I really enjoyed this book! It had so many of my favourite things – second chance romance, workplace enemies to lovers, slow burn, he fell first, amazing banter & strong female friendships. I thought Harper was a wicked FMC! She was strong, smart & a rockstar journalist. I liked the then & now timelines & getting to see Harper & Ryan first meeting to then seeing each other again after 10 years. I laughed & I cried & I would definitely recommend this book!

If you're a fan of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne or Book Lovers by Emily Henry, I think you will enjoy this "magazine workplace, rivals with a history" novel. However, this book does lean easy on the spicy side overall and is more about the backstory and workplace in the beginning. About 2/3 of the way through, romance becomes the main focus.

Usually, I want straight-up romance in my books, but I thought the magazine atmosphere and Harper's job of interviewing celebrities were both very engaging and I found myself wanting to know about those things as equally as the romance. And the romance was very cute. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Katy Birchall's The Last Word is a whole lot of fun!

Harper is an ethical celebrity journalist who knows how to get celebs to open up. Ryan is the new hire features editor. These two have a history, though. Years ago, as interns, they had a whirlwind romance until Ryan betrayed Harper. The two haven't spoken since. Now thrown together again, and in an environment where corporate layoffs and competitiveness looms, these opposites bicker with one another but find the old chemistry still exists.

I loved Birchall's The Wedding Season and couldn't wait to dive into this one! Enemies to lovers, opposites attract, office romance, this was a second-chance romance that did not disappoint! With their great chemistry, the bickering and banter between the two MCs is spot on and made me laugh. Harper is a relatably imperfect FMC with a heart of gold, and I just loved her. A vivid cast of supporting characters surrounds her and Ryan, their boss is awful, but many of the rest are lovable and bring comedic relief.

Birchall's writing style makes her books easy to binge. They read like a lighthearted cross between women's fiction and rom-com. This delves into multiple areas of Harper's life, and her character grows. The Last Word serves up some genuinely heartfelt moments, romantic tension, and humor. I enjoyed it so much and will gladly read anything Birchall writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this ARC.

THE LAST WORD - KATY BIRCHALL
3.75⭐

PLOT -
Harper Jenkins is a celebrity editor working for a glossy weekend magazine with the best contacts in the business. Her awful boss hires Ryan as the new features editor. Harper hates the sight of Ryan after she felt betrayed by him 10 years ago. Now working together they Re constantly at war with how each person works but as they spend time together Harper realises may be she has misjudged Ryan they rekindle their romance but when one of them has a lay off will history repeat itself and this time who will have the final word?

MY THOUGHTS -
This is a work enemies to lovers , 2nd chance romance.
Harpers character, her personality was this chaotic messy person who would irritate many times ,was like this dog with a bone who went after what she wanted..and i appreciated how she worked for what she wanted to do and get it done was highly commendable.
Ryan didn't learn from his past mistake and was quite expected with the way the story was going in the climax so there was no surprise there.
Overall a cute one time read which fans of hating game will enjoy .
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed The Secret Bridesmaid and liked The Wedding Season so I was looking forward to The Last Word by Katy Burchall but it missed the mark for me.

I normally like enemies to lovers but I didn't love the banter between Harper and Ryan. It was weird to me that she kept it hidden that they knew each other from when they were interns. Overall it was a quick read but I just felt meh about the story and characters.

THE LAST WORD • Katy Birchall

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Considering how obsessed I was with The Secret Bridesmaid and The Wedding Season, I was thrilled to receive an eARC of Birchall’s upcoming release.

Abridged Synopsis: Harper Jenkins is a journalist with a knack for getting tight-lipped Hollywood stars to open up to her. She loves her job working for a magazine as Celebrity Editor but when her boss hires Ryan to be the new Features Editor, Harper is furious. The two had met a decade earlier, back when they were interns at the same publication, where they fell into a whirlwind romance…until Ryan betrayed Harper, and they never spoke again. Yet as they’re forced to spend more and more time together, Harper realizes she may have misjudged Ryan and can’t help but feel a spark growing between them. But all is fair in love and magazines, and with the news that layoffs across the department are imminent, Harper is left to wonder who will get the last word?

