Enemies to lovers? Say less.. (this is one of my favorite tropes)
This book was a lot of fun to read, Quirky female MC with an awesome
friend group that I wish I was a part of, this slow burn enemies to lovers was
everything I hoped it would be.

I loved the Hating game (book, not movie) and was super excited to be able to read this, especially because I also really enjoyed The Secret Bridesmaid, and unsurprisingly, this book did not disappoint!

The playful office banter, the tumultuous history, the secret looks - I loved it all! This book, albeit quite long, did an excellent job of providing details into the different characters, their motivations, their passions, and most of all, their love for each other. I loved reading about who they are, even from Harper's POV. Which, her ability to be able to seamlessly connect with her interviewees was pretty cool. I loved how she effortlessly broke down their walls to allow them to feel comfortable enough to share their stories with her - it was a great way to further showcase Harper's love for her job and storytelling.

Overall, this story won't disappoint at all!

Although the heroine/narrator got on my nerves a bit as she jumped to negative assumptions about Ryan, an old flame who broke her heart a decade ago, I ended up really enjoying the story. I liked that she stood up for herself and her chosen profession of reporting on celebrities but doing it with heart and not just out to dish dirt and gossip. And it was so clear that Ryan was crazy about her. This turned out to be an enjoyable enemies-to-lovers story.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

When I saw the description said Beach Read meets The Hating Game, two of my favorite books, I was SO excited to be an early reader, but it was a bit of a let down. There wasn't anything very unique or drawing me into the story and I was a bit bored. I ended up forgetting about it, so after reading 1/3 of the book I decided to DNF...maybe I'll pick it back up in the future when I don't have other books on the shelf I want to read more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to be an early reader!

4 Stars A great workplace enemies-to-lovers, second chance rom com reminiscent of The Hating Game! Ryan and Harper had such fun banter and their chemistry on the page was palpable. I love second chance romance stories and this one was great! There's also a secondary plot with Harper's family, who have never respected her career, and she must choose what kind of relationship she wants with them moving forward. The side characters were fun and eclectic. A great read!

The Last Word is a story about workplace enemies turned lovers. With dual timelines and lots of unanswered questions the book quickly became a page turner for me.

Harper and Ryan worked together as interns. After becoming more than co-workers a secret tears them apart. Now they’re crossing paths again and just when you think all’s well that ends well…it might not. She has some trust issues and lots of self-doubt. He is shy and always tries to do the right thing but it backfires on him.

Sometimes dual timelines are not my favorite but this was written perfectly and held my attention. I enjoyed the side characters from friends/family and felt they added to our understanding of Harper. We even meet Ryan’s parents and that was a great addition as well.

Overall this was a really fun read and I feel lucky to have received an ARC. Thank you @netgalley and @katybirchallauthor!

🌟The Last Word is out May 2nd🌟

What didn’t work for me

The classification of romance: This is me being nitpicky at this point because I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it was said to be a romance and though there is obviously a love story, it’s not very steamy and a bit of a slow burn. I wish it were spicier, though there were definitely some sexy parts.

What I liked

Enemies to lover trope: Yup, as always, I’m totally on board for this. In this case, it was even more realistic than normal as to why they didn’t get along, and they didn’t fight their feelings for far longer than was necessary. It was a slow burn, as I mentioned above, but everything seemed balanced.

The humour and the banter: Though Harper was a little bit too much for me (we’re just very different people), she was funny and I laughed out loud a few times at some of the things that she said or thought. And then her banter with Ryan was amazing. I didn’t click that the title of the book was about how they each liked to get the last word in an argument until much later (duh!), but the dynamic between them was super entertaining. I love it when smart people can fight about smart things.

The celebrity stuff: I have never interviewed a celebrity before, but I have friends who have and I love that Birchall shows just how normal it can be—they are regular people after all. Things go off the rails in some cases for entertainment purposes, sure, but how Harper handles herself in these situations was a win for journalists everywhere. Plus, I love celeb gossip—real or not.

Fans of The Hating Game or Book Lovers will enjoy this for sure.

4 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Griffin for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I love a work enemies to lovers trope and this one was great. I really like Harper as the FMC. She is a “chaotic shiny star” but has a heart of gold. She comes off a little immature especially in the beginning but she grows a lot. Ryan is sweet and gorgeous but also a little aloof personality and socially awkward. The banter was good but the chemistry was hot. This is pretty low on the steam scale with most sex being fade to black. There is one sex scene on page but light on the details. This was a fun and quick read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for my review.

4.5 stars 🌟 OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS SM 😊🙌 ryanharper hold the crown for the best banter EVER 🔥 as individual characters i adored them 🫂 ryan was such a sweetheart and harper was so chaotic and kindhearted 💘 i do wish we got more of them actually together but their constant fight to have the last word was so freaking adorable 🤝

a special thank you to netgalley and st martins press for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Witty and engaging. The love story was a little generic and nothing really stood out, but I don't regret reading it for a lighthearted read.

Katy Birchall's The Wedding Season was one of my favorite reads and I was very excited to read The Last Word.

Harper's story is one of second chances and believing in oneself. Harper loves being a writer but hates her family's constant belittling of her chosen profession and to make matters worse, Ryan Jansson, the man who betrayed her ten years ago is now working for the same publication. Life is a bit tough for Harper.

