Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
lighthearted
slow-paced
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
First of all can I say how much I love the idea of One Last Word. The regrets, secrets, and thoughts we never got to say being sent. There's this sense of whimsical darkness with longing and catharsis. But for Sara what starts off as a drunken series of letters becomes real and forces her to question if she should wait till the last sentence for it to come out. Why do we let what we would have wanted to say, hold us back. Hold these relationships and true feelings behind?
First of all can I say how much I love the idea of One Last Word. The regrets, secrets, and thoughts we never got to say being sent. There's this sense of whimsical darkness with longing and catharsis. But for Sara what starts off as a drunken series of letters becomes real and forces her to question if she should wait till the last sentence for it to come out. Why do we let what we would have wanted to say, hold us back. Hold these relationships and true feelings behind?
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars.
"One Last Word" by Suzanne Park is a book full of characters who need to learn how to attain a proper work/life balance, with a *slight* side of romance to go along with it. The book is pretty short, so you'll likely breeze through it. It does feel like it takes a while to get going in the beginning but it rushes too much in the end. I really enjoyed Sara, the main character of this story. She is ambitious and driven, calls out her racist and sexist compatriots any chance she gets, advocates for herself, and is clearly good at what she does (though she does experience setbacks like anyone in would). When she experiences negative feedback about the app she created (called One Last Word), she immerses herself fully in seeing it through so it can be as successful as she envisions it. Unfortunately, Sara doesn't have time for friends, family, or love after dedicating her entire life to her career. Her sacrifices for her job have left her virtually friendless, alone, and nursing generational trauma all by herself. Sara reconnects with Harry, her high school crush and now venture capital superstar, after a case of tech-gone-awry when her app emails everyone in her address book that she has died. She had written him a long letter about her unrequited love for him, and he received it! OH NO! I personally loved this idea. When Harry and Sara meet in person, it's obvious that there is a mutual attraction there, though he is nw going to be her mentor to help her with her app as she vies to go on a Shark Tank-esque type of online show that caters to Silicon Valley-types of businesses.
Sara as a character feels like a fully-realized, authentic, and believable person. Harry feels like more of an abstract idea than a fully-fleshed out character. I didn't love their chemistry as it often felt one-sided (like Sara was way more into him than he was into her). Their connection never really lit a spark within me, so I didn't particularly root for them to become a couple. It's a little bit clunky and lackluster in its execution. I think the best part of this book is its commentary about the sexist and racist nature of the industry, though it does feel a little overutilized in the romance genre as of late. Still, I am always glad to see such strong non-white female characters knowing their worth and standing up to rich old white men who cannot fathom people who don't look like them being good at something. All in all, I don't think this is a straight-up romance novel, but more of a general fiction piece with a sidebar of romance.
Thank you to NetGalley, Suzanne Park, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
"One Last Word" by Suzanne Park is a book full of characters who need to learn how to attain a proper work/life balance, with a *slight* side of romance to go along with it. The book is pretty short, so you'll likely breeze through it. It does feel like it takes a while to get going in the beginning but it rushes too much in the end. I really enjoyed Sara, the main character of this story. She is ambitious and driven, calls out her racist and sexist compatriots any chance she gets, advocates for herself, and is clearly good at what she does (though she does experience setbacks like anyone in would). When she experiences negative feedback about the app she created (called One Last Word), she immerses herself fully in seeing it through so it can be as successful as she envisions it. Unfortunately, Sara doesn't have time for friends, family, or love after dedicating her entire life to her career. Her sacrifices for her job have left her virtually friendless, alone, and nursing generational trauma all by herself. Sara reconnects with Harry, her high school crush and now venture capital superstar, after a case of tech-gone-awry when her app emails everyone in her address book that she has died. She had written him a long letter about her unrequited love for him, and he received it! OH NO! I personally loved this idea. When Harry and Sara meet in person, it's obvious that there is a mutual attraction there, though he is nw going to be her mentor to help her with her app as she vies to go on a Shark Tank-esque type of online show that caters to Silicon Valley-types of businesses.
