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A review by battyaboutbooks
One Last Word by Suzanne Park
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
🦇 One Last Word Book Review 🦇
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
❓ #QOTD What would you want your last words to be? ❓
🦇 Sara Chae is the founder of One Last Word, an app that sends messages to people in your life after you die. When another Sara Chae dies, her obituary triggers the prototype app to send messages Sara drunkenly uploaded; messages to tiger parents, former best friend, and unrequited high school crush Harry—who just so happens to be the mentor for the venture capital program Sara applies to. Can she win funding for her app and learn how to speak up for herself, or has the app already had the last word?
💜 Sara Chae is a messy yet strong self-aware female in STEM; the type of character we need a little more of. Our FMC is relatable and realistic as she learns how to believe in herself, speak up for herself, and mend the important relationships in her life. Her characterization is consistent, but it's her self-actualization that really makes the story refreshing. In too many books, readers are left exhausted as MCs run themselves in circles, unaware of their mistakes. Sara recognizes where she needs to grow and makes the effort. You can't help but root for her until the very end.
💙 While I loved the story's premise, the execution didn't entirely work for me. Unfortunately, there's a lot more tell than show, which causes the pacing to lag. A few of the situations (such as Sara and Henry attending a gala that's a little too much like Henry's failed wedding) seemed clunky, awkward, and unrealistic. There are a few awkward transition between the dialogue and exposition, too, which full you out of the story.
🦇 Recommended for fans of Shark Tank or Ali Hazelwood.
✨ The Vibes ✨
📱 Self-Discovery
📱 STEM Heroine
📱 Contemporary Women's Fiction
📱 Fake Dating
📱 Friends to Lovers / Second Chance Romance
📱 Closed Door Romance
📱 Miscommunication
🦇 Major thanks to the author @suzannepark and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #OneLastWord
💬 Quotes
❝ Was it that they still hadn’t even acknowledged any wrongdoing or never asked me why I felt this way or wondered why I carried all this with me till my alleged death at age thirty-four? No dialogue. No discourse. For the first time, I’d offered my true feelings toward them, using carefully worded constructive feedback, and they couldn’t handle it. ❞
❝ Yes, I knew you’d have to deal with some awkward aftermath. But it was better than seeing you live your life enveloped in Bubble Wrap. It’s worse than living in regret . . . you didn’t really live at all. ❞
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
❓ #QOTD What would you want your last words to be? ❓
🦇 Sara Chae is the founder of One Last Word, an app that sends messages to people in your life after you die. When another Sara Chae dies, her obituary triggers the prototype app to send messages Sara drunkenly uploaded; messages to tiger parents, former best friend, and unrequited high school crush Harry—who just so happens to be the mentor for the venture capital program Sara applies to. Can she win funding for her app and learn how to speak up for herself, or has the app already had the last word?
💜 Sara Chae is a messy yet strong self-aware female in STEM; the type of character we need a little more of. Our FMC is relatable and realistic as she learns how to believe in herself, speak up for herself, and mend the important relationships in her life. Her characterization is consistent, but it's her self-actualization that really makes the story refreshing. In too many books, readers are left exhausted as MCs run themselves in circles, unaware of their mistakes. Sara recognizes where she needs to grow and makes the effort. You can't help but root for her until the very end.
💙 While I loved the story's premise, the execution didn't entirely work for me. Unfortunately, there's a lot more tell than show, which causes the pacing to lag. A few of the situations (such as Sara and Henry attending a gala that's a little too much like Henry's failed wedding) seemed clunky, awkward, and unrealistic. There are a few awkward transition between the dialogue and exposition, too, which full you out of the story.
🦇 Recommended for fans of Shark Tank or Ali Hazelwood.
✨ The Vibes ✨
📱 Self-Discovery
📱 STEM Heroine
📱 Contemporary Women's Fiction
📱 Fake Dating
📱 Friends to Lovers / Second Chance Romance
📱 Closed Door Romance
📱 Miscommunication
🦇 Major thanks to the author @suzannepark and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #OneLastWord
💬 Quotes
❝ Was it that they still hadn’t even acknowledged any wrongdoing or never asked me why I felt this way or wondered why I carried all this with me till my alleged death at age thirty-four? No dialogue. No discourse. For the first time, I’d offered my true feelings toward them, using carefully worded constructive feedback, and they couldn’t handle it. ❞
❝ Yes, I knew you’d have to deal with some awkward aftermath. But it was better than seeing you live your life enveloped in Bubble Wrap. It’s worse than living in regret . . . you didn’t really live at all. ❞