Katy Birchall does it again! I loved her novel The Secret Bridesmaid, and The Last Word is another hit!

Harper is a celebrity journalist for a local London magazine. Between dealing with a boss who acts as if her job is of little importance, and the infuriating new editor Ryan who is now her desk mate, she has to fight for every piece she writes to make it to publication. Ryan and her cannot seem to agree on anything, especially since the disastrous fling they had 10 years ago. But as they spend more and more time together she is starting to wonder if he is really as terrible as she remembers. Only one problem, can she let herself trust him again?

Harper was such a relatable character for me. I loved how creative she was and her social, bubbly personality. Her life and home are chaotic, but she knows her goals and works hard to achieve them. I really loved how strong of a female character she was. Ryan was just adorable and I loved seeing him come out of his shell when he was with Harper. His over organization was a great contrast to Harper’s creativity. This story was so entertaining. I am a sucker for stories with settings in the UK. They give me a little flashback to my time in London.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! I really enjoyed the main character. But I did wish we saw more connection between her and Ryan.

Fun second chance/enemies to lovers romance. Harper and Ryan were interns together 12 years ago where their bickering flared into a short affair before Harper felt betrayed by Ryan. Fast forward 12 years and Ryan becomes the new Features editor at the same magazine where Harper is the Celebrity editor. I loved Harper's work ethic and her talent for being the warm and fuzzy interviewer with her subjects. The best part though was the bickering that went on between Ryan and Harper. There were some very funny scenes, as well as times when I got a little frustrated with Harper because she was being kind of unreasonable. This book reminded me of The Hating Game which I really loved.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review. A solid 3.5 stars!

4.5/5 stars

This is my third book by this author and I really enjoyed it.

This book is set in London and it follows a celebrity reporter

The narrator is Harper Jenkins (1st person POV). She is messy and always late. But she's also an amazing journalist and a Celebrity Editor known for putting the biggest stars at ease. I loved her job so much. Seeing her interviewing famous people was my favorite part of this book.

I really enjoyed seeing Harper at work. I loved her best friend Mimi (travel editor). And her run ins with Ryan (love interest). And her boss made me want to scream!

This book does focus on romance and so many favorite tropes. The book is set in an office, has the two man characters butting heads, and they already knew each other. But it is definitely a slower burn love story. But the title really fits this book. And the banter was extremely fun!

I really enjoyed this book. And the epilogue was so good!

The Last Word was such a fun read! This was definitely a rom com that was heavier on the comedy and lighter on the romance, but that is a nice change of pace for me. The banter between Harper and Ryan was so entertaining and they were very cute together. I did get annoyed by the miscommunication, but overall it was a good read.

Okay, I officially need more British rom-coms in my life. Harper was such a delightful MC and her banter with Ryan was fantastic. I really enjoyed the inside look at magazine publishing and seeing Harper in her element. The flashbacks were used so well in this one and need to be the standard for authors who want to use them. I feel like I chose the wrong career - I want to be a travel editor now!

If romantic comedies have taught us anything, it’s that opposites always attract—and the fiercest of competitors always make for the most passionate couples. And The Last Word by author Katy Birchall explores the old rom-com formula with a couple of London journalists.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

Ok I loved this book!!! I really enjoyed this authors other two adult novels, THE SECRET BRIDESMAID, and THE WEDDING SEASON but this one is my new favorite. The plot was so fun and I loved the celebrity aspect of the storyline. The main character was someone I want to be friends with and the love interest was swoony and sweet.

I saw comparisons to THE HATING GAME and BEACH READ and I feel like both are pretty accurate. 5/5 stars, will be recommending this book!!

(3.5 stars)

The Last Word is billed as “The Hating Game meets Beach Read” but I do not feel like that description really matched the tone of the book. While it is an a workplace rival romance, it lacks the spark of The Hating Game. The animosity felt very one sided and was built on something that had happened a decade before when Harriet and Ryan were interns together.

