This book made me laugh so much. The authors writing is so good. You can tell how talented she is.

It’s perfect for fans of Crazy Rich Asians

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Perfect for fans of Crazy Rich Asians!

It gets off to a slow start but after chapter 7 I was hooked and couldn't put it down.

A slow burn but a realistic & cute romance, I can't want to see what Ho does next.

I did not get around to reading this book prior to it’s publication date and it has since been archived therefore I cannot leave a review at this time.

I was expecting a lot more from this book. I found it quite slow and not as funny and quirky as people had said it was. I really struggled to get into the book as I didn’t really find I cared for any of the characters.
I liked the writing and I’d probably read another of the authors books but this one was just ok for me, sorry.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this Advanced readers e copy of The Last Tang Standing. This was a fun rom-rom with some interesting twists and turns to keep you guessing!

This book was a DNF for me, honestly I had high expectations as I had heard good reviews but this was just so disappointing. The book was just trying way too hard to be funny and it was not working, also felt like maybe it was trying to be a bit like Crazy Rich Asians. Wasn’t a fan of the sarcastic tone and I didn’t like the characters. There was too many problematic themes in this book that were being used as humour (fat shaming, casual sexual harassment and so on). This was just a big no from me and I don’t think I would ever pick up anything by this author again.

The Last Tang Standing was the perfect read to escape at the moment. Andrea is such a relatable protagonist and so likeable, I could easily relate to her struggles. The situations she finds herself in are hilarious and the cast of characters absolutely charming. I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved this book!

I loved the diary format and Andrea’s commentary on her successes and failures in work and love- it worked very well. This commentary was something I loved about Bridget Jones and I enjoyed it here too. I loved the setting of Singapore as well and it really felt like you were there.

For me, I felt that there needed to be a bit more of Andrea and her love interest together at the end. It’s not a criticism at all, but I love an epilogue as I like to see what has happened after the book. I really hope we get to see Andrea and friends again

What a total joy this book is! It's like falling into a rom com that's so deliciously rich in culture and style with brilliant characters. I relished the family dynamics and the expectations that are so often put on the ones we love. There have already been comparisons to Kevin Kwan but that's not to take anything away from Lauren Ho's distinctive style. Incredibly readable and can't wait to read what comes next.

I loved the diary format and Andrea’s commentary on her successes and failures in work and love- it worked very well. This commentary was something I loved about Bridget Jones and I enjoyed it here too. I loved the setting of Singapore as well and it really felt like you were there.

Andrea was a great character and I definitely related to her in some ways- mainly the comments about Louis Vuitton: “Took a cab to Orchard Road to buy myself an LV bag because no one else will and it being a classic model means it can totally be classified as an investment” made me feel SEEN.

I thought her cousin Linda was great and Andrea’s other friends were also fun. I also loved the workplace drama with Suresh and his cartoon strips. Although there were a lot of characters in the book I didn’t feel like there were too many.

For me, I felt that there needed to be a bit more of Andrea and her love interest together at the end. It’s not a criticism at all, but I love an epilogue as I like to see what has happened after the book. I really hope we get to see Andrea and friends again; at the very least I need to know if Andrea has bought anymore bags!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Quoting the synopsis of this book itself, "So what if she's poised to be the last unmarried member of her generation of the Tang clan? She doesn't need a man to feel fulfilled, no matter what her meddling relatives have to say about it." I was honestly expecting this book to be about a woman who fights to show that she doesn't need a man to have a good life. Well, it sort of did, but at the same time, it absolutely didn't.

Having a rather successful career as a lawyer, a posh condo to call her own, and great friends to have fun with, Andrea Tang's life would have been enough for her, had it not been for her meddling relatives that constantly pegged on her love life. When she found out that she might become the last woman in her clan to get married, a.k.a becoming the last Tang standing, it somehow became a mission for her to find a man to settle down in a marriage. And so this is where the hooking ups started.

Plotwise, I wouldn't say that Last Tang Standing has an amazing storyline that blew my mind, but it was still fun to go through. Being a woman myself, I know how it feels to be reduced to someone who needs to find a man in order to "have a good life", so seeing how Andrea had to suffer through that after breaking up with a long time boyfriend, constantly worrying about being embarrassed in front of her relatives for not being married yet just made me feel sorry for her.

I may be blessed to have parents that don't bother me about getting married, but I hate to acknowledge that Last Tang Standing actually depicts the reality of many women even to this day. A woman's worth should not be measured by a man, and though this book didn't actually end up becoming about that (not with the multiple love interests suddenly coming to Andrea's way), I do think that it still allows the topic to be discussed. We're definitely still far from getting a world where everyone can accept that women are enough on her own if she wants to, but I believe books like Last Tang Standing can help more of us to see that.

When it comes to characters, Last Tang Standing has quite a number of interesting ones. Although I don't fancy how the book turned out to be some kind of a love mission, I still loved Andrea Tang plenty. She's a very fun character, and I enjoyed her sassiness as well. She's able to stand on her own, and I like that there was certainly character growth as Andrea acknowledges her worth more and more as the story progressed. Her casual snarky remarks, especially the petty wars between her and Suresh, her colleague, were much joy to read too.

