This is the first book that I have read from Katy Birchall, and I want to read more books by this author especially The Wedding Season which I have heard good things about. I was not sure how to rate this book because I enjoyed reading it, but I did not absolutely love it and I did not hate it at all. It is a slow-burn romance which is not always my favorite to read. I felt like the romance in the book was lacking and that the book was more about Harper's job as a journalist she is really good at her job and can put the people she is interviewing at ease even if they have had a bad experience with journalists in the past. I did enjoy reading about Harper's job and the romance between her and Ryan.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Katy Birchall, and St. Martin's Press/ St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*ARC Review*

The Last Word by Katy Birchall was lovely! An enemies to lovers book that is full of angst and tension before turning into a swoony romance. The book is set at a magazine where we get to see Harper, the celebrity editor, excel at her job. She can make even the surliest superstar open up to her. All is well until her arch enemy from a past job, Ryan, is the new Features Editor. Drama ensues but eventually they start to fall for each other. They have a past history, and it seems history is repeating itself here. Will the pair make it through?

Beyond the romance I really enjoyed the familial themes. Harper's parents have never respected the work she does and make that very clear. Throughout the book on top of all the other drama, Harper processes her relationship with her family and chose the path that was best for her. I enjoyed the outcome of this plot line.

The supporting cast is just as entertaining as our two main characters. The work friends are fun, the celebrities are eclectic, and Liam the boyfriend is just TERRIBLE.

If you like the Hating Game you really will like this one! Read it!!

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

I really enjoyed reading Katy Birchall's previous novels so I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Last Word! I was a huge fan of the plot and I liked Harper's character. As the story progressed, I enjoyed seeing how Harper and Ryan complemented one another. There were elements in the story that made it truly unique. I can't wait to see what Katy comes up with next!

I loved reading this book. From the character's banter to the plot, I was taken by the author's writing. If there was a world I could live in for a day, I would choose this one. Readers are going to love this too, I just know it. This is one of my favorite genres to read so I knew right away that I would love this.

A second chance at the one is a particular favorite trope for me and I jumped into this. Kinda enemies to lovers, this was a more realistic slow burn, which I enjoyed. I really appreciated Harper as a character (her multiple alarms, her kindness) even though I found her immaturity during the back and forth between her and Ryan annoying. And, Ryan (sigh). However, for a romance novel, I found the romance here lacking.

I mostly enjoyed this one - it was an easy read, but the story didn't stay with me as it felt similar to others that I've read.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC.

Harper Jenkins is absolutely killing it at her job as the Celebrity Editor for the magazine she works at. She is known for her unique approach to interviewing celebrities and is able to get an interview with just about anyone. Everything is going great, except for her boss who clearly dislikes her and the fact that her kinda ex-boyfriend, Ryan Jansson, has been promoted to the Features Editor and is now her desk mate at work. Frustrated with the reappearance of Ryan in her life, Harper just can’t stop herself from bickering with Ryan about their job and their assigned tasks. However, Harper and Ryan keep being forced to work together, and as they spend more time with one another, the old feelings they once had start to resurface.

The things I liked:
-Workplace Romance
-Enemies-to-Lovers
-Second Chance Romance
-Flashbacks
-Fun and witty banter between Harper and Ryan
-Believable chemistry
-A sweet MMC who is absolutely head-over-heels for the FMC
-The author making Harper great at her job. I feel like workplace romance books usually have the woman make some type of mistake where her jerk of a boss gets to gloat about being right in their dislike of the FMC.

Things I didn’t like:
-I feel like Ryan is such a reserved, quiet character. I wish we could have had some chapters from his POV.
-The third act break-up. I feel like the characters growth was thrown out the window with the lack of communication. This just felt like history repeating itself.

This was a cute, quick read! I really enjoyed this book and will be picking up other books by Katy Birchall. Fans of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, Shipped by Angie Hockman or Just My Type by Falon Ballard will enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars!

This was super sweet! Ryan is such a great guy and I liked how shy and sort of golden retriever he was. I thought the act three breakup was pretty expected and that she really overreacted, and overall felt she handled things quite immaturely while Ryan was endlessly patient dealing with her.

