This was one I was so excited to be able to read and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the pacing of the book and how the characters were easy to be drawn in by.

Harper is an ethical and brilliant journalist who’s known for getting tight lipped stars to open up. She loves being a celebrity editor and has built some of the best contacts in the industry.

Ryan is hired as the new features editor. Harper couldn’t believe her luck. A decade ago, when they were interns, spark flew and ultimately Ryan betrayed her. They haven’t talked since.

Now they can’t avoid each other forever. As they’re forced to spend more time with each other, sparks begin to fly again and things appear to be taking a turn for love. Will they be able to set aside their differences? Or are they too different to work?

I absolutely loved Harper’s character! She was such a good journalist with a big heart and I fell in love with her character. Her enemy, Ryan is also a great. The two are opposites in many ways. Harper is a free spirit and Ryan is a bit more uptight. Together they worked…until they didn’t. Now they are working together again and their love comes back. While this book was a little predictable and formulaic at times, it still flowed well and really worked. I think the likeable cast of characters helped me overlook some of the more generic points. If you’re looking for enemies to lovers, an office romance, opposites attract and a second change romance then I hope you check this one out. The banter between the characters is also top notch and also helped keep me engaged.

If you’re looking for a fun romance book, then check this one out soon – on May 2nd.

Thank you to St Martins Press, @stmartinspress, SMPRomance, @SMPRomance, and Netgalley, @netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun-to-read lighthearted book that I enjoyed! 3.5/5 stars. The overall enemies to lovers theme with a slow burn romance is always a fun read for me. I enjoyed the main character, especially her lack of organization and lack of timeliness, which I don't feel is often portrayed in books and was carried as a main theme throughout. And even with these traits, was still seen as a top performer and go-getter in her career, which was lovable! The main character's love interest (but first, enemy) is very much the opposite of her in main characteristics/life traits, but is also thriving in his career. They have some fun banter throughout the book, and he really starts to win your heart throughout. There were some fun twists and turns (specifically how the past played in), but quite a few of the situations were super predictable. Although predictable, it was a light, romantic and fun read. Received as a NetGalley early read thanks to St. Martin's Press.

Post on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5503563453

I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance, workplace rivals British romance set in the world of dwindling print journalism. Harper is used to being discredited by co-workers and her parents but she enjoys entertainment reporting. When her former flame and rival, Ryan returns and they start competing again, the sparks fly but there's only room for one of them. Perfect for fans of Falon Ballard's Just my type and great on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press for the widget to read new Katy Birchall! I loved The Wedding Season so I was excited to see what she would come up with next.

Anticipated pub is 2 May 2023

I really enjoyed this story. I found Harper to be a super likable character. She's a hot mess but so together in her career. Her banter with Ryan was fun and I found myself laughing out loud several times. We get periodic flashbacks to summer of 2012 to find out (slowly) what happened when Harper and Ryan first met & interned together. They have lots of struggles on the way but eventually discuss what happened in the past. I laughed and I (almost) cried. This gave me all the feels.

Overall funny, cute and entertaining story.

This was a fun read. The romance between the main character and the love interest had me invested from the beginning, but don't be fooled this is a slow burn romance. Character development was great and would definitely recommend.

4/5 stars

Harper is the celebrity editor at The Narrative and loves her job. She has a couple of great friends who support each other at work with the only pain being Cosmo, their boss. When one friend leaves for a promotion with another publication, the new hire is a face Harper has been avoiding to great lengths. She can't stand stick-in-the-mud and neat-freak Ryan. They've only gotten on well for a short time years ago but she'll never forget their big blow up. It's more than infuriating that the sparks persist between them.
I loved the tension and chemistry between Harper and Ryan. Their constant bickering and need to have the last word was relatable even when it got to be a touch too much. I wanted to have Ryan's POV because he was such a sweet cinnamon roll even through Harper's less than positive viewpoint.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

Journalist Harper has a reputation for using empathy and trust to get the best A-list celebrity interviews in the business. Yet her misogynistic boss has little respect for her and her "fluff" pieces. Things only get worse when her ex, Ryan, joins the team as a features editor. With Harper and Ryan forced to work together, old feelings resurface, and a fragile trust grows between them. But when layoffs loom, will the past repeat itself?

