4.25 stars

I really enjoyed this second chance, enemies to lovers, workplace romance. The dynamic between Harper and Ryan was obviously built upon past events and it was nice to get to flashback to their shared past throughout the book to see how they ended up as enemies/rivals. The flashbacks really added to the current storyline.
Harper and Ryan were well developed and I enjoyed the secondary characters as well.

I enjoyed this enemies to lovers, office, second chance romance. It started out a bit slow but I became more invested the further I got in the story. I liked the flash backs to Ryan and Harper's past and their bickering in the present. Harper did get on my nerves at times and I felt she wasn't fair to Ryan. This is not my favorite book by Birchall but I still liked it and feel it is worth reading.

I have loved Katy Birchall's books and The Last Word was no exception.

Harper writes celebrity stories for a magazine and has been quite successful in that role. When her friend who is the features editor leaves, she is shocked to learn that the new editor is Ryan, who she has worked with in the past and does not get along with. Harper and Ryan have a long history which left Harper with a broken heart. Now working together again, the feels of attraction are starting to return, but will history repeat itself?

This was such a great story. I loved the characters and their banter. I could not stop reading/listening to this one. While the other books by Birchall have been more women's fiction, this one was definitely more of a rom com and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I liked how the story unfolded and I wanted to know what happened between Ryan and Harper the first time. Harper is one of those characters that just gets under your skin and you want to root for her.

If you haven't read anything by Katy Birchall, you are missing out. Her writing is beautiful and her characters will suck you in. I would definitely recommend checking out this book for a fun rom com.

I listened to the audio book which was narrated by Karen Cass and thought she did an excellent job. Her tone and inflection were spot on for how I pictured Harper.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Oh, this was fun! This is the first time I have picked up Katy Birchall’s work, and I must say I am impressed. This enemies-to-lovers, second chance, office romance was exactly what I needed. Harper and Ryan were fantastic characters and I was eager to see them figure things out so they could be together. I am so glad that I took a chance and decided to give this book a try!

Harper has made a career in journalism writing about celebrities and she really seems to have a knack for it. I enjoyed seeing her work her magic and getting a highly sought-after interview or scoop. Ryan has been hired as the new Features Editor and Harper acts like she doesn’t even know him despite their history. I thought that Harper and Ryan were great together and I loved the chemistry that they shared. They did have some things to work out but I thought that this relationship was worth fighting for.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Karen Cass did an amazing job with the story. I found her voice to be very pleasant and had a hard time setting it aside. I liked the voices she used for the various characters which really helped to bring the story to life. I am certain that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very entertaining story filled with characters that were very easy to like. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up more of Katy Birchall’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press.

3.75 stars

Here is your reminder that speaking up and distancing yourself from toxic family members is ok! I was so angry every time her parents popped up on page. Ryan was so sweet and I loved the backstory of their earlier years. You could feel the spark right away between Ryan and Harper. Mimi was a great wing woman lol. There were a few laugh out loud moments and aww moments throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Giiiiirl… if you’re looking for a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance do I have the book for you!!!!!! Literally stayed up until 2:00 am to finish this one because the TENSION was immaculate. If you liked The Hating Game minus some of the weird banter between the MCs, try this one asap.

This was such an interesting story taking place in the publishing/magazine industry. Honestly nothing could make me love Harper and Ryan less. This wasn’t perfect and there were times that Harper flew off the handle and onto my nerves, but truly I think I love this one so much that I won’t be accepting criticism at this time. She’s golden.

This took me a while to get into it, but overall I ended up enjoying it when I did. I enjoyed the workplace romance and the enemies to lovers nature of Harper and Ryan. I enjoyed this, but it wasn’t my favorite of the author’s books. There were several times I felt for Harper at the injustice of her work situation. I was a little torn over her recon with Ryan after two similar situations. I also enjoyed seeing the celebrity news and how well she treated all of the celebrities she worked with. I enjoyed the narration and will definitely check out more books by this author. I did really like how it was wrapped up.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Enemies to Lovers. Rom Com. Quick Read. Witty. Lots of fun banter. Discovered this author a few years ago with her Secret Bridesmaid book- which is a delight too! That followed up with The Wedding Season left me wanting more of her rom com books so when this came out I was ready. Wide range of age groups will like this, and if it's their first katy Birchall book they will probably be asking for more!

