second chance romance brings out a sweet sweet agony of excitement and anticipation. The flashbacks gave this book an extra punch during moments where the main characters antagonism reached a peak. I had a great time so much so that I didn’t even realise this book did not have a sex scene.

Harper Jenkins is the celebrity editor at a magazine run by a man who thinks her work has no substance. Despite the editor-in-chief's blatant lack of respect, she hustles to get big interviews and gives her subjects the listening ear and support her boss could never dream of. Despite her attachment to the celebrities she covers, always wishing them every happiness and painting them in a forgiving light on paper, Harper is a cynic when it comes to her own love life. A past heartbreak taught her to stay focused on her own success and aspirations, but she still finds joy in supporting others' love stories. At the start of the book, Liam is her maybe-boyfriend. And while his ambition is part of what first drew her in, it's increasingly looking like he hopes his attachment to her will bring in business to his new talent agency. After all, Harper has important connections and plenty of invitations that he could exploit.

Harper met Ryan Jansson when they were lowly interns at the publication they both now call home. While Harper's been over on the magazine side, Ryan's been at the newspaper... until now. In fact, their desks will be neighbors again, with all of Harper's mess flowing over to his neat-as-a-pin space. It's a repeat of their younger days, days which Harper publicly pretends didn't happen but which feed her current venom toward him. It's got that snappy workplace rivals banter, and this pair is ~not~ afraid to argue loudly and about anything in front of a captive audience. Then there's the second chance tension running underneath it all, luckily keeping the angst subservient to the crackling shots fired between them. You aren't going to find Harper crying into her ice cream; she'll be refusing to eat the baked goods Ryan brings into the office on principle. Their path to reconnection takes many fun forms, from delivering a famous baby together in the back of a taxi to an unplanned stay at his parents' house in Manchester to a romantic luxury getaway in Florence. I was here for ALL of it and had a great time seeing Harper's walls slowly crumble down.

Harper has this delightful ADHD energy about her that goes deeper than a stereotypical bumbling romcom lead who makes a mess of herself as a bit. In this case, Harper is professional and focused, but she might forget her phone in the other room a few times, or run late to every function, or have an "overcrowded" desk space. All relatable, and I appreciate how it all coexists in a way that feels real.

I also want to mention that I love the way Katy Birchall writes female friendships. Harper and her work besties, Mimi and Rakhee, watch each other's backs around their pompous boss, gossip, and plot.

I have loved every book I've read by this author, and this is no exception. Thanks to SMP Romance for my copy to read and review!

I loved this book; it was witty, smart, and absolutely charming from start to finish. I love the workplace rivals-to-lovers with hilarious banter, emotional depth, and just the right amount of chaos,

But it’s not just fun, this story also explores ambition, vulnerability, and what it means to truly let go of the past (and maybe rewrite it). The dialogue is fast-paced and clever, the setting is vibrant, and it gave me all the romcom feels I crave.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the gifted copy!

Thank you for approving me for this title. After some thought, I’ve realized it’s not quite the right fit for me personally, so I won’t be able to provide a full review. I appreciate the opportunity to access it and wish the book great success.

This was a fun second chance romance set in a workplace. Its a British book, which I love reading those perspectives. Something about the wit and banter is so uniquely British that I love it.

A funny, feel-good romance about rivals fighting over a book column and maybe falling in love along the way. Adorable, clever, and full of heart.

I read about 50% of this and just couldn’t get into it, so I DNF’d it. It’s not a bad story, but I didn’t hold my interest.

I found the narrative overpowered the relationship between the two main characters. However, I think it was a good aspect of the novel. It gave me time to connect with the characters and fall in love with them myself.

This was such a fun read! I can’t recall the last time I read a book that featured an MC as a journalist. But several of my favorite rom-com movies revolve around them, so I was excited to dive into this one!

I had picked this up for the romance aspect but I was pleasantly surprised to find the romance isn’t at the forefront of the story, or as much as I expected it to be. Like it's there, but we’re really more focused on Harper and her career as a journalist.

I loved following Harper, her personality was so chaotic and outgoing, making her a joy to watch. She truly was an amazing journalist too! She actually cared about those she wanted to interview, not just sell out their dirty laundry. Though her process might be seen as a bit unorthodox, she always knew how to get a good story.

And her feud with Ryan was so much fun to follow! Their relationship was tense from the start, and we get to see snippets of their past, how they met so long ago, and what led up to their tense present. But despite Harper’s hostility towards Ryan, and him dishing it right back, I could see he truly cared for her, even when all she wanted to do was pick a fight and always have “the last word.”

I found this to be such an enjoyable contemporary read set around journalism with a dash of a second chance, enemies-to-lovers romance! If you enjoy office romances, I definitely suggest checking this one out!

*The Last Word* by Katy Birchall is a witty and charming contemporary novel with a lighthearted exploration of friendship, family, and finding your voice. The story follows a protagonist who is determined to make a name for herself as a writer and find closure after a significant loss. Birchall’s writing is engaging and humorous, making it an easy, enjoyable read.

The characters are likable, with the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery being both relatable and heartfelt. I appreciated the emphasis on personal growth and the complex dynamics between the leads. However, while the book has a lot of heart, it does feel a bit predictable at times, and I found some parts of the plot a little slow-moving.