This was a really rough start for me that ended up being fairly enjoyable. A few things that bothered me:
- Harriet’s main characteristic is that she’s late to everything and is incredibly unorganized. Her second characteristic is that she’s a celebrity writer who is willing to not publish gossip that the celebrity doesn’t want published, which is very endearing and much more interesting than “I’m late because I couldn’t find my sunglasses even though they were in my bag!” Now, don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely the kind of person who would be late because I couldn’t find my favorite sunglasses that were in an incredibly convenient location, but her flightiness gets pretty repetitive and kind of annoying. I think she loses her phone at least twice in the first chapter alone. She does not have an sense of how her disorganization negatively affects others, is way too old for it to be cute, and does not change over the course of the book.

- Harper has a supremely terrible boyfriend (Liam), who does not have a single enjoyable quality and is also forgettable? Like he’s just annoying? He very clearly is just with her to use her connections to support his own career as a talent agent and Harper does not notice this.

All of that being said, if you’re in the mood for a cozy book and can handle the main character, it wasn’t bad. I’m quick to dnf a book if I really didn’t like it, and I was able to read this one pretty quickly. It may be that the humor was “too British” for me!

The audiobook was wonderfully done! I love a narrator with a good accent.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for my review copies!

Enemies to lovers, just looking at the cover you can tell that. I loved this authors previous book and I loved this one as well. It was able to keep me captivated and enjoyed reading it all the way to the end. Loved it!

This is an enemies to lovers story that reads like a combination of The Hating Game and Beach Read if you mixed the two together. Harper is a brilliant journalist who works as celebrity editor for a newspaper's magazine. Her boss hires her rival Ryan to be the new features editor, and soon enough their workplace becomes a fight over everything. After a romantic press trip overseas, the chemistry between them finally ignites.
This book was a little slow at first but quickly picked up. I liked the rivalry between the two, it was really entertaining to read about their behavior. Overall it was a great quick read and I enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Harper looks like an absolute disaster - she's messy, with dubious organizational skills and ab absolute inability to be on time despite her best efforts. But she is amazing at her job as the celebrity editor of her magazine- standing out with her empathy and genuine interest in the people themselves.
Ryan is the features editor that was just brought in and he is immediately out against Harper in any way their topics may overlap. Their boss doesn't know their history but the entire office knows that when fee they're in the same room some form of explosion will happen -- sometimes cannon fire, sometimes fireworks.
When the magazine starts having issues, there are some big decisions to be made. What does that mean for Harper and Ryan?

This is a fun read, as the present plays out and the reader gets flashbacks to their intern years together. I am totally Harper so I loved the heroine being a great person who also just didn't care to hang her clothes up and easily lose things on her messy desk. It was nice to see these not being a fatal flaw, just a flaw.

#arc
#netgalley
#thelastword

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This was not my first Katy Birchall and this book proved that I am still a fan! This book was so much fun. One of my favorite enemies to lovers in the workplace is "The Hating Game" and this gave me all the same warm fuzzies and pure adoration for the couple. The banter between Harper and Ryan was epic and Ryan is definitely book boyfriend material! The book shares snippets from the past so you little by little have the history between them revealed. Then you have the current relationship as they are thrown together in the workplace years later.

While I loved the relationship between our main characters, I also adored Harper's female friends at work and the people Harper makes connections with through her interviews. There were so many strong, wonderfully written characters, and it was easy to get invested in all of their lives. As well as a few characters who you booed loudly at every time they were on the page. (Harper's parents and Cosmo!!)

I am still smiling after turning the last page...this is one I will check out the audio version as well. :)

4.5 stars

Harper is a quirky celebrity journalist who loves her job, until she finds herself working side by side with Ryan. Ryan seems perfectly likeable, in fact he is well liked by all of the office! So it surprises everyone when Harper cannot give up her disdain for him. Slowly we’re given small glimpses into Harper and Ryan’s past: workplace competition, infatuation, and secrets. But can they work through their past and start anew?

If you loved the hating game you will love this! Great writing, and I found myself akin to Harper WAY too many times. You know when you like someone so you keep doing dumb things around them? Yeahhhhh, that’s me to a t. Highly recommend this new release from Katy Birchall!

