I adore this book. Enemies to lovers at its finest! The characters were well written and developed. This was one of those special books that you never want to put down because it’s so addicting. Katy Birchall is a fantastic writer and this book is no exception!

I think the book had so much potential. The bickering and angst between ryan and harper really had me invested, I also liked the past viewpoints too but then it fell flat. I feel like the reason for their long separation was not good and it happened way too soon and by the time they resolved things, I just didn't find myself caring anymore. I also found the bickering to be really annoying after a while. I feel like people who do like slowburns and enemies to lovers would like this, I think the writing style just wasnt for me really. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

I really enjoyed this book! The numerous tropes of enemies to lovers, he fell first, and slow burn second chance romance came together so beautifully that I could not stop reading this. Harper was such a relatable character that it made it easy to relate and to put yourself into the plot, making it that much more addictive. The character development throughout the book for both Harper and Ryan was almost as incredible as the banter. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance books!

Harper is a brilliant journalist and loves her job. Her awful boss hires report Ryan to be the new features editor and she can't stand him because of their history together... of course they rekindle their feelings....

Love enemies to loves rom-com and this one is particularly fun. Love their snappy dialogue with each other. Really enjoy how they get together eventually overcoming all their troubles. A fun light-hearted romance.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I love a good enemies to lovers trope. This one also included opposites attract and office romance. The book started a little slow, but began to pick up once Ryan was introduced.

Harper is a celebrity journalist working for a magazine. Her boss Cosmo is cringeworthy. All is going well until Ryan shows up at the office.
Harper and Ryan worked together ten years ago and things did not end well. Initially he seems like a big jerk, but when the story goes back to their past we learn he is a genuine sweetheart. I also love how Harper matures and finds herself by the end of this story.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was a lot of fun. The romance between our main character Harper and her love interest Ryan is one I was invested in from the start. It was a believable slow burn romance, and they were both characters I felt we got to know a lot about and root for independently and for them as a couple. I really enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend it.

When a celebrity editor/journalist runs into her past fling who broke her heart 10 years ago things are about to get chaotic, especially when old feelings start to rise and her job might be at risk. Harper Jenkins is doing great at her job, she’s the best at what she does... however her boss hires the talented reporter Ryan to be the new Features editor and that just infuriates harper... especially because they have met each other 10 years ago as interns in the same company when they had a whirlwind romance... and then Ryan betrayed her and she lost the job they were competing for. Now he’s back in her life and they can’t agree on anything, are constantly bickering, and forced to spend more and more time together. The more time they spend together the more Harper realizes she might have misjudged Ryan this entire time. Harper has a boyfriend but her feelings for Ryan are beginning to grow again and she’ll have to figure out if she’s willing to let herself trust him again and if she’s willing to risk her heart on him again. Things only get more complicated when news that layoffs are imminent across the department and Harper might just be on the chopping block. Can their love survive this time or will history repeat itself again? Unfortunately for me, I did not have a good time with this one. I found myself getting irritated by both the main characters and not at all invested in their so called romance. Ryan claims to have been in love with her this entire time and it really doesn’t feel like it, it doesn’t feel like they had any chemistry whatsoever and Ryan barely felt like he had any depth as a character. This story wasn’t really memorable and I found myself getting bored and losing interest by the end unfortunately. While this one didn’t work for me if you are a fan of second chance romances with a bit of enemies to lovers in the workplace maybe this one is for you.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

THE LAST WORD is a fun, sweet rom-com that is a fast reading. It was very entertaining to see how the main character Harper handles having to work when a former lover from eleven years ago is now sitting next to her desk at work everyday. The clean, organized and punctual Ryan is just person to complement the messy, and almost always late Harper.

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

The Hating Game meets London! Cute, fun rom-com- I happily flew through it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a fun slow burn! I really enjoyed it. I loved getting to know both characters and seeing them fall for each other.

The Last Word is a fluffy, breezy rom-com that combines both the second chance and enemies to lovers tropes. It definitely serves its purpose as a rom-com but the main characters annoyed the heck out of me. The so-called banter was just plain old immature bickering and they spent entirely too much time not communicating. Harper just grated on my nerves with her constant huffiness and sense of being offended or wronged at every turn. Why was she storming off and ranting all the time??? If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she was 14. I also don’t know how anyone as consistently late to literally every work meeting keeps a job but that’s not particularly relevant to the storyline. And finally, I just strongly dislike these epilogues that happen a year later and sum up every character’s past year in one paragraph each.

It was successful as a light rom-com but it wasn’t my favorite.