The romance element felt secondary to the character's personal journey, which I didn’t mind, but I was hoping for a bit more emotional depth and complexity in the storyline. Overall, *The Last Word* is a solid, enjoyable read, especially for fans of character-driven stories with a touch of humor, but it didn’t fully captivate me. It's a pleasant, easy read but not quite unforgettable.

I struggled with this book a bit. I get the "miscommunication" troupe, but so much could have been avoided. Harper made me mad multiple times in this book. Which is funny because I feel like I'd do a lot of what she did. I absolutely loved Ryan. He was a patient patient man.

Enemies to lovers is my favorite romance trope, and this is done so well in The Last Word as Harper and Ryan, despite him breaking her heart 10 years prior, are forced to work together in close proximity. Not only do they have history, but they also have opposite personalities, but they say opposites attract don't they?

I appreciated that the story was focused most on getting to know the characters and developing their connection with the romance coming in a bit later. Sometimes the romance becomes the focus too soon which makes it feel a bit forced. But getting to know them and their dynamic, filled with humor and witty banter, made this so much more enjoyable. As with most enemies to lovers tropes there is some miscommunication, which usually bothers me but not quite as much in this story. I felt like the rest made up for it!

Overall an enjoyable, feel-good rom-com that I'd recommend for someone looking for a nice easy read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Single POV which made this difficult to side with Harper! Because we only saw her views and not Ryan’s views, it was difficult to get on board with all of Harper’s antics. Loved the banter throughout the book and the slow burn was definitely sloooooow. Not one I’d have picked up normally but it wasn’t too badly written! It was even set in a location that I don’t read much from, so that was interesting, too! Thanks for the opportunity to read.

This totally reminded me of The Bold Type and I loved it! I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. It also reminded me of The Hating Game, which I adored! The enemies to lovers trope never fails to impress.

This book came out over a year ago and I just got to it. The reason being, that I didn’t hear the best reviews. So after really enjoying her first two books, I was scared of a big disappointment.

We follow Harper Jenkins, who is a journalist well known for her celebrity interviews. She enjoys her job, of getting to tell the stories behind the celebrity’s. However her company hires Ryan Jansson, with whom she really doesn’t get along. Reason being the relationship they had when they were younger, wich ended with Ryan betraying Harper.

I started of liking Harper since she seemed nice, after a certain point this changed. A big part of this is, that everything in this book just felt way to easy. Everything went great and there weren’t any stakes. Paired with the in my opinion lacking chemistry between our two main characters, this book fell flat for me.

I’m still looking forward to her next book, hopefully I will have more luck with that.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, Publishers, and Katy Birchall for gifting me a copy of The Last word in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars

Harper is a hard working celebrity journalist, who is known in the industry for her compassion and vulnerability when interviewing people. Things at work could not be going better, other than her controlling boss, until a reporter from her past is hired at the same Magazine. Ryan is the man who broke her heart 10 years ago when they were both interns. He didn’t just break her heart, he shattered her trust and made her unable to love anyone again. While working close with each other on projects is she willing to open her heart again. If she does will it be destroyed like last time or will she finally get her happy ever after?

Katy Birchall has a wonderful writing style that sucks you in and makes it so you don’t want to put the book down. I love how her characters are well rounded and I feel like I’m part of Harper’s friend group.

Ryan as a whole pissed me off, he royally messed up the first time around and in my opinion he messed up even worse the second time. The fact that he was forgiven so easily really pissed me off. If anything he should have been begging at her door daily and instead she went to him, hell no! I probably would have given it a higher rating but I cannot get over this plot point. The only reason I gave it the .5 is because of how much I enjoy Katy Birchall’s writing style. I mean yeah her life turned out better in the end but he treated her like shit, sorry I’m rambling because how upset I am.

I will definitely read more from Katy Birchall due to her writing style, but I will take a break from her before reading anything else by her.

I was entertained. The book lived up to its title, a second chance, workplace, enemies to lovers with forced proximity and a dual timeline romance. The author created such amazing characters, the workplace environment was very life-like complete with a rude misogynistic boss. the

This one really wasn‘t for me at all. I can see why people love this book but I like my characters more mature acting especially when they‘re adults and also romances with only one pov are usually not the best for me.

Loved this book.
This book was interesting and not a typical romance book as it was related to work. Harper and Ryan meet at work a long time ago and their paths cross again in their work as journalist. It is a slow burn but so good!

Enemies-to-Lovers Romance in Publishing

The Last Word by Katy Birchall is an engaging enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance set in the vibrant world of a London magazine publisher. The story follows Harper Jenkins, a brilliant and determined journalist who excels as a celebrity features editor for a lifestyle magazine. Harper's professional life takes a dramatic turn when her former work nemesis, Ryan, is hired as the new Features Editor. This rekindles old rivalries and buried feelings between the two, leading to a roller-coaster of emotions and professional challenges. The plot thickens as they are thrown together on a romantic press trip abroad, where their chemistry becomes undeniable.

Overall, The Last Word by Katy Birchall is a delightful read for fans of contemporary romance and the enemies-to-lovers trope. The book's strengths include its witty dialogue, relatable characters, and vibrant setting. While it may follow some predictable romantic conventions, the execution is fresh and entertaining. Birchall's writing style brings the story to life, making it a perfect choice for a light-hearted, feel-good read.