This is my favorite Katy Birchall novel to date. Her characteristic insight into the human heart combines with laugh-out-loud humor and a deeply emotional romance for a warm and satisfying read. Don't miss this book!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The Last Word by Katy Birchall is a funny and delightful story. Harper is a chaos in motion and loves her job as the celebrity news reporter at her magazine. Ryan is orderly and endearing and works as an editor. They love to argue and of course have the last word in this enemies to lovers story.

I adored the banter between Ryan and Harper especially in the newsroom. The back and forth timeline allowed for their backstory to flow seamlessly. Being able to watch Harper connect with people over interviews was truly magical, and I wanted to sit next to her and take notes on how she did it. I enjoyed the unexpected funny scenes, family drama, and workplace humor which added to the appeal of the story.

The Last Word was a great read and I enjoyed hanging out with Harper and Ryan. The setting in London added to its charm. I recommend it.
I was given a book by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

The Last Word is a classically fun enemies-to-lovers. The main female character Harper is honestly a mess in every way except for her skills as a celebrity reporter. Working with her nemesis and former fling isn’t ideal, but it is kind of cute and funny. This book said it would remind the reader of The Hating Game and that’s spot-on. This way my first Katy Birchall novel, but it won’t be my last!


Special thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an advanced reviewer copy to me in exchange for my honest review and opinion!

Here's the thing, I know I probably would have absolutely loved this book if I had been in the mood for it. This is my third Katy Birchall book, so I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but I just don't think her books are really fit into the romance genre. They seem more women's fiction to me than anything else. While yes there is always a romance aspect to the story, it's never really the focal point and that is an important piece to a romance novel, at least in my opinion. Though I do think the romance was more important to this story than the other two I have read from Katy.

At the end of the day, I still really enjoyed this book and will definitely continue to read more from her. I really enjoy Katy's writing style. I think it's easy to read and get invested in the story. Her characters always have stories I'm eager to learn more about and they always have some really great character development. The relationships developed are really wonderful and deep and it is hard to put the book down once I've started it.

I really enjoyed how the history between Ryan and Harper was revealed throughout the book and I love the way they interacted with each other and learned about each other all over again. This was a fun, sweet, and heartfelt story, that I'm quite happy I read. It was a little slow to start, but an all-around enjoyable time. This is one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the following.

✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Second Chance
✔️ Workplace Romance
✔️ First Person Single POV

This is a case if it’s not the book, it’s me. I’m not a huge fan of workplace romances and then the miscommunication was a hard pass for me. I know so many love this author and I’m so glad it’s gotten overall great reviews.

Romance

This was a wonderful use of the enemies to lover's trope. There is also some 2nd chance love trope as well.

Harper and Ryan met 10 years ago when they were both interns for the same magazine/newspaper. They ended up having a perfect weekend, but then Harper found out that Ryan had some information he should have shared with her. She broke things off and they went their own ways.

Now, they are working together again. Ryan gets hired as the Features Editor where Harper works as the Celebrity News Editor. Their snarky exchanges cause their co-workers to wonder if their hating game hides a heavy dose of sexual tension.

This novel is so much more than a romance. Harper has some pretty major familial issues that she has to deal with. She also has a mysogynistic boss that causes other problems for her.. Navigating these situations while also learning to trust Ryan again made for a wonderful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

If you like Workplace rivals or enemies to lovers than this is the book for you! We feature Harper and Ryan. Ryan and Harper have a past that Harper would very much want to forget.
I loved their approaches to writing their stories. Harper is very messy and Ryan is straight laced. I cracked up with the desk things. Harper begins to thaw and let's down her guard with Ryan. They feature a trip to Florence and Mimi's birthday party.
I loathed the character of Cosmo. He was a terrible boss and if that's what the writer wanted to portray then kudos to them.
There are flashback scenes in this book and we discover how Ryan and Harper met originally. loved the ending and I adored Ryan and Harper's time with his family.
A big thank-you to Net Galley and St Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy of this book. It was fantastic.

Fast-paced, refreshing and HAS A GREAT STORY with characters that have PERSONALITY

Honestly, this book was amazing, it quite literally had me hooked - I finished it all in one evening and was thoroughly entertained

Although, I did feel as a though there were a lot of explanations dumped into the text - perhaps if they had been embedded it would have had a better effect

Overall a great read ✨🤩

3.5 stars

I've had one huge hit and one slight miss with Katy Birchall, but I was really excited to pick up The Last Word based on the fact that it seemed like the love interest was going to be involved in the whole story rather than just cropping up a few times before declaring their love for the heroine. That has been my biggest issue with Birchall's books in the past - I really love when the romance is front and center.

