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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
One Last Word was a quick and easy read with a fun STEM romance at its core. I appreciated the fast pace and thought the unexpected plot twist added a nice layer of surprise. While it didn’t totally blow me away, and I didn’t feel super connected to the characters, it was still an enjoyable story with a unique angle. A solid choice if you’re in the mood for something light with a smart, modern twist.
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book was noooooot good but I finished it because my niece bought it for my birthday and so for that it gets an honorary 5 stars
I love that Suzanne park includes much more than just romance to her books. The emphasis on sexism, issues of race, family dynamics, and overcoming obstacles made the book much more engaging than just the storyline of the relationship which almost took a back burner for most of the book
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
I had high hopes going into this one. While I hadn’t read any of her work, I knew Suzanne Park was a seasoned author. One Last Word wasn’t entirely a let down, but certainly left me wanting at the end.
This story follows Sara, a Korean American woman working in tech who decides to create her own app. Through this app, she reconnects with her high school crush Harry, who as far as Sara knows has been with his high school sweetheart Claudia since freshman year. Sparks fly as they reconnect, but Sara was also forced to reconnect with others and face hard truths, all while navigating the cut throat world of Silicon Valley.
The story itself sounds really interesting and unique and shed some light on important topics. I had no issues with that. However the execution of it felt a bit awkward in my opinion. Particularly in the character interactions. Almost every time Sara is speaking with anyone it seems robotic to me. For example:
Someone calls out her weird behavior and she’s like (not a direct quote just paraphrasing) ‘I do tend to avoid conflict. Thank you for correcting me. I have now learned the consequences of my actions. I will no longer avoid conflict in the future’
And in other instance when she is reconnecting with an old friend, they barely just sat down before the friend is like (again not an actual quote) ‘here are all of the things you did wrong in our friendship and this is how it made me feel’ cut and dry, and Sara immediately understands and says sorry and she will do better.
So many times I questioned how people solved their interpersonal problems perfectly with the most mature and pragmatic language. It didn’t feel real to me! Let’s have some back and forth, let’s have some hurt feelings, maybe someone god forbid says something they don’t mean! Everything just…. works out.
I thought there could be more nuance on some of the issues Sara corrects during this novel. For example how she idolized Harry and made him out to be this perfect man. There were a few instances where Sara had to reconcile who he is now with who he was then, but again - she acknowledges the problem, changes her way of thinking, and boom no longer an issue. I was expecting there to be more friction and conflict.
I wouldn’t even say this is very romance heavy and wonder if it should be marketed as such. I don’t think those who regularly read romance will be satisfied if that is the part they are most looking forward to.
However, if you are looking for more of a self improvement journey, almost coming of age situation (but with characters in their 30s), and something hopeful, wholesome and inspiring, this would be a good book for you. I liked the story, appreciated the message, didn’t dislike the writing. Just the dialogue and conflicts were off to me. But I am certainly willing to give Park another try. I know she does some YA and maybe that is more her wheel house giving how this book felt a bit young to me.
This story follows Sara, a Korean American woman working in tech who decides to create her own app. Through this app, she reconnects with her high school crush Harry, who as far as Sara knows has been with his high school sweetheart Claudia since freshman year. Sparks fly as they reconnect, but Sara was also forced to reconnect with others and face hard truths, all while navigating the cut throat world of Silicon Valley.
The story itself sounds really interesting and unique and shed some light on important topics. I had no issues with that. However the execution of it felt a bit awkward in my opinion. Particularly in the character interactions. Almost every time Sara is speaking with anyone it seems robotic to me. For example:
Someone calls out her weird behavior and she’s like (not a direct quote just paraphrasing) ‘I do tend to avoid conflict. Thank you for correcting me. I have now learned the consequences of my actions. I will no longer avoid conflict in the future’
And in other instance when she is reconnecting with an old friend, they barely just sat down before the friend is like (again not an actual quote) ‘here are all of the things you did wrong in our friendship and this is how it made me feel’ cut and dry, and Sara immediately understands and says sorry and she will do better.
So many times I questioned how people solved their interpersonal problems perfectly with the most mature and pragmatic language. It didn’t feel real to me! Let’s have some back and forth, let’s have some hurt feelings, maybe someone god forbid says something they don’t mean! Everything just…. works out.
I thought there could be more nuance on some of the issues Sara corrects during this novel. For example how she idolized Harry and made him out to be this perfect man. There were a few instances where Sara had to reconcile who he is now with who he was then, but again - she acknowledges the problem, changes her way of thinking, and boom no longer an issue. I was expecting there to be more friction and conflict.
I wouldn’t even say this is very romance heavy and wonder if it should be marketed as such. I don’t think those who regularly read romance will be satisfied if that is the part they are most looking forward to.
However, if you are looking for more of a self improvement journey, almost coming of age situation (but with characters in their 30s), and something hopeful, wholesome and inspiring, this would be a good book for you. I liked the story, appreciated the message, didn’t dislike the writing. Just the dialogue and conflicts were off to me. But I am certainly willing to give Park another try. I know she does some YA and maybe that is more her wheel house giving how this book felt a bit young to me.
Though I enjoyed reading this, I’m a bit disappointed by the length of this book. I feel like everything happened way too quickly and at the same time way too slow, the book was a bit too short to my liking and I would have love to dwell more into the story. I felt like the romance part took some part away as well, Henry having way too much impact to my liking on Sara’s life and overall choices, at times she don’t want to get involved with him due to his ex and the second after that she’s all loveydovey again. I did enjoy Sara’s story though, as woman trying to make a place for herself in a world full of men and navigating as well her personal relationship, seeing the evolution with her parents was soothing. I was a bit disappointed as well with the whole Bull presentation where she tries to get investors, we know that is big deal, yet when she delivered her speech and everything it didn’t feel like much ? In a sense I hoped for more for this book but I still enjoyed reading it.
3.5 ⭐️
3.5 ⭐️