Sara as a character feels like a fully-realized, authentic, and believable person. Harry feels like more of an abstract idea than a fully-fleshed out character. I didn't love their chemistry as it often felt one-sided (like Sara was way more into him than he was into her). Their connection never really lit a spark within me, so I didn't particularly root for them to become a couple. It's a little bit clunky and lackluster in its execution. I think the best part of this book is its commentary about the sexist and racist nature of the industry, though it does feel a little overutilized in the romance genre as of late. Still, I am always glad to see such strong non-white female characters knowing their worth and standing up to rich old white men who cannot fathom people who don't look like them being good at something. All in all, I don't think this is a straight-up romance novel, but more of a general fiction piece with a sidebar of romance.
Thank you to NetGalley, Suzanne Park, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for accepting my request for an ARC of this book!
2.5/5
“Some days don’t go as planned”
I had such a fun time with this book! The idea of it was entertaining to read. The romance was one of my favorite parts, it was aggravating at times with how much I was anticipating on what would happen next. It was a fast read. It was short which made it seem like I was reading it faster than I thought. But here were my downsides, I am 99.99% such I am currently in a reading slump so it took a tiny bit longer than I thought to finish this read. I guess I had trouble finding motivation. The main character was what made me enjoy this book more. When I took a step back though, it hit me. If you liked To All The Boys, this is definitely a book I would recommend.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One Last Word, Suzanne Park’s newest release, was one of my most highly anticipated reads this month. I may have done a little happy dance when I saw that NetGalley “approved” email in my inbox.
I know they say not to judge a book based on its cover, but I definitely did. As a result, I went into it expecting a lighthearted summer romance romp, like Nora Ephron vibes but with Asian American rep. Ultimately the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most were actually the relationships *outside* of the FMC/MMC love story. It took me a while to adjust my expectations, and while I was thoroughly enjoying myself by the end of the book, I still think that maybe I wasn’t the target audience for this one.
What I loved:
- I loved Sara (protagonist)’s character arc, as well as the developing relationships with her parents, her sister, and her once-estranged best friend. I found that I cared so much more about the other supporting characters in the story than I did about the MMC (sorry, Harry). As Sara navigates her shifting relationships with family and friends, her difficult conversations and confrontations are what ultimately allow her to develop most as a character.
What I struggled with:
- The setting. This one is on me. I should know by now not to read books set in the tech industry. As someone who lives in the Bay Area and spends an inordinate amount of my day stuck in traffic behind a bevy of Teslas, I generally enjoy reading to escape the high-stakes, fast-paced pressure that accompanies the Silicon Valley lifestyle. Even though One Last Word takes place a few hundred miles south in the Silicon Beach region of LA, it still hit a little too close to home. Park actively and effectively criticizes the lifestyle, sexism, and misogyny of the tech industry in her book, but reading about Sara's job still stressed me out.
- The pacing. So much of the book, especially the first half, was focused on the development of Sara’s app, and it took a while to dig in to the character development, which was my favorite part of the story. I’m glad that I stuck it out, though, because the payoff was worth it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced digital copy.
I know they say not to judge a book based on its cover, but I definitely did. As a result, I went into it expecting a lighthearted summer romance romp, like Nora Ephron vibes but with Asian American rep. Ultimately the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most were actually the relationships *outside* of the FMC/MMC love story. It took me a while to adjust my expectations, and while I was thoroughly enjoying myself by the end of the book, I still think that maybe I wasn’t the target audience for this one.
What I loved:
- I loved Sara (protagonist)’s character arc, as well as the developing relationships with her parents, her sister, and her once-estranged best friend. I found that I cared so much more about the other supporting characters in the story than I did about the MMC (sorry, Harry). As Sara navigates her shifting relationships with family and friends, her difficult conversations and confrontations are what ultimately allow her to develop most as a character.
What I struggled with:
- The setting. This one is on me. I should know by now not to read books set in the tech industry. As someone who lives in the Bay Area and spends an inordinate amount of my day stuck in traffic behind a bevy of Teslas, I generally enjoy reading to escape the high-stakes, fast-paced pressure that accompanies the Silicon Valley lifestyle. Even though One Last Word takes place a few hundred miles south in the Silicon Beach region of LA, it still hit a little too close to home. Park actively and effectively criticizes the lifestyle, sexism, and misogyny of the tech industry in her book, but reading about Sara's job still stressed me out.