Out of all of Birchall's books, The Last Word certainly achieves this; however, their relationship is wrapped up in a conflict that really brings out the somewhat grating childishness of our main character. In addition, the reveal of the initial betrayal by the love interest in the flashbacks ended up being fairly anticlimactic as the main couple were barely together in the past timeline.

That being said, Birchall's humor and characterization shines through as always and she does an excellent job of bringing the world of celebrity journalism to life. My gripes are definitely more of a "It's not you, it's me" as I find that my chick lit phase might be ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I love second chance romances and this book is absolutely that! The characters, Harper and Ryan, are wonderful and so are the secondary characters. Harper is a journalist with a heart of gold. She is able to connect to her subjects in a way that is beautiful to see written out. Ryan is the grumpy to her sunshine, but he is such a sensitive soul. I truly loved watching the character development with both of these characters, but especially with Harper. They both are stubborn people, who have to have the last word, but their growth a beautiful.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, second chance romance, workplace romance, grumpy vs sunshine, and a bit of dual timelines.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because I love an office romance, an enemies to lovers, and a second chance romance, so I thought why not. What I didn’t expect was to like it SO MUCH. In my opinion this was a top tier in both of those categories, so if any of those speak to you, pick it up. Honestly, if you loved The Hating Game, you’ll like this (for reference, I didn’t love The Hating Game but I loved this).

One thing that really drew me in was the fact that I caught myself laughing or smiling MULTIPLE times during this book. I’ve found recently that I don’t do that as often as I used to, so when a book gets me unintentionally smiling, I know it’s a good one. There were so many little moments where the relationship in the book made me feel swoony, or one of the characters said something SO CLEVER or FUNNY that I just couldn’t help myself.

On to the characters themselves. Harper was such an interesting character. She was relatable in the way that any person who feels their job defines their worth and strives to work on it is relatable (no? just me?), but beyond that we saw some vulnerabilities with her that really made me sit back and think. Now Ryan, he was swoony. Quiet, shy, nervous man who is also gorgeous and good at his job? Sign me up please! I always thought that the boisterous men oozing charisma were my favorite, but at the end of the day, I love a Ryan. And then their chemistry? It was literally wafting off the pages. Also, the side characters were pretty lovable too, which is always a plus!

I also really liked the discussion that was inherent around celebrities and our fascination as a society with them. I was always someone who was pretty plugged into pop culture, and for me I think it was because 1) I love drama and there happened to be drama in droves with pop culture, but 2) I liked seeing someone out there being successful who I felt I could relate to. And that what Harper as a character tries to make known. I think it really made me think more about the world. I’ve moved on quite a bit from my love of pop culture, but I think it’s important to have that reminder sometimes that celebrities are also people too, and that message is pretty heavy in this book.

Overall, this was a solid 4.75 star read for me and I do recommend any romance lovers pick it up if they have the desire!

My favorite romances are when the chemistry between the characters is so apparent, it jumps through the pages immediately. It’s easier said than done - and most require a slow burn. But every once in a while you at h it from the first interaction, and then you know you are in for an excellent read.

And that was exactly the case here. From the first interaction between Harper and Ryan, I was ALL in.

I also adored the character of Harper. She was instantly relatable. She’s a celebrity journalist, quite successful in her field, and known for her ability to get even the most cynical and tight mouthed celebrities to open up. While she’s prof what she’s built, she has a rough relationship with her family and her romantic life has been meh. And then she sees Ryan in a conference room, and things take a turn.

We learn through flashbacks that Ryan and Harper have a backstory, and I loved this way of learning about them. Their conflicts and journey felt realistic but also I found myself smirking and laughing a lot.

This gave me strong Hating Game vibes - and I mean that as the highest compliment! I’ve enjoyed everything that I’ve read by @katybirchallauthor and this is no exception- I had a solo vacay day yesterday and spent it devouring this book with absolutely no regrets. The best way to spend a day!

Big thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for gifting me this advanced readers copy! It is out May 2!

Will post on goodreads, my bookstagram @scottonreads and retail sites

I think I would have enjoyed this more without the comparison to Hating Game, which is one of my all-time favorites. Both characters make seemingly obvious mistakes and the banter isn't quite what I was looking for either. However, there were sweet moments and funny moments that kept me interested. 3.5 stars rounded up