After positively loving The Secret Bridesmaid and The Wedding Season, I couldn't wait to dive into Katy Birchall's latest! And y'all, I think this is the best one yet.

Part enemies to lovers, part they both fell first and fell hard but couldn't admit it and part second chance romance after a decade...The Last Word has it all! Plenty of banter, plenty of chemistry, plenty of heart to heart moments, longing glances, and some ultimate set ups by some of the best friends and scheming coworkers...I loved every minute of watching Harper and Ryan fall in love. When a synopsis starts with part Hating Game and part Beach Read you know it's going to be good!!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Harper is killing it at her newspaper. A top-rated celebrity journalist, she is known for getting Hollywood stars and starlets to open up to her. She is also known for her business contacts, which she worked hard to get. But things start going sideways for her when Ryan is hired as the new Features Editor. Harper and Ryan were a thing over ten years ago, and that ended in disaster when Ryan betrayed Harper. She has never forgiven him or gotten over the betrayal. But, the more time they are forced to spend together, the more Harper realizes that she might have overreacted and that her feelings for Ryan might be more profound than she admits. How will Harper and Ryan’s romance end? Will it be a happily ever after? Or will it be over before it gets a chance to take off?

I was not expecting to dislike The Last Word. Usually, these chick-lit romances are a fun, quick read for me. A light bit of fluff is a palate cleanser for my brain (I read many books with heavier content). I went into reading The Last Word expecting it to be a mildly pleasant book. It was not. Unfortunately, the main female character ruined the book for me. To say I disliked her is putting it mildly.

The storyline for The Last Word was easy to follow. Taking place mainly in London, the book follows Harper as she navigates her career and relationships. I did like the storyline. It was well written and kept my attention on the book (even with my intense dislike of Harper).

I couldn’t stand Harper. While I admired that she had worked hard to prove her parents wrong, I felt she came across as a spoiled brat for almost the entire book. I didn’t understand why she disliked poor Ryan for so long. The author kept that a secret until nearly halfway through the book. Meanwhile, Harper acted like a fool in her office (screaming at Ryan, accusing him of stealing her stuff, mocking his cookies, and freaking out about other things). I might have sympathy for her if the author had disclosed what he did (and honestly, it wasn’t a big deal). But then she did it again (when the layoffs happened), and her behavior made me sick. I did have a small amount of sympathy for her because of how her parents were. I felt that the author threw that in just for that reason.

As much as I liked and felt bad for Ryan, I wish he had stood up for himself. He let Harper walk all over him at the magazine. Listen, I get that he didn’t want to rock the boat with her at work (she did have seniority), but he turned into a freaking doormat. When the author finally divulged why Harper hated him, I got it. What he did wasn’t right, but telling Harper she didn’t get the job wasn’t his place. I also got why he didn’t tell her about the layoffs at the magazine. It wasn’t his place (it was that idiot, Cosmo). But he still let Harper blame him for everything. It got old after a while, and honestly, he should have moved on after the layoff.

There are sex scenes in The Last Word. They were non-graphic. Because of how I felt about Harper, I was a little disgusted by reading them.

The end of The Last Word was interesting. I liked how Harper took her layoff and turned it around. She could keep doing what she loved but on her own time. That was awesome. I also liked how Harper told her parents and sister off. It was long overdue. Harper and Ryan got their HEA, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. She was awful and didn’t deserve him (there, I said it). And while I liked the epilogue, it didn’t evoke the happy feelings they usually do. Instead, I felt nothing but pity for Ryan.

I recommend this book to anyone over 21. There is language, mild violence, and language.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Katy Birchall for allowing me to read and review The Last Word. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

I had the privilege of tandem reading/listening to The Last Word by Katy Birchall so my review will be the same for both the ebook and the audiobook. I can absolutely understand why this is being described as Beach Read + The Hating Game hybrid - it meets the mark while being unique from them. I love a second chance 'enemies to lovers,' opposites attract, office romance. Lovable characters, great story and great chemistry with a believable slow burn. I definitely recommend this romcom, perfect summer read!

