In One Last Word, Suzanne Park does what she does best: She creates relatable characters who must face their vulnerabilities, often in the most embarrassing situations. Main character Sara is already struggling to be seen and heard at work. She has created an app that allows users to create messages that will be released after their death. One drunken night, Sara scripts her post-life messages, and when a woman by the same name dies, the app is triggered to release (our) Sara's messages. Needless to say, they come unfiltered. Sara must face the truths behind them. The episode sparks the moxie Sara needs to show the world the powerhouse who's been waiting in the shadows all along. One Last Word supplies heart, a dash of romance, and Park's trademark humor. Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a preview of this novel. To hear more about this novel, tune into the Writing Table podcast for an interview with Suzanne Park.

2.5 stars, rounded up. This novel is previewed as a contemporary romance, but I must admit, it is very low on the romance side of things. At least in comparison to others I’ve read. Sparks fly, but they were desperate sparks. How does the main character still have a lingering crush on someone from 15+ years ago? A person they didn’t even date in high school, to boot… I felt like this book almost tied everything up too quickly and too nicely, and it was most definitely predictable. I will say, I enjoyed the aspect of women in STEM, and the challenges faced by women in tech, specifically.

What an interesting concept!

You die, and this new app called "One Last Word" sends out emails you've previously written to everyone and anyone. Want to tell someone off one last time, want to confess, want to let your friends/family know what you really think about them, want to let a past love know you still care, etc. So many options. However, in the case of Sara - the creator - she's written a bunch of emails on a drunken night that somehow get sent out, when the app incorrectly identifies her as deceased. But that leads to a lot of self-discovery and rumination. And the app is entered into a huge contest that could make or break it. It's such an entertaining story - of what ifs and what is.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I knew I was going to need an uninterrupted block of time for this book so I could read it cover to cover in one sitting, and that was great planning on my part. This story is beautifully captivating as it covers so much more than just a romance. Family, friends, workplace equality, harassment, and a work/life balance are all explored as Sara negotiates finding funding and launching her new app. Harry is bogged down by an unsuccessful marriage, but there is a chemistry between them that can't be denied. I love Suzanne's writing style and was laughing out loud before I finished the first chapter. She has a way of creating very relatable flawed characters that you just can't help falling in love with, especially Sara's family in this book. I laughed, I cried, and I kept turning the pages to get to that wonderful hard won happily ever after that left me smiling on the outside and glowing on the inside. I am also a dandelion (IYKYK).

It was a cute book and an enjoyable read, but definitely lacked something that made it feel like a smooth, consistent read. I would say this book aligns more with women’s lit. Light on the romance, which is totally fine. Storyline is more focused on the tech startup aspect. I honestly think I would have enjoyed it more if it just fully dove into the tech startup side and left the romance at the door.

I absolutely loved everything about this book and have been recommending to all of my friends and followers! 5 stars, no notes!

In the whirlwind tale of Sara Chae, the creator of One Last Word app, a mishap unfolds when messages meant for the afterlife are sent prematurely, sparking unintended chaos. The ensemble cast, led by the relatable Sara, a Korean American woman in her mid-thirties residing in her sister's closet, brings a mix of humor and real-life struggles to the forefront.

The dynamic between Sara and her younger sister, Jia, resonates with anyone familiar with sibling dynamics, particularly within Asian American or immigrant families. Accompanied by the reliable and endearing gay best friend, Casey, the story delves into Sara's personal journey, steering away from the usual romance-centric plotlines. While romance plays a role, the narrative focuses more on Sara's growth and challenges.

Navigating the tech world, especially as a non-white male, proves to be a daunting task, shedding light on the harsh realities faced by individuals like Sara. The intricacies of relationships, coupled with the complexities of Silicon Beach culture and dating dynamics in LA, add layers of depth to Sara's story, offering a captivating narrative that blends humor, drama, and relatable experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC!

Oof I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would 🫤 I have only read one other Suzanne Park book(So We Meet Again) so I was excited to read this one mainly because of the unique premise - the app created by the protagonist which was supposed to send out the user's final words after they pass away, ends up sending out her last words to her family and friends after something goes wrong. Sounds funny and mortifying at the same time right?
Except this part didn't have much consequences when it came to the plot later on. Like it gets the ball rolling as Sara clears things out with her parents and her ex-best friend but it doesn't really have much impact on her life as the app itself was in the beta testing round and none of her messages were too risky - not even the email that was supposed to be sent to her crush Harry(it just ended up being the lyrics to You Belong With Me). Talk about low stakes - not that I have a problem with that but the blurb had me thinking that this book would be more about these messages and the fallout from that.

