I was excited to read this book by the new-to-me author Katy Birchall. I liked it so much that I've now read her first two books, as well! The Last Word is a fun romance that brings to light many of the hard things about being a woman at work. Recommend!

2-2.5 stars, I guess. This was tough. My biggest problem is that this is pitched as Beach Read meets The Hating Game, and while superficially that might stand, this just doesn't have the charm and voice of either of those iconic titles. This was sweet enough, but those are big dogs to compare this to, so that part fell flat. Harper was a little too clueless about Ryan's feelings, and it felt a little crammed down my throat how AMAZING she was at her job. Ryan was actually pretty great, and seemed like a real person with relatable insecurities and challenges, but for being in Harper's POV I would have expected more depth and interiority to explain her feelings. Instead we got a lot of details about how everyone and everywhere looked. I think this is a decent romcom for someone who is just getting into the genre or who is looking for something lighter, but based on the comps I was hoping for more depth and bigger feelings.

This was my second read from Katy Birchall, and I can honestly say it has consolidated the fact that she is a must read author for me. Once again, her writing quickly swept me up and away into the world she had created. I loved the banter and dynamic that existed between Harper and Ryan – and I loved seeing their story unfold, both in the present and the past.
Harper was a very vivacious, chaotic and authentic character – I found her fascinating, though I related much more with our more reserved, quiet and organized hero, Ryan. I thought their differences made for a very interesting opposites attract situation and really highlighted the balance that they kind of created for one another.

One of the things that stands out for me in Birchall’s books is the journey of the character. I love romance reads, but I definitely love a book that can give a character time to grow and change – Harper’s journey was a key in this book and I appreciated the depth it added to the story. I also really liked the inclusion of different family dynamics within the story, especially how things landed in this case, it felt real, authentic and relatable.

Overall, I had so much fun reading this enemies to lovers, second chance, workplace romance. I will definitely continue to pick up anything that Ms. Birchall writes and I look forward to seeing what is next. Thank you to the wonderful author, @Netgalley and @SMPRomance for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely offered.

I absolutely loved this book. Katy Birchall has quickly become an automatic buy author for me. I loved the dynamic of Ryan and Harper. Second chance romance is a personal favorite trope of mine and I loved how it was used here. What’s better than reading about two people falling in love? Getting to do it twice in one book!

I was a hundred percent on Team Harper and was with her every step of the way. I did see some of plot points coming, but I still throughly enjoined this story.

I received a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Harper Jenkins is a Celebrity Editor, and killing it at work. Which is why she’s mad when her boss hires Ryan as Feature Editor. Though the real reason she’s upset is because her and Ryan had an office romance when they interned together ten years ago. Will these office enemies turn into lovers? And which one of them will have the last word?

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Having read ‘The Wedding Season’ a few months ago, also by Katy Birchall, I was super excited to receive an early copy of this one. It did start off a bit slow, but once it picked up - I loved it.

This is a classic enemies to lovers (my favorite) romance that was just so cute, light and really fun to read. I loved Harper and Ryan’s characters, their banter and their chemistry. We’re also given a bit of their backstory, which highlights the point that things aren’t always as they seem 😉

I was so invested in Harper and Ryan’s story and was sad when it was over. If you love a good office romance, check this one out when it debuts on May 2!

I'm a major romance lover, especially if it's enemies to lovers, but this one didn't quite live up to the enemies to lovers romance description for me.

What I loved:
-Katy's writing style!
-I loved reading about Harper's career!
-The story here is cute and has some great tropes- enemies to lovers, second chance romance, etc

What I didn't connect with:
-This fell really short as a "romance" for me. There is a definitely a bit of romance, but to call this a romance novel, it's a bit of a stretch for me.
- There is a lotttt of back and forth between Harper and Ryan, but the banter bordered on immature for me. Which is fine, but it also gets repetitive.
- It took me a long time to get into this one and I still had some trouble connecting due to Harper.

All in all, though I didn't completely connect with this one, I enjoyed Katy's writing and would love to read another romance written by her!

Read if you liked: The Hating Game

A massive thank you to NetGalley, Katy Birchall, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I loved this book!! Love the banter love the characters! I will devour anything enemies to lovers, but add workplace romance in the mix *chefs kiss*!!!!

I really enjoyed Birchall’s previous two novels and her third did not disappoint! While I appreciate that the entire plot wasn’t focused on the love trajectory, the first half dragged a little for me. I couldn’t really see Harper’s motive to love Ryan at all beyond just being irritated by him but their relationship in the second half of the book made up for that. A quick beach read that won’t leave fans disappointed!

As someone who also loves to get in the last word, I loved this book! Harper is a chaotic gal - from her house to her purse to her calendar. Ryan is all order, all the time.

When Ryan gets a job at Harper’s magazine, the two butt heads over and over.

You can’t help but fall in love with these two!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

This is the first time I'm reading this author and it won't be my last! I love a good enemies to lovers, I love a good workplace romance, and I absolutely adore when our main love interests have funny banter and those undeniable sparks. This was such a fun read.

Where do I even begin? Enemies to lovers? Check. Workplace romance? Check. Amazing funny banter? Check. This book has everything you want and even things you never thought you needed. It’s so funny and will keep you hooked from start to finish. Trust me you need to read this one it’s worth it.

This is the third Katy Birchall book I've read and I'm officially going to read everything she writes. I absolutely adored The Last Word, it was compelling, smartly written, and delightfully funny. Harper and Ryan are really well written characters who make you root for them. I liked that Harper was super successful at her job, precisely because she was kind.

