I really liked the premise of this book, and I loved that Sara was a strong woman who didn't take crap from anyone right at the start of the novel. However, the writing felt rushed and rambling and the plot had so many different points and tropes going on that it was hard to read.

Sara has finally had enough with plateauing in thankless mid-level management at tech companies run by misogynists that won’t support her ideas. She quits big tech and pursues launching her own company and app called One Last Word. Her parents see this as a professional and financial setback when she has to move in with her sister, but Sara believes in One Last Word. The app sends out messages upon your death so you can have the last word, whether is expressing love to friends and family or airing past grievances that you never had the courage to address in person.

But Sara’s world is rocked again when her test messages in the app send by accident, causing friction with her parents and awkwardness with her new VC mentor and longtime crush. How will Sara navigate these stressful personal and professional milestones all at once?

This was a cute book - half romcom and half professional, fintech girlbossing by the FMC. I thought Sara was a little stilted as a character with her longwinded inner monologues about personal and professional stress. All her thoughts were relatable, just delivered in an awkward dialogue that wasn’t super believable. And I felt like Harry was a kind of boring love interest.

But as someone in tech, formerly fintech, I found the app and professional milestones she faced super fun and interesting! Especially when she told off the racist and misogynistic assholes in her industry!

I think the side characters are the standouts of this book. I loved Jia and Casey, Sara’s sister and bestie. The twist with Jia having sent the messages on purpose was so good and not at all predictable. And Sara’s parents had me cracking up.

Overall, the book wasn’t the best thing I ever read BUT it was an easy read that I flew through and got me out of a major reading slump. Simple and fun!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC!

First of all can I say how much I love the idea of One Last Word. The regrets, secrets, and thoughts we never got to say being sent. There's this sense of whimsical darkness with longing and catharsis. But for Sara what starts off as a drunken series of letters becomes real and forces her to question if she should wait till the last sentence for it to come out. Why do we let what we would have wanted to say, hold us back. Hold these relationships and true feelings behind?

A great Women's Lit with a main Female character in STEM!
This book was a hoot. I laughed out loud so many times. The FMC is a hot mess which is my favorite kind of leading lady.

She accidentally sends out a bunch of honest messages on one drunken night and has to very soon suffer the consequences of such honesty. We get amazing AAPI rep and an adorable second chance romance sub plot!

This was a quick and enjoyable read. Loved the parallels and the reveal at the end. Great for anyone looking for a book with a character deciding to live life on her own terms.

I enjoyed this book so much; it was the perfect recipe for rom-com, while still maintaining a heroine who made you NOT feel sorry for her. I found myself reading this book and really wondering how it would end; the characters were all likable people who you find yourself rooting for. I would recommend this quick read for anyone looking for a protagonist with a sense of humor and wit about her, all while grappling through her own turmoil. I am so thankful to have been able to have read an ARC of this book and will continue to sing its praises.

Sara Chae is the founder of One Last Word, an app that allows you to send a mes­sage to anyone you want after you pass. Safeguards are in place so the app will only send when you’re definitely, absolutely, 100% dead, but when another Sara Chae dies and her obituary is posted online, Sara discovers that drafted messages she had drunkenly uploaded on one night have been released —one each to her emotionally charged mother, to her former best friend who ghosted her, and to her unrequited high school crush, Harry Shim.

Still reeling from this disaster, Sara finds out she’s been accepted into a venture capital mentorship program— and that the mentor she’s been assigned to is none other than Harry, who’s now a major VC superstar. With her life going from uncertain to chaotic overnight, Sara has to deal with the havoc that ensues and reopen wounds from the past to find a true path forward.

I loved Sara!! Her intelligence, candor, relatability, and perseverance in the made dominated tech industry was admirable and made her a heroine to cheer along. I learned so much about app development, and loved the idea of a “shark tank” competition. Sara and Harry’s reconnection was endearing and I was so happy to see them both clearly communicate about their past relationships while seeking a healthy start to a new partnership. I also loved Park’s emphasis on sisterhood, friendship, and boundary setting with parents!

I’ve read quite a bit by this author. My favorite was The Do-Over last year. Surprise 5 star read!

This author always writes strong female protagonists. She’s especially great at writing women in stem. Sara I. This book is in the process of creating an app and getting her funding off the ground.

She sends messages to her parents, former best friend, and high school crush that were only supposed to be sent out if she died. So obviously chaos ensues.

I liked the women’s fiction/growth aspect but sort of wish we had more romance between Sara and Harry. I’m not the biggest fan of secret pining.

Overall, I enjoy this author’s writing and have one of her YA books on my tbr shelf.

Park’s newest book, One Last Word, was a pleasure to read. I was introduced to a little Korean culture, the tech field from a woman of color’s spot on perspective, introspection for personal growth, imperfect relationships and a HEA.

