Thank you to St Martins Press for my complimentary eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Last Word was such a very entertaining read. I absolutely loved the forced proximity working conditions, and laughed right along with their colleagues whenever Harper and Ryan started "fighting".

I enjoyed the witty banter and slow burn romance between Harper and Ryan. The back and forth time line was easy to follow. I was more vested in their lives once I got a glimpse into their past encounter. I will overlook the third act breakup and miscommunication that is prevalent throughout the story. These elements are such an important part of Harper and Ryan's story. Do not even get me started on the relationship Harper has (or does not have) with her family. I am so proud of the way she was able to resolve that situation. Ryan deserves all the credit for making her see her self worth.

This was my first Katy Birchall novel, I am off to add her others to my TBR!
The Last Word is perfect for those of us who enjoy:

Enemies to Lovers
Second Chance
Office Romance
Forced Proximity

The Last Word is a story of two kids falling for eachother, falling apart, and finding their way back as adults.

I really enjoyed my time with Harper and Ryan. I loved how committed Harper was to her job, the difficulties with her family, and her reluctance to trust. I was surprised by how long it took to get to the "romance" of this book -- Ryan didn't show up until about 20% in -- but it allowed time to really understand Harper first.

I loved the way the author wove in scenes from the past and how those interactions mirrored the present day, especially when it came to Ryan. His anxiety yet quiet confidence was intriguing and mesmerizing.

Overall, a fun read but not as much of a straight romance as I was anticipating. The book focusses so much on Harper and her work which was surprising, but ultimately made for a great story.

What an adorable, lighthearted book! The main characters are so relatable and easy to like, especially Harper. This book has the classic enemies-to-lovers trope but the main characters have a deeper past that adds an element to their love story. The dialogue felt a bit chaotic at times but it didn’t stop me from compulsively reading to see how it ends. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for an easy beach read!

THE LAST WORD by Katy Birchall is a lovely enemies-to-lovers to enemies-to-lovers, second-chance office romance. The beginning was a bit slow, with a lot of info dump exposition on every character as they were introduced. Once I got past that, the story got really good. I appreciated how both characters' personalities were fleshed out and the relationship blossomed from rivals to friends to lovers to enemies The timeline switches between past and present, slowly revealing their history repeating itself, which I thought was an elegant and artistic way to do it. And their careers as journalists was a very interesting and cool part of the story as well. I could totally see this as a Notting Hill type rom-com, and I would definitely watch it!

THE LAST WORD comes out May 2, 2023. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

The Last Word is a romance, but romance isn't all there is. I honestly felt like the romance was a pretty small portion of the book overall. The story felt a little slow at times, but it also felt necessary to allow time for explanation/back story/build up.

I loved the male main character, Ryan. He reminded me of Charlie Lastra from Book Lovers in the best ways. The female main character, Harper, is chaotic. I liked her, but she also came across as immature and - with the story being from her first person POV - I found myself getting annoyed with her a lot.

Overall this was a cute read, but not one that I'm obsessing over. 3.5/5 stars from me.

Read if you like:
-office romance
-second chance
-enemies to lovers
-found family

Didn't really connect with this at all -- I thought I would, based on the premise, but the characters came off as flat to me, and the flashbacks were not particularly compelling.

DNF'd this at about 25%.

There were too many characters and too much going on. I wanted to get to the romance! I like this author's other work, but this one just wasn't clicking for me.

This was…fine

I really wanted to like it, it’s set in London which I love. The MCs are journalists which sound fun, but I was bored throughout most of it.

Katy Birchall gives me all the Sophie Kinsella vibes! She is one of the few authors who do single POV that I'm usually okay with. It's def more women's fiction which I can sometimes be in the mood for.

This is one of her more heavy romance book which isn't saying much because it's still a slow burn. But the chemistry is very there, but I did want to pull my hair out with how stubborn they both could be when it came to the other.

I was annoyed with both characters. I usually side with a heroine, but she wasn't the most relatable. I think I wanted to like her more than I really did. Like I love to hold a grudge (unfortunately lol) but it had been 11 years and she acted like she hadn't moved on AT ALL. And she literally had a bf. But she did come around.

As usual, I'd love a peak inside Ryan's head, but this was Harper's story above all else.

Overall, if you liked The Wedding Season and The Secret Bridesmaid I think you will enjoy this one as well!

3.5 stars!

The obsession I have with Katy Birchall is real and alive. After reading The Secret Bridesmaid i was hooked on her writing and this book is no different.

