Ah- enemies to lovers with a twist of second chances! Harper is a celebrity journalist par excellence, largely because she threw herself into her work after a romantic disaster with- wait for it- Ryan. And then Ryan turns up at her - and she does think of it as her- magazine. Everyone thinks he's great but Harper is carrying a chip. These two bicker really well and they compete even better, which makes their eventual thaw even sweeter. There's more to him and to what happened between them all those years ago than Harper knew. This is admittedly one big trope but the characters are delightful and it's entertaining. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

"I thought I made this clear ten years ago, but maybe you didn’t believe me or you weren’t really listening. You have no idea what you do to me. You’re beautiful, but it’s so much more than that. I’ve never been able to talk to anyone the way I could talk to you. Since Adam died, I’d always felt so closed off and alone and irrelevant. Then I met you and you made everything feel warm and open and alive. The world seemed okay again.”

I really enjoyed this read! It’s funny because a few of my Bookstagram friends didn’t like this book. I’ve always known that Katy Birchall’s Books are a little slow to get into. But once you make it a few chapters in, you’re invested! For the most part I really liked Harper. I loved how as being a reporter she really, and truly wanted to show the good side to everyone she interviews. I loved how comfortable she would make the people feel. How they trusted her. It really showed how well she does her job. I loved every bickering moment Harper and Ryan shared. I’m not the biggest fan of multiple timelines, but I liked how we get to see their history. I loved Ryan. I found him very sweet and you can tell that he was a bit shy. I only had a little bit of an issue with Harper not letting things slide and not really listening to someone’s other side of the story.

Read if you like:
Heroine’s POV
Workplace romance
Second chance romance
Banter for days
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Mostly closed door romance

“He called me a chaotic, shiny star. My heart just might burst.”

Harper is an incredible journalist who’s able to get tight-lipped celebrities to talk to her. She loves her job as a Celebrity Editor, but her awful boss makes everything difficult. Especially when he hires Ryan as the new Features Editor, and Harper is furious. She and Ryan have history. They don’t get along and fight constantly, but the more time she spends with him, the more she can’t help thinking she misjudged him.

This is everything I wanted from a rom com. The banter is absolutely outstanding and it made the chemistry between Harper and Ryan simply oozes off the page. I loved that it’s told from Harper’s first-person POV, and we get a clear picture of her character. We are with her chaotic mind and thought process, and it’s honestly so funny. I found myself laughing constantly. Birchall is so good at writing funny inner dialogue that feels so relatable.

Harper and Ryan’s relationship also develops beautifully through moments where she keeps seeing him in a different light. He is endlessly supportive of her and so proud of her. He’s the support system she needs, as we get details about her condescending parents and how difficult that is for her. It’s also easy to see why she’s distrustful of Ryan, especially with his betrayal years prior. We really see how her relationships with her parents and sister have affected her in how she portrays herself at work, It's not surprising to see how hard she works and how seriously she takes her job.

The overall conflict isn’t anything super deep, but considering Harper’s character her reactions make sense. She is impulsive and has poor time management, and it’s obvious that her relationship with her parents has greatly affected her. Her growth is substantial and I adored the ending!

3.75 stars

The Last Word is a sweet and funny romance. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Katy Birchall wrote them very well, as well as their development throughout the story. The story itself was a bit slower than what I typically prefer. It took a while for the actual romance to start, more than half way through the book. It really focused on their careers and their bantering, and there was a lot of banter/arguments. There was also a bit of a dual timeline. Sometimes the book jumps back 10 years to when the main characters worked on an internship together. I really liked the plot, former colleagues become colleagues again after a decade and they are completely opposite. So they butt heads on everything and always fight to have the last word. It’s great! It was just a bit too slow for me, it felt almost like it was dragging out the story and waiting till the near end to get the romance. I wish there was more of Harper and Ryan’s romance because their chemistry was written so well and I would have loved more of that!

I really enjoyed this read! I thought it was a perfect, enemies to lovers, second chance , slow burn, romance! Most of the book was pretty fast paced but there were a few lulls as well. All in all, definitely recommend this read!

