Katy Birchall's "The Last Word" is a delightful enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance that will have readers laughing and rooting for the characters. When Harper Jenkins' new boss promotes her former love and arc-nemesis, Ryan, to be Features Editor, Harper is pushed to the brink. The book combines witty banter with clever storytelling, reminiscent of Sophie Kinsella. The inclusion of a wonderful cast of supporting characters strikes a perfect balance between the romance and the importance of deep and meaningful friendships. The book's London setting adds an extra layer of fun to the story. Birchall manages to bring together classic romance tropes, such as enemies-to-lovers and second chances, in a fresh and entertaining way. Fans of forced proximity and dual timelines will also enjoy this book. "The Last Word" is a fun and entertaining read that I highly recommend.

👜BOOK REVIEW 👜

The Last Word by @katybirchallauthor

I absolutely loved The Wedding Season by this author and was excited this book dropped on my Kindle!

Thank you to @netgalley
@stmartinspress and the author for the early copy!

This story follows Harper Jenkins as she navigates the journalist world through Hollywood and celebrity lifestyles. And she is good, real good! Of course let's add a ridiculous boss and his disastrous decision to hire on Ryan, a fantastic featured editor, her nemesis and former flame.

Love this line from Goodreads...
"All is fair in love and magazines."

This is a women's fiction/contemporary romance with rivals to lovers, workplace/office romance and second chance. Loved the character development and growth of the FMC. Harper is one hardworking, talented career woman, which I'm always here for! And she can be for sure intense and feisty when she wants to be...somebody always has to have the LAST WORD. I did get frustrated with this character often...because HELLO GIRL... It's RYAN!😍 What a dreamboat!

As usual, great dialogue and witty banter. A well-rounded story with all the character growth and fun relatable details. This author is a fantastic writer and I can't wait to read her next books!

The Last Word released last week! And just look at this cover!!😍

*Romance - fade to black
* TW- some language, family issues

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam Level: 🔥🔥🔥 (fade to black and one mildly descriptive open door scene)
Trigger Warning: cheating (side character), brief mention of death of a loved one

Eleven years ago Harper Jenkins and Ryan Jansson met as interns and, after declaring their growing feelings for one another, had an incident that ruined everything. Now Harper and Ryan are working together as journalists at the same magazine, and Harper refuses to let Ryan get the best of her. As they argue and tease each other, it's obvious that their supposed dislike of one another might be a cover for their true feelings. And when they're forced to work on an article together, Harper realizes she might have made a mistake letting Ryan go the first time. Can these two put the past behind them and get it right the second time around?

After adoring The Wedding Season last year, I was so excited to get an ARC for Katy Birchall's newest book. While her previous books were more women's fiction, this one focused on the romance between Harper and Ryan. I loved the bickering and tension between these two in the beginning and liked the flashbacks that showed how they first met and then parted ways. I definitely think people will have mixed feelings about Harper and her reaction to the original conflict with Ryan, but I can understand some of her hurt and frustration. They both had to learn from their mistakes and heal. And while the two conflicts in this book were a little frustrating, I still really loved their story. I thought Ryan did some really sweet things and made it clear that he never got over Harper. I also liked seeing Harper find success in the end and stand up to her harsh parents. There were several memorable moments throughout this book, and it's proof that Katy Birchall continues to be an author I can count on for a good read!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Word was a fun little romcom about a woman whose former arch nemesis was hired at the newsroom where she works. Enemies to lovers? Yes please. A little too much brooding and miscommunication but that was outweighed by some fluffy, frothy fun to read during a stressful week. The boss made me laugh and I liked seeing Harper mature, stand up for herself and not let her past weigh her down.

This romance story checked all of my favorite tropes: workplace, enemies to lovers and second chance. It was made up of a wonderful cast, plenty of banter, laugh out loud humor and a perfectly drawn out slow burn.

I loved these characters. Harper is a Celebrity Journalist for a magazine. She has this uncanny way of gaining the trust of Hollywood stars and musicians by easing them into a relaxed interview. These moments were entertaining to watch, especially when she helped deliver a starlet’s baby in the most unlikely spot. Not only was her character funny, smart and relatable, but she had plenty of depth too. She dealt with a chauvinistic boss, a boyfriend who was using her and parents who didn’t support her career choice.