Katy Birchall is quickly becoming a favorite author. I’ve enjoyed her previous books, but this one is probably my favorite of her.

This is a rivals to friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers. Still with me? Basically, there’s a lot of up and downs, and will they won’t they’s, but it’s so well done that you aren’t left feeling worn out. The banter in this is impeccable but their friendship times are so sweet too. Ryan is an absolute sweetheart and Harper is a boss babe with a sunny disposition. I swooned at times, laughed at loud, and almost teared up at one scene (taxi cab chaos, IYKYK). Overall, highly recommend!

I requested to read and review for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. I loved this book! This book can be read anywhere and anytime. This story has drama, romance and mystery! What else can you want?! You will meet many great characters in this book. The two main one is Harper and Ryan. Can past mistakes with time and maturity lead to forgiveness or is something unforgivable. Can love or possible love conquer anything? Is honesty the best at all times?

This has quickly become one of my favorite authors! The characters are authentic and delightful. The writing is fresh and witty, yet full of heart. The Last Word had interesting characters with undeniable chemistry! Their banter was fun and genuine. I hated to see this book end, I was fully engaged with it. I can't wait to read more from this author!

4.5 stars. Katy Birchall can do no wrong in the romcom genre! I love that her books are sweet but not saccharine, and always have a fierce set of memorable characters. The will-they-won't-they, enemies-to-lovers, and workplace romance troupes all blended nicely into a satisfying story. I can't wait to see what is next for Katy Birchall!

When I saw the description for this book compared it to Beach Read, as a huge Emily Henry fan, I knew I needed to read The Last Word. However, I'm not sure how these two relate. While they're both slow burn, work based romances, I think The Last Word lacks the emotional punch of Beach Read, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. To me, it feels like The Last Word is more Bridget Jones' Diary than Beach Read: a fun, slow burn enemies-to-lover with hilarious banter and great chemistry. This book was a quick and easy read with well rounded characters, both main and side. If you enjoyed Bridget Jones' Diary, The Hating Game, or any of Katy Birchall's other novels, you need to pick this one up!

3.5/5

Pub date: 5/2/23
Genre: romcom (enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance)
Quick summary: Celebrity news editor Harper is at the top of her game - until old flame and fellow journalist Ryan is hired by her boss, forcing them to work together.

I really enjoy enemies-to-lovers stories, and THE SECRET BRIDESMAID is a personal favorite. This book was a fine read, but unfortunately it didn't live up to Birchall's other books for me. Harper was an interesting MC, and I admired her hustle, but I wanted to see hew grow more over the course of the novel. She held onto so much resentment of Ryan and allowed it to cloud her judgment and prevent her from being happy! I wish we could have seen her going to therapy or having more honest discussions with Ryan and others in their lives. This is a 384 page book, and it made me sad that the character development was left for the very end.

The comparison to THE HATING GAME feels accurate, and I think fans of that book will enjoy this one more than I did! If you dislike the miscommunication trope, I don't think this is the book for you.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's not that this book was bad. A second chance romance, Harper is a disorganized, extroverted celebrity reporter. Her previous ... fling? love? heartbreak, Ryan, is the methodical, introverted features reporter. They've got a bad boss who keeps pairing them together on things. Whatever will happen?

So again, it's not that the book was bad. Birchall does a good job of revealing Harper and Ryan and their respective challenges and frustrations. The secondary characters are interesting and add to the story. Birchall is a strong writer and I felt for Harper. My biggest issue with the book is how little of it sat with me just a week after reading. I went back and reread several chapters for writing this review, and only then could I remember the basic plot. It felt familiar throughout because I've read books that feel like this so often before. It's not bad, it's just not novel and it's forgettable.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve really enjoyed Katy Birchall’s previous works, so I was super stoked to get an arc of TLW. I went into it not knowing much, but it was a very easy read. However, it’s so hard not to compare authors previous works to each other and I think when it came down to it - I adored Birchall’s prior MCs but I just didn’t love TLW’s heroine Harper (particularly in the third act) and the miscommunication was painful for me to read about and not in an angsty or tension way. I did like Ryan and Harpers tension at the beginning but it lasted way too long imo. I also liked following the intricacies of Harper’s job in journalism and how good at it she was. That definitely came across and we do support a bad ass career lady that knows how to get shit done. I think those who are big fans of second chance romances will want to pick this up.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of an enemies-to-lovers, office romance (similar to the Hating Game) won't want to miss this adorable romcom from Katy Birchall! I love her books so much. Each and every one has been an absolute winner for me (this one included).