I’m kind of disappointed with this book as it sounded like I would really enjoy it. My problem with it is simple that the two love interest are simply not compatible, like at all. Sure they have one or two cute moments but the rest of the time I couldn’t stop thinking how they would absolutely get divorced in three months tops.

Katy Birchall hits it out of the park again. I loved her previous two books and this one was maybe even better. Birchall writes romances set in London, but with a cast of characters and friends that adds so much depth and heart to her stories. Harper and Ryans enemies to lovers romance was fun and smart and a little swoony. I was worried about the glimpses of their past taking up more space in the book, but they were just the right amount of then to the bulk of the now story. GIve me romances across Europe, dishy celebrity fun and romances that make my heart happy any day.

I’m such a fan of Katy Birchall’s books, so I was really excited to read an advance copy of her latest!!

I ended up with mixed emotions about The Last Word, but overall enjoyed it. It’s an enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance set at a newspaper magazine. Harper is the celebrity columnist, who is well-connected and great at her job. Ryan is new at the company, but has a bumpy history with Harper.

My main issue was that the past between this couple is slowly revealed between chapters. Sometimes this structure works, but here it made me feel a bit disconnected from the characters and their feelings, and Harper in particular came off really bratty. It was harder to root for them getting back together.

But, there were many cute moments between them that I really enjoyed. And, I loved all the parts about Harper’s job and seeing her succeed at it. When Ryan and Harper were getting along and working together, the story shined. And, the book really began to pick up for me about halfway through.

Overall, this was a fun book! The romance is more a focus in this book than it was in Birchall’s previous books, and I especially recommend it for those who like slowburn and workplace romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC. This is my honest review.

This is an enemies to lovers, workplace, second chance romance between Harper and Ryan.

Harper and Ryan both work for the same publication, but in different divisions. When one of Harper’s coworkers takes a new job somewhere else and Ryan steps into that role Harper isn’t exactly pleased. You see, about 10 years ago Harper and Ryan were interns for the same company and things…didn’t end well.

So now we get to follow them as they try to reconcile their past and work together.

Harper is an absolute mess! She is always running late, she is sloppy, and a bit scatterbrained, but she is a fantastic journalist! Ryan is her exact opposite (except he is also a great journalist).

I thought that they had great chemistry, but even knowing that they had a past I felt like it took too long for Harper to realize that Ryan is a great guy and has always been a great guy. It also took until about 20% before Ryan was really a main fixture in the book.

Overall, a book that I really enjoyed!

Thank you, Katy Birchall, St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

Harper Jenkin's is a successful celebrity editor at a weekend magazine that's owned by a newspaper company. When the magazine hires Ryan Jansson as the new Features Editor, she's livid. Harper used to intern with Ryan ten years ago at another newspaper. They had a brief relationship until Ryan betrayed her. They haven't spoken to each other since. Now they have to sit beside each other, work together, and things are tense. They argue all day, don't agree on anything, and can't get along. But the more time Harper spends around Ryan, the harder it is for her to deny the feelings she feels for him. When they go on a work trip to Florence, their feelings for each other come to the surface. With layoffs at the magazine looming, will they find a common ground, or will one of them be left with the last word?

The Last Word is an enemies to lovers, second chance, opposites attract, slow-burn romance. It's full of witty banter and a lot of charged chemistry between Harper and Ryan. This book started out a little slow for me and read almost like a woman's fiction, but a quarter of the way through the story starts to get momentum and then reads more like a romance. I found myself rooting for Harper and Ryan to have their HEA from the beginning because both of their characters were so likable. Harper's outgoing, chaotic, disorganized, full of life personality meshed so well with Ryan's introverted, organized, shy, thoughtful personality. This is one of those books that you can binge in a day because it's so good (in fact, that's exactly what I did). I adore Katy Birchall's writing style. I don't know why her other books have been sitting on my bookshelf unread, but I need to remedy that issue very soon.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin, Katy Birchall, and NetGalley for this e-arc of The Last Word! It was such a cute second-chance romance with the best kind of HEA.