I adored Ryan. Not only does he have the cutest parents, but he has this perfectly grumpy disposition that constantly pushed Harper’s buttons creating a lot of entertaining banter and competitiveness. These two had excellent chemistry and built up sexual tension that just left you grinning at the pages like fool waiting for one of them to finally act on their feelings. To add to the storyline, you start getting flashbacks and soon realize that these two actually have a past! It quickly added a depth and explanation of their hesitancy. I enjoyed watching them work through their feelings.

I can easily admit that I’m a fan of Birchall and her writing style.

Book 7 of my Spring Reading Bonanza was a return to the workplace romance. I'm always leery of books in the journalism world as they are usually out of touch with reality but given this gossip mag setting I was able to put that aside and enjoy the office plotting.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I received an advanced copy in exchange for my opinion.

Harper is a journalist living in London and loves her job. She's dating Liam, a guy who shares her ambition and focus on career, making them seem like a good fit. However, things take a turn when Ryan, her former intern, becomes the new feature editor at the magazine she's working at. Harper had a bad experience interning with him, and she's unhappy that he's now her colleague. She decides to keep her distance and pretend not to know him, but their desks are located next to each other, leading to fights.

Although it took a while for me to connect with the characters, the bickering between Harper and Ryan added humor to the story. Alongside the light tone, the book also covers serious topics, giving readers a glimpse into Harper's backstory.

Overall, "The Last Word" is a cute romcom that I would rate 3.5 stars. It's a fun read that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a book to take on a trip or read by the pool.

The story of Harper and Ryan, a second chance, enemies to lovers romance. A great read, fast paced and keeps you interested.

Super cute enemies to lovers/second chance/office entaglement romantic comedy! Harper Jenkins is a successful celebrity journalist but her life is turned upside down and inside out when Ryan Janson is hired as the new editor. Ryan and Harper had a pretty serious fling about 11 years prior that didn’t end well. Their boss unwittingly continues to pair them in the same assignments causing all kinds of fireworks. But sparks really fly when they are sent on a romantic press trip overseas. This is my first read with this author and I’m excited to read more of her British romcoms. I think this book would be a great vacation or beach read! Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available now!

•The Last Word 🗞️•

📚Genre: rom-com
🤔Rating: 🍺🍺🍺.5(3.5/5)
#️⃣ of pages: 386
👯‍♀️ read if you like: office romances, spastic main characters & enemies to lovers
📢Publishing Date: May 2, 2023 (a little late reading this one)

👍🏼:
•love an enemies to lovers trope!
•I loved Harper’s job and her approach to it! Gave an interesting perspective on that realm of journalism
•who doesn’t love a happy ending!

👎🏼:
•pushing 400 pages is a lottt for a rom-com IMO
•it was slow for me at first and pretty predictable

Overall…
This was a cute read! Harper and Ryan are the definition of “opposites attract” and I enjoyed watching their story play out. I loved the banter and witty dialogue. I wish there had been a little more of the romance earlier on; I think that’s why it felt so slow to me. All in all though, enjoyable and easy read!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

#bookstagram #beer #currentlyreading #instareads #bookblogger #booktok #booksbythepint #bookclub #springreads #bookreviews #mayreads #netgalley #stmartinspress #arc

Katy Birchall does it again! I loved her novel The Secret Bridesmaid, and The Last Word is another hit!

Harper is a celebrity journalist for a local London magazine. Between dealing with a boss who acts as if her job is of little importance, and the infuriating new editor Ryan who is now her desk mate, she has to fight for every piece she writes to make it to publication. Ryan and her cannot seem to agree on anything, especially since the disastrous fling they had 10 years ago. But as they spend more and more time together she is starting to wonder if he is really as terrible as she remembers. Only one problem, can she let herself trust him again?

Harper was such a relatable character for me. I loved how creative she was and her social, bubbly personality. Her life and home are chaotic, but she knows her goals and works hard to achieve them. I really loved how strong of a female character she was. Ryan was just adorable and I loved seeing him come out of his shell when he was with Harper. His over organization was a great contrast to Harper’s creativity. This story was so entertaining. I am a sucker for stories with settings in the UK. They give me a little flashback to my time in London.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! I really enjoyed the main character. But I did wish we saw more connection between her and Ryan.