I thought the pacing of the past storyline could have been better woven in - it felt a bit odd for them to be pretending not to know each other after everything that happened between them and as a second chance the past storyline was only a minor inclusion.

It also felt pretty similar to a lot of other books (the Hating Game comes to mind as having a bit of better enemies vibe and office romance). Still I did enjoy this and thought the celebrity aspect was fun! I liked the sister apologizing in the end as well.

Thank you to netgalley and St Martins press for the ARC!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a romance book that is an easy and funny read then I would definitely recommend this book. The main thing I loved about this book was Harper's job; what she has to do for articles, the relationships she forms with the celebrities and agents and the stories she gets.

I only have two issues with the book though. The first is the reason for the break up (the usual one towards the end of the book) just seemed a little over dramatic and could have been solved once she calmed down and came to her senses. My other is that I feel like Ryan never really got a true personality other than quiet and reserved but not with Harper. But he still did have the fun banter that you look for in these types of books.

I've wanted to read a few other books by this author and after reading this one I will definitely be giving her other books a chance.

4.5 stars

I thought this book was awesome! It was my first book by this author but it won't be my last.

The bickering between the two leads would probably be exhausting to be a part of but was hysterical to read about. The race to the tube station had me in stitches.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press!

Enemies to lovers is one of my fav tropes and this book does have all those Hating Game vibes. However, was totally drawn to the Harper character’s career and was rooting for her success in that just as much as the love story!

The banter is great, fun to see them lose their heads around one another, and the story was nicely told through a series of then and now flashbacks.

This was a fun and satisfying read - my first from this author. You’ll definitely love it if Beach Read and Hating Game are your vibe!

4.5 stars rounded up. I’ve loved both of Katy Birchall’s previous books, and this book maintained that trend. I love a good office romance, enemies-to-lovers, and in this case, even a second chance thrown in there. Harper and Ryan are so opposite in their personalities and work styles that it makes absolute sense that they butt heads constantly. It also makes sense that there’s a fine line between antagonizing and attraction.

I loved Harper’s character. She’s driven, talented, and confident in her work. She’s a celebrity journalist with integrity and it’s something that is recognized and appreciated from those in the industry she has to connect with. She’s determined to get her work the placement it deserves, even though she has to fight against her boss at every turn. (Cosmo is the WORST.)

Onto Ryan. Sweet, introverted, communication-stunted Ryan. As an outside observer, it’s clear that as frustrating as Harper’s chaos is to his organized mind, he also finds her completely endearing. It’s also clear why she wouldn’t be able to recognize that. He doesn’t make it easy for her. The moments where he finally uses his words to express just how much he admires and respects her work are so lovely and so important for someone like her, who has had her family belittling her career for her entire adult life. There were times I wished he’d had a bit more of a backbone and pushed back against Cosmo the horrible boss. It seemed to me like his role was elevated enough that he would’ve had a leg to stand on if he chose to challenge Cosmo’s directives.

Which brings me to the third act. It’s basically a standard in the romance genre to have a third act break-up, and the main thing I’m always wondering as I approach it is “Is this going to make sense or is it going to be contrived drama for the sake of drama?” It absolutely made sense in this book. In the given scenario, I would’ve reacted the same way. It was natural. I also appreciated the way the time was spent before the reconciliation. This third act was one of the best I’ve read recently.

I really enjoyed this book, and I feel confident that anyone who has read Katy Birchall’s previous work will too.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press for this eARC copy of Katy Birchall’s latest book, The Last Word! I previously received a copy from them of her last work The Wedding Season and adored it so I was thrilled to get a copy of The Last Word.

This one was absolutely more romantic than the last two books by Birchall, but just as heartwarming and soft. Workplace enemies to lovers can work if it’s done right and I feel like in this case, it was done really well! I was invested in Harper and Ryan’s story and it had me smiling the whole time.