I think despite being the "last Tang standing", Andrea still ended up getting marvellous choices when it comes to her love interests. Eric Deng, a wealthy entrepreneur who caught her attention in one of the parties she went to was a real gentleman, much older than her, but would definitely lavish her life well enough to change her life completely. Suresh Aditparan, her attractive colleague and rival was like a forbidden fruit, but putting their rivalry aside, they were supportive of each other and actually admires one another's skills. Both Eric and Suresh have strengths and flaws that complement well with Andrea, and I honestly didn't know who to team up with, but over the course of the story, I think Andrea chose the right person for her in the end.

Overall, I would say that Last Tang Standing is a fun and a rather quick read. The fact that the story was written in a journal/diary style made it more intimate and I was able to relate myself with Andrea and understand her better. This book may not have been the kind of feminist story that I was looking for, but it is still a good story that shows a woman's strength and independence, written in a very enjoyable way. I'm actually excited to read Lauren Ho's future works!

Really enjoyed reading this book! The publisher's description of Bridget Jones meets Crazy Rich Asians seem very accurate and this made for an entertaining read.

This did not work for me at all. It was too slow and the plot hadn't taken off even after 30% of the book. So I kind of found it tiring to read inspite of being v excited about the premise.

Loved this book, very reminiscent of the Crazy Rich Asians books. A great love story with lots of twists and interesting characters. Reminded me of my trip to Singapore, the author describes the city perfectly. A page turner!

this book was boring for the most part, i was unable to sit through the majority of it and found myself hoping it would be over, very disappointing :/

Enjoyable from the start and much funnier and bolder than expected, it read like an updated Bridget Jones diary with a very relatable main character.

*I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I very rarely DNF books, but I have to admit that I was close to it with this one.
I've been reading through some of the reviews and a lot of people seem to enjoy this book a lot, but that wasn't my experience.
I had several issues with it, firstly and probably what made it so hard for me to enjoy, is simply that I didn't like any of the characters.
Of course , this is a highly personal opinion and other people could like the main character and the supporting cast, but for me ai found the MC unlikeable and felt as if there wasn't any real depth to the supporting characters.
On top of this there were parts that didn't sit well with me in terms of how some people acted, with no real attempt at showing their behaviour as negative.
And one thing that, most people probably wouldn't care about, but I was finding really annoying, was the constant reference to things such as social media sites, companies, etc.
I understand this book is set in the modern day where things like Instagram, LinkedIn etc are used regularly, even daily by a huge amount of people. However, to me at least, it seemed like these things were being mentioned with a frequency that didn't seem necessary and for some reason it bothered me.
Overall, this book was not for me and that's not to say that it was entirely bad, and as other reviews have shown, a lot of people did enjoy this book. I, unfortunately just wasn't one of them.

🤭Unpopular Opinion 🤭

#Bookreview: Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho.

The story started off in a promising way - Andrea Tang was nervous about a family gathering in which gossips fly and expectations run high in typical Asian setting of sly aunts poking their noses at singletons with “when-are-you-gonna-marry?”.

Being a successful 30-ish lawyer was just not enough; in order to make her mother & the whole clan happy; Andrea needed to be married & to a person who fits the society’s frame of “the catch”.

This 📖 was described by many reviews & Goodreads as “where Crazy Rich Asian meets Bridget Jones Diary” and that’s where, as they say it; the plot lost its magic.

Don’t get me wrong. #LastTangStanding is a funny, fast-paced read. I found myself bursting out laughing in between the chapters at the crazy rollercoaster moments of Andrea: the attempts at online dating sites supervised by her friend, Le Linda; the banters that went between her & her rival-at work, her description of the “kiasu”-ness of the society and her friends’ dry (albeit,always intoxicated) humour. However, comical situations alone can’t save a 📖.

As I read along, the plot and characters especially Andrea herself; reminded me too strongly of - yup, you guess it right! Bridget Jones & Rachel Chu 🤭😳 It gets predictable; the jokes, sarcasm, self-poking, romance and even the family drama.

I appreciate that Andrea’s life illustrated that in current hedonistic-materialistic world; the pursuit of one’s true happiness is never a primary goal. People keep chasing others’ expectations & in doing so, sacrifice themselves & their own dreams/love. However, I feel that this message is “lost” in the ramblings (written in a diary-entry like style) and the multiple jumbles of the characters & happenings.

For me, the 📖 did not fulfill the hype that I received. It was quite okay for a light reading by the 🏝 when you expect nothing heavier than a few laughs & a tease of a romance.

2.5⭐️

Tq to @mphdistributors for giving me the ebook review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Last Tang Standing is really a chuckle-a-minute romantic comedy, which will make you fall in love with the protagonist Andrea Tang, an accomplished lawyer in Singapore, on track to become a partner at a prestigious law firm before she turns 35. As an Asian woman of course, she is inundated with worries from critical family members who are more concerned with the fact that she recently parted ways with her eligible ex-fiance and there is no other man in sight to wrap her in his arms before she trips and falls over her aging ovaries. And this makes the otherwise steadfast and determined Andrea also believe that it is imperative that she found a man as soon as possible (preferably of Chinese descent as her), even if she wasn't head over heels for him because it would make her less of a pariah in the eyes of her judgemental relatives.

Throughout the novel, we see our protagonist try to do right by everyone but herself and she even wills herself to believe that this is the only way for her to be happy and content. But life has different plans for her. The fact that author @hellolaurenho used to be a practising lawyer in Singapore makes the book and its descriptions of characters and situations very vivid, lived in and needless to say, ripe for comedy. The romance in the book is also adorable but it doesn't distract from Andrea's arduous and often hilarious journey of learning how to put herself first.

Pick this one up if you want to distract yourself from the shit storm that is the year 2020.