I found the story interesting enough to keep reading and enjoyed some witty moments. Recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 stars.

"One Last Word" by Suzanne Park is a book full of characters who need to learn how to attain a proper work/life balance, with a *slight* side of romance to go along with it. The book is pretty short, so you'll likely breeze through it. It does feel like it takes a while to get going in the beginning but it rushes too much in the end. I really enjoyed Sara, the main character of this story. She is ambitious and driven, calls out her racist and sexist compatriots any chance she gets, advocates for herself, and is clearly good at what she does (though she does experience setbacks like anyone in would). When she experiences negative feedback about the app she created (called One Last Word), she immerses herself fully in seeing it through so it can be as successful as she envisions it. Unfortunately, Sara doesn't have time for friends, family, or love after dedicating her entire life to her career. Her sacrifices for her job have left her virtually friendless, alone, and nursing generational trauma all by herself. Sara reconnects with Harry, her high school crush and now venture capital superstar, after a case of tech-gone-awry when her app emails everyone in her address book that she has died. She had written him a long letter about her unrequited love for him, and he received it! OH NO! I personally loved this idea. When Harry and Sara meet in person, it's obvious that there is a mutual attraction there, though he is nw going to be her mentor to help her with her app as she vies to go on a Shark Tank-esque type of online show that caters to Silicon Valley-types of businesses.

Sara as a character feels like a fully-realized, authentic, and believable person. Harry feels like more of an abstract idea than a fully-fleshed out character. I didn't love their chemistry as it often felt one-sided (like Sara was way more into him than he was into her). Their connection never really lit a spark within me, so I didn't particularly root for them to become a couple. It's a little bit clunky and lackluster in its execution. I think the best part of this book is its commentary about the sexist and racist nature of the industry, though it does feel a little overutilized in the romance genre as of late. Still, I am always glad to see such strong non-white female characters knowing their worth and standing up to rich old white men who cannot fathom people who don't look like them being good at something. All in all, I don't think this is a straight-up romance novel, but more of a general fiction piece with a sidebar of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Suzanne Park, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I love the way Suzanne Park bridges cultural differences and varying norms with intelligent characters in high stress/high demand careers. This book was no different. The world of app development is mixed with a discussion of relationships, strength, forgiveness, change and the barriers that need teams to be crossed. It was a fun book but it covers a lot of ground, looking at how we live and when to let things die.

#arc
#netgalley
#onelastword

I always really enjoy Suzanne Park's books, and One Last Word is no exception. Sara has been working relentlessly for years in tech product management, and when the company overworking her doesn't have faith in her app - she walks away... As she makes the shift to an enterpreneur, she revisits past relationships and has to determine how to make each. moment matter.

I liked the slow burn, complex relationships, and empathy - Park's writing makes the characters seem human and it's just a joy to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

ARC - I loved this book. The plot was new to me and fun to read about. The main characters had great backstories and you could feel the connection they had. In general, I don't have any issues with the book - shocking for me! The side characters from the female main character were fun and not over-the-top in personality. Highly recommend!

Sara Chae has developed a new app called One Last Word - an app that lets people send messages to whomever they want after they die. But when another Sara Chae’s obituary triggers the prototype to send out all of Sara’s drafted messages that she wrote after a drunken night with her sister, she has so many people to deal with - her parents, her former best friend who ghosted her, her unrequited high school crush, just to name a few. When she and her app are chosen for a venture capital mentorship program, and her mentor ends up being that childhood crush, things get even more complicated.

I really enjoy how Suzanne Park writes about that awkward time in early adulthood where everything feels like it's a mess and life doesn’t seem to go as planned. It’s such a pivotal point in a person’s life and really where there is so much room for growth and self-discovery. I thought the app was a fun idea - who doesn’t have a message they wanted to send to someone but were too scared to do so in real life? Sara’s journey was amazing. A strong woman finding her way in the male dominated tech industry was so inspiring. I also appreciated that while the romance with Harry was so sweet, it wasn’t the whole plot - this was more a story about Sara and how she found her way and rebuilt her life. There was so much to love here - career success, family relationships, reconnecting and rebuilding friendships, and of course a second-chance romance. I flew through this book needing to know what was going to happen to Sara.

Thank you to Avon Books for the gifted copy.

This book was adorable and so funny. Sara is a woman in tech, and she created this amazing app, where you are able to send messaged to people after your death, as a form of closure, or whatever that person would like. Well now that she’s unemployed and living with her sister, on a drunken night she drafts these messages to a few people, and they accidently sent out. I was wondering how this is all going to play out, but between Sara’s sister, her parents and her friend Casey who is helping her with developing her app, I couldn’t stop laughing. That whole situation opened Sara’s world a little, she was able to confront things, about her parents, her love life, and her friendships. This book was too sweet, and so fast paced. I love the second chance/best friend dating trope that develops, because Harry and Sara are perfect for each other.