Harper is a celebrity journalist who is so good at her job that she can get anyone to open up to her with her relaxing presence and promise that what she prints is not a clickbait story but a well thought out representation of who she interviews. While her editor Cosmo can’t see the importance of her work, her coworkers champion for her to get the space she deserves in the magazine so when her friends and coworkers tells her she’s leaving Harper is worried she’ll have a harder time getting the space she deserves. Who better to replace her friend than her enemy from 10 years ago, Ryan, who she believes screwed her over when they were interns starting out.

Through ball games, healthy competition and realizing that maybe that maybe that line between love and hate is way thinner than she realized this enemies to lovers, second chance romance book had me trying to read faster and ignore responsibilities, and other books, so I could see how Ryan and Harper came back together after so many years apart.


Thank you Netygalley, Katy Birchall and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by Katy Birchall, and this one was no exception.

Let’s get into it.

Ryan and Harper are old flames turned enemies-to-lovers (again) in this office romance that, at times, can seem a little formulaic but also original—if that makes any sense at all. Harper is a no-nonsense celebrity journalist who has a way with making her famous interviewees comfortable. Therefore, she gets all the major scoops. Despite her talents, though, her boss is a raging misogynist who feels like Harper's work isn't major journalism and constantly makes her feel like s***. She grins and bears it, though, until Ryan shows up at her office, once again turning her whole world upside down.

Will sparks fly between Ryan and Harper again, or will things go up in smoke? Also, will Harper (or any woman, for that matter), be treated with the respect they deserve in the workplace? (That one is more of a rhetorical question).

Like I said, despite some clichéd parts, I highly enjoyed this one. It has everything you can expect in an enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, forced proximity, workplace romance and then some. There were parts where I thought I knew what was going to happen and found myself very pleasantly wrong. There was certainly enough originality to set this one apart from the rest.

Highly, highly recommend for lovers of a funny, closed-door romance.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The book started a little slow in the beginning, but I ended up really enjoying the last two thirds of the book. It had a lot of tropes that I adore: hate-to-love, second chance romance and opposites attract. Harper, the main character, had an interesting job as well. The author gave us a lot of information about her work as a celebrity writer and I found those parts to be intriguing.

There were two things that made me lower the rating though. Harper as a character irked me at times. I feel like there is a fine line with hate-to-love romances and in this case, the author went with writing Harper and Ryan’s arguments to be a little juvenile. They would sometimes fight over the dumbest things. While Ryan would try to compromise and reason with Harper, she would constantly let her pride get in the way. She also wouldn’t sometimes get tunnel vision and refuse to see things from his perspective. Another problem I had with the book was that the romance fell to the background at times. This comes down to personal preference though. I usually like having the romance plot at the forefront.

All in all, this was a fun read. If you like romances similar to The Hating Game, I would definitely consider checking this out.

I enjoyed about 75% of this book. I REALLY wanted the main male character to have a stronger backbone and it was distracting.

💙 The Last Word ARC Review 💙

Thank you so much to Katy Birchall @katybirchallauthor and St Martins Press @smpromance @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

The Last Word is a contemporary second chance RomCom set in London. Harper is a celebrity journalist who has worked hard to build a trustworthy image with those she interviews. However, when she gets a new editor, she realizes they’ve worked together before. Ryan was an intern with her earlier in their careers, and they’ve never gotten along. But a workplace rivalry can lead to explosive chemistry…

I really enjoyed this book! Harper is an educated, well rounded character who is passionate about the work she does. Ryan is just a squishy cinnamon roll who needs all the love! This book was exactly what I love about second chance romances - right couple but wrong time initially. It was an absolute delight to read about Harper and Ryan coming together again

Overall this was an awesome 4 star read for me! I personally would have loved to see some chapters from Ryan’s PoV, but it was a great read regardless! This book had a few spicy scenes, but nothing super detailed - so two flames for spice

If you’re a fan of workplace rivalries, second chance romances, great banter and great characters, then this is absolutely the read for you!!

Review will be posted to Amazon upon publication

Romance Trope T R I F E C T A: enemies to lovers ❤️ second chance romance ❤️ and office romance! “The Last Word” by Katy Birchall is witty, hilarious and off the charts adorable!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Harper is a bad ass Celebrity Editor for a lifestyle magazine! She is known for being an honest journalist who has a knack for getting even the most tight lipped celebrities to open up to her 👄!!

When a nemesis from Harper’s past gets hired into her newsroom as an editor, her world gets turned up aside down! 10 years prior, Harper and Ryan were both interns at the same publication. Friendly competition later turned into fireworks … until Ryan betrayed her! How is she supposed to sit beside someone who is so infuriating, pompous and a thorn in her side?? Who will get The Last Word??

