Cute book! I enjoyed it! Pretty easy read that I would recommend! I liked the character and their dynamics!

The Last Word didn't have as much funny as Birchall's previous books but I didn't miss it. The dialogue is just as snappy and the references just as sharp. I was invested in Harper and Ryan from the beginning.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

This was a perfectly cute rom com type book! I love a good enemies to lovers trope and this executed that PERFECTLY!

I really loved this. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this did not disappoint! I loved Harper and Ryan's journey from prickly colleagues to more. Harper was a delight and Ryan was totally swoon worthy. If I have any niggling issues, it's with the black moment. I always struggle when it seems like the character hasn't grown and the catalyst for the black moment is a misunderstanding based on an earlier/past mistake, and this was no exception. The situation was complex enough so I could appreciate both Harper and Ryan's actions, but I couldn't help thinking it could have all been resolved with a conversation rather than falling back into an old pattern. However, that said, the story was a delight overall and a perfect weekend read.

Harper is a popular celebrity editor at a London magazine. She loves her job, but is frustrated that her boss doesn't respect her work, so it really rankles when the new guy, Ryan, instantly becomes the bro favorite of her boss... especially because Ryan is Harper's nemesis from her first internship. You can probably guess where this storyline is going, but I'll avoid spoilers! This was a fun read, but I found Harper's disorganized personality rather annoying, and while the narrative is that she's excellent at what she does, I found that a bit hard to believe with all the examples of her mistakes / lateness / messiness / etc. Still, I enjoyed the slow burn, and the last half of the book picked up considerably and really drew me in.

Katy Birchall delights once more with The Last Word.

Harper is a celebrity columnist for Flair magazine. Her warm personality allows her to dive into celebrity's lives and form actual relationships. Ryan, who interned with Harper, is now the features editor for Flair. Both haven't set eyes on each other in ten years after Ryan's heartbreaking betrayal. As both try to work together and are forced into trips, things may not be what they seem. This time around, Harper is set on having the last word.

I enjoyed reading The Last Word and found myself instantly relating to Harper. I always have things on my desk and have to set multiple alarms for my morning! I admired her gut and warm personality when talking to anyone. While this novel worked well as a single point of view, I was interested to get into Ryan's head and learn how he was feeling throughout. Labeled alike to the Haring Game, this novel has sparks of enemies to lovers but I wouldn't exactly qualify this as enemies but rather second chance. Overall, lovers of Birchall's other works and romantic comedies will enjoy The Last Word.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I like Katy Birchall's books, but unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me in terms of the plot. It felt like I had read this before, and the enemies-to-lovers trope was a bit overdone in this one. I knew exactly what was going to happen, and everything was very predictable. I was highly annoyed by Harper's parents., and I did not think that subplot provided much to the overall story.

I did love the birth scene and how Harper and Ryan worked together; it was super cute. I also liked how Harper and her sister Juliet reunited at the end.

Overall, it was cute in parts but not worth reading again.

The Last Word by @katybirchallauthor
Release Date - May 2, 2023

Harper is a hot mess, hustling, celebrity editor of a glossy magazine. Not interested in writing click bait, she writes interviews with empathy…unusual and refreshing. Ryan is a Type A, gorgeous, smart, sweet, feature editor who comes on board and can’t get enough of Harper, though he’s not exactly sure how to show it.

Forced proximity, and a sexist boss handing Harper’s stories over to Ryan, set these two up for some epic banter and undeniable chemistry. They care about each other, but in and out of office competition make it hard for either of them to give in.

Thank you @NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
#KatyBirchall #TheLastWord #stmartinspress #stmartinsgriffin #netgalley #enemiestolovers #forcedproximity

I was so excited to read this book but then it fell flat. It was super slow. Harper was super irritating the whole time. I wish the pace would have been picked up a bit and a lot of stuff was included that didn’t really need to be there for the story making it drag out

overall a very sweet story of second-chance and enemies-to-lovers romance between two journalists, though i'm not sure it blew me out of the water... i have read other books that do these tropes much better. the emotional pining i usually look for in a second-chance romance wasn't really there, and neither was the conniving and planned sabotage that makes for an exciting dynamic between workplace rivals. it wasn't a bad book per se, just fell flat in terms of making me invested in the relationship between harper & ryan and being unputdownable. by the second half, i was definitely skimming/just wanting to finish the book, rather than wishing that the book would never end. thank you to netgalley and katy birchall for the arc!

<i>Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Ever since she met Ryan on their first day as news interns, Harper insists on getting the last word in. Their bickering gave way to something more, until everything fell apart. Now, eight years later, Harper, a wildly successful (if stifled by her sexist boss) celebrity editor, is furious to see Ryan showing up to take a job at her magazine. Their sniping starts up again, and soon, those familiar sparks begin to fly… will their chemistry once again catch fire… and will it again implode in disaster?

I enjoyed [author:Katy Birchall]’s first two adult romances, [book:The Secret Bridesmaid] and [book:The Wedding Season], so I was excited for her latest, [book:The Last Word]. I’m pleased to say I was not disappointed.

Harper and Ryan are fiery as competitive colleagues but so, so sweet when they put down their knives and pitchforks and get together. Their personalities clash: Harper is a chronically late mess who has an incredible knack for talking to anyone, making her a spectacular and insightful profiler of the stars, whereas Ryan is serious and rabidly organized. But they complement one another.