Smart and fun romance novel with a female protagonist in the tech sector/venture capital world working on an app startup.

The app gives users the chance to get the final word and/or say things they couldn’t say in their lifetimes by sending pre-written messages posthumously. While developing the program, she and her cronies get a chance to explore what things actually should go unsaid and what would be better communicated sooner than upon death, while there is still time for dialogue and forgiveness and fresh starts and whatever else could happen between people in a lifetime.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I’d recommend it!

One Last Word, Suzanne Park’s newest release, was one of my most highly anticipated reads this month. I may have done a little happy dance when I saw that NetGalley “approved” email in my inbox.

I know they say not to judge a book based on its cover, but I definitely did. As a result, I went into it expecting a lighthearted summer romance romp, like Nora Ephron vibes but with Asian American rep. Ultimately the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most were actually the relationships *outside* of the FMC/MMC love story. It took me a while to adjust my expectations, and while I was thoroughly enjoying myself by the end of the book, I still think that maybe I wasn’t the target audience for this one.

What I loved:
- I loved Sara (protagonist)’s character arc, as well as the developing relationships with her parents, her sister, and her once-estranged best friend. I found that I cared so much more about the other supporting characters in the story than I did about the MMC (sorry, Harry). As Sara navigates her shifting relationships with family and friends, her difficult conversations and confrontations are what ultimately allow her to develop most as a character.

What I struggled with:
- The setting. This one is on me. I should know by now not to read books set in the tech industry. As someone who lives in the Bay Area and spends an inordinate amount of my day stuck in traffic behind a bevy of Teslas, I generally enjoy reading to escape the high-stakes, fast-paced pressure that accompanies the Silicon Valley lifestyle. Even though One Last Word takes place a few hundred miles south in the Silicon Beach region of LA, it still hit a little too close to home. Park actively and effectively criticizes the lifestyle, sexism, and misogyny of the tech industry in her book, but reading about Sara's job still stressed me out.
- The pacing. So much of the book, especially the first half, was focused on the development of Sara’s app, and it took a while to dig in to the character development, which was my favorite part of the story. I’m glad that I stuck it out, though, because the payoff was worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced digital copy.

I have truly enjoyed “One Last Word”. Honestly, I have never read anything by Suzanne Park previously but this will not be my last. I loved the timely setting of the story as post-Covid & venture capital challenges for women entrepreneurs. As well, the character development was wonderfully engaging. The story is about a woman in her thirties trying to get venture capital to launch her app and all the challenges professionally & personally. The app is set to send loved ones & other’s messages once the person has died. This book came out April 16th. Be sure to pick up your copy. You won’t be disappointed. Thank you to Net Galley and Avon Books for this advance read.

One Last Word-read as a standalone

By Suzanne Park- new to me author

Rating: 3.5/5   ⭐⭐⭐  ½

📃Page Count: 288

🌎Setting: LA

Publication 4/16/24,  Read 4/17/24

🤷🏾‍♀️What to Expect:
 Genre:  Adult/Women's Fic, Multicultural Interests/Asian American Fic, Contemporary Romance

Tropes: STEMist romance/tech world, 2nd chance romance, pining heroine, friends to lovers, fake dating, closed door

⚠️TW: family drama, misogyny, racism

Summary: Sara Chae is tired of being dismissed and underappreciated. She has a great idea- Upon My Death-an APP that sends messages to loved ones after you pass. Fed up with her boss she quits her middle management job and joins a venture capital mentorship where her high school crush Harry Shim is her mentor. Her death is accidentally reported by the APP and messages go out to her parents, her former BFF Naomi, and her high school crush Harry. Sara has to clean up the mess this causes in her relationships while standing up for herself.

🎭The characters:

 Sara Chae-34, works in STEM @ Color Wheel Communications (CWC). Creates One Last Word APP.

Harry Shim-married for 10 years, recently broke up w/ his wife. Sara's new mentor

Jia-26 ,Sara's sister she moves in with after quitting her job.

Casey-Sara's coworker and friend of 5 years @ CWC

🤔 My Thoughts: Sara was a strong, female businesswoman trying to make it in a white ,male dominated tech world. She handles herself with integrity and believes in her work. I didn't care much for her sister Jia or Harry as a love interest, but Sara's tenacity makes up for it.

🙏🏾Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC via NetGalley🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own and freely given.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Suzanne Park for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for One Last Word coming out April 16, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read all of Suzanne Park’s books and I’m obsessed with them. I love her Korean stories. This book definitely felt like a k-drama. I really enjoyed it. I think her more recently books are more adult with the themes. Sara is an interesting character and I liked that she had some flaws. I enjoyed Harry’s character, but I don’t think he was as fleshed out as Sara was. I would’ve liked to see a little more emotion. I definitely will read her future books!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Kdramas and romance!