Harper Jenkins, the FMC, is a journalist at a magazine called The Narrative and is on top of her game. She's able to secure interviews with almost any local celebrity and earn their trust while doing so. Unfortunately, her boss doesn't see her job as that important (and neither do her parents). When Ryan Jansson is hired as Harper's new coworker, she does not know how to cope without getting into arguments with Ryan every chance she gets.
Ryan and Harper worked together years prior as interns and shared an intimate weekend together, which they both hoped to continue. While Ryan got the job at the end of the internship, he also messed up his relationship with Harper and betrayed her trust. Working together, a decade later, will either give them the second-chance they were looking for, or prove once and for all that they can never be anything more than journalists working in the same city.

This was my first book by Katy Birchall, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Overall, both MCs were very likable in my opinion (even if at times their bickering could cease if they just took a moment to breath and think), and their banter/chemistry didn't feel forced at all. Their bickering was funny, and it added overall to their history and relationship. The side characters were also a great addition to the cast, and they were lovable when needed or extremely annoying (I'm looking at you Cosmo). Told in a single POV, The Last Word hit all the right tropes: second-chance, forced proximity, workplace romance, and just a hint of spice. If you're a sucker for any of those tropes, and want a romance that doesn't overdue the spice and hits on character growth throughout the plot, then The Last Word is the book for you!

"He called me a chaotic, shiny star." GAHHH this line.


guys i will forever be a sucker for an office romance... but adding in past lovers who bicker nonstop, sign me up!!!!! the banter was EVERYTHING.

i genuinely loved both harper and ryan so much. ryan is such a sweetheart. these characters were written so beautifully. i would've done ANYTHING to get a ryan pov though... like just imagining what was going through his mind all the times they were together just has me like omg!!!!

i really liked how this book shed light on not only how hard pursuing journalism can be, but how hard it is for women in that industry as well. it was written and incorporated very well. i love how female centered and uplifting this book was.

overall this was such a wonderful book and thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc.

Thank you Katy Birchall, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

wow I loved this! has everything I could ever want in a rom-com, enemies to lovers workplace romance. i adored Harper, loved reading about how she's was not your typical journalist and really making a name for herself that way.

this was just so fun and refreshing to read!

"The Last Word" by Kate Birchall is a romance novel about Harper and Ryan, former news interns who fell in love but then fell apart. Years later, they are reunited as colleagues at a magazine, and their competitive banter turns into sparks once again. The author does a good job of portraying the characters as competent journalists, with Harper's love of storytelling shining through despite her sexist boss. Ryan's inability to stand up to the boss makes him more realistic but less of a dream boyfriend.

3.75 stars

I want to start of by saying that I enjoyed this book. It was pretty funny in places, it had heart, and it had great ending, but I feel like the synopsis was slightly misleading. It gave the impression of being a great enemies-to-lovers workplace romcom, and that is only partly true. I feel like the romance was a side story, while the main focus of the book was more women’s fiction than romcom. It was a really entertaining and inspiring story, but it also wasn’t entirely what I thought it would be.

However, I blew through the book after just a few hours of reading, and I was laughing my butt off at this one scene that I don’t want to spoil (it involves a taxi and a celebrity giving birth and it’s hilarious). I thought Harper was cute and driven, and I loved her growth at the end and the way her story changed. I liked Ryan, but I feel like I didn’t connect with him as much as I have with other book guys in the past. I loved the flashbacks though, and I do like how everything worked out between them.

I also really loved how big the journalism world was in this big, and I actually really liked all of the focus on Harper’s work and the things she was accomplishing. It made me like her more and really believe in her as a character.

Overall, it was a good book, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you were looking for a classic romcom. If you are looking for women’s fiction with a romance subplot, I think this is a great option!