- The pacing. So much of the book, especially the first half, was focused on the development of Sara’s app, and it took a while to dig in to the character development, which was my favorite part of the story. I’m glad that I stuck it out, though, because the payoff was worth it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced digital copy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Alcohol
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.
SPOILERS AHEAD
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.
*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
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.
SPOILERS AHEAD
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.
*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
ARC Review
The idea was good, but I think the execution fell short. A second-chance romance can be done well when there was a past romance to begin with. This is more of a "I liked him and he is by fate back in my life" kind of love story. There were many times that the thoughts of Sara, our FMC, made me laugh and had me nodding at how relatable they wer, but I ended up really disliking her attitude. Yes, she was standing up for herself, but there were instances where she was completely disrespectful to get her point across. I also come from an Asian family and my heart hurt at how she viewed her parents. Asian families can be rough and the one displayed is very common, but I also believe it was unfair to try and hold American standards on immigrant parents. If there was the guidance and compromising way to build a healthy, trying relationship then I would completely understand, but in all honesty, I was hurt for them.
I also had some issues with pacing. Most of Sara and Harry's relationship feels built on memories and two major events. When I was thinking when their relationship could have grown, I had nothing. Sometimes it felt rushed and others it felt slow. In the end, I was left with a ton of confusion,e specially on Harry's end. We see many times where Sara is told that she was too good for him and had only one perception of who he was, but in all honesty, that is Harry. He only has ever seen her one way and kind of just rolls with it. To me, this doesn't show much of a healthy base for a relationship.
Then I get to 90% of the book. So much is happening all at once and I think I had whiplash. We have a VC discussion, insecurity of gender within the start-up world, her relationship with her former friend, her sister, her parents, and Harry. I'm glad there was no third-act breakup but it felt like the book was trying to tie all strings by killing multiple birds with one stone. It felt kind of forced and left me feeling multiple layers of cringe for the characters.
In the end, the book had some funny points and showcased starting in tech at a good perspective. It even brings about a hard case of the Asian tiger-parenting. I just wish it had better pacing and organziation.
Thank you Netgalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the free EARC in exchange for this review.
The idea was good, but I think the execution fell short. A second-chance romance can be done well when there was a past romance to begin with. This is more of a "I liked him and he is by fate back in my life" kind of love story. There were many times that the thoughts of Sara, our FMC, made me laugh and had me nodding at how relatable they wer, but I ended up really disliking her attitude. Yes, she was standing up for herself, but there were instances where she was completely disrespectful to get her point across. I also come from an Asian family and my heart hurt at how she viewed her parents. Asian families can be rough and the one displayed is very common, but I also believe it was unfair to try and hold American standards on immigrant parents. If there was the guidance and compromising way to build a healthy, trying relationship then I would completely understand, but in all honesty, I was hurt for them.
I also had some issues with pacing. Most of Sara and Harry's relationship feels built on memories and two major events. When I was thinking when their relationship could have grown, I had nothing. Sometimes it felt rushed and others it felt slow. In the end, I was left with a ton of confusion,e specially on Harry's end. We see many times where Sara is told that she was too good for him and had only one perception of who he was, but in all honesty, that is Harry. He only has ever seen her one way and kind of just rolls with it. To me, this doesn't show much of a healthy base for a relationship.
Then I get to 90% of the book. So much is happening all at once and I think I had whiplash. We have a VC discussion, insecurity of gender within the start-up world, her relationship with her former friend, her sister, her parents, and Harry. I'm glad there was no third-act breakup but it felt like the book was trying to tie all strings by killing multiple birds with one stone. It felt kind of forced and left me feeling multiple layers of cringe for the characters.
In the end, the book had some funny points and showcased starting in tech at a good perspective. It even brings about a hard case of the Asian tiger-parenting. I just wish it had better pacing and organziation.
Thank you Netgalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the free EARC in exchange for this review.