I love Katy Birchall so naturally my expectations for this book were pretty high. And while the writing stayed strong, I could not get past the fact that this book was almost copy paste The Hating Game. And tbh? I found THG to be a bit more memorable. So is it a cute, well written romance book? Absolutely. But does it stand out from other books highlighting the same sort of troupes? Unfortunately not.

Not for me unfortunately. I kept falling asleep on how I’ve already read this story just with different characters.

I’m a fan of this author and have loved all her previous work. This book is a cookie cutter enemies to lovers. Completely unmemorable. There’s nothing to hate but nothing to rave about also.

The Last Word by Katy Birchall was a really fun romance that I enjoyed!

Harper and Ryan had a fun romance. I was cheering for them from the begin.

This was a slow burn romance that kept me flipping the pages.

If you like a fun romance with great characters, I highly recommend this book !

The Last Word is a second chance, enemies-to-lovers story. Harper and Ryan first meet as interns, both aiming for the same permanent job as journalists. Now it's years later, and he has started working as the same newspaper that she is.

Throughout, many of the other characters in the book refer to the obvious chemistry between Harper and Ryan. However, in reading it, their conversations typically came across more as bicker than banter. They exchanged a lot of angry, and almost childlike insults.

I appreciated that the flashback scenes between them were pretty short, and the book was more focused on the present. Overall, I was quite engaged in the story. I especially loved how it started and getting to see Harper as quite competent in her job. It feels like so many rom-coms begin by establishing that the female protagonist is at rock bottom. It's so refreshing to read about a woman excelling instead.

I do recommend strongly against reading the synopsis if you don't want spoilers. It gives away much of the third act. This was a fun and funny rom-com, cementing just how much I like Katy Birchall's writing style.

Thank you to SMP Romance and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.25 stars

After reading and highly enjoying Katy Birchall's last book, The Wedding Season, I was excited to get my hands on this newest one of hers. I quite enjoyed this meld of various tropes including workplace, second chance, and enemies to lovers all in one book. I didn't care for the reasons behind Harper and Ryan's first breakup, or the third act breakup either which is why I can't give this book 5 stars but it is a solid 4 star from me!

The potential of this book was enormous. The Hating Game meets the Beach Read. It was also British. How could I not love it? Despite getting to 50%, I did not finish this book. Harper, a celebrity journalist, and Ryan, the reporter Harper's boss hired, were enjoyable characters. They were the ultimate hate-to-love couple. My favorite troupe. While Harper still had a boyfriend in the second half of the book, it seemed odd that Harper and Ryan should have started dating. The book was slow and longer than it should have been.

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martins Press for the ARC of this book. This was an honest review.

The Last Word was my first read by Katy Birchall, and it won’t be my last. Described as The Hating Game meets Beach Read, I knew I had to pick it up. While Ryan was not my favourite, he made me mad a few times - I really loved how relatable Harper was plus the witty banter and side characters were so fun!

Thank you so much to St Martins Press and Katy Birchall for an advanced digital copy via NetGalley in exchange for review!

Second chance romance, workplace, enemies to lovers

Harper and Ryan are both realistic characters and their chemistry was so enjoyable. I enjoyed the writing of their careers. I’m not always a fan of flashbacks but these ones worked. I thought this book was enjoyable and will read this author again

Harper Jenkins is at the pinnacle of her life, great job as a journalist and know to get the loose lip actors talking. But that all comes crashing down when her boss hires new editor Ryan. They both were fresh young interns when they entered the business and have not liked each other since. But their bickering turns into something more. Romance and career aren’t always easy to mix.

I really love a good enemies to lovers with bickering and humor and this story had it. Harper was a bit annoying to me at times, but what women doesn’t have an inner annoying voice. The sweet moments made up for it and made for a sweet romance.

