I loved The Secret Bridesmaid from this author and was so excited for all future books. The Wedding Season fell flat for me and I didn’t finish it but I hoped this one would pick up and make me love her writing again.

While I liked it more I just didn’t love it. Maybe I’ve read too many books with this trope lately or maybe I’m just getting more picky about what I love and what’s meh for me. I’m not giving up on Birchall but I won’t prioritize her books.

A thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Romance, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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I think subconsciously I’ve been holding off on this review because the more I’ve thought about this book, the more I just wanted it to be more than it was. Harper and Ryan were interns together and now he is back at the same magazine with a promotion above her. This is a workplace, enemies-to-lovers book, but we flew right into the miscommunication moment from the second they decided not to be enemies any more. Harper was in a constant state of chaos, completely at odds with Ryan’s methodical approach to life.
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I found Harper hard to connect with, and sympathized with Ryan as it seemed that no matter what he did, she was quick to blame her problems and anger on him. It was a quick read overall, and I wasn’t upset while reading it. I could see the potential from the synopsis and ultimately wanted to love it more than I did.

I love the enemies to lovers trope but I think I have simply read too many of them. This story was cute but not as memorable for me only because I have read so many of them.

I enjoyed this story but it wasn't my favorite. I should've paid attention to the fact that it was a second chance romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC!

I love a good enemies to lovers romance and was excited to read this one! It was okay, but I would’ve loved a dual POV (Harper got on my nerves enough to put this down a few times), and I absolutely could’ve done without the added “miscommunication trope”…especially with this being a common plot in romance.

Cute story - really enjoyed it as I was reading! It's been compared to The Hating Game, but personally I liked this one a lot more. Enemies to lovers is always a fav trope of mine!

This book he my favorite trope. Enemies to lovers, I thoroughly enjoyed the banter in this book. It was fun and entertaining. I found the MC a bit annoying at times but she was redeemable. Overall I enjoyed this book.

This book was on my TBR list for so long, and I made a major mistake not reading it earlier.

It is such a great romcom. The main character is messy in the most endearing way, and I loved her. And don’t even get me started on Ryan.

The only thing I thought was problematic in the book was how Rakhee disappears as a character. I understand the need for the shirt but there were some loose ends that needed to be tied up.

But overall, it was so good.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

My third book by Katy Birchall and she doesn't disappoint. I love her stories and the romance in them! There is always so much more than love...family, work, and friendship. Definitely an auto buy author.

If you love enemies-to-lovers and office romance troped, then this book is for you! The banter in this book kept me thoroughly entertained throughout the whole thing, and the ways in which their personalities clashed was fantastic!
Characters were easy to like, story was well written, and I would recommend 100%

Little bit of romcom little bit of workplace romance lot but of enemies to lovers. Lots of angst slow burn tension. Overall this was so cute and made a great pallet cleanser able to pick up and put down whenever I needed it.

The Last Word is an workplace enemies to lovers story that bring you Harper and Ryan. Harper works for a magazine as a celebrity editor and Ryan joins the team from a newspaper. However it's not the first time they've met as these two interned together many summers ago. There's history and a lot of tension that these two need to work out.

I've really enjoyed the other two novels by Birchall I've read. This one I had a harder time getting into. I think the back and forth enemy banter just wasn't exactly what I wanted at that moment so it's more a me problem. If you liked The Hating Game you'd enjoy this one for sure!

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

I unfortunately was a bit behind on getting this read but it was so adorable and the perfect book to read in this time of year. It's a cute enemies to friends to lovers story that reflects back to 10 years prior when they first met. Family drama. Learning about yourself and others. There's always more than meets the eye. Super cute. Super quick read to enjoy when you need some 'feel good' in your reading life.

One Last Word" by Katy Birchall is a captivating novel that delves into the complex relationship between Harper Jenkins and Ryan, two former interns who reunite in a busy newsroom. The author skillfully portrays the tension and animosity between the characters, creating a dynamic and engaging narrative. The story explores themes of betrayal, forgiveness, and second chances, keeping readers hooked until the very end. Birchall's writing style is compelling, and her ability to develop realistic and flawed characters adds depth to the story. The romantic press trip abroad serves as a catalyst for the characters' growth and the rekindling of their feelings. Additionally, the backdrop of the impending layoffs adds a sense of urgency and suspense. Overall, "One Last Word" is a well-written book that combines romance, drama, and professional challenges, making it an enjoyable read for fans of contemporary fiction.

I was very pleasantly surprised by The Last Word by Katy Birchall. I didn't know how I'd feel about it, but I loved the enemies-to-lovers/second chance romance trope combination in this book. I loved the banter and sarcasm between Harper and Ryan - I laughed out loud a few times. Their banter was believable.

This was an entertaining, quick read that I finished in 24 hours - definitely recommend!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

I enjoyed this book! I thought the characters, the story line and the premise were entertaining and engaging.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This one suffers from trying to do enemies to lovers in an unconvincing way by not having enough of a grudge there for it to be believable they were enemies at all. Almost as annoying as Insta love imo.

This was fine. I don't have much to say here other than the grudge needs to be better in an enemies to lovers. It made Harper's character hard to really invest in. The highlight would be some of the banter here.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

*Thank you @smpromance and @netgalley for the copy of this book*

Harper Jenkins is an extremely likable and successful celebrity journalist for a weekend magazine. She is a total workaholic with an awful boss but loves her job. When a new editor, Ryan, is hired she is livid. Although Ryan is talented, they have a colorful past - they were interns at the same publication and had a brief romance that did not end on great terms. As they are forced to work together, she starts to see a different side to him and old feelings resurface. However, when rumors of layoffs arise, they are placed into a similar scenario from their past.

Although this is labeled as a romance, I felt like this story mainly focused on Harper's career, personal growth, and friendships. The romance aspect was definitely pushed to the backburner and didn't really appear until midway through the book - I am all for a slow burn but this was super slow. Once the romance amped up the book was already ending and a majority of their relationship took place during a time gap at the end. A little spice would have been a nice addition to this story - the few scenes included were very light. I could have done without all the simple miscommunication - my least favorite trope. I loved how fun and quirky Harper was but the way she treated Ryan drove me insane. Ryan was super sweet and a total saint to deal with Harper. The entire story is from Harper's perspective, it would have been interesting to see Ryan's POV. This was still a simple and entertaining slow burn, second chance, enemies to lovers story. (⭐️⭐️/5)