As a former journalist myself, it’s one of my biggest pet peeves when (so often!) fictional reporters are (a) successful at their jobs despite being horribly incompetent or (b) engaged in deeply unethical practices. I’m pleased to say that Ryan and especially Harper (and their colleagues) are just good at their jobs, and Harper’s love of talking to people and sharing their stories really shines through in her dogged pursuit of stories and her interactions with her interview subjects. Her horrible boss (Cosmo!) is all-too-realistically drawn: assured in his own rightness as he is a poor judge of newsworthiness, dismissive of Harper’s and her beat’s value, and deeply sexist. Unfortunately, Ryan’s major miscues come when he fails to do enough to stand up to Cosmo, even when he’s clearly wrong. And while that makes him less of a Dream Book Boyfriend, it does make him all that more real.

[book:The Last Word] by [author:Katy Birchall]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5 stars rounded down
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ Door is open and the bedroom is steamy
👠 (only one shoe)
🧺🧺🧺 London’s best picnics
🚕👶 Unexpected babies

I'm a huge sucker for enemies to lovers. Add in office romance? I'm hooked immediately.

Unfortunately, this one did start out a little slow and while it definitely picked up and I absolutely enjoyed it to the very end, it also fell kinda flat for me. I'm honestly not sure why and I've sat and thought about it a long while. It was a good read and I enjoyed the characters, especially their bickering over Harper's messiness. I loved Ryan SO much and he's by far my favorite character. How much he appreciates and cares for Harper is so lovely.

Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous books, especially The Secret Bridesmaid. I enjoyed Harper’s story, and admired her work ethic, trustworthiness and ability to help subjects of her journalistic work feel safe and seen. I liked the publishing setting. But I felt like her guardedness and lack of trust in others wasn’t really explained until too late in the story to me. We don’t learn about her family of origin much until the very end of the book. She just mysteriously has a terrible relationship with them. I just had trouble connecting for some reason because of the opacity. I was also surprised by the explicit sexual scene which has not been the norm in her previous books. Overall, I enjoyed it but it was not my favorite of hers. If you like second chance romances set in the publishing world, this would be a fun choice.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Word is a fun and emotional “second chance” workplace romance. It’s perfect for fans of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Just My Type by Fallon Ballard.

One of my favorite parts was Harper’s career decisions. I felt inspired as she worked her way through tough decisions in an even tougher industry.

Ryan was amazing. He was the sweet intern everyone fell in love with, including you, dear reader of my reviews. I loved how much he cared for Harper.

Wow! I’m in love. What a delightful and highly entertaining read it was. The constant bantering, the chemistry, the romance and the end? It was soo good. I absolutely loved and seemed to have highly enjoyed reading it.

I had a fun time with this book. I really wish I could be a celebrity journalist too. I loved the bickering between the two and the way the author described Harper's clumsiness so well. This had all the good tropes: workplace enemies to lovers, he fell first, second chance romance, and opposites attract. I also usually like that though this is a romance, this was also introspective and had some elements of women's fiction too. I will definitely be reading this author's other books.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this eARC

Ryan and Harper are opposites. Ryan is serious and organized while Harper is creative and a free spirit. They both, however, have a love for journalism, despite their different perspectives. This story follows this pair of nemeses turned frenemies turned lovers turned enemies. It takes place in flashbacks to their first internship and then ten years later, when they find themselves suddenly working at the same magazine.

It was a fun read, full of great chemistry between the two MC’s!

I LOVED the Secret Bridesmaid, so I was super hyped to get an early release of this book. I enjoy Birchall's slow burn romances, and she did an excellent job of investing me into this story early on. This was cute, an easy read, and one I'll recommend to my friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After absolutely loving “The Secret Bridesmaid” and “The Wedding Season”, I was beyond thrilled to receive an early arc of Birchall’s upcoming new release. I read “The Last Word” in one sitting and I enjoyed the whole ride. The characters are authentic and delightful. It was full of playful & quirky banter which turned to an intense chemistry between the two MC’s. They are very swoonworthy together, but also are hilarious. I loved the flashbacks to how they fell out and it really added to their story. Both are very well-rounded characters that you automatically root for. I do wish that we got some chapters from Ryan’s POV. It would have been great if we could get inside his head to see what he was thinking and feeling. If you like “The Hating Game” and “Beach Read”, you would will probably like this one. I can’t wait to read whatever Katy Birchall writes next! Thank you Katy Birchall, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

💭What I thought would happen:

Adored The Secret Bridesmaid, enjoyed The Wedding Season and knew whatever Katy puts out is for me, except no wedding this time around. 🥲

📖What actually happens:

Bea is a celebrity editor at a glossy magazine. She has to fight tooth and nail to get any of her stories approved by her sexist, out of touch boss. Bea also has a reputation for class and confidentiality (at least as much as a journalist can have) amongst the stars and their publicists.

Bea loves her job until her old internship nemesis joins her team and keeps getting her stories and overall hot presence is pissing her off (hello Hating Game). Why can’t he mind his own business!!

🗯Thoughts:

The way this book starts out I thought 2 things:
This book was going to be about a great love, a crush and flirtation yes but not a gut wrenching death of a partner…
I also got some serious Evelyn Hugo vibes and then was a bit disappointed that it didn’t go further into that storyline.

I loved this book more for Harper and her career than the romance with Ryan. I kind of thought Ryan could have been/done better.

Harper is chaos, straight hot mess - I could not relate to that at all (ok my brain has been a turnip lately but not the norm). I am more about order and cleanliness and being on time for work events. But I did enjoy Hurricane Harper!