Thank you, NetGalley, Publishers, and Katy Birchall for gifting me a copy of The Last word in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars

Harper is a hard working celebrity journalist, who is known in the industry for her compassion and vulnerability when interviewing people. Things at work could not be going better, other than her controlling boss, until a reporter from her past is hired at the same Magazine. Ryan is the man who broke her heart 10 years ago when they were both interns. He didn’t just break her heart, he shattered her trust and made her unable to love anyone again. While working close with each other on projects is she willing to open her heart again. If she does will it be destroyed like last time or will she finally get her happy ever after?

Katy Birchall has a wonderful writing style that sucks you in and makes it so you don’t want to put the book down. I love how her characters are well rounded and I feel like I’m part of Harper’s friend group.

Ryan as a whole pissed me off, he royally messed up the first time around and in my opinion he messed up even worse the second time. The fact that he was forgiven so easily really pissed me off. If anything he should have been begging at her door daily and instead she went to him, hell no! I probably would have given it a higher rating but I cannot get over this plot point. The only reason I gave it the .5 is because of how much I enjoy Katy Birchall’s writing style. I mean yeah her life turned out better in the end but he treated her like shit, sorry I’m rambling because how upset I am.

I will definitely read more from Katy Birchall due to her writing style, but I will take a break from her before reading anything else by her.

I was entertained. The book lived up to its title, a second chance, workplace, enemies to lovers with forced proximity and a dual timeline romance. The author created such amazing characters, the workplace environment was very life-like complete with a rude misogynistic boss. the

This one really wasn‘t for me at all. I can see why people love this book but I like my characters more mature acting especially when they‘re adults and also romances with only one pov are usually not the best for me.

Loved this book.
This book was interesting and not a typical romance book as it was related to work. Harper and Ryan meet at work a long time ago and their paths cross again in their work as journalist. It is a slow burn but so good!

Enemies-to-Lovers Romance in Publishing

The Last Word by Katy Birchall is an engaging enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance set in the vibrant world of a London magazine publisher. The story follows Harper Jenkins, a brilliant and determined journalist who excels as a celebrity features editor for a lifestyle magazine. Harper's professional life takes a dramatic turn when her former work nemesis, Ryan, is hired as the new Features Editor. This rekindles old rivalries and buried feelings between the two, leading to a roller-coaster of emotions and professional challenges. The plot thickens as they are thrown together on a romantic press trip abroad, where their chemistry becomes undeniable.

Overall, The Last Word by Katy Birchall is a delightful read for fans of contemporary romance and the enemies-to-lovers trope. The book's strengths include its witty dialogue, relatable characters, and vibrant setting. While it may follow some predictable romantic conventions, the execution is fresh and entertaining. Birchall's writing style brings the story to life, making it a perfect choice for a light-hearted, feel-good read.

In The Last Word by Katy Birchall, we meet Harper, a young journalist who loves her job as a celebrity editor. Then her boss hires Ryan, her enemy from many years ago when they were both interns. Things are messy and chaotic at first but then, of course, Harper starts to fall for Ryan. You know the rest. The Last Word is pretty predicable but it was a quick read. Three stars from me.

This was a cute book, and I love a good enemies to lovers! The Hating Game is one of my favorites, so when I saw this book compared to that one, I knew I had to read it. While it didn’t give me the same feelings as The Hating Game, I could see the similarities. The main character, Harper, is slightly annoying at times, but overall it was a cute read.

This was a wondrful story about a journalist trying to prove herself and finding love along the way. I appreciated this rom com, that also had a solid non-romantic plot. It allowed for depth of the characters that had you rooting for them. There was also a decent amount of dramatic irony that helped pull the story along.

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for my eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I really loved Birchall's previous 2 books and was pumped to read her newest. However, I ended up DNFing it. I was a little bored and underwhelmed by the story and it just didn't hold my attention like I was hoping it would. However, I can see fans of Birchall liking the story as enemies to more is such a fun trope. Not to mention, the cover is cute and eye catching.

I loved all the tropes in this book. Enemies to lovers, second chance, office romance, what more could you ask for. I absolutely adored Ryan and Harper's chemistry and banter. This is my second read from Katy Birchall and I'll definitely be reading more!

Harper Jenkins is a celeb journalist, known in A list circles as a fair and honorable recorder of all things Hollywood. Life is great at the moment, but when a competitor from her past joins her publication she now has to navigate new waters. Katy Birchall's romance novel is great fun, but I do think the plot dragged in a middle a little bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Griffin for the opportunity to read this novel.

The banter between Harper and Ryan is so good. You can just tsee the sparks start to fly,. The more competiive they are, the more the get on each other''s nerves. Journalism is a tough work environment and dealing with attraction to a rival makes it even harder. It was sweet though.

My second read from Birchall and I think I loved it even more than The Wedding Season! The only thing I'm still wishing for is dual pov. But I loved getting to be in Harper's mind! Enemies to lovers at its core, the tension building, the work place egos, the dual timelines, it all fit together so well in bringing Harper and Ryan to life!

The Last Word is a wonderful enemies to lovers mixed with second chance romantic comedy full of laughs, anger and love! I love the character growth shown by Harper and Ryan and their chemistry is off the charts. I enjoyed reading it.

The characters were not my favorite, but there were some events that were entertaining. The beginning was slow, but as the story went on it started gaining in pace and becoming more enjoyable. The romance was quite well written even when teh characters were not my favorite.

This is a workplace enemies to lovers book. Harper is messy and chaotic and loves that it bugs Ryan. Harper and Ryan have some sort of a past that makes Harper very competitive and annoyed with Ryan. I enjoy enemies to lovers and enjoyed the back and forth banter between the two. It's always fun when you add straight laced character with a chaotic storm character.

A young journalist (Harper) puts her career––and her heart––on the line when her former work nemesis (Ryan) is hired in her newsroom.

The main character, Harper, got on my nerves a little bit. I think I would have liked this book better of it had two POVs and offered Ryan's side as well.

The author did a good job of conveying the scenes and places of work.

I found the book a bit too long, slow and repetitive, even though some of the repetitive themes were intentional.

This was a super cute book about total opposites that end up competing for the same job but falling for one another. When Ryan ends up with the job, Harper feels betrayed and ends the relationship. Fast forward ten years and Deja vu. Will they end up together or will Harper realize what everyone around them sees as reality? They are destined to be together!

Thanks to Katy Birchall and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my review.

Unfortunately, this is a DNF at 30% for me. I tried on three different occasions to continue reading and it just never really worked for me. I wasn’t overly fond of the writing and I found the Harper a bit too mature for my tastes.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

Exes in the workplace, especially ones in a tough field like journalism and in a newsroom is going to be juicy drama. I loved the banter, the competition, but also the personal growth. This was a sweet second chance romance read and I enjoyed it. Perfect summer read!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.