Ever since the Secret Bridesmaid I've been a big Birchall fan. I'll read anything by her and this was not a let down. The characters were breezy and the book in general was a good mix of semi-serious and funny. I did hope we wouldn't overindex on the miscommunication but it's a trope and that's what it is. Felt a little predictable a times but the characters were dynamic enough that she pulled it off. I'd recommend this as a pick me up for anyone needing one, or anyone even just having a fine time along in life. 4/5

The Last Word was so much better than The Hating Game. I really enjoyed this book. It was certainly less romantic than I thought it would be, but that’s okay! I loved Harper. She is such a great character. She had her flaws, but she is genuinely such a good person which is why Ryan loved her. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this great book.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

Spoiler-free review

The Last Word is another angsty enemies to lovers romance. The novel follows workaholic Harper Jenkins who loves her job as a journalist and encounters Ryan, the guy who betrayed her 10 years ago. In this light-hearted rom-com readers experience her character grow as she
figures out where her love life is headed.
However the romance in this book wasn’t what stood out to me. I was more drawn to Harpers devotion and work ethics that built up her personality. Although the humorous banter between Ryan and Harper was quite entertaining! Overall the characters definitely stood out in The last word.

My reasoning for 3 Stars
The Last Word was somewhat slow at the beginning as it took awhile for me to get into reading it. This book unfortunately just didn’t stick out to me as well. I don’t think this is a bad book it just feels forgettable and I felt like I’ve read other books with similar tropes.

Do I think you should read The Last Word? Yes! If it sounds like your cup of tea then go for it as this is definitely a light fun read. This book will be published May 2nd of 2023!


e-ARC provided by NetGalley and publisher. (Thank you!)
I requested and received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
All thoughts and opinions are mine.
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE: May 2nd, 2023
REVIEWED: 2/23/2023

This book was the perfect enemy to lovers, I mean I finished this book so fast, I'm in love. I love how the author took the approach of her being a journalist and I loved following her career! I absolutely loved Ryan. This book started a little slow but started to pick up as the banters between these two started and I love me a good banter! I also loved the amount of time they were enemies, I feel some authors rush into the love part but this was perfect! I cannot wait for the release and to reread this!!

This was my first book by Katy Birchall and I enjoyed it!

Harper Jenkins is a Celebrity Editor at a magazine and is really good at her job. She’s known for being trustworthy and getting celebrities to open up to her. When the Features Editor position at the magazine opens up, her boss gives the job to Ryan Jansson. Ryan and Harper have a history. They both interned at the same place right out of college and do not get along. Now they’re forced to sit beside each other and work together everyday.

I thought this was a quick, cute read. I adored Ryan and how he was shy and quiet with everyone but Harper. I liked seeing Harper change and grow throughout the book. In the beginning she seemed to actually hate Ryan so I wasn’t sure how they were going to end up together.

I love slow burns but I felt like this started really slow. Harper was immature at times but by the end I was happy to see how she matured.

Overall, I liked this book and recommend if you’re looking for a cute enemies to lovers, workplace romance!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Katy Birchall & St. Martin’s Press for an arc of The Last Word in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

This has been dubbed as The Hating Game meets Beach Read. Loved both of those so I knew I was definitely down for this one as well.

This is an enemies-to-lovers rom-com centers around Harper, a determined journalist and Ryan, a newly hired reporter. And Harper is furious about. 10 years prior, Harper & Ryan had a whirlwind romance and he betrayed her, so now she pretty much hates him. The fight all the time at work and disagree on everything. They are a disaster together. But as time passes on, they both realize that they don’t hate each other as much as they think they do.

This story definitely gave me The Hating Game vibes. It was a cute rom-com that I read quickly and enjoyed. I will say that I enjoyed The Secret Bridesmaid & The Wedding Season more. This was definitely a cute story, but not something I will just gush over.

If you like Katy Birchall and/or rom-coms, definitely pick this one up when it releases on May 2, 2023.

3.5/5 Stars

Honestly Katy Birchall could write about toast and I would read it, add in the fact that The Last Word is an enemies to romance - in the office - HILARIOUS- love story and you have a 5 star read!!