This is my third Katy Birchall book and I've loved every single one! I'm a huge fab of enemies-to-lovers so I knew that I was going to love this one and I was right!

Now, that being said, it is a little bit of a slow burn. Without giving too much away about the story, there is some necessary set-up before we meet Harper's nemesis.

The main character, Harper Jenkins, is a brilliant, funny and caring celebrity editor at a newspaper's glossy weekend magazine. She's great at her job and always manages to get the best scoop. Her down-to-earth, easy-going personality, makes her a favorite with celebs and their agents. But when her boss hires Ryan to be the new features editor, Harper is furious. Harper and Ryan where both interns at another publication 10 years ago, until Ryan betrayed Harper and they haven't spoke since.

Now ten years later, Harper and Ryan are forced to thrown together in a busy newsroom. They constantly argue and bicker about everything. Harper believes Ryan is still a condescending jerk just like her boss Cosmo. But the more Harper and Ryan are forced to be around each other, the more Harper starts to wonder if she's misjudged Ryan. As the spark between them grows and old feelings resurface, will they get it right this time or are they destined to crash and burn again?

I adore both Ryan and Harper. Harper is such a genuine and relatable character. Her greatest strength is getting people to feel at ease around her and it's clear that she loves her job -- which she's also great at. I love that she is very confident in who she is and has a very honest approach. It was also nice to see such a positive representation of a reporter, specifically one that focuses on celebrity stories. She treats every celebrity with respect and it makes you root of her because she's just a good person.

I think Katy did a great job crafting Ryan as Harper's enemy/love interest. At first it appears that Ryan is this obnoxious jerk who is hell bent on making Harper's life difficult. But as the story continues you realize that there is more to the story. He's a sensitive, reserved and insecure. He's super sweet and you can't help but root for him to work things out with Harper. Also the whole birthing scene in the taxi is so good!!

Overall, this is a great story with relatable characters that. It's funny and heartfelt.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / St. Martin’s Griffin for this digital arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Super cute enemies-to-lovers trope romcom set in an office/work environment. Fun characters, great chemistry and good storyline. My third book by this author and not my last! Really enjoyed! Good book to pick up for a sweet, easy read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

The Last Word by Katy Birchall was such a fun second chance enemies to lovers romance. I loved how strong of a character Harper was. She had so much passion for her job and never let anyone tell her that entertainment journalism was any less important than other types of journalistic work. Harper was messy and and a little chaotic but she was also extremely genuine and was really talented in drawing her interviewees out of their shells, which was a skill she needed for the love interest Ryan. Ryan was extremely closed off, kind of awkward, and very career driven in a way that sometimes made him blind to some of the inequality that was happening in the workplace. I thought the entire story for this book was really well done and I liked how the ending of the book came full circle with realistic solutions for all of the conflicts in the story. Also there were some great laugh out loud moments in this book when Harper and Ryan get overly competitive with each other over goofy things. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes romance or just wants a fun feel good book to read with a strong female lead.

Katy Birchall never ceases to amaze with her writing style and the last word is such a great vibe for fans of her other work. It takes a great twist on enemies to lovers and second chance romance! The perfect summer read all around. I just lover Harper and the growth that she goes though throughout the book!

This book was full of British humor, and I really enjoyed reading and listening! I love Katy Birchall. Not my favorite of hers but still well done!

I love a romance like this! If you're looking for a workplace, enemies to lovers, super fun book, this is the one for you!

I loved it!! I can’t wait for it to come out on audio. It was funny and sweet. Perfect summer read. I really enjoyed how much the love main characters interacted through out the book. Their banter was so funny.

I had a hard time reading this book. I feel like the one flashback was what kept me going through it. Other than that I feel like the story was lacking something for me. Or maybe it went too much into journalism that took away from the plot. I’m not sure but this was just an ok read for me. It might still be for you though!!! The banter between the two main characters was good!!

