Enemies to lovers is such a tough trope. It can be great and it can be not so great. For me The Last Word fell somewhere in the middle.

I didn’t love Harper, at times she felt very immature especially at the beginning. She grew on me near the end, when it was more work focused and the discussion around her interview style. I really enjoyed Ryan and would have loved some chapters from his point of view! But for me what made The Last Word just middle of the road, was the miscommunication. I always hate when it is used as a plot point, because I always find myself yelling/thinking/saying … just talk to them. So for me, that was just ehh, especially when it was history repeating itself for them.

Overall this was a quick, cute, office enemies to lovers romance. Thank you St Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for the eARC copy to read and review.

This is my third Birchall book and I have really enjoyed each one! She writes such fun, strong, but realistic female main characters that are so easy to identify with. The other thing I adore about her writing is the supporting characters - you will fall in love with every one!! I would say her books lean towards the women’s fiction side of romance … and I love them!

What to expect::
•Quirky main character
•Celebrity journalist
•Workplace romance
•Second chance
•Enemies to lovers (twice!)
•Opposites attract
•London setting
•Great friends/side characters
•Annoying boss
🔥One open door scene, mild details

I gave The Wedding Season by Birchall 5 stars last year, so needless to say I was excited for her newest book, which I ended up enjoying a lot too!

The banter between the main character and the love interest was very entertaining, and contributed to their enemies to lovers story arc. And while I felt the MC, Harper, was a bit immature at times, she always won me back over with her good natured, charming personality.

Also, there were some great secondary characters in this, and the friendships between the characters all felt genuine and believable. Sometimes the main romance in a book can overshadow or stunt the development of secondary characters, but Birchall did a good job of balancing it all out.

As I kind of mentioned, there were moments where I found myself a bit annoyed with the main character, but if Harper had no flaws there would be no growth in her throughout the book, so it by no means reduced my enjoyment of this.

I think I like the romance in this one more than the romance in The Wedding Season, but overall will say that I liked this one slightly less overall.

Definitely pick this up if you like enemies to lovers, workplace romances, and likeable characters! Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me access to the NetGalley arc of this. All thoughts are my own!

Super cute. Enemies to lovers. Harper and Ryan. That is all lol. Thanks NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This book was just plain fun! I love enemies to lovers workplace romances. The London setting was the perfect backdrop to this story. The romance was thoughtful and playful, and the friendships were rich. They added an extra layer to the story that I really appreciated. This was a fun, witty romance that I think many readers will enjoy.

Not going to actually leave a star rating (3 here for neutrality since I need to leave a star rating) since I didn't finish this book, but that speaks for itself. I saw some really good reviews of this one, and I'd been excited to receive an e-ARC of it from the publisher, but sadly I just didn't connect with the story at all. It felt slow, and kind of superficial- I don't feel like I have any understanding of the motivation for any of the characters even after getting over 30% of the way through the book. Also the dialogue just felt a bit juvenile, so I decided rather than trudging through I'd just DNF. It's too bad but it just wasn't for me!

Harper Jenkins is a brilliant journalist and she loves her job as celebrity editor at a weekend magazine – despite the fact her boss belittles her work. But she’s thrown for a loop when the new features editor turns out to be the man who betrayed her years ago.

Ryan soon wins over everyone in the office – except Harper. Of course, they’re thrown together in some awkward situations and have a chance to set old stories straight. As they do, they discover maybe their old spark is still there.

This book is called “The Hating Game meets Beach Read” and that feels apt. I absolutely loved Harper (even if her constant disorder made me itch) and loved seeing a female protagonist who had found her calling. And Ryan was an absolute doll. Their (fairly one-sided) rivalry was fun.

I don’t always enjoy books that go back and forth between the past and present, but this book had the right amount of flashbacks. It was interesting seeing Harper and Ryan move past their past and get to know each other as adults.

There also was a tiny sub-plot about Harper’s family. I’m always interested in family dysfunction and I thought author Katy Birchall wove it into the story very well.

I was a super fan of The Secret Bridesmaid and thought I would absolutely adore every book written by Birchall going forward.

This is my second read and I hate to say it but I was disappointed.

It was and ok read but just felt extremely slow to me. Slow reads just take all my interest and throw it out the window.