For the audiobook, the narrator did a fantastic job (I listen at 1.75x for my own speed preference).

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC/ALC!

Harper and Ryan started out as interns together for the same publication. Sparks fly in the form of competition, until they fly in the form of a relationship. Then it all falls apart. Now, they are back working at the same magazine and it is a nightmare. They argue and fight about who is going to do what. Then the connection sparks again and once again, all is not as it seems.

I adored Harper. She is totally unorganized and a hot mess (especially when it comes to her shoes!) but, she is very good at her job. I related so well to this! There are a lot of times I am a hot mess too but I can get the job done in spite of that. So, she has a piece of my heart!

Ryan is a strong silent type and I found him very appealing as well. These two charming characters lit up the pages and kept the story fun and delightful.

We just recently had a very long flight. This was a great book to lose yourself in! It is so entertaining and perfect for that long ride!

Need a quick, cute romance…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Last Word by Katy Birchall is a fun new enemies/rivals-to-lovers romance. I just love Birchall’s humor and the way she writes her characters, and I’m also a huge fan of the enemies/rivals to lovers trope so I couldn’t wait to dive into this book.

The story follows Harper and Ryan, two journalists who crossed paths years ago when they were interns for the same publication. There was definitely chemistry between them back then but Ryan ultimately betrays her, and they haven’t spoken since. When we meet Harper, she is fully focused on her career as a successful and well-respected Celebrity Editor for a newspaper magazine. Life is good with the exception of her sexist boss. Not only does the man seem to go out of his way to be rude to her, but he also takes every opportunity to stifle her career growth. As if all of that wasn’t bad enough, now he has gone and hired Ryan to be his new Features Editor.

Needless to say, sparks fly as soon as Ryan and Harper are forced to work together. Constant bickering and disagreements eventually give way to a tentative partnership, and of course my favorite part of an enemies to lovers story – when the main characters realize that maybe they don’t hate each other after all and the trajectory of their relationship changes. I always love those moments and Birchall handles them well here.

Harper is a fantastic character. I love how she’s a real go-getter even in the face of blatant sexism that has her other colleagues shaking their heads. Harper is amazing at her job and is the go-to person when celebrities want someone who they can trust to respectfully and professionally handle their stories. Even though I went into this book craving a fun rom com, I really enjoyed Harper’s personal/professional journey as she fully comes into her own and takes the reins of her career. It took me a little longer to warm up to Ryan just because I was Team Harper all the way, but once we are finally allowed to learn the details of what happened all those years ago, my heart fully melted toward him.

The Last Word is the third book from Katy Birchall I’ve read and it definitely will not be my last!

I just finished The Last Word by Katy Birchall and here are my musings.


Harper is the very best at what she does but her boss undermines her journalistic endeavors which happens to be celebrity based.

When one of her best friends leaves the magazine, a spot opens up and her boss hires Ryan. A man she knew a long time ago. A man who betrayed her. She is furious and she cannot let go of what happened in their past.

The tension is intense and the bickering, comical. They couldn’t be more different. Both of them like having the last word but as their stories overlap more and more, Harper cannot help feeling the intense attraction that is between them and after Ryan ends up on the same press trip she is on…. Things really heat up!

Just when things start to look cozy for these two enemies, impending layoffs are coming down the pipe and who will be left standing.

I have read some amazing romcoms lately so the bar was set so very high with my expectations. This book exceeded every single expectation I had and was the best page turner I have had the pleasure of reading this year!

Harper is the very best! I mean the very best! She is messy, disorganized and ditzy! Warm, caring with a natural ability of having things come easily to her. Ryan is the polar opposite. He works hard to achieve what she does but he is organized and a type A personality type. He is sexy as all heck and the exchanges between the two were electric.

I laughed, I shed a few tears and I had my heart warmed to solar flare temperatures. This book was a genius concoction of sweet, salty caramel goodness. I wish someone could wipe my brain so I could read it again for the first time.

PLEASE RUN don’t walk to get your copy today!

5 stars! Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my gifted copy