A review by cakt1991
One Last Word by Suzanne Park

lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own. 
My hit-or-miss journey with Suzanne Park continues with her latest adult “romcom” One Last Word. As always, this is a promising book, but the promise gets a little lost in the weeds of trying to tackle too many concepts. 
Sara is perhaps the best part of the book. She’s very sympathetic, dealing with the expectations of her rather demanding Korean parents, the sexism she deals with in the tech industry, and not to mention her shambles of a love life. And I really liked how initially the book set all that up with the letters, with each of them addressing her issues. And while I don’t feel the book fleshed out each of these subjects to the best degree, her character remained likable and easy to root for as she continued to navigate challenges throughout the book. 
But I  felt like both the tech stuff and even the family angle overwhelmed the book, to the point that it’s not necessarily a genre romance. There’s romantic elements in it, but I can’t say they’re particularly memorable. Harry is fine, but rather meh. There’s a fake dating subplot with her best friend which I actually thought seemed a lot more fun, and like a bit of a missed opportunity.
However, as disappointed as I am, I also can’t be too let down, as Suzanne Park’s books have been consistently WF-leaning…although I will say some of her romantic subplots are better than others. I’ll probably keep reading them, as I consistently enjoy her protagonists’ journeys, but just as with most of her work, definitely don’t go in expecting a more prominent romantic arc. But with that caveat in mind, I do recommend it to readers interested in contemporaries about Asian women in STEM and their professional and personal struggles.