The Last Word by Katy Birchall
Rating: 4 stars
Pub Date: 5/2

The Last Word by Katy Birchall is an enemies-to-lovers, contemporary workplace romance that is perfect for fans of The Hating Game. The story follows Harper Jenkins, a successful journalist who has made a name for herself by getting celebrities to open up to her. But her world is turned upside down when her former flame and nemesis, Ryan, is hired as the new Features Editor at her newspaper's glossy weekend magazine.

Harper and Ryan's dynamic is tense from the start, as they constantly bicker and argue over everything from article assignments to event coverage. However, as they spend more time together, Harper begins to see Ryan in a new light and realizes that she may have misjudged him. Long-buried feelings resurface, and their chemistry sizzles as they're thrown together on a romantic press trip abroad.

The Last Word is fun and engaging, with witty banter and a lot of romantic tension. I loved the workplace setting, the strong female friendships, the alternating timelines, and the “he falls first” vibes.

Read if you like:
*Second chance
*Workplace romance
*Strong FMC
*Books about writing
*Celebrities

Birchall's writing is sharp and entertaining! I loved watching these total opposites fall in love and I can’t wait to see what else Birchall has in store for us! Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy to read and review.

Oh, how I loved this book! Katy Birchall never disappoints, and THE LAST WORD is no exception.

One thing I love about Katy is her ability to write real, rounded characters that have dimension. Harper does not exist to be a love interest, her friends don't exist only to talk about her problems with, and Ryan does not only exist to be a hot guy we all adore. (Even though he does a great job of that). This fundamental is one of the reasons Katy's books work so well- you can feel that her characters have lives beyond the page and those lives have shaped them. In most cases, not meeting the love interest for about 20% would be frustrating- here, it lets us get to know the kind of person Harper is and the kind of person we want to be with her.

Although this does take longer to get going that her previous works, I adore the pacing. We're really allowed to settle in, and the tension, especially when Ryan really starts to feature in the story, is DELICIOUS. This is definitely a slow burn, but their relationship, from that messy enemies/rivals/hate-you-but-not-really to love, feels so real and seeing Ryan and Harper learn about each other and discovering their past is worth the wait. This is one of the only dual-timeline novels I've enjoyed in a long time, and although I did guess a few elements, they're tropes I still really enjoy. My kudos to Katy for writing yet another delightful summer romance.

A great enemies to lovers romance.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a fun romance. I really enjoyed watching the relationship between Harper and Ryan. The way they pushed each other’s buttons. I really enjoyed watching Harper at work - how she looked for articles and connected with her interviewees.

I feel like the secret Ryan kept from Harper in the past wasn’t such a crazy thing. But I can also understand the feelings Harper was dealing with.

Overall enjoyed this one.

I love Katy Birchall’s books. I’m always excited to see what she’s going to come up with next. I love how she lets the heroine come into her own and find her own way. I cannot wait to read more of her books.

I loved Harper. Absolutely adored her. I loved that she was a celebrity journalist for the celebrities and how easy she made everyone feel.

I really enjoyed the interactions with Harper and Ryan. I love how Katy laid out their past for the readers while also getting what was happening in the present. The bickering between these two? So perfect. I would actually have loved to be in Ryan’s head for some, if not all of this book.

If you haven’t read anything by Katy Birchall yet, y’all are missing out. I will say her first two are more women’s fiction with a little romance and this one definitely straddles the line more evenly, with a heavier focus on the romance.

This one is out now, so go grab it and enjoy it🩵

DNF @ 2%.

yall. its 2023. why are white women using the term "kohl" to describe eyeliner. Especially when you're going to say "black-kohl eyeline" it's redundant and ignorant. I may check in the published version to see if that was updated because I sincerely hope another arc reader caught that. I may later if this was changed.

I love enemies to lovers stories and this one was pretty good.

Harper and Ryan are forced to work together although they have quite a past when they dated almost a decade ago when they were first beginning their careers but Harper let's us know that Ryan betrayed her. As they work more and more together things start heat up again between the two of them.

Would be better if this book had been dual POV I find it hard to read a longer book on single POV and it makes that character grate on my nerves sometimes.