Harper Jenkins is the Celebrity Editor at a newspaper's weekend magazine and has the magic touch when it comes to getting celebrities to trust and open up to her. Her god-awful boss hires a reported named Ryan to be the new Features Editor... the same Ryan that interned with Harper years ago. The two had a romance that ended when Ryan betrayed Harper's trust. And now they're back in the same workplace again, arguing about EVERYTHING and causing general tension in the office (and romantic tension with each other!). They're forced to spend time together and Harper realizes she might have been wrong about Ryan... or maybe not.

This was a sweet, not-so-spicy rivals-to-lovers, forced-proximity, workplace, second-chance romance (lots of tropes here). I loved Harper as the "strong" female main character - she's strong-willed and has a strong personality to match. I enjoyed her tension with Ryan and the obviousness of their love for each other (that was obvious to like everyone BUT them). All the side characters were incredibly loveable (aside from Cosmo of course). I enjoyed the dual timelines that gave us a look at what Ryan and Harper's earlier relationship looked like. It also set up a nice parallel to the present-day storyline. Again, this was NOT a super spicy romance. It focused more on how Ryan and Harper's past plays a role in their present. There's some sexism and really annoying bosses in Harper's workplace, which some might not enjoy (it's the reality of a lot of workplaces, though). Overall I enjoyed this one!

Oh I really enjoyed this book! The Last Word is filled with witty banter, forced proximity, and workplace romance! At first, I felt skeptical about where this book was heading, but boy am I glad I went along for the ride. Harper Jenkins is a determined, top of her game journalist and she is a walking chaos hurricane. Life is grand for Harper, until her boss hires Ryan as the new features editor. Ryan and Harper have history. When her career was first budding, Ryan betrayed her. Forced to work together in the newsroom with desks that touch, Harper is nothing less than an Ice Queen toward Ryan. Yet, Ryan is kind, funny, and quite irritating with his intense need for order. Slowly, Harper can feel herself warming up to this man she has vowed to keep as her enemy.

Harper's character is so sunny and delightful. She's the kind of person who you know as soon as they walk into a room, people are drawn to them like a magnet. She backs that up with also have an incredible degree of integrity and morality in journalism that is authentic and helps her to build genuine relationships with those she works with and the celebrities she interviews. This book is about second-chances, but Harper takes center stage for me. She is an incredibly strong character and the obstacles she experiences are relatable both professionally and personally.

I want to sincerely thank @stmartinspress for granting me access to this title! It was such a pleasure to read Katy Birchall's latest book!

The Last Word by Katy Birchall
Published 5/2/23 by St. Martin's Press Griffin

This is my 3rd book by this author. I really like her. Cringy Hallmark parts are super rare. This book's final conflict was NOT miscommunication as is the usual for a romance author. Finally, an author who does not use it in their books! Her female MC always have spunk. Love them.

If you like a book where the man falls first then this is your book. It also has 2 timelines if that is your thing. I personally LOVE 2 timelines! And they are clearly marked so there is zero confusion.

After loving this book and The Secret Bridesmaid, and liking The Wedding Season, KB will be an auto buy for me.

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Harper Jenkins is a successful journalist working as a Celebrity Editor at a popular newspaper and magazine office. She becomes furious when Ryan is hired as a new Features Editor. Harper and Ryan have a past as coworkers turned lovers and it all went down in flames when Ryan betrayed her ten years earlier. Harper is determined to keep that from happening again.

This book checked off everything at the beginning: a cute cover and a second chance romance in the workplace between enemies. I love the tension that a second chance usually brings us. This one just didn’t do it for me though. There was so much dialogue on the pages that I felt like the setting was non-existent. It was hard for me to visualize the scene so many times because it was just straight dialogue page after page. With the lack of setting, it felt like we jumped from scene to scene super quick, which made this a very quick and bingeable read. I could see Harper and Ryan’s viewpoints about the conflicts, but overall I just felt annoyed by them both.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Publishers and Netgalley for the advanced e-copy!