I love a good enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, and this one hit the mark for me. Harper is the Celebrity Editor at a weekly magazine, and she is fantastic at her job. Despite her chaotic messiness, she is great at connecting with people and drawing celebrities out in her interviews. When the office gets a new Features Editor, Ryan, the two of them are constantly bickering and butting heads over articles. It turns out that Harper and Ryan have a bit of a messy past together, and even if it's clear from the start that these two will end up together, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I loved both characters, and the supporting cast was great as well. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / St. Martin's Griffin for a digital review copy.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've loved and devoured The Secret Bridesmaid & The Wedding Season. But it pains me to say that wasn't the case for this one.

I enjoyed the setting of the book; workplace romance, hate-to-love, second chance. It started of great with very witty scenes & and humor, but along the way, it kinda felt flat for me.

Harper & Ryan's relationship was messed up & at the same time wasn't interesting enough. The whole deja vù & history-repeating-itself conflicts were not for me. One would think that Ryan wouldn't make the same mistake twice, or Harper wouldn't act a certain way twice, but nevertheless, they did.

Honestly, this book was supposed to be more romance-focused than the other 2, but I felt the previous ones had better, subtle romances going on, which felt way romantic than this. I did enjoy the humor, though! And the amazing supporting characters.

How long does it take to get over a broken heart, betrayal? Harper Jenkins will tell you eleven years is not enough, not even close! Harper has built a career she’s proud of as celebrity editor, trusted and known to be ethical. When her ex, Ryan, is hired as her boss she insists they pretend not to know each other. It’s clear to everyone but Harper and Ryan that the open hostility they’re directing at one another is red hot attraction.

This is a story of second chances, believing in yourself, found family, and staying true to yourself. It’s about knowing your worth, undeniable attraction, and serendipity. It’s a story of redemption, reinvention, and birth in a taxicab.

This is my second book by Katy Birchall. I read and loved The Wedding Season last year. Birchall is excellent at combining heartbreak, trauma, and anger, with success, empathy, and attraction. Everyday realities that occur simultaneously. She doesn’t sacrifice family drama on the alter of romance, grief and pain in favor of light and fluffy. Make no mistake, Birchall’s books are feel-good, satisfying, and you’re rooting for that HEA, the Happily Ever After. It’s a winning combination I’m hooked on and highly recommend!

This is a perfect book for Emily Henry and Christina Lauren readers! I recommend for your summer beach/pool bag, your next weekend away, or lounging in the park in a sunny spot! Many thanks to @StMartinsPress @KatyBirchallauthor and @Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

The Last Word is Katy Birchall’s newest stand-alone romantic comedy. It is an enemies-to-lovers second-chance office romance. The Last Word is very different from her previous novels, The Secret Bridesmaid and The Wedding Season.

Celebrity journalist Harper Jenkins is known for getting tight-lipped Hollywood stars to open up to her. She loves her job as Celebrity Editor at a newspaper’s glossy weekend magazine. Until her awful boss hires Ryan to be the new Features Editor. 12 years ago Harper and Ryan were interns at the same publication, where they had a whirlwind romance. Then Ryan betrayed Harper, and they have been enemies ever since.

Harper and Ryan can’t agree on anything and bicker constantly; it’s like The Hating Game in a newsroom. Their banter and antics are hilarious, especially Harper’s habits annoying type-A Ryan. As they spend more time together, Harper realizes she may have misjudged Ryan and can’t help her growing affection for him. When they’re thrown together on a romantic press trip abroad, their chemistry comes to a head.

The Last Word is an enjoyable read featuring strong characters with amazing chemistry. Office romances, particularly second-chance ones, are particularly fun to read, and I couldn’t help but root for harper and Ryan to find their way back to each other. Katy Birchall writes engaging characters with snappy dialogue and witty banter, and her fans with enjoy this story.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thought the story was cute. I was more invested half way through. I found myself trying to keep picking it up to finish it, but more for the fact to finish it not because I wanted to see what happens.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date: May 2, 2023