Harper Jenkins puts her heart and soul into her work as an editor and journalist covering Hollywood's hottest celebrities. She is somehow able to put the most famous celebrities at ease in interviews like no one else can and she is fiercely dedicated to her work. When her boss hires Ryan Jansson to be the Features editor, working at the desk right next to her, Harper is less than thrilled. Not only do they constantly fight with each other, but this is not the first time they have met. 10 years ago, Harper and Ryan interned at the same publication and got swept up in a whirlwind romance. Everything was perfect until Ryan betrayed Harper and she stormed out of his life for good. Now that he's back in her life, Harper has to come face-to-face with those feelings again that she felt for him so long ago.

This enemies-to-lovers story had me reading all day long just so I could finish it and find out what happened! I loved Katy Birchall's "The Secret Bridesmaid" so I was thrilled to be able to read this one. It was everything that I wanted it to be. Harper and Ryan's back-and-forth banter was hilarious and their chemistry was undeniable! I love how we got to see Harper's confidence grow throughout the book and see more of Ryan's personality with Harper bringing him out of his shell more and more. If you've loved any of Birchall's previous books, you'll love this one too!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! Look for The Last Word on shelves on May 2nd!

Perfect vacation read. Interns to enemies to lovers to co-workers to enemies to lovers. All at the office, of course.

If you liked The Hating Game (WHO DOESN'T? I WILL FIGHT YOU) you will love this story. Harper and Ryan are journalists. Harper writes celeb pieces and is an excellent interviewer - seriously, that was my favorite part of the book, her interviews. Ryan is a the Features Editor and of course they sit right next to each other. Except, they interned a lifetime ago together and have a little bit of a backstory. Their banter is the absolute best and while Harper can be a tad annoying at times she comes around and can admit when she's wrong and I wound up loving that about her.

Forced Proximity? Sign Me UP!

This was sharp and witty while being fun and felt fresh. I find fresh is so hard to find in books anymore and this one nailed it!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Word releases May 2, 2023

Holy smokes, I found Harper to be such an irritating character! And since this story was so character driven from her perspective, it definitely impacted my overall reading experience.
She’s a journalist and celebrity editor at the <I>Narrative</I> magazine. A highly disorganized, often tardy, workaholic. Her dialogue towards Ryan came across snarky and it put me in the worst mood. Harper was always trying to one up him when he was just minding his own business and getting his work done. She constantly had to have the last word which gave off a superiority complex.
Why was she <I>so</I> pressed about him bringing homemade cookies into the office? Like what did he ever do to you to make you so incredibly angry?
I don’t like people that continually show up late while acknowledging it, yet doing nothing to change the habit. It’s so rude.

Harper and Ryan are presented to us as rival workmates with an obvious past, although they’ve made it seem like they’ve just met each other to the rest of their friends and coworkers.
There are some flashbacks interspersed from 11 years ago when they first met as interns.

I don’t believe that they were compatible at all.
Ryan is a reserved and quiet man, has good intentions, a clean workspace — I can’t for the life of me see what he saw in Harper.

I’m shocked that this barely managed to get by with an HEA. It felt like there was maybe, at best, 2 full chapters of romance for the entire book.
It just was not believable. The pacing was incredibly off. Nothing was shown until well into the second half of the story.

I despise the use of cheating as a plot device, so it’s no surprise that I didn’t like it here either.
The conflict was an exact repeat of what happened 11 years ago between Harper and Ryan and their workplace positions which felt like a sick punch to the gut.
I was not rooting for a love story here.

Engaging, charming, and sassy!

The Last Word is an amusing, feel-good, enemies-to-lovers romance that takes you into the lives of both Harper Jenkins, a young woman who loves her job as a celebrity journalist and who is determined to prove to her family no matter what that it’s a worthy career, and the reserved, handsome Ryan Jansson who may finally have a shot at expressing his true feelings to the one woman he’s loved since he beat her out of a permanent position at an internship more than ten years ago.

The writing is humorous and light. The characters are hardworking, passionate, and stubborn. And the plot is a push-pull tale full of familial strife, workplace drama, tender moments, competitive rivalry, witty banter, expectations, friendship, chemistry, and love.

Overall, The Last Word is another sweet, spirited, highly entertaining read by Birchall with characters I couldn’t help but root for and a happy-ever-after ending that left me smiling, smitten, and more than satisfied.