And my main disappointment was the romance between her and Harry. While this reads like a women's fiction novel as it focuses more on Sara rediscovering her confidence and asserting herself, there was a decent amount of focus on the romance too.
Firstly, I didn't even get why Sara was attracted to Harry but she's had a crush on him since high school and she's still thinking about all of that stuff, so I can understand, but he wasn't even that great? And then just as we're getting into the story there's an unnecessary twist where Sara pretends to be in a relationship with her best friend(just because she doesn't want to seem pathetic in front of Harry) and so Harry thinks that she's in a relationship now but they're still weirdly 'pining' for each other and almost 'cheating' on her fake 'boyfriend'. And it doesn't stop there! Harry then asks her to be his fake date for an event that's being hosted by his ex-wife and oh boy we have to hear about his marriage and how it fizzled out. The event also made him weirdly uncomfortable because the decor and planning was very similar to his wedding decor? Such a weird thing to include 😅
And then we find out later that he and his ex hadn't even gotten a divorce yet. Like what? It's been more than a few, years why are you trying to date other women when you haven't even finalized your separation? He just stayed married for financial purposes? I had no words at that point 🫥
At one point, Sara even had this vague thought that perhaps Harry isn't the guy that she'd imagined him to be back in high school and that he has changed a lot over time. And that was the truth as he wasn't really as great as the crush that she'd built up in her head but that thought just goes out of the window. Honestly, I didn't even want them to end up together as I didn't find him or their relationship appealing at all. But he just gives a last minute apology and everything is forgiven. I just wanted to scream 'girl he does not deserve you' because Sara was too good for him.

I think Suzanne Park's novels have certain aspects that are usually well done like the struggles of women in tech and the misogyny that they face, the complicated relationships in Asian families, etc but I think they fall short when it comes to the relationship aspects and characterization. Some of the characters act very immature-ly or selfishly at times and the romantic relationships aren't too great either. And that's such a shame because these books usually have an interesting premise. I'm not sure whether I'll try any of her other books in the future but this one was a miss for me.

In her acknowledgments, Park mentions that this book was an ode to Jenny Han’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” and yes this was very much a millennial, techy response.

This book follows thirty-four year old Sara Chae who quits her job to build up and launch an app she’s created. The app sends out messages to recipients that the users’ chooses after the user dies. The messages include words they’ve wanted to say but maybe not brave enough to say while alive.

Unfortunately the app sends out Sara’s messages because another Sara Chae had popped up in the obituaries. The messages, that she had drafted when drunk, go out to her parents, ex-best friend and high school crush. Chaos and much needed conversations ensue.

I found Park’s writing to be nuanced and enlightening. I appreciated how the readers were presented with Sara, a first born daughter of Korean immigrants, conversations with her parents about their expectations and how they express their love. I also appreciated getting a glimpse of micro and macro aggression that face Asian women in a venture capitalist/ technology world. I found the internal dialogue that Sara had about her workplace experiences to be valuable. Moreover, the difficult conversations between her parents, sister, ex-best friend and love interest felt very authentic and mature. Everything was handled so well.

I think it would be more meaningful to classify this as more women’s fiction rather than romance (although there is a happy ending!!!). Also Suzanne Park’s writing style and the various themes she explores reminds me of Jasmine Guillory.

Sara quits her toxic job and sets out to create her app on her own. She enters a mentorship competition and is partnered with a mentor who was her high school crush. Their time spent together working on the app unveils feelings for one another and a true friends to lovers story develops.
This classic friends to lovers romance had everything you could want in that trope. I loved the history that Sara and Harry had from high school and how that played into their present day relationship. They both brought baggage to to the table and had to work through that as they navigated their feelings towards each other. Although the romance piece of the story was fantastic what I especially liked about this story was the added element of Sara being a Korean/American woman working in tech and the themes of racism and misogyny that were confronted through her experiences within the tech world and world in general. This theme added some depth to the romantic story line that I wasn’t expecting but was pleasantly surprised by. Sara also deals with some interesting family dynamics when she has to move in with her younger sister and deal with the nagging from her immigrant parents. Although this story is a romance, the issues that Sara deals with throughout the story makes it feel like so much more. I would consider this book a slow burn with minimal spice and I would definitely recommend this book for others to read.

Suzanne Park has done it again. She's infused joy, humor, and so much heart into this book. While I'm not sure an app like One Last Word would get the acclaim that our MC achieves, I loved the journey.

One Last Word is a refreshing read that showed you how one drunken night can change everything! Suzanne Park also tacked how family dynamics can impact already challenging life experiences in an extremely relatable way. This book was not only hilarious and witty, it also was relatable and meaningful cross culturally. What you do if your last words to friends, family, and colleagues were leaked into the world? I couldn’t imagine but Park did an incredible job bringing the story to life with relatable and realistic characters. Bravo!

this one was enjoyable. i loved the theme of reconnection and second chances. i thought the characters could have been given more depth. i wished the app could have been more central to story as well.

One Last Word started off with establishing Sarah as a strong female character, who will not put up with corporate leaders or anyone else not seeing her value. She proposed app that sents "one last word" to family, friends, colleagues, etc after a personas death. After she was shut down, so she risks it all by quitting. After what was thought to be a glitch in the site, all of her drafted messages were sent. She enters a competition that could really help take her app to the next level. After being accepted, she discovers her mentor is none other than her high school crush.