Harper and Ryan both competed as interns for a job at a newspaper publication. In the midst of their competition, a relationship bloomed, until Ryan got the job and kept it from Harper. She writes him off and vows to never speak to him again. Years later, Ryan starts working at Harpers current magazine. She completely ignores him until they start fighting and sparks start to fly again. Harper starts to think Ryan might be the one for her. But when something comes up at work and Ryan starts to keep secrets from her again, she has to decide if things are different this time, or if it’s deja vu.
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💭Thoughts💭
This romcom was so cute and well written. I loved both Ryan and Harper so much. Their connection was simple palpable and you wanted to root for them. It had a lot more substance than the usual romantic comedy I read, and I loved the aspects of Harper’s job as a celebrity editor. The author also did a great job of showing the main character’s flaws in a very realistic way.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
Without giving up too much information, Harper and Ryan make an unexpected celebrity delivery. This part was hilarious, relatable, and made me cry happy tears. SO cute!
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Harper loves a flat white while Ryan likes a mocha. Get your own fave coffee and read some fun celebrity magazines. Or listen to a fun celebrity gossip podcast.

This book is an absolute blast! It's the kind of book that grabs hold of you and doesn't let go until you've devoured every single page. Seriously, I couldn't put it down. I was hooked from the very beginning, and there were moments when I couldn't help but burst out laughing like a maniac. I mean, who knew a book could be this hilarious?

Now, I have to admit, the plot was somewhat predictable, but you know what? That didn't take away from the sheer enjoyment of the ride. It was like being on a roller coaster, where you know what twists and turns are coming, but you still find yourself screaming and laughing with delight. And let me tell you, this book had me grinning like a Cheshire cat the whole way through.

One of the things that I absolutely adored about this book was the friend group. They were like a family, always there for each other through thick and thin. It warmed my heart to see how they supported one another not only in their work lives but also in their personal lives. It reminded me of my own tribe of friends, and it made me appreciate them even more.

Now, I have to be honest here. There were moments when I found Harper a tad bit childish. But you know what? It didn't bother me all that much because I understood where she was coming from. Her complicated relationship with her parents had a profound impact on her, and it was fascinating to see how that played out in her life. It added depth to her character and made her journey all the more relatable.

Oh, and let's not forget about the chemistry between Harper and Ryan. Their witty banter had me grinning like a fool. The tension between them was electric, and I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning. If you're a fan of office romances and the whole enemies-to-lovers trope, then this book is an absolute treat for you. And hey, the spicy scenes aren't too heavy, so it's the perfect balance of sizzle and sweetness.

To sum it all up, this book is a delightful romp that left me wanting more. The author has a knack for storytelling that had me completely captivated. I'm already on the hunt for more books by this talented writer because if they can deliver this level of fun and entertainment, then I'm in for a wild ride. Trust me, this book gets my stamp of approval with a resounding 100% recommendation.

Interesting premise but this just felt kind of flat. I couldn’t get into it after 25% in and I didn’t feel compelled to keep going.

I really enjoyed this one! Full of classic tropes - enemies to lovers, second chance & workplace romance, I was hooked right away and found the dual timelines equally interesting. I loved how smart, strong and determined Harper was and thought Ryan was a swoony MMC; I would have loved to have his POV! I also loved the London setting and side stories about celebrities and Harper’s family. Overall I would recommend this one!

I am a huge fan of Katy Birchall’s writing and storytelling, and The Last Word was no exception!

Harper is a journalist with a knack for getting celebrities to open up to her. When there is an opening on the reporting team, her awful boss hires Ryan to join the staff as the Features Editor. Harper is furious but doesn’t tell her boss that she already knows Ryan…and they have a messy history. Layoffs loom over their team and the last thing Harper needs is an ex showing up to steal the spotlight.

Forced to spend more and more time time together on assignments, Harper and Ryan are forced to revisit painful memories, confront misconceptions, and decide whether to acknowledge the sparks between them.

I love a workplace romance. Throw in the second chance trope and journalism, and I am sold. The interactions between Harper and her coworkers were excellent, and I love when authors seamlessly integrate multiple forms of communication like Slack and texting into a story.

I really enjoyed the banter between Harper and Ryan, as well as their need to have the last word (thus the title 😉). The romance was lovely, and I believed in the chemistry.

I highly recommend The Last Word (and honestly anything by Katy) to anyone who loves the women’s fiction and romance genres.