In The Last Word we get to see Harper and Ryan bump heads professionally while avoiding discussions of their disastrous shared past, but as they are forced to work closer together, the chemistry they always shared is still there. Harper constantly battles her inner voice that tells her she should not trust her heart to Ryan Jansson ever again, but it's harder than she expected.

I loved the growth Harper experienced through her story; finally deciding that she was not going to spend any more time chasing her family's approval, understanding that holding a grudge for mistakes made ten years ago was not a healthy life choice, and finally believing in her talent as a writer.

This book was absolutely wonderful. Katy has a way of writing such well rounded characters and stories. This story was funny and happy, and had real life moments in there too. The narration from the heroines POV is written so well, it’s funny and in this case chaotic because Harper is, and it’s just so good. All of Katy’s books are written like this and it’s so perfect every time. I almost always prefer dual POV, but Katy has the single POV perfected.

I am also such a sucker for enemies to lovers, but are they enemies? And an office romance is always SO GOOD. Oh and they have a past?? So we get to have some flashbacks?? I loved Harper and Ryan SO MUCH.

I loved seeing how good Harper is at her job. Especially since she struggled with people taking her job seriously - mainly her parents. She made it look so easy, even though she was straight chaos. But I LOVE a chaos girl so much. She was funny, and made people feel at ease, people trusted her. I loved her and Isabella’s fast friendship, it was quite honestly the sweetest thing.

I LOVED Ryan and Harper together. They had FANTASTIC banter. It’s the enemies to lovers banter, and it was written SO WELL. Especially when it’s more like rivals to lovers, and she is just annoyed with him because of what happened in their past. It was so easy to root for both of them. I loved them both individually just as much as I loved them tighter.

The way Ryan cared for Harper made my heart sing. He was in so deep, and quite literally everyone but Harper knew it. And that is my favorite. And really she just didn’t want to get hurt again, which is valid.

Thank you SO MUCH to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honey review!

If I could choose any book hero to come to life, hands down it would be Ryan. I am usually not a fan of single point of view because I selfishly want to know what both sides are thinking, however Birchall does wonders with bringing the hero to reality without his point of view. Would I like a bonus with his point of view though? YES PLEASE.
This book is more than just an “enemies to lovers” romance as the history between Harper and Ryan will make you have all of the emotions (in the best way). This novel also touches on family relationship, loss, and finding the people who love you for your faults and all.
Put on all the sunscreen because The Last Word is the perfect summer read you won’t be able to put down.

Fun and wonderful - a really good romcom. Utterly readable and delightful with characters that are so well defined and articulated. I loved this book and can't wait to read more Birchall.

Thank you to @smpromance for my gifted copy of The Last Word, by Katy Birchall. This romcom is out on May 2nd, and will be the perfect addition to your beach or pool bag if you liked The Hating Game.

An enemies to lovers romance, The Last Word introduces us to Harper, a celebrity editor at a magazine with a talent for getting stars to open up to her. But, her boss hires Ryan, who betrayed Harper at a previous job. Tensions rise and sparks start to fly…

Fans of The Hating Game will enjoy and appreciate the banter in this one! It is pretty entertaining, especially as the book goes on. Plus, I loved Harper and how talented she was at her job. Love to see a woman succeeding like she does!

This was a fun read that I tore through in a couple of days. Harper and Ryan were such a fun pair - flawed in their own ways and I loved seeing them work through their issues and come together.

A romcom that features the enemy to lovers trope. Harper is a journalist who is about to get a big scoop on an actor's profile. She is annoyed though when her nemesis starts working at her company. As they spend time together though, Harper realizes that maybe she is wrong about him.

This was a fine romcom. I didn't think it was that different from other enemies to lovers. It also took longer than expected to get to that dynamic.

Harper and Ryan are journalists with a history. Is their history bound to repeat itself, or can they find a way to write their story a new ending?

Katy Birchall is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me. This is my third Birchall book, and it's another fun romantic romp.

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An enemies to lovers with work place romance that I devoured! I enjoyed Harper's dedication as a journalist, her work ethic and drive to truly know those who she interviewed. The history she had with Ryan was easy to understand when changing between time frames and he's such a likeable character. Her family was less to be desired and probably relatable for so many. Harper's organization skills were the opposite of mine so that was fun to read about. I hope go read more books by this author in the future.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Katy Birchall continues to dazzle me, and I was utterly delighted by The Last Word.

Ryan betrayed Harper many years ago, and since then, she had guarded her heart and focused on her career. I am all for a second chance romance, and I liked that these two had those years apart to grow as people. Older and wiser, but still professionally driven, there were sparks every time they were near each other. They couldn’t seem to escape professional competition, however, I will admit I greatly enjoyed being in this part of their world.

Birchall wrote in so many interesting and entertaining situations with celebrities and star studded events. It was through these interactions that I saw a side of Harper that I adored. She was amazing at her job, and the kindness in her heart really shined during those moments. Ryan was an actual doll, and my opinions about him and their shared past changed quite a bit when I learned his side of the story.

Just a warning, the romance doesn’t really take center stage for quite a while, but it was well worth the wait! Harper and Ryan had a fabulous opposites-attract type thing going which was punctuated with lots of humor, swoons, and heat. Another great one from Birchall!