The side characters were fun, and I just adored this book. I can't wait for Ms. Birchall's next book!

a sweet British love story set against the world of magazine journalism. Ryan and Harper have a charming second change courtship with nods to he-falls-first and enemies-to-lover. The book was witty and I enjoyed reading about Harper’s work life, but I found the series of events and tension between them less believable. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is out in May!

This is a great little office/workplace romance book that will delight you: if you love arguments between couples (ala Pride and Prejudice) you will be in love with this book as they battle for love.

Easy to read and a perfect book to take to the beach, pool, backyard, porch or balcony and enjoy with good weather while reading away the hours. .

#shortbutsweetreviews

rating: 4.5 stars
genre: romance
steam: open door, fades-to-black

This book isn't kidding when it says that it's BEACH READ meets THE HATING GAME. But instead of authors, they're journalists. And instead of competing for the same job, they're just competing for a little respect. However, saying this, if The Hating Game wasn't for you, THE LAST WORD still might be! Because while the plot was similar, the characters and the storyline definitely was not!

And, spoiler alert, I loved it!

Things I liked:
✨ Their banter when they're flirting/friends and not bickering. When the characters bicker, Harper definitely came off a little unreasonable...but when they were play fighting, it was absolutely adorable.
✨ Secret smiles
✨ Harper interviewing celebrities was an absolute delight! I loved watching how she was able to put even the most famous people at ease and write really rewarding and original pieces based on those conversations.
✨ I both loved and hated the third act breakup of this one! Which is saying a lot for me.

Things I Didn't Like:
✨ The miscommunication trope being buddy-buddy with just Ryan
✨ The lack of Dual POV - all romance should be Dual POV

This one was so, so cute! I read it in about a day - I just couldn't leave Ryan & Harper.

This was a sweet and meaningful story that did not focus solely on the romance. Harper has a lot to reflect on during this story: she’s navigating a job where she knows she’s doing a good job but has a boss who doesn’t appreciate her; her family ostracizes her for not going down their narrow path for her; and her ex Ryan is the new guy at the office. I kinda liked Ryan more than Harper (which is unusual for me), but I really loved his commitment to re-winning Hapers affection. My heart really went out to Harper, but I really wanted her to handle some of her issues in a more healthy way because I hated seeing her hurt so much. I loved her redemption at the end—telling off her family made me cheer for her out loud— and I loved her and Ryan’s finale here. I liked the focus on Haper’s development, not just the romance here. And I appreciated the truly ethical and compassionate way Harper does her job as a journalist.
Thank you for the ARC!!!

My favorite part of Katy Birchall's third rom-com is the way she refreshingly portrays her protagonist, Harper, as a skillful celebrity journalist who is effective at getting her subjects to open up because she is empathetic and truly wants her articles to be positive and flattering. Unfortunately, she often displays immaturity in how she responds to stress and challenges to her personal relationships.

Harper can't help snapping back at her dismissive, disrespectful boss and her unsupportive parents, becoming impatient with her current boyfriend, Ryan, and constantly complaining to her friends. To be fair, her parents and boss are insufferable, and Ryan hasn't learned from his mistake when he and Harper were interns together--he makes the same one now that he was recently hired as features editor by Harper's boss. Neither Harper nor Ryan communicates well in fraught situations, and there is no humor to counteract the angst.

We know they were meant to be together, although I couldn't quite bring myself to care. I highly recommend Birchall's previous books, The Secret Bridesmaid and The Wedding Season, but I didn't feel this one was up to those books' high standards.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

“I guess it’s proof of what we talked about—when it comes down to it, you really can’t plan everything.”
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“You’re Harper Jenkins. You’ll think of a way to get what you want,” she smiles. “You always do.”
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I couldn’t set it down! A humorous and romantic story about two journalists who always must have the last word. Their banter and chemistry is intoxicating. I really enjoyed Katy’s writing style and the story had the perfect amount of conflict, despite a bit of a slow start in the early chapters. There were a few confusing parts for me as an American (rounders is apparently similar to baseball, I’ve learned!) but easy enough to figure out and follow the story. Harper and Ryan are entangled in an enemies to lovers trope with a second chance at love. The main characters are well developed and their personalities and quirks are detailed so it feels as though you really know them. I have to admit I loved this book so much that I’ve already pre-ordered the paperback copy!

This left me with a book hangover,
Folks. I absolutely loved Harper’s character and I’m not afraid to admit that I related to her! She’s perky, disorganized, but so good at her job. And the way she sets her alarms…. Let me tell you, I set my alarms like that and my husband hates it. I read pieces to my husband and it was like he was Ryan and I was Harper. Their characters were so RELATABLE!

Harper is a celebrity editor for a magazine in London that Ryan comes to work for as a featured editor. In American terms, they are journalists but are also responsible for the editorial responsibilities. Harper and Ryan have a history from a decade prior as interns that did not end well, so when Ryan starts working next to Harper every day, it’s a blast to read about.

Ryan is organized, quiet and sweet. He’s a little bit of a Type A personality and maybe a little OCD, but it’s obvious he cares about Harper. Watching their relationship grow within these pages was like watching a really good rom-com on Netflix.

I’m so happy with how the book ended but I am also so sad that the book ended. Ergo, book hangover. This is an absolute must read if you love rom-coms, journalists, and are maybe a little messy and always running late yourself!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the approval.

I appreciated how much of this story focused on Harper’s career and her friendships rather than solely on the romantic trajectory. However, I did find it hard to connect with the chemistry between Harper and Ryan. So much of what I saw was the “enemy” aspect and it wasn’t clear to me for much of the story what it was they liked/loved about each other.

I always love a flashback to build out relationships and backstories, this was a good device to employ for this story. I did feel like the technical use of the flashback was a bit inconsistent here.