Read this if you enjoy:
🎙️Enemies to lovers
🎙️Office romances
🎙️Opposites attract
🎙️Second chance romances
🎙️Bicker & Banter

Thank you kindly to St Martin’s Press, Katy Birchall and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This cutie book releases on May 2, 2023!

This workplace enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers was a fun, well-paced book that had you rooting for Harper and Ryan.

Harper is a chaotic but dedicated workaholic. She finds order in chaos and treats those she writes newspaper articles about with respect. Ryan is orderly and wants to encourage change with the pieces he writes for a sister newspaper to Harper's. In what seems like a past life, these two held an internship together and only one of them gets the job at the end. This is a prominent point throughout their story together and through flashbacks we get to read what happens.

I really enjoyed the back and forth between Harper and Ryan. Harper's dedication to writing meaningful stories about the celebrities she interviews is a sticking point and something Ryan admires about her. The secondary characters also lend to more interaction between the pair and provide some comic relief.

This book surprised me in the best way! It’s been awhile since I read an enemies-to-lovers romance where the trope pitted the two MCs against each other for believable reasons. Harper and Ryan are the perfect foil to one another: they are both super stubborn, completely opposite in everything, except for the appreciation they have for journalism. Add to that a workplace romance, and this book delivered all the quippy banter and office tension I could want.
Harper is a bit of a mess in every way EXCEPT for her ability to connect with celebrities on a personal level. Ryan is the half-Swedish, shy, super organized gorgeous demigod who is replacing Harper’s office mate at the magazine where she works. The thing is, they’ve met ten years before, and it didn’t end well, setting off a competitive streak in each to be the best at their jobs. I love, love, loved the dialogue between Harper and Dan and even though it’s easy to see from the start how their arguments can fuel passion, it was so much fun listening to them. The dual timeline worked well to help capture the build up in tension between these two, from interns competing for a job to coworkers that have to get along. Harper is a complex character and it was so nice to see that she wasn’t just some ditzy celeb journo, but a girl who is really good at what she does despite her non traditional methods. And sweet, patient Ryan—I love it when a hero falls first and he balances Harper so well. Birchall’s side characters are written just as well as her MCs and Mimi and Isabella are a delight as much as Cosmo is an idiot and Harper’s parents are intense. I’ve yet to meet a book by Katie Birchall I did t like, and this one was no exception. I hope the Last Word makes it to everyone’s TBR.
Content warnings: parental gaslighting, cheating partner, lying, character giving birth on page, workplace belittling.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Word features, Harper, a top-notch celebrity reporter and Ryan, another writer who she hoped would stay in her past. This is a great enemies-to-lovers romance with a dual timeline that lets us see why Harper has to argue with everything Ryan says and fight for "the last word". I loved reading their tension at work in the midst of them obviously having some feelings for each other. Harper's boss, Cosmo, is a jerk and he adds some chaos and frustration to her job. Add in that her parents don't value what she does, but thankfully she has some very supportive friends and amazing networking skills. I enjoyed getting to see Harper successfully win over celebrities and getting a glimpse on why telling their stories is important to her. The last two books by Birchall that I've read have been more women's fiction, but The Last Word is clearly a romance story, which I loved!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press for the digital ARC.

The Last Word is a delightful mashup of enemies-to-lovers, second chance romance, and opposites attract. Harper loves her job as celebrity editor at a magazine when the new features editor is announced - her kinda-sorta ex and current nemesis, Ryan. Is all fair in love and publishing?

Katy Birchall has done it again! The characters are dimensional and endearing, the humor is just right, and the chemistry crackles at a slow burn until it pops. I really enjoyed this story that encompassed growing up, moving on, dealing with family traumas, carving your own path, and finding your people. Highly recommend!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC to review. I loved it!

This rivals-to-lovers romance is a fun read! I enjoyed the characters a lot, Although Harper seems to be a bit quick to jump to conclusions and think the worst of Ryan, she becomes more relatable as the story develops, and the emotional scars left by her cold, dismissive parents make her reactions understandable. The writing flows well, and the humor never goes over the top, a common failing in romantic comedies. The relationship between the two evolves into a tentative friendship and then into romance in a satisfying slow burn. Cosmo is an antagonist that's fun to hate, and the setting of an online magazine business adds interest to the story. Mimi is a good foil for Harper as a best friend, and Ryan's warm family relationships make a good contrast to Harper's difficult ones. Harper's struggles with misogyny in the workplace make her eventual discovery of her true calling a rewarding outcome. I highly recommend this one to women's fiction/romance readers!