I am withholding my review in solidarity with the #SpeakUpSMP boycott and will provide feedback once SMP secures the safety of their influencers, employees, and authors who may have been harmed by the behavior within the publishing house.

If you liked The Hating Game, give this one a read! It's similarly set in a workplace competition, and is hilarious. I loved the banter between Ryan and Harper, and the snips of their articles to start each chapter. I've enjoyed Katy's wedding-themed books in the past and was glad to find that her voice and writing style carry over well to other settings.

The Last Word by Katy Birchall is a fun comedy for fans of the movie, Get Smart! I thoroughly enjoyed this and I think others will also love this one.

This was a very good book. I enjoyed reading it. The characters and plot kept me interested. I would read another book by this author.

I know this is late but this was DNF'd long before it was published. Tried time and time again and just couldn't get into it or get over the poor writing. Thank you for the opportunity to read though!

Harper Jenkins is a journalist known for making her celebrity interviewees feel safe. As the Celebrity Editor for her newspaper’s weekend magazine, Harper feels she’s in her dream job, that is until her awful boss hires Ryan as the new Features Editor. Ryan and Harper have a past history, that didn’t end well. When working together a decade ago as interns Ryan and Harper grew really close and fell into a whirlwind romance, that abruptly ended with Ryan betraying Harper. Now thrown together it seems this will be a disaster before it starts, and to add insult to injury they are stuck sitting together in a combined cubicle. Ryan is notoriously neat, while Harper is a complete mess. Constantly losing things, Harper at times seems as if she’s all over the place, but when it comes time to do her job Harper is always on point. Harper doesn’t want anyone to know about her past with Ryan, but the more time they spend working together the closer they are becoming. All the feelings Harper thought had died a decade ago are rushing back, and Ryan seems to have the same feelings for Harper, but as layoffs are looming at the magazine Harper wonders if she can trust Ryan a second time around, or will another betrayal stand in their way.

This was a cute romance book. I enjoyed the characters, they had depth and weren’t annoying. Thank you St. Martins Press for this ARC.

It wasn't that I hated every moment of this book, but it was that it took me forever to get through it (quite literally months). I found it often forgettable and overall it fell flat for me, which was disappointing as I was hopeful with this one because of its inclusion of the journalism world. I found myself not loving the main character the majority of the time, Harper just felt immature most of the time. I don't have too much to say other than it wasn't for me.

I completely loved it and was caught up in the story and in these characters’ relationship. Harper and Ryan had such a great tension-filled relationship and I really loved to see it develop and turn into something really cute. I was also surprised by the range of emotions this book made me feel, so kudos to the author!

"The Last Word" by Katy Birchall is a captivating and entertaining read that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. Birchall's writing is witty and engaging, drawing readers into the hilarious and chaotic world of protagonist Bea.

The characters are wonderfully crafted, each with their own quirks and charms that make them feel like old friends. Bea's journey of self-discovery is relatable and heartfelt, and her relationships with her family and friends are portrayed with depth and authenticity.

The plot is fast-paced and full of unexpected twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Birchall expertly balances humor with moments of genuine emotion, creating a story that is both laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly touching.

Overall, "The Last Word" is a delightful read that is sure to leave a smile on your face. Whether you're a fan of fiction or simply looking for a fun and uplifting story, this book is definitely worth picking up.

This was so so fun!! I LOVE an enemies to lovers trope and especially enjoy when it's used in a workplace romance. There's always such good banter potential 💗💗💗 this was a fun and swoony read! Thank you for the arc.

•enemies to lovers
•second chance romance
•workplace romance
•set in the UK
•dual timeline

I was a little iffy on whether I was going to end up liking this one or not because it took me a while to get into. For most of the book Harper is rather immature and insufferable, even in the present day when she's very responsible professionally. But I really liked her character growth and by the end I was really rooting for her happiness. Ryan was adorable. There were many times when I actually wished Ryan would move on to someone that would treat him better but ultimately I'm satisfied with how the story ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book was not one of my favorite tropes. The ongoing miscommunication between the characters made the book a slower read. Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others.

Enemies-to-lovers? Yes, please! Not only is enemies-to-lovers one of my faaaavorite tropes, but I love stories/movies/shows centered around writers, journalists, etc. This was a fantastic read from start to finish. 4.5 stars - rounding up to 5 because I liked the characters so much!

DNF @ 46% - I tried to read this one in e-book and audio formats but unfortunately I gave up just shy of 50%!

A plot that moved slowly, characters that were pretty one dimensional and a lack of believable chemistry had me not feeling remotely invested in this book.

I had this book for a year, tried reading it, waiting for the day I finish it... And I just came to the decision I never would. It's my own fault really. I wanted to try a Katy Birchall book, but... second chance romances are not my trope... combined with miscommunications... I will be upfront with this book, it's time we part ways.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was published by St. Martin's Press, which is unfortunately being boycotted. If the boycott reaches a resolution, I hope to come back and review this book.

The Last Word delivers a fun enemies-to-lovers romance wrapped in a compelling storyline with a perfect pace.
I enjoyed the writing style as the author’s skillful storytelling seamlessly blended tension with tender moments.
I would definitely recommend this for anyone who loves an enemies to lovers trope.
Not the book of the year, but You won’t be sorry you read it.

Thankyou to author Katy Birchall, Griffin Publishing, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Charlene 📚🌸🤗 @lastnownext

This was a great read and will definitely recommend!! The cover is also so cute. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

3.5 rounded up

I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers romance! It was fun and Birchall’s approach to journalism/the workplace felt very authentic to me. The banter between Ryan and Harper’s banter was hilarious and kept me laughing throughout the book!

This book did lean a little more women’s fiction than pure romance, which I don’t always love – but it was still a good read and I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin & NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book!

The Last Word is a work place, enemies to lovers romcom full of celebrity anecdotes and sizzling banter. Harper Jenkins is a savvy celebrity editor, known for putting her famous clients at ease and extracting their most gripping stories.

Harper contained multitudes and was a delightful main character. While Harper’s professional life is thriving her personal life couldn’t be more chaotic. The same crafty journalist is also someone who forgets to pack both shoes for a black tie gala and this juxtaposition made Harper incredibly endearing. Harper’s counterpart Ryan fell a little flat for me as a love interest. His entire character felt like it was only there to act as Harper’s foil and while their banter was fun and witty, I wish we got to see their relationship blossom more.

I did enjoy the past and present timelines, and how we slowly peeled back the layers of Harper and Ryan’s origin story. The fictionalized celebrity interviews and encounters were also some of my favorites moments, especially the unexpected taxi scene (iykyk)!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.