Fun second chance/enemies to lovers romance. Harper and Ryan were interns together 12 years ago where their bickering flared into a short affair before Harper felt betrayed by Ryan. Fast forward 12 years and Ryan becomes the new Features editor at the same magazine where Harper is the Celebrity editor. I loved Harper's work ethic and her talent for being the warm and fuzzy interviewer with her subjects. The best part though was the bickering that went on between Ryan and Harper. There were some very funny scenes, as well as times when I got a little frustrated with Harper because she was being kind of unreasonable. This book reminded me of The Hating Game which I really loved.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review. A solid 3.5 stars!

4.5/5 stars

This is my third book by this author and I really enjoyed it.

This book is set in London and it follows a celebrity reporter

The narrator is Harper Jenkins (1st person POV). She is messy and always late. But she's also an amazing journalist and a Celebrity Editor known for putting the biggest stars at ease. I loved her job so much. Seeing her interviewing famous people was my favorite part of this book.

I really enjoyed seeing Harper at work. I loved her best friend Mimi (travel editor). And her run ins with Ryan (love interest). And her boss made me want to scream!

This book does focus on romance and so many favorite tropes. The book is set in an office, has the two man characters butting heads, and they already knew each other. But it is definitely a slower burn love story. But the title really fits this book. And the banter was extremely fun!

I really enjoyed this book. And the epilogue was so good!

The Last Word was such a fun read! This was definitely a rom com that was heavier on the comedy and lighter on the romance, but that is a nice change of pace for me. The banter between Harper and Ryan was so entertaining and they were very cute together. I did get annoyed by the miscommunication, but overall it was a good read.

Okay, I officially need more British rom-coms in my life. Harper was such a delightful MC and her banter with Ryan was fantastic. I really enjoyed the inside look at magazine publishing and seeing Harper in her element. The flashbacks were used so well in this one and need to be the standard for authors who want to use them. I feel like I chose the wrong career - I want to be a travel editor now!

If romantic comedies have taught us anything, it’s that opposites always attract—and the fiercest of competitors always make for the most passionate couples. And The Last Word by author Katy Birchall explores the old rom-com formula with a couple of London journalists.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

Ok I loved this book!!! I really enjoyed this authors other two adult novels, THE SECRET BRIDESMAID, and THE WEDDING SEASON but this one is my new favorite. The plot was so fun and I loved the celebrity aspect of the storyline. The main character was someone I want to be friends with and the love interest was swoony and sweet.

I saw comparisons to THE HATING GAME and BEACH READ and I feel like both are pretty accurate. 5/5 stars, will be recommending this book!!

(3.5 stars)

The Last Word is billed as “The Hating Game meets Beach Read” but I do not feel like that description really matched the tone of the book. While it is an a workplace rival romance, it lacks the spark of The Hating Game. The animosity felt very one sided and was built on something that had happened a decade before when Harriet and Ryan were interns together.

This was a really rough start for me that ended up being fairly enjoyable. A few things that bothered me:
- Harriet’s main characteristic is that she’s late to everything and is incredibly unorganized. Her second characteristic is that she’s a celebrity writer who is willing to not publish gossip that the celebrity doesn’t want published, which is very endearing and much more interesting than “I’m late because I couldn’t find my sunglasses even though they were in my bag!” Now, don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely the kind of person who would be late because I couldn’t find my favorite sunglasses that were in an incredibly convenient location, but her flightiness gets pretty repetitive and kind of annoying. I think she loses her phone at least twice in the first chapter alone. She does not have an sense of how her disorganization negatively affects others, is way too old for it to be cute, and does not change over the course of the book.

- Harper has a supremely terrible boyfriend (Liam), who does not have a single enjoyable quality and is also forgettable? Like he’s just annoying? He very clearly is just with her to use her connections to support his own career as a talent agent and Harper does not notice this.

All of that being said, if you’re in the mood for a cozy book and can handle the main character, it wasn’t bad. I’m quick to dnf a book if I really didn’t like it, and I was able to read this one pretty quickly. It may be that the humor was “too British” for me!

The audiobook was wonderfully done! I love a narrator with a good accent.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for my review copies!

Enemies to lovers, just looking at the cover you can tell that. I loved this authors previous book and I loved this one as well. It was able to keep me captivated and enjoyed reading it all the way to the end. Loved it!