To be honest, in the beginning I felt like the main character was playing victim and licking her wounds. But as the story went on, I found myself rooting for her. I enjoyed following her journey of reconnecting, fighting for her idea, and finding love.

I enjoyed One Last Word by Suzanne Park. I thought that the premise of an app that will send a prewritten message after you die was really interesting, The main character Sara is ambitious, out-spoken, and determined to succeed. The romance between Sara and her high school crush, who is now assigned to her as a mentor for a television competition, is fun to read. Sara's family relationships were also well-developed. Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books, for the advance reader copy of this book.

This was a bit slow going for me, but enjoyed overall! I think there could’ve been a bit more chemistry with the couple in the beginning, I just had a hard time believing they were actually into each other, whether or not they were supposed to be suppressing their feelings. I thought the app concept was really interesting and I liked hearing about the processes, but maybe a little less would’ve been better? The side characters were nice, but honestly, Harry seemed like he needed a whole lot more therapy before another relationship haha. I loved the growth with her family though! The fix with Naomi was something I saw coming, but still liked for the most part.

Sara Chae is the inventor of an app that sends personalized last messages to the people in your life after you die. When an apparent malfunction means Sara's notes to her boss, former best friend, parents, high school crush, etc. are sent while Sara is very much still alive, she is put back in contact with Harry, her high school crush, who just happens to work at the venture capital firm she is hoping will help fund her app.
I wanted to like this book, but I was so bored. I don't care about character's jobs and this book was very much focused on Sara and her job more so than the romance or her relationships with the other characters. I just wasn't invested (no pun intended) in Sara's app, her relationship with Harry, or really anything else in the book. I did finish it, but it took weeks for me to get through.

Suzanne Park is a new author for me. I chose to read this book because the concept of a tech startup with a glitch caught my attention and I thought it would be a fun read.

Description:
Acclaimed author Suzanne Park returns with a charming and compelling novel about an aspiring tech entrepreneur who goes on a rollercoaster journey of self-discovery after her app, which sends messages to loved ones after you pass, accidentally sends her final words to all the important people in her life—including the venture capital mentor she’s crushing on. Sara Chae is the founder of the app One Last Word, which allows you to send a message to whomever you want after you pass. Safeguards are in place so the app will only send out when you’re definitely, absolutely, 100% dead, but when another Sara Chae dies and the obituary triggers the prototype to auto-send messages that Sara uploads on one drunken night—to her emotionally charged mother, to a former best friend who ghosted her, and to her unrequited high school crush Harry—she has to deal with all the havoc that ensues and reopen old wounds from the past. She applies for a venture capital mentorship and is accepted to the program, only to find out that the mentor she’s assigned is none other than her former crush and VC superstar Harry Shim, and her life goes from uncertain to chaotic overnight. Empowering and laugh-out-loud funny, One Last Word is a remarkably relatable story about a woman in tech who learns to speak up and fight for what she wants in life and love.

My Thoughts:
Overall a good story. It was easy to feel the ups and downs as Sara Chae navigated trying to get funding for her software application. It was funny to think of Sara living in her sister's closet (poor girl). I liked the reconnection with her estranged friend as well as the reconnection with her crush from high school. There were some parts that made me laugh and I always enjoy books that provoke laughter. Recommended for fun, light reading.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager through Netgalley for an advance copy.

TITLE: ONE LAST WORD
AUTHOR: SUZANNE PARK
PUB DATE: 04.16.2024

What would you say to your meddling parents, your ex-best friend, your toxic boss, or your high school crush if you didn’t have to face the consequences?

THOUGHTS:

Suzanne Parks’ books are my absolute favorite for the always relatable characters, the usually meddling but cute parents, the many funny moments, and of course a must have - a handsome and hard to resist love interest. In ONE LAST WORD, Sara Chae creates an app that allows a message to be sent to someone after you die. Something happens and her messages were sent accidentally to her mother, a former HS BFF, and her crush Harry Shim.

I really enjoyed this book for the fast paced read, a story that gives insight to the tech and venture capital world, the wonderful chemistry between Sara and Harry, the sibling relationship, and the character arc - the unexpected plot twist was a nice surprise too.

A wonderful STEM romance that is equally smart and charming, funny and poignant, while also wildly entertaining and engaging.

ONE LAST WORD is a winner!

This was a light-hearted, women in STEM romance that sees a young Korean American woman trying to get an investor to help her launch her app. With the 'help' of her meddling sister she accidentally reaches out to her high school crush who turns out to be her new mentor. With some family drama, a Dragon's Den VC contest element and a kissing only/closed door romance, this was a fun read perfect for fans of authors like Cathy Yardley. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. The cover for this book is FANTASTIC but the story